《Reincarnation of a Worthless Man》 The Greenwood Family S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Vol 1 Chapter 1: How It All Began ??? ------------------------- Before I realized it, I was stuck inside a baby¡¯s body. I thought I had died. I should¡¯ve died. I remembered how painful it was, for water to enter my lungs. It lasted for a good few horrifying minutes until I finally lost my consciousness. It was like a really, really bad asthma attack, and I was certainly familiar with those, having it for most of my life. But then, when I woke up, I was already a baby. At first, I thought I was in Hell, and my new state is my personal torture. To be stuck in a baby¡¯s body forever, unable to do anything. But then, when my mother picked me up and kissed me warmly in the cheeks, I knew that this place couldn¡¯t be Hell. Not even Purgatory. In fact, it felt closer to Heaven for me. I was reborn to a well-off family. We live in a small mansion in the countryside, far away from the hustle and bustle of modern city life that I was used to. The air was fresh and the scenery was green. It was truly my kind of a dream house. Unfortunately, you can¡¯t really live in a house like this in Japan. Unless you¡¯re some rich guy who can afford not to slave away in our big cities. My brother and sister certainly could, I imagine, but knowing their personality, they wouldn¡¯t be interested in such a leisurely, and dare I say it, lazy life. They love the hustle and bustle of the modern era, where you only got a few hours of sleep and no rest even on weekends and holidays. I was jealous of that drive they had. If only I was more like them, I would¡¯ve become a better person perhaps. Or at the very least, I would hate myself less. But on the other hand, my lazy side detested them for it, thinking they, and many others like them, are just perpetuating the brutal work culture that us Japanese are famous for abroad. Yeah, I still read the news. Sometimes. Anyways, back to my new life, I enjoyed my new life as a baby, despite the humiliating fact that I couldn¡¯t control my bladder and bowels whatsoever. I just have to cry to get my parents¡¯ attention when that happened, so they would hurry to change my diaper. And, as much as it shames me to admit this, I enjoy being coddled by them that way. I have no worries whatsoever. It was an easy life, full of love that my parents showered onto me. The moment I could crawl however, I started exploring around, just so I can get a better understanding on the kind of house I¡¯m currently living in. When I scraped my knee from it, it was where I learned that this was a world where magic existed, as my mother healed the wound instantly with what I assumed to be a healing spell. And in that moment, my eyes were opened. The vaguely European-like features and looks that my parents had and their medieval-looking clothes, and the fact that there was no electricity whatsoever, and now the discovery of magic actually existing. I was in a medieval fantasy world! I couldn¡¯t believe it at first, but as I picked up more and more conversations between my parents (I can start to understand them at this point), it was completely proven to be true. There was no doubt now. I was in another world entirely. ----- Born to a family of three, I was the middle child with one older brother and one little sister. At first, I was just like them, a bright child with a bright future. At elementary school, not to brag or anything, I was quite famous for being the smartest, and the cutest kid in class. I was always smiling; always cheerful. I had many friends, and even many more secret admirers. It was a blessed, happy life. It all changed when I was in Junior high. Like the naive idiot I was, I came to the defense of a girl being harassed by a group of bullies. Back then, I was all over the idea of being a defender of justice, protector of the weak and shield of the innocent. Only to end up being beaten up so bad that I had to be hospitalized afterwards. I didn''t do it the cool way either. I stopped fighting the moment I fell to the ground. I begged them to stop with tears in my eyes, completely overwhelmed by the pain I received by them kicking me repeatedly in the stomach. And when I lost my consciousness, I soiled myself, with the girl I was supposed to save watching all of it. My family, naturally, tried to sue the school, but thanks to the parents of the bully group¡¯s leader being a significant donor of the private school, not to mention his links with both the government and the Yakuza, the suit didn¡¯t go anywhere. The bullies only got a simple probation, and they continued to terrorize the school afterwards. For me, however, it traumatized me completely. I refused to go to school for an entire year afterwards. My fear of the bullies was so much that I couldn¡¯t even step outside the house without a panic attack. My family tried a number of therapists, but none of them could really cure the fear that had rooted deeply into my heart. I suppose for my naive little self, it was the very first time he was faced with the harsh reality of the world. When I went back to school, on a new one, naturally, my grades dropped significantly. I stopped smiling, and I became a recluse. I started avoiding real life altogether, submerging myself in fictional worlds instead through books, anime, and video games. Those three were my only escape in my one year of absence. My favorites were always stories where the hero prevailed over evil, over the injustices they faced, no doubt influenced by my condition. At high school, my addiction only continued, leading to me failing my entrance exam to Tokyo University, even though all my other siblings managed to do so. I acted like it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°College isn¡¯t everything after all,¡± I argued to myself. ¡°What¡¯s actually important is what comes after.¡± And indeed, I was right. My older brother became a successful young CEO while my little sister became a forefront scientist at CERN, researching quantum mechanics and all that fancy science stuff. As for me, I only got an office job so ordinary that it wasn¡¯t even worth noting. I couldn¡¯t escape the truth anymore. I had become a failure. Depression took in, and I started eating and sleeping unhealthily, ruining what good looks I used to have before. I became fat, and perverted as well, as I masturbated daily to pictures of anime girls I found on the internet. My hormones didn''t get a normal release with a girlfriend or even a wife, like my brother. He was already married, and with a hot wife too. Just another list of reasons to be jealous of him. At this time, I still was an avid reader of hero fantasy, particularly of the isekai genre. I especially loved the wish-fulfillment aspect of them. Took me away from my crappy life, even if for just a moment. However, I always took issue whenever the hero did something I would never do myself. Like being a pervert to the girls, or being a jerk for no reason. Yeah, I still kept my white knight tendencies, even after all these years. And then, I was fired from my job. They were downsizing, and I was one of the employees they deemed useless. It broke me. I worked there for ten years, having to bear being pushed around by my co-workers and having my work''s credit being stolen. I was afraid. Afraid that what happened at my youth would happen all over again if I spoke up. In the rain, I walked. I walked and I walked and I walked, not really knowing where my feet were taking me. And then, I saw her. A girl carried away by the river''s heavy current. I looked around. There was no one else nearby. It had to be me. I jumped. And with whatever strength I had, I caught up to her and carried her to the side. I couldn''t even swim. When I was done however, I failed to get my own self to the shore, as my legs suddenly went into a terrible cramp. And so I drowned. All with a smile on my face. Never would I imagine that I would reincarnate myself. All like in those stories I loved to read. ---- I quickly learned how to read. I must know more about this world and the quickest way to do so that wouldn¡¯t freak out my parents, would be to learn it through books. Unfortunately, our house only has a couple of them. It seemed our family isn¡¯t interested in having grand libraries like your typical rich folks usually are. Nevertheless, I quickly managed to pick up on the words and grammar of this world. To my surprise, they weren¡¯t that far off from the English language back at my world. Thank God I actually learned English (even though I only did so because I wanted to understand the English side of the Internet). Thanks to that, I now knew the general layout of this world and the various countries that existed in it. Oh, and I also got my hand on a magic book. A real, honest-to-goodness, magic book. Naturally, I immediately tried the spells in it, starting from those that looked the easiest. The book said that you were supposed to chant a certain set of words to cast a spell. However, I immediately learned that you still can do it, even without the chant! And I learned it all through pure accident! My reading capability was still limited, so I couldn¡¯t quite understand the words I was supposed to chant. I tried to chant anyway, making up the words instead. And it worked! I formed a small ball of wind from the palm of my hand! I couldn¡¯t believe it! So I decided to experiment. I changed the words around again. And yet, it still worked! The same phenomenon and sensation still happened! I still feel this warmth travelling to my palm and bam, I got a ball of circling wind! Only for it to disappear immediately the moment I rejoiced. Hmm, concentration, I suppose. I need to maintain it in order for the spell to stay. I then tried casting it without any chanting whatsoever. Just raw and pure concentration as I imagined the same sensation and the same ball of wind appearing on my palm. And it worked! It actually worked! I read the book further, but it didn¡¯t say anything about casting spells without chanting. Then, could it be that I¡¯m special in the matter? Could it be that I¡¯m actually a magic genius? Ehe¡­ ehehehehehehe! And so with that bigheadedness and arrogance, I started gleefully trying out magic as much as I can. Only to pass out after the sixth spell, even wetting myself in the process. I forgot. You did need mana to cast magic after all. If you pushed yourself too much, this would be the result. ---- When I woke up, I was already back in my room, laying down on my bed. My clothes were clean and dry, which meant Mother must have changed them. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re finally awake.¡± I looked to the side, and there, I saw my older sister staring at me. Her name was Marina, and she was around 5 years older than me, making her six right now. She had shoulder-length dirty blonde hair, and she had green eyes, just like Mother. Even so, she wasn¡¯t like other kids her age. She always acted, for a lack of a better term, mature. It was hard not to see her as my older sister, even though technically, if we counted my previous life, I was far older than her. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ve been sneaking into Papa¡¯s study, haven¡¯t you? Learning magic on your own?¡± There it was. She gave me that look again. The look that made me immediately feel guilty. She would make an excellent mother. Wouldn¡¯t have to yell to scold her kids. Even the father would be scolded by her with ease, I imagined. ¡°That¡¯s not good, you know. You need a teacher to teach you magic. Magic is dangerous to try on your own.¡± ¡°How about I become your teacher?¡± And so, from that day on, I learned magic under her. ---- To my surprise, she was actually somewhat of a good teacher. No, not somewhat, she was actually, genuinely, 100% good at it. She could already cast all the basic level magic with ease. And not just that, she even demonstrated several intermediate-level ones to me! And she was just six years old! I learned that she was actually considered a magic prodigy by my parents later on. They even already gave her her own wand. And it was a fancy, regal looking wand at that. Not anything like the magical girl wands you would expect girls her age to hold. I could tell how proud she was of that wand. She always took care of it, carrying it in her dress¡¯ pocket anywhere she went. I actually tried to get a hold of it one day, but before I could, she already snatched it back. I got a lecture from her afterwards, about how I shouldn¡¯t be taking people¡¯s magic wands because it could be dangerous. ¡°Your magic power is enchanted significantly with a wand in your hand. You¡¯re going to hurt yourself if you cast anything while holding it!¡± She told me in her usual naggy, bossy tone. Really, she was the perfect picture of the overly serious and responsible older sister character. ---- Marina When I first heard the news from Mother that she was pregnant, I was ecstatic. Finally, I was going to get a sibling! But then, I realized that they could be a boy! And I hated boys! They kept teasing me, pulling my hair and even lifting my dress! And they laughed at the bear panties I was wearing! "Mom, I don''t want a baby brother! I want only a baby sister!" I told her. "Oh dearie¡­" She just smiled at me. "I don''t know if it''s going to be a boy or a girl. But I do know that you would have to be a good big sister to them, alright?" "I don''t wanna do it if it''s a boy though¡­ Boys are icky and gross!" "Ah, I see the boys in the village is giving you a hard time again." As usual, Mother just saw right through me. "That''s the more reason why you should take care of your baby brother well. Raise him up to be a gentleman, then you''ll have an adorable little brother you can always play with." I didn''t believe her at first. Those nine months felt terribly long, as I anxiously waited for the baby to be born. When the delivery day happened, I waited nervously outside the bedroom, pacing back and forth as I bit my thumb. Father was the first to enter once the healer told him to. After several minutes, the healer told me to enter as well. "It''s a male, Marina. Congratulations. You now have your own little brother." Father patted me on the back. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. My smile disappeared into a frown. But then, the moment I saw him¡ª My heart melted on the spot. "Aaw, he''s so cute! Can I hold him, Mother?" ¡°Of course, dear. Just be careful, alright?¡± That day, I swore to be the best big sister that I could be. Hugo Four years had passed since I started learning magic with Marina. I was now five years old, making her ten. I had grown a lot since then, both in height and in my ability with magic. I had reached the level Marina showed me when we first started. I could now cast all basic level magic with ease and some intermediate level ones. She, on the other hand, had surpassed herself even more. She had mastered all intermediate level magic and she was now dabbling in advanced level ones. Our father and mother both agreed to send her to a magic school, so that her talent could be cultivated further. She would go next year, at eleven. It was a boarding school, located far away than the boonies we were in right now. I would only be able to see her once a year, in the summer holidays. I knew I should be happy for her, but I still couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of loneliness in my chest. In these four years, I had become quite attached to her, it seemed. ¡°Sis, why don¡¯t we skip the magic lessons today? Let¡¯s go to the village!¡± I suggested to her. She raised her eyebrows. ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s unusual. Usually you are so diligent. And suddenly you want to skip your studies?¡± ¡°I-I just thought we could use a break, that¡¯s all.¡± I lied. The truth was, I suddenly felt I wanted more time with her. Time that wasn¡¯t just spent on her teaching me magic. I wanted to make memories with her. Naturally, I couldn¡¯t just say to her face. I was nothing like my old kid self, who was always forward with everything. Now, shyness was a significant part of me. What if she mocked me if I told her the truth? She certainly could tease me for being a crybaby! I didn¡¯t want that. I wanted her to think of me as dependable. Or even cool, if a five year old could ever be that. ¡°Well, I suppose we can do that,¡± she replied with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll have to ask Father first though.¡± Vol 1 Chapter 2: Separation We ended up finding Father first, as he was swinging his sword around in the courtyard as usual. He was the perfect picture of a warrior. He had so many rippling muscles and abs on his body that I would be surprised if he still had any fat on it. He was an ex-adventurer, just like my mother. In fact, they were in the same party before they retired. I knew this straight from Mother herself. She loved telling tales of their adventures to me and Marina, especially as bedtime stories. I could just imagine it. Him, a warrior, and my mother, who was apparently a cleric, getting along as they braved dangers together. Until eventually, they fell for each other. No doubt he''s the one to initiate. I heard you two having fun upstairs, you know. You''re lucky I have an adult mind or else I might actually get traumatized from it! They would have their fun almost every single night. And most of the time, I would hear him teasing her, saying stuff like "What, that''s it? I can still keep going, you know~" and she would reply with stuff like "Ahnnnn, dearie, you really are such a perv, you know~" before letting out more lurid and lewd moans. I now wondered why I wasn''t born earlier. Maybe Mother had some birth control medicine made by some alchemists? I doubted condoms already existed in this world. At first, I was absolutely annoyed by them. Jealousy welled up inside of me; me who had been a virgin his whole life; me who had never even dated a girl before. Damn riajuu, get another room, would you? Or do it outside, I don''t care! I can hear all your moaning and growing from down here! I swear I will not be this annoying when I have my own wife! Whenever that would be! Grumpily, I could only try to block the sounds as I went to sleep. Sis is lucky. Her room is further away so she shouldn''t be hearing this. But eventually, I had to admit it. That this¡­ was far better than the dead bedroom my old parents had. I could practically feel the love between them, every time I saw them together. Father would always steal glances towards Mother, with Mother doing the same afterwards. The soft looks they had when they looked at each other, and the laugh and smiles they often shared-- It was truly heartwarming. And, as their son, that warmth was shared to me as well. Those two really are a match in heaven¡­ ...Dammit, I¡¯m so jealous of them! I want a lovey-dovey husband and wife relationship like them too! Alan, you lucky bastard! Alan was, of course, Father''s name. Alan Greenwood, to be exact. Mother''s name, on the other hand, was Renee. Renee Greenwood. Just like in the previous world, wives tend to take the surname of their husbands when they got married. And that made my sister Marina Greenwood and myself Hugo Greenwood. Not bad. Greenwood was a respectable surname to have. Could be cooler though, like Pendragon. Now that''s a cool surname. I asked Mother once what Father¡¯s job was, now that he had retired. "Well, your father is a knight, my dear. He protects this region from any bad guys that threaten it." "Like bandits and monsters?" "Yes, exactly! You''re a smart one, aren''t you, Hugo?" She smiled and patted my head. This region was known as as the Sheffield Region. Located in the outskirts of the Marchen Kingdom, it was practically the booniest you could ever imagine a place to be (that still had civilization, at the very least). It only had farming as a viable career option if you wanted to stay. Else, you had to go to the capital. Being a village guard wasn¡¯t really considered a career. The lord in charge of the region didn¡¯t bother forming official militias consisting of the locals. He only paid salaries to his knights, which Alan was one. I would accuse him of being a miser, like your typical noble lords in fantasy stories, but I really didn¡¯t know his finances. The geography book that told me all this also said that this region was quite rich though, as it provided for the rest of the kingdom, so who knew? "Dad, can I and Marina go play in the village?" I took the initiative. "Hmm?" He immediately paused his exercise as he noticed our presence. "The village? Now that''s rare. You two are always cooped up here, training your magic like the prodigies you are." "Hugo says he''s bored of my lessons," Marina chimed in with a huff. "Really? Then why don''t you have some swordplay lessons from your Dad instead?" He gave a hopeful grin. I always knew that Father wanted me to be a swordsman like him. When he first discovered that I had a talent for magic, just like my sister, he shouted, "Gods, it''s not fair! Why must he be a mage as well?!" to Mother. She just giggled in return. She seemed to be pleased that both of her children were magically inclined, just like her. He had dreamed of having a son or a daughter (Many powerful warriors he met were of the female persuasion so he wasn''t picky) to be his successor. Unfortunately for him, both me and my sister were just not interested. Well, in the case of Marina, she was simply not good at it. She tried for a while before deciding to give up entirely, focusing on magic instead, which she simply found much more fun to train and play with. As for me, well, I had never even tried. ¡°Sorry, Dad, I¡¯m not interested in becoming a musclehead like you.¡± Ouch, I could see that my words struck him pretty hard. ¡°B-but girls like men with muscles!¡± He quickly retorted. ¡°That¡¯s how I won over your mother!¡± Now that I thought about it, Mother never talked about how she had fallen for him in her adventuring tales. Well, I imagined it would be really awkward to tell that to your son and daughter. I could totally understand why she wouldn¡¯t. Hell, I probably wouldn¡¯t either when I had my own children, unless they really, really asked for it. Well, he was indeed good looking. And the ladies certainly loved some muscles and abs in their men. Too much muscles for my taste though. I preferred a lean and slender build myself, but still with the firmness that girls liked. ¡°Hugo, it¡¯s not nice to tease Father like that, you know.¡± Marina suddenly nudged me with her elbow. Well, she¡¯s a sharp one. She already knew how clever I could be at times, even though I was just a five year old kid. ¡°Alright, alright, you two can go.¡± Father finally surrendered. ¡°Just be careful alright. Follow the road. And be back before the sun sets.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I¡¯ll take care of Hugo. You can trust me on that,¡± Marina quickly replied, grabbing my right hand with her left. He looked at her for a moment, then back to me, and then back to her again. ¡°Uh, I was going to ask Hugo to take care of you instead actually." He scratched the back of his head. "What? I''m his big sister! I''m the one that should protect him!" Marina flared. Wow, Sis, you actually managed to make him flinch. Now I wondered if Mother could do ten times that when she got angry. "I know¡­ I know¡­ but boys¡­ they like protecting girls, you know¡­ Hugo here must be happy to be the one protecting his sister for once. Right, Hugo?" He patted me on the shoulder while giving me a nervous smile. Dad, please don''t drag me into this. But he was right. For once, I hoped I could be the cool brother that my sister could look up to. Could I admit that with a straight face though? "F-Father is right. I¡­ I would really like to protect you, Sis¡­" I mumbled all that while averting my gaze, a blush creeping into my face. Pathetic, wasn''t it? Marina, however, reacted in a way that I did not expect. She blushed and averted her gaze as well. C-cute! "W-well, I certainly don''t mind¡­ j-just for a day, alright?" She relented. Just for a day, huh? Then let''s show her the coolest little brother that I could be! With a confident smile, I firmly took her hand. First step, I needed to stop being so shy. ---- The village was not far from our house. Just fifteen minutes of walk actually. We only needed to traverse downhill on the dirt road between the farms to get to the village proper. On the way, we were always greeted kindly by the farmers whom we passed by. It seemed my father was beloved and well-liked by them, making us beloved and well-liked as well. Ah, nepotism. Still existing even in a fantasy world. Naturally, I tried to greet them back one by one. But I was quickly overwhelmed by the amount of people doing it, so much so that my right hand was starting to hurt from all the waving I was doing. I could tell that Marina was feeling the same however. But ever the honor student, and probably because she wanted to be a good role model to her little brother, she couldn''t stop. Poor Sis. I knew exactly how you felt. Perhaps we were more similar than I originally thought. "Hey, Marina!" Once at the village entrance, a plus-sized boy suddenly ran towards our direction with a big grin on his face. He wasn¡¯t fat by any means. He was just that¡ªbig. He was taller, and wider, than Marina, and he was like a giant to me. ¡°Brandon.¡± Just from the way Marina said it, and the sudden frown on her face, I could tell that she did not like this person in the slightest. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with the frown? You¡¯re cuter if you¡¯re smiling, you know!¡± D-did he¡­ did he just try to hit on my sister? ¡°Brandon, I¡¯m not in the mood to deal with you right now,¡± she replied, her tone still filled with hostility.. ¡°As you can see, I bring my little brother today. And we¡¯re going to play together. Just the two of us.¡± ¡°Aw, come on, can¡¯t I join too? Pretty please?¡± And from his tone, I knew he wasn¡¯t really taking any of this seriously. Just from these few seconds in his presence, I already hated him as much as my big sister. ¡°Hugo, let¡¯s just ignore him, shall we?¡± Marina grabbed my hand and pretty much dragged me away from this Brandon guy. Only for him to just take my sister¡¯s other hand, stopping her in her tracks. ¡°That¡¯s cold. Real cold. As the daughter of our guardian knight, shouldn¡¯t you be more¡­ you know, accommodating to the common folk? Like me!¡± ...Yep, he was just like them. Those jocks that had tormented me in junior high. They too would flirt with girls nonchalantly. And if they didn¡¯t get the attention they wanted from them, they would often turn to force, like what he was doing right now. ¡°...You¡¯re hurting me. Please release my hand at once.¡± ¡°Then agree to play with me first! Just leave this little chump on his own!¡± He looked towards me. ¡°The village¡¯s safe! He won¡¯t come to any harm!¡± ¡°Release my hand, Brandon.¡± ¡°You know, your wrist is really soft. Guess it¡¯s true what they say with noblefolks like you.¡± And then, I saw him tightening his grip on Marina¡¯s wrist, earning a pained whimper from her. I snapped. Without a chant, I conjured a ball of wind and fired it right towards his abdomen. ¡°Gwaaahhh!¡± He was sent flying a few meters away from the force of the impact, releasing her grip on my sister¡¯s arm. He landed right on the muddied section of the dirt road face first. It was raining quite heavily last night after all. ¡°Hugo!¡± Her stern voice immediately brought me back to reality. I had attacked him. I had just attacked a defenseless kid with my magic. I immediately expected a lecture from her, about how I shouldn¡¯t be doing that and how she could solve the matter without violence. ¡°Thank you.¡± Instead, what I got was a word of gratitude. ------ Marina Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I did not expect what just happened. Hugo, on his own, just attacked Brandon with his wind spell. The expression on his face¡­ it was that of pure anger. I couldn''t help but be slightly terrified by it. I was going to lecture him on how we shouldn''t have done that as it would certainly cause more trouble in the future, but I stopped myself. He¡­ was doing this to protect me. That anger he showed, it was genuine. All of it from Brandon grabbing my wrist. If I lectured him now, I would be doing his bravery a terrible disservice. "You really love your sister that much, Hugo? I can take a mere wrist grab just fine, you know." I couldn''t help but tease him. "W-well, I promised to protect you after all." Aaw, he''s blushing! How cute! I couldn''t resist! I had to hug him! "Here." I wrapped my arms around his head, gently burying his face on my chest. "Your reward." I could sense him struggling to free himself! He''s really one shy boy, wasn''t he? "You know, you were really cool back there." I said as I released him, though I still had my hands on his shoulders. "If I hadn''t been your big sis, I might have actually fallen in love with you on the spot." I noticed him smiling when I called him cool, only to turn crimson once more when I teased him again. "Hee hee, you really need to stop blushing so much, you know." I rubbed his head. "Girls like strong and confident boys, not shy ones." "R-really, Sis?" He replied. And now he suddenly looked like a sad forlorn puppy. "W-well, some shyness is perfectly fine as well! Girls can like shy boys! They trigger their maternal instincts, you know!" I quickly corrected myself. He sighed. "I knew I could never be cool¡­" Oh Hugo¡­ You really are obsessed with being cool, huh? I wonder where you got that from. Father? "Oh, don''t be silly, Hugo. You are a perfectly cool little boy! Cool and shy aren''t necessarily opposites, you know!" And just like that, his smile returned once again. Hugo We spent the rest of the day frolicking around the village, buying food from the local grocery, watching the blacksmith do his work, and playing with the other kids that lived in the village. To my relief, that big guy didn''t bother us again. Maybe he was licking his wounds. No doubt he felt absolutely humiliated by his defeat, especially since it was done by me, a mere five year old. How old was he anyways? Around Marina¡¯s age? Maybe a little bit older? Maybe around 12 or so. Well, whatever. I didn¡¯t want to see his ugly mug ever again, especially near my sister. Before we knew it, the sun was already going down. It was time to go home. ¡°Wait, Hugo.¡± As we walked back however, Marina suddenly stopped me in my tracks. ¡°I have something to talk about.¡± Her face was all serious, but there was a melancholic smile adorning it as well. Oh no, I think¡­ I think I might know what she¡¯s going to talk about. She took me off the road, to one of the grassy plains. Then, she sat down, motioning me to sit down as well beside her. In front of us was the setting sun, beautiful in all its crimson glory. ¡°You took me here today because I¡¯m going to leave soon, weren''t you?¡± she said with a smirk. Bingo. She read me like a book. ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± I admitted, averting my face away from her, finding it reddening yet again. ¡°I see¡­ Then, are you satisfied?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I turned my head to face her. ¡°Are you already satisfied, with what we did today?¡± She asked me again, all with a gentle smile on her face. I paused. I looked away from her once again, choosing to stare at my boots instead. ¡°I-I do¡­ I think...¡± I answered. ¡°Y-you got to see my cool side after all!¡± I blurted out, giving her a fake smile. If I were to be honest, I wasn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t satisfied at all. I still wanted to be with her for longer. I knew it¡¯s pathetic, for an old man in a child¡¯s body to be feeling that way. But, after being so close to her for these four years, feeling her warmth every single day, that was what I felt. Of course, I couldn¡¯t tell her that. It would only pain her more. I knew her. This separation must hurt for her as well. And besides¡­. It would be uncool for me to do so. I wanted to be a strong little brother that she could leave behind without worry. Unlike my old, weak self. However, before I knew it... I was already in her embrace yet again. ¡°You¡¯re lying, aren¡¯t you, Hugo?¡± She whispered as she rubbed my back. ¡°You can¡¯t hide anything from your big sister, you know.¡± I exploded into an awful, terribly uncool sobbing mess. ---- The very next week, it was time for Marina to leave. Father would be going with her while me and Mother stayed in our house. I spoke my goodbyes to her without a single tear. It seemed I had given all my tears away that dusk, under the setting sun. We promised to exchange letters, of course. But it could not really replace the closeness we always had. I just had to bear it. I just had to bear it until next year, where she would come home on her holidays. And when she did, she would find me more grown-up than she could possibly imagine. ??? Vol 1 Chapter 3: Demon Child "Dad, I want to learn swordfighting after all. Can you teach me please?" I made the request next month, after Father returned from accompanying Marina to her school. The next day, to be exact, as he was doing his usual training in the courtyard. I had been thinking about it a lot. And I decided. I wanted to be able to swing around a sword after all. He immediately dropped his sword and came over to me, looking like he just won the lottery. ¡°Whoa whoa whoa, did I hear that right, Hugo? Did you just say that you want to learn swordfighting?¡± he replied, a big, silly grin on his face. ¡°Yes, Dad.¡± I sighed. I really didn¡¯t like that grin. It made me feel like I was walking into something I would regret. ¡°So would you please teach me?¡± ¡°Of course I will! Don¡¯t you worry about a single thing!¡± He laughed, patting me on the shoulder harder than I would like. ¡°I¡¯ll make you the best swordsman in the land! I promise you that!¡± I seriously doubted that. ¡°But if I might ask, what¡¯s with the sudden interest? I mean, all this time, it seems you always prefer magic over swordfighting.¡± He scratched the back of his head. ¡°I¡­ just wanted to do it, that¡¯s all¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t admit that I was doing it just so I could become cooler in the eyes of Marina. Nuh uh. Too embarrassing. When she comes back, it would be nice to have some muscles on my body, even if it¡¯s just a little¡­ "Ah, you want to impress your sister, don''t you?" His grin got bigger. ...Goddamnit, was I that easy to read? "Y-yeah¡­" I sheepishly admitted. I could already feel my face warming up. "Don''t worry, my boy." He put his big hand on my shoulder again. "Once next summer comes, I''ll make sure that you''ll have some muscles in that skinny body of yours!" And so my days of sword training began. ---- And I immediately regretted it. Haah¡­ haaah¡­ haah¡­ haah¡­ W-what is this? This isn''t sword training! This is physical fitness training! He told me to run around the courtyard five laps before doing push-ups and sit-ups, twenty each! To a five year old boy! "Don''t give up, Hugo! You need to build some muscle first before you could even go anywhere near a sword!" He shouted so passionately towards me, who was laying down on the dirt, out of breath. T-this must count as child abuse! "D-dad! I just want to learn how to use a sword! I don''t want to be a musclehead like you!" "Silence!" He shouted back. "You''re not my son if you can''t handle this much!" I knew he didn''t really mean it. He was just pretending, acting it up for dramatic purpose. But didn''t he think he was going a little bit too hard at it? That he was enjoying it a little bit too much? I could see Mother sitting on the veranda, shaking her head and sighing. However, she didn''t say anything. She didn''t tell Father to stop or to be easier on me. Instead, she looked straight at me with a firm look. I knew that look. She was telling me that it was up to me to give up or not. She might look gentle, but she wasn''t one to spoil her kids, it seemed. In the end, I persevered. Not because I wanted those muscles that badly (though they certainly would be nice), but just because I had made an oath to myself ever since I was reincarnated into this world. I would not waste my life a second time. Unlike my old self, I wouldn¡¯t give up immediately. Just because it¡¯s hard or just because I didn¡¯t like it would never be a valid reason for me to abandon my efforts on something. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I loved learning magic but I hated physical exercise like this. And yet, I still had to do the latter, even if I didn¡¯t enjoy it, or that I had no talent for it. My goal was to learn at least basic-level swordsmanship. So that I could defend myself a little without using magic. That, and to show it off to Marina once she returned home next year. No doubt she would already be even better at magic than before. And speaking of magic, with Marina leaving, I seemed to have hit a plateau on my magic learning. Now that I was trying out Advanced-level spells, the explanation written by the books was getting too hard for me to understand properly. Without her to explain them to me nice and easy, I couldn¡¯t progress in my studies. Mother couldn¡¯t help, as she only knew how to do healing spells. And I seemed to have zero talent in that department. It was a normal thing, Marina once explained. No mages were able to cast every spell in existence. Most of them would only specialize in a handful of branches and/or subjects. Even so, Marina could cast every type of spell that she found in the books. She must really be a genius at magic. To not lose to her, I thought I should pick up some swordsmanship on the side. It would be ideal if I could be something like a mageknight; a warrior that could unite both swordsmanship and magic in one harmonious combination, resulting in a strength that surpassed the two on their own. Well, it was just my aspiration. I didn¡¯t know if I could really reach that level or not. But I certainly would try. Not trying would just lead me back to the hole of despair I used to be in. ----- It continued like so for a month, until I could do all of the routine Father demanded. Every day after an exhausting practice, Mother would heal my aches and bruises with her magic. It was really convenient. I didn¡¯t have to sleep with muscle pain as a result. It also meant that I could really push myself to the limit. Maybe that¡¯s why Father was being so stern with me in our practice. He knew he could get away with it because Mother was around. "Alright, Hugo." He threw a wooden sword on the ground in front of me. "Pick that up. It''s time we start the real lesson." ---- As I expected, Father''s style of swordsmanship was basically just attack, attack, and attack until the opponent dropped dead. He was a musclehead after all. He wouldn''t bother with complicated maneuvers and all that fancy stuff. He would just slash his opponents over and over with his big sword. At least, that was the impression I was getting from his confused explanations. Urgh, I miss Marina''s teachings even more now¡­ He seemed to be the guy that learned how to fight out of pure instinct. He couldn''t really teach his skill to others. Well, even so, I managed to learn the basics nonetheless. How to hold your sword, where to place your feet, how you should attack and defend, and so on. So I was still getting something out of it. Not to mention all the cool displays he was giving, like cutting rocks and felling trees with one single slice of his sword. This was a fantasy world after all, so superpowered swordplay should be normal. Without that, guns would just make swords and other melee weapons completely obsolete in both normal combat and warfare. ...Wait, did this world even have guns already? I couldn¡¯t remember any kinds of firearms being described in my books. Another month went by, when suddenly Father announced something that took me by surprise. ¡°Sorry Hugo, but I think you should stop learning swordsmanship from me if I were to be perfectly honest.¡± He sighed deeply, a look of resignation written all over his face. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong, Father? Am I just that bad at it?¡± I tilted my head in confusion. He didn¡¯t seem to be the kind of guy who would just give up that easily. After all the ¡°Never give up!¡± speeches he gave me in these last two months, now he¡¯s suddenly giving up? That¡¯s quite hypocritical, was it not, Father? ¡°No, not at all.¡± He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ you don¡¯t really have the talent to use my style of swordsmanship.¡± My expression immediately turned sour. I knew it. I had no talent after all. ¡°A-ah, don¡¯t get me wrong!¡± he quickly corrected himself. ¡°From the way you move yourself, you¡¯re more of the agility type than the strength type. Many rapid small blows over slow, large ones. And I¡­ can¡¯t really teach that.¡± He scratched the back of his head. I looked up with a thoughtful look on my face. Of course there would be different swordfighting styles in this world. I imagined that an agility-type swordfighter would use something lighter than Father¡¯s greatsword, like a katana or a rapier. Maybe even a shortsword. He took another sigh. ¡°If this was the capital, I could easily enroll you to an agility-type dojo. But out here, there really wasn¡¯t anything I could do about it.¡± Huh, so there are dojos in this world. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Father.¡± I smiled at him. ¡°For now, I can learn your style. I¡¯ll just learn the other style later, when I¡¯m older.¡± ¡°When you¡¯re older?¡± He raised his eyebrows. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m going to become an adventurer after all.¡± I answered readily with a grin. Right. I was not planning to stay here forever. Once I was older, and Marina finished her school, I wanted to form a party with her and travel the world. If she wanted to, of course. For a moment, Father seemed to be stunned by my answer. But then, he quickly smiled and gave me a good pat on the head. ¡°Following on your Father¡¯s footsteps, eh? Good! Good! If I were to be honest, I wouldn¡¯t want my son to be a boring merchant, or God help, a mere farmer.¡± Dad, that¡¯s kinda cruel to the farmers, don¡¯t you think? Without them, we can¡¯t eat after all. Well, I wouldn¡¯t want to waste my second life being a farmer either. Such was the order of this world, it seemed. Farmers were pretty much in the bottom rung of society, along with other crude peasant occupations. Merchants were usually in the middle-class while nobility was on the upper crust. As for adventurers, well, it depended on who you asked, really. From the books I had read, there were those that extolled the virtue of adventuring while there were other books that pretty much thought of them as mere brutes and outlaws, little more than bandits. The former was usually adventuring books, while the latter was pro-nobility ¡°heroic chivalry¡± books with nobles as their protagonists. Hmm, now that I think about it, with that many fictional books around, this world must already have the printing press. I couldn''t believe I just connected the dots now. You could just see from the smooth, non-handwritten texts on said books. So it was not that medieval after all. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t want to stay here forever, Dad,¡± I replied back. ¡°Sorry to disappoint you.¡± I gave a little cheeky grin. ¡°Haha, I always knew my son would have his father¡¯s adventuring blood in him!¡± He now had moved on to slapping me on the back. ¡°Now you just need to ask your sister! You want to go on adventures with her, right?¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± I looked away. I couldn¡¯t believe that I started blushing, just from a simple question like that! ¡°Alright then! We¡¯ll continue the training!¡± He declared. ¡°It might be good to learn a Strength-style, even if you¡¯re not going to use it as your main style. You can surprise your opponent by suddenly switching to a different style mid-combo! And you can better learn the weaknesses of a strength-style swordsman, if you¡¯re ever up against one!¡± And so our training continued, at least for now. ---- I didn¡¯t spend all my time just training with Father however. He knew the importance of kids having time to play and fool around, so he would always set aside time for me to do whatever I wanted, including going to the village and playing with the kids there. I really didn¡¯t know if I wanted to do the latter, after having quite the bad experience with my last trip there, when Marina was still around, but I certainly could use the change of pace. Being all cooped up inside didn¡¯t feel healthy for me. And so I would walk around the village, looking at the fields of wheat and potatoes that the farmers were no doubt growing earnestly. I would be greeted by them, and even offered to stay a while and have some food with them, if it were lunch time. They were truly honest people, I thought, and it was heartwarming to see them being so friendly to me. I just hoped that they weren¡¯t doing it just because I was the son of the knight that was protecting them. As for the village, that bully immediately turned pale the moment he saw me, before evading me entirely. I couldn¡¯t help but smirk in response. It certainly felt good being feared by the bully like this, after what happened to me in my old life! Imagine, being scared by a boy 7 years younger than you! A mere 5 years old! In a fantasy world like this, where things weren¡¯t as ¡°civilized¡± as my old world, perhaps overwhelming force would be the best solution to a lot of your problems. There was another incident however that humiliated him even more. I was visiting the village that day, on one of my day offs, where I found him and what I assumed to be his underlings hounding over a girl. She had a long, black hair that was parted in the middle. She was thin, thinner than what I would expect to be healthy for a girl of her age, which seemed to be around the same as mine, maybe a little bit older. She was also short, shorter than me by one or two inches, and had a larger than average forehead. Judging by her look, which suggested some level of malnutrition, and her dull and simplistic black dress, she was definitely not from a well-off family. To my surprise however, instead of being all scared like I had expected her to be, what with the three boys being bigger than her, she instead was glaring at them like an angry tiger. A starving, really angry tiger. "You little brat! Do you even know who you''re talking to, huh? I''m the village chief''s son, you know! You outsider should give me some respect!" Outsider? So she''s new here? That explained why I never saw her around. "You will never be deserving of respect! You are nothing but a cruel bully who oppresses others!" She pointed back at him, her whole arm shaking with rage. Wow, she really was one fiery girl. Usually you would expect her to have a bright red hair if she''s this kind of a character. Ha, and the three stooges actually flinched from that! "You little!" The bully--I couldn''t really be bothered to remember his name--moved forward in an attempt to grab her long hair, no doubt to give it a good long pull. Only for her to grab him on the shirt, before punching him straight on the gut. "Guwaaahhh!" With just that one punch, the bully knelt over, holding his stomach as if he was experiencing excruciating pain. Holy fucking shit what was that? "D-demon! S-she''s a demon!" "S-she can''t be human!" The two underlings, seeing what she just did, immediately ran away. The bully immediately followed, tears trailing down his fat cheeks. And then, she grinned triumphantly, folding her arms under her completely flat chest. W-who is this kid? How did she just beat up a boy nearly twice her size like it was nothing? She had no muscles in her body, and she had barely any meat either! C-could it be? That she really is not a human? I don''t see anything fantastical at her! No horns, no long ears, nothing! "Hm? Hey, what are you looking at?" She glared at me once she noticed my presence. Eeek, I''m sorry, I''m so sorry! ¡°N-nothing! J-just passing by, that¡¯s all!¡± I nervously replied. She eyed me suspiciously. ¡°T-that was impressive, by the way! What you did there!¡± I continued with a somewhat forced smile. ¡°How did you do that? Knocking him out in one blow like that! You didn¡¯t seem like you¡¯d be capable of doing something like that, judging by how you look.¡± I was just about to call her scrawny. Bad idea. Her expression suddenly softened to my surprise, and¡ª Wait, was that a look of sadness on her face? ¡°I-I don¡¯t really know,¡± She answered, her hands shaking as she curled them into fists. ¡°I was born this way, you see¡­¡± And then, she ran away. With how fast she was, even if I wanted to catch her, I wouldn¡¯t be able to. It was the very first time I met her. And it would not be the last. ---- I was now six years old. I still continued my sword training with Father. And I had to say, I seemed to be getting better at it. I was now sparring with him as my training. Although I obviously could never win, I actually was starting to dodge and parry his blows. Well, I wasn''t in any delusion that he was going all-out with me. No doubt he would be able to beat me in a split second if he was truly serious. I met the strange girl a couple more times on my visits to the village. I now knew her name. Sherry. Not her last name though. And she was working as a helper in one of the village farms, milking cows, cleaning weeds, and even splitting firewood. She seemed to be worked hard by the owner of the farm, an old, bitter grandma who was too weak to work her plot of land by herself. And, from the teasing she got from the other kids, she seemed to be an orphan. The old lady had brought her from the nearest city to work on her farm. No doubt as cheap labour of course. God, she''s still as skinny as ever. I can''t help but be worried about her. Maybe I should ask Father if there''s something we can do about her. My thoughts about her were soon put in the backburner however. Marina was coming home after all. ---- A/N: Sherry¡¯s look is based on the child Jane Eyre from the Jane Eyre manga, with minor alterations. Really cute and well-drawn manga by the way. Would recommend. Vol 1 Chapter 4: Feelings of a Big Sister "Sis!" I ran over to her and gave her a big, warm hug. "Welcome home!" When Marina got off her carriage, I did not hesitate. I immediately embraced her with all my strength. Hey, I was still six years old after all, so this kind of thing was totally okay. And besides, I really, genuinely missed her so very much. "I see you''ve gotten taller, Hugo!" She put her hands on my shoulders, beaming brightly. Ah, how I missed her smile. "Ehehe, of course I have, Sis! I ate and slept well and oh, I also had taken up training with Father on swordsmanship!" I couldn''t help but brag. "Hee hee, no wonder you also look a little more manly than the last time we met. Look! You got a little bit of muscle here!" She grabbed my right bicep. "Aw, stop it, Sis!" I smiled proudly. "You too have grown up, you know! You''re also taller and you also look more womanly as well!" "Oh?" Her smile suddenly turned to a smirk. "And what do you exactly mean by that?" "I mean, your boobs are big--" I slammed my hands to my mouth, quickly stopping myself. Oh crap, why in the world would you say that, you dumb idiot? But it was true. Just from one year of schooling, she already looked far more mature than she was before. I couldn¡¯t really quite put a finger on what caused the change. She was indeed taller. And her boobs really got bigger. To a guy like me, I couldn¡¯t not notice that. But then, to my surprise, instead of being angry at my perverted comments, she began to uncontrollably giggle, covering her mouth with her hand in the process. And that giggle quickly turned into a full blown laugh. "O-oh Hugo, you really haven''t changed, have you?" She wiped off her tears. "Come here you!" She embraced me this time, burying my face in her bosom in the process. I-I¡¯m happy, Sis, but I¡¯m also kinda suffocating as well! ---- Marina had gone home on her own to Father¡¯s chagrin, who originally intended that he should go fetch her. However, she insisted, saying that there was no need for him to waste our family¡¯s money just to do that. She could return home just fine by herself. Since she was just an eleven year old girl, I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by her guts. The school was really far away from our home after all. In fact, it was in a different country altogether. The Magic Academy of Mira. It was located, where else, in Mira, or, to be more exact, the Magocracy of Mira. Instead of being ruled by a king like our kingdom, it was instead ruled by a council of wizards and witches. Even so, they still ended up being quite similar to our nobility system, as the ruling class was just the same families of mages that (apparently) traced their lineage back straight to the legendary mage who accompanied the legendary Hero in his quest to defeat the Demon King far back in the past. Yeah, her name was Mira. The country was christened after her. It took around two weeks on a carriage ride from here to there. In modern terms, it might seem slow, but in a medieval world like this, where transportation was vastly more limited, it was already very fast. We were lucky that we were on the borders of the Marchen Kingdom that were linked straight to the Magocracy. If we had been situated on the capital, or God forbid, on the border on the other side, it would take her much, much longer to go to the Academy. Two months wouldn¡¯t be out of the question. After crossing the border, she would still need to go to the capital city first, Merlin, where the Academy was located. Merlin, by the way, was the name of Mira¡¯s very first apprentice, or so the books told. Funny how he shared a name with a legendary wizard in my world. The road there and back was smooth and well-kept, relatively secure from any bandits or monsters that might threaten a traveler. Another reason why Father was okay with her returning on her own. He still did not like the idea of her sitting beside complete strangers for two weeks however, which was completely a reasonable assumption. However, in this world, you were already considered an adult at fifteen, so it was less outrageous than letting a 11-year old girl in my world going on a travelling trip on her own for two straight weeks. ¡°Sis, how was the trip?¡± I asked her with a smile once she released me from her hug. ¡°It was fine,¡± she answered nonchalantly. ¡°Quite boring actually. Got nothing to do than read books and sleep on the carriage.¡± ¡°And how was the Academy? Did you make friends here?¡± And immediately a shadow fell on her face. Suddenly, the previous bright smile she just had moments ago turned uncharastically grim and sullen ¡°...A-a handful,¡± she answered, looking away from my eyes. D-did something¡­ happen? I immediately sensed that something was wrong. I didn¡¯t want to press her about it right away however, so I decided to stay quiet, shelving my questions for the time being. She just got back after all. ---- Marina ...I missed this. I missed this all. The grass tickling my ankles, the fresh scent of morning dew and sunshine, and the greenery that you could see all over. I missed Mother¡¯s smile and Father¡¯s laughter. And, most of all, I missed Hugo¡¯s warm embrace. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ...Oh Hugo. My sweet, little Hugo¡­ I am so sorry. For not being able to be honest with you¡­ ---- When I first arrived at the Academy, I was full of optimism and hope. I thought naively, "Wow, I can''t wait to learn so much more magic!" I knew how expensive this school must be, but Father sent me here anyway, as he did not want me to squander my talent in magic. So I intended to be the best student that I could. I would answer every question the teachers have me and I would demonstrate all the advanced level magic that I could use. No doubt that would impress them. That¡­ was a mistake. I quickly was seen as a young genius. Ten years old, yet already capable of casting advanced level magic, something only seniors could do. And that quickly attracted attention from the "rulers" of the school. When I said "ruler", I didn''t mean the headmaster. I was referring to a special group of privileged students, who could do anything they wanted in school. Skip classes, leave the premises to go to town, and even to cause trouble, as long as it''s deemed "in a reasonable range". And that included bullying and harassing other students. The school rule stated that to be part of said group, you would have to show a significant and extraordinary talent in magic. I clearly belonged in that category, yet I wasn''t chosen. I thought my talent was lacking at first, that there were other students with more talent in magic than I was. However, I soon knew the true reason. I was an outsider, a foreigner. I was not one of them. And all the members of that special group; they were all descendants of famous magic families in the country. And, once they learned that my talent surpassed the talent they possessed, they immediately turned hostile against me. ---- It all started one week after class started. It was our first big practical magic class. We were asked to demonstrate all the magic we were capable of casting. It was a way for the teachers to determine our magic aptitude, what we were good at and what we were not, and at what level our magic was currently at. Most mages only had a couple of magic schools they were good at, and knowing which one was crucial, so that the teachers wouldn¡¯t waste their time teaching magic their students weren¡¯t good at. I, however, could cast every single one of them, from all the elemental spells, to healing spells (though I could only use Beginner-level ones), even miscellaneous non-elemental ones like illusion spells and transformation spells. I transformed into a dryad that day. The only spell I could not use were summoning spells, as you needed to make a pact with the relating spirit first, something I hadn''t done. I cast them all that day, earning the awe of everyone present, including the teachers. Not only that, but I demonstrated my mastery over advanced-level spells. Magma Burst, Rainfall, Frost Hail, Sand Grave, and many others. I was so happy, so proud that I was earning the applause of the crowd, that I did not realize that I had poked the hornet¡¯s nest. For by doing so, I was demonstrating just how much better I was in magic than some of those ¡°special¡± students. One of them was especially offended by my display. Her name was Merinda Salamander, a senior five years older than me. She had long red hair that went down to her waist. She always wore a black witch robe, complete with the large wide hat. Her sharp green eyes seemingly always looked down on others, while none of her smiles was ever genuine, always mocking. She was beautiful, but she possessed a wicked heart, which, I had to say, was quite the shame. She belonged in the Salamander family, one of the handful magic families that held a seat in the Council. And it showed, both in her attitude and her aptitude for magic, as at a mere age of 15, she already reached the rank of Master, meaning she could cast a Master-level magic, a feat that made her equal to the teachers, even though she hadn¡¯t even graduated yet. Oh, she certainly could do a ¡°fast track¡± graduation if she so chose, but she seemingly was content with doing the full six years of education for a normal mage. That day, she immediately declared myself as her enemy, even though I could not cast any Master-level spell like her. She was still superior to me, yet for some odd reason, she seemed to be threatened by me. She didn¡¯t even do a demonstration that day, as it was only for first year students only. She was simply watching from the sidelines, like the other non-first year students. I simply could not understand her. It didn''t take long until she came to me, along with a bunch of her underlings. "Hey, you, new kid," she said to me with a grin. "Come over here for a sec, will ya?¡± I saw from the corner of my eyes the other students quickly darting away the moment they saw her and her groupie. I immediately knew trouble was coming. I could¡¯ve run, but I knew it wouldn¡¯t solve anything. They would just continue to hound me. And besides, I had my pride to consider. ¡°Yes?¡± I returned with a neutral look, hiding my distaste of the situation. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± she asked. An annoying person, I almost replied. ¡°I do not,¡± I answered succinctly. ¡°I just arrived here after all.¡± Before I knew it, my look had turned defiant. And she didn¡¯t like that. Not in the slightest. ¡°...Come with me then.¡± It was not a request. It was an order. ---- They led me to a secluded section in the academy. There were many of those around, seeing how big the place was. Then, the leader, Merinda, gave me a good shove to the wall, before holding me in place by placing my body between her two hands. ¡°So, you think you¡¯re so smart, don¡¯t you? So good with magic that you don''t even need to know who''s in charge around here?" "You''re not in charge. The teachers are." "Oh really?" Her smirk widened. "Don''t you know about us, the special class?" "...I do not." At this time, I indeed had not known of the matter. The teachers had not said anything about it. "Then, it''s time for you to learn. Hold her, girls." Before I could do anything, they grabbed both my arms, pinning me to the wall completely. ¡°Y-you¡­ what are you¡ª¡± I tried to struggle. But being a ten year old girl, I couldn¡¯t do much against the two girls who were at least five year older than me. M-my wand¡­ I-if only I can grab my wand in my pocket... ¡°Shhh¡­ this will be over soon, I promise. Just a little cut¡­¡± And then, she began carving a wound into my face using the end of her wand. ¡°Aaaaaahhhh!¡± I screamed. The pain was nothing like any pain I¡¯ve ever experienced before. She was heating the tip of her wand with her magic, so in effect, a blazing hot rod was being placed onto my face. When she finished, there was now a burn line on my right cheek, going from my lips all the way under my ear. ¡°Welcome to the Academy.¡± She said with a satisfied look. ¡°I¡¯m Merinda Salamander. You might want to ask around who I am before the next time we met.¡± And then, she left. Just like that. Perhaps, in her mind, she¡¯d already shown who¡¯s boss around here. I did not go to the infirmary for said wound, by the way, even though I could perfectly do so. Injuries during training were said to be somewhat common after all, so there would always be healers ready to take care of students¡¯ wounds. No, my pride wouldn¡¯t allow me to. I wanted to show her that such a lowly, cowardly act did nothing to me. Instead, I healed it myself. Using my Intermediate-level healing magic, it took me a few days until the burn line completely disappeared. In retrospect, if I had just shown weakness and swallowed my pride, perhaps her bullying would cease as her ego would be satisfied by me kowtowing to her. ...But, that¡¯s not what I chose. I could not choose that path. Mother always said that we Greenwoods were always known for our hardheadedness. Father left his home at a young age just because of a disagreement with his old man. To this day, both still hadn¡¯t reconciled, thanks to that hardheadedness of theirs. Even Mother had some of that, which might have what attracted Father to her in the first place. She too left her home due to a disagreement with her mother. Quite funny, if you thought about it. They really were a match made in heaven in that way. And said hardheadedness was inherited to me, and so I had to obey it. It couldn¡¯t be helped. I had to keep our family tradition alive after all. ---- The bullying only continued after that. She, realizing that I was not repentant in the slightest, continued to threaten and even humiliate me in public. She, or one of her underlings, would do things like lift up my dress in public, exposing my panties to the world. Or splashing a water spell at me, making me soaking wet, making me late for the next class as I had to change back in my dorm room (while humiliating me as well since my dress would also turn translucent because of it). Or even outright stripping or destroying me out of my clothes while I was in front of the class doing a presentation. Now that I thought about it, a lot of her bullying involved making me have wardrobe malfunctions in public. I suppose she thought it would be the ultimate humiliation for a girl like me. No, what annoyed me the most was not that (even though it was indeed very humiliating). It was how half, no, two-thirds of the academy seemed to fawn over her. To them, she was basically their idol that could do no wrong. The girls admired how "elegant" she looked, while the boys, well, they were all entranced by her beauty and her larger-than-average boobs, that she gleefully showed off by her low neckline. Perverts. All of them. Both her and those boys. I''m so glad that my Hugo isn''t like that. He''s a gentleman, through and through. A couple of times my dress was blown upwards in the wind as we played, and every single time he would avert his gaze. Honestly, if he''s the one taking a look, I wouldn''t mind that much¡­ Once again, I started to think about my little brother with a smile and a blush. Oh Hugo, I missed you already¡­ Without you around, it feels¡­ lonely¡­ That was the conclusion that came to me. I was lonely. No one really got close to me, knowing that I was the target of Merinda. They didn''t want to earn her wrath as well. There were even those who thought that I deserved all the harassment I was receiving for "daring to defy Lady Merinda", whatever that meant. In the end, throughout the entirety of my first year, I couldn''t make a single friend. Of course, I didn¡¯t divulge any of that in my letters back home. For all they knew, I had a perfectly happy and normal school life over here. Why? I didn¡¯t even know it myself. I tried to justify it in my mind, saying things like ¡°I don¡¯t want to burden Father even more than he already is¡±, or ¡°I don¡¯t want to worry Hugo.¡± However, I knew that it wasn¡¯t the real reason. Not in the slightest. Perhaps I simply refused to admit any of my own weaknesses, denying to show any of them to the world. Oh Hugo, please forgive your sister for her faults... ----- ¡°Sis! What kind of spells did you learn there? Tell me all about it!¡± We were now sitting in the dining room, having roast chicken for our dinner, along with some bacon strips, eggs, and vegetable soup. It was a more lavish meal than usual. I suppose it was to celebrate my return. I sat across Hugo, who was still all smiling and happy ever since I returned. I couldn''t help but smile in return. "Let''s save the magic talk for later, you two," Mother said with her own smile as she placed our plates. "Marina, how long are you going to stay? The entire summer?" "Yes, Mother," I took a sip of the vegetable soup. Warm and delicious. The food I got served with at the cafeteria couldn''t even compare. I mostly remained silent at the table, only answering questions shortly and promptly. Even as I was surrounded by my family''s warmth, I couldn''t relax fully, like how I used to a year ago. Because I knew I was lying to them. ---- I left the table first, excusing myself by saying how I was still tired from my trip. Hugo gave me a concerned look, which only hurt me even more. I went to my room immediately. After changing into my nightgown, I buried myself in my pillow, hoping that I would fall asleep immediately. After two hours of stirring and shifting however, no luck. I could not sleep after all. Hugo¡­ My mind suddenly returned back to my little brother. And then, a strange desire came into me. I wanted to sleep with him. W-we never did something like that before after all. I-it¡¯s only fair to do it at least once. Before we both get even older, making it even more awkward. I-it¡¯s something brothers and sisters do. I-it¡¯s completely normal. With red cheeks, I stood up. And I began to walk towards his room, tiptoeing so that Father and Mother wouldn¡¯t notice. I now stood in front of his door. I was about to knock, but I realized that he must already be asleep already at this hour. And so I pushed it open on my own. The room was pitch black as expected, and he was sleeping peacefully on the bed in the corner of the room. I closed the door behind me. Even locking it. Just in case. Still with crimson on my face, that was thankfully obscured by the dark, I walked over to his bed. ¡°H-Hugo¡­ c-can I¡­ c-can I sleep with you? J-just for tonight, I-I promise...¡± ---- A/N: I don¡¯t really have a picture for Merinda unfortunately. Vol 1 Chapter 5: A Heart-to-Heart Talk Between Siblings After dinner, I immediately returned back to my room to catch a good night sleep. I was still a six year old boy after all, so I still needed to sleep a lot, especially if I was going to grow tall like I certainly wanted. Yeah, being a short guy looked to be quite the depressing existence to me. The only way it could work if I also retained a baby face with it, so I would become like one of those shota characters in female dating sims. I think I preferred being a normal ikemen though. When I threw myself onto the bed however, my mind couldn''t help but wander back to Marina. Something was definitely bothering her! I just knew it! But she wouldn''t tell! Not even to me, her cute little brother! Haah, I knew exactly her type. The honor student, "perfect daughter" type that would hide her problems from her parents and siblings. I remembered a girl like that at high school. She was getting awfully bullied by other girls who were jealous of her, to the point that her face actually got slashed by a boxcutter or something. Only when that happened that her parents took notice of the unjust harassment and suffering that their daughter had received for so long. ...Don''t tell me that she''s also getting bullied there? With such thoughts swimming inside my mind, I drifted off to sleep. ¡­ Only to wake up what felt like half an hour afterwards, with Marina standing beside my bed. Wait, Marina? ¡°H-Hugo¡­ c-can I¡­ c-can I sleep with you? J-just for tonight, I-I promise...¡± I heard her mumble. Even without looking, I could tell by her awfully shy tone that she was blushing furiously right now. W-wait, did she just say that she wanted to sleep with me? "S-sis?" I sat up, a confused look on my face. "N-nevermind¡­" She turned around, no doubt intending to run back to her room in embarrassment. I stopped her in her tracks however, grabbing her wrist before she could escape. "Sure, Sis. You can sleep here if you want." I answered with a smile. I knew that if I let her go, I would''ve regretted it for sure. In the past, I was selfish, only caring about myself. I didn''t bond with my siblings as I should. I ignored them, even as they tried to save me. I would not make the same mistake this time. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "O-oh Hugo!" Before I knew it, she already threw herself on top of me, hugging me as tightly as she could. Oi, she was lucky that there was a soft bed behind me, or I could''ve been seriously hurt! "Sorry Hugo, but tonight, I want to hug you just like this," she said with a smile. Hmmmph! Hmppphh! She was suffocating me! She pressed my head right into her chest with her hand! "Ah, sorry, you can''t really breathe if I hug you that way, can you?¡± She giggled. With her relaxing her grip, I could finally take a breather. And I was immediately greeted by the sight of cleavage. It was still small, naturally, but it was definitely there, unhidden by her loose, low neckline white nightgown. I could also see that she wasn''t wearing any bra underneath. "Oh Hugo, I missed you so." She sighed as she started playing with my hair. "One year of not being able to play with my cute little brother, it''s really lonely, you know." "I missed you too, Sis," I returned with a smile, hugging her back. This warmth she''s giving¡­ I certainly could use more of it. "What''s the matter, Sis?" I asked her. "You''re not usually this forward." "Oh, is it so wrong for a big sister to want to be close with her little brother that she hadn¡¯t seen for a year?¡± She pouted. ¡°N-no, not at all!¡± I replied. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡ªyou feel different than your usual self.¡± Suddenly, her smile vanished and she averted her gaze. But then, she quickly recovered, and retaliated by going on the offense. ¡°Oh? Maybe because I¡¯ve grown up a little since we last met? You¡¯ve been staring at my chest all this time, you know.¡± She smirked. ¡°O-of course I¡¯m going to stare! Y-you now have boobs, Sis, and you don¡¯t even wear any bra to cover them!¡± I protested with a blush. I knew I should be bad for being a pervert who peeked at his own sister, but given how she reacted, with amusement, and not with embarrassment and distress, I couldn¡¯t help but feel I was the victim here. ¡°Hehe, I see little Hugo is growing up as well.¡± She smiled. Wait, was that a sultry smile I just saw? ¡°You¡¯re starting to have an interest in girls, huh? Even though you¡¯re just six. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve gotten your first wet dream already!¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, SIs¡­¡± I decided to feign ignorance. Putting up my best upset face, I replied, ¡°I hadn¡¯t wet my bed since I was three, you know!¡± ¡°Haah, nevermind. You¡¯re still as innocent as ever.¡± Without warning, she started to hug me strongly once again. ¡°...Let¡¯s just stay like this for a while, please?¡± At that moment, I sensed it. The sadness in her voice. I had to know it. I had to know what bothered her so much. ¡°Hey, Hugo¡­ what would you do if¡­ if you have someone who doesn¡¯t like you very much?¡± That¡¯s¡­ an out of the blue question. I still tried to answer as best as I could however. "I think¡­ I think I''ll try asking them what they so disliked about me first.¡± ¡°I see¡­ But what if¡ªwhat if they hated you for a nonsensical and petty reason? That you really couldn¡¯t do anything about?¡± Now her question just got weirder. What did that even mean? And then, my dense self finally connected the dots. She was talking about herself! She got someone that hated her guts in the Academy and she wanted to know how to get along with them! But what did she mean by a ¡°nonsensical and petty¡± reason though? If we were talking about fantasy stories, then fantastical racism certainly could be a possibility. But she was human, and so should be her classmates. If I read my book correctly, the nation where her academy was located was human dominated, same as ours. So what could this reason be about? ¡°W-well, then I would think of them as a petty person that I wouldn¡¯t bother being friends with,¡± I replied. Damn it, I didn¡¯t even know if that was the right answer! It sounded kinda condescending and selfish, but it¡¯s genuinely how I would act in the situation. Hearing that answer however seemed to make her smile. ¡°Of course! Why should you make a friend with someone like that?¡± She let out a short laugh. ¡°There are so many other people you could be friends with after all!¡± W-whoa, she suddenly gave me a hug once more! And this time around, she¡¯s wrapping her arms around my stomach instead, with her face buried on my shoulder. ¡°Thank you, Hugo,¡± she whispered into my ears. D-damn it, why was this actually turning me on? Maybe because I always had a dream of being whispered upon by a girl like this! Come on, Hugo, she¡¯s your sister! Your sister! And she¡¯s still 11! ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re blushing, aren¡¯t you? I knew it, you are already at that age after all~¡± W-was this how those shota hentai leads felt when they were being assaulted by their onee-sans? ¡°Do you like it, hmm? Being whispered from the back like this?¡± She continued her assault. D-damn it, I wouldn''t be able to hold back if this continued! "Oh, Hugo, you''re so adorable, you know that?" She hugged me even tighter. "I know you''ll be able to get a cute girl to be your girlfriend in no time at all. And then you''ll be able to do things like this all the time with her." I was relieved to hear that. For a moment there, I thought she had gone full brocon and wouldn''t allow me to have any lovey dovey relationship with girls other than her! "Don''t forget about me when you do though." "O-of course not, Sis!" Nevermind. She was still a pretty heavy brocon. ¡°Oh, right, Father said that you have been going around the village frequently, haven¡¯t you? So why don¡¯t you find yourself a girlfriend or two there, hmm?¡± She decided to tease me again. For some reason, my mind immediately went to Sherry. "W-well, there''s this one girl that--" "Wait, what?! You actually have someone you like?!" She immediately lifted me up and flipped me around so I would face her. "Tell me everything about her. Now." She shook me on my shoulders. H-hey, your expression was getting kinda scary there, Sis! I told her everything. About how we first met, about her attitude and temper, and even about her unnatural strength. When I was finished, Marina was in her usual, ponderous look¡ªthe one she would be in when she was thinking hard about something, usually something related to spells as we were studying. ¡°You say she just appeared one day in the village. And that she was an orphan. And Old Woman Farla was employing her hard in her farmland.¡± Old Woman Farla was the name of Sherry¡¯s employer. I believed she also stayed and slept in her house when she wasn¡¯t working day and night for her. Some also called her Old Maid Farla, since she never got married, but I believed that would be a bit too rude, wouldn''t it? I mean, you could call me an old bachelor in my old life, and you would be right. Even her grumpy, hostile attitude was understandable. Anyone would be that bitter if they grew that old and never experienced love. Hah, quite funny how a six year old could emphatize so much with a--what, 60, 70-year old grandma? "She must have gotten her from the city''s orphanage then. Most likely for free. Those places were always underfunded and they would always be happy to send their children to work so they wouldn''t have to feed them anymore." "Wow, Sis, you really know a lot of things, don''t you? I thought you''re just a magic nerd," I couldn''t help but tease her a little with a grin on my face. I really was impressed though. For real. "Whaaat? I''m not a magic nerd! How dare you say that to your sister, huh? Huh!" She pouted, before assaulting me by tickling my midsection, sending me into a laughing fit. "Hahahaha! S-stop, Sis! S-stop!" I begged, all teary-eyed. Damnit, she really knew my weak spot! She laughed as well before she finally relented. Clearly, she enjoyed tickling me, just as much as I enjoyed teasing her. "Anyway, she doesn''t have any slave collar on her, does she?" "Slave collar?" I paused. Oh right, I forgot slavery was still a thing in this world. She could very well be a child slave. "I-I don''t think so. No collars or anything else on her neck." "Then, she''s from an orphanage." She declared as if it was a proven fact. "That also explains her bad temper. They didn¡¯t raise the kids there right most of the time.¡± ¡°Sis, how do you know all this stuff anyways?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask. Since when an 11-year old could know so much about orphanages? I found that seriously hard to believe. ¡°Oh, Mother told me all about it,¡± she answered quite nonchalantly. ¡°Haven¡¯t she told you that she used to work in an orphanage before she took up adventuring?¡± ¡°Wait, really? That¡¯s news to me!¡± I actually never knew about this! "Hehe, just like you have your secret talks with Father, I too have my secret talks with Mother." She gave her "I-win-this-round!" smile. Suddenly, silence. It seemed we had both run out of things to talk about. "Well, it''s decided then." She smiled wistfully. "Tomorrow, we''ll go meet this girlfriend of yours." "I-I told you, she''s not my girlfriend! I don''t even know if we''re friends yet!" "Oh, what''s the difference? I know that in no time at all, you''ll be really good friends with her." She smiled scandalously. Wow, she''s really confident of my ability to pick up girls, didn''t she? I wondered why. I was absolutely horrible at it in my old life after all. "Never expected you to like feisty and tempered girls though. Just be careful not to be too pushed around by her alright?" And with that, our conversation was finally over. It didn¡¯t take long afterwards for me to fall asleep, as she gave me a gentle headpat all the way until I arrived at dreamland. I couldn¡¯t remember what my dream was that night. Only that it was something pleasant and nice. Not anything perverted though, to my surprise, even though I basically slept with my face buried in her budding chest. I wouldn¡¯t complain about that. Having lewd dreams about my sister¡ªthat would disturb me for sure. ---- When I woke up, Marina was no longer there. Damn, there went my dream scenario of waking up in the morning with a beautiful girl by my side. Even though that girl was my own 11-year old sister. She must have woken up earlier and returned to her room. She wouldn¡¯t want Father and Mother to know that we had been sleeping together, I imagined. Sure enough, I found her later having breakfast with Father and Mother in the dining room. ¡°Hey, Hugo, you¡¯re late!¡± She greeted me with a smile. I suppose we¡¯re just going to pretend last night never happened then. After having our breakfast, she immediately declared that she wanted to go to the village. ¡°Hugo, you want to come along?¡± She didn¡¯t need to say anything. I already knew just from her face that she wanted me to come, as she wanted to visit Sherry. ¡°Yeah, of course, SIs!¡± I quickly replied. Our parents of course gave us their permission. They even gave us a bag of coins to be used if we wanted to buy something in the village. And with that, we departed. ---- The farmland Sherry was working at¡ªOld Woman Farla¡¯s farm¡ªwas located on the other side of the village, so we had to walk decently far in order to get there. I wasn¡¯t bothered at all with the fact though. In fact, I couldn¡¯t help but be excited to do the trip. So much so that I challenged Marina to a race. Not all the way, of course. Just a race down the hill from where our house was perched on. ¡°Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ wow, you¡¯re fast, Hugo!¡± She praised me once I won, panting as she was completely out of breath. ¡°Yay! I¡¯m faster than Big Sis!¡± I declared with a triumphant smile, though I too was gasping for air. Quite ironic that my current six year old self could run further than my old adult self. That¡¯s what being healthy (and not overweight) got you. Not to mention all the physical training I had gone through with the old man. ¡°I see that the training you¡¯ve been doing with Dad has its effect! You¡¯re now definitely stronger than me in physical activities, Hugo!¡± She praised me again. Yes, Sis, praise me! Praise me more! "Hehe, it wasn''t easy, you know. Father can be a harsh teacher at ti¡ªwhoa!" Her white dress! It had turned completely translucent! No doubt from her sweat! I could see her black panties clearly! I froze, giving it a good stare for two or three seconds before I finally could avert my gaze. ¡°S-Sis, y-your dress¡­¡± ¡°Mmm? Oh!¡± With a blush, she quickly covered herself with her hands. Damn, that was a really cute reaction! ¡°Oh dear, wait a sec.¡± She chanted something under her breath. And then, she moved her right palm all over her body, turning the fabric of her dress dry using what I could only assume to be a drying spell. It might look easy, but I knew for a fact that it wasn¡¯t. That spell¡­ was not in any of the magic books we had read throughout the years. It was her own original invention. That, or something she learned exclusively from the Academy. When she was done, her dress had returned completely back to normal. ¡°So, did you see?¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± ¡°See them? My panties?¡± She was now putting her hands on her waist, staring at me disturbingly similar to how Mother would stare before she gave me a good scolding. ¡°U-uh, I¡­ uh¡­¡± I looked away, feeling as if I was shrinking under her burning glare. I was going to lie, telling her that I didn¡¯t see anything. But then, I did see them, didn¡¯t I? For a good few seconds at that. Should I lie? Would she know? ...No, I would not. That¡¯s what my old self would do. Lying just to save his own ass. ¡°Y-yeah, I did¡­ Sorry about that, Sis¡­¡± I looked her straight in the eyes as I said so. Not doing so would just make myself even look more dishonest than I already was. And then, her glare suddenly turned into a giggle. "Oh Hugo, such a gentleman! Even when you''re still little!" She came over to me and ruffled my hair. "As your big sister, I''m glad I had raised you well." And then, she bent her knees and whispered, "You know, if it''s you, Hugo, I don''t mind you peeking at my panties all you want~?" With a naughty, knowing smile, she then ran off, giggling yet again. T-too much! Sis, you''re being too much! She couldn¡¯t just keep teasing me like this or else I would end up with a sister complex as well! And an older sister one at that! I had always preferred little sisters more, you know! Vol 1 Chapter 6: Woes of The Demon Child When we arrived at Old Woman Farla¡¯s farm, we were immediately greeted by the sight of Sherry working hard on the fields. It seemed she was busy watering the crops, as she was carrying a large steel watering pail with her. And by large, I meant ¡°half her height¡± kind of large. And yet, she could carry it with no problems whatsoever, though she had to carry it on top of her head thanks to her not being tall enough to carry it normally. ¡°Hey, Sherry!¡± I shouted to her, waving my arms. She looked up towards me, and a flash of a smile came to her face. It quickly disappeared when she noticed Marina however. "What do you want? And who is she?" She glared towards her. "Hello." She returned with a smile. "I''m Marina. Hugo''s sister." "You have a sister?" "Yeah. Sorry for not telling you beforehand." She seemed to not appreciate me forgetting to tell her about Marina, judging from her frown. But then again, she''s always frowning, so who could tell? "Thank you for playing with my little brother." Marina gave a little now. "He doesn''t have many friends, you see, so I''m glad he can have a playmate of his age." "I-I''m not his friend though¡­" She averted her gaze, blushing a little. What''s this? Did I just witness a genuine, honest-to-goodness tsundere moment? Now that I thought about it, she fit every stereotypical tsundere characteristics out there! Bad temper, super strength, no hesitation to punch people she didn''t like--the only difference was her long black hair, which usually belonged to a prim and proper Yamato Nadeshiko type instead. "Hmm?" Marina''s smile turned into a smirk. "Hugo always talks about you though." "H-he did? What did he say?" "That you are really cute and he wants badly to become your best friend." H-hey, Sis, I never said that! Don''t make up things just because you wanted to matchmake me with her! Her face reddened once again, and of course, I was the one who earned her glare. ¡°T-then he should say it himself! Not hide behind his big sister like this! I-I don¡¯t like cowardly little boys, you know!¡± See, Sis! Now I ended up looking bad in front of her! Hey, don¡¯t just laugh! "Alright, alright." She finally stopped, wiping a tear off her eye. And then, all of a sudden, her expression turned all serious. "Hey, Sherry." She looked at her straight in the eyes, bending her knees. "Do you like working here?" "H-huh?" "Here? In that old hag''s farm?" Holy hell, did she just straight up call her an old hag? Sherry didn''t answer immediately. Instead, she looked down, almost as if she was too scared to answer. "I¡­ I do not¡­" Her answer was uncharacteristically weak for such a strong-willed girl. "Then, I have a better offer for you. What do you think about living together with Hugo?" Wait, what? "We can adopt you, you know. Take you in, and raise you like you''re Hugo''s sibling." Sis, what? You hadn''t even talked about it with Father and Mother yet! You couldn''t just give her empty promises! "R-really?" O-oh God, her eyes! They''re like a puppy''s eyes when you tempted them with a biscuit they loved very much! "Really! Here, why don¡¯t we talk to her now right away?¡± With a smile on her face, she took her hand while gesturing towards me to follow her. Oh Sis, sometimes, I couldn¡¯t figure out what you were thinking in the slightest. ---- Old Woman Farla''s house was on top of the hill overlooking her farm. It was smaller than ours, yet it still was a nice house, certainly a reflection of her upper middle class status. Big Sis didn''t hesitate. She walked straight to the front door and knocked on it. Loudly, I might add. "What in damnation? Who is that?" I heard an old woman''s voice coming from behind the door. The wooden door opened, revealing the most stereotypical looking witch-like old woman that I had ever met. Really, if she just wore a witch''s robe and hat instead of a normal dress, she would be perfect for the role. ¡°You? Who are¡ªSherry, what are you doing here? Shouldn¡¯t you be working right now?¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Big Sis gave her the most polite smile she could muster. Yet, at the same time, said smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes. Whoa, scary. ¡°I¡¯m Marina Greenwood, and I¡¯m here in Father¡¯s behalf. We are interested in taking in Sherry here, and we wish to ask for your permission first.¡± ¡°Marina¡­ Greenwood? You mean, you¡¯re the daughter of those Greenwoods? Hmph, I see. Just as uncivilized as your parents.¡± What the¡ªwhat¡¯s up with the snide remark? Hey, we were the guardians of this region, you know. Or at least, my Father was. ¡°Of course, Mrs. Farla,¡± my sister replied. ¡°We are certainly less civilized than you, who are a descendant of King Marchen The First. Even if that lineage is really, really distant from the current King.¡± The way she said it was full of venom. I could tell straight away that she was offended by her remark about our family, and that she was striking back by mocking her bloodline. Eh? I never knew Old Woman Farla was of nobility! Was this another thing our parents told her but not me? ¡°Better than being a child of adventurers to be sure.¡± She wrinkled her long, crooked nose. ¡°A bunch of ruffians, those lot. To think that Lord Eriol would employ them to be his knights--Hmph, unbelievable." If I remembered correctly, Lord Eriol was Father''s boss. He was the Baron of the region. Actual nobility, unlike our father. "If your father truly wants that wild, ungrateful child¡ª" Uh, I could see Sherry¡¯s temper rising at this. "¡ªthen he must come here himself. I have no interest in talking to his brat. Good day." She then slammed the door in front of her. Marina sighed. "Well, that''s that. Let''s go back home, sha¡ª" CRACK "Wild and ungrateful?! How dare she?! I have worked so hard for her! Day and night! And yet she never gave me a single gratitude! She''s the ungrateful one!" CRACK CRACK CRACK Holy hell! D-did that just happen? In her anger, Sherry just destroyed the stone pathway she was standing on! Just by stomping on it! Every time she did, pieces of rock flew off to all directions¡ªluckily not hitting either of us¡ªand we could even feel the tremor! "C-calm down, Sherry, calm down!" I grabbed both of her hands from behind. Only to end up with my world turned upside down as she threw me over her head as if she was some kind of a pro wrestler. I would¡¯ve landed on the hard stone, if not for Marina running straight at me and catching me mid-air. When she regained her senses, she looked at us with a horrified expression on her face, before looking down at her own, shaking hands as if she was looking at a smoking gun that she just fired and killed a person with. And then, she ran away. With her speed, there was no way for any of us to catch up to her. Marina sighed, patting me on the shoulder once she let me down. ¡°You got a hard road ahead of you, Hugo, if you really want to be friends with her.¡± ---- Sherry Ooh, I couldn''t believe it! I was so stupid! How could I have done that? And to him, too? He had been kind to me, all this time! He was the only kid who wasn''t scared of me in the slightest! He would go out of his way every time to visit me each time he went to the village! And now I screwed it up! Terribly! Ooh, he must hate me now! And his sister would never allow me to go near him ever again! Before I knew it, I was already far away from the farms. My feet had taken me to the edge of the Merti Forest. I was all too familiar with this place. It was the only place where I could vent off my frustrations in what I considered to be somewhat of a constructive, even positive way. ---- I was born in an orphanage in Dearth, the only decently large town in this Sheffield Region. They said they found me on the front door one morning, crying my eyes out. I was an abandoned child. Of course, there were many like me out there--babies dumped by their parents for all sorts of reasons, from poverty to simple unwanted pregnancy. I never knew which category I belonged, not that it mattered. I didn''t receive love from my parents either way. I never got along with the other kids, nor with the nuns working there, as the orphanage was affiliated with the church. I quickly terrified the former, and the latter thought I was a demonspawn for having such an unnatural strength. As such, I was always alone ever since the day I was born. Hmph, who needs friends or family? I am fine by my own! At first, I believed those words wholeheartedly. I believed I could go through life by my own hands and feet, without needing to rely on anybody or anyone except for myself. But then, I realized--that I was merely lying to myself. I wanted friends. I wanted to have a family. My pride, however, never allowed myself to admit it. I insisted on my isolation, too scared on ever truly reaching out to others. They are going to hate me anyways, was what I always told myself. One day, I was summoned to the head nun''s room. "Congratulations Sherry! Madame Tennyson has decided to adopt you!" She said with a dishonest smile. I knew for a fact that she never liked me, and wanted me gone as soon as possible. Well, I couldn''t blame her. I was a troublemaker after all. That was where I first met her. And at that time, even though I was bothered by how grumpy and straight up hostile she was looking, I swore to myself that I would behave and act like a good child for her. As you might expect, my resolve did not remain untouched for long, as the moment we climbed up the carriage that would take us to her home, she declared, ¡°You will work as my servant. You will till my farm and clean my house. If you act good, then perhaps I shall consider sending you to school afterwards.¡± Not as her granddaughter? I immediately felt anger bubbling in my stomach. I was betrayed! But then, I remembered what the nuns always said. Always be grateful, Sherry. Count your blessings the same way our Saint counts her children. So I kept it inside me. I still endeavoured to be my best in front of her. I did all my work without complain, even though I found it terribly dull and boring. But then¡­ ¡°You lazy, idiot child. What kind of cleaning have you been doing if there is still a speck of dust around? Hmph, my old maid could do a much better job than you and she¡¯s already 50!¡± ¡°You imbecile! That''s not how you plant the seeds! stYou have to spread them out evenly! And you didn¡¯t even dig up the holes right! They have to be perfectly round!¡± ¡°What is this?! You call this tea? I can¡¯t believe this, you can¡¯t even brew a proper tea, you miserable little whelp!¡± She then threw the entire pot at me, making me scream in pain for the water there was still boiling. It was like that day after day, with me continuously being scolded for the littlest mistakes that I made. And she would not hesitate to hit me either¡ªslap me on my hand or even on my face, with such force that I was thrown to the floor. And she would also lecture me constantly, especially when we were having our meals together, saying how I should be more grateful to her for ¡°lifting me up from such a wretched place¡±, referring to my orphanage. I finally realized the truth. I was not adopted to become her daughter. I was adopted to become her slave. ---- ¡°Get lost!¡± Another wolf whimpered as I drove my fist into its stomach. It was sent flying afterwards, crashing onto a nearby tree. And just like the others, it fell just after a single hit. Around me was the whole pack of wolves, completely obliterated by the mere power of my kicks and punches. I really am a monster¡­ This was my way of releasing pent-up stress¡ªbeating up monsters inside the forest. None of the villagers dared to go here, knowing how dangerous it could be for them, thus making it a perfect place for me to be alone, all on my own. If only I was older, I would¡¯ve become an adventurer. With my unnatural strength, it would be a very easy job. Beat up a bunch of monsters, go back, and then get the reward from the guild. Unfortunately, you had to be at least ten years old to be able to register with them. Such a silly, stupid rule, really. If you were already strong enough, why not just accept the person? It¡¯s not like they cared if their adventurers got hurt or died doing their quests. It¡¯s a common occurrence after all. Or at least, that¡¯s what the nuns told me, to scare me off from becoming one. I saw a forest boar in the distance, easily thrice the size of me. It saw me back and It immediately snorted furiously, as it readied itself for a charge towards me. ¡°Come here, you oversized pig! See if you really can take on the demon child!¡± It did just that, and, right before it could hit me, I jumped upwards and gave it the strongest kick I could right on its head. With a pained roar, it lost its balance, falling down to the side with a tremor. It was still alive however. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Take this! And this! And this!¡± I kicked it in the stomach, over and over and over again. I put in all my hate, all my rage, and all my fury into it. You stupid¡­ stupid Sherry! How could you do that to Hugo? He¡¯s been so nice to you! He¡¯s your very first friend yet you treat him like that? How could you? I didn¡¯t care that the pig was squealing for mercy. It was better than hitting myself in the head, for being such a high-tempered idiot. No one will like you if you can¡¯t control your temper, you know. I remembered those words now. One of the nuns always said that to me. She was the kindest of them all. The pig was no longer squealing. Blood poured out of its head and its soft belly that I had been kicking in. If only I knew how to cook, I could¡¯ve had a feast with its meat. And if I brought it to the village, it would only cause panic. Sorry, Mr. Pig. I guess you had died for nothing, just like those wolves I just massacred. I returned back home afterwards, but not before washing myself off any dirt and blood that might have splattered onto me in the nearest river. It was getting dark, and I knew better than to frolic inside a forest in the dark. I didn¡¯t bother asking for dinner. I didn¡¯t even come from the front door. I simply jumped to the balcony on the second floor and then sneaked inside from there. I knew for a fact that the room was empty, as the old lady slept downstairs. In fact, all the bedrooms in the house were empty, with the exception of her own room. And yet, I was still forced to have the attic as my room. ¡°You are my servant. And servants don¡¯t use the beds of their master.¡± She told me her reasoning when I asked. I threw myself onto the hard bed, hoping that I could fall asleep right away. All I had were nightmares. ---- ¡°Father, Mother, I have something that I¡¯d like to ask of you.¡± It was right after dinner. I stood up, announcing my intention to my parents. From the side, Marina was watching me with a smirk on her face. ¡°You have to be the one to tell Father and Mother by the way,¡± she had said to me when we returned. ¡°You¡¯re the one who wants to save her after all.¡± ¡°W-what? But you''re the one with the idea!¡± I quickly protested. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be such a scaredy-cat." She suddenly scolded me. ¡°You¡¯re a man, aren¡¯t you? Then this is your job. Tell Father and Mother how badly you want her to be by your side.¡± Judging by her smirk, I could really tell just how much she was enjoying this. Sis, I¡¯m still six years old, you know! Six years old! Well, I had no choice. I actually agreed with what she was saying. Ultimately, I was the one who brought up Sherry after all. I could just have ignored her plight and go along with my life as usual. In fact, that¡¯s what my old self would do. He would say something like, ¡°Other people¡¯s family drama isn¡¯t my business¡±. I was done being a selfish, apathetic bastard though. So I ended up bringing up Sherry¡¯s case to Marina. And I felt that even if I didn¡¯t bring it up with her, I would still end up telling Father or Mother in the end. ¡°So, there¡¯s this girl named Sherry, and¡ª¡± ¡°WHAT?! A GIRL?!¡± ¡°SINCE WHEN?!¡± Both Father and Mother immediately jumped out of their seats the moment I mentioned a girl. Especially Mother, whose boobs bounced wildly in the process. Daaamn woman, calm your tits down. And now, they were staring at me with bewildered looks that honestly wouldn¡¯t be out of place in a comedy sketch. ¡°N-no, it¡¯s not¡ª¡± "TELL ME ALL ABOUT HER, DEARIE!" She now took my hands while awkwardly reaching over from her seat, giving me an all too nice view of her large breasts pressing onto the table. Father on the other hand was smiling all goofy and proud on the side. I sighed. What was wrong with my family? Everyone just immediately thought a six year old like me would have a girlfriend the moment I mentioned anything about a girl. Vol 1 Chapter 7: Alone No More "And that''s why I''d like Father and Mother to take her in." There. I finished my explanation. At this point, both Father and Mother had called down--both sitting back on their chairs upright. They were exchanging glances with each other. Like a good couple, they could communicate just by that. "So, let me get this straight, you want us to take in an orphan girl that you barely even know, that has unnatural super strength on top of a really bad temper, who actually has psychically assaulted you just because you surprised her, and could have probably killed you if your sister wasn''t there?" Father looked at me with an exasperated look, shaking his head. I didn''t plan to tell him about the incident from before. But for some reason, Marina thought it was a good idea to blurt it out to Father and Mother when I was telling them about Sherry! That tattletale! I gave her the most glariest glare I could muster! "Your Father is right, Hugo." Mother then spoke up with a concerned look. "We can''t just take in a dangerous, wild girl like that. If she doesn''t hurt you, then she would definitely be a bad influence to you. And besides, there are many other unfortunate kids like her out there. What makes her so special that she should be the one we take in?" And there it was again. "Wild and dangerous"--the term used by the adults to describe her. I wanted to disagree yet I knew that she was right. She was indeed wild and she was indeed dangerous. With her temper, one day she could end up killing somebody by accident and I would not be surprised. And yet, and yet I still wanted to help her. I remembered the first time I met her. As cheesy as it might sound, I could see the loneliness in her eyes when our sight met. She¡¯s just like the old me, I thought to myself then. Afterwards, we met a couple more times by accident, while she and I were both running errands in the village. And every single time, she would have the same, lonely look. And then, I decided. I wanted to know more about her. And so my visit to her became a routine. We never really talked much to be honest. I would just greet her with a smile, and then she would just return it with a scowl. And then the conversation more or less ended there. I tried asking her to go play with me, but she always refused, saying that she still had a job to do. But I knew, the more I visited, the more she became happier every time I did. My old, scaredy self would¡¯ve backed out on this matter a long time ago. But now--now I refused to give up, just like that. ¡°She¡¯s not a bad girl, Mother!¡± I tried to argue with her first. ¡°Sure, she might have a terrible temper, but she never meant ill towards anyone! That accident¡ªit was all my fault! I was the one who surprised her! Of course any girl would be flustered if a boy suddenly held her from behind like that! And she had it worse than any other normal orphan, Mother! With her unnatural strength, the villagers always called her as a demon¡¯s child! She couldn¡¯t make friends with anyone! Anyone except me!¡± Father and Mother exchanged looks once again. "So, are you saying you are willing to take the responsibility?" Father then said, folding his arms while staring straight at me. "You will take care of her at all times, until she grew up and became an adult that could take care of herself. Until then, you would have to be beside her by all times, with no exception. And of course, all her mistakes¡ªif she lost her temper and broke something, or even hurt someone, you would share the blame as well. And If even once, you ever expressed any displeasure, or even boredom, of her presence, then I would kick you both out of this house.¡± ¡°Father! That¡¯s too much!¡± Marina immediately jumped out of her seat. ¡°Silence!¡± Father¡¯s booming shout was enough to immediately frighten her. ¡°Adopting a kid is a huge task and responsibility! And if your little brother isn¡¯t willing to put his own well-being in the line, then I would never grant his request!¡± Silence fell. No one spoke. Defeated, Marina sat back down. All eyes were on me now. ... ¡°I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯ll accept your conditions, Father!¡± I looked at him straight in the eye with a determined look¡ªboth palms tightened into fists. I had resolved to save Sherry, and I would not back out of my promise, even if that promise was only to myself. And then, suddenly, the mood changed. ¡°Aha¡­ ahahahahahaha! Ahahahahahahahahaha!¡± Eh? All of a sudden, Father laughed. And Mother soon followed, though hers was more of a serious case of giggling fit. "Oh, Hugo, I am so proud of you!¡± With a big grin on his face, Father lifted me straight off my seat to the air. What in the¡ªwhat¡¯s going on here?! ¡°We¡¯re just testing you, you know!¡± Mother then said between her giggling. "To see just how much you really want your little friend here! Oh, sorry about calling her ''wild and dangerous'' by the way. I didn''t really mean that. I''m sure that she''s a good kid, just like you said." Whaaat? H-had I just been tricked, befuddled, and quite possibly bamboozled? "To think that my son at such a young age could already be this gallant! Here! Let me give you a big hug!" F-Father, you''re smothering me! Aaarghh! At least let Mother do it so I could get buried in her big boobs instead! Thank God he soon put me down afterwards. "Alright, Hugo." He patted me in the shoulder. "Tomorrow, we''ll go fetch your girlfriend the first thing in the morning, alright?" "S-she''s not my girlfriend, Dad! How many times I¨C" "Oh, I don''t know about that~ If any boy goes that far for me, I would swoon all over him for sure~" sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Goddamnit, Mom! Don''t make me even redder than I already am! And wipe that smirk off your face! ¡°Teehee, I see my little brother is all grown up now!¡± Now even Big Sis couldn¡¯t help herself from giggling! And so ended our dinner, with me feeling relieved that Father and Mother were willing to adopt Sherry after all. And annoyed as well. That teasing was too much! But I was also surprised¡ªsurprised by the resolve I just showed. Instead of being all scared and second-guessing myself, I answered Father''s challenge readily, even though if I were to fail, the consequences would be severe. Have I really changed that much? My old self¡ªhe would have never been able to do such a thing. I smiled. I couldn''t help but be proud of myself. ---- Renee Oh, I am so proud of my son. To think that he could already be so brave, dashing, and gallant in such a young age¡ªoh, I''m so happy that I''ve raised him right! And he''s so kind too, willing to go that far to defend a girl he doesn''t even know much of. Hehe, I wonder if he really does have a crush on her. Well, if he does, I have to make sure that she is a suitable girl for him. I can''t have him marrying a girl that would just take advantage of his caring nature after all. No can do. And of course, I would have to start teaching him how to treat a girl right. Yes. That is really important indeed. So that he wouldn''t end up like him when he''s older. By him, I was of course referring to my dear husband Alan, who was now watching me change into my nightgown with that all too familiar perverted look on his face. Hmph, really, we''d been together for how many years now and he still never got bored at looking at my near naked body as if he was still a teenager. That''s why I had to keep wearing skimpy panties and bras every time. I''m already a mother, you know. Mothers shouldn''t be wearing sexy undergarments like these. "A lacy black pair today, huh? Really shows off your butt nicely, my dear." And he said that with a grin and a cheeky thumbs up too! He''s always like this! No shame at all once we were inside our room away from the kids! "But I think white indeed suits you the best, dearie. You always wear white in our adventuring days, remember?" "Of course I remember." I huffed. "You kept peeking at my panties after all." I used to wear a short skirt back in those days under my long robe. It wasn''t even that short yet somehow he just kept finding angles and situations to peek at what''s inside. "You know,¡± At this point, I already finished wearing my nightgown, ¡°That''s exactly why I have to start teaching Hugo on how to treat a girl right. So that he wouldn¡¯t be like you when he¡¯s older." ¡°Hey, I thought Marina was on that job,¡± Alan protested. ¡°And besides, that kind of stuff should be done by me, you know, his dad! This is the kind of thing that should be talked over by a man to another man! Well, he¡¯s still a boy now but you get the point!¡± ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re just going to teach him to woo girls instead! And Hugo doesn¡¯t need that anyways. If he kept that level of devotion he showed us tonight to any girl he liked, there would be no doubt whatsoever in my mind that she would fall for him.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but puff my chest and smile as I said so. Oh, how proud I was of my little boy. ¡°Hah, true enough.¡± My husband chuckled. ¡°Alright, I think that¡¯s enough of the kid for now.¡± And then, he suddenly stood up and pushed me to the bed. The rest, well, you could probably imagine on your own. ---- Sherry ¡°Wake up you lazy little brat!¡± When I returned to the world of the living, it was because of Mrs. Tennyson shaking me so hard that I couldn¡¯t help but open my eyes. No, that wasn¡¯t the truth. I was already awake when she started calling my name from downstairs. I simply wasn¡¯t in the mood to wake up early. After receiving another scolding from her, and the punishment from not having any breakfast, I went downstairs and outside to wash my face. Drawing water from the well beside the house, I threw my entire head inside. I stayed like that for a few seconds, taking in on the nice feeling of cold water on my face. My stomach rumbled. I really was hungry. Well, what else was new? So many times I¡¯ve gone hungry when I was still living in the orphanage. The food given to us there depended on the generosity of the people visiting the church beside it. If they gave a lot of donations, then we could eat until our bellies were full. But if not, well, we just had to learn patience, just like the Saint taught us to. Ah, I hadn¡¯t talked about Her yet, have I? The Saint, or Grand Saint Milicis¡ªif we¡¯re going by her full name¡ªwas one of the companions of the legendary Hero a thousand years ago. After defeating the Demon God that was enslaving the world then, she became the founder of the Milicis religion, spreading her teachings as the sole way of salvation for humanity. We were taught that she was the one who chose and gave the Hero his power, as a proxy of Heaven. After her death, her closest disciples became Saints of their own right. And even know, there''s a Saint living in their Grand Cathedral. I believed her name was Catherine. I was never taught in detail by the nuns about how someone could become a Saint, but I knew you needed to be capable of casting a Saint-rank Holy magic to be one. I mean, it''s in the name after all. Saint-rank magic was considered the highest rank by the way. When I asked what kind of magic would that be, the nun teaching us just smiled and told us that it had to be something truly miraculous and wonderful. I myself believed it''s things like reviving the dead. Now that would be a true miracle. Personally, I was never a big believer of the Saint. Her teachings¡ªI really couldn¡¯t follow them properly. She told us to be patient, yet my temper remained tempestuous. She told us to be grateful, yet all I received were injustices, one after the other. The moniker of ¡°demon¡±, that came from Her faith as well. After all, we were always taught that demons were these nastily strong creatures that were the eternal enemy of mankind. They even named an entire continent after them, as apparently only hordes and hordes of demons lived there. The nuns always tried to scare naughty kids¡ªthat included me¡ªinto obeying by saying stuff like ¡°If you keep being naughty, a demon is going to come to you in the night and carry you to the Demon Continent~¡±. I myself was never scared by those kinds of stories. After all, if a demon popped out, I was pretty confident I could take it on with my unnatural strength. Ha, they might be right to call me ¡°demon child¡± after all. Those were the reasons why I could never become her nun, or even her priestess, like my friend Nicole did. Nicole was always good-mannered and kind, no matter what occurred to her. No wonder the nuns liked her so much that she was sent to a Milicis religious school. Me? Ha! I could never imagine myself becoming one! Not that they would ever send me there, with how much trouble I¡¯d caused to them. Out of all the orphan kids, only Nicole was selected. Apparently it was the only scholarship slot that they could get. Normally, you would have to pay a decent sum of money to be accepted there. It wasn¡¯t just a school to become nuns or priestesses¡ªapparently it was also used as a school to train young, rich ladies to become proper ones like the Saint. Personally, I couldn¡¯t really see the logic behind that. I never had the impression that the Saint was a particularly ¡°lady-like¡± person. After all, she fought against the Demon God. And that kind of thing reminded me of what adventurers did¡ªdefeating powerful monsters and all that. And like the nuns always taught me, adventurers were a boorish, unrefined, and wild lot. After washing my face, I immediately started my work. Splitting up firewood would be my first task of the day. As I brought down the big axe to the logs however, my mind couldn¡¯t help but wander back to Nicole. I wondered what she could be doing. No doubt she¡¯s a top student in her class. She was always a studious one after all, devouring religious books and texts like they were nothing. If only the nuns had been willing to tell me the address of the school, I could¡¯ve sent letters to her. Theoretically. Mrs. Farla certainly wouldn¡¯t give the coins I would need. But they had deemed me to be a ¡°bad influence¡± to her, which was why they forbid her to have any further communications with me. I already had to press them to know that she was sent to that school in the first place. Drip drip Oh¡­ My eyes are watering again. This always happens every time I reminisce about her. I wasn''t truly alone after all. I think¡­ I think she might just be my very first and only friend. "Hey, Sherry!" I jumped. I turned around and saw him¡ªthat nosy kid that wouldn''t just leave me alone. "H-Hugo?" "Like I promised, we''re here to pick you up!" As usual, his happy-go-lucky grin both annoyed and relieved me at the same time. "Hey, have you been crying?" "W-what? N-no, not at all!" I quickly wiped off my eyes with my sleeves. Dumb Hugo! Why must you come now? He didn''t come alone too! His whole family was there with him! Now they all knew that I had been crying! Stupid, stupid Hugo! Why must you point it out? ¡°Why don¡¯t you come with us, dear?¡± The young woman spoke. She must be his mother, making that muscled guy beside her his father. ¡°We¡¯re going to speak with Mrs. Tennyson right now.¡± My heart skipped a beat. Could it be? Could it be that she was really going to take me in? I looked at her. Her smile¡­ it was far different from the sarcastic, mocking smile that Mrs. Farla always had. It was genuine, a-and¡­ and warm¡­ And she''s beautiful as well, with a motherly figure that made me want to hug her. Am I¡ªAm I really going to have her as my mother? I could only follow her in a daze. ---- ¡°So, you wanted her so badly that you and your husband would come here personally to request it of me? Hmph, I know you Greenwoods are audacious but this is too much!" As expected, the old witch wouldn''t give Sherry that easily. With an all-too-smug smirk, she continued. "She''s mine. I took her in as my granddaughter. If you think I''m just going to give her like that, you got another thing coming." Of course. She''s going to play hard, just so she could feel superior to Father and Mother. I gave a glance at Sherry. She was glaring intensely at the old woman. Of course she''s going to be mad if she called her her granddaughter out of the blue! She never did that before when she worked her to the bone! She knew very well that it was just one big, fat, and terrible lie! ¡°I see. Your granddaughter, hmm? Then may I ask why you are working her to the bone from day to night?¡± Scary! Mother was absolutely pissed! She was smiling but her smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes! Not in the slightest! ¡°It is good for her,¡± the old hag quickly retorted. ¡°The Saint teaches us to be resourceful. An idle hand is the devil¡¯s hands. Rather than wasting time frolicking with those lazy peasant kids, I would rather her grow up to be a diligent girl.¡± She smirked terribly once again. ¡°And I see you haven¡¯t really done that to your own children, have you? That boy of yours¡ªhe would always try to lead my Sherry astray with his idleness, to abandon her work and play with him instead.¡± This old hag! How could Sherry tolerate her for so long? She must have the patience of the Saint herself! My mother, however, didn¡¯t seem to be perturbed by her accusation. ¡°Oh? But the Saint surely does not approve of hitting a child so hard that it left marks on her body.¡± W-wait, what was that? Was that a bluff? Did she just predict that the old hag would be the type to hit children that she disliked in the guise of ¡°disciplining¡± her? I didn¡¯t know at the time but Mother had been using one of the abilities she had as a healer. She could tell where the wounds and illnesses were in a person¡¯s body, without even having them show it to her like you would show your wounds to a doctor. It was an advanced-level healing magic spell. And yet, she could cast it without reciting it, and without me even noticing! When I learned this, I couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Wow, Mother is amazing!¡± ¡°Sherry, unbutton your dress. You still have those marks left on your back, correct?¡± she asked kindly to the girl, her smile suddenly turned genuine. She could only nod, as she too was taken aback by what Mother just did. She gave a glare towards me, pretty much saying, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare look or else I¡¯m going to punch you in the face!¡± And so I looked away. Well, it¡¯s not like I would be turned on by seeing whipping scars on a child¡¯s back. And so she did. And the scars were indeed there, still red from a whipping she experienced four days ago when she tripped and threw a bowl of boiling soup right onto the old woman¡¯s lap. And speaking of the old woman, she was completely speechless by now. ¡°W-w-what sorcery is this?!¡± She yelled. ¡°A-and you can¡¯t criticize me for it! Children need to be discplined! Spare the rod, spoil the child!¡± ¡°Enough. You are being unsightly, Mrs. Tennyson.¡± Mother¡¯s voice had turned blood-chillingly cold. Even from here, I suddenly felt chills all over my body. ¡°Take this gold and forget you have ever mistreated a child of the Saint like this.¡± Without a word, she threw over a small pouch of coins, landing right on the ground in front of the old hag. ¡°10 gold. That should be enough. Good day.¡± And with that, she grabbed Sherry¡¯s hand back and took her away. ¡°She¡¯s not one of us, you know!¡± The old woman shouted as we left. ¡°She¡¯s a demon, through and through! She¡¯s no child of the Saint!¡± None of us heeded her words. Vol 1 Chapter 8: Our New Daily Life Sherry What happened for the next few hours went by like a dream. One hour, I was an unloved orphan, worked to the bone by an old lady that never cared about me in the slightest. But the next, I was walking home with Hugo''s family. Yes, home. My new home. "From today onwards, you will be part of our family, alright?" She told me with a warm smile when we arrived at her home. "Now let''s get you cleaned up first. Dear, would you be so kind as to fill up the bath?" She told her husband. "A-ah right¡­" He quickly left. Hmm, could it be that she wore the pants in their relationship? Even though he looked to be such a strong warrior¡­ As I waited, Marina (that was her name, right?) came over to me and gave me a hug, saying how glad that I had joined their family and how happy she was that she could be my big sister. My immediate instinct was to push her away, as I certainly was never used to such an expression of affection, especially with a complete stranger that I barely knew. I could only be comfortable with a hug from Nicole, and no one else. So comfortable in fact that I let her hug me all night as we slept together. However, as I sank into her embrace, my anxiety of being so close to her vanished completely. So warm¡­ and she smells good as well¡­ Even though she shouldn''t be that much older from her, I couldn''t help but notice how she already had somewhat of a mature, motherly body, especially compared to me. Her budding breasts were pushed into my face, as if she intentionally wanted me to be smothered by her chest. When she let me go, I was as red as a tomato, something that did not escape her notice as she gave a little giggle towards me. With a wink, she then added that if I needed any advice on how to get along well with Hugo, I just needed to ask her. At that time, I didn¡¯t quite understand what she was hinting at. Or else I would surely have blushed furiously from her statement. Once the father returned, the mother took me straight to the bathroom and undressed me right on the spot. She then put me inside the bath before undressing and entering herself. The bath was small, but it was enough for two people to sit across each other with relative comfort. But then, instead of allowing me to sit across her, she instead forced me to sit with her! ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be shy! We¡¯re family now after all!¡± I could do nothing as she put me right in front of her, almost to the point of me actually sitting on her lap. I couldn¡¯t help but blush as I felt her ample breasts pressing into the back of my head. ¡°So, is this your first time having a bath together like this?" She started pouring water gently on my head. "N-no¡­ we all used to have our baths together back at the orphanage." I explained to her that once a month, we would visit a bathhouse for our bath. We didn''t have much money, so we could only afford the trip twelve times a year. Naturally, this made it a waited occasion for us all, especially when you felt all smelly and dirty for not bathing for an entire month. Well, the boys might not care but us girls certainly did. There, we all were forced to share a pretty cramped bath. It was the cheapest bathhouse in town after all. The water wasn''t even warm, let alone perfumed like the bathhouses nobles liked to use, like Nicole told me. Speaking of Nicole, she was there as well, and she would always help me brush my hair as I took my bath. She always said how jealous she was of my long and straight hair, as hers were curly, and took a great deal of care¡ªcompared to mine, at the very least¡ªto be kept prim and proper. She usually wore her hair in two thick braids. I thought it was very cute on her, but she always returned that my long raven hair was cuter. She even joked that once I was older, I would have so many suitors that I wouldn''t know what to do with them. I doubted that. No one would want a bad tempered demonically strong girl like me. But I knew Nicole said that to comfort me, so I was glad to receive her compliments nonetheless. "I see." She smiled back. "Well, it certainly could be fun, taking baths together like that. Perhaps not if you''re a shy person though. Like me." "You are?" I looked up to her face in surprise. "But you are so brave, standing up to Mrs. Tennyson like that!" "Well¡­" Her smile turned mischievous. "I suppose you could say I''m less shy now. Alan is probably rubbing off on me." "Alan?" "Your new father, silly!" She giggled, messing up my hair a little. "S-sorry, I-I didn''t know his name yet." I looked down. I felt ashamed, not knowing the name of my benefactor. "Oh, don''t feel bad!" Kyaah! She suddenly hugged me from behind. "You''ll get all the time you need to know him later! And me as well! Let''s be good friends, shall we?" As her big breasts pushed down heavily on my head, I couldn''t help but remember my bathing time in the orphanage again. There, the older girls would flaunt their developed bodies to the younger girls. I couldn''t help but be annoyed by them, perhaps out of jealousy of my own underdeveloped figure. I knew it''s ridiculous for a child like me to think about that kind of stuff, but I always wanted to grow up quickly and become an adult. Even now. "Don''t fret, Sherry." Nicole sweetly said to me. "You''ll grow up as beautiful as they are. I just know it." To me though, Nicole would be the type to turn into a big-boobed woman once she grew up. Me? I''ll remain thin and bony and awkward-looking for the rest of my life. Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted upwards. She turned me around, making me now face to face with her and her big chest, which I couldn¡¯t help but take a good, long stare at. ¡°Hmm? You like my breasts, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°A-ah, n-no! I-I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡± ¡°Shh, it¡¯s alright. You¡¯re my daughter now, after all.¡± And then, she buried me in her cleavage. ¡°Ummmmm1 Hmmmmmmmhhh!¡± I struggled to escape, but for some reason, my superhuman strength seemed to have disappeared. I was now like an ordinary little girl, struggling to escape her mother¡¯s escape just because she thought she was already too old for it. In retrospect, I was happy for that, or else I could have actually hurt her. I would never forgive myself if I had. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally loosened her grip, though she still was holding me up with her hand. ¡°Warm, isn¡¯t it? The embrace of a mother? I thought you could use one, after all you¡¯ve been through¡­¡± Drip drip My tears¡­ they were dripping out again. "Oh dear¡­" She gently wiped them off my eyes with her finger. "That''s no good. You are prettier if you smile, you know. Here. Have another one." This time, I did not struggle in the slightest. I had found what I always wanted at last. Family. ----- Renee When I released her for the second time, I finally saw it. Her smile. I smiled back, patting her on the head. As a mother, there''s nothing that made me happier, seeing my children smile. Yes, she is one of my children now. I have decided so. Well, perhaps my daughter-in-law would be more correct, if she really is going to marry my Hugo in the future, teehee. Hmm? I took notice that she was once again staring at my breasts. Ah, I remember this. Marina used to do the same, stealing glances at them when we still took our baths together. She never really wanted to interact with them though. Too shy, I believed, seeing how she would blush when she saw them out of the water. That silly girl really could be too serious for her own good. And Hugo, oh that boy. He was all over them when he was younger. He would squeeze them and play with them so ravenously as if he was his father! And even now, I still notice him stealing glances at my chest when he thinks he can get away with it. And if I would have another child, which I certainly hoped I would, they would surely be attracted to my breasts as well. "Dear, do you really like my breasts that much? You''re staring again you know." Forgive me, Sherry, but I just couldn''t resist teasing you a little. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I-I¡¯m sorry! I-I didn¡¯t mean to, I-I swear!¡± There she blushed again. Hmm, I guess she¡¯s more like Marina than Hugo then. ¡°Here. Why don¡¯t you have a little touch?¡± I brought her hands to my two mounds, putting them firmly on the soft and bouncy fat. Munyuuu~ Her redness immediately increased two-fold as a result. Oh she is just so unbelievably cute! I just want to squeeze her cheeks before gobbling her up! "Soft, aren''t they?" My smirk only got wider. "You can fondle them all you want, dear. Like I''ve said, I am now your mother after all. And little kids can fondle their mother''s breasts all they want." "I-I''m not at that age anymore! I''m already eight years old!" She protested, not realizing that she was only making herself look even cuter! "Ah, so that''s how old you are." I answered calmly. "Well, you never have the experience of playing or drinking milk off a mother''s bosom, right? I can''t give you the latter, but I certainly can give you the former." "Or perhaps you''d prefer to do it later, when we sleep together for the night? Oh, don''t worry about Alan. He can manage not being with me for a night." She paused for a short moment, before quickly agreeing with my proposition. She''s definitely embarrassed. She probably thought it would be less embarrassing if my breasts were covered. Well, too bad. My nightgown is quite skimpy and revealing after all. She would just have to bear with a sheer silk that wouldn''t hide my breasts in the slightest. ...I really am having too much fun with her, aren''t I? Maybe I should step it down a little. Too much affection isn''t good for the child after all. ...Oh, it''s fine. Give me a few days and then I''ll tone it down. But for now, little cute Sherry is my new sweet daughter! ---- Before I knew it, Sherry already became a natural part of our family. To my surprise, she was actually two years older than me, even though she was shorter. So I guess that made her my older sister as well? Lame. I already had one. What I wanted was a little sister instead. She¡¯s shorter than me so I should be the big brother! That was my thought. Speaking of older sisters, Marina started teaching me magic once again, just like old times. To my awe, yet as I predicted as well, she already improved quite significantly from her old self a year ago. First, she was now capable of using summoning spells. The academy facilitated students¡¯ attempt at forming contracts with spirits, something you would need to cast a summoning spell. ¡°Every type of spirit has their own ways of forming a contract with a mage,¡± she explained to me. ¡°For example, for a simple fairy, you would only need to place a pot of flower near your bed for a week, sprinkled by a special potion you would prepare beforehand that would contain a piece of your hair. Then, you would have a dream where you enter their world. There, you find a fairy to persuade in becoming your spirit. Mine, she just came to me and praised how I smelled, then she told me that she wanted to join. Odd fairy, wasn¡¯t she?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but giggle a little. ¡°Well, she¡¯s a flower fairy, so I suppose it makes sense that she would love pleasant smells.¡± She liked the way she smelled, eh? Well, she indeed smelled good every time she hugged me¡­ ¡°I then contracted with a dryad. She¡¯s part of the Fey spirits, which meant I would do the same proceedings as before, then we had a little hide and seek game in the forest there. She was surprisingly hard to find, as she would camouflage herself amongst the trees. But I managed to find her anyway, so she became my spirit as well.¡± ¡°So, you can just choose whatever spirits you want to summon?¡± My eyes glimmer with excitement. ¡°Then, how about some cool stuff like giant wolves or the like?¡± To be honest, I didn¡¯t think I wanted to summon fairies or dryads. Maybe the dryad, if she¡¯s all flirty and naked like the common depiction in fantasy games and stories. But if I wanted a spirit for that, I could just choose a succubus instead. Hmm, maybe I should really summon a succubus instead! Wait, no, that would be too dangerous. I was still a six years old boy after all. If this world follows the same lore as the succubi back in my world, then they would probably want a constant meal of my semen as payment, which I would be happy to give¡­ if I wasn¡¯t a six year old boy that hasn¡¯t even reached puberty yet. If not given, they would probably suck out my soul instead or something. Brr, no thanks. ¡°Giant wolves?¡± She replied in astonishment, before laughing. ¡°Oh Hugo, they would be way beyond your level.¡± But then, her expression turned stern all of a sudden. ¡°No, really, never try it. You could die doing it. There¡¯s a good reason why we could never find anything related to spirit binding pacts at home. It¡¯s because it¡¯s really dangerous. So many spirits out there are outright malicious. They will curse or even devour any mages that called upon them if they don¡¯t find them worthy to be their master. Basically, bad things would happen if you failed a pact ceremony.¡± I gulped. That sounded scary indeed. ¡°I only made my pacts under the supervision of the teachers of the Academy.¡± She continued her explanation. ¡°So don¡¯t try anything stupid while I¡¯m gone, alright? Not that you could anyway. We don¡¯t have any summoning books here after all. And no, before you ask, I¡¯m not lending you any! If you¡¯re going to learn any summoning magic, it has to be under my supervision! Understand?¡± Damn, she¡¯s good at this. She should be a teacher in the future. I didn¡¯t say anything about how the way she lowered herself in front of me exposed her budding breasts though, thanks to her loose clothes. Now that was something a teacher shouldn''t do. Unless you''re aiming for the sexy teacher look, of course. She then showed me the two summons she had talked about. With each having their own chants, she brought them to my presence. "Hola, Marina!¡± The fairy smiled with great cheer. ¡°Hehe, what do you need today, Marina?¡± The dryad smiled brightly as well. The fairy looked like your usual fairy. Small with insect wings, about the size of an adult fist. This fairy styled her blue hair in a long twintail. She wore a short blue dress, matching the color of her hair. The dryad, on the other hand, really did not wear any clothes, with her long and shaggy green hair covering her wood-like body. Unlike your monster girl interpretation where she would just be like a naked teenager, her wooden body certainly gave quite the turn off. Not to mention her pitch-black eyes that had no pupils whatsoever. And her sharp fingers as well, with no fingernails. In short, she¡¯s the teenage girl version of a treant. "Oh, nothing special. I just called you two here to show to my little brother how a summoning spell looks like." And just from that smile, I can already tell that she''s really proud of herself. Sis, being a showoff is no good, you know. But then again, she''s probably only like this with me and our parents, so I suppose it''s forgiven. I too always loved to brag my accomplishments to my siblings and parents. I wanted to make them proud of me after all. Well, until I gave up and became a failure, that is. "Ooh, so he''s your little brother?" "How cute!" The two now stared at me with curious eyes. I couldn''t help but blush a little from the sudden attention I was receiving. "Oh, right, I haven''t talked about how feys differ from demons, have I?" Marina suddenly interrupted. ¡°Well, they don¡¯t, really, fundamentally speaking. Do you know what the term ¡®demons¡¯ really refer to?¡± Hmm? Now that I thought about it, I actually didn¡¯t know. So many times demons were mentioned in the books I had read, but none of them really defined them from real. They probably assumed that their readers would already be familiar with the term. ¡°What people referred to ¡®demons¡¯ were usually those that lived in the Demon Continent. And that includes the Fey.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t lump us off with those brutes!¡± The dryad suddenly protested. ¡°We Fey have a territory of our own that is free from the influence of them! Like the Great Fairy Forest where we live!¡± The fairy nodded in agreement. ¡°Oh, forgive me. It¡¯s not my intention to insult your people.¡± Marina quickly apologized. ¡°But that¡¯s exactly my point. The common folk don''t really care about the distinction. Any nonhuman races that don¡¯t have an alliance with us humans are deemed as demons in their eyes. In Milicis lands, it¡¯s actually forbidden to perform summoning spells even.¡± Milicis? Oh, it¡¯s the most prominent religion of this world. They got their own theocracy and all. Well, Father and Mother didn¡¯t seem to be amongst its followers though. ¡°Oh, look at that! It¡¯s time for me to go!¡± The fairy suddenly exclaimed. ¡°Payment please!¡± She flew straight towards Marina¡¯s hair and gave it a good, long sniff. ¡°Mmm, smells good as always! Cha chao!¡± And with that, she suddenly disappeared with a poof. ¡°Time for my payment as well,¡± the dryad then exclaimed. Marina nodded with a smile, walking towards her before tapping her wand onto her head, almost as if she was knighting her. ¡°There. That¡¯s enough nutrition, right?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The Fey exclaimed cheerfully. ¡°Goodbye, Marina! Goodbye, Marina¡¯s little brother!¡± She went poof as well. Hey, she didn¡¯t even know my name! And with that, Marina decided to end our lessons for the day. A/N: Here''s how I imagine Nicole looks like. Taken from the same manga as Sherry. Vol 1 Chapter 9: Our New Daily Life Pt. 2 When we returned, Sherry was still busy doing her sword training with Father. ¡°Hyah! Hyah! Hyaaaah!¡± Kaboom! The dog-sized rock that was standing in front of her was split into two. And she didn¡¯t even need to actually connect her sword to the rock. She did it by just swinging it in a powerful downward slice from a distance. Suddenly, I felt a pat on my shoulder. It was Father¡¯s. ¡°Sorry Hugo, but she totally outclasses you, even though she has only trained for a week.¡± ¡°I know, Dad.¡± I crossed my arms with a grump, sighing. ¡°I really can¡¯t compete with her super strength.¡± Of course I was grumpy. I had trained for an entire year, yet I couldn¡¯t even brag about it to either Sherry or Marina. The former could pretty much kick my butt, with or without a sword, and the latter, well, I changed my mind on trying to show off to her. With how much better she had gotten in magic, there was really no point in me bragging how I could do basic swordfighting now. I couldn¡¯t even break a rock yet. ¡°Not just talking about that. The way she handles a sword¡ªshe¡¯s a complete natural.¡± Father continued his praise. ¡°And thanks to her strength, she¡¯s perfectly suited for my style of swordsmanship too. She¡¯s the student I always wanted!¡± He said with a laugh. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dad. Really, now I felt like my old self again, whenever my parents praised my siblings instead of me. "What? So I am not a student you want?" I said with a huff. "N-no! Not at all, Hugo! Not at all!" Sorry, Dad, but I just couldn¡¯t help myself. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so down on yourself, Hugo.¡± Marina interjected with a smile, messing up my hair as she often did. ¡°You¡¯re good at magic after all! When you reach my age, I have no doubt that you¡¯d be better at me at it! Right, Father?!¡± Whew, she sent him a chilling glare that outright reminded me of Mother when she got angry. ¡°R-right, o-of course you are right, Marina!¡± He quickly answered with a cough. Ah, he really was weak to a woman¡¯s glare like that. Well, I wouldn¡¯t blame him. It really was quite scary. Noticing our presence, Sherry stopped her training. The moment she saw me however, she quickly averted her gaze before running away. Huh, what? What did I do? I would only know the reason later on. ----- Sherry Ooh, I couldn¡¯t believe it! I couldn¡¯t believe that I couldn¡¯t even look at him now! This was all her fault! She didn¡¯t need to tell me all that, did she? It had been only a week since I became a Greenwood, and yet I felt as if I had already been with them forever. Mrs. Renee, or as she insisted, M-m-mother¡ªOoh, I still couldn¡¯t call her that!¡ªhad been really good with me. She made me sleep with her, where I could indulge in the warmth and love that I desperately wanted, even if I myself refused to admit it. She truly loved me, just like she loved her children. It didn''t take long until I no longer minded having my face buried in her large chest. There was nothing embarrassing about it. In fact, it was a wholesome expression of her motherhood. It was normal for a woman''s breasts to grow big when she became a mother. At least, that''s what Nicole told me. But then, last night, she told me something. About how it was Hugo who fought for me to be adopted into the family. "He stood up and said to us with this really serious look on his face, ''Father, Mother, I have a request for you two''. He then told us all about you, still with that serious look. Really, it was a mixture of both cuteness and coolness. What a sight that was!" She told me with a dreamy smile and a giggle. I could tell just how much she was proud of him for that speech of his. "''I won''t let you insult her, Mother!'' he then said with anger when I teased him about you, calling you ''wild and a bad influence''. Oh, sorry about that by the way. Didn¡¯t mean that in the slightest.¡± She ruffled my hair with a smile. If she were a stranger, I probably would''ve been furious. I was never able to take any insults directed to me in stride. All the kids that teased me¡ªI beat them up until they all stopped doing so in fear. But her, she was different. I knew she was just putting on an act, but what she said was true. I was wild and dangerous. Anyone who angered me would be hurt by me sooner or later. Even Mrs. Farla, who I was only patient with because I thought I could make her love me one day. And I knew that once I lost that desire, I could end up taking her life in a fit of rage. Such was my selfish self, only ever caring about my own needs and well-being. And so I said nothing, other than a flash of sadness on my face. To my relief, she continued onward, seemingly not noticing the change in my expression. ¡°At that moment, I knew that you¡¯re not just a flight of fancy of my son. That he truly cares for you and wants you to escape the horrible life you have endured all this time. In fact, I dare say that he likes you, Sherry.¡± Wait, l-like? A-as in, r-romantically? N-no, t-that can¡¯t be right! N-no one would ever¡ª Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Now, now, before you go into denial, let me tell you something. You are a really, really cute little girl, you know.¡± ¡°C-cute?! N-no! I¡¯m not cute! Not cute at all!¡± I quickly denied, waving my arms around as I blushed terribly. ¡°Nonsense. Your long and straight raven hair¡ªmany girls would die to have such amy dear." lustrous hair. Look at how smooth they are.¡± She then combed her fingers through said hair. ¡°Guys love playing with long hair like this, you know.¡± She smiled knowingly, as if she spoke from her own experience. Oh, right. She normally put her long blonde hair up in a bun. But now, she¡¯s sleeping with it flowing freely down her back. ¡°I-I think blonde hair like yours is much prettier though¡­ I-I mean, the Saint has long flowing locks that goes down to her feet! A-and she''s supposed to be really, really beautiful, isn''t she?!" I would''ve brought up Nicole as well. She too had pretty golden locks that I was jealous of. "True enough." She continued to smile, still playing with my hair. "Milicis is certainly portrayed like that by the Church, doesn''t she? Well, as a blonde myself, your black hair matches perfectly with your emerald eyes. With some dressing up, you would be so cute and adorable that Hugo would never be able to pull his eyes away from you." ¡°N-no! I-I don¡¯t want to be Hugo¡¯s lover or anything like that!¡± I blushed even harder. ¡°Oh? Is my son not good enough for you?¡± Her eyes suddenly went cold. ¡°N-no, not at all! He¡¯s a really good and cute boy! Any girl would be lucky to have him!¡± I didn¡¯t notice what I just implied, until she let out a giggle. ¡°I see. So you think he¡¯s cute, hmm?" Damn it, I''d fallen into her trap! "Then, if, and this is just an if, you end up becoming his lover once you two are older, would it be to your liking?" I paused. I didn''t know how to answer. I was about to tell that no, she was wrong, that I had no feelings whatsoever for her son. But, that would be a lie. I did have some feelings for him. He was so genuine and sweet that I could not help but be fond of him. He was the first boy I had ever liked in my life. But as a romantic partner? A lover? A-and a wife even? Immediately my imagination ran wild. I saw him, kneeling before me, offering me a ring as he proposed to me. And, like the shameless fool I was, I imagined him first as his child self, with his innocent, bright smile, before transforming him into what I imagined him to look like once he was older. Still with the same smile, but much, much more charming. I had made him into a Prince Charming with me as the blushing princess, straight from the stories Nicole liked to tell me, even though back then, I always thought that she was better fitted for the role. This, naturally, only increased my embarrassment even further. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know.¡± I answered her, averting my face away. Ooh, it must be really red right now. ¡°I-I certainly think that whoever he ends up marrying would be very happy¡­ b-but that can¡¯t be me, can it? H-he certainly doesn¡¯t like me that way! A-and I would make a bad wife! I-I have a bad temper, a-and I can¡¯t cook at all!¡± It¡¯s true. Mrs. Farla tried to make me learn how to, but after months of trying, the cook who was supposed to teach me gave up. ¡°This girl has no talent in cooking whatsoever!¡± He declared with passion, after I burned Mrs. Farla¡¯s omelette for the 34th time. Yes, he counted it all. In the end, he had to be employed to act as the house cook, to Mrs. Farla¡¯s dismay. It seemed she wanted to save money by making me do everything. "Oh, you don''t have to worry about that." She smirked. "I''ll teach you all you need to become a good wife, alright? I too had to learn all this stuff, you know. Cooking, cleaning, satisfying him in bed¡­" "S-satisfying him in bed? Y-you mean d-doing¡ª" "Oh, oops! You''re still too young for that." She giggled. "I''ll tell you all about that when you''re older, alright?" She winked. I knew what she was talking about. All thanks to Nicole accidentally borrowing the wrong book from the town library. No, to be more exact, she thought it was just an ordinary fantasy book like the ones she always had. But then, we got to the scene where the hero visited the heroine¡¯s room after they had faced a tough battle and won. We didn¡¯t get far, as Nicole quickly closed the book, apologizing for reading such a ¡°sinful¡± book, before hurrying back to the library to return it. But I remembered how the hero pushed down the heroine to the bed before grabbing her breasts, and that apparently made her moan. When Nicole returned, I couldn¡¯t help but ask what the odd scene was. She could only answer, ¡°I-it¡¯s something intimate between two lovers. Husband and wife stuff. W-we¡¯re too young to be reading that kind of stuff, really.¡± She gave me a nervous grin as her face reddened once again, walking away from here to end the conversation. I wasn¡¯t satisfied however, so I went to the library myself, and read the rest of the scene on my own. And thus, I lost my innocence. I now knew what lovers did in their bedroom together at night, in the exact, graphic detail. My knowledge of the term ¡°satisfying him in bed¡± came from there as well. A-and to think I would have to do all that with him? W-with Hugo? I would have to let him push me down and grab my chest before throwing kisses all over my neck, as I moaned lewdly? Then he would take off his pants and take off my panties and thrust his¡ª ¡±Oh dear, you seem to already know about a wife''s duty in bed already." I didn''t know how, but she just read my mind completely! "N-no, I don''t¡ª" "Shh, that''s fine. That''s perfectly fine. The first time I read a dirty book, I was also eight, just like you. It was my older brother''s actually. Oh, the look on his face when I asked him about it." She giggled again. ¡°But enough about that for now.¡± I sighed inwardly in relief. Thankfully, it seemed she had decided to change the subject of our conversation, saving me from further embarrassment. ¡°So, how about it? Do you want me to teach you all there is to know about housekeeping and being a wife?¡± I paused once again. Cooking and cleaning. If I were to be honest, I never liked doing either, not when I was in the orphanage, and certainly not when I still lived with Mrs. Farla. "Y-yes! I would love to!" I accepted, not because I liked them, but because I wanted to be grateful. I wanted to repay her and her family for accepting me, a complete stranger, as one of their own like this. If I could help around the house by cleaning and cooking and doing the laundry, I would certainly do so. "Great!" She clapped her hands together. "We can start tomorrow morning with breakfast, alright?" I nodded. "Oh, and one more thing¡­" ---- "Ahhh¡­ warm baths after a long day of training really are the best¡­" I was now inside the bathroom, sitting inside the bathtub filled with warm water. Thanks to the heating pebble placed inside, there was no need to warm up the water beforehand with firewood (or a fire spell). Thanks to our close proximity with Mira, we can buy magic objects like this pretty cheaply. And then, all of a sudden, the door opened. Ah, I forgot to lock it again. ¡°Dad, is that¡ªw-whoa, S-Sherry?¡± ¡°Y-young Master Hugo! P-please allow me to wash your back!¡± My jaw dropped. There she was, standing in front of the door, wearing what was most definitely a maid outfit. I blinked once. And twice. And thrice, just to make sure that I wasn¡¯t hallucinating. Yep, she''s still there, alright, in her glorious frilly maid outfit. She even got the headdress on. The design looked like your usual, prim and proper maid outfit, with a long skirt plus apron and long sleeves. There was just a little twist to it. The chest area was white, as the black dress was open on that part, with her wearing a white underdress underneath. C-cute! Too cute! And her getting all embarrassed only makes her cuter! I was normally more into blonde loli but she was undeniably, blindingly cute at this point! So much so that I went into panic mode! "I-I''m coming in!" "W-w-wait, Sherry, I-I¡¯m naked right now, you know! Naked!¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s fine! I-I promise I won¡¯t look! Y-you can just sit on the edge of the bath away from me a-and I¡¯ll wash your back that way!¡± Clearly, she was as embarrassed as me. Hell, she might even be more embarrassed. But for her to do this, there must be a good reason. And I could only think up one single reason. One person, to be exact. Mother put her up to this, didn¡¯t she? I sighed inwardly. Ever since Sherry became part of our family, I noticed how she was clearly matchmaking me and her. And this would just be yet another one of her schemes. Even though I already told her that we¡¯re not like that¡­ Well, I probably wouldn¡¯t mind actually going out with her once we¡¯re older though¡­ She¡¯s pretty cute after all, hehe¡­ For someone who had died a virgin like me, I have to take any chances I could to get a girlfriend! That¡¯s one of my resolutions when I was reborn here! She walked in, still as red as a tomato. She tried to keep her eyes away from my naked upper body, but it didn¡¯t escape me that she would steal some glances here and there when she thought I didn¡¯t notice. ¡°H-hey, Mother told you to do this, didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°N-no! I-I¡¯m doing this out of my own will! Now would you just shut up and let me wash your back? N-no, I-I mean, p-please turn around and let me wash your back, Y-Young Master Hugo!¡± Oh God, the way she corrected herself like that! She''s so cute I feel I could get a heart attack from the cuteness! I did as she asked, slowly lifting myself upward until I sat on the edge of the tub. I couldn¡¯t help but blush however, as even though I could cover my little guy with my hands, my arse would be fully visible to her. H-ha¡­ Why am I blushing like this? She¡¯s just an eight year old girl! And you¡¯re supposed to be a pervert, for God¡¯s sake! You can¡¯t show off a little butt to a cute girl? It was like this too in my old life. When I was still a popular kid, I pushed away the girls that took interest in me, simply because I was too shy to engage with them. That decision haunted me for the rest of my life. I could have become a real deal harem protagonist, goddamnit! ¡°U-umm, you¡¯re supposed to rinse off with water first, right?¡± I couldn¡¯t see how she looked as I was looking away from her. But I could tell that she was definitely still blushing, just like me. Using the water bucket placed nearby, she poured half of it on my head, making me shiver as the water there was colder than the water in the bath. Then, she gave the washing rug a little soap, before rubbing my back with it. Of course, that soap was quite different from the liquid soap I was used to back in my old world. It was an alchemy concoction, and since this world didn¡¯t seem to have industrialized magic production, a bottle of soap could cost you a fortune. So she had to be careful not to waste even a single drop. "O-ouch! H-hey, don''t be so rough!" "S-shut it! I just want to clean you up all proper¡ªI-I mean, o-of course, Young Master! I-I''ll try to be gentler." She''s really bad at this maid stuff, isn''t she? Well, might as well enjoy it while it lasted. Vol 1 Chapter 10: Sherry Goes On The Offense! Sherry Urgh, stupid Hugo! Why must he be so whiny? Too hard, he says! Well, if you¡¯re going to scrub something, you have to press the rug hard onto it! Tch, he should just shut up and let me do it! It¡¯ll end faster that way! Grr, why am I doing this anyways? To be washing a boy¡¯s back like this, a-and a naked one at that! Ooh, what would Nicole think? Such thoughts swam inside my head as I worked on Hugo¡¯s back. Since he complained that I was rubbing it too hard, I tried to tone down my strength, moving the cloth slower and pressing it less hard. For a boy, his back and shoulder are surprisingly pretty firm¡­ Must be from the training he got from Sir Al¡ªI-I mean, F-Father¡­ Before I realized it, I was ogling him once again, as when he lifted himself off the bath, I obtained an eyeful of his behind. O-of course, I quickly looked away, and even now, I tried not to look downwards. I-I was not a pervert after all. The realization that staring at a boy¡¯s naked back was also a perverted thing didn¡¯t dawn on me until I was nearly finished, and it made me scrub the rest of his body as fast as I could, earning another complaint from him. ¡°S-shut up! I-I¡¯m almost finished here! Don¡¯t be a big baby!¡± Grrr. Yet again, instead of giving him the respect he deserved, I was scolding him, just to mask my own embarrassment. I still remembered Mother¡¯s words, about how I should treat him kindly, just like Marina. Technically, I too was his big sister after all. B-but it¡¯s not fair! Marina already knows him for her entire life! I bet she could wash his back without a single blush manifesting on her cheeks! She might even be able to do the front as well! I couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous of her. She knew Hugo so well. And they had their magic training together from the morning until the evening. I knew that she would have to return back to her boarding school once summer was over, but still, looking at them, I could see that they shared a closeness that I could not pierce through. Ah, that¡¯s right! Once she¡¯s gone, Hugo would have to return back to his sword training! That means we could train together for the other 9 months! Watch out, Marina! I¡¯m coming for your No.1 sister spot! ...Oh, who was I kidding? I knew I could never replace her. Even if I could have more time with Hugo than her, I would never have the courage nor the temper to be really close with him! I would be too shy, and I would push him away! ¡°O-ouch, h-hey, d-don¡¯t you think that¡¯s enough already? My skin is already dry, you know!¡± O-oh right, I had been rubbing his back on the same spot all this time. ¡°I-it¡¯s done, Y-Young Master. L-let me rinse you afterwards.¡± I turned around to grab the bucket again¡ª Only to slip forward, pushing both Hugo and myself straight into the bath. I didn''t know how it had happened. Perhaps some soap had spilled over, causing the ceramic floor to turn slippery. Perhaps it was me, not used to the fancy shoes I was wearing. Or perhaps it was just Fate, playing a prank on us. Well, the latter seemed to be most likely, as what happened afterwards could only come from the most unfortunate of coincidences. As my face went underwater, I saw it. What lied in the middle of a boy''s legs. The "spear of manhood", as that lurid book described. When I surfaced, I was completely red in the face. And horrified by what I just saw. It wasn¡¯t the first that I saw, as the little boys in the orphanage, around one to two years old, would sometimes wander around completely naked, as the nuns missed them. However, this was completely different. It belonged to Hugo, a boy that I had seen as a friend, and a boy whose mother had told me to marry when we were older. And I saw it all in its full-sized glory, ready to pounce, just like that book described. How could I not be embarrassed from such a sight? Hugo soon surfaced as well, coughing up some water that had entered his throat. And then, his eyes stared right towards my chest. ¡°Kyaahhh!¡± I immediately covered myself with my arms. If my face could have gone any redder, it certainly would have. The white part of my outfit¡ªit had gone completely transparent, exposing my chest to his staring eyes. At that time, I was completely flat, of course. However, I was old enough to have the same embarrassment as older, more well-endowed girls when their white shirts turned translucent, revealing whatever bras they wore underneath. In fact, it might be a little bit worse, as I didn¡¯t wear any bras after all. I couldn¡¯t say anything. I could only feel my embarrassment reaching the tipping point, thanks to that and what just occurred under the water. ¡°P-pervert!¡± I slapped him as hard as I could, before running away from the bath, leaving a trail of water and tears behind. And so, what was supposed to be me giving my gratitude to him, ended up in a complete disaster. My temper had won over me once again. I didn¡¯t even dare to look back, to see how much damage I had dealt to my benefactor by my full-powered slap. I immediately went to my room and locked myself there, like the coward I was. And then, I cried. ------ ¡°Oh no¡­¡± I could only watch as Sherry left the bathroom like a hurricane, after giving me a good slap in the face. Well, it was my fault. I did stare at her naked chest after all. I simply could not resist. Did you know how erotic it was to see a white fabric turn see-through like that on a girl? Even if that girl was an eight year old who was as flat as a board. To my confusion however, the slap she just did¡ªit barely hurt my cheeks. I thought she was supposed to have super strength. Where did that go? I shuddered when I imagined what could have happened if she did hit me with her full strength though. My head could end up dislodged from my neck, I felt. Mom, this is all your fault. That transparent fabric¡­ you must have planned it from the start, haven''t you? Just so she can get all embarrassed in front of me? Thanks Mom, I-I mean, ahem, that''s terrible, Mom! Poor Sherry must be crying right now! I stood up, drying myself with a towel before I dressed myself up. I resolved myself. I had to go pay her a visit ASAP. If I knew her, she¡¯s most likely back in her room right now. Yeah, my old self would certainly have run away from this situation. I would just think, "Hey, it''s her own fault she tripped! And she even took me down with her! And she dared getting angry with me?!" Perhaps I was right. It was her fault after all. As long as I was in the "right", I wouldn''t care about anything else. But now, I realized that way of thinking was wrong. It didn''t matter who was in the "right". If you got into a fight with someone, you had to reach out to heal that gap. Swallow your foolish pride, if you truly wanted to be friends again. And that was exactly what I was going to do now. I climbed upstairs. Her room was right beside Father and Mother¡¯s. Naturally, I found the door to be closed. ¡°Sherry?¡± I knocked on the door. ¡°Umm, s-sorry about that¡­ I-I really shouldn¡¯t have stared¡­¡± No response. Instead, I just heard muffled sobbing from behind the door. Oh God, I now felt even guiltier. What a garbage human being I was, making a little girl cry like this. ¡°L-look Sherry, it¡¯s my fault, alright? It¡¯s completely my fault. You might think of me as this completely good kid, but that isn''t true in the slightest. I am a pervert, through and through. I would have a peek at Big Sis'' cleavage every time she bent over in front of me. And Mother''s bouncing, swaying breasts fascinated me to no end. So when I got to see your naked chest, I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes away! You were so cute that I would hate myself if I didn¡¯t get to see it! So please, f-forgive me!¡± I bowed as deeply as I could to the door, even though I knew she couldn¡¯t really see me doing it. Silence. No response. But at the very least, it seemed the sobbing had stopped. "You¡ªyou think I¡¯m cute?¡± ...Eh? W-w-what''s with her question all of a sudden? ¡°W-well, I think¡­ I think y-yes, I think you are, Sherry! Very cute in fact! The cutest girl that I¡¯ve ever met!¡± I could not help but blush as I said such cheesy, cheesy words. I was about to chicken out on answering, saying noncommittal stuff like, "Well, you look nice¡­". But I remembered what Father had said the other day. "Hugo, if you like something about a girl, make sure to tell her that, alright? You want girls to like you when you''re older, right? So always be honest with them, and tell them what you like about them, even if you find it terribly embarrassing to say," he said out of the blue after he finished Sherry''s training, Damn, Dad. Since when you were such a romantic? "So that means you always praise Mother''s boobs, don''t you?" I smirked. Sorry Dad, but I just couldn''t help myself. "You cheeky little runt." He ruffled my hair with a grin. "Of course I do. Every single night in fact. God, there is nothing softer in this world than those two mountains of hers!" Well, that''s it. Father was a true pervert. Just like me. And that actually gave me a little relief, knowing that even a pervert like him could get such a beautiful wife. My thoughts returned to Sherry and me having told her how cute she was. I wasn''t lying. She was indeed cute. Compared to the other village girls I saw, which definitely had some cuties amongst them, despite their freckles, she stood above them all. It was the combination of her long black hair, her spirited nature, and the fact that she could beat the hell up that bully when we first met. Well, she still couldn''t compare to the busty onee-sans I saw at the village. I wouldn''t call them cute though, so they didn''t count. They were the beautiful type, just like Mother, and just like Marina. So, technically, I was not lying in the slightest. I was sure Sherry would grow up to be a beauty though. A distant, raven-haired elegant type. Wait, she couldn''t be elegant, could she? Still being a tomboy at that age would just ruin the image! She''s not a redhead that could get away with it! ...No, I couldn''t tell her what to do with her life. That wouldn''t be fair to her. Even if Mother seemed hell-bent on making her be my wife, for some reason, if she decided not to, and, let¡¯s say, went away to travel the world as an adventurer instead, and then fall in love with some jackass mage that she partnered with, it would be her choice. I should tell that to Mother. To stop her being so pushy with her. I waited for a while for her answer. Did I offend her, by praising her like that? Maybe she didn¡¯t like being called cute? I certainly knew a couple of tomboy characters in the stories I had read that would kick the protag¡¯s ass if they called them cute. "Y-you''re not¡­ you''re not just teasing, are you?" Finally, she answered! "No, not at all!" I quickly returned. "I''m serious! 100%!" Another pause. And then, she asked something that made my heart skip a beat. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "D-does that mean¡­ does that mean that you like me?" There it was¡ªthe scenario I was all too familiar with, the blushing girl asking a boy whether or not he liked her. It was basically a confession. No question about it. I was asked the same thing in my old life by one of my elementary school classmates. Well, similar enough, at the very least. She asked me whether I already had a girlfriend or not. And I, like the absolute dumbass that I was, lied straight to her face. I told her that I already had a girlfriend, just so I could escape the embarrassment. And that was the worst lie that I could¡¯ve concocted. I could¡¯ve said that she was in another school. But no, my mind panicked. I didn¡¯t realize the implication of what I just said to her, as it led to a ¡°civil war¡± between my admirers, as they accused each other of being my secret girlfriend. It got so bad that it led to an actual catfight in recess. Both girls got detention as a result. Eventually however, they realized that they had been duped. None of them were really my girlfriend. And that I had lied to them. And that was when I started garnering scorn from the opposite sex. This time would be different. This time, I would choose my words as carefully as I could. Think Hugo. Think on what you really want from Sherry. Do you just want her as a friend? Or something more? I know that you¡¯re just a six year old kid. You¡¯re not supposed to make decisions like this yet. And she¡¯s still eight as well. Childhood friend promising to marry in the future¡­ that only happens in harem stories, not in reality. She would most likely grow bored of you as she gets old, and then she will leave you. So how should you answer her? Should you tell her that you indeed like her, humoring her for a few years until she tires of you? Or should you reject her now, making her suffer a heartache that would surely put a distance between you two? ...I knew my answer now. "Yes, I do like you, Sherry! Ever since I met you, I was attracted to you! That''s why I always try to visit you everytime I went to the village!" There. I said it. Now, to wait for her reaction. To my surprise, the door opened. There, her head peeked out, all red and flustered. She was now wearing her nightgown, just a simple one-piece white dress. "T-then prove it. Prove it by sleeping with me tonight." I froze. D-did I just hear that right? "T-that''s what boys and girls do when they like each other, r-right? M-my friend Nicole told me so, back at the orphanage. A-and she wouldn''t lie!" T-this Nicole person, surely she was just talking about actually sleeping together right, not actually doing that? As I stood there, unable to respond, a frown slowly grew in her embarrassed face. I immediately knew that if I didn''t immediately accept her demand, then she would slam the door in my face and call me a liar. I had no choice. I had to accept. "S-sure, we can do that!" I flashed her my nervous smile. "G-good. Then get in." T-to think that this would be how I was invited to be in a girl''s room for the first time¡ªby an 8-year old girl of all people. I couldn''t help but feel I was committing a crime by doing this. The room was decently large, similar as mine. And the bed was thankfully large enough so that we could sleep on opposing sides without having to look or touch each other. "I-I''ll take the right. You take the left." She told me. She couldn''t even look me in the eye as she ordered me around. I sat down on the bed, taking my shoes and socks off. I supposed for tonight, I wouldn¡¯t sleep in my pajamas. I waited until she tucked herself in before doing the same. ¡°S-so¡­ now what?¡± ¡°W-wait, why are you asking me? I-I don¡¯t know!¡± That was a lie of course. I knew exactly what we could do next if we were really supposed to act as lovers, from simple hugging, to kissing, to doing that, which would be an absolute no-no! No sirree! I might find my anime lolis cute, but I would never go that far to actual children in real life! Even though I was technically younger than her! "W-what? I-I thought you''re all smart and stuff¡­ Your mother always bragged about how smart you are, you know!" "T-this is the first time I slept with a girl like this, you know!" "Liar! Your mother told me you used to sleep with Marina! And even now, you still sometimes slept with her, like when she returned home from her school? What did you two do there?" W-wait, Mom knew about that? Did Marina get caught? "W-well, we¡­ just hugged, that''s all." Crap, I shouldn''t have said that! I should just say that we slept peacefully on our sides of the bed and that''s that! "Alright. Hug me then." She turned to face me, still the same redness and poutiness from before. I had no choice. I brought myself closer and wrapped my arms around her lithe, small body. "I-is this it?" "Y-yeah, this is it. This is all we did." I then felt it. Her arms going around my body and hugging me tightly. She also buried her face in my chest. "T-then?" "Then we sleep. That''s it." We stayed like that for a while, frozen and unmoving. Both of us were too nervous to do anything else. G-god, this is so awkward¡­ Eventually however, we fell asleep, with her doing it first. I was going to release myself from her hug, but her strength prevented me from doing so. In fact, the more I struggled, the more she tightened her grip on me, to the point that it was starting to hurt. And so I surrendered. I let myself fall asleep in her embrace, after I played a little with her smooth and silky black hair. Because why the hell not? Might as well do it while I could. It wasn¡¯t like she was going to sleep with me like this again. In fact, I bet that in the morning, she would throw me to the floor once she woke up. Urgh, that would be painful. With those thoughts, I drifted off to sleep, carried away by her surprisingly nice scent. Different than Marina¡¯s, but just as pleasant, only in a different way. ---- A/N: Ha, the more I write about Hugo¡¯s past, the more I realize I can title his old life, ¡°The Downfall of an Ikemen¡±. Only as a kid though. Maybe I should put that on the synopsis. I feel it¡¯s pretty bland right now. I want to put spoilery stuff, but they would be spoilers. Also might write about Hugo''s old family''s reaction to his death when the "first book" is over. And that''s basically when his adventuring starts. Vol 1 Chapter 11: Meet The Fairy! Sherry ¡°Uuuhhh¡­¡± My eyes fluttered open. A familiar-looking white ceiling was above me. I was in my new bedroom. It seemed I had fallen asleep before I realized it. Suddenly, I felt it¡ªa tickling sensation right on my most sensitive place. "A-ahn!" I couldn''t help it. A moan just came out from my mouth on its own. It was just like that lurid book described, with the heroine unable to resist moaning shamelessly as the hero assaulted her, even though the walls of the room were thin and she very well knew their neighbours would be able to hear what was going on. It led to quite the embarrassing scene afterwards, where the innkeeper would scold them for being too loud and disturbing the sleep of the other guests. I looked down, and there was a person there¡ªhis upper half disappearing inside my white nightgown. ¡°H-Hugo! W-what are you doing down there?¡± No good. He was clearly still asleep. And then, a rush of memories suddenly entered my mind. How he told me that I was ¡°the cutest girl that he ever knew¡±, and how he admitted that he liked me, and how I invited, no, demanded for him to sleep with me for the night. My face immediately went beet red. What was I thinking? And now, he¡¯s here, right under me, with his breath tickling my precious spot. "Ahhnnn, H-Hugo! N-not there¡­" I moaned again¡ªtears starting to pool in my eyes. My first instinct was to kick him off the bed right then and there. How could he do such a thing to a girl when she was sleeping? However, I stopped myself. I was the one who forced him to be here. And since he was still sleeping, he must not be doing this on purpose. I was a bad sleeper after all. In my sleep, I somehow must have moved around to end up in this position with him. Suddenly, he stirred. But instead of going downwards, as I wished he would be, he instead moved upwards, pushing his nose right into my pantied crotch. "Aaahhnnn, H-Hugo, no, Hugo!" I tried to push him away but I found my strength suddenly not being there. Not to mention that my legs were now gripping him, as if they wanted to push him even further into me. I-is this divine retribution? For seeing what''s between his legs yesterday in the bath? Now he''s seeing what''s between mine! Not only that, but he''s also breathing into it! I should''ve apologized! I was the one at fault! Why did I slap him like that? Oh, Saint Milicis! P-please stop this at once! Or I''m going to die out of embarrassment! Just when I thought I was going to lose it, a rush of steps closed in, followed by the door opening with a bang. It was Marina, and her gaze was immediately locked in towards me and Hugo. Immediately a chill went through my entire body. She was mad. Really mad. Calling her angry would be quite the understatement. Without hesitation, she pulled Hugo away before shaking his body, telling him to wake up. What followed after was a straight lecture for half an hour, as she basically scolded Hugo for doing what he just did to me. He just sat there with a pitiful, sorry look, avoiding both her gaze and mine. I tried to interrupt multiple times, telling her that it wasn''t his fault, but she would always tell me to stay out of it, not wanting to listen to any of my arguments. When she was done, Hugo was in the verge of tears. This was the very first time I saw him like this. I wanted so badly to go there and gave him a hug, but I knew Marina would not approve. "I-I''m sorry, S-Sis¡­" His voice shook. "I-I promise I wouldn''t do it again¡­" He sniffed. That¡¯s it, I couldn¡¯t just stand by any longer! I had to come to his rescue! ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t scold Hugo any longer! It was my fault! All of it!¡± I rushed forward, standing in front of him with my arms outstretched, giving a tearful glare towards the older, taller girl. ¡°I was the one who forced him to sleep with me! And I was the one who moved around in my sleep, making him end up in a position like that! He didn¡¯t do anything! He was just breathing in his sleep, that¡¯s it! If you want to punish someone, then punish me!¡± I panted. Suddenly, I was completely out of breath. Without realizing it, I had been yelling at her. She paused for a while, looking straight at me. It felt like an eternity, with her and I staring at each other¡ªno one seemingly wanting to give an inch, to show a weakness to the other. And then, all of a sudden, she started to laugh. ¡°O-oh you two! Really! You are so serious that it¡¯s adorable!¡± For a good minute, she just stood there, laughing to herself, holding her stomach as if she was in pain. And when she finished, she wiped some tears of her own eyes, as some had gotten out from her laugh. ¡°Alright, alright, I get it now. It¡¯s my defeat. You two really do like each other after all.¡± She cheerfully declared, while ruffling both of our hair. "Hugo, I''m so proud of you, standing up for Sherry like that. You''re planning to take all the blame, don''t you? How chivalrous! Just like a little gentleman!" She then turned to me. "And you, Sherry, you''re willing to speak up to save Hugo, even though you know that you would be punished for it. You''re honest and I like that in a person, especially one that might be my little brother''s wife in the future.¡± She gave me a little wink here. ¡°Now I know for sure that I will leave him in safe hands while I am gone." Had this¡­ had this all been an act by her?! "Before I leave though, let me say one other thing. Let this be a lesson to you two, alright? Especially you, Sherry. Inviting a boy to sleep with you like that? Not a good idea. Even though it¡¯s Hugo, he¡¯s still a boy with his desires. As his older sister, I know that he already has some fondness for a girl¡¯s body, and it would only increase as he gets older. Of course, he, as the good boy that he is, would try to hold back and not do anything that would upset you. But, if you invite him like that, he can turn into a beast that would devour you whole. All boys are like that. In fact, it would be odd if a boy doesn¡¯t have at least some lust towards the female form, especially when they¡¯re older. And you, Hugo.¡± She turned towards him. ¡°Take care of her well, alright? If she shows a moment of weakness again like last night, don¡¯t just take on her offer. You have to think about the consequences first. I do not want a little brother that would closely befriend a girl, only to throw her away once he gets bored.¡± And with that said, she left us two, with me befuddled at what just occurred. ¡°H-hey¡­¡± Hugo turned to me. ¡°S-sorry again¡­ f-for what I did there¡­¡± BA-DUMP! H-he¡¯s blushing! T-that¡¯s so cute! I almost threw myself into him for a hug! ¡°S-stop apologizing! It¡¯s my fault, remember? A-and the incident in the bath too! That¡¯s my fault as well!¡± ¡°R-right¡­¡± With an awkward tension between us, Hugo left the room. Before he could leave however, I stopped him, just to ask this one last question. ¡°B-by the way¡­ d-do you like it¡­ w-when I wore a maid¡¯s clothing like last night?¡± S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I didn¡¯t know what came over me at that time. Only that I suddenly wanted to know more about his¡­ preferences in girls. If what Marina said was true, then he must already have said preferences. And I¡­ I wanted to fulfill them. I-if they weren¡¯t too embarrassing, of course. He halted his steps. Without turning around, he answered, ¡°Y-yes. I-I think you look really cute in them.¡± And then, he ran away. And that was how my first night with him ended. After this, I wouldn¡¯t invite him again, remembering what Marina said to me. I would, however, continue to strive to be a girl that he would like. Even though he already said that he liked me, I still couldn¡¯t rest my laurels. I wanted to be even more liked by him. I was turning greedy. I wanted him all for myself. I just hoped that one day, he would find me as desirable. Hugo Autumn was approaching, and that meant Marina had to return back to the magic school soon. Knowing this, I strived to learn as much as I could about magic from her. I learned more about summoning spells and how they worked. Apparently, after a contract was formed, a summoner would only manifest the projection of the spirit/monster he or she made the contract with. You wouldn¡¯t really be summoning the real deal, so to speak. That would be reserved for advance level summoners, where they would know the true name of their summons. Once they did, they could keep their summons around for basically forever, and without fulfilling their demands if they so chose. They called it a Familiar Pact, and it basically forced the spirit to do whatever biddings the summoner had in mind. Since he or she knew the spirit¡¯s true name, they really couldn¡¯t resist the commands of their summoner. That only applied to the Fey, by the way. Demons didn¡¯t really have true names. To make a demon stay around for long, you don¡¯t need to do anything special. You just need to keep feeding it mana, and if the demon decided they wanted to stay around, they would. In fact, there was no obligation for the demon to return if they didn¡¯t want to. Marina¡¯s teacher told her a story about a young mage who was haunted by a succubus demon that would never leave him alone. And she would interfere with his love life, like she was his extremely jealous and possessive girlfriend. Only after he learned to forcefully banish her that he could escape from that nightmare. Well, I wouldn¡¯t know if that anecdotal story was true. But it¡¯s certainly a good propaganda-ish reason why summoning demons was quite frowned upon. You couldn¡¯t quite control them like you could with the Fey. Though Marina also said that a handful of her classmates actually ended up making a pact with them. In Mira, it wasn¡¯t illegal to do so. Marina herself said that she was never interested in summoning any demons, apparently. She said that they all looked shady and dicey to her. She preferred to summon more Feys instead. I couldn¡¯t help but be relieved from her declaration. I wouldn¡¯t want her to summon an incubus boy that would try to seduce and even bed her. Urgh. Oh, I hadn¡¯t talked about summoning demands yet, had I? To make a contract, you need to promise a specific thing to the being you were going to make a contract to, that had to be fulfilled every time you summoned it. Taking Marina as an example, her fairy wanted a sniff of her aroma, while her dryad wanted her to give her some nutrients through her magic. I imagined the more powerful the creature was, the harder the required task would be. I was taught my first summoning spell at last. Just like her, I was going to summon a Fey. At first, I didn¡¯t want to try summoning a fairy, but she insisted, saying that, ¡°You have to start from the basics! A fairy is the easiest Fey to summon, and the safest as well!¡± So I did as she instructed, placing a flower pot specially fertilized with a potion she made near my bed. Just as she said, a week later, I had the dream she foretold. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in my room. I was in a forest. Most likely the Great Fairy Forest in the Demon Continent, as she told me. Wew, this place¡­ it¡¯s¡­ extraordinary... I was speechless. Just looking around where I started, it was clear that this forest was not an ordinary one. It looked and felt a lot more fantastical, with many of the trees and branches bending over in unnatural-looking ways. And I felt a certain ambient energy permeating through the air, entering me every time I breathed. Ah, the ambient magic of the Demon Continent. I remembered Marina telling me about it. The entire continent was enveloped in an unnaturally high level of ambient magic compared to other continents. Of course, I wasn¡¯t actually there. My current body was just an astral projection, manifested by the ritual pact I was currently engaged in. I wouldn¡¯t know how accurate my senses were at this moment. I walked forward, looking around for any fairies that I might make a pact with. It certainly would be nice if I could find a cute one, though usually, all fairies tend to be cute in the fantasy stories I had read. Hmm, that¡¯s odd. I couldn¡¯t find a single one. Shouldn¡¯t there be an abundance of fairies around in a place called the Great Fairy Forest? My steps carried me into a small spring, with water gushing out from the middle of the body of water. And there, on the top of said gushing water, was a fairy, seemingly asleep on top of the water spout. She¡¯s beautiful! Such was my first impression of her. Unlike Marina¡¯s fairy, who fit in the palm of her hand, she was much bigger. If I had to say, she was around the size of a small cat. She could perch on my shoulder with no problem whatsoever. She had long and wavy blue hair, tied and braided when it ended near her feet. Her head was adorned by white flowers (I couldn¡¯t name them), and she wore a white dress with a bluish skirt that was longer in the back, exposing her lovely thighs a little. Just by looking at her, I decided. I wanted her to be my fairy. But how would I go about making a pact with her though? Marina didn¡¯t say anything about that. She just said that every fairy would have their own conditions and such. What? So this was just like courting a girl? And then, I noticed it¡ªher eyes slowly fluttering open. ¡°Kyaah! A human!¡± She fell down through the spout, almost comically, I might add. Was this fairy the clumsy type? She quickly recovered however, and she immediately flew away from me. No good! I had to catch her! "Hey, wait!" I chased after her. "I want to make a pact with you! I''m a mage, you see!" She stopped. And suddenly, just as fast as she had escaped, she went back, smile going up both ears, eyes like an excited puppy. ¡°Really?! Really? Really? Really? You want me to become your summon?¡± She said in a sing-along voice. ¡°Y-yes, really!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback by her excitement. ¡°Then take me take me take me! I¡¯m so bored here! I want to play around on the outside too, like the others! Can you believe that no one has ever made a contract with me even though I¡¯m already a high fairy? Uuu, I want to go too! I wanna gooooo!!!¡± Oh God. I thought she would be the calm type, judging by her looks! But she¡¯s unexpectedly whiny and childish like this! Maybe all fairies were just like that? And a high fairy? So she¡¯s not just a normal fairy? ¡°A-alright then!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback a little. ¡°One thing though, what kind of compensation do you want?¡± ¡°Compensation?¡± She raised her eyebrows. ¡°Ooh, right¡­ that¡­¡± For a moment, she paused, seemingly deep in thought. ¡°I know!¡± She suddenly declared. ¡°You give me a head pat and praise me for the good job that I just did!¡± What. That was certainly an¡­ odd request to ask. Well, not as odd as wanting to smell you, I suppose. Well, I wouldn¡¯t complain. It was an easy request to do after all. I quickly agreed, and with it, it seemed we had finished our pact. Chuu~? With a kiss to the cheek, she bid me goodbye, telling me to call upon her soon. Damn, she¡¯s pretty precocious, wasn¡¯t she? Not that I was complaining of course. Wait, how about the summoning chant though? ---- When I opened my eyes the next morning, I somehow immediately knew the words I would need to summon her. Quickly, I ran over to Marina¡¯s room, wanting to tell her that I had done it. I could summon my very first spirit at last! Only to stumble upon her right in the middle of changing, as she bent over forward, pulling her panties upwards. W-whoa! I could see it all; the smooth, plump butt, the teal panties she were pulling upwards, and the embarrassed look on her face as she realized that I just entered.. ¡°Hugo, what did I say about knocking first before barging into a girl¡¯s room?¡± Oof, that scary smile¡­ I¡¯m in trouble now! ¡°S-sorry, Sis, I-I forgot!¡± I quickly answered. ¡°I was so excited that I couldn¡¯t help running over here as soon as I could! I just made a contract with my fairy, Sis!¡± Her scary smile disappeared, replaced by a curious and intrigued look. She pulled the panties upwards, letting her dress fall afterwards. Thankfully, she had already worn the rest of her dress. Just not her panties, for some reason. ¡°Really?¡± She smiled with excitement. ¡°Then show me! Right here! Right now!¡± ¡°A-alright, Sis, alright! Sheesh, no need to rush me¡­¡± I immediately began my chant, holding my right hand forward as I gathered my mana. I would need to conjure the summoning circle mid-air, where the summon would come out from. I imagined the circle forming, all the while chanting the spell as clearly as I could. When I opened my eyes back up again, there she was¡ªthe fairy, smiling at me. ¡°Wow, but that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s a high fairy, isn¡¯t it?¡± Marina exclaimed. ¡°You get one as your very first summon?¡± It was clear that summoning a high fairy was not something a complete beginner like me should be able to do. ¡°Hello, Hugo!¡± The fairy cheerfully waved her hands. ¡°And hello, another human I don¡¯t know about!¡± She waved her hands again towards Marina. I then started to explain how I met her. Well, before she decided to interrupt me and told the story herself, that is. And for some reason, she felt it was necessary to embellish things. Quite severely, I might add. She started to talk about how I saved her heroically from an evil kobold who wanted to kidnap her and make her his wife, even though obviously nothing like that ever happened. ¡°And that¡¯s how Hugo became my master!¡± She patted her chest proudly. Marina just blinked with a clear look of confusion on her face as she finished her story. ¡°U-uh, right¡­¡± She could probably tell that the story was too outlandish to be true as well. ¡°So, Hugo, looks like you really got a high fairy as your first summon. That¡¯s really quite rare, you know. High fairies are quite above the level of the common fairies. They¡¯re bigger for starters, and they could cast some magic other than healing ones. This one you got? She seems to be a spring fairy, so she could probably cast some water spells.¡± ¡°Yep! Rightomundo!¡± The fairy declared. ¡°Need your plants to be watered, Master? Then I¡¯m your girl!¡± Uh, I don¡¯t think I would use a fairy for that purpose¡­ though it certainly can be quite convenient... ¡°Oh, look at that!¡± The fairy suddenly declared. ¡°Time¡¯s running up! Master! Your headpat and praise please!¡± She flew towards me, leaning forward with a happy smile, closing her eyes. Wew, this fairy really didn¡¯t know any shame, did she? I did as she demanded, patting her head and saying to her, ¡°Great job! Thank you for the introduction!¡± with a smile. ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re welcome, Master! You¡¯re welcome!¡± She giggled. And then, she flew closer to me and gave me another kiss to the cheek before disappearing. I looked back at Marina... and saw that her expression had soured considerably. She didn¡¯t say anything however. Well, not to me anyways. Under her breath, I could hear her whisper, ¡°Really? Is every girl Hugo meets will flirt with him like this?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but grin a little. Big Sis is getting jealous! Big Sis is getting jealous! I didn¡¯t say it to her of course. I wouldn¡¯t want another half an hour lecture after all. ------ A/N: With any luck, we might be able to get a cameo of a certain girl Hugo will only meet much, much later on in the next chapter. I have to say, I''m pretty excited to reveal a bit of her this early. And here¡¯s how Hugo¡¯s new fairy looks. Vol 1 Chapter 12: At The End of Our Beautiful Summer Marina Aah, to think that my summer break is almost over¡­ I¡¯m going to miss Hugo again for sure¡­ I was now walking up to the hills where I usually trained his magic in. It was the last day before I had to return so I fully intended to make it a worthwhile session. Whoosh¡­ "Ah¡­" I quickly put my hands behind me, pulling down my dress. The day was quite windy, so I had to be careful with my dress or else Hugo would be able to look at my panties. Oh, who was I kidding? I wanted him to look. Ever since his incident with Sherry, where he, well, got terribly intimate with the girl, I realized something. He wouldn''t need me anymore with her around. I would go back to school, and stayed my lonely, bullied self there, while he would be happy, playing with Sherry as much as he wanted to. I was jealous. And that disgusted me. A big sister was supposed to be happy if her little brother was happy. And yet, my heart was feeling this way. The worst part was that I didn''t even know whether I was jealous of him because he had a close friend around, or I was jealous of Sherry for being able to be with him much more than I could. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Oh Hugo¡­ if only you could come to the academy with me¡­ Oh he would definitely try to protect me from that Merinda girl¡­ he is my little knight in shining armor after all¡­ Another breeze blew, raising up my dress again. I looked backwards and saw him immediately averting his gaze with a blush once he noticed I was looking. So cute! Hmm, I think I know now. The perfect parting gift for him. Hugo Urgh, really Sis? You should really be more careful with your dress. That''s the, what, seventh time I saw your panties today? They might be knee-length but they''re really susceptible to the slightest gust of wind that blew, you know. Whoooshh... Goddamnit, here we go again. Why must she wear such skimpy pink panties anyway? Doesn''t she know how sexy they looked? And she already knew I "could already appreciate the female body" too. Wait, don''t tell me that she actually wanted me to look at them? ¡°Alright, Hugo.¡± Unfortunately, my train of thought was interrupted by her. Huh. Before I noticed, we had arrived at the top of the hill. ¡°It¡¯s time for your yearly final test. Just like me, you too have to know what it¡¯s like to be asked to demonstrate all the magic that you know to your teacher.¡± She must be talking about the academy. ¡°We have been learning advanced level magic this summer, correct?¡± ¡°Y-yes, Sis!¡± I answered. Suddenly, her demeanor transformed into that of a teacher. It was honestly amazing, how a mere 11-year old girl could have such a mature presence. ¡°Then, show me all the spells that you could do.¡± With a grin, she moved out of the way, letting me take the center stage. I gulped. Now all of a sudden I felt nervous. Why did she have to say it¡¯s a test? I was never good at tests. Well, I once was, when I was still considered a genius that got straight A¡¯s in every exam. But for the rest of my life, I could only barely pass my exams. No, this is different. I have trained hard with Marina for the entire summer. I¡¯m no longer the lazy, cram-everything-in-the-last-day guy I was before. I can do this. I can do this! I took a deep breath. First, Fire. ¡°Oh, one more thing.¡± Damn it, she interrupted me! ¡°I want you to cast them all chantless.¡± She added with a grin. ¡°B-but Sis!¡± I protested. ¡°I¡¯ve never done any of them chantless before! You had me learn them with a chant and once I could do them, you would immediately go to the next element!¡± ¡°Oh shush, You can do it." She dismissed me entirely! "You should remember the feeling of casting those spells, right? The flow of mana and how you form them to weave the spells? For you, who had cast magic without chanting all his life, this should be a piece of cake." Now I felt like I was being pressured even more! I took another deep breath and calmed myself. I reached both my hands upwards and then closed my eyes. I imagined the spell, Flame Wall. A wall made of fire. The shape? A circle around me. The radius? Ten meters. The height? Two meters. Come on, come on, make it work! And then, it did. A blaze of flames suddenly appeared around me. Ten meters away and two meters tall. Just like I imagined it "I-I did it!" "I knew you could!" Marina cheered from outside the circle. Even through the flames, I could tell that she looked very happy. Alright! I''m going to ace the other elements as well! I was now excited instead of nervous. I could do it! I now had the perfect confidence! I put the fire out by disconnecting my mana flow. Then, I moved on to the next element. Water. Water Spout. Summoned a powerful geyser from the ground. Earth. Earthen Break. Made the ground explode into hundreds of rocks and dirt. Thunder. Thunder Strike. Created a thundercloud that fired off a powerful lightning. Ice. Cold Blast. Enveloped the target in a large blanket of ice and snow. Wind. Air Sunder. Created a miniature cyclone. When I was done, I was completely out of breath. My mana was completely drained and I had to sit down in fear of passing out. But I was happy, as I had passed her test with flying colors. I could hear her clapping with pride before she approached me. ¡°Well done, Hugo, well done!¡± She ruffled my head. She probably would¡¯ve hugged me if she wasn¡¯t still in her teacher persona. ¡°To think that you could do all that chantless, and without a wand as well! Normally, you have to start using wands to cast Intermediate-level magic and above, you know!¡± ¡°E-eheheheheh¡­¡± I could only give her my grin. I was too tired to say anything else. ¡°So, as your teacher, I have a gift for you.¡± She took out her wand and then flicked it in front of her. Suddenly, a rectangular-shaped wooden box popped out of thin air. She grabbed it before it could fall to the ground. ¡°Spatial magic.¡± She spoke to me with a proud smile. ¡°Interdimensional storage.¡± Right, space magic. She had introduced me to it before. Unlike elemental spells, I seemed to have no talent in it whatsoever. It belonged to the ¡°miscellaneous¡± family of magic, as it didn¡¯t have the rigid classification of levels that elemental magic had. The only spatial magic I could cast was a simple teleport on a non-living being. A pebble, to be exact. I could move it for around one meter, and that¡¯s that. ¡°Here.¡± She handed over the box to me.¡± Open it.¡± I examined the book with a confused yet curious look. It was pitch black, and it was made with the smoothest wood I had ever encountered. I couldn¡¯t really tell what kind of wood it was unfortunately. I opened it, and there, inside, was a wand. ¡°It¡¯s your own wand, Hugo. Take it out, will you?¡± I looked back at her, and saw that she was smiling so brightly that it was almost blinding. And were those tears I saw pooling in her eyes? ¡°It¡¯s my gift for you, for being an Advanced-level mage. Use it with pride.¡± I took it out as gingerly as I could. It seemed so¡­ fragile, as if I could just snap it in two with my two hands. And it looked quite different than the one she had. Her wand had a red crystal on the tip and was brown in color, while this was just a straight slim stick that became slimmer as it got nearer to the tip. ¡°Sorry for not giving it to you earlier.¡± She continued, wiping off her right eye with her index finger. ¡°But I wanted to see how far you could get without a wand. And to think that you could cast Advanced-level magics barehanded¡­ you¡¯re amazing, Hugo! Oh, if only there isn''t that stupid rule, you could''ve entered the academy with me for sure! You are already far smarter and more skilled in magic than all the ten year olds that enrolled with me!" She couldn¡¯t hold herself back any further. She gave me a hug so tight that I was hurting a little from it. She didn¡¯t even care that I was soaking with sweat. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to miss you, my cute little brother¡­¡± Once again, she brought me to her budding chest. She really was fond of this move, wasn¡¯t she? I decided that I would indulge her little brother complex however. I too quickly felt overwhelmed by all the emotions that were flowing through me. For a long time in my old life, I always felt worthless. I couldn''t achieve anything that I could be proud of. But now¡ªnow I felt that I had accomplished something that mattered. Something that made me feel¡­ special. Well, she¡¯s still more special than me though. What I just did was all single-element Advanced spells. And she, from a year ago, could already cast several multi-element ones. And they were naturally more difficult than what I just performed. There was no jealousy in my heart however. Only pride¡ªpride that my big sister could be such a genius and talented magician. That part of my old self, who would scorn his little sister who was much more intelligent than him, was no longer inside me. Releasing me from her embrace, she stood up, eyes still wet and sparkly. "Here. Let me show you my ultimate magic before we go home. Just so you could see what one day you would no doubt be able to accomplish." She told me to move away, which I quickly obeyed. And then, she drew her wand and aimed it straight to the ground a distance away in front of her. "O power that lay hidden beneath the Earth! Hear my plea! Grant me the blessings and bounties of nature, so that I might shake this very world with your manifestation! Spread your roots far and wide, and let your bark and leaves become my sword and shield! Become the very tree that illuminates the world¡¯s foundations! Grow and flourish, o great Yggdrasil! Judge those that dared defile the land!¡± It was a very long incantation, and she did not hurry in the slightest as she spoke the words. Her speech was deliberate and pronounced, almost as if she was reciting a poem. It took almost a whole minute until she finished. And then, the world trembled. ¡°W-whatt? E-earthquake?¡± No, it wasn¡¯t. Not in the slightest. It was the shaking of something huge, coming from the ground right underneath us. Unlike me, she was standing completely unfazed, staring at the large clearing in front of her. And then, a massive tree punctured the ground in front of her like it was nothing, growing taller and taller until its shade covered both of us entirely. ¡°Master-level Earth magic. Yggdrasil.¡± She turned towards me with a smile. ¡°I learned it just before I returned back home.¡± I could only stare in awe, completely speechless on the display in front of me. Once again, she proved to me that it was still very, very far until I could catch up to her. ---- We returned back home afterwards (the tree simply returned back to the ground after she was finished with her demonstration, and the hole left behind was nothing that her Earth magic couldn¡¯t fix), after she made sure to make me promise that I too would learn a Master-level spell one day. She jokingly suggested that I would be able to cast it at the end of the next summer. I quickly refuted her, of course. There¡¯s no way I could learn such a spell just the next year! ¡°And besides, didn¡¯t you explain once before that knowing how to cast a Master-level magic means you can graduate from the academy? Doesn¡¯t this mean that you could just graduate right away?¡± "It is the bare minimum, yes. To graduate, you have to be able to cast at least a single Master-level spell. However, most students would graduate with two or three under their belt. There are even students who graduated with even more Master-level spells. And some, the handful elite they said, that only appeared once every ten years¡ªthey managed to reach the highly covered Grandmaster-level.¡± I remembered that. That¡¯s the level above Master, just below Saint. If you managed to reach that level as a mage, you would pretty much be a superstar in the Magocracy. You would become famous in no time, and you would have the right to sit on the ruling council of mages they had there. Well, if there was an opening. If not, then you would have to challenge one of them in a mage vs mage duel. If you won, then you could replace him or her as a council member. At least, that¡¯s what Marina had told me. ¡°So, Sis, are you aiming for that level before you graduate?¡± I asked with a grin. I could certainly imagine her reaching that summit with the rate she was growing right now. She returned with her own shy smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know, to be honest. But after Father spent a large sum of our family¡¯s gold on the entrance fee, I certainly wouldn¡¯t waste the remaining five years I would spend there.¡± ¡°Five years, huh? And after that?¡± ¡°After that?¡± She looked at me with a slight tilt to her head. ¡°What do you want to do after that? After you graduate?¡± She paused. "I have no idea to be honest. I suppose I would find some work as a mage, whatever that could be." "Then, how about becoming adventurers? With me and Sherry! She could be the frontline fighter while we fire off spells from the back! Just like a proper party!" There. I said it. My current goal for the future. Form an adventuring party with her and Sherry. Then we could all go on exciting adventures together. Why would you not be an adventurer if you¡¯re in a fantasy world, huh? With a smile, she ruffled my hair once again. "Oh Hugo, you still need a healer, you know? No adventuring party can ever be good without one." "Then, how about you, Sis? Can you learn some healing magic?" ¡°No, unfortunately. The Academy doesn¡¯t really teach Holy Magic, you see, which healing magic belongs under, in case you don¡¯t remember. That branch of magic belongs more to the followers of Milicis and their religious schools. And, as I¡¯ve told you before, the mages of Mira don¡¯t really get along well with them.¡± She never really told me the reason why they didn¡¯t get along. Only that it was caused by differences in their beliefs. Yeah, I could imagine that. From what I read and I heard from Sherry, the Milicis faith was pretty similar to medieval-era Catholicism in my world. So I imagined they would share the same zealotry and intolerance as well. Hmm, I wonder what the Saint herself would say if she saw them today. ¡°I guess we just have to find a cleric first then! Hey, how about Mother? She used to be one, right?¡± ¡°Hmm? What kind of an adventuring party brings their mother along? That sounds more like a family picnic to me. Might as well bring Father along too for a second fighter.¡± She giggled. I grinned back. It was just a joke suggestion of course. It would be really lame and embarrassing if I had to bring around Mother or Father on my adventures. Sorry, Dad. Mom.¡± We continued to chat as we walked home, accompanied by a beautiful reddish-gold sunset behind us. And before we knew it, we already arrived. ---- The next morning, Marina departed early, right after breakfast. Another two weeks trip to a foreign school. And just like how she arrived, she returned there alone as well. We all watched and waved our hands as the carriage rolled away, including Sherry. Goodbye, Sis. I¡¯ll make sure to keep writing you letters on how my magic lessons are going! Before she left though, she whispered something interesting to me. ¡°Hey, Hugo. Check under your bed later. I left you two more presents there. Keep them until I get back home next summer, alright? Oh, and don''t tell Sherry or anyone else!¡± Hmm, what''s up with the secrecy? Well, whatever. I already showed off my new wand to everyone. I didn''t need to show off these two additional presents from her. I immediately rushed back to my room. Just as she told me, there was another box right under my bed. With glimmering, excited eyes, I immediately crawled down to get it, pulling it out as fast as I could. And then, I opened it right away. A book? I took it out. The title said, "The Adventures of The Legendary Archmage and Hero.¡± It seemed to be a picture book made for kids. I opened the cover and found a little parchment put inside. Hmm, it seemed to be a handwritten note from Marina. This is a little picture book I purchased in Mira. I¡¯ve read it so I thought I¡¯ll give it to you. You might find it a little amusing. Huh, alright then. I¡¯ll have a read on it later. I put it away for now, eager to look at the other present that she had left me. Only to find that it was¡ª ¡°P-p-panties?!¡± There was no mistake about it. That fabric inside the box¡ªthey were a girl¡¯s panties for sure! ¡°T-that pinkness¡­ n-no, it couldn¡¯t be¡­¡± I gingerly picked them up. ¡°No way¡­ This¡­ this really is Marina¡¯s panties! The one she wore yesterday!¡± I spread them open. Yep, no doubt about it! The same shape, the same skimpiness, it was definitely hers! ¡°W-w-why are they here?!¡± I looked back at the box. There¡¯s another piece of parchment there! Quickly, I put the panties down and read what¡¯s written on it. And this is my other gift for you, Hugo. Since you seem to like them so much, I thought, "Why not give them to you?" So here they are. Freshly worn and not washed. Just like you like it, right? Use them to remember me, your big sister, alright? P.S. Hide them behind your wardrobe. Mother never cleans up there. I fell backwards, landing butt first on the carpet below. ¡°W-whaaaaaaat?!!!¡± ----- A/N: Sorry guys, the cameo isn¡¯t happening until next chapter after all. This part is longer than expected. Also, Marina¡¯s panties. Don''t click if you don''t want lewd. Vol 1 Chapter 13: Looming Shadows What is this book? This can''t be the real story of the Hero, can it? This is just Mira propaganda! Such was my reaction when I finished the picture book Marina gave to me. Sure, it was just a book for kids, but the portrayal imbalance between the two heroines was so obvious that I couldn''t help but laugh at it. The two heroines were Mira and Milicis, and they were the companions of the Hero in his journey to defeat the Demon God. Oh, his name was Arthur by the way. You know, like the legendary King Arthur back in my world. What a funny coincidence. By the way, as you would expect from these kinds of stories, they both ended up falling in love with the guy, making them love rivals to each other. Ah, the love triangle between the mage and the cleric. Now that¡¯s a classic trope right there. So far, I would have no problem with that. The Hero getting a harem? Totally realistic. What kind of girl wouldn¡¯t want to bed the famous Legendary Hero? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he also had dozens of princesses and female knights all wanting to have his baby. Such was the perk of being the most famous person in the world, not to mention being the literal savior and all that. However, what I took issue with was the portrayal of Milicis. This book unabashedly displayed her as this jealous, overly clingy, pathetic girl that couldn¡¯t function in the slightest without the Hero by her side. She was clumsly and incompetent, always bumbling around in her fights and ending up defeated, only for either Mira or the Hero to save her (really, if this were an adult doujin and not a children¡¯s picture book, she would¡¯ve been raped so many times, from demonic tentacles to the random bandits they met in their journey). There were no redeeming qualities in her whatsoever. She was sanctimonious, arrogant, and worst of all, she had small boobs, especially compared to Mira, which she always whined about in her monologues. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Speaking of her, she was clearly portrayed as the preferred partner to the Hero. She was intelligent and competent, and the author only emphasized that even more by giving her a pair of glasses to go with her older age and her mature body (big boobs ahoy!). She would act as his mentor and guide of sorts, and they would cooperate with each other so well, with the Saint being the clear third wheel in their relationship. Now I understood why Marina called this book ¡°amusing¡±. She too must think of it as a cheap propaganda to extol how much better the Magocracy is compared to Milicis¡¯ followers. Though I had to say, even if Milicis was clearly designed to be unlikeable, I still found her adorable. She always tried so hard to steal the Hero¡¯s attention from Mira after all, and I was always weak to those kinds of girls. The drawings of her were pretty cute too. Well, enough about that for now. I stored the book into my bookshelf. Maybe I would read it again later, just to laugh at it even more. Eh? How about Marina¡¯s panties, you ask? I hid it, of course, just as she had told me to. Why don¡¯t you just hand it over to Renee if you don¡¯t like them? But that would mean ratting out Marina! I am not sure if Mother would like it if she starts giving me her dirty panties like this. Isn¡¯t that just an excuse though? Y-yeah, I suppose it is¡­ Oh fine! I¡¯ll admit it! I¡¯m a big pervert, alright?! It¡¯s always one of my more depraved fantasies to steal a pretty girl¡¯s worn underwear and take a deep sniff of it, just to know how she smelled. When I was younger, and could get away with it, I had to tell myself not to crawl into my parents¡¯ room and take a sniff on Renee¡¯s dirty pair. I had sworn to myself that I would become a new and honest man after all. But now, I am given an even better chance to do that! Marina¡¯s panties were in my hands and she was perfectly willing to let me do that! I-I mean, that¡¯s what she meant by using them to remember her, right? Surely, she can¡¯t just mean for me to carry it around like they¡¯re a pair of handkerchiefs instead? However, even with this golden opportunity, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it fully. I only gave them a little sniff from a distance, before hurrying to put it away like she instructed. Even then, I already smelled the pleasant odor of her that I was familiar with, from when she hugged me or when we slept together. She¡¯s already at that age where she started going through puberty after all. She¡¯s my big sister, goddamnit! I can¡¯t be lewding her like this! Funny how when you wanted to lead a straight and narrow life, you had girls throwing themselves to you like this. But when you were a pervert so desperate for a girlfriend, no one even batted an eye on you. Not that I was complaining, of course. I liked being able to befriend pretty girls like this. Aah, I can¡¯t wait until I get older and finally be able to do that with a cute girl! ---- One month had passed since Marina¡¯s departure. The air was getting colder as we slowly approached winter. As usual, at every single year, Father started gathering firewood to be stored and used, as when winter started, there would be barely any in the wilds. And, as a knight in charge of protecting the villagers, he would also gather enough to be given to those too poor or too weak to gather enough firewood on their own. To him, his job wasn¡¯t just to beat bandits or monsters, but also to do as much good as he could for the village. And I genuinely admired him for that. This year, however, he had help. Sherry, with her super strength, could lug around large logs back home with no problems whatsoever, just like Father. She too helped with the cutting process, as she could do it like it was nothing. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little jealous towards them. There was nothing I could do to help them after all. Speaking of Sherry¡¯s strength, one day, Father decided it would be a good idea to challenge her to an armwrestling match. To my surprise, he actually managed to win against her (though not without shattering the tree trunk they were using as their table¡ªDamn, that was scary). You might think that¡¯s an odd thing to say, since he was a fully grown adult with large biceps and muscles after all, but the more I witnessed Sherry¡¯s power, the more I believed that there was truly no limits to it. That match proved me wrong however. Or so I thought, as when Mother saw what was happening, she demanded them to do a rematch. They obliged, but before they started, Mother whispered something to Sherry¡¯s ears that I couldn¡¯t quite catch. I believed Sherry responded with a bewildered look, but she quickly covered, closing her eyes for a few seconds before opening it back again. And then, she won. Somehow she did. And Mother¡¯s face turned pale as she witnessed it. She quickly left before I could ask anything of her. I asked Sherry, but she too refused to talk about it, only throwing an angry glare at me instead. I asked Father, and he just shrugged, saying that Sherry suddenly became much stronger in their second match. And of course, he quickly added that he wasn¡¯t really trying seriously, and that if he went 100%, there was no way she could¡¯ve won. Sure, Dad. I could take your word for that. Mother¡¯s facial expression bothered me, so I went to ask her about it. But she refused to say anything. Aargh, it was frustrating! I always hated it when my family kept secrets from me like this! The matter was quickly forgotten however, when Mother, with her face as bright as what I imagined a fairy queen would look like, announced that she was pregnant. I was going to have another sibling. ---- Marina When I heard the news from Hugo¡¯s letter, I choked on the tea I was drinking. I couldn¡¯t believe it! Mother was pregnant?! That meant Hugo and I were going to have another sibling! Thinking about it, it was quite the miracle that Mother wasn¡¯t pregnant sooner. I knew how much Mother and Father had their passionate nightly sessions after all. Well, I myself preferred less siblings than more. I couldn¡¯t imagine living with nine other siblings for example. Everyday would be noisy and hectic, and as the oldest, I wouldn¡¯t be able to rest in the slightest. Hmm, do I want a boy or a girl? Another cute little brother like Hugo would certainly be nice, but a cute little sister would be refreshing as well. Hmph, knowing Hugo though, he would win over her heart in no time at all. That boy¡­ He would totally be popular with the ladies once he grew up. ¡°Hey, whatcha¡¯ reading, ¡®Rina?¡± I groaned internally. There she was again. My new annoyance. In front of me stood a grinning red-headed girl. She wore a black and purple witch outfit, complete with the tall pointy hat. Really, weren¡¯t wearing such tall hats an annoyance? They said that it was tradition for female mages to wear hats like that. Well, not me though. I wasn¡¯t going to wear any tall witch hats anytime soon. Without hesitation, she snatched the paper away from my hands. ¡°Ooh, what¡¯s this? A letter? From who, hmm? Your lover?¡± She giggled. ¡°My little brother,¡± I replied with a clearly displeased look. ¡°Now please return it to me.¡± "Aaw, you really like him, huh? You have such a happy face when you read the letter after all! For you, Ms. Grump Grump to smile like that, wow, it''s such a rare sight that I thought I was dreaming for a sec there!" This noisy little girl was the younger sister of my tormentor. I believed Alincia was her name¡ªI didn¡¯t really listen when she introduced herself. She just entered the academy this year, and immediately she came to me and bugged me to no end. No doubt her big sister put it up to this. She was in her final year after all, so she might have more tasks assigned to her by her teachers. Unlike her sister however, she was just that, noisy. She didn¡¯t really actively bully me like her older sister did. I took out my wand. And, without a chant, I flicked it forward, flinging the letter back to my hand. ¡°H-hey!¡± A subtle application of wind magic. I was never in the common school of thought that magic had to be all flashy and big. Little things like this actually required more control and finesse than just throwing a gust of wind at your opponent. No wonder only a few actually attended alchemy classes. It was classified as optional by the academy, so only those that were really interested in the art would attend. Which was few, as alchemists were in general¡ªquite unfairly, I believed¡ªlooked down upon by the mages of this kingdom. Only the non-mage folks had any respect for them, since they had to depend on them for their medicine (and other necessities), especially since there were no Milicis priests around. Ever since their last conflict a hundred years ago, all forms of Milicis worship were to be outlawed inside the magocracy¡¯s territory. And thanks to the country having several Grandmaster-level mages around, the Holy Empire hadn¡¯t dared invading. And the two countries being separated by sea certainly didn¡¯t help matters either. I was pretty sure that just a single Grandmaster-level mage could sink an entire fleet of ships with their spell. Other countries didn¡¯t have the same luxury however, like my Marchen Kingdom, so we had to allow the Milicis devotees to open their churches, whether we wanted to or not. Well, personally, I disagreed with the magocracy''s decision to ban Milicis churches altogether. Their clerics really helped in keeping the masses healthy. Just a few years back, there was a plague that devoured this land. With so little alchemists, and no priests, so many people died from it. Or so I was told from my books. I stood up, ignoring the shorter mage entirely. I had already finished my dinner, so there was no reason for me to stay here at the cafeteria. Not to mention that I had to start writing my own letter to be sent back home. I gave another glance towards Alincia as I left. Of course, she still insisted on chasing me, so I kept on ignoring her. She would tire eventually. Yep, if I¡¯m going to have a little sister like that, I¡¯d certainly rather have another little brother instead. ----- For the next nine months, I kept the thought of my unborn sibling on the back of my head at all times. I simply couldn¡¯t wait until next summer, where I could return and hold him or her in my hands. I still remembered how cute Hugo was as a baby. I suppose this was what you would call ¡°motherly instinct¡±. Well, there was just something about holding a baby in your arms¡ªsomething that I couldn¡¯t quite put into words. Happiness, serenity, contentment, joy? All that seemed to apply. Though they said that too much of that might make a girl prefer younger men though. Ever since Alincia discovered the letter, she would often mock me about how I had a ¡°brother complex¡± and how I would marry him if we weren¡¯t siblings. What a silly accusation. As his big sister, I simply loved him very much. That¡¯s all. It¡¯s natural for a big sister to want to hug and cuddle their little brothers, right? She wouldn¡¯t know, of course. She didn¡¯t have any male siblings after all. And besides... He¡¯s going to marry Sherry in the future. I just know it. Well, Sherry¡¯s a good girl. I¡¯d rather have her as my sister-in-law than some other girl that I know nothing about. Especially when there are so many predatory girls going after younger boys these days. Yes, that¡¯s right. I had overheard them¡ªupperclassmen girls talking about how there were so many cute boys in the first year, and how they thought of snagging a couple and teaching them ¡°all sorts of mature stuff¡±. Hmph, I didn¡¯t even need to know what they meant by that. Those kinds of girls were exactly the kind of girls I had to keep my dear Hugo away from. He was so cute I could just imagine their reaction if they ever saw him. Predators! All of them! And so I wasn¡¯t really that surprised when a rumor surfaced that one of them was practicing necromancy in secret. Necromancy. The vilest branch of dark magic that existed out there. Like the name suggested, it was a magic art about the manipulation of corpses and the spirits of the dead. It would also be the branch of magic that you would learn if you wanted immortality. Usually humans, since we were the race with the shortest lifespan after all. Naturally, it was completely banned in Milicis lands, with the punishment of being burned at the stake, but even here, where we could actually learn some dark magic and not be prosecuted for it, necromancy was still a forbidden art. After the Necromancer King''s attempt at conquering Mira 500 years ago, which got so bad the Council at the time had to swallow their pride and ask the Holy Empire for help (after all, their priests and clerics worked really effectively against the undead), necromancy was completely outlawed in the magocracy. Now, I wasn¡¯t sure how the Necromancer King did that¡ªthreatening a kingdom with several Grandmaster-level magicians. I had yet to find any detailed accounts on said history unfortunately. Perhaps the books were in the Forbidden section in the library. They said that any books about necromancy would be stored there, only accessible to students with an explicit permission of a teacher. Though perhaps the special students like Merinda could take out any books they wanted. Hah, wouldn¡¯t it be funny if she¡¯s the necromancer. Personally, I thought of necromancy as quite the disgusting art. There were only a few things less evil than desecrating the dead and enslaving them for your own purposes Imagine if you saw your dead father or mother as huddling, rotting corpses, controlled by some depraved dark mage that just wanted power. Even if I could actually cast dark magic, I would never in a million years touch necromancy. ...Hmm? Oh, that¡¯s right. I hadn¡¯t told you that I couldn¡¯t cast any dark magic in the slightest, had I? I suppose my parents¡¯ assumption that I was a genius that could cast any magic was wrong after all. We actually had a teacher of dark magic here in the academy and he already declared that I didn¡¯t have any talent for it whatsoever. Of course, said teacher would never touch necromancy with a ten foot pole. He just taught less gruesome and more ¡°proper¡± dark magic, like shadow magic and blood magic (though I was pretty sure the latter was still pretty gruesome). And speaking of subjects I wasn¡¯t good at, I was never that great in alchemy either. Thankfully, no one here really cared here if you weren¡¯t any good in the subject. Most students only learned it to be able to make basic mana and health potions, maybe also some anti-poisons and the like, and any concoctions they needed to perform summoning pacts. No one cared for making bombs or gunpowders and the like. They said that¡¯s more of a dwarf thing, fighting with magic tools like that, and who needed that when they could just cast fire through their spells? I didn¡¯t hear anything more about this rumored necromancer until a few months later, where the news broke that the student was one of the scholarship students, and that she had run away before she could be apprehended by the authorities. Not to mention how she had an affair with one of her professors. And by that, I meant her straight up giving him her body in exchange of access to the necromancy books in the library. Thanks to the special enchantments put in place on the restricted section, you couldn¡¯t just steal or even read them willy-nilly. You would need a form of magical authorization first. This country never believed in destroying forbidden knowledge like the Holy Empire. Instead, it would just be hidden away from the eyes and ears of the public. Naturally, said professor was immediately fired and kicked out of the academy. Good riddance. To my surprise however, Merinda herself came to me and told me these news with a smirk on her face. And she didn¡¯t even bring her underlings with her. ¡°Ha, what a joke. Of course that balding bastard would be vile enough to lust over his students like that. No woman ever wants to be with him so he has to settle on his own student!¡± She declared, referring to the teacher. ¡°She realized her skills in alchemy were useless, so she turned to the dark arts. Like the scheming whore that she was, she seduced him to give all his knowledge of the dark arts to her, including necromancy.¡± Ah, if I remembered correctly, she was always beaten by her in the alchemy. Always second best below her in both written and potion-making tests. In that sense, she could be called a star student. Yet since it was just alchemy, she never became famous from it. Hmm, don¡¯t tell me that she gets bullied by her as well¡­ just like me... ¡°Hey, wipe that look off your face! I¡¯m still mad that you hide the fact that you can already cast a Master-level spell, you know!¡± She pointed at me. ¡°What, you think you¡¯re going to sneak behind me and pounce after my position when I don¡¯t expect it? Hmph, what a coward. Just as you would expect from a girl from a backwards country like Marchen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± I replied with my usual calmness. ¡°I thought you don¡¯t want me showing off. So I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°S-shut up!¡± It was a hit. She was now clearly flustered. ¡°Y-you dare speak back to me?" She pushed me to the wall, as she liked to do. "Let me tell you that I''ve mastered my second Master-level spell! That still makes me better than you! So you should just be a good girl and listen to me!" Urgh, she was loud, louder than usual. She pretty much screamed right in front of my face. I remembered how her little sister said to me that she wasn''t a bad person, and that she just wanted to be friends with me. Frankly, I couldn''t see that at all. ¡°Hmph.¡± She backed off. ¡°Anyway, I just thought I¡¯m going to warn you.¡± ¡°Of what?¡± ¡°Why, of the accolades I will soon obtain.¡± She puffed her chest proudly, making her outrageous breasts bounce. ¡°I will catch that necromancer girl and bring her to justice after all. So you better start to cry yourself to sleep as you will never surpass me after this!¡± And with that, she left me, laughing like a mad witch in the process. So she would be part of the hunting party that chases after her? Hmm, I suppose if you¡¯re the granddaughter of one of the Council members, you can just be assigned like that. Well, whatever. I don¡¯t really care if she becomes even more famous than she already is. All I care about is studying magic. That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for after all. Little did I know that it would be the last time I saw her alive. Perhaps I would¡¯ve been nicer to her if I had known otherwise. ----- A/N: Wow, that was longer than I planned it to be. Foreshadowings ahoy! Also, here''s an image for Alincia. Without the broom. Vol 1 Chapter 14: A New Form of Magic Fighting Happy birthday, me! I¡¯m seven years old now! And so far, with the exception of some bumps here and there, my new life is going as smoothly as it could! I still remain true to my resolve seven years ago when I was born that I will live out my new life to the fullest without any regrets! I never slacked around and studied magic and swordfighting as much as I could! And I saved a girl from being treated horribly by her foster parent! And now, she''s living with me and she has taken a liking on me! Aah, I''m returning back to my prime again! My elementary school self! A top class student and popular with the girls! Yes, I just need to keep this up until I become an adult again! Then my goal of becoming a person I won''t be disgusted with will be achieved! There''s just one problem though. My swordsmanship skill is totally stagnating! Compared to Sherry, who''s just climbing higher and higher, I''m just staying in one place, not getting any stronger. I have to do something! Hmm? Isn''t being a magician enough? Well, maybe. Marina certainly has given up on swordsmanship entirely, focusing her efforts entirely to become a pure mage. But if I follow her, I feel I won''t be able to keep with her either. She''s an absolute genius in the subject after all. I just don''t want to be left behind again by my siblings, just like in my old life¡­ Not to mention that if Sherry is really going to be my wife in the future, I wouldn¡¯t want to be a weak husband who has to rely on her for my protection and safety. I want it to be the other way around, with me being able to protect her like a cool husband would. Father and Mother are the perfect example. Mother is a cleric, so Father, as a swordsman, would have to protect her at all times like her knight in shining armor. But if I¡¯m the mage and she the swordswoman, I will be the one that gets protected by her. I know it¡¯s selfish, but goddamnit I want to be cool in front of my (future) wife. And so I decided. I had to develop my own style of fighting. Something that Father couldn¡¯t teach to me. The idea started out simple. What if I combined my magic with my swordfighting? Could I enhance both, with one discipline covering for the weaknesses of the others? First test. I would throw Beginner and Intermediate-level magic while I used my sword at the same time. ---- ¡°Sparring?¡± Father raised her eyebrows. ¡°You against Sherry?¡± ¡°Y-yeah, I think it can be good training. For both of us.¡± I smiled back nervously. We were having our usual sword training sessions. After we did our warming ups, I immediately suggested my idea to Father. Yes, I was going to use Sherry as my guinea pig. If I won, then I would declare my idea to be a successful one. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°...No, you can¡¯t.¡± ¡°H-huh, w-why?¡± ¡°She¡¯s too strong for you, son. None of you would gain anything by sparring against each other,¡± he said to me with a sad look. Damn you, Dad! No need to pity me that much! ¡°B-but I won¡¯t just be using my sword! I would also use my magic!¡± ¡°Magic?¡± He raised his eyebrows again. ¡°You mean, you would cast magic as you fight with your sword? That¡¯s¡­ I never saw any mages doing that. They would use their staves, not swords. Myrilla would do that if an enemy ever gets too close, just to put a distance between them.¡± ¡°Myrilla?¡± I asked with a curious look. I never heard of that name before. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s just a mage I used to party with.¡± Wait, what¡¯s with that look? He¡¯s avoiding my eyes as he said it. Don¡¯t tell me that she''s her ex or something! Does Mother know? ¡°Hey, don¡¯t give me that look,¡± he immediately protested. ¡°I never cheated on your mother, you know. If I did, well, I¡¯ll be out of here for sure.¡± He gave a grim smile. ...Yeah, I could imagine that. Whew, she¡¯s scary when she¡¯s mad. Though realistically speaking, she would be the one to leave the house, as women didn¡¯t really have any right to own property back in the medieval era. I dunno whether this fantasy world really followed the same rule though. I imagined if it¡¯s a family of two adventurers, who got the house and children would just be decided in combat, most likely to the death. A fantasy world tends to be a world where strength matters the most after all. I gulped. I really wouldn¡¯t want to see Father and Mother fighting like that. That would break my heart for sure. Father, please tell me that you really are not a cheater. ¡°Enough of that.¡± He suddenly threw a wooden sword at me, which I caught promptly in mid-air. Hey, my reflex had gotten better after all from my training. ¡°If you really want to fight, then fight. You bring your wand?¡± I nodded. ¡°Good. Then Sherry, go easy on him.¡± I looked towards her. She was already nine years old longer than I had been seven, as her birthday was earlier than mine around a month or so. Thanks to Mother giving her lots of nutritious food, I could see her being taller and less thin than her old self. Well, her boobs were still nonexistent though, and I was still taller than her. I doubted that she would ever get taller than me, which I liked, as short girls looked cute to me. I loved how they had to stand on their toes to kiss their taller partner. Not that tall girls were bad, oh no. Tall girls on the other hand allowed the shorter men to just bury their face inside their large milk jugs that they usually had. Well, enough about my preferences. I needed to get ready for the fight. I took out my wand and held it in my left hand. Thankfully, I was born ambidextrous, unlike my old right-hand-only self, so I could easily cast magic and wield a sword with both hands. "Hey, are you sure about this?" Sherry suddenly spoke with a concerned look on her face. "When I fight, I still don''t have good control of my strength, you know. I¡­ don''t want to hurt you¡­" She looked down. Oh, Goddamnit. With that that kind of melancholic expression, I just knew that she would definitely blame herself terribly if she hurt me in any way shape or form. And I certainly wouldn¡¯t want that! Well, all the more reason to not lose to her, right? I readied myself, going into an evasive stance right away. I knew that I would be the one taking the defensive role in this match-up. She would outclass me in both strength and speed. The only advantage I had was my longer range. ¡°Sherry, remember what I taught you before! About fighting a mage!¡± Father shouted. W-wait, Father had taught her that. I-I wasn¡¯t informed of this! ¡°In three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ begin!¡± It was too late to protest. The match had begun. And Sherry, well, she didn¡¯t hesitate. She launched herself right towards me with her wooden sword raised. ¡°F-Fireball!¡± I immediately responded by blasting my basic fire spell right towards her. But to my surprise, instead of opting to dodge, she simply slashed my fireball, dispelling it like it was nothing. H-hey, w-what the hell was that? That¡¯s a wooden sword! How could she do that and not burn it in the process? Combined with my surprise and her speed, it was too late for me to devise my next move. Before I knew it, her sword was already on my neck. I had lost. Didn¡¯t even take her 10 seconds to do so. ¡°Well done, Sherry, well done!¡± Father clapped. ¡°That¡¯s how you deal with a mage! You close up on them and bash them straight up! Using your sword, you can just cut through any low-level spells they sent at you, as they would not have any time to chant the bigger ones.¡± She retreated her sword. Once again, she gave me that worried look of hers. ¡°And you, Hugo. You didn¡¯t expect her to just cut through your fireball like that, did you?¡± He grinned. Gah, now I¡¯m starting to get angry. ¡°In the hands of a strong swordsman, even a stick of wood could pierce steel.¡± I guess since this is a fantasy world, statements like that could actually make sense. But still, was she able to do that just because of her strength? Or was there something more about swordsmanship that Father wasn¡¯t telling? Or maybe he just doesn¡¯t know. The way he teaches¡­ it¡¯s really¡­ rudimentary and simple. Easy to understand, but there¡¯s nothing refined to it, you know. I know a little about kendo from my old life and it¡¯s far fancier than what he teaches to us. ...Hold on. Could it be that it¡¯s a form of magic as well? Even though it¡¯s done by swinging your sword around, who said that magic couldn¡¯t take that from? Is magic exclusive to magicians with their wands and staves? ...I think I should ask Mother about this. Maybe she¡¯ll know something Father doesn¡¯t. Wouldn¡¯t get my hopes up though. She¡¯s just a cleric after all. And so ended my first spar with Sherry. It was a total and complete loss. ---- Ever since Mother was pregnant, Father insisted that she should stop working so hard and take more rest, even though she herself didn¡¯t want to. But she refused to make Sherry take most of her work. Like a good mother, she didn¡¯t want to make her feel like she was being used as a servant anymore. And so, as a compromise, Father decided to hire a girl from the nearby village to be a temporary live-in maid from the village to help with the chores. She was well-compensated, of course, with a salary that beat any work she could do in the village. Father also counted on her to help with delivering the child, once that day came. Wow, she¡¯s cute! Such was my first impression when I saw her arriving with Father. She was indeed young, perhaps around seventeen or eighteen of age. No more than twenty, certainly. She had long, brown hair that reached down to her waist, along with a pair of yellow-brown eyes. And she arrived already wearing a maid uniform too. Combined with her charming, bright smile, I could already tell that she would be a welcome addition to our family for sure. Not to mention those big boobs as well! ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Mary! I¡¯ll be working here from now on!¡± She bowed, making her breasts jiggle. Uh oh, Mother¡¯s expression¡ªher smile wasn¡¯t completely genuine, I could tell, and her eyes were drawn towards the maid girl¡¯s breasts. Could this be the beginning of a war of boobs? But Mother''s breasts were clearly bigger though. "Thank you, Mary. I''m glad that you''re willing to work for our family.¡± Mother bowed as well. And as expected, her boob jiggle easily overpowered the maid''s. "A-ah, please don''t bow, Madame! The pleasure is all mine!" The girl bowed again, her breasts jiggling yet again. I glanced towards Alan. As expected, he was paying full attention towards the "battle" that was going on. Hey, Father. Aren''t you staring too much? And so from that day on, we had another person living with our little family. ---- That night, I was just relaxing, resting myself in my room when Sherry entered, wielding a broom and wearing her maid uniform. As usual, she was going to clean my room. She usually did it once a week, and always while wearing said clothing. I couldn¡¯t help but think that me saying how cute she looked in it had a part on it. No, that¡¯s definitely what happened. She would sulk if I didn¡¯t watch her as she did her work after all. ¡°I-I¡¯m going to clean the room now, y-young Master.¡± How cute! Even though she had been doing this for months, she still went all blushy everytime. I couldn¡¯t help but be bothered by the Young Master part however. ¡°Hey, umm, don¡¯t you think that you can drop that Young Master stuff? Now that we actually have a proper maid here, it just feels¡­ well, weird, especially since she too calls me by that.¡± I scratched the back of my head, smiling nervously towards her. And then her face quickly turned into shock, before turning into sadness, and then followed by anger. ¡°S-so, now that Mary is here, I-I¡¯m not good enough, huh?!¡± She yelled. ¡°You want your maids to be all pretty and big-chested like her, huh?!¡± ¡°W-wait, that¡¯s not what I mean!¡± I panicked, quickly correcting her. ¡°I-it¡¯s just that¡­ I-I don¡¯t want to see you as a servant as well. Mary is one, but you, Sherry¡ªyou are family. And every time you call me Young Master like that, I can¡¯t help but feel that you¡¯re lowering yourself to her level¡­¡± Sherry acting as my maid was certainly really adorable and cute. But my conscience always told me that it was wrong to make her do that. I might be a pervert, but I was still a pervert with some moral compass. Her anger subsided, and she looked away from me. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh, Hugo, I-I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I-I shouldn¡¯t have yelled at you like that¡­ M-my temper¡­ I let it get the better of me yet again¡­" She bit her lip, looking back at me. Goddamnit, her eyes were tearing up. I had to comfort her right away! "Hey, don''t feel bad! I think¡­ I think your temper is also part of your charm, you know." God, I could already tell that my face was reddening. "I¡­ I always find that spirited girls are more interesting than timid ones." That''s not entirely true though. I liked quiet, timid girls as well. In fact, I liked all sorts of girls, at least fictional ones. I was always intimidated by real 3D girls after all, as pathetic as that might sound. And if I was actually one of those harem protagonists, I would perfectly be willing to woo all sorts and types of girls to be my lovers. Well, if jealousy wasn''t a thing in the real world, anyways. I wouldn''t want to hurt the feelings of any girls that could love my pathetic self. I would always cherish them and be the best husband to them that I could be. I swore to that. ¡°R-really?¡± She responded to my compliment with the cutest shy blush I had ever seen. ¡°Yes, really!¡± I smiled back, putting my hands on her shoulders. ¡°So don¡¯t be so hard on yourself, Sherry. You can get angry once in a while. Anyone does.¡± ¡°Y-you never get angry though¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± She¡¯s right. I did get annoyed multiple times, but I was never as angry as she was. ¡°I get really angry whenever I see anyone tease and bully you, calling you a demon and all that. Though with you scaring them off, I guess I don''t need to be worried, huh, hehe." I gave a little joke at the end, just so I wouldn''t even be more embarrassed by my cliched and cheesy line. I wasn''t really lying though. I did indeed get angry when those little brats came after her cruelly like that. It reminded me of my own dark past after all. So I thought it would be alright for me to give those words to her, even though it made me sound like those goody-goody harem protagonists that no one really liked. She gave a little huff at my joke. But then, she looked away and mumbled, "T-thank you¡­ You really are nice, Hugo¡­" And then, she turned back and immediately gave me a kiss on the cheeks. "T-there¡­ for always being there for me¡­ A-and if you would, p-please protect me more in the future..." She then ran away, leaving me as red as she was. I touched the cheek she just kissed. I didn''t wash my face for a while afterwards. ---- Thanks to Sherry''s night visit, I was completely invigorated! Aah, I want to be stronger after all! Strong enough to protect her, just like she wants! And so I racked my brain, trying to find a better way to use my magic in combat. I determined that I couldn¡¯t just use it in a straightforward manner. Even if I used my Advanced level magic, which I could use without chanting, I still needed to concentrate. And that would give an opening for her to close the gap between us. I would risk hitting myself as well, with how powerful those spells were. Intermediate? I had a feeling that they would just be dispelled by Sherry¡ªthe same way as she dispelled my Fireball. Hmm, how about this? Maybe I should use my magic in a less straightforward manner. Not just to attack. Maybe there were some useful utilities I could gain from them, if I could use them in a more creative manner. First idea. Wind Step. I would generate a burst of wind under my feet, pushing me to the direction I wanted to go. I immediately tried it outside. Holding both my wand and my sword, simulating how I would be in combat, I took a deep breath. Naturally, I was nervous. What if I did it wrong and sprained my ankle? Left. I sidestepped. And just as I did, I conjured a small burst of wind under the soles of my shoes. ¡°W-whoaaa!¡± I was immediately sent flying ten meters away, landing roughly on my left shoulder. Urgh, that hurt! Thankfully, however, I didn¡¯t seem to break anything. Too much power. I need to control it better. And so began my training. I fell over and over again, making scratches and bruises all over my body. But I didn¡¯t care. I wanted to do this! And I wouldn¡¯t give up until I could! And besides, no matter how badly I got wounded, Mother would always be able to heal me afterwards! My only obstacle was myself¡ªmy laziness and my fear of pain. And I would overcome it! Not just for Sherry, but also for myself! And so, for the first time in my life, I worked hard on something entirely by my own. This time, I didn¡¯t have Marina or Father to guide and encourage me. My own will and spirit. That was all that I had. -------- A/N: I thought I could get to the baby being born this chapter, but eh, it¡¯s more fitting to put the training stuff now. And here¡¯s how Mary looks. Vol 1 Chapter 15: Victory and Defeat Sherry When I first saw Hugo training like that, I wanted to stop him. He just kept falling to the ground over and over again, and it looked completely miserable. I couldn''t bear seeing him hurt himself like that. But when I came to him, he just said, "I-it''s alright, Sherry. Mother will heal me afterwards after all." All with that stupid cheerful grin of his. I couldn''t do it. I couldn''t get angry at him. Even though I didn''t understand why he''s doing all of this. That grin of his¡­ it''s the same grin that made me become fond of him after all. ...Wait a sec¡­ "Hugo, you''re doing this because I beat you yesterday, aren''t you? Y-you don''t have to worry about that, you know! I only won because of my strength, nothing more! And I didn''t train for that!" He smiled, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Don''t feel bad. I''m doing this for you, you know. I¡­ well, I want to protect you, Sherry. So I have to become stronger." BA-DUMP The way he blushed as he said that, averting his gaze a little as he was too shy to keep staring at my eyes as he said it¡ªit was immeasurably, unbearably adorable. Once again, I had fallen in love for him, as much as a nine year old could fall in love, at the very least. I could not resist. It was his fault for being too adorable in the first place. I took a step forward and gave him a kiss right on the lips. As we kissed, I gave him a hug as well. I didn¡¯t care that he was dirty and sweaty. Only that I was now giving my first kiss to him, as I remembered what Nicole said about first kisses when we were still in the orphanage. ¡°A maiden¡¯s first kiss is a treasure that all men chase after.¡± I had decided. I was going to give my treasure to Hugo. He already more than deserved it. He fell down, surprised by my sudden forwardness. That''s fine. This position, with me being on the top, was fine. "Hugo¡­ I want to¡ª" "Aah, Young Mistress Sherry! Young Master Hugo! Are you two fighting?" They said that Fate had a sense of humor. I couldn''t agree more at this moment. The new maid, Mary, ran over to us¡ªher breasts jiggling disgustingly as she did. In her naivete, she seemed to be under the impression that we were not getting along, and that I was pinning Hugo forcefully to the ground. Naturally, I gave her an angry glare. She just interrupted my moment with Hugo after all. Who knew when there would be such an opportunity again? ¡°Come on, Mistress Sherry! Fighting is no good, you know! Especially since he¡¯s the one who took you in!¡± She pulled me away from Hugo, before dusting off my dress. ¡°We¡¯re not fighting, you know.¡± I still gave her my deadly glare. ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of something and you just rudely interrupted us.¡± ¡°O-oh, r-really? T-then please forgive me, Milady!¡± She bowed again. Hmph, did all large breasts have to jiggle around like that? I didn¡¯t say anything to her afterwards. I simply left, giving Hugo one last look before I departed. My mood had soured considerably. It wouldn¡¯t do well for me to be with Hugo for the rest of the day. I wouldn¡¯t want to show him my grumpy, disagreeable side after all. ---- Finally! Finally I managed to do it! I could control Wind Step now! I plopped down on the dirt, taking a deep breath. I couldn''t help but laugh for a good twenty seconds. At last! After a grueling training for a week, I finally mastered my very own original magic! None of those magic books had this technique written on them! ! And I did it without anybody¡¯s help! I couldn¡¯t help but be proud of myself. For a loser like me, who had never put a significant hard work and effort on anything, to be able to accomplish something like this, was like a dream. So many times during my training that I thought I was just wasting my time. I would never be able to use my basic wind spell in that way. However, my mind would immediately return back to Sherry, and how she kissed me right on the lips. When I remembered her, I knew that I couldn¡¯t give up. I didn¡¯t want to disappoint her! So this is how it feels to be fighting for someone you love, huh? It feels¡­ nice¡­ Now I understand why so many men could work in unfulfilling, dead end jobs with smiles on their faces. It all must be because of their lovely wives, waiting for them back home. And now¡ªnow that I have someone like that, I can truly work hard without looking back! Without feeling afraid that I will just end up as a failure, that I would just waste all my sweat and tears on something that won¡¯t bore any fruits. And then, it struck me. Sherry wouldn¡¯t like me forever. She would eventually grow up and mature, and she would think of this little crush of her as a simple childhood thing that isn¡¯t real in the slightest. We would still be friends, of course, but she would stop pining for me like she did now. ...That¡¯s fine. That¡¯s fine by me. Even if she became that way, I would still support her as much as I could. I wasn¡¯t a scummy guy that would only be a girl¡¯s friend just because I wanted to get in bed with her. ...Gah, enough of the depressing stuffI still needed to think of the other techniques and master them, before I could have my rematch with her! And so I stood up, dusted myself off, and readied myself to resume my training. ---- Two months. Two months were what it took for me to be ready. And today was the day. I was now staring at Sherry across the field with a determined look on my face. She too returned the same stare. Even if she might be in love with me, she had no intention of taking it easy on me. Father made sure of that. He had told her that she would only belittle my efforts if she didn¡¯t take me with all her might. Mother was also here, watching from the veranda along with Mary. The maid had a visibly frightened expression on her face¡ªshe clearly wasn¡¯t used to violent things like this, while Mother had a serious and calm expression instead. She believed in both me and Sherry, and she knew that this was something that we needed to do, as much as it might break her heart, watching her son and adopted daughter fighting each other like this. At first, she scolded me for my training when she healed me. But after I told her the reason why I trained, how I wanted to be stronger for both Sherry and myself, she relented with a sigh. ¡°You really are your Father¡¯s son after all. He once went into this training spree, you know, after we almost died at the hands of a strong monster. Well, to be more exact, I was the one who was in the wrong. My positioning was too forward, giving the beast an opening to attack me instead of him. I¡­ well, I lost an arm on that attack.¡± I gasped. I didn¡¯t expect her to suddenly tell a grim story like this. ¡°In a fit of rage, he killed the monster, before rushing me back to the nearest church. Thankfully, there was a high-ranking cleric there, with the ability to bring back lost arms. We had to pay every single gold that we had for it though. He even had to sell his dear sword that he had been with for years.¡± Mother smiled as she told this. She no doubt felt really touched by the sacrifice he made for her. ¡°Afterwards, he told us that he was going to leave for a month for training. I tried to stop him but he wouldn¡¯t listen, saying stuff like ¡®I¡¯m not strong enough to protect you yet¡¯. He didn¡¯t return until the second month, and when he did, I, well¡ª¡± ¡°You proposed to him, didn¡¯t you, Mother?¡± I guessed with a smirk. ¡°Oh Hugo, yes, of course I did, you silly boy!¡± She laughed, messing up my hair. ¡°Sometimes, you really are like your sister. Too smart and clever for your own age.¡± She then gave me a hug, pleasantly burying me inside her cleavage. ¡°How could I have not? He cared so much for me that my heart just went to him straight away. I still remembered how as my consciousness dimmed, he begged me to stay with him with tears in his eyes. That big man, brought to tears like that. And I wasn¡¯t there since I was still not awake yet, but I heard from Myrilla that he would be with me for every single hour, refusing to sleep until he just fell asleep beside my bed. He would also pray to the Saint with a fervor that rivaled even the most devout Milicis believers for Her to save me, even though he was never the religious sort before.¡± ¡°Myrilla?¡± I replied. ¡°Oh, the mage you used to party with, right? Father told me a while back about her.¡± ¡°Oh really? What did he say about her?¡± Huh, was that a hint of jealousy on her face? ¡°Nothing. He just mentioned her name and he refused to talk about her any further.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She paused, smiling a little. ¡°Well, hopefully, we¡¯re going to meet her soon.¡± ¡°Huh, really?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡­ ah, have something we need to consult with her, you see.¡± Mother ended the conversation there, telling me to clean up before we had our dinner. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I could just sense it. There was definitely more to her story¡ªsomething that she or Father weren¡¯t willing to tell to me. Back to the fight, I was now ready¡ªwooden sword on my right hand, and wand on the left. Sherry, on the other hand, was holding her sword with both hands. She didn¡¯t two-hand her sword the last time we fought, which meant that she was really taking this seriously. ¡°In three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ fight!¡± Sherry bolted forward, exactly in the same manner as her opening move two months ago. I, however, was ready. With my Wind Step, I dodged out of the way with ease. She quickly halted her flight, turning 180 degrees to face me. However, as I was flying mid-air, I cast another quick spell. Flame Whip. An intermediate-level Fire spell that I had managed to cast in just a single second. The twin whips reached out to her, aimed at both of her hands. ¡°Aaah!¡± She let out a yelp as the two whips wrapped itself around her wrist, no doubt feeling the burn on her skin. Sorry, Sherry, but just like Father said, I wasn¡¯t going to hold back either. However, instead of just surrendering, with her great strength, she yanked the two whips back at her, sending me flying towards her as my wand was still connected with the other end of the wips. ¡°Gah!¡± I immediately disconnected the whips, dispelling the spell. And then, using my wind spell, I pushed myself away. Must keep my range! With her wrist freed, she was ready to resume her attack. With her great speed, she quickly closed the distance between us. However, I was ready, With my Earth spell I dubbed Vine Grip, I conjured a series of short vines to grab onto her feet, tripping her up as she ran. It didn''t work! She just tore through them with her sheer strength! I wasn''t done yet though! I imbued my wooden sword with lightning, with a spell I aptly named Lightning Sword, and tied my feet with the vines from the spell before. I couldn¡¯t dodge anymore. I had to face her head on! Noticing the lightning however, she cleverly decided not to engage me in melee. She instead swung a powerful overhead slash, sending a sword wave straight towards my direction. ¡°Aarghhh!¡± I blocked it with my own sword, but even with my lightning and vines, I couldn¡¯t win. Not even close. I was immediately sent flying backwards, just from the sheer force of the attack. Before I could recover, once again, her sword was already on my throat. ¡°The winner is¡­ Sherry!¡± I had lost for the second time. ---- In the end, for the rest of the year, I still couldn¡¯t surpass her. Neither my spells nor my sword skills or strength were good enough to compete against her. And it certainly didn¡¯t help that she continued improving on her swordsmanship at an amazing rate, or so Father said. Gah, at this rate, I had to ask Marina for help when she came back in summer. Surely she could figure out something that I could do. Before that though, I had the birth of my little sibling to wait for. No major incidents happened before then. Well, except for two. The first, where I discovered that Sherry had a surprising fear towards ghosts. On one winter night, Mother decided it would be a fun idea to get together and tell us some ghost stories. As she did, I noticed Sherry trembling, as much as she wanted to hide it. I comforted her by grabbing her hand, but she was clearly still afraid nonetheless. I didn¡¯t want to insult her pride by bringing her up, so I said nothing. And then, the next morning, news broke that Sherry had wet her bed. This led to an entire week of her avoiding me entirely. I wouldn¡¯t blame her, really. I would do the same if I wet my bed. I knew just how humiliating it was, to have an accident when you were already nine. Yes, it was from my personal experience. And no, I¡¯d rather not talk about it, thank you very much. And when I told her that I didn¡¯t mind her blunder, and that I thought it to be a little cute even, she slapped me instead. Damn it, she probably thought I was mocking her. I was just trying to comfort her! This is why I was never good with girls! The second incident was when Sherry, who insisted that she had to be the one cleaning up my room, even though we had Mary now, managed to find Marina¡¯s panties behind the cupboard. Naturally, I never saw her angrier than that night. ¡°What are these?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Whose panties are these?¡± ¡°M-Marina¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Then why are they here, instead of her room?¡± ¡°W-well, y-you see, i-it¡¯s because¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, I get it. You steal them from her room, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not¡ª¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe this! How would she feel if she knows you¡¯ve been doing this¡ªthis sneaking around, stealing her panties from her room while she was away?" She was now visibly shaking with rage. "I-it''s not like that!" "What else can it be then?" She was now walking towards me, panties in hand. "Don''t tell me that Marina gave you the panties herself! If you think I''ll believe such a bold-faced lie, then you¡ª" "It''s true! She was the one to give them to me! It was her secret parting gift last summer!" She stopped in her tracks. Judging from her expression, it seemed she believed that I wasn¡¯t lying to her. ¡°S-she gave you¡­ h-her panties¡­ a-and a dirty one at that, judging by the smell¡­ s-since last summer?!¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­ s-she thought they would be a good way to¡­ to remember her¡­¡± Naturally, the ridiculousness of said statement didn¡¯t escape my mind. Dammit, Sis! Can¡¯t you come up with a better excuse in your letter?! She paused once again. Biting her lip, she looked down, straight to the panties balled up in her right hand. ¡°Y-you¡­ do you like¡­ keeping girls¡¯ dirty panties like this?¡± There it was! The golden question! I gulped. If I answered wrong, I could end up destroying her admiration towards me completely! And I didn¡¯t want that in the slightest! Not at all! She looked at me, straight in the eyes. There was no anger in them, only curiosity. I knew that she fully expected me to tell the truth. If I lied, she would really brand me as a cowardly pervert and would no doubt start to hate me from the bottom of her heart. "Y-yes¡­" I answered, looking down. "I liked keeping them around, and gave them a smell occasionally¡­" I then looked up, a wry smile on my face. "I''m a pervert through and through Sherry, like I said to you that one time¡­ I wouldn''t deny that¡­ And having Big Sis'' used panties with me makes me able to remember her scent¡­ and warmth¡­" My old self would have immediately denied and lied his way out. He was so concerned with his image, that he didn''t realize he was only making things worse for himself. He was too spineless to admit to anything that put him in a bad light, even from himself. What happened next took me entirely by surprise. Sherry, not saying anything, bent over and pulled down her own panties. Vaulting them over her legs, she then brought the fabric to me, putting them on my hands before saying, "I-if you like panties that much, t-then I¡¯ll give mine to you too. I-I have worn them all day s-so they should be pretty smelly. J-just the way you like them, r-right?¡± After shoving the fabric to me, she immediately ran away¡ªface as red as a tomato. I blinked. It took me several minutes to process what just happened. D-did she just¡­ I looked down to my hands. Yep, there they were. Sherry¡¯s white panties, along with Marina¡¯s pink. And so, ever since that night, I had two pairs of panties in my secret box. ---- A/N: Poll¡¯s up, as requested. It¡¯s not binding in any ways though. I just thought it might be a good idea to measure what the public opinion is on the matter. I won¡¯t write anything that I feel won¡¯t be good for the story. Also, Sherry¡¯s panties. Vol 1 Chapter 16: The Truth of The Past ¡°Aah. Ahh!¡± Cute! So cute! Aaah, a baby is cute after all! And best of all, she¡¯s a girl! Just like the way I want it! I¡¯m so blessed! So blessed indeed! Such were my thoughts when I looked over my newly born baby sister. She was so precious, so adorable that I couldn''t help to start making funny faces in front of her, just to see her laugh. "Come on Hugo, don''t tease your sister so much." Mother laughed. "She needs to have her nap soon and she can''t have that if you overexcite her too much." Mother was still bedridden, recovering from the grueling process that was birthing a child. I was there, helping out by summoning my high fairy and telling her to heal her over and over, while Mary was the one acting as the midwife. Father, on the other hand, had to stay outside. He couldn''t really help and he was just making things worse by being all panicky. I wouldn''t blame him though. I knew that I would probably be the same if my own wife was getting through childbirth, whenever that would be. "Congratulations, Ma''am! It''s a girl!" When Mary announced that, I had the longest breath of relief that I ever took. It was really as if a large rock had been lifted off my chest. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Only a day had passed since then. ¡°Gyaaa! Waaaaahhh!¡± Uh oh, suddenly, my little sister started to cry! I quickly lifted her up, moving her around a little to calm her down. No dice! She¡¯s still crying! I checked her diaper. Nope, still dry. ¡°I think she¡¯s hungry, Mother." I told her. "Oh? I suppose she still hasn''t gotten her lunch yet. Here. Let me hold her.¡± I did as she told, giving the baby to her as gently as I could. She was still weak, so I had to bring the baby to her so she wouldn''t need to get up. As I did, Mother pulled down the neckline of her gown, exposing her bouncing breasts to the world. Hmm, was it just me or they had gotten even bigger? My little sister immediately stopped crying at the sight. Smiling, her little hands reached upwards towards said breasts. "Hehe, you really are hungry, aren''t you? Here. Have as much as you want, alright?" Mother brought the baby closer to her breasts. And in no time at all, she began sucking on her left nipple, drinking her milk like there was no tomorrow. I couldn''t help but stare. It was an oddly mesmerizing yet at the same time heartwarming sight. Now that I thought about it, I was never this close to my other little sister when she was born. Then again, I might just not remember, seeing how I wasn¡¯t seven years old like I was now back then. I was quite a lot younger. "Hmm? What''s the matter, Hugo? You want to drink your mother''s milk too? The other one is free, you know." She gave a tiny mischievous smirk as she cupped her right breasts. Oh, goddamnit, Mom! Please don¡¯t tease me like that! Even now, I can feel my face reddening from it. ¡°Aah, this really reminds me when you were still a baby yourself, Hugo.¡± She continued. ¡°You too would drink greedily like this, you know. In fact, you are even worse. You would use your other hand to play with my breast while you were drinking from the other one." A-ah, right, I did do that, didn''t I? W-well, you see, I just couldn''t control myself. What would you do if you''re faced with two beautiful, perky breasts that you could fondle and play and even drink from¡ªwithout the owner being mad at you, huh? Any man would do the same as I did! ¡°Only Marina was somewhat reserved about it. I suppose even as a baby, she was already more mature than you two,¡± she added with a smile. I suppose any mother would be fond of reminiscing about her kids when they were babies like this. ¡°Oh my, the left one seems to have run out. Here, honey. Have the right one.¡± Without pause, my little sister immediately started to drink from the right nipple instead. Damn, she really was hungry! ¡°Sorry Hugo, it seems you¡¯re not getting any after all.¡± ¡°M-Mom!¡± She clearly had fun teasing me like this! ¡°That¡¯s alright though. Once you two are older, you can just ask Sherry for her milk instead.¡± Immediately my mind went into overdrive. I imagined Sherry in a sexy negligee, laying down on the bed with me on top of her. She was older, and her body had turned just as curvy as Mother''s. Her beautiful long black hair was draped loosely all over the sheets, only increasing her sensuality.. Her eyes were upturned and her cheeks were a brilliant shade of red. There was no doubt about it. She wanted me, and she wanted me bad. ¡°N-now that our baby is sleeping, w-we can do it tonight, right? I-I know how much you like them, s-so h-here, I-I¡¯ll let you suck on them all you want¡­¡± She then unbuttoned her negligee, revealing the treasure that laid barely hidden underneath. I got closer to her, and with my hands around her, I lowered my head until¡ª ¡°Oh dear, to think that you would actually be fantasizing about her...¡± Mother¡¯s voice immediately jolted me out of my fantasy. ¡°N-no! T-that¡¯s not¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, Hugo. It¡¯s useless to try to hide anything from your mother, you know.¡± She giggled. ¡°You are your father¡¯s son after all. Having those kinds of desires to a girl is completely normal. Well, maybe you are a bit too young for that though¡­ I suppose in a way, like Marina, you are more mature than you look, at least in that department.¡± She started ruffling my hair with her right hand, while her left still held the baby. ¡°All I ask is for you to always be kind to her, alright? She likes you very much, but that just means that it''ll hurt even more to her if you betray her trust." "I-I''m not going to cheat on her, if that''s what you meant," I quickly protested. "I-I don''t like cheaters, you know! Cheaters are the scum of the earth!" I wasn''t lying. I really did despise guys who would go behind their girlfriends'' back to go after other girls. Utter riajuu scum. If I had actually been blessed enough to get a girlfriend, there''s no doubt that I would cherish and take care of her well. "Oh my sweet Hugo, of course you won¡¯t!¡± Mother let out another giggle. ¡°I didn¡¯t raise you that way after all. I know you wouldn¡¯t cheat on her. You¡¯re too kind for that.¡± ¡°Then, why did¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying that in the future, you would most certainly meet other girls that will like you the same way as Sherry does. No, don¡¯t give your Mother that look. I can tell. Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s a mother¡¯s womanly instinct, shall we?¡± She smirked a little. Oi oi oi I was still a seven year old boy, you know. Aren''t you thinking a bit too far ahead? Though if that''s true, then it certainly would be nice¡­ being popular with girls is certainly any guy''s dream! "Hehe, you like being popular, don''t you?" Dammit, I must have grinned like an idiot without realizing it! "Being popular is certainly nice, but it comes with a price. The girls that would be fond of you¡­ you would break their heart¡ªone by one, until you end up with the one that you spend the rest of your life with." As she said that, I noticed a sad, melancholic look on her face. Wait, don''t tell me that this was her personal experience?! "Alan¡ªyour father¡­ he broke a girl¡¯s heart when he decided to marry me me.¡± ¡°...It was Myrilla, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°...Ah, of course you¡¯d be smart enough to guess it right away.¡± With a forlorn look and a sigh, she began telling me all about her. ¡°She¡­ and your father¡­ they go a long while back. In fact, she was his very first companion.¡± That expression¡­ I could tell that she was jealous of that fact. ¡°For a couple of years they would travel together, with him being the swordsman and her being the mage. Maybe they would get additional members in their party occasionally, but nothing permanent. It was basically the ideal romantic journey. I imagined that people would automatically think they were already a couple, even though they weren¡¯t.¡± ¡°And then, they met me.¡± She let out a sigh again. The guilt in her eyes¡­ I could already imagine how this story would end. ¡°I became their permanent cleric. With me on their group, we three managed to reach the highest rank an adventurer could get. The famous S-rank. Our combination was quite impeccable. Your father would be on the front, taking most of the monsters¡¯ attention, Myrilla would be on the back, blasting them all with her magic, and I would act as support, healing him while making sure that none of the monsters got to Myrilla with my barriers.¡± She was smiling as she said all that. Those must be quite the happy times for her. ¡°Of course, as you already know, that didn¡¯t last forever. I proposed to your father, and he repricorated. The day that she caught us kissing passionately¡­ I could never forget the pained look on her expression.¡± ¡°Afterwards, our party was disbanded. Your father and I decided to settle here, while Myrilla continued on being an adventurer. We wished that we could stay in contact with her, but she kept moving around. Only recently that we got the rumor about her staying put in the Demon Continent. We had sent her several letters¡ªall requesting her to come here. Because we wanted to ask her about She¡ªah!¡± She abruptly stopped herself, putting her hand on her mouth. Of course, I didn¡¯t miss the name that she was just about to say. ¡°Sherry? What¡¯s wrong with Sherry, Mother?¡± She looked away and let out yet another sigh. ¡°She¡­ might not be human, Hugo.¡± I paused. I knew I should be surprised, but I always knew in the back of my head, that it was certainly a very real possibility. ¡°Not surprised, aren¡¯t you?¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s certainly difficult to think of her as just a normal girl when she¡¯s that strong at such a young age.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s not true, Mother! She might be strong but I always treat her as a normal girl! I don¡¯t care how strong she is!¡± All her cute tsundere reactions¡­ I certainly could never think of her as anything other than a girl. ¡°I don¡¯t care if she¡¯s a human or not! She¡¯s my friend, and that¡¯s that!¡± I put up my upset face. If she thought of separating us just because of that, well, she¡¯ll get one really upset boy coming to her. I saw a flash of surprise on her face. However, it quickly turned into a warm smile, before she patted me on the head. ¡°You really are one kind of a boy, Hugo. Now, let your mother and sister rest.¡± Before I noticed, the baby was already sleeping in her bosom. "Oh, and don''t tell Sherry about it, alright? We''re still not sure about it ourselves, so I wouldn''t want her to worry about it just yet." nodded. I could only imagine Sherry being devastated if this news reached her ears. She always hated being called a demon after all. If she discovered that there¡¯s even a slightest chance that she wasn¡¯t actually human¡­ I shook the thought out of my head. I¡¯d worry about it later, when that Myrilla person came and got a good look at her. For now, I just wanted to celebrate my little baby sister¡¯s birth. ---- A couple months had passed since Erika¡¯s birth¡ªwe named her that after some fierce arguments between Mother and Father. She grew up healthy and strong, to the point that she already had some hair on her head already. And they were golden, just like Mother''s. Naturally, I could already imagine her growing up to be this cute blonde loli that would call me ¡°Big Bro¡± over and over again! Ooh, I can¡¯t wait! Mary also stayed by the way. She helped around the house doing chores, giving Mother more time to take care of Erika. It seemed Mother had deemed her to not be a threat, even with her big boobs, as she was completely innocent in any matters regarding love or even any sexual stuff. Mother was well aware of her own womanly charms while she on the other hand didn¡¯t. That meant there was no chance of her flirting with her dear husband. Only she would have that right. Yep, it didn¡¯t take long until they started going at it again. I wondered if it¡¯s really healthy, having a baby in the same room as where you had your happy fun time. In the meantime though, I continued to train. I still hadn¡¯t given up yet on beating Sherry after all, even after I knew that she might not be a human. My old self might disagree, whining about how it was unfair before giving up entirely, but I wouldn''t. I still had more cards up my metaphorical sleeve after all. First, my summon, the High Fairy. Even if just for a short while, I could have her aid in fighting against Sherry. She would act as the mage, blasting her with water spells from a distance while I took the front and distracted Sherry. To do that, however, I needed more training. My style of fighting so far had been to dodge Sherry. If I was going to act as a tank, I needed a different set of spells. Argh, if only I could cast advanced level spells quicker, I can just use the elemental wall spells to protect me. In my current mastery of them, they were still too slow. Sherry could get to me before the spell could really manifest. "Gah, why can''t Big Sis return faster?!" Of course, I had mentioned this problem of mine through my letters to her. But instead of giving any straightforward answers, she just gave cryptic hints that pretty much told me to figure out the answer for myself. "You''re a boy, aren''t you? Then figure it out yourself. It''ll be unfair to Sherry if I told you right away how to beat her. I can imagine her working hard to not be surpassed by you. If you want to be her cool knight in shining armor, then work on it yourself," so she wrote. But that''s not fair! Father told her everything he knew on how to beat mages like me! And was it just me or her tone seemed to be a little on edge, even angry lately? She was really happy when I gave the good news that Mother was pregnant. But once I bombarded her with questions relating to magic and how I could beat Sherry, her tone slowly changed. Hmm, perhaps the classes there were getting tough on her. Maybe I really shouldn¡¯t be bugging her with my own problems like this. I remembered how in my old life, I would ignore my little sister every time she came to me for my attention. I thought of her as a nuisance, because she would cry at the slightest things and she would always demand to be included when I played with my friends. Maybe I was being a nuisance to Marina without me realizing it. Sorry Sis. Your little brother was still far from being independent after all. I¡¯d try to tone down my letters next time. Speaking of younger siblings being nuisances, Erika seemed to have ended up quite attached to me. Mother would complain that she would cry and refuse to calm down until I came over and held her, in which she would immediately give her angelic smile. The problem was, I was busy doing my training, so I couldn¡¯t be babysitting her for most of the day. On the other hand, she didn¡¯t seem to be that fond of Sherry. Maybe she knew instinctively that she wasn¡¯t really her actual, blood-related older sister. I felt bad for her. I could tell how much Sherry wanted to be liked by her. She couldn¡¯t hold her for long until she started crying. ¡°I-I suppose I¡¯m just too scary for a baby like her¡­¡± she said to me with a sad look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m a demon child after all¡­¡± She added with a bitter grin. My heart skipped a beat. I still hadn¡¯t told her how she could really be a non-human. If she already looked this sad now, how would she take the news when it hit her? ...No matter. If she got all mopey and depressed from it, I would be there to snap her out of it. Like a man, I would hug her and tell her that everything was fine, and that I still liked her as much as I always did, before I knew that she wasn¡¯t really of the same race as me. Then I would teach her to be proud of her heritage, no matter what it could be. Why would you be ashamed of being a nonhuman in a fantasy world anyways? Wouldn''t you be excited instead? Being human is boring, you know. If I had a choice, I would''ve chosen to be something cool like a dragonkin. Dragons are cool after all! I just wish that Myrilla would come sooner, just so we can know for sure. This is similar to when you wait nervously for the result of your tests to come while you are having your holiday. It¡¯s quite the terrible feeling, and definitely not holiday-ruining in the slightest. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t come, even until next summer, where Marina returned for her second summer holiday. ¡°Welcome back, Big Sis!¡± Just like last year, I greeted her with a tight hug the moment she got out of the carriage, burying my face in her chest. As expected, she had gotten taller, and her boobs had gotten bigger as well. Hehe, it would be nice if they would grow to be as large as Mother¡¯s! We all returned inside. Naturally, she immediately made a beeline to Erika. And unlike Sherry, Erika actually liked her! She laughed as she cooed and teased her. Watching her like this, I could already imagine her being a great mother in the future. I noticed Sherry looking dejected once more on the corner of my eyes though. Ouch. How could I make Erika like her as well? The next morning, I came forward to Marina, begging her to help me with my training, giving her my best puppy eyes in the process. Come on Sis, I¡¯m seriously at the end of my ropes here! She let out a long, weary sigh. I couldn¡¯t help but grin a little. My little brother charms won her over after all. I knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to resist if we met face to face like this! ----- A/N: Yay! Erika is born at last! Here¡¯s how she looks, and will look in the future. Also added the Marinabowl poll. Vol 1 Chapter 17: A Big Sister’s Jealousy… And A New Rival? Marina Urgh, stupid Hugo! Sherry this Sherry that! You¡¯ve stopped asking about your sister entirely and all that you care about now is her! Wow, Sherry¡¯s so amazing! She¡¯s so strong and fast! I want to beat her! How about your big sister, huh? Don¡¯t you think she¡¯s amazing too? Don¡¯t you want to beat her too?! Such were the thoughts that swarmed in my mind after I received yet another letter from my little brother. Lately, he had been sending more and more letters. But instead saying stuff like how much he missed me or asking me how my lessons went, now all he cared about was his magic training. Did he just think of me as his free tutor? Hmph! Yes, I was upset. I was jealous. The attention I used to be showered with¡ªnow he¡¯s giving it more to Sherry. Now, Sherry¡¯s a good girl. A completely fine one, in fact. She¡¯s cute, she¡¯s a hard worker, and she definitely cared for him. But I''m also cute, I''m also a hard worker, and I also care for him! So why is she the only one getting all the attention? Argh, this only worsened my already bad mood further. Why was I having such a bad mood, you might ask? To answer that, I would need to return back many months ago, when the news arrived. The news of Merinda Salamander¡¯s death. I was never really privy of the details, but apparently, she was taken off-guard by the necromancer girl and killed in the most cowardly manner. Something involving poison. I remembered how said necromancer girl was quite adept in alchemy. In fact, I believed she was the very best in the subject in her year. So I imagined using her alchemy, she had concocted a lethal poison that ended her life. When the news broke, there was naturally an uproar, not just in the academy, but outside as well. After all, Merinda was the granddaughter of one of the Council members. There were demands for the necromancer girl¡¯s family to be hanged for her crimes. However, it was soon discovered that she had no family left. All of them had perished in the plague that struck around fifteen years ago, leaving her a complete orphan. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The blame then fell to her alchemy teacher. At the very least, he wasn¡¯t executed. He was simply banished from the Magocracy. As for the already fired dark magic teacher, he actually got that punishment. Execution by lightning mages. I didn¡¯t know whether the Magocracy would send its agents to hunt after her beyond its borders, as I heard the necromancer had boarded a ship to cross the ocean. I suppose it would depend on how much the other Council members saw this incident as an affront to its authority. Not to mention her grandfather wanting revenge for his dead granddaughter. All I knew however was that Alincia was completely heartbroken by the whole ordeal. ----- I was present in her burial. In fact, everyone in the academy came. It was a massive funeral, and she was treated as if she was a fallen hero. I heard even the Council members came, though I didn¡¯t get a good look at any of them. It was only natural for a granddaughter of someone in such an important position would have a funeral as lavish as this one. Not to mention that it was also a funeral to her followers, who had come with her to chase after the necromancer. It wasn¡¯t just a single murder. To think that just one girl¡ªnot that far of age from me¡ªcould accomplish such a terrifying feat¡­ just how skilled she was in the acts of murder¡­ and how did she get the knowledge in the first place? Her eulogy was all good of course. No mention of bullying me or any other students. I didn¡¯t mind though. I wasn¡¯t even angry at her now. She was dead¡ªher lifeless corpse was going to be buried beneath the ground of this cemetery. Holding grudges to the dead just seemed silly, in my opinion. I left her a bouquet of flowers. And a little prayer, for her to be able to rest in peace. I have forgiven you. So you can rest now, Merinda Salamander. ---- With her gone, I immediately noticed a massive transformation in my academy life. The girls and boys that normally kept their distance away from me all this time¡ªnow they acted normal, even nice towards me. No longer would I have to wait until the teacher assigned me someone to work in a class project with. They would come to me on their own. There was only one thing. With Merinda gone, they were no longer afraid of befriending me. I was no longer the black sheep marked by her to be teased and tormented with. Sad to say, I couldn¡¯t really see them as other than acquaintances. You might think of me as arrogant, but I would never want cowardly friends like them that just quivered and bent their backs in front of a clear injustice. If it were my dear Hugo, he would have defended me from the start, of course. Speaking of the boys, some of them were clearly aiming for more than just friendship with me. I wasn¡¯t sure why. I wasn¡¯t particularly beautiful or anything. And I wasn¡¯t a wizard nobility either. One of them, however, was particularly consistent with it. He would hound me every day with his presence, asking for me to teach him magic or help with his homework. And to make matters worse, he actually reminded me of my dear Hugo. He was a Hobbit, you see. And if you knew how Hobbits worked, they couldn¡¯t really look older or get taller than a 10-year old human boy or girl. I knew better than to be persuaded by his boyish charms however. Before Merinda died, he was actually her fiance. They were already scheduled to marry the moment they graduated. He too belonged to a powerful wizarding family. Unlike Merinda, it was his grandmother who sat on the Council. For him to suddenly approach me like this, there must be some ulterior motive behind it. And I believed I might have an idea on what it could be. Magic bloodline preservation. The prominent theory of magic inheritance stated that a marriage between two powerful mages would produce children with even greater talent in magic. That was why children of powerful wizarding families would only marry other children from equally powerful wizarding families. With Merinda gone however, I might have actually become the most talented mage in the entire academy. I assumed that he, or to be more accurate¡ªhis grandmother, most likely¡ªdecided that he had to marry me instead, and produce powerful heirs that would make even greater mages to expand the influence of their family. His grandmother was a gnome, and just from that, you could already expect that his family, the Marjoram, to be quite the unconventional one, at least compared to the other wizarding families. Most of the folks there seemed to care about the title and respect of being part of the ruling families, so they would only marry their children to other ruling families. But the Marjoram, they seemed to welcome marriage outside of the family, or outright leaving the Magocracy together to become adventurers and such. His uncle was one such person. He married a demoness when he travelled to the demon continent, and ever since then, he had lived there. And he wasn¡¯t disowned for that. Perhaps the demoness he married had powerful magic abilities that satisfied the grandmother. And of course, her daughter, who also was a gnome, ended up marrying a hobbit, and that led to her grandson becoming a hobbit, inheriting the genes of his father. There was no such thing as a half-gnome half-hobbit, only which blood was more dominant, and that would be the one who got inherited. I could imagine her not being so pleased that her grandson was a hobbit instead of a gnome. The latter tend to be more attuned to magic after all. Vera Marjoram, the legendary Ice Snake Witch. She earned that title after she overthrew and destroyed one of the ruling mage families and replaced them with her own. It was a victory not just done through her impressive feat in magic, but also through politicking with the other families. Before they knew it, a gnome was already amongst them, sharing the same table in the Council. That never occured in the entire history of the Magocracy, ever since it was founded by Mira a thousand years ago. With that kind of person scheming in the shadows, I knew that her grandson was not to be trusted either. He never really liked me as a person. He simply wanted my womb for his seeds. That¡¯s all. If only he didn¡¯t remind me so much of Hugo, I wouldn¡¯t be this annoyed with him. And Hugo himself didn¡¯t help matters, as lately he had been asking all sorts of things about magic, just like him. All that for Sherry¡­ he really is fond of her that much, huh? I sighed. I knew I shouldn¡¯t be selfish, wanting to monopolize him all for myself. He¡¯s growing up after all. He¡¯s already seven now this year. Before I knew it, he would already be a fully grown man. And then he would have a lover for real. He would coddle her and give her all his attention. And knowing him, he would definitely have a lot of fun with her in bed as well. He would have no time whatsoever for his older sister anymore. And if this continues¡­ Sherry would definitely be that lover¡­ Aah, it would be nice if I can have my own lover too... ---- ¡°Hey, Marina! Surprise hug!¡± As I was returning back to the dorms from my classes, I was suddenly assaulted from behind by a familiar redheaded little girl. ¡°Oh, Alincia. You almost gave me a heart attack there.¡± I smiled, turning around to face her. After her sister¡¯s death, we had grown much closer than before. It all started when one night, as I was just about to sleep, she suddenly came to me with tears in her eyes, demanding that I would sleep with her. I obliged. I would be cruel and heartless not to do so. She cried herself to sleep that night, dampening my nightgown considerably with her tears. But I didn¡¯t mind in the slightest. Instead, I told her to let it all out. Without her sister, it seemed I was the only one that she could pour her heart and soul to. I then learned the horrible state of her family, about how her father and mother had eloped when they were young, leaving them to be raised by their absurdly strict and demanding grandfather. As the first daughter, Merinda received the most pressure from him, as he wanted her to be his successor, and not to become like his useless daughter who had run away. He demanded her to be able to cast at least three Master-level spells before she graduated, and to be the number one student in all subjects. It was clear to me then why she became a bully in the first place. Anyone would snap if put under such pressure. If only I had known, then perhaps I could have eased her burden a little. And so, ever since that night, I treated Alincia as a true friend. Perhaps even more, as I started to see her as a little sister of sorts. Quite ironic, considering that back home, I actually had an actual little sister. ¡°Good afternoon, Big Sis Marina!¡± Our moment was interrupted however when the hobbit boy I was talking about made his appearance. He was about as tall as Hugo, but with a black hair instead. And of course, like most Hobbits, he was barefooted. He seemed to have shaved his feet though. Hobbits¡¯ feet were usually hairy after all. ¡°Do you have anything to do for the weekend? Then how about you come to my house? I promise we¡¯ll have all sorts of delicious food there!¡± he said with his usual easygoing smile. ¡°Hey, get lost, hobbit boy! Marina has already promised to go to town with me! She got no time for the likes of you!¡± As usual, Alincia immediately showed her dislike towards him. She could get away with all sorts of rude comments towards him, thanks to her status. Not that he seemed to mind any of them though. ¡°Oh, Alincia! You can come too if you want!¡± ¡°Hmph, who wants to come to your house?¡± She showed her tongue towards him. She really was still a kid after all. ¡°Also, how many times have I told you to stop calling Marina like that?¡± She¡¯s not your big sister! You¡¯re the same age as her! Stop pretending to be younger than you really are, just to seduce her with your boyish looks!¡± I sighed. Alincia still thought that I had a preference towards younger boys, just because of my attachment towards Hugo. The hobbit boy, however, opted to ignore the young mage entirely, resuming his talk with me instead. ¡°Grandma wants to meet you, you know! You know who she is, right? No one would ever miss the chance to meet with her personally!¡± There it was¡ªhis grandmother making a move towards me. No doubt she would try to befriend me and influence me to marry her grandson in the future. ¡°I am sorry, Tom.¡± I told him with a calm yet serious look. ¡°I already promised Alincia that I will go with her.¡± He didn¡¯t respond immediately. Instead, he switched his strategy, giving me the saddest, most pathetic puppy-eyes that he could muster. I flinched. Even though I already encountered this strategy a few times before, it still made my heart ache. He really was adorable when he did so, and he immediately made me guilty for rejecting his offer. I quickly regained my composure however, keeping my cold expression towards him. "Well, that''s a shame¡­" He looked away with a defeated look. "Grandma is looking forward to your visit too¡­" "So, how about next week instead?" He grinned. I could only sigh once more. Thomas Marjoram, or Tom for short. He was the grandson of the infamous Vera Marjoram, the Ice Snake Witch. Just like his grandmother, he wasn¡¯t the kind of person that would give up quickly. No matter how many times I rejected him or gave a cold shoulder towards him, he would come back with that same cheery smile like I was really his older sister. It was honestly somewhat unnerving, especially since I knew the smile was most likely just a front he put up for me to lower my defenses. In the end however, I never took any of his invitations. I managed to resist until the very end, until it was time for me to return back home at the end of my second year. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but be nervous about the matter. Eventually, people like that would drop their pretence of civility and become more forceful in making me do what they wanted. If his grandmother asked me to come in an official manner, I imagined there would be nothing that I could do to reject her invitation. Well, I put the matter on the back of my head. No sense in thinking about academy stuff when you¡¯re having your holiday after all. Aaah, I can¡¯t wait to see little Erika! I bet she¡¯s even cuter than Hugo when he¡¯s a baby! With those thoughts in my mind, I took the long carriage ride back home. ---- Just like last year, I was greeted by a hug from my little brother Hugo. Now this was what I wanted¡ªa genuine love and affection, not a false one like that hobbit peddled. I hugged him tightly back, taking a big sniff of his nostalgic scent. If it¡¯s him, I could cuddle and hug him as much as I wanted after all. I then got to see my little baby sister, Erika. And my heart nearly melted from the sheer adorableness that she exuded. She''s like an angel! My little angel! Aaw, look at her reaching out to my chest! Sorry, Erika, but if you¡¯re hungry, you have to go to Mother¡¯s instead. The next day, Hugo asked me to help him with his magic training. Naturally, I had expected this. It was all he talked about after all. It wouldn¡¯t be Hugo if he just gave up midway through. Instead of just obliging right away though, I felt I had to act a little selfishly towards him first. ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s all you care about, don¡¯t you? Sherry this, Sherry that¡ªyou don¡¯t even ask about me anymore in your letters!¡± I said with a huff, looking away from him as I folded my arms under my chest. I knew that it was childish and unreasonable, and that there was no way Hugo had stopped caring about me like I insinuated. But I felt I had to let it out, or else the feeling would just fester inside my heart like poison that would taint my relationship with him and with Sherry even more. And besides, it¡¯s always fun to see Hugo¡¯s panicked expression. To my surprise however, instead of furiously making excuses for himself and denying my accusation, he instead gave me a heart-piercingly sad expression on his little face. ¡°S-sorry Sis, I-I¡¯ve been a bother, haven¡¯t I?¡± He looked down. ¡°I kept asking you all those questions yet I never asked about how you¡¯re getting by, so far away from home at the academy on your own¡­¡± T-that expression¡­ I-I couldn¡¯t bear it anymore! It was far different from the puppy eyes that hobbit liked to pull off on me! This was the real deal! To ignore it would be to stab my own heart with a knife! I immediately rushed over and gave him a deep hug, apologizing for teasing him like that. I really can¡¯t win against my cute little brother after all¡­ ---- A/N: I¡¯ve been thinking about the third harem member and my current urge is to make her the proud warrior type kind of character. Maybe an archer of sorts. Any ideas? And here¡¯s how our new hobbit boy looks. Vol 1 Chapter 18: A Little Brother’s Love And just like that, I was able to make Marina help me with my training. Honestly, I was taken by surprise when she suddenly announced how much she¡¯s jealous of me from talking about Sherry in my letters. Well, I did remember how I kept praising how strong and amazing she was. I thought she would be glad to hear that Sherry was advancing really well in her lessons. And yes, I did indeed not ask about her wellbeing¡ªat least, not as much as I used to. I thought my letters were getting pretty long and I would bore her if I wrote too much. Not to mention that in her letters, she already started to mention her friend. Alincia, if I remembered correctly? Well, that¡¯s only one but it¡¯s progress nonetheless. I hoped with her around, she wouldn¡¯t feel as lonely there. I never knew that she could be this jealous towards Sherry however. I thought as she grew older, her bro-con attitude towards me would lessen. Apparently not. Now I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little worried towards her future. She would need to get a boyfriend one day and start her own family without me after all. It wasn¡¯t all just acting though¡ªthe sad expression I just made. I indeed felt guilty of bothering her like that, especially since now I knew that she viewed my training as just an attempt for me to impress Sherry. She¡¯s not wrong though. There¡¯s certainly a part of me that wanted that. A pretty significant part, in fact. However, after a certain revelation I just received, the reason for my training had transformed entirely. Marina had told me about the necromancer incident in her letters, and how it led to the death of several important seniors. I didn¡¯t know why they decided sending a bunch of students, even if they were in their last year, to chase after a criminal dark mage was a good idea. Perhaps it¡¯s because the criminal herself was also a senior in her last year. Not to mention how the leader of the student group was apparently already a Master-level mage, which meant she could already graduate. So she¡¯s just like Marina, huh? And then, I realized something horrible. A mage at the level of Marina, with several of her friends that weren¡¯t slouches in magic either, were all killed by a single necromancer. And she wasn¡¯t even a Master-level mage, or so Marina told me. It meant that if it were Marina who had led those students, she would¡¯ve lost her life as well. All this time, I had thought of her as nearly invincible. She was so good at magic that no one could ever hurt her. And yet, it still happened. A mage the same level as she was had been murdered. By a mage that by all right should be weaker than her. A chilling fear appeared on the back of my head. What if Marina ended up the same way? What if, even with all her knowledge in magic, she could not prevent her own death? In her letter, she said that they had been killed in a ¡°cowardly¡± way. I could just imagine it¡ªmy big sister, while sleeping in her room, was stabbed with a dagger right on her heart. Or something like poison. That¡¯s a coward¡¯s way of killing to be sure. Just sneak in a drop to her drink or food and she would be dead without a single drop of blood being spilled. This world was nothing like the RPGs I used to love playing. There were no save points. No do-overs. And certainly no status screens and levels that guaranteed someone much stronger couldn¡¯t be killed by someone much weaker. With enough trickery and guile, it could be accomplished. Sherry was the same way. No matter how monstrous her strength was, if she were to be caught off-guard, she would perish the same way. ...There was only one thing that I could do. I had to become stronger. If we three ever became a party of adventurers, I couldn¡¯t just let them to most of the work. They would be times that they needed my help, and if I couldn¡¯t deliver then, their lives would be at stake. If any of them died under my watch¡­ well, I would never be able to forgive myself. Heh, knowing my weak and pathetic self, I would most likely end up killing myself once again as I drowned in my own sense of regret and guilt. And that¡¯s why¡­ that¡¯s why I had to keep my training up. At the very least, I wanted to be equal to them¡ªthe superhuman swordswoman and the genius mage. ---- ¡°Tell me, Hugo. What do you think is the most important thing for a mage in a fight?¡± Marina asked me with a smile, beginning the lesson. We were now on the hill where we had always trained all this time. ¡°Hmm¡­ time? To cast their spells?¡± ¡°Correct! 100 points!" As usual, she''s really good at this teaching thing. "Then, Hugo. How would you give yourself that time in combat, as a mage?" "Well, I could put a distance between me and my enemy. Maybe use faster spells to create environmental hazards that could delay the enemy further from coming closer. Oh, you can trip their feet too!" I answered with a grin. "Hmm¡­ a disappointing 60 points. No wonder you still can''t beat Sherry," she replied with a smirk. Ouch. That hurt. She destroyed my confidence just like that. "First of all, that wouldn''t work against a ranged enemy. And don''t just think they''re only archers and the like. Any swordsman worth their salt can also attack from a distance. You already saw Sherry doing it, right?¡± Yep. I saw it alright. "So, what am I supposed to do then?¡± I replied. I was starting to get exasperated. Without realizing it, my tone was starting to get pouty. Well, I suppose it¡¯s natural for a kid my age, but as an adult, it would certainly make me look pathetic. And I didn¡¯t want that, of course. Especially not in front of my big sister. Thankfully, Marina didn¡¯t seem to mind it in the slightest. ¡°What you¡¯re supposed to do is think harder.¡± She put her index finger on her temple. ¡°That is not the only way to buy time to cast your spells. First, there¡¯s the obvious solution of just having someone else fight on the frontlines. Someone, or something, if you get what I mean.¡± ¡°You mean, using a summon?¡± I answered. ¡°Yep! Like this big guy here! Come forth, my loyal Owlbear!¡± W-whoa! I quickly backed away as Marina had apparently decided it was a good idea to cast a summoning spell before warning me first. The summoning circle that appeared was large¡ªlarger than the ones I had seen before. I immediately knew that this was a big one, that she had obtained an even greater summon this past year. ¡°Graaaaaaoorrrr!¡± I fell down on my butt. It was a miracle I didn''t wet myself on the spot. It was a gigantic purplish owl-bear hybrid, far bigger than me or Marina or even Father. It towered over me. It was right there, not even three meters away. When it appeared, it let out a roar right onto my face. My poor ears were still ringing from that! Oh God, it¡¯s sniffing me now! S-Sis, you already tame this guy, right? ¡°Oh Hugo, don¡¯t be afraid,¡± she said with a giggle. ¡°This owlbear is actually quite friendly, you know. That roar is just his way of greeting people.¡± S-since when she¡¯s a lover of gigantic owl-bear chimeras?! Her summons previously were all cutesy stuff. But now, it¡¯s a straight up monster! A-argh, stop licking me! ¡°Hehe, I see he likes you, Hugo!¡± She ruffled one of its front arms. ¡°How about it? You wanna try riding on top of him?¡± ¡°N-no thanks!¡± ---- As I calmed down, Marina explained that the owlbear was also part of the Fey, just like the fairy and dryad she had summoned before. However, unlike the fairies and dryads, it didn¡¯t really have enough intelligence to be able to talk and communicate like them. By all purposes, it was just a normal monster, though as all Fey were, they couldn¡¯t truly die, as when they lost their life, they would just be reborn back in Fey lands, though with a decrease in power. "And he''s a perfect example of a summon you can use on the front line. Big, bulky, and threatening enough that the enemy couldn''t just ignore it and attack you instead," Marina explained. "But I can''t summon something as amazing and strong as that, Sis! I only got the high fairy! And you never gave me the chance to learn more summons on my own!" I pouted again. This time however, it''s intentional. Knowing that Marina definitely had a weakness towards cute young boys like me, I thought it might pay off, acting spoiled like this, so that she would finally be willing to lend me one of her summoning books. ¡°Hmm, perhaps it¡¯s time for you to learn a new summon after all. Alright! We¡¯ll get working on that later!¡± she answered with a smile. I sighed. Yep, still no intention of lending any of those books, I see. Afterwards, she dispelled the owlbear, though not before giving him a large piece of meat first (that it swallowed in a single bite by the way). Like last year where she brought out my present, she used that spatial storage spell thing to make it appear out of thin air. I imagined it also came with a preserving effect, as the meat certainly still looked fresh to me. After receiving his meat, he cooed happily before disappearing (wait, he could make that kind of noise?). Honestly, I think the whole reason he got summoned in the first place was because Marina wanted to stealthily brag to me about him. Alright. Fine. I¡¯ll give you the praise you so desperately crave, my ever so lovable big sister. "That was amazing, Sis! You really are a magic genius!" Ha, I knew it! She immediately smiled ear-to-ear after I said that! ¡°You¡¯re not getting any extra points by flattering me, you know!¡± She ruffled my hair, but still with that same glee on her face. Oh Sis, you really can¡¯t fool me! ¡°Alright. Now summoning¡¯s out of the way, we can talk next about pre-prepared magic. Do you know what that is, Hugo?¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s about how you can prepare a spell beforehand to be activated instantaneously later on, right? Using magic circles and runes that you¡¯ll draw to the surface?¡± I had read about it in my magic books, though I never got around to really trying it out. Honestly, the diagrams displayed in those chapters just made my head spin. And Marina never really tried them out either. ¡°Correct! Another 100 points for you!" "I don''t think I want to use that though¡­ it''ll be unfair to her, I feel¡­ in combat, you use them like traps, right? So you lure the enemy into the circle and then bam! You activate the spell! I dunno. That feels like cheating to me¡­" Marina paused before giving me an understanding smile. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I suppose it is. It''s basically just a spar after all. However¡ª" Her expression suddenly turned serious. "¡ªIn a real fight, there''s no such thing as being unfair. There are many cunning and unscrupulous bad people out there that would use any method to achieve their goal, no matter how dirty it is. You remember my story about the necromancer?" I nodded. How could I forget? "She is one such person. Apparently, the way she killed those seniors was through a particularly powerful alchemical poison. She didn''t bother facing them in a mage vs mage combat. She took advantage of their pride and took their life with the best tool that she had. Her alchemy." Ah, that''s right. I remember her writing how she had the best grade in the subject in the entire academy. An alchemist/necromancer. An intriguing combination to be sure. Marina''s expression suddenly turned somber, and she looked away from me as she continued her tale. "Their leader, Merinda¡ªshe used to be my tormentor, you know," she said with a wry smile. "She would do all sorts of unpleasant things to me, from humiliating me in public by lifting up my skirt with a wind spell or making my dress wet by a water spell or even stripping me of my clothes altogether. And occasionally, if she¡¯s in a particularly bad mood, she would even hurt me, to the point of making me bleed. Nothing that I couldn''t heal on my own, fortunately enough." I froze. The thought that I had stored in the back of my mind for so long suddenly resurfaced, hitting me straight at my chest. I was right. She was bullied after all. My face immediately contorted as I listened to her tale. First of all, doing that to a girl, even if you¡¯re a girl yourself? Not cool. Not cool at all! I can¡¯t imagine the sheer embarrassment Marina must feel when it happened to her! A pantyshot is one thing but outright stripping her off her clothes? That¡¯s deplorable! I just hope that she still had her underwear on when that happened! And that still doesn¡¯t count all the perverts that must take joy in seeing her in that state. I don¡¯t care if they¡¯re ten or eleven year old boys! I was already aware of girls at that age back in my old life! And with how you¡¯re considered an adult at fifteen in this world, they must have matured even more than the kids back in my world. Grr, to think that a bunch of brats got to see my precious big sister half-naked¡­ how dare they? I never even got such a chance! I¡¯ve sworn to become a gentleman after all, so I never tried to peek when she took her baths. And whenever her dress blew up, I would always avert my gaze! And when she talked about how that Merinda girl would actually dare to hurt her to the point that she bleeds from it, my blood boiled. Never before I felt this kind of anger. My palms were immediately formed into fists, and my body was starting to shake from the sheer rage that I was feeling. In my mind, I imagined my big sister Marina, slapped and punched and pushed and even kicked while she was on the ground. Blood leaked out of her wounded forehead, and her face was completely black and blue. Of course, at the time, I didn¡¯t really know whether it really was that bad or not. But my mind immediately went to the worst possible conclusion. After all, I had been in a similar position in my previous life. She¡¯s far stronger than me though. She wouldn¡¯t cry like I did, or lower her head and beg for forgiveness to the bullies, no matter what happened. And she certainly wouldn¡¯t soil herself either. When she finished, there was only a single question in my mind. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?! O-Or tell Father a-and Mother?!" I shouted. Without realizing it, my eyes had turned watery, and I started to cry. ¡°...Because there¡¯s nothing you or them can do to help. She''s part of the ruling class there. If I were treated terribly by the Princess of Marchen herself for example, would you still be running to her and ''put her in her place'', as I imagine you would?" "Yes, I would! No one treats Big Sis like that and gets away with it!" I didn''t even think. I answered just as soon as she finished her hypothetical question. I was done letting me or anyone I cared about be stepped on by anyone, no matter how powerful they were. "Hmm? Even if the king would execute you afterwards?" "I won''t get executed! I will save you and leave this country forever afterwards!" "But if you do that, then Father and Mother and even Sherry might be the ones who get executed, you know?" "Then we''ll all leave! I-I''ll work if we don''t have the money!" "That''s quite selfish, isn''t it? Just because of me, our whole family will have to¡ª" "There''s nothing selfish about it! Letting your family helps you¡ªit''s not selfish in the slightest! And don''t you dare think otherwise!" At this point, I was panting. I was completely out of breath. I had been yelling all this time after all. Marina wore a shocked expression on her face. Of course she would. This was the very first time I had ever gotten this angry¡ªangry at that bully, for tormenting my sister, angry at Marina, for seemingly just accepting it and hiding it from me, and most of all, angry at myself, for not being able to do anything to help her. But then, that expression soon softened, and I noticed a few tears trailing down her eyes. Without a word, she gave me a hug. ¡°Oh Hugo¡­ how fortunate I am to have a little brother like you¡­¡± I could hear her sniffling. Now that I thought about it, this was the very first time I had ever seen her cry. ¡°I promise¡­ I¡¯ll never keep anything from you ever again¡­ so please, forgive this big sister of yours¡­¡± ¡°T-there¡¯s nothing to feel sorry about, Sis! I just¡­ I just want to help you¡­ the same way you¡¯ve been helping me all this time¡­¡± If only¡­ if only I could tell her of my past life¡­ But she¡¯ll think of me as crazy if I did. She¡¯ll never believe such an outlandish story. Not to mention that my old self¡­ wasn¡¯t exactly someone I could be proud of. Not in the slightest. No matter how kind she is, she''ll never be able to like a perverted, overweight loser who constantly masturbates to anime porn. I¡­ I don¡¯t want her to stop loving me like this after all¡­ This warmth¡­ I¡¯ve yearned for it for so long that it would break my heart and spirit if she ever turns to hate me. Heh, I am still a selfish human being, in the end... Sorry, Sis. Even though you just said you would be completely honest with me, I still kept secrets from you¡ªsecrets that I would no doubt carry to my grave. ---- A/N: Finally! The truth is revealed! And more Hugo-Marina bonding moments! I do hope it¡¯s not too cheesy. Also, the owlbear. Vol 1 Chapter 19: The Sword Girl and The Mage Boy Sherry And here I was again, facing him like this. He had a really confident grin on his face too. Marina must have taught him some new magic to defeat me. She¡¯s really clever at that stuff after all, unlike me, who can¡¯t do any magic at all. Hugo had tried a couple of times to teach me, but I couldn¡¯t do even the basic elementary-level spells. All I could do was to swing my sword hard and fast. Harder and faster than Hugo or Marina could. In that sense, I was similar to Hugo¡¯s father¡ªa raw and pure swordsman, with no other ability to his belt. I wish I could use magic though. Just so I could be closer to Hugo. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Everytime he went away to practice his magic, I always secretly wished that I could follow him and train together with him. Lately, he hadn¡¯t been practicing his swordplay after all, with me and his father. He was completely focused in his own training that I couldn¡¯t quite understand. But I suppose that¡¯s just how a mage was supposed to train. Marina must have taught him his training method. And all that, just so he could protect me. That idiot. Doesn''t he get it that I''d rather have him spend more time with me? I don''t care if he''s weaker than me. I''ll be the one to protect him. A mage like him should just sit back while a swordswoman like me keeps him of harm''s way. I should''ve said that to his face, instead of getting charmed by him and giving him a kiss on the lips. After that day, he continued his training, until our second match where I won pretty handily. I thought it would be enough, that he would abandon this nonsense about getting stronger than me. Instead, it only made him train even harder. A couple more times we had our spar, with me still winning every time. And I only came out feeling bad from it. And yet, he still worked and trained as hard as ever. I couldn''t understand. Why didn''t he give up or feel any sense of despair from his constant defeat? I would''ve given up if I were in his position. And then, it came to me. He wasn''t just kind. He was also strong-willed. He would not give up on his goal even after suffering numerous setbacks on the way. And I admired him for it His father was right. This was good for him after all. And I was right to hold my tongue and not tell him to give up. I would betray his determination if I had. At first, I thought it was because of his ego, that he didn''t want a girl to be stronger than him. It made me upset, to the point that I wanted to punch him right on his stupid face. But with how determined he was, relentlessly training himself for months on end, I knew that was far from the truth. He wasn''t doing it just because of a stupid boyish pride. He was doing it truly because he cared about me. And that made me happy beyond belief. For me, who had never been loved this much before, it was truly like a dream come true. He really is my Prince in Shining Armor¡­ Even so, as I stared across the field at him, I had no intention of taking it easy on him. I would just be insulting him if I did. "Ready?" I heard Hugo''s father starting the countdown. "Set¡­" I bent my body forward, gripping my sword tighter. It¡¯s a real sword now, made out of steel. Hugo¡¯s father gave it to me just this month, as he felt I was ready for it. "Go!" I launched myself forward, right towards him. Using my leg strength, I could jump far, enough to cross half of the field in a single second. He responded by conjuring a wall made out of earth to block my path. I believed it was an advanced-level spell that he had trained to be able to cast quickly. Nothing that I couldn''t handle though. "Hyaah!" With a single swing, I split the wall apart. Only to find that he was no longer behind it. ¡°Where did he¡ª¡± ¡°Air Sunder!¡± Above! He was above me all along! He must have jumped there with his wind spell when I was distracted by the wall! Quickly, I moved my sight upward, raising my sword so I would be able to block his incoming spell. However, it wasn¡¯t just a normal wind spell. It was an Advanced-level one. Even me, with my strength, couldn¡¯t withstand its sheer power. My feet lost their grip on the ground and I was thrown away by it. G-gah! He really is getting stronger and stronger everytime we fight! I was happy, but at the same time, I didn¡¯t want to lose either. I quickly recovered, standing up on my feet in no time at all. And, just as I predicted, he didn¡¯t let up in the slightest. He now conjured a blast of cold right at my direction, no doubt intending to freeze me with it, thus sealing his victory. From the power, I imagined it was another Advanced-level spell he was throwing at me. Naive! I¡¯ll show him a new technique I just learned recently! With a confident grin, I moved my sword backwards near my left hip. I waited patiently for the cold blast to come closer, just like Hugo¡¯s father instructed me. And then, right on the perfect moment, I swung it horizontally, with a power and speed that you couldn¡¯t even see the sword moving. The cold blast was blown away by my strike¡ªicicles flying on all directions as the spell dissipated entirely. I took notice of Hugo¡¯s surprised expression. I couldn¡¯t help but smirk. I immediately jumped again towards him, not wanting to let this opportunity go to waste. This time, he was much closer to me. There would be no time for him to cast another Advanced-level spell. Only for a giant hand made out of rock to suddenly pop out from the ground and hold me from behind. ¡°W-what? B-but how¡ª¡± My question was immediately answered, as another figure appeared in front of him, forming out of a mud puddle that he had been standing behind. She had the appearance of a small child, wearing a green and brown coat and hat. She had long, brown hair that reached down to her waist, and the coat¡¯s collar was tall enough to cover her mouth, I could immediately tell that she wasn¡¯t a human, from the pointed ears that she had, if the whole forming-from-mud thing wasn''t obvious enough. Another figure popped up. This time, she stood on top of his head. Ah, I remembered this one. It was his high fairy. I see it now. This little girl is his new summon. He had brought them up and I didn''t even notice. The rock hand gripped me even tighter, sending a surge of pain all over my body. I could tell that it was the new summon who was controlling it. It was not enough to stop me however. "Aaarghh!" With all my strength, I pushed away the hand from my body. It shattered, and a flash of surprise was drawn on the girl''s face. "Hyaah! Take this, you stupid human!" The high fairy fired off a water spell, which I promptly dodged by just a simple sidestep. Heh, too slow, little one. Too slow. I quickly pivoted myself, aiming to close my distance with Hugo once again. He smartly had jetted away using his wind spell, putting more gap between us, using his summons to buy time. Tch, how annoying. Fine! You want to run away! Then I¡¯ll go after your summons instead! I turned to face the high fairy, earning an ¡°Eeeekkk!¡± from her. ¡°G-go away, scary human!¡± Were all fairies this cowardly? The other one, however, simply returned my glare with a neutral, almost uncaring expression on her face. Now this one seemed to be the more dependable amongst the two. Which meant that I had to take care of her first. ¡°K-kyah!¡± I suddenly felt what seemed to be a pair of hands holding my feet in place. I looked down, and there were indeed a pair of hands made up of mud doing so. It¡¯s her working again! I quickly tried to shake them off, only to find that my feet were also slowly sinking to the earth! ¡°Hehe, good job, earth fairy! We got her right where we wanted her!¡± The high fairy cheered, her fear seemingly had vanished entirely. Meanwhile, my legs continued to sink into the muddy earth. It was a truly unpleasant feeling as I could feel the mud slowly creep into the crevices of my shoes. ¡°Alright, you stupid human! Prepare to be humiliated!¡± The high fairy pointed at me. ¡°This is what you get for bullying my master!¡± Bullying? I had no idea what she was talking about. I was glad that the little fairy was stupid enough to gloat around instead of actually attacking me and finishing me off (Hugo, you really needed better summons). It gave me enough time to free myself from the mud trap, by stabbing my sword to the ground, creating a below ground explosion that sent both me and the mud flying away from each other. It ended up raining mud, dirtying both me and the two summoned Fey with it. ¡°Aaah, stupid human! Now I¡¯m all sticky!¡± The earth fairy seemed to take it well, naturally, but the spring fairy was clearly disgusted by her current condition. ¡°Ptch.¡± I spat out some mud that managed to enter my mouth. I too was disgusted, but in a fight, getting dirty was only to be expected. I didn¡¯t realize that I had let my guard down. From behind, I felt a wave of searing pain entering my body, causing every nerve in my body to jolt in shock. For a split second, I lost my consciousness, before regaining it back once my face already touched the ground. And then, I felt it¡ªcold steel being placed on the back of my neck. I looked up, and saw Hugo¡¯s exhausted yet smiling face. He had won. ---- Hugo I-I can¡¯t believe it! I-I won! I-I just won against Sherry! That was tough! Really tough! So many things could¡¯ve gone wrong! I was just lucky that it went that way! First, my Air Sunder spell didn¡¯t do enough damage to her as I wanted. She was indeed sent flying, but she recovered quickly, jumping back up right after her back touched the ground. Wow, I couldn¡¯t have done that for sure! I quickly shifted gear. Using the time I just made for myself, just like Marina had taught me, I cast a Cold Blast spell. Unlike the wind spell from before, I didn¡¯t prioritize speed over power. I wanted it to be as strong as possible, as I wanted it to immobilize her completely. I underestimated her. Even with a longer charging time, my spell was completely deflected, just by a single swing of her sword. Amazing! No doubt it¡¯s a new technique Father had taught her! Guess I have to bring out my summons after all. Unlike normal spells, you could perform summoning spells in a pretty fast manner. Marina explained how the pact you made with the beings on the other side acted similarly to a pre-casted spell, meaning you pretty much only activated the spell, not weaving the spell itself every time you wanted to use it. Of course, I had instructed and trained the two beforehand on what to do, especially with Miss Little Earth Fairy, who I believed would be a key to my victory. ---- As she had promised, Marina helped me obtain another summon, specifically one that might help me in my fight against Sherry. She gave me several options, and at first, I tried getting the cool ones, like the giant wolf or deer or even an eagle. But none of them were willing to make a pact with me. Or, to be more exact, I couldn¡¯t really finish the challenges they gave to me. Marina said that a Fey tend to make the requirements of a pact harder if they didn¡¯t like the summoner, so I hoped it wasn¡¯t me that was bad¡ªit was them who intentionally gave impossible challenges. The wolf demanded that I rode him, but after ten times of being thrown off his back like I was nothing, he left, saying that I bored him. The deer wanted me to chase him through the forest, but after our race started, I ended up losing his tracks completely. The eagle, on the other hand, wanted me to chase him to the skies. I tried doing so with my Wind Step, but he just laughed and sent me flying back down with a mighty gust generated by his wings. In the end, I had to settle with a fairy yet again. She was an Earth Fairy, or to be more exact, an Earth Sprite. Sprites didn''t have wings like their more common fairy sisters. I met her while she was swimming around inside what could only be described as a lake of mud. It was honestly quite the bizarre scene to see, especially since the mud was thick yet she could swim through it like it was water. Jiiiiiiiii~ She gave me a stare when she took notice of my presence. She didn''t approach me however. Unlike the spring fairy, she seemed to be the reserved, shy type. Guess I have to be the one to come to her. I paused, looking at the mud lake again. I didn''t know how deep it was, or even if I could really swim through it. I could end up being sucked in to the bottom, due to how soft yet thick the mud was. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I bravely entered the lake, recoiling at the disgusting feeling I felt from the act. It was all sticky and gooey. Urgh, I immediately felt a strong urge to take a bath. Using my Earth magic, I hardened the mud under my boots, helping me to cross faster. I could''ve just flown above it with Wind Step, of course, but from when my eyes met with the sprite, I knew that if I did that, I would¡¯ve failed her test. Yes, I believed the test was for me to drudge through all this mud to get to where she was. As an Earth Sprite, she would want to make a pact with someone who could like her mud, or so I believed. It was a grueling hour long process, with me up on my neck in mud. She didn¡¯t just wait for me in the middle. She would actually move around, getting away once I got close to her. I already shouted to her that I wanted to make a pact with her, yet she didn¡¯t seem to listen. Only when I slipped, drowning my entire body into the mud thanks to the fatigue I was having, she came to my rescue. She brought me out and hardened the mud, so that I could stand on it. ¡°Me. Pact with you. In exchange, hugs,¡± she said, as she did the latter. And thus, I obtained my second summon. ---- When Sherry charged right towards me, the Earth Sprite was already ready with her trap. Her rock hand would stop her mid-air while the ground around her could be turned into sinking mud at a moment¡¯s notice. Such was the advantage of a fae¡¯s magic. They lived and breathed magic, so they were really flexible with it. Just like a human could move his arms and legs without thinking, so could a fae do magic without needing any deliberations beforehand. And it worked brilliantly. As the two fairies occupied Sherry¡¯s attention, I was able to cast a fully charged Thunder Strike at her, right while her back was turned. If she had been fast enough to see it coming, she most likely could have mitigated the damage, to the point that our fight would continue. It would be a messy fight, with her most likely going after the two fairies first, as they didn¡¯t really have the mobility necessary to keep up with her speed. And once they were down, if I hadn¡¯t been able to finish her off, I would most certainly lose once again. I would have nothing else that I could use to distract or buy time against her. Such was the fighting style of a mage. Marina taught me that nice and clear.. The moment she fell down, paralyzed, I immediately ran towards her and put my sword near her neck, taking my victory. In retrospect, I hadn¡¯t really used the sword at all. I only used my spells. Maybe I should consider just becoming a full time mage like Marina. And with that, I took my victory over Sherry at last. -------- Marina immediately congratulated me with a bright smile on her face. She didn¡¯t even try to hide the pride she had of me. She told me what an excellent fight it was, and how I had understood how a mage should fight against a warrior. Father, on the other hand, consoled Sherry, cheering her up by lifting her up to the air, saying how she had tried her best and that there was nothing to be ashamed of by losing. And it seemed to work, as I saw Sherry laughing as he did. Afterwards, Mother healed both of our wounds. Sherry especially needed that since thanks to my spell, I had left numerous burn marks all over her body. Ouch, that couldn¡¯t be pleasant. I wouldn¡¯t apologize though. Sherry was a proud warrior, or at least I felt she had the temperament to become one. She wouldn¡¯t want my pity, especially after I beat her fair and square. Oh, and of course, I gave the payments for my two spirits before they left, after I praised them for their good work¡ªa headpat for the high fairy and a hug for the earth sprite. Haah, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little guilty, now having two summons that were practically little girls, asking hugs and headpats like this. Those weren''t even costs to me. Who wouldn''t want to give headpats and receive hugs from such adorable little girls? Still, was it just me or was I getting glares from both Sherry and Marina as I was doing it? Then, we were sent to the baths to clean up. Sherry was certainly dirty with mud all over her hair and clothes, but I too had been sweating profusely throughout the fight. Mmm, I certainly deserved a relaxing rest in the tub. Though I had to wait for Sherry to finish up first. She got all those mud on her after all. Or so I believed, before she pulled my arm with her as she entered the bathroom. "W-we''re taking a bath together, alright?" Welp. So much for that relaxing rest. ----- A/N: How the Earth Sprite looks. Vol 1 Chapter 20: Marina’s Decision Well, this is awkward¡­ The two of us ended up sharing the bath, sitting opposite to each other in such a cramped space. Naturally, both of us were completely naked, though most of our bodies were covered by the water. And Sherry, well, she had avoided looking at my general direction ever since we both stripped. Understandable. She was a nice and pure-hearted girl after all, unlike me, who¡¯s a perverted bastard. And like the bastard that I was, I couldn¡¯t help but take a peek at her nakedness. Hmm, less exciting than I thought it would be. After all, she was still covered with mud all over, ruining her smooth white skin. And, conveniently for her, mud also covered her completely flat chest, as well as what was down there. She was really quite thin, though not to the point that her bones were visible. Hmm, no muscles whatsoever? That¡¯s odd. She had trained that much with Father. Not to mention her own super strength. Looking at her like this, there were no remnants of her orphan life whatsoever. She looked completely like a normal, well-cared and fed child. In fact, she might even be able to pass as a noble¡¯s child. "Hey, umm¡­ congratulations¡­ on your victory. You must be happy, huh? Your hard work finally paying off at last?" She was still looking away from me. Really, what''s even the point of inviting me in here if you''re going to be like that? Just look at me if you want. I don''t mind. "Yeah¡­" I replied, smiling wistfully. "I can finally protect you, Sherry." "Hmph, who needs your protection?" She huffed. "I should be the one to protect you instead. You''re a mage and I''m a swordswoman. I fight on the front while you stay at the back. That''s how it should be." "That''s true," I couldn''t help but chuckle a little. "But still, I don''t want to lose to you, Sherry. It''s just that, well, Marina is already leagues stronger than me. And I don''t want to be the weakest in the family. I guess I feel I don''t want to get left behind." "Left behind?" She suddenly turned towards me with an angry look. "Are you an idiot? None of us would ever leave you behind! Marina wouldn''t and I certainly wouldn''t either!" I sighed, before returning to a smile. "I know, I know. You two are really nice people after all. It''s really more about my ego more than anything. Since we''re going to become an adventuring party in the future, I don''t want to be the weakest chain in the link. And besides¡­" I paused, my smile disappearing once more. "Besides what?" Sherry asked impatiently. "If any of you got hurt or even died because of my weakness, I would never be able to forgive myself." I didn''t know how Sherry reacted to my confession. This time, it''s my turn to avert my gaze away. "... It''s the same with me, you know. If you get hurt while I''m there, I will despise myself forever." I looked up, and saw that her eyes had started to water. She folded her knees, resting her chin on them. "...So don¡¯t just think you¡¯re the only one with that burden, alright?¡± She looked at me, with a tear trailing down her cheek. I smiled. Without hesitation, I gave her a pat on the head. ¡°Thank you Sherry. Hearing that makes me really happy.¡± ¡°Now, why don¡¯t I be the one to give you a wash instead?¡± I grinned. ¡°E-eh? B-but I¡ª¡± ¡°No need to be shy! It¡¯s just the back after all! Gotta scrub all the mud of that body of yours, right?¡± I didn''t know what came over me at that time. I, being the terribly shy person that I was, should have never been so bold. And yet, with her telling me that, it was as if a huge boulder had been lifted up from my chest. I wasn''t alone. I shouldn''t bear the burden to protect all by myself. Sherry too wanted to protect me, just as I wanted to protect her. And Marina no doubt felt the same way. We''re family after all. We would lay down our lives to protect each other. ---- Marina "Hmm¡­ hmm hmm¡­ gonna take a bath with my cute Hugo~ Gonna wash his back until he''s all clean and nice~" I was mumbling those words as I strode happily into the changing room, just before the bathroom. He did it! He beat Sherry! And the way he fought, it was brilliant! I knew he could do it! And so to celebrate, we''re going to have a good and nice bonding time together in the baths! ...Eh? He''s not here? Has he come inside? Hehe, I''ll just join him then! I took off my clothes, leaving them in a basket nearby. Hmm, I wonder if I should give him my panties again¡­ This teal pair is pretty cute after all¡­ Oh well, I''ll think about that later! Now, I''m going to have so much fun teasing my little Hugo! I wonder how he will react if I just barge in completely naked like this. I bet he will turn as red as a tomato! Especially since my boobs have gotten bigger after all! When I was about to open the door however, I stopped. I could hear it¡ªlaughter coming from inside. Hugo¡¯s laughter. And another voice. Sherry¡¯s voice. ¡°See! I can be gentle!¡± Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°I-I really should be the one washing your back, you know¡­¡± E-eehhhh? Hugo and Sherry, they¡¯re already inside, taking their baths together? Immediately I put my left ear onto the wooden door, wanting to get a better listen on their conversation. ¡°Nope! Maid Sherry is taking a break today! Young Lady Sherry is on the menu!¡± ¡°Y-young Lady? B-but I¡ª¡± ¡°And I, Hugo Greenwood, is your loyal butler. So, I ask you, Miss Sherry, are you enjoying my back scrubbing techniques so far?¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­ J-just don¡¯t go too close to my armpits, alright? I-I¡¯m quite ticklish there¡­¡± I see¡­ So that¡¯s how it is... With a bitter smile, I slowly took a few steps backwards away from the door. If I enter, I would only disturb their own bonding session. Well, this is good. If Hugo is really going to marry her in the future, this is exactly the kind of thing they should be doing. He''s learning how to be a good husband, all on his own. There''s no need for me to coddle him anymore. ---- Hugo "Father, Mother, I would like to spend this summer doing quests for the Adventurer Guild." I nearly spit out my milk when Marina announced that at our dinner table. "W-what? What comes over you all of a sudden?" "YY-yes! Don¡¯t you have your usual magic training with Hugo?¡± Father and Mother were clearly taken by surprise as well, with the former spitting out his water and the latter dropping her fork. ¡°Oh, he doesn¡¯t need it anymore,¡± she answered. ¡°You saw it yourself today after all, Father¡ªhow he fought and won against Sherry. I feel there¡¯s nothing much for me to teach him anymore.¡± ¡°What? But that¡¯s not true!¡± I immediately protested. ¡°I¡­ I still don¡¯t know how to cast combination magic! Not to mention reaching Master-level stuff!¡± ¡°That¡­ you learn on your own,¡± she replied, looking towards me. Wait, is it just me or does she look a little more irritated than usual? ¡°I already have my adventurer card by the way. Registered myself in Mira this year. You can gain credits by completing quests there, and I really have nothing else better to do in the weekends, so I thought, why not?¡± Oh, that¡¯s right. You only needed to be ten years old to be registered as an adventurer. Marina, who¡¯s already twelve, certainly could register. She put down what looked like an ordinary card to the table. Curious, I picked it up and read what was written on it. Name: Marina GreenwoodGender: FemaleRace: HumanAge: 12Rank: E Those were what was written on the front in big letters, while there were still more words written on the back, in a tiny font, describing a bunch of rights and duties associated with being a member of the guild. Father then took the card of my hand and gave it a good look as well. Then he gave it to Mother, who also gave it a thorough look. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­ my little Marina¡­ already an adventurer¡­¡± Mother said, covering her mouth in disbelief. ¡°...Alright. Fine. You can go.¡± Father took the card from her hands and returned it to her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us earlier? I don¡¯t believe you ever talked about being an adventurer in your letters.¡± He crossed his arms, looking all stern. ¡°I simply do not want to worry you, that¡¯s all,¡± she replied, as calm as ever. ¡°I only did quests that I believed I could handle. The Academy actually gave us students guidelines and advice on what kind of quests we should take. Really, it¡¯s more like the Academy giving us extra homework on top of the ones we already had.¡± Wow, she really is the honor student type, isn¡¯t she? ¡°Not to mention that I don¡¯t go on the quests alone. I have a friend with me.¡± She¡¯s most likely referring to the ¡°Alincia¡± girl she had mentioned in her letters. Two mages are kind of a bad party composition though. ¡°But you¡¯re going to do it alone now, aren¡¯t you?¡± Father replied with a concerned look. ¡°Neither Hugo or Sherry is old enough to join the guild after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll find someone to party with once I¡¯m there.¡± ¡°Oh no, definitely not,¡± Father quickly rebuked her. ¡°Do you know how many bad adventurers out there who would take advantage of new adventurers like you? Not to mention all the other shady folks out there in the city. Aarom might be not that big of a place, but it¡¯s still a dangerous place for a little girl like you to be out on your own.¡± Aarom was the nearest city from Karha, the village Father was in charge of protecting (and the one we¡¯re currently living in, though technically we¡¯re at its outskirts, separate from it). You would go down the hill region that we¡¯re in, and right in the middle of the large road that could take you either to the capital or the border towards the Magocracy. If you walked at a casual pace, it would take around an entire day to get there from here. Yeah, still pretty far, isn¡¯t it? It can¡¯t be helped. We¡¯re in the boonies after all. ¡°Fine. Then I won¡¯t be joining any parties. I¡¯ll just do the quests on my own.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even more dangerous!¡± At this point, Father was starting to yell at her. But she kept her composure, not showing a single sign of fear on her face. Is she getting to that age where a child starts to get all rebellious to the parent? Well, twelve is already pretty close to that teenage age range¡­ ¡°Father, do I have to prove myself to you first? I¡¯m fine with doing a spar with you if you want,¡± she said with a cold expression. W-whoa! Scary! The two stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, glaring at each other. The tension¡ªI could cut it with a knife! Mother just looked all worried while Sherry continued to glance towards me, as if questioning what we should do. Hey, don¡¯t ask me! ¡°Fine. You may go.¡± He let out a defeated sigh, relaxing back on his seat. ¡°Really, you¡¯re just like me when I was young. I started out when I was ten, you know. And I was certainly as stubborn and confident as you.¡± His frown turned into a proud smile. ¡°Alan, you can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Renee,¡± he replied to his wife. ¡°She¡¯s grown up after all. And you always say how she¡¯s more mature than she looks.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°It would be a good experience for her,¡± he added. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any terribly dangerous quests in Aarom. The monsters around here are weak, and there are no dungeons around. The quests she''ll get will most likely be just herbs and monster parts gathering quests." Eventually, Mother seemed to relent, though her expression clearly said she was still not 100% onboard his decision. "Thank you Father, Mother. I''ll only be doing it for a month, so don''t you worry. I''ve spent most of the summer teaching Hugo after all." I glanced towards Sherry. She nodded. It seemed she had the same idea as I did. "Sis, take me with you! Me and Sherry! Sure, we''re not old enough to become an official adventurer but we can certainly¡ª" "No, Hugo." In an instant, she shot my idea down. "You stay here and take care of Erika, alright? You''re his big brother after all. Give more attention to her, would you? I heard from Mother how she loved being coddled by you. This month, take a break from all your training and go play with her instead. Can you do that, Hugo? For me? And for her?" That smile. Even if I wanted to refuse, I simply couldn¡¯t. She was right. I had somewhat neglected her, as I was too focused with my training, not really giving any time for her. I would train from morning to dusk, and afterwards, I would take my bath, eat, and go straight to bed, as I was too tired to do anything else. Just recently, she could walk on her own. We could take a walk around the house then. Maybe we could even go to the village! If Mother allowed for it, of course. Though I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if something was wrong. Knowing her, the bro-con wouldn¡¯t miss a chance spending more time with her little brother, especially if she could brag while she was doing so, which I imagined she would do as I knew nothing about being an adventurer while she was already experienced in the matter¡ªrelatively speaking, of course. But now, out of the blue, it¡¯s as if she suddenly wanted to put a distance between us. Did I do something wrong? Or was it just her feeling she was finished with teaching me after I beat Sherry? I wouldn¡¯t blame her. She had spent so much of her own time teaching me that It wouldn¡¯t be odd for her to feel burned out by the whole thing. ¡°And besides,¡± she added with a slight smirk. ¡°Let poor Sherry catch up with you a little.¡± That¡¯s right. After our bath, she declared that she would one day defeat me again. She would train even harder with Father, and challenge me once she felt she was ready. I accepted her statement with a smile, of course, telling her that I too wouldn¡¯t stop my training. A healthy competition. What¡¯s there to lose? ¡°Alright, Sis. I¡¯ll do it,¡± I answered with a slightly sad look. ¡°Aaah, and I was so looking forward to the trip too. I haven¡¯t been to Aarom after all.¡± I put my hands behind my head, pouting a little. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothing special¡­¡± Sherry spoke up with a pensive look. Oh, right. Her orphanage was there after all. I nearly forgot. Judging by her expression, she probably wasn¡¯t that fond of the city. ¡°Marina, please be careful of pickpockets, alright? Some of the more unruly kids in my orphanage¡­ they¡¯d like to steal the purses of unassuming travelers just so they could get some coins to buy stuff with.¡± That look on her face¡­ she most likely felt a sense of shame from what those kids were doing. And possibly guilt as well. Yep, definitely guilt. Hold on, she¡¯s not one of those kids, is she? Hmm, no. She¡¯s too honest of a person to do that. So it¡¯s just guilt by association, which I always found to be a pretty silly concept, if I were to be honest. ¡°Nicole would always try to stop them, but they would just shove her aside. And if she told on them to the nuns, they would cruelly bully her in retaliation. If not for me, I wouldn¡¯t know how she could survive them¡­¡± I could just imagine Sherry angrily beating up a bunch of kids bigger than her, just to gallantly save her friend. Yep. That¡¯s the kind of person she was, after all. She would do it even if that meant perpetuating her ¡°title¡± as a Demon Child, ostracizing her even more as a result. Not to mention the punishment she probably got for resorting to raw violence like that. Oh those poor kids¡­ I would never dare facing against her when she¡¯s angry. Not in a thousand years. Well, they deserved it anyways. What can I say? I hate bullies with all my might. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry,¡± Marina returned with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s another reason why having a spatial storage spell is so convenient.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t they steal your wand though?¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you still need it to use that spell?¡± ¡°Oh, they certainly could,¡± She turned to face me. ¡°But how many ways do you think a mage could stop a running pickpocket without her wand?¡± ¡°Umm? A lot?¡± ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m not one of those beginner mages who could only cast straightforward spells with their long chants after all. I¡¯ve shown it to you, right? How you can manipulate wind to snatch things from a distance?¡± Before I realized it, my fork flew right off my left hand, straight into her right. Twirling the utensil on the tip of her finger, she smiled. ¡°Like this.¡± That level of finesse¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure if I could do it myself. Not to mention that she did it without her wand. ¡°So really, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. I won¡¯t be bested by mere pickpockets, especially if they¡¯re just kids like you say.¡± She looked back at Sherry. ---- The next morning, right after breakfast, Marina departed. That way, she would arrive at Aarom right before night fell. We all said our goodbyes to her, with Mother giving her a hearty hug and a boxed meal for her to eat on the road. I stood there with little Erika, who was holding onto my left hand. As promised, I would start paying more attention to her, starting from today. ¡°Be careful, alright, Sis?¡± I gave her a reassuring smile. Oh, I was definitely worried for sure, but at the same time, I knew how clever of a person she was. For example, she wouldn¡¯t be caught off-guard by an unscrupulous person slipping some sleeping medicine into her drink in a bar to kidnap and sell her as a slave, right? ...Aaaarrghh, I''m worried after all! I nearly decided to just follow her once she left, stalking her for the entire month without her knowing. Thankfully, Father told me that he would be the one doing that instead. Yep, that was the only reason he agreed. After the dinner last night, he immediately told his plan to Mother. If he hadn''t, he probably had to sleep somewhere else that night, hehe. I, on the other hand, was only told this morning. Damn it, Dad! I spent all night worrying for nothing! Well, with him on the lookout for her, there''s really nothing to worry about. I could send her off with a genuine smile. Aah, I can¡¯t wait until I¡¯m old enough to be an adventurer myself! Just three more years! Vol 1 Chapter 21: Miss Little Hobbit Marina My journey to Aarom was smooth-sailing, all things considered. Sure, I was attacked by a giant eagle and a pack of mountain wolves, but they were nothing that I couldn¡¯t handle. They barely caused a delay in my journey. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I arrived at the city faster than expected, as the sun was still up on the sky when I did. When I entered the large gates, I was greeted with a crowd, enough to give the impression that it was a busy city indeed. Not as busy as it could¡¯ve been perhaps, seeing how it was already almost night, but there were still people walking to and fro, with carriages and stagecoaches passing through occasionally. Naturally, I walked on the side of the large road, to avoid getting run over by them. Those people carrying around axes and swords¡­ they must be adventurers¡­ The group currently walking in front of me drew my attention, as they dressed differently compared to the merchants and ordinary travelers. There were four of them¡ªone man wearing what looked to be leather armor, with a sword sheathed and secured on his belt, and three women, each wearing the stereotypical clothing associated with their vocations. One was a warrior, with a large axe slung to her back. She wore a series of skimpy armor that exposed a lot of her skin with a mini skirt that barely covered her rump. The cleric wore a long white robe, while the mage¡ªobvious from her pointy hat and the staff that she carried¡ªwore a mage¡¯s robe with a long yet high-slitted skirt. Two front-line fighters, one healer and one mage. I say it¡¯s a pretty balanced party. I looked around and saw there were other folks walking around wearing similar outfits. However, the mage''s long ears were unique as she seemed to be the only elf around. Elves. She was already used to their presence from her times at the academy. Though there were certainly not that many of them compared to human students, there would always be one or two in every class. And just like the common myth said, they were all good-looking, with unblemished skin and slim bodies. Back at the academy, every elven student seemed to have at least one or two admirers going after them. I followed them for a while, thinking that they might be heading to the Adventurer''s Guild building that existed in the city. I had overheard them talking about how they wanted to hand over a quest there. I thought I would go there and take her own quest before resting at an inn for the night. "You filthy Hobbit!" Huh? A loud, crass yell broke her out of her reverie. It came from across the street, where there seemed to be a crowd forming. I glanced back at the group of adventurers. Well, whatever. I could just ask around for directions later. Crossing the road, making sure to look both ways beforehand, I walked over to the scene. "You think you can trick me, you little shit? Just because you look like a little girl doesn''t mean I''m going to just let you go! I know how your kind works, deceiving people with your looks!" I waded through the crowd, and saw a little Hobbit girl sitting on the ground, while a clearly angry man stood in front of her. The Hobbit was teary-eyed, and she seemed to be apologizing profusely about something. "I-I don''t know, Sir! I swear! I-I''m not trying to sell you fake jewelry! I-I don¡¯t even know they were fake in the first place!¡± She pleaded. The girl was dressed in a green knee-length skirt with a white long-sleeved shirt under a yellow shirt. She had auburn hair and blue eyes. Hobbits. There were also a number of them in the academy. Even rarer than the elves, they seemed to always avoid the spotlight, shrinking into the background where no one would notice them. Well, except for that one Hobbit¡­ Ah, I had forgotten to tell Hugo about him completely¡­ Or to be exact, I had forgotten about him until now¡­ And, just like the man demonstrated, they had a certain prejudice associated with them. Like how elves were supposed to be arrogant, Hobbits were supposed to be untrustworthy tricksters and thieves, using their youthful appearance to deceive others "You little brat!" To my horror, and the crowd as well, judging by the gasps, he slapped her right on her face, hard enough that blood gushed out of her nose. "I was about to hand you over the guards, but I think I got a better idea! I''ll give you to those slavers so you could spend the rest of your life as a slave!" He now held her up with her hair, making her scream in pain as tears and blood ran down her face. "Enough!" Without hesitation, I blasted the man''s hand with a wind spell, making him drop her to the ground. Then, I ran over and stood in front of her, giving the man the most angry look I could muster. It was quite the easy feat, seeing how I was already absolutely furious towards him "What? Who is this? Another little brat coming to the rescue?" "I''ll ask you to stop, Sir. She is clearly already sorry for her actions." ¡°Hmph, you don¡¯t seem to be a Hobbit. You¡¯re just a human girl.¡± His eyes looked at me all over. ¡°Hmm? Wait, that wand¡­ and that wind blasting my hand¡­ you¡¯re an adventurer, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± I replied. ¡°And I had to ask once again to let this Hobbit girl go.¡± ¡°How old are you? Twelve? Don¡¯t you have school to attend instead?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir, but I¡¯m currently in my¡ª¡± ¡°Hah! Of course you don¡¯t! Your parents can¡¯t afford it! And that¡¯s why they let you become an adventurer in the first place!¡± To my disgust, he started to laugh at his own joke¡ªhis belly bouncing in the process. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on here?¡± Our confrontation was interrupted by the arrival of a squadron of guards, who immediately shooed the bystanders away. Each of them were clad in their armor, and their leader, a middle-aged man who looked terribly bored by his job, took the lead. ¡°Oh good Sir! Please! This Hobbit, Sir! She tried to scam me by selling me fake jewels! And not just one or two, but a whole box of them!¡± Just like that, his personality completely transformed. Now he was a perfectly good and honest citizen, not someone who would slap a child so hard that she bled out of her nose (well, she might not be but judging from her reaction, she acted just like one). ¡°And this human girl, right here! She¡¯s her accomplice! While I was distracted with her Hobbit friend, she tried to steal from my shop! I was fortunate enough that I noticed her and stopped her before it¡¯s too late.¡± ...Wait, what? The guard sighed. ¡°Alright, you two. Come with me to the station.¡± ¡°Wait, no, please! I was the only one in the wrong! She hasn¡¯t done anything wrong!¡± The Hobbit pleaded, tugging his arm with her hands. ¡°I¡¯ll hear your words there, okay? Not here. Street¡¯s too busy to really listen to anything you¡¯re saying.¡± That wasn¡¯t true however. After the crowd dispersed, it had gotten quiet enough that we could nicely hear each other just fine. But judging from his disinterested face, he clearly wasn¡¯t interested in that. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I bravely told the Hobbit. ¡°We¡¯ll go.¡± I then told the guard. At this position, the best thing to do would be to keep calm and explain our case nicely to him, or whoever would end up interrogating us. Then, we would surely be released in no time at all. Well, the Hobbit might get a fine or something though. Ultimately, she had a part of the blame for the incident, as much as it displeased me to think so. If she had sold the jewels to an inexperienced trader or customer instead, they would still end up with fake jewels, even if she didn¡¯t know that they were fake. Hehe, if Sherry¡¯s here, she¡¯ll probably have beaten up the man to a pulp. Just a single punch from her to his face would send him flying with all his teeth knocked off. Hugo though, he probably would have run with the Hobbit instead of confronting the man (he¡¯s pretty fast on his feet after all), which was what I should¡¯ve done in the first place. Sometimes I felt he had a clearer head than even me, who¡¯s five years older than he was. I just couldn¡¯t help myself. Such an act of cruelty¡­ how can someone do that to another person? Even if she really was a con artist who tried to scam him on purpose, he had no right to do that to her, especially after she had apologized like that. Not to mention the fact that he just lied so that I would get arrested as well. Now that was the definite proof As we left with the guard, I gave another glare towards the man. ¡°Benedict¡¯s Beautiful Jewelries¡± was written on the nameplate above him. Ah, so that¡¯s his name. Only from a distance that I noticed how big his store was. So he must be pretty well-off. No wonder he insulted me by saying that my parents were poor. Merinda used to say that too. She would brag about having a large mansion employing many servants, while saying how I was just a country bumpkin from nowhere. So I was already used to it, in a way. "I-I''m so sorry! B-because of me, you¡ª" "Shh, I don''t want to hear that. I did it because I wanted to. That''s all." I gave her a smile. ¡°Oh, and let me heal that wound of yours.¡± I pointed my wand to her nose. ¡°Oh blessed light! Heal my wounds!¡± It was just a simple beginner-level healing spell. Minor Heal was its name, I believed. For any actual combat wounds, it wouldn¡¯t be enough, but to fix a bloodied nose, it worked like a charm. ¡°O-oh! It feels better already! Thank you!¡± She smiled. "Stupid brats¡­ they don''t know who they''re messing with," the guard leader mumbled under his breath. He was clearly not happy by the relatively calm way she and I were taking the situation. ¡°Who are we messing with exactly?¡± I couldn¡¯t resist asking. ¡°Oh, nothing important. Just one of the richest and most influential merchants in town, that¡¯s all.¡± My heart sank. Did I just bite into something that I wouldn¡¯t be able to chew? ---- Alan Goddamnit, Marina. You just arrived and you already got yourself arrested? And it has to be Newt Benedict too that you pissed off. I thought you would be fine after you took care of those monsters on your own without breaking a sweat. But here we are now, with you getting arrested, just because you wanted to play hero with a Hobbit girl you don¡¯t even know about. Well, that¡¯s just what I would expect from a child of mine. I¡¯m proud of you, my daughter. But still, couldn¡¯t you have handled it a bit better, somehow? Knowing Benedict, that bastard would definitely try to get you jailed for real. And with his influence, he certainly can. Argh, I have to pull some favors with Eriol then. God, I hate meeting that guy. Hang on Marina. Father¡¯s going to get you out real quick, alright? ---- Marina I can¡¯t believe it. They¡¯re actually keeping us for real. No matter how many times I tried to correct the story, they still kept with the official version that the shop owner told them, that the hobbit was genuinely trying to trick him with her fake jewels and with myself being her thief accomplice. As a result, I was now kept inside a holding cell, with them telling me and her that we should wait until they finished their investigation. I had a feeling that they wouldn¡¯t actually be doing that though. The cell was damp and dirty, with only a single bed inside and a hole on the floor that we could do our business with. It was easily the most unpleasant place that I ever had the unfortunate fate of being kept in. And yet, I was still fortunate that I was kept on the cell in the station, and not in the dungeon below the castle. I still had a window¡ªalbeit a tiny, barred one up, that kept the circulation of the air going. Or else it would smell even worse than it already was. Of course, I could just break out if I wanted. They took my wand, yes, but I didn¡¯t need it to escape from such a lightly guarded place. But that would truly make me and her be an actual criminal, wouldn¡¯t it? So I decided to be patient, at least for now. I had requested that I would be allowed to send a letter back home, so I could ask for Father to help. He worked under the Baron, right? Maybe he could persuade him to set me free. Urgh, I hate having to do that though. This was supposed to be me proving that I could become an adventurer on my own. But now I¡¯m in this mess that I can¡¯t get out with my own strength. How humiliating. When I was in Mira, I got Alincia who acted as my guide, telling me where I should go and where I should not go. And there were certainly no evil shop owners around that I had to stand against. Or at least, I was fortunate enough not to meet any. ¡°S-sorry... Again, because of me¡­¡± the hobbit spoke. I was now sitting on the bed with her beside me, looking all sad once again. ¡°I told you not to apologize, didn¡¯t I?¡± I gently grabbed her hand, giving her a reassuring smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get this sorted out soon enough.¡± ¡°Uwaaaaaa!¡± Without warning, she hugged me, before sobbing right into my stomach. ¡°I knew there was something fishy about that dwarf! Those jewels shouldn¡¯t have been that cheap!¡± And then, she told me who she was and why she decided to start on her journey. Her name was Sophie Bramblewood, and she had departed from her homeland Hobbiton two months ago, starting her journey as a traveling merchant. Hobbiton. The land of the Hobbits. Located to the southeast of Marchen, it was always considered to be somewhat of an unimportant, even irrelevant land. Technically, it was a vassal of Marchen, but it was usually left alone by the kingdom¡¯s higher-ups, seeing how they had better things to worry about like the other kingdoms to the west. As long as they paid their usual tributes, mostly in the form of wheat, potatoes, and fish, they had basically what amounted to full independence. ¡°I¡­ I thought I could be like grandpa. He¡¯s a brave merchant and an adventurer as well. When he returned back home, he brought so many riches our family immediately became one of the wealthiest in the land. But I¡­ I¡¯m just a failure¡­ I should just go home and get married like my father and mother wanted¡­¡± So she¡¯s already at a marriageable age¡­ How old is she really? Well, I suppose it would be rude to ask¡­ And one of the wealthiest in the land¡­ The Bramblewood clan¡­ Hobbits have clans, right, if I remember my books correctly¡­ Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t recall anything ever written about them¡­ If it¡¯s her grandfather who lifted her clan to fame and fortune, then there should be enough time for the information to be entered in history books... Then again, not a lot of books seem to write about them in the first place¡­ They¡¯re basically an irrelevant race. They never have great empires or strong warriors or mages¡­ They¡¯re just kinda there, I suppose... I gently pat her back, wanting to comfort the poor girl. She might actually be older than me, but it didn¡¯t matter. I couldn¡¯t just leave her be. Not like this. ¡°Being tricked once doesn¡¯t make you a failure, you know.¡± I told her. ¡°Or twice. Or thrice. Or even the fourth time.¡± Sniffling, she looked up to me. ¡°I-if I get tricked for the fifth time?¡± I smiled. ¡°The only thing that makes you a failure is if you give up. At least, that¡¯s what I believe.¡± ¡°...You know, I have a little brother back home. And just recently, he had been training his swordplay and magic, just to beat his older sister, who¡¯s far stronger than him. And it took him several tries and an entire year of diligent training to do that. He never gave up, not even once.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± She brightened, her eyes sparkling. All of a sudden, she sat up, wiping her tears away. ¡°I would never be able to do what he did! Training to fight like that¡­ urgh, not for me at all¡­¡± ¡°You have a dagger with you though,¡± I pointed out. Just like my wand, it had been confiscated by the guards. ¡°That¡¯s just for self-defense! I¡¯m not intending to go around slaying monsters like normal adventurers!¡± She fumed. ¡°Us Hobbits don¡¯t enjoy doing stuff like that you know!¡± Thinking about it, she might be right. I don¡¯t believe that there had even been any period in history where their race started a war with another. They never had any military either. If an invader ever manifested, the best they could muster were militias and any mercenaries and adventurers they could hire. That made them a weak nation, unfortunately. Throughout history, they always had to become a vassal to another, stronger state, even migrating far, far away if need be. Such was the nature of this world where the strong ruled. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! I never asked for your name! Oh how impolite of me!¡± ¡°Marina. Marina Greenwood. Pleased to meet you, Sophie.¡± Vol 1 Chapter 22: The Hobbit-Loving Baron Alan ¡°Alan, my old friend! Long time no see! Here, come! Sit!¡± I now stood face-to-face with the man himself, Baron Eriol Fernwood, the Lord of the entire Sheffield region. The bastard still looked as youthful as ever. He should already be pushing to his thirties. ¡°I don¡¯t have much time, Eriol. My daughter, Marina¡­ your guards have arrested her.¡± ¡°What? How could that happen? In your letters, you always say that she¡¯s a good and studious little girl. Don¡¯t tell me now that she¡¯s older, she suddenly turns into a delinquent! Though I suppose all children go through that phase¡­ even my own daughter keeps saying how she hates me all the time¡­¡± That¡¯s your own fault, isn¡¯t it? Ordinarily, I would have respect for this man. He was a good ruler, well, decent enough anyway. He paid me well and he seemed to care about his people, at least compared to the other nobles that I had met. There was just one problem though¡ªone big problem that made him lose any respect that I might have for him. ¡°Aaah, Minny! Why can¡¯t my daughter be more like you?!¡± Without any shame, he grabbed the hobbit maid that had been serving his tea and hugged her as if she was his pillow. And that was the problem. His perverted obsession towards female Hobbits. Ever since I first met him, he was already a big lecher who would chase after their skirts. Whenever we went to a red-light district to wind off after a hard quest, he would only look for a Hobbit prostitute. And when he took the reign of the territory from his father, that hobby didn¡¯t diminish. In fact, it would only worsen, as he would surround himself with Hobbit maids and flirt with them, while ignoring his human wife completely. Sure, he didn¡¯t really want to marry her in the first place, as their marriage was one of political convenience, but still¡­ I sighed. It wouldn¡¯t be my place to criticize his marriage. But the way he kept being so lighthearted about it¡­ it just rubbed me the wrong way. Then again, I couldn¡¯t hate him either. The man¡¯s been good to me. He gave us a home to live in when Renee and I decided to retire from a life of adventuring when she was having Marina. He even gave a well-paying job as his knight. We went way back, before I met Myrilla even. We used to go on quests together as adventurers, before I knew that he was actually a noble. Because he certainly didn¡¯t act like one¡ªuh, no offense to him. We eventually separated though. "Aaah, you''re so soft as usual, Minny!" "M-Master, please, not in front of a guest¡­" My eyebrows were raised even higher as he started fondling the poor girl¡ªuhh, woman¡­ you really can''t tell with how they looked¡­ She wasn¡¯t really that distressed by it however. Many of the Hobbit maids that he employed were either slaves or prostitutes that he picked off the streets. To them, this new life was much better than what they had before. And Eriol certainly wasn¡¯t the abusive type. Just a pervert with questionable taste in women. "Hey, don''t give me that look!" He suddenly snapped at me. "You don''t get the right to judge when you love fondling boobs as much as I do!" He''s right. I would go to those seedy places just so I could grope the biggest breasts that I could find there. I stopped doing that once I was with Myrilla of course. The cold look that she gave me when she saw me going there¡­ brrrrr, scary. And naturally, not a word of this to Renee. ¡°Alright, fine.¡± I sighed, taking my seat in front of him. We were now inside his study. I had been granted a private meeting with him, just by saying my name to the front guard. ¡°I¡¯m just here to ask for a favor.¡± ¡°A favor?¡± His eyes perked up. ¡°Oh oh, let me guess! Your wife kicked you out because you cheated on her!¡± ¡°No, nothing like that. I''m offended that you would even think that actually,¡± I returned with a frown. I would never cheat on her. Not in a million years. "Ha! You really have changed, haven''t you, Alan? What''s so good about that wife of yours that she made you be this boring? Is her chest really that good?" "The best," I answered matter-of-factly, without a doubt. "You can''t know that if you haven''t fondled every woman in the world, can you?!" I sighed again. This conversation was clearly going nowhere at this rate. "Look. Like I said, my daughter has been arrested by your guards and I need you to release her at once.¡± I then explained what I witnessed¡ªhow she gallantly defended the hobbit girl from the shopkeeper, before being accused by said man of a crime she didn¡¯t commit and then escorted by the guards from it. Or I would, if he didn¡¯t just stop my story midway once I got to the part where the hobbit girl got slapped. He suddenly slammed his hands onto the table with a furious look on his face. Standing up, he shouted, ¡°Unforgivable! Treating a Hobbit girl like that! Who does he think he is?!¡± ¡°Eh, nothing special. Just Newt Benedict, one of the richest and most influential merchants in the city.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that fat bastard who did it? That¡¯s it! I¡¯m going to have him hanged at once! I have suffered his machinations for so long and now he dares treating my precious Hobbits like that?! I won¡¯t have it! I won¡¯t have it at all!¡± He immediately made his way to the door, but I stopped him by pulling on his coat. ¡°Hey, hey, let¡¯s not get all hot-headed here. Didn¡¯t you remember? You said it yourself that he¡¯s connected to many powerful people in the capital. If you just execute him like that, wouldn¡¯t they come after you next? You already are disliked by those capital folks. They¡¯ll use his execution as an excuse that you¡¯re not fit to rule then you¡¯ll get the boot.¡± The reason for his unpopularity was mostly one thing and one thing only. And it was the same thing that I disliked him for as well, ironically enough. The nobles in the capital considered hobbits to be a dirty, uncivilized race that was lower than humans. To keep a hobbit company, let alone having multiple of them as your maids like this, was practically considered blasphemy by them. If Eriol had his way and married a hobbit instead of a noblewoman, he probably wouldn¡¯t be in this position right now, since only thanks to his link to her family that he could survive this long. Or so he said to me. Hmph, he too had changed. Slowly, he¡¯s turning into a scheming politician, just like the other nobles. Well, he needed that if he wanted to keep his position and this way of life of his. ¡°...You¡¯re right, friend. I apologize.¡± With a sigh, he returned and sat back down again, with his Hobbit maid giving him a worried look from the corner of the room behind him. She had scuttered there after he released her. ¡°The two would have to stand trial. I can¡¯t just release them that easily, or else he would have a valid case against me to the King. Of course, behind the scenes, I¡¯ll tell the judge to pass a not guilty sentence for them. And of course, I¡¯ll hurry the trial as well. Two days from now should be the quickest.¡± Due to his well-known bias towards Hobbits, the king had forbidden him from taking the role of a judge in criminal trials or even simple business dispute ones. Of course, this was done because of a hard push from the other nobles in the capital. Still, he managed to retain some of that authority anyway, as he quickly befriended the judge the capital appointed to him. ¡°Thank you for that,¡± I returned. He really is becoming a scheming nobleman. ¡°Though that means they would have to stay captive there for a little longer.¡± I sighed. ¡°Poor Marina. That kid always loves cleanliness you know. Her room is never messy and she takes her baths every day. It must pain her to sleep in a dirty cell like that.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s settled¡­¡± His serious expression suddenly turned into a grin. ¡°Can I go see this cute Hobbit girl with you? Please?¡± I sighed again. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m in any position to say no, aren¡¯t I? ---- Marina ¡°Psshh¡­ Hey, Marina¡­ Marina, wake up!¡± I slowly opened my eyes. Urgh, it seemed I had fallen asleep while sitting. I remembered not wanting to disturb Sophie that had fallen asleep on my lap. ¡°Huh, Father?¡± I rubbed my eyes. Surely, I must be dreaming. No. That big, well-muscled figure¡­. It could only have been him. ¡°Father!¡± I whispered loudly. I didn¡¯t want to wake up Sophie. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Well, I¡­ sorta followed you when you left¡­¡± ¡°Followed me¡­ you mean from when I left home this morning?¡± ¡°H-hey, don¡¯t get mad, alright? It¡¯s a Father¡¯s right to make sure his daughter¡¯s safe, you know!¡± I certainly was irked enough by the revelation that I sent a glare towards him. But I couldn¡¯t blame him. After all, I ended up in this situation. I was being childish and stubborn. Just because I got upset, I ran away from home in a guise of wanting to be an adventurer. ¡°You¡¯re alright in there? Did you give you anything to eat for dinner?¡± Oh Father. You won¡¯t even scold me or anything? Or say ¡°I told you so!¡± at the very least? You really should be a little more stern to your kids. ¡°They did,¡± I replied with a smile. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t call it food to be honest.¡± ¡°Ha! I see you¡¯re still as cheerful as ever! Good, good! My daughter wouldn¡¯t lose her wits just because she¡¯s in jail!¡± I wasn¡¯t sure whether that was supposed to be a joke or not. ¡°Ooooooo! Cute! So cute! Sleeping Hobbits really are adorable!¡± He wasn¡¯t alone however. There was another man with him. And he seemed to be looking straight towards Sophie. No, leering would be the more accurate expression. Instinctively, I blocked his view by bending forward, covering her face with my body. ¡°Father, who is that?¡± I said coldly, glaring towards him. ¡°A-ah, that¡¯s Lord Eriol. You know him, right?¡± ¡°The Baron of this region?¡± I raised my eyebrows, looking back at him. He was still leering, even with a little bit of drool at the corner of his mouth. He was now looking at Sophie¡¯s bare feet. Like most Hobbits, her feet were hairy. Personally, I thought it wasn¡¯t very appealing. Not him though. He clearly loved the sight. ¡°Cute Hobbit feet found! Hmm, nice, nice! Just the perfect amount of dirtyness to them!¡± ...This man¡­ is an absolute, 100% creep. ¡°N-now, now, don¡¯t give him that look! He¡¯s helping you out, you know!¡± Father then quickly explained about the trial, and how we would be exonerated from our supposed crimes there. Oddly enough however, instead of feeling relieved or happy, I couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed. Here was a Lord blatantly abusing his power and influence, and he didn¡¯t give a single remorse about it. Is this how the law in this country is? Just an advice instead of a binding thing that even the nobility cannot manipulate or escape from? ¡°And there you have it!¡± The young-looking Lord ended Father¡¯s explanation. ¡°Just sit tight and rest easy. You¡¯re in good hands! Just take care of my cute little Hobbit, alright?¡± I¡¯ll take care of her alright. And that includes keeping her away from you. Father then offered if I needed him to sleep there outside the cell for the night. I told him no, saying that I would be fine on my own, and that he should just find an inn to sleep instead. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay with us, Alan?¡± The Lord patted him on the shoulder with a smile. ¡°We have so many empty rooms it¡¯s almost a crime!¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯m never comfortable sleeping in a fancy place like yours, to be honest.¡± And with that, the two left, leaving me and Sophie alone in our cell once again. Haah, I¡¯m glad that she doesn¡¯t wake up through all that. Poor girl would no doubt be scared terribly by that lord. I¡¯ve heard anecdotes about how a lot of nobles are secretly deviants behind closed doors, but he doesn¡¯t even try to hide it. ...Oh dear, I shouldn¡¯t have sent that letter then. Now I would only worry Hugo and Mother needlessly. ---- Hugo ¡°Uwaaa! Flowers! Flowers!¡± I watched from a distance as Erika walked around the field of dandelions, with Mother near her side. She had approved us to take a trip to the village, with the condition that she followed along as well. Thanks to us now having Mary as our permanent maid (which she was completely ecstatic about as that meant bringing good money to her family at the village), Mother could safely leave the chores to her. We were now in the wild dandelion fields just outside the village. Luckily for us, we got our own secluded spot, with no other children playing around. ¡°Careful now, dearie! You don¡¯t want to trip, do you?¡± She giggled, taking her little arms to keep her up after she wobbled a little. I must be smiling ear to ear as I watched that scene. It¡¯s just so heartwarming, seeing my little sister like this. She had learned to walk and speak faster than most other babies, at least according to Mother, though she still wasn¡¯t very good at both. Aah, I can¡¯t wait to see her be another genius like Marina in the future! ¡°Haaah¡­¡± Beside me however was Miss Grump herself, Sherry, taking a tired-sounding sigh while looking all dejected. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with the long face?¡± I asked with a concerned look. It¡¯s not like her to be like this. She turned to face me. With a wry smile, she answered, ¡°I think your sister hates me.¡± ¡°What? Marina? But that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°No, silly! I¡¯m talking about Erika.¡± She looked back at my little sister. ¡°She never lets me play with her like that¡­¡± Her somber expression sood returned. Damn it, now that I saw her like this, I had to make Erika play with her! ¡°Big bro! Flowers!¡± She walked towards me, with a dandelion in her tiny hands. I crouched down to be on the same level as her before taking the flower off her hand. ¡°Thanks, Erika!¡± I patted her head. ¡°Yay, flowers!¡± She laughed. Aah, so cute! I wonder if Marina felt this way as well when I was first born¡­ I stood up and gave another glance towards Sherry. Wew, she was biting her lip, and with a honestly pitiful look on her face. She really wanted to be close to Erika that badly, huh? Alright! Here goes nothing! I picked her up and placed her right into Sherry¡¯s arms. ¡°H-huh?¡± ¡°Here! Hold her for a while, would you?¡± I said with a smile. ¡°B-but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine!¡± I reassured her. ¡°Erika! Be good to Sherry, alright?¡± I gave her another headpat. ¡°No! Want big bro! Not Sher-Sher!¡± She punched and kicked, causing Sherry to have to put her on the ground. And then, she started to sniffle. Oh boy, here she goes again. She would always cry whenever she doesn¡¯t get what she wants. But Sher-Sher... that could be a cute nickname for her if I were to be honest. She probably wouldn¡¯t like it though... I decided to do something unthinkable. I crouched down again and stared her right in the eyes. With a scary expression, I said to her, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to play with Sherry, then I won¡¯t play with you either. Got it?!¡± And then, she immediately calmed down. Heh, it was effective after all. I was scared she would just cry even more from that. I gave a little thumbs-up with a grin towards Sherry before taking a few steps backwards, waiting with bated breath to see how this would progress. ¡°Sherry?¡± She turned, looking upwards to her face. ¡°Y-yes?¡± Sherry quickly lowered herself. ¡°Big bro is mine! You can¡¯t have him!¡± Later that day, I knew from Mother that those were the longest words she had ever uttered so far. Welp, guess I¡¯m really going to have another sister with a brother complex. ---- The next day, I was woken up by an uproar. Or to be more exact, it was Mother, yelling on the top of her lungs. ¡°WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS HE DOING? HOW COULD HE LET THAT HAPPEN TO HER?!¡± Quickly, I left my room to see what the fuss was all about. When I reached the living room, Sherry was already there. We exchanged confused looks with each other. Mother was still in her nightgown, walking back and forth furiously while holding what looked like a letter in her right hand. ¡°Mother, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you¡ª¡± ¡°IT¡¯S MARINA! SHE¡¯S BEEN ARRESTED!¡± My heart sank. ¡°I have to go! I have to go right now over there and set things straight right away! Mary, you stay here with Erika!¡± ¡°Y-yes, Ma¡¯am!¡± The poor maid yelped. She had been standing in a corner of the room, looking absolutely terrified like she was seeing a ghost. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Mother immediately went to the front door, but Mary stopped her, reminding her that she still hadn¡¯t changed yet. She quickly rushed back to her and Father¡¯s room as a result. I looked at Mary and asked what happened. ¡°W-we got this letter really early in the morning, you see. The courier said it was really, really important so I brought it immediately to Lady Renee as she woke up. And when she read it, she immediately went ballistic like you just saw.¡± ¡°And the contents of the letter¡ªwhat did it say?!¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know! I wouldn¡¯t dare to open any letters without Master or Milady¡¯s permission!¡± I stopped pushing her, as she was seemingly already on the verge of tears. There was only one thing that made sense. Marina had been arrested in Aarom, and that was her letter asking for help. ¡°Sherry, you¡¯re going?¡± I turned to ask her. ¡°Of course.¡± She nodded. We didn¡¯t need to say anything. We both knew that we wanted to save Marina just as badly as Mother did. Without even having breakfast, we decided to depart as soon as we could. Not by walking, like how Marina did it, but by horse. We had two horses, one each for Father and Mother. Mother took hers, and told me to sit on the front while Sherry sat on the back. I thought she would tell us to stay but it seemed she was too angry to care. ¡°Hold tight, you two!¡± And thus, with a kick of her right boot, we left. Vol 1 Chapter 23: The Truth of The Case We rode as quickly as we could. To my surprise, Mother was quite the daring rider, not even hesitating on dodging or even jumping any rocks or bumps that she met in her way. In fact, she was so daring that I was starting to feel sick. I used to have a terrible motion-sickness in my old world. I couldn¡¯t ride a car or a bus for long before I felt I had to puke. I had to constantly take medications to counteract it, and even then, it didn¡¯t always work. Don¡¯t tell me that I have it too in this world?! Damn, I thought my new self is perfectly healthy without any allergies or illnesses in the slightest! There was one silver lining though. Mother¡¯s soft breasts¡ªthey were pressing and bouncing to my back all the while through. It felt really nice to the point that my motion sickness was thwarted. I managed to last all the way without throwing up. Oh, and a couple of monsters actually tried to attack us on route there, but they were easily dispatched by me and Sherry. While I defeated them through my ranged spells, Sherry had to do some really amazing acrobatics in the process, like standing on the horse, jumping off it, attacking, landing on the nearby cliff, and then jumping right back on the moving horse. Damn, she¡¯s just getting better day by day, isn¡¯t she? I still managed to see her panties in the process though. Get faster at it so I won¡¯t be able to see them, alright? I couldn¡¯t help but wonder though. Could Mother take care of them on her own? She didn¡¯t help in the slightest at the fight. She just told us to fight on our own while she kept on the horse¡¯s reign. Silly me, of course she could. She¡¯s a seasoned adventurer after all. Even if she¡¯s a cleric, and she didn¡¯t carry her staff with her, she could still probably blast some holy magic towards them with no problem whatsoever. Once we arrived at Aarom, Mother immediately went to the nearest stable and stored our horse there. Travelers could use the facility with just a handful of coins upfront, though you would have to pay again when you took out the horse, depending on how long you left it there. We then walked through the busy street in a hurry. If only we were on a more leisurely trip, I could definitely enjoy looking around a genuine medieval fantasy city like this. As we half-ran towards our destination, I saw some shady-looking guys staring at Mother. Oh goddamnit. I just noticed how her boobs were bouncing every step she took. I even caught some male adventurers stopping just to stare, before their female companions stepped on their foot or elbowed them on the side. Mom, your boobs are really too big. I think they got even bigger after you got pregnant with Erika. Urgh, I couldn¡¯t imagine how Father handled it when they were still traveling together, having other guys leer at her like this. But knowing him, he might just be part of those guys who leered. We soon arrived at the address Marina told in the letter. It was one of the several buildings used as outposts where the city guards could patrol from. The city was large, so there was a need for such an arrangement. Mother shifted gear into a full sprint once the building was in view, lifting the hem of her ankle-length dress so she could run better. ¡°Good afternoon, Ma¡¯am, what can I do for¡ª¡± ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Without any hesitation whatsoever, she shoved the guard standing in front of the door like he was just a mannequin. Whew, for a split second there, I thought she had obtained super strength like Sherry. We quickly followed, ignoring the guard downed on the ground, struggling to get back up under his heavy armor. Once inside, Mother didn¡¯t hesitate to speak with the receptionist in front, slamming her hands on his desk, demanding a visit to Marina Greenwood at once. Poor guy looked so shocked I almost feared he would just faint at the spot. Though later on, as he went through his books, I noticed him stealing glances at Mother¡¯s breasts who were now dangling in front of him thanks to her bending over him at the glass window. That pervert! I gave him a glare. No one can give Mother perverted looks except for Father and me! Afterwards, a different guard led us deeper inside, straight to the jail cell where Marina was being kept. ¡°Marina!¡± The moment she saw her, she immediately ran to the bars and grasped at them with both of her hands. ¡°Oh, Marina! You¡¯re safe! Oh thank you, Saint! Thank you very much!¡± she said with teary eyes. ¡°Mother! You¡¯re here too?¡± Marina exclaimed with surprise, standing up from the bed she had been sitting on. ¡°I thought only Father followed me here. And Hugo and Sherry as well¡± She gave a smiling glance towards us. Wait, hold on, who is that other girl with her? ¡°I-it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Ma¡¯am!¡± She spoke with somewhat of a high-pitched voice. ¡°I-I¡¯m Sophie! Sophie Bramblewood!¡± She bowed as deeply as she could. That¡¯s a Hobbit, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m sure of it! That small body¡­ those slightly pointed ears¡­ and those hairy feet¡­ she¡¯s definitely one of them! I couldn¡¯t contain my excitement. I had read about them before¡ªhow they were a race that lived predominantly in Hobbiton, the country to the southeast of Marchen. When you¡¯re reborn in a fantasy world, of course you would want to see the nonhuman races. Alas, such a chance only came today, as there certainly wasn¡¯t any back home in the village. Hmm? Sherry? If she really was a non-human, then she certainly didn¡¯t look like one. No pointed ears, no horns, no wings, no tails, and certainly no hairy feet. Surely if she really was one, then there should be a big obvious tell that she was one, right? I¡¯m starting to doubt if Mother¡¯s suspicion was even correct in the first place. And speaking of the hobbit, why was she here with Marina? Did the letter say anything about her? I didn¡¯t get to read it so I wouldn¡¯t know if it did. ¡°And I¡¯m so sorry, Ma¡¯am! It¡¯s all my fault that your daughter ends up in this situation!¡± Her fault? What did she mean by that? ¡°Let me explain, Mother.¡± Marina interrupted. She then explained everything that had transpired, how she protected the Hobbit from a cruel shopkeeper and how it ended up landing her in here. And she ended said story with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mother. I was reckless. I should have just stayed home like you wanted me to.¡± I looked up to her and saw how stern her expression had become. It was hard to describe. If I had to try, I would say it''s a mixture over anger, sadness, worry and even a little pride mixed inside. "Don''t lie to me, my daughter. If you can do yesterday all over, you would do it all over again, would you?" Marina paused for a moment, before answering, "Yes, I would, Mother. I do not regret saving her. Not in the slightest.¡± Hearing Marina¡¯s statement, the hobbit considerably brightened, before she started hugging and thanking my big sister again with tears in her eyes. Mother simply smiled in return. If I had to guess, she was mostly proud of Marina taking the role of the hero like that. Well, me too, Mother. I¡¯m glad I have such a brave and heroic sister like her. I just hoped that one day, it wouldn¡¯t backfire on her. If it did, and it killed her in the process¡­ Another chill came into me. Even after what Sherry said, I still couldn¡¯t completely accept the fact that Marina was her own person, and that she could protect herself just fine. I should really start trusting in her strength more. I just¡­ I just don¡¯t want to lose her or anyone else in this family. Like I did with my old one¡­ ---- After our visit, we went to our next destination. That shop of that bastard who dared sending our Marina to prison. Marina had told us how he had accused her of being a thief. Ha, Big Sis? A thief? Never in a million years! And how tomorrow, there would be a trial to decide her and the hobbit¡¯s innocence. Father had told her that everything would be perfectly fine, seeing how we would have the judge on our side, but I couldn¡¯t help to worry nonetheless. If this Newt Benedict guy was as influential as he was, he should have his own connections that he could use to turn this court case in his favor. Then again, maybe he could change his mind. Maybe he would decide it wasn¡¯t worth it to waste his time and resources sending a 12-year old child and a hobbit to the gaol from a simple incident. So we got an easy trial and everyone¡¯s happy. But knowing how petty he seemed to be from Marina¡¯ s story, I doubted that. Which was another reason why we should pay him a visit. I was angry of course. Scum like that existed whether in this world or in my old one. Worthless trash that used their power and influence to bully the weak and defenceless. However, looking at both Sherry and Mother¡¯s expression, they might even be angrier than me. Sherry looked like she was ready to snap his neck in two, while Mother was displaying a facial expression that was so scary no one dared to stare at her chest like before. Oh boy, I think I have to be the calm one in this scenario. It would be really bad if we ended up killing him in broad daylight. Then we would actually be real criminals. When we arrived though, the shop was closed. And we could tell that not just because of the door being shut, but also because of the large CLOSED sign hung on the front. And Marina certainly didn¡¯t know where he lived. BANG Sherry, not satisfied with what we found, decided to punch the wall beside the door, shaking the entire establishment and creating little cracks on the heavy and thick large glass window. And of course, a large crater appeared where her fist had landed. Hey hey, that wall was at least three meters thick and she still could do that! I sighed. Even though trashing his shop was something I could certainly get behind, this could reflect badly on Marina at court. Using my Earth magic, I repaired the wall. I couldn¡¯t do anything to the glass window though. Oh, that¡¯s right. There¡¯s something I want to check. Now this is something that will definitely backfire if my suspicions are proven wrong. But, I can¡¯t be satisfied just by getting Marina out. I want to punish this man as well. ¡°Hey, Sherry. Can you force open the door? But don¡¯t break it. Just¡­ push at it hard enough so it would open.¡± ¡°You want to break in?¡± She raised her eyebrows, before a flash of realization came to her face. ¡°Oh! You want to mess up the inside of his shop instead! Alright! We can certainly do that!¡± With a simple push, she bent the metal that kept the door locked. She even snapped the other steel lock that was placed inside. ¡°Hey, what are you two doing?¡± Mother hurriedly came when she noticed what we were doing. ¡°I want to check the hobbit¡¯s jewels, Mother!¡± I replied with a smile. ¡°She said the man didn¡¯t return it even after knowing that they¡¯re fake, right? So I figured there must be something fishy going on here.¡± ¡°You mean¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡ª¡± She gasped. ¡°Yep!¡± Good job, Mom! You catch on quick! Sherry though¡­ she still doesn¡¯t get it, it seems¡­ We then did a search inside the jewelry store. Thankfully for us, we didn¡¯t have to stay long and risk being caught by the guards. We immediately found the box the hobbit had brought to be sold that contained the jewels. Thanks to its distinctive design that the hobbit had described in detail when I asked her, I was absolutely sure that this was it. But just to be sure, I opened it, and looked at its contents. Yep, the numbers and colors match. This is definitely it. ¡°Off to an appraiser, right?¡± Mother smiled. ¡°Correct!¡± I smiled back. Oh, poor Sherry just blinked at us two, still not understanding what we¡¯re talking about. Hehe, why ruin the surprise and tell her right away? ---- ¡°All of these are real.¡± ¡°All of them?¡± ¡°Definitely. No doubt about it. High quality too. These are worth a lot. I couldn¡¯t buy them off you even if I wanted. They¡¯re that expensive.¡± The appraiser finished his explanation. I exchanged looks with Mother. And we both smiled. ¡°S-so that Newt guy¡­¡± ¡°...is even more awful than we thought,¡± I finished Sherry¡¯s sentence. Sherry¡¯s expression slowly turned from one of confusion to one of rage. Now she understood what Mother and I were suspicious about. Sophie Bramblewood never made a mistake. Her jewels were all legitimate. And this Newt Benedict guy faked an outrage just so he could rob her of them. ¡°Unforgivable!¡± Sherry stomped her right feet, sending a tremor to the entire shop. ¡°T-that man¡­ that man is evil! Pure evil!¡± S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°W-whoa, Sherry, save your anger for him, alright? Please don¡¯t destroy this poor man¡¯s shop.¡± referring to the poor appraiser who was trembling in fear, thinking a small earthquake just happened. Apologizing, I quickly fixed the floor that Sherry had broken with my Earth magic before leaving. We went around doing the same with other appraisers. And all of them had the same exact opinion. After the fifth one, Mother decided it was enough evidence that the jewels were indeed real. ¡°It¡¯s clear what we have to do next then,¡± Mother declared. ¡°But before that, we should go check with your father first. ---- Marina had also told us where Father''s inn was so it was easy for us to find. It was an adventurer inn, not too cheap yet not too expensive either. We talked to the innkeeper there, asking if there was anyone there staying under his name. "And who are you exactly?" She lowered her glasses. "I''m Renee Greenwood, his wife. And these two are our kids." She put her hands on Sherry''s shoulder and mine. ¡°Hmph, yet another adventurer leaving his family behind¡­¡± Umm, she might have gotten the wrong impression there¡­ she probably thinks we¡¯re chasing after Father for leaving us behind to have his own adventures¡­ She then told us where his room was. ¡°He¡¯s not in though. He left early in the morning. I suggest just waiting in his room until night.¡± Mother nodded and thanked her from the information. ¡°Also, one more room please, for these two.¡± Ah right, we can¡¯t all stay together in one room for the night after all. This means I¡¯ll be sleeping with Sherry, just like that one time¡­ Hoo boy¡­Let¡¯s just hope nothing like that happens again¡­ I threw a glance towards her. No complaint from her, it seemed. No complaint from the innkeeper either. She must think we¡¯re actually siblings like Mother said. It¡¯s not odd for siblings to sleep together if they''re still as young as we were after all. The innkeeper then accompanied us to said room. Luckily for us, the room beside Father¡¯s room was empty, so we could have it for me and Sherry¡¯s room. The room itself wasn¡¯t much. The bed was definitely softer back home but it was clean and well-kept, albeit quite small. Once the innkeeper left, Mother turned to us with a smile. ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯re doing it without your father after all.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going after him, right?¡± Sherry asked with a determined look. I could tell that she would definitely just run off on her own to hunt him if Mother decided to refuse. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find where he lives if we just ask around,¡± I chimed in. ¡°He¡¯s a famous guy, right? Then there should be some people who know where his mansion is.¡± I just assumed he lived in one since he¡¯s supposed to be this rich guy and all. ¡°Oh Hugo, do you think I don¡¯t know that? I used to be an adventurer, you know, and doing investigative work like that is part of the trade,¡± Mother replied with an annoyed yet smiling look. ¡°Really, you sometimes are too smart for your own good.¡± She ruffled my hair. ¡°But you did manage to pick up on that man¡¯s trick before any of us did. Good job on that!¡± Hehe! Feel free to praise me as much as you want! ¡°One rule before we go though. No killing, got it? His mansion would no doubt have guards in it and they would try to stop us from getting to him. Just incapacitate them. We¡¯re going there just to scare him after all.¡± As she said that, a smile was drawn on her face. But instead of giving me warmth, it only sent chills to my entire body. Whatever counts as ¡°scaring him¡± to her, I don¡¯t wanna know. ¡°Though if the guards actually let us in nicely, then that wouldn¡¯t be necessary.¡± A thought then suddenly came to my mind. ¡°Hey, Mother. Don¡¯t you think it would be bad for us to just barge in like that though? What if he still insists on accusing Marina and Sophie in the end? That would be bad for us in court, right?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry,¡± she replied, still keeping the same scary smile. ¡°What he did to the hobbit, that¡¯s a serious crime, you know. If we bring up the matter to court tomorrow, then we would definitely win the case. And the hobbit would receive a generous amount of gold as compensation from him as well. And by ¡®generous¡¯, I mean enough that it stings.¡± ¡°So the plan is to blackmail him then?¡± ¡°Yes. But just until Marina and Sophie are freed. Ideally, he would just retract his accusation and they would be freed without a need for a trial.¡± ¡°And after that?¡± ¡°After that, we¡¯ll give the box anyways to the authorities.¡± She smirked. ¡°That, or return it to that poor hobbit girl. It¡¯s up to her. She¡¯s not going to get the gems back if she chooses to launch a counter accusation towards him.¡± Ah, that makes sense. But since when Mother is this cunning of a person? With her explanation done, we immediately departed. Just you wait, Newt Benedict! The Greenwood family is coming after you! Vol 1 Chapter 24: Assault on The Mansion Renee Ah, it''s been a while, isn''t it? For me to return back to my adventuring self. Forgive me, Alan. You might have your own, more cooperative plan to save Marina, but I can''t just let that man go without at least punishing him a little. Not even after all the things that he did, not just to Marina but also to that poor hobbit. You would have to indulge my selfishness, just this once. ---- First, we had to store the box of gems that we had with us in a secure place. So we went to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. I stored the box in their safe as a merchant, not wanting to divulge my adventurer past. And it wasn¡¯t like I brought my card with me either. Oh, and I also added a small Barrier spell over the box, just as extra precaution. It was easy for us to find where the man¡¯s house was. All we had to do was ask a few people where the Benedict estate was and we were immediately given the directions to go there. The man had a lavish state in the corner of the city¡ªa large mansion complete with a fancy garden and a water fountain. They said that his place was even more lavish than the mansion owned by the current Lord. We even heard rumors talking about how extravagant he was in the spending of his money. The people sure love to talk about him¡­ But if he has that spending habit¡­ could it be that he¡¯s in some sort of a financial difficulty that forces him to try and scam that hobbit for her gems? ...No matter. Financial difficulty or not, there¡¯s no excuse for what he did. When we arrived there, there were a pair of stern-looking guards posted in the front gate. And the moment they saw us approaching, they crossed their spears together, blocking our path. ¡°Halt! What business do you have with the Benedict estate?¡± One of them asked with an authoritative voice typical of a guard. ¡°We come here to meet the master of this mansion,¡± I answered unflinchingly. ¡°Is he inside?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The other one suddenly walked forward. ¡°You¡­ are you one of Lord Benedict¡¯s girls?¡± As he said that, I could tell that he was leering at my chest. Disgusting. Why must so many men be this attracted to my two mounds? This is why I don''t like to leave home that much. Even Alan is guilty of that. Well, if it''s him, it''s alright, I suppose. Even though he''s a giant pervert who loves boobs too much, it''s my boobs that he likes, and not some other women. So I let him fondle and play with them every night all he wants. "Ha, why would a whore bring a bunch of brats with her?¡± ¡°Maybe they¡¯re his illegitimate children,¡± the other one replied with an amused grin. Wonderful. He thought I was one of his prostitutes. And of course a man like him would habitually use such services, even though he probably had a wife already. Unlike my sweet Alan, who¡¯s completely faithful to me and me alone, of course. ¡°So, is he in or not?¡± I asked again. ¡°You¡¯re a cheeky one, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay with us for a while, eh? We''ll show you a good time. Better than what that fat bastard can give you for sure." He then reached his arm around, no doubt planning to wrap it around my waist. "Ugaah!" He was blasted away like paper, crashing to the steel gate behind him. I smiled at Hugo, who had his wand pointed at him. Aww, good boy. You want to protect Mother, don''t you? You don''t need to worry though. Mother has this all under control. The other guard, aghast at what just happened to his partner, immediately pointed his spear towards us. And this time around, it was Sherry who sent him flying with a kick. And right on his crotch too. Ouch. With another kick, she threw open the gates. It stood no chance against her strength. "Alright, you two. Stay close to me, alright?" I told them with a smile. Now let''s see if I still get it. "Barrier!" A dome-like transparent structure appeared around us, with me at the center. It was an Advanced-level Holy magic¡ªsimple enough that I could cast it without my staff and still keep a decent integrity on its protection. ¡°And another one!¡± This time, I created a barrier that enveloped the entire estate. It was not going to be used for our defense, so I made it really thin and barebone. As you might have guessed, I would use it to keep anyone from escaping. And by anyone, I meant our target, Mr. Newt Benedict. He might have his goons try to break it, but when he did, I could just fortify it immediately. But for now, no need to waste mana for no real reason. That¡¯s one of the very basics of being a good adventurer after all. If you could get by using a weaker spell, then use it instead of the stronger one. Being flashy for no reason would only get you killed. ¡°Let¡¯s walk inside, shall we?¡± I told the two, before moving forward. The commotion we caused didn''t go unnoticed. The other guards there immediately went after us, shouting "Intruders!" and such as if we were an invading force from another kingdom. Arrows were fired at us, but they only bumped impotently to my barrier. The melee fighters all swung their swords and spears at us but my barrier blocked every single one of their blows, sending them flying by the reflected impact. Then there were the mages¡ªfour or five of them. It really didn''t matter how many they were, as their pitiful attempt at spellcasting we''re all blocked by my barrier with ease. They only cast Intermediate-level magic, all with chanting. Ha, my seven-year old son can already do that without it! And speaking of Hugo, he quickly countered them with an earth spell that tripped all of them on their feet, flipping them over. They were all standing on one nice single line after all. A pair of horse-riding knights then appeared, each ramming their armored horses and lances at my barrier. Nope, still not good enough. And then, I noticed it. A barrier, similar to mine, had been raised over the main building. So they must have a cleric inside. Hmph, amateur. The consistency is all wrong. Whoever made it must not be a very skilled cleric. "Sherry, can you break through this barrier please?" I asked her calmly. We weren''t in any rush. Those noisy guards outside my barrier couldn''t do anything to us after all. She nodded, and unsheathed her sword. Holding it with both hands, she yelled before swinging it downwards. She didn¡¯t even need to make contact with the barrier directly. The wave emitted from her sword was enough to absolutely shatter the barrier and break open the front door at the same time. ¡°Kyaaaahh!¡± A high-pitched scream could be heard coming from the inside. There, who I could only assume was the cleric who had cast the barrier, was laying down on the ground, unconscious. Haah, that¡¯s what you get for making such a shoddy barrier. And do you even need to put it around the entire building like that? If you only need to guard the front door, you can just concentrate the spell there, you know. She¡¯s probably the type that just does whatever her holy spellbook says without any capability in creativity whatsoever. ¡°You! How dare you harm my Liliel!¡± The teenager in front of her shouted, drawing his rapier. Oh dear, looking at him, and the mage-looking girl behind him, I believe we¡¯re now up against an adventuring party. And this party composition¡­ ¡°Hey, Hugo. Sherry. Why don¡¯t you two each fight them one on one? None of you ever got to fight strangers like them before, right?¡± I suggested with a small smile. Both of them nodded, with Hugo having quite the confident grin on his face. Sherry took the lead, running straight towards the swordsman, leaping at him with her sword. Hugo on the other hand only stepped outside my barrier a little bit, before he started casting his spell towards the mage. Heehee, even though he could cast it just fine inside the barrier. So he wants it to be a fair fight, huh? The mage decided to chant an Advanced-level spell. Hmm, I see she¡¯s counting on the swordsman to protect her. Their position was pretty good as well, with the swordsman blocking the pathway inside the house, thus any spells that Hugo might fire would have to go through the swordsman first. That is, if he had used an ordinary, run-of-the-mill spell that is. Hugo, the clever boy that he was, decided to send a blast of wind that curved right around the swordsman, hitting her before she could finish her chant. She was sent flying and crashing to the pillar behind her, knocking her unconscious as well. As for the swordsman, well, he was too busy trying to fend off Sherry¡¯s relentless attacks. Judging by the terrified expression on his face, I knew he was completely taken aback by the strength she was displaying. He might be skilled enough to parry her blows, with him using that defensive style that allowed him to offset the difference between their strengths, but he couldn¡¯t do a single counterattack against her. Yep, sure enough, he made one mistake, and immediately Sherry took the opportunity to cut through his blade, before kicking him right on the gut, sending him flying as well. Well, that was quick. We marched inward, though not before I cast a barrier on what remained of the front door. Now this is how you do it. Those guys shouldn¡¯t be able to enter. Looking at the three unconscious adventurers, who I could only guess were hired to be bodyguards for our illustrious opponent, I couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for them. What rank were they in, I wondered? A swordsman, a cleric, and a mage. With the swordsman having a relationship with the cleric. Hmph, what a funny coincidence. ---- The only remaining staff that was inside were the servants, and naturally, they all ran away once they spotted us. I managed to grab one maid though, to ask her where her master might be hiding. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know!¡± She squeaked. ¡°I-I haven¡¯t seen him since you guys barged in!¡± ¡°Alright, you may go.¡± She immediately bolted as fast as she could the moment I released her arm. ¡°Hey, the front entrance is blocked, dear!¡± I shouted, seeing how she seemed to be heading in that direction. No loyalty at all. No one here really likes him, most likely. Well, with that personality, I¡¯m not surprised in the slightest. Eventually, we managed to find him at last. It turned out he was hiding in the servant¡¯s quarters, inside one of the maids¡¯ rooms. Inside the wardrobe. That he couldn''t even close all the way due to his size. ¡°O-oh please s-spare me!¡± He begged immediately when I dragged him out. ¡°I-I¡¯ll give you anything you want! J-just please spare my life!" A strong, acrid smell suddenly entered my nose. I looked down and saw that he had wet his trousers. Disgusting. This pathetic, slime of a man was the one that did that to my Marina? I threw him on the floor. My hands no longer wanted to be anywhere near his proximity. "Oh, don''t worry. We won''t kill you. This is just a little friendly visit, to remind you of the two girls you had sent to prison yesterday. You see, I happened to be the mother of one of those girls, with him being her little brother and her the little sister." I motioned to Hugo and Sherry. "And we are all quite mad from what you have done to her." "You¡­ you''re the Greenwoods? I knew it! I knew you people would come after me! Ooh, what are those adventurers doing? They''re supposed to be B-ranks yet they can''t protect me at all! I''ve paid a fortune for them too! And right when I''m short of money as well¡­" B-ranks, huh? Heehee, to think that my children are already strong enough to take them on¡­ And now my suspicion was confirmed. He''s having money problems, so he becomes desperate enough to do that to Sophie. Doesn''t excuse his actions in the slightest, of course. "Indeed we are." I smiled, which seemed to make him flinch, oddly enough. "And we would like to ask nicely for you to let my daughter and her Hobbit friend out and forget all of this ever happened. Or else, we would expose the fact that you had scammed a poor Hobbit merchant out of her jewels. I¡¯m sure Lord Eriol would take kindly to that revelation.¡± ¡°Y-you.. You know?!¡± His eyes widened. ¡°Of course.¡± I continued to smile. "Even my seven year old son could figure out your dirty trick." I patted his head. He turned speechless for a few moments, before he retorted, "Y-you don''t have any proof!" "Oh, it''s not like I don''t have the box with me or anything." I smirked, twirling the loose hair on the side of my face. "You really should put more security in your shop." "You¡­ you broke into my shop? H-ha! I can get you arrested for¡ª" "Oh, you''re not going to get anybody else arrested," I replied calmly. "It''s over, Newt Benedict. You know you''ve lost. So why don''t you just give up and do as I say?" And then, I took out two parchments from my pocket. I had prepared it early on, before we went here. ¡°Sign this. It¡¯s a paper that states you¡¯re withdrawing your charges over the two of them. And another paper, saying that today¡¯s breaking and enterings are all done by thieves not related to the Greenwood family¡ªboth here and at your shop.¡± ¡°Oh, and one more thing. The gems¡­ I¡¯ll be handing them back to Miss Hobbit, naturally.¡± ---- Hugo And with that, our excursion in the Benedict Mansion was over. I was glad that it went as well as it did, even though Mother did all the work. And to think that I just won my first fight against another human! What a pleasant feeling! I felt somewhat bad though, just sending her off blasting with my wind spell like that. Sherry won her fight as well, though she took a little longer than me to do it. Her opponent could parry her attacks decently enough, until he just crumbled under her pure strength. To think that a nine year old girl could overwhelm what looked like a seventeen year old young man like that¡ªI¡¯m so proud of you, Sherry! But Mother¡ªshe was easily the most amazing fighter that we had today. That barrier of hers¡ªto think that it could block all those attacks without flinching in the slightest¡ªshe really was an ex S-rank cleric like she told me she was. And she could do it without her staff too, which was even more amazing! A staff or wand boosted your magic considerably that it would be foolish to cast magic without them after all. And the way she intimidated that Newt Benedict guy¡­ she gave him no chance at all to retaliate. I felt bad for Sherry though. The only chance she got to hit him was the slap she gave at the very end. I knew from her expression that she wanted to beat him up even more. Me too, Sherry, me too. But I¡¯m already satisfied enough, seeing him cower in front of Mother like that to the point of wetting himself. If I ever got to that point, well, I would probably consider myself a complete failure and kill myself. Again. I mean, he¡¯s not even rich anymore, with the money problem he might have, judging by what he said. Hmph, if I had that kind of wealth, I would never squander them like he did. I wonder why Father wouldn¡¯t just do this from the very beginning though. In fact, what¡¯s he doing now? I would have to ask when he got back. Mother took the box back before returning to our inn. She told them that it would be safer with her instead of at the Guild. I¡¯ll take her word on that, o ex S-rank adventurer. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When we got back, Father was already there. It seemed the innkeeper had informed him of our arrival when he got back. After receiving some tongue lashing from Mother for letting this whole incident to happen in the first place, she then told him what we just did. ¡°And there you have it. One letter that you can give to the judge to secure Marina¡¯s release.¡± She handed the parchment over with a satisfied smile. He took it and gave a quick read of its contents. To my surprise however, instead of being happy about it, he instead had a frown drawn onto his face. "That was reckless of you, Renee." "What? Reckless? Are you telling me that¡ª" "What if he had hired stronger adventurers? You didn''t even bring your staff with you. And you might think Hugo and Sherry are strong, but there are many far stronger people out there." "Oh, are you saying that we should just let go of that dirtbag? I wouldn''t be satisfied if I don''t get him to beg and whimper for what he did to Marina." "I know," Father replied. "I''m really angry as well. But doing that¡­ at the very least, you should wait for me to return first." "I can''t do that! Marina''s trial is tomorrow, remember?" The two argued like this for a while, with me and Sherry exchanging uncomfortable looks at each other. It''s never fun to see your parents argue after all. At the very least, they''re doing it in our room and not in public. I got two things out of it though.First, Mother was far more vengeful than Father if anyone dared to harm her kids. Or, another way to look at it was that Father was a calmer man than he looked. I always thought that he would be the hothead with Mother having to hold his reins, so to speak. But it turned out that it was the opposite. She really was the definition of a Mama Bear. Another thing that I got was that Father had been investigating Newt Benedict¡¯s connection to the underground market while he was gone. He wanted to find a solid proof to link him to it, so that Lord Eriol could arrest him for good. And he got what he wanted, as he had obtained proof that he funded an abduction ring that kidnapped vulnerable people to be sold as slaves. Slavery might be legal but abducting people like that certainly wasn¡¯t. Even so, after their argument, we ended up switching our rooms around. I would sleep with Father while Sherry would sleep with Mother. Haah, sleeping in separate beds, huh? Just like arguing couples in my world¡­ Well, I just hope that they will make up immediately the next day. I really can¡¯t see them not getting along like this¡­ And so much for sleeping with Sherry¡­ Aah, I kinda want to play with her hair while she¡¯s asleep too¡­ Now I have to sleep with a big, muscled guy instead¡­ This is the worst! Even so, I fell asleep quite nicely that night. Knowing that terrible man was definitely going to jail for what he did, it felt me with a sense of relief. There is justice in the world after all. Vol 1 Chapter 25: The Strange Visitor As we had hoped, and expected, the trial next day went as smoothly as it could. In fact, it went so smoothly, we pretty much only sat in the court for ten minutes at the very most. Our opponent didn¡¯t even bother coming. Heh, he knew he had no chance to win in the slightest. Of course, Father had given to the judge the documents both him and us had obtained yesterday. It was enough for him to declare an innocent verdict for both Marina and Sophie immediately. He also said, in his own words, ¡°Sir Newt Benedict shall be tried on a different occasion for his crimes.¡± Complete victory. We all exchanged grins as we heard the judge slam his gavel. Even Marina had a grin in her face as she accepted Sophie¡¯s hug. Of course, little miss hobbit immediately thanked us as well afterwards. ¡°Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! I will be forever indebted to you all!¡± She bowed as deeply as she could. "Here. Your jewels." Mother handed over the box with a smile. She and Father had opted not to tell the judge of the scam, just so the box and the gems inside wouldn''t become evidence that the court would have to keep. "They''re all real. Every single one of them. You didn''t make a mistake," Father grinned. "That bastard had lied just so he could get his grubby hands on them for free." Her eyes widened in shock. "R-really?" "Yes, really," I spoke up next with my own smile.. "We went to multiple appraisers in the city and all of them said the exact same thing. You have done nothing wrong, Sophie. Your judgment as a merchant was completely correct.¡± She paused, taking off the box from Mother with trembling hands. She opened the lid, confirming that the gems were indeed all there. Ruby, amethyst, diamond, and many others¡ªevery single one of them were accounted for. Mother then walked over to her and put her hands on her little shoulder before kneeling over to look at her in the eyes. ¡°Let this be a lesson to you, Sophie. As a traveling merchant, you must always be wary of unscrupulous bastards like him. There are many others like him, you know, and no doubt this wouldn¡¯t be the first time someone would try to cheat you like this.¡± Father nodded with agreement with his arms folded, while Sherry was just smiling with a satisfied look in the background. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bad for her, having nothing to add to the conversation. Just like Sophie, she barely got any life experience on her. But don¡¯t worry Sherry! I¡¯ll teach you all sorts of stuff when we start adventuring! Marina, on the other hand, let out a sigh. ¡°I should¡¯ve seen that trick. If I did, we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess in the first place.¡± ¡°Hugo was the one who figured it out first, you know!¡± Mother remarked with a proud smile. ¡°Even faster than me, his own mother! Ah, what a clever boy he is! Clearly, he takes it from me!¡± She added with a smirk. ¡°Hey, are you insinuating that I¡¯m stupid or something?¡± Father protested. ¡°No, I¡¯m just saying that you were nowhere as smart as him when we first met. So the brains must have come from me.¡± She patted her chest. As the two had their little playful argument, I noticed Marina looking back at me with a proud smile of her own. She didn¡¯t need to say anything. Just that look immediately filled me up with an almost overwhelming warmth that nearly made me jump with joy. Aah, I do like being praised after all! Please praise me more, Sis! Mom! ------ We watched as Sophie departed. As you would expect from a merchant, she had her own carriage that she no doubt used to store her goods, complete with a pony to pull it. Hobbits aren¡¯t good with normal, large horses, so they had those ponies that they used as their beast of burden. Just like their owner, they could never grow up to become as big as normal horses. She was lucky that this incident only took two days to be resolved, or else the stable owner might have just decided to sell it (and the pony) to some black market for a quick and easy cash. At least, I could imagine a less principled stable owner to do so, especially if he heard that she had been thrown in jail. She wasn¡¯t leaving from the north gate like we would however. She was heading east, to the Magocracy. She wanted to sell and buy some magical items there, she told us. Hopefully, one day, I¡¯ll be able to meet her again on my travels. And next time around, I would surely tower over her as I would be more of a grown-up there. But hey, maybe Marina would meet her once she returned to the academy. ------ For the rest of the month, Marina decided to return and stay with us, feeling a bit gloomy that her plan of becoming an adventurer here was dashed. Not wanting to bother her, I decided to still respect my promise with her and not ask about more magic lessons with her; using my time to play with Erika instead. Slowly but surely, the girl seemed to be warming up to Sherry, though never to the extent that she warmed up to me, unfortunately. Now her favorite thing to do when I hug her was to pull and play with my hair. I¡¯m not sure what she finds so amusing about it, but if she¡¯s happy, then I¡¯m happy too. Without me to teach, Marina ended up teaching Sherry instead, who was still determined to catch up back to me after her recent defeat. Of course, she wasn¡¯t teaching her magic. Marina was acting as my stand-in as a fellow mage, though her fighting style differed considerably than me. If I had to dodge around in combat, she instead stood her ground, using her spells to create what was essentially an impregnable fortress around herself. Her owlbear would be the big guy that protected her from Sherry¡¯s direct assault, with the fairy (which she had evolved into a high fairy by the way) healing said owlbear. The dryad on the other hand would create roots to hinder Sherry¡¯s movements. The way the four worked in sync (including Marina herself, of course), Sherry could not land a single decisive blow on her. Oh, I hadn¡¯t talked about summons evolving yet, hadn¡¯t I? Basically, the more the summon got along with the summoner, the stronger it would get, until it would evolve into the next rank of its evolution line. For a fairy, that would be becoming a high fairy. The exact science behind it was never clear, and once again, it seemed like one of those things that depended more on the summon itself. There was a magic spell you could cast to forcibly ¡°rank up¡± your summon for a short period of time, but you could only do it if the summon trusted you enough to give you its name. Not to mention that the more powerful the summon was, the larger drain it would be on the summoner¡¯s mana. Many summoners ended up unconscious after doing the spell¡ªthe main effect of using too much mana more than the body could produce. And then, Fall came, and it was time for Marina to leave once again. As she rode the express carriage that would take her there, I took a glance at Sherry¡¯s determined look and smiled. She really wants to get stronger, just like me. ------- A series of months passed since then, and now, I could happily declare myself as an eight-year old boy. Just two more years until you could start adventuring, Hugo! Keep it up! Sherry, on the other hand, was already old enough to register. But when I asked if she was going to, she shook her head, telling me that she was going to wait until I was old enough to go with her. I see. So she wants for us to start together and party together and possibly even sleep together in the same inn room as we both start our adventuring careers. This girl¡­ she can be too cute sometimes. I noticed however that there was also a look of fear in her eyes. If I were to guess, she¡¯s probably too scared to interact with all those strangers that she would have to do if she became an adventurer. Taking quests, reporting quests, and cooperating with other people in general¡­ she was nervous to do it. Was she always like this? I remembered meeting her as this really confident girl who wouldn¡¯t be afraid to punch you in the face if she didn¡¯t like what you said. ...No, that was just a mask, wasn¡¯t it? A front she put up to protect herself from the harshness of the people around her. But now, after being accepted to our family, that mask had disappeared. She had to cling to my family and me specifically for comfort and reassurance. No wonder she didn¡¯t want to pay a visit to her orphanage when we were in Aarom back then. Behind her tough exterior, and her superhuman strength, she was just a fragile, love-starved girl who wanted to be protected. Alright, don¡¯t worry, Sherry! I¡¯ll be your knight in shining armor!, I declared selfishly inside my mind. But clinging to me like this¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but think that it was unhealthy for her. As much as I loved having a cute girl around to play hero with, I wanted her to grow as her own person. At this rate, she would always need me to function. And I didn''t want that for her future. Is there a way to make her be less attached to me? There are other girls her age in the village, but they are too afraid of her to make her their friend. Same with the boys. And the rumors of her being a demon in disguise has only entrenched itself over the years. I sighed. Oh well. I can make her be more independent once we become adventurers. Little did I know that my problem would soon be solved by a certain strange visitor. ---- It was around Spring when she came. We and Sherry were just finished from our spar. And just like the other times we had fought against each other, I still remained the victor. Ever since I won over her, I still hadn''t lost a single time. We were now relaxing under a big tree, resting our backs on its large trunk, with me cheering up the disappointed-looking Sherry, telling her that she was definitely getting better at her swordplay. "Sloppy. That could''ve been better." I looked up and saw a woman staring down at me. Immediately I stood up in attention. I was shocked, mostly because I never saw her before, but also because of her exotic appearance. First of all, she had brown skin, something that I only saw on her ever since I was reincarnated to this world. Then, there was the fact that she got two protrusions coming out of her head that looked like a flower¡¯s stamen, or a slug antennae¡ªI¡¯m not sure which if I were to be honest. Not to mention the two bat-like ears also attached to the top of her head beside them. She had a long and strangely shaped mass of light magenta hair that went all the way under her waist. There was no way it was in any shape and form natural, as it cascaded in a series of ¡°hair clumps¡±, for a lack of a better term. And then, there was her outfit. She wore a combination of dark and light brown long dress, with the top being decorated with golden lines and shapes, opposite to her completely plain skirt. And she had a large staff with her, signifying that she was no doubt a mage of some sort. She was beautiful, no doubt about it. But it was a kind of beauty far different than that of Mother''s. It was a mysterious, yet lonely beauty, like a flower that only bloomed at midnight with no one to see. When our eyes met, I was immediately paralyzed by her piercing emerald eyes. It was as if she was staring right at my soul sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I immediately understood. This woman¡­ was definitely not human. She looked at me for a short moment, before moving her gaze to Sherry, who also had stood up in response to her appearance. ¡°Long black hair, and an impressive display of strength¡­ you must be the kid.¡± Without warning, she grabbed Sherry¡¯s arm, causing her to reflectively yank it off her grasp. ¡°W-who are you?¡± She shouted, drawing her sword towards her. She let out a long sigh. ¡°Of course. I haven¡¯t informed my arrival beforehand after all.¡± ¡°I am Myrilla. Myrilla of the Nerthus. And I am here to examine whether you are just like me, a demon." Sherry froze, her eyes widening in disbelief of what she just heard. My heart nearly leaped out of its chest. This was it. This was what Mother mentioned so long ago that I had completely forgotten about. Myrilla. Father and Mother''s old friend. She had come here at last like they had asked to. To see whether Sherry really belonged to the Demon Race as they had suspected. "M-me? A-a demon?" Her voice shook. She didn''t reply. Instead, she just took a strand of hair from her head. "I shall return tomorrow to present my findings. Tell your Father and Mother that I¡¯ve arrived." Without another word, she left. Halfway down the hill we were on however, I snapped out of it and decided to stop her. ¡°H-hey, wait!¡± I chased after her. ¡°Sherry? A demon? That can¡¯t be right, can it? She doesn¡¯t look like one!¡± ¡°Does a demon have to look like one to be one?¡± She answered, while still walking ahead, refusing to stop or even slow down. ¡°Don¡¯t you know of the Black Slime race? And what about her exceptional strength?¡± ¡°I-isn¡¯t that just her talent?¡± ¡°Talent doesn¡¯t work like that. You don¡¯t become strong from the start right away. You still need to put a lot of effort and training to polish it. Only us from the demon race are already strong from birth.¡± She was right. I was just fooling myself, thinking that Sherry was in any way or sense ¡°normal¡±. ¡°That expression¡ª¡± She suddenly stopped, turning around to face me. ¡°¡ªYou¡¯re just like the others, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve decided. If that girl is truly what I believe she is, I shall bring that girl with me. Back to her homeland in the Demon Continent.¡± Before I could say anything, I was knocked out by a gale of wind created when she struck her staff to the ground. When I opened my eyes, she was already gone, vanished like she had never been there in the first place. And when I looked back, Sherry had disappeared as well. ---- I quickly made my way home, as fast as I could. Don''t tell me that Sherry has been kidnapped by her! However, when I arrived, Mother and Father were already waiting on the front door. And they looked like I had just murdered someone. "Hugo~" Eeek! Mother''s smile! Oh, she''s definitely angry! "What did you do? Why did Sherry return home crying and sobbing like that?" I took a sigh of relief. Sherry had simply run ahead back home before me after all. "I''m ashamed of you, Hugo!" Father joined in with a stern yell. "I never taught you to treat a girl like that!" "N-no! It''s not like that!!" I quickly replied. "It was someone else who made her cry." I had to clear this misunderstanding ASAP. I then explained everything as fast as I could. When I was done, their expression switched from that of anger to surprise. "Myrilla? She''s here?" Father spoke. "She didn''t come along with you?" Mother asked. "...That silly woman. She probably thought she would impose on us. She didn''t even bother saying Hello? After all these years?" Father said with an angry look. "Renee, cook her favorite meal. I''ll go fetch her for dinner." ¡°W-wait, Alan!¡± No response. He simply ignored her as she ran to the direction where I had come from. That dejected look on her face... There was no doubt that she still holds some jealousy towards her, doesn¡¯t she? An old rival in love¡­ And one with more history with Father and her¡­ I understand her feelings completely. ----- No matter how many times I called out her name, Sherry refused to come out of her room. The door was locked, and I could hear muffled sounds of sobbing coming from the inside. I was about to just kick the down door, but Mother stopped me. She said that it would be better if we left her on her own for the time being. ¡°Really, that Myrilla¡­ she doesn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s feelings at all¡­ She has always been like that, you know, ever since the first time I met her,¡± Mother said with a huff as we left the front of Sherry¡¯s room. ¡°...Mother, maybe it might be better if we had told her that she could be a demon earlier.¡± She stopped in her steps, before taking a deep sigh. ¡°...You¡¯re right, Hugo. Perhaps we should have.¡± She ruffled my head. ¡°To hear it from a stranger like Myrilla, it probably hurts more from her.¡± She then kneeled down and looked me in the eyes. ¡°Listen Hugo, you have to cheer her up once she calms down a little, alright? She must be afraid that you would reject her, after knowing that she might be a demon. Out of our family, you¡¯re the closest to her after all.¡± ¡°...Of course, Mother.¡± I nodded. I didn¡¯t tell her about Myrilla wanting to bring Sherry with her to the Demon Continent. That can¡¯t be true, right? Sherry wouldn¡¯t want to go there just because she¡¯s a demon? That place is really far away from here after all. Not to mention dangerous, filled with hellishly strong monsters and dungeons and all that. It was a lawless continent, where the strong thrived and the weak perished. At least, that¡¯s how my books described it. But if she can meet her people there¡­ her real family¡­ who am I to stop her? Vol 1 Chapter 26: A Dinner From Hell In the end, Sherry didn¡¯t come out for the rest of the day. Only around the evening, near dinner time, she left her room, heading straight to the bathroom. Before I could catch up to her, she already closed and locked the door behind her. I was pretty sure she intentionally sped up her walk just so she could avoid me. She then appeared in the dining room as we were preparing for dinner, taking her usual seat there as if nothing had happened. Mary was currently not here, as she had asked for a short one week leave. Of course, Father had no problem with that. Might as well use this chance now! I took a seat beside her, and put my right hand on top of her left, earning a surprised gasp from her. ¡°Hey, listen to me,¡± I said to her with a serious look, grasping her hand tight. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a human or a demon. You¡¯re Sherry, and that¡¯s all that matters.¡± For a split second, I thought she was going to start crying once again. But she quickly regained her composure, making her reply with a smile instead. ¡°Thanks.¡± It was the only word that she said, but I knew a huge weight had just been lifted from her heart. Seeing Sherry sitting there, Mother decided it was the opportune moment to explain how she had sent for Myrilla after recognizing the possibility that she could be a non-human. Immediately I saw a flash of hurt on her face. Mother did as well, and she quickly added, ¡°Oh dearie please don¡¯t take it the wrong way. We simply wanted you to know about your heritage. No matter whether you¡¯re a human or not, you¡¯d always be our daughter, alright?¡± She smiled warmly at her, before lifting her for a hug. ¡°S-so I could really be a demon? Like she said?¡± Sherry whispered with a low voice. ¡°We suspected that you might belong to a certain demon race¡ªso rare that barely anyone knew they even existed. Have you noticed how you would get stronger when you¡¯re angry, my dear?¡± Sherry paused for a few seconds before nodding. ¡°That¡¯s another trait of their race.¡± Mother smiled. ¡°Superhuman strength that grows stronger if the demon gets angry, a slim and slender figure that doesn¡¯t show any muscles whatsoever, and a beautiful long black hair is always shiny and smooth for the females. Don¡¯t you think all that describes you pretty well, my dear?¡± My eyes widened. That explains everything! It wasn¡¯t just her strength that was out of place, the beauty of her hair had struck me as odd as well. When I first met her, when she was still under the terrible care of Old Woman Tennyson, she was unkempt from top to bottom like the other village kids. Except for her hair. There was no blemish on it whatsoever. The person herself however didn¡¯t seem to be overjoyed by the revelation. ¡°Oh¡­ so I really am a demon after all¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps you are,¡± Mother replied, combing said hair with her fingers. ¡°But it¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of, my dear. In fact, you should be proud of it. You¡¯re not just any ordinary demon like a harpy or a lamia. You¡¯re rare enough that for most people, your race is just relegated to myths and legends. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s at least a little cool?¡± ¡°B-but that means all those kids that have teased me¡­ they¡¯re right after all!¡± Sherry started to shout with tears in her eyes. Mother sighed. ¡°Such is the state of demonkind unfortunately. Since they were on the side of the Demon God a millenia ago, they remained to be vilified by humanity and even the other races that sided with the Hero.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t worry!¡± she quickly added. ¡°Your race looks perfectly humanlike after all! No one will know that you¡¯re a demon just by looking at you! You can mingle with other humans just fine!¡± ¡°And if anyone tries to bully you because you¡¯re a demon, I¡¯ll blast them with my magic until they beg for forgiveness!¡± I chimed in with a confident grin. That¡¯s right. The past is the past. They might just be a bunch of evil races then, but now, I can say without a doubt that Sherry is nothing like that. Sherry is innocent, whatever vile deeds her ancestors might commit. ¡°We¡¯re home!¡± Oh goddamnit Dad, you just ruined our moment! ---- S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Mother and I quickly went to the front to greet him, while Sherry hurriedly wiped off her tears with her sleeves as she stayed behind, watching over young Erika. To my surprise, Father actually managed to return with Myrilla in tow. He told us that she had been camping in the nearby forest, and that he had persuaded her to join them for dinner. I guess she isn¡¯t as hard-hearted as I originally thought. ¡°H-hello Myrilla.¡± Mother spoke awkwardly, clearly forcing herself to start a conversation. ¡°Long time no see!¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± She merely nodded to Mother in response, and then entered the house as if she wasn¡¯t there at all. At the dining room, she put her staff on the wall behind her before taking one of the chairs (we were lucky that we had an extra unused chair that Mother had brought out). When Sherry saw her entering, she gasped and immediately tried to flee. But Myrilla wasn¡¯t having any of that. Her antenna lit up, and Sherry was pulled backwards like she was being pulled by a magnet, before she was placed nicely on the chair in front of her. ¡°Don¡¯t flee. I have questions to ask of you,¡± she then said to her, as if she was a stern schoolmistress scolding her misbehaving pupil. Whoa, was that telekinesis? I don¡¯t feel any wind blowing so it couldn¡¯t have been a wind spell she just used! Her antennae thing shone for a brief moment there, so it must be some racial ability of hers! Before I could think much about it however, an all-too-familiar noise burst forth inside the room. ¡°Uwaaahhhhh!¡± It was Erika, and it seemed she had been staring at this new strange-looking lady for the good five minutes, and then decided that she was a scary lady instead of a friendly one. Before Mother could come over and comfort her however, once again, Myrilla¡¯s antennae lit up. In response, Erika seemed to freeze for a few moments, before closing her eyes, with her body resting backwards on the all-too-tall chair for her. She had fallen asleep. It¡¯s hypnosis now? So she really does have psychic powers! ¡°You have no right!¡± I nearly jumped out of my seat. Mother, who had been placing down plates across the table, suddenly shouted, before coming over to Erika, picking her up. ¡°She¡¯s my daughter! You can¡¯t just¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯ll be awake once dinner is over. She can have her meal later, right?¡± The two then exchanged glares with each other, though Mother was clearly the angrier of the two. Myrilla simply stared at her back with the usual expression that she had been wearing throughout the evening, that is, one of a calm and unblinking stare. To my surprise however, she ended up being the one to break eye contact first. With a sigh, she turned to Father and said, ¡°This is why I told you there¡¯s no need to invite me here,¡± before rising on her seat and grabbing her staff, clearly intending to leave the premises. Once again, Father had to be the one who calmed her down and persuaded her to stay. I sighed as well. It seemed like I was getting the first seat ticket on a guy trying to make his ex-girlfriend get along with his current one. I¡¯d rather have the furthest seat available, thank you very much. ----- Afterwards, Mother took Erika to her bed before returning to us and serving the rest of the food we would have for dinner. Just like Father told her to, she had cooked a special dish just for Myrilla. And that being a plate full of green leaves and vegetables, with no meat or bread or anything else. It was practically just a big bowl of salad. There was also a different plate with several roasted corn cobs on it, which was the only thing that she had cooked in her meal. Is she a vegetarian or something?That trait is usually only reserved for elves in fantasy stories. I, of course, preferred meat much, much more. And Sherry as well. In fact, she had the biggest portion of the bacon we were having for the night. As she ate, she bombarded Sherry with all sorts of questions, mainly relating to her past. Where did she come from? Did she have any idea who or where her parents could be? All that kind of stuff. I could tell that Sherry didn''t really like answering them but she answered every single one anyways. ¡°So you really have no idea,¡± she commented while munching on one of the corn cobs. ¡°An abandoned baby¡­ simply dropped on the steps to the orphanage. At the very least your parents didn¡¯t sell you to one of those slavers.¡± ¡°Myrilla!¡± Mother looked daggers at her. ¡°That¡¯s the truth, is it not?¡± she retorted, wiping her mouth with the napkin provided. ¡°How many parents do you think have sold their children into slavery out there?¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t have to say it that way! Sherry already suffered enough in the orphanage as it is!¡¯ ¡°Oh? Pray tell. What happened to you there?¡± She turned her attention back to her. I looked at her as well, and noticed the terribly reluctance drawn on her face. ...No. I can¡¯t just let her answer this one. ¡°She¡¯s bullied there,¡± I interjected. ¡°Called a ¡®demon¡¯ by the other kids who feared her supernatural strength.¡± ...Wait, was that a tiny laugh I just saw on her face? ¡°I see. That¡¯s what you would expect from humans, I suppose.¡± She now started to munch on one of the larger leaves. She would look positively ridiculous, if not for her intimidating presence. ¡°Myrilla¡­¡± To my surprise, Father, who had been staying silent through all these conversations, suddenly spoke up. ¡°...You have grown even more bitter in the years we haven¡¯t seen each other, have you?¡¯ And then, something even more unexpected happened. The demoness, who had been keeping a relatively calm expression all this time, suddenly returned a sharp and furious glare towards Father. ¡°What do you know about bitterness, Alan? While you were happily living here playing family with Renee, I have witnessed so many terrible things in my wandering, done by humans to the other races. That¡¯s why I decided to return to my home in the first place. I was sick of all the things I saw.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°And don¡¯t you dare giving me that look of pity, Alan!¡± Wow. The way her reaction changed when it was Father she was talking to¡ªthat¡¯s a big tell for her liking him. Heh, this woman¡­ she''s just a cute tsundere under all that scary exterior. Honestly, she¡¯s not bad-looking at all. I do know why Father didn¡¯t choose her though. Her boobs. She simply couldn¡¯t compete with Mother in that department. And seeing how Father is a big lover of them, she never had any chance once she came to the picture. ¡°So, if I had to guess, you still haven¡¯t found a new party to join up with, have you?¡± Father continued. "I don''t need one," she replied matter-of-factly. "I am strong enough on my own." Father sighed. ¡°That¡¯s not the sole function of having a party, and you know that. I told you when our party disbanded, didn¡¯t I? That I wanted you to find new companions to travel with, ones to share your joys and sorrows with.¡± ¡°...There¡¯s only one person and one person only that I would like to do that with. And he already eludes my grasp forever.¡± She didn''t need to stare at Father like that. I already knew who she was talking about. "Final question." Suddenly, she switched her attention back towards Sherry. "Would you like to meet with your parents or relatives if you could?" My heart dropped. This is it. This is the question. "Y-yes," she answered, looking straight towards her eyes with a resolute look. "Yes I would." The demoness smiled, before finishing her cup of tea that had gone cold. "Tomorrow morning. My analysis would be finished then." So Sherry does care about her actual family then¡­ Makes sense. We¡¯re only adopting her after all. I would care too if I were in her position. Blood is thicker than water after all, if I¡¯m using that expression correctly. Would she leave us then? To go where her true relatives could be? ------ After dinner was over, Myrilla excused herself, refusing Father¡¯s offer for her to stay for the night. ¡°My research tools are all at my camp. I¡¯m not going to carry them all here,¡± she said to him. When she left through the front door, I couldn¡¯t help but take a huge sigh of relief. ¡°Well, that¡¯s Myrilla for you.¡± Father sighed as well. ¡°She really has grown more reserved since twelve years ago.¡± ¡°And more rude as well,¡± Mother added with a huff. Father laughed. ¡°Well, she¡¯s never the polite type from the start. I still remembered when she gave you hell for messing up your positioning in a fight.¡± ¡°Oh, that,¡± Mother replied with a wry smile. ¡°That was the first time I realized she might have feelings for you, by the way.¡± ¡°W-wait, you already knew then?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Mother smiled smugly. ¡°I¡¯m a woman too after all. I messed up and I put you in unnecessary risk, and it was the first time I saw her being that angry. For someone who normally never responded to anything other than with her blank expression, I then knew that you were someone special to her, more than just a traveling companion.¡± ... ¡°I still felt bad to this day, you know, for stealing you from her like that.¡± And then, without any warning whatsoever, Father turned around and grabbed Mother, kissing her right on the lips. Mother¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly relaxed and repicropated. When he released her, he had a stern look on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t, Renee. Never think like that. You¡¯re the only one I have ever loved. Myrilla might have feelings for me, but I couldn¡¯t return those feelings. To me, she had always been my partner and my mentor only.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of her lack of boobs, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mother suddenly frowned. ¡°H-hey! What do you think I am, a boob fetishist?¡± Father quickly denied, before Mother burst out into a laugh. Wow, Dad. Did you really mean that? You really have no feelings whatsoever for Myrilla? You¡¯re not just saying it to win Mother over? Now I can¡¯t help but feel bad for her. Imagine nursing feelings for someone for that long only to see him being snatched in front of your eyes by a newcomer. This is why I never could really get into those harem stories I used to read. The protag would choose one amongst all those other girls, leaving the rest brokenhearted. And if it''s a harem ending, I would worry even more. Even though the girls were usually portrayed as not being jealous with each other, I couldn''t really accept it. It''s completely unrealistic. After all, if a girl I liked ended up having other guys that also vied for her attention, I would be madly jealous for sure. In an ideal world, one guy would only be loved by one girl. Soulmates until the end. I wouldn''t lie though. I would love to have a harem of my own. Being fawned by multiple girls like that, it''s Paradise for any sexually healthy male for sure. And seeing how I had been reincarnated into a fantasy world like in those isekai stories that always had harem elements in them, maybe I would eventually end up with my own after all, hehe! I won''t ask for it though. All I want is for me to be married to a lovely, beautiful girl, raise a wholesome family together, and then die surrounded by my children and grandchildren, feeling completely content with the life I have led. That¡¯s what I promised myself I would achieve when I was reborn into this world. If I were to have multiple wives, I feared I wouldn''t be able to be fair to them. I would grow bored with some of them, breaking their hearts in the process. Most men would look for the newest and freshest pleasures after all, even in the women they bed. I am nowhere near the virtuous type who could remain faithful to all his wives until the day he died, if such a person even existed in the first place. I gave a glance at Sherry. Two years had it been since I brought her into the family. Would she truly become my future wife like I had always imagined? Or would Fate throw me a cruel twist and make her fall in love with another in the future, just like how Mother suddenly entered Father¡¯s life? ...No, it¡¯s selfish of me to demand that of her. She¡¯s her own person after all. ...Maybe it would be better if she leaves with Myrilla. That way, she wouldn¡¯t be just stuck with me until she grows old enough to marry. She would meet other people¡ªother guys who she might end up taking a liking on. Just then, an arrow seemed to have pierced my heart. Heh, so this is how jealousy feels. But if even after that, she still wanted to be my wife¡­ Then I would know that her love for me was the real deal indeed. ----------- I barely had any sleep that night. I was nervous; of Sherry¡¯s true identity, and whether she really was going to leave us or not. For some reason, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to tell Father or Mother. Maybe I simply wanted Sherry to choose as independently as she could. Or maybe I was just afraid I would get the answer I wouldn¡¯t want to hear from them. What that answer could be, I didn¡¯t know either. Sherry¡¯s probably feeling the same thing right now¡­ I also thought of going into her room and had a talk with her. But if I did, I was afraid I would end up breaking into tears and begging her to stay. If I did, she would no doubt stay for sure. I didn¡¯t want that. I wanted her to be selfish and choose her own path for once. I might be her benefactor but I was not her master. She had the right; the freedom to choose. Before I knew it, dawn had already arrived. Vol 1 Chapter 27: Sherry Izurdia Myrilla didn¡¯t come at breakfast, so at the very least, we could have a relatively peaceful meal early in the morning, even if my tongue couldn¡¯t really taste anything Mother had cooked. I noticed that Sherry was just as nervous as me, just from the fact that she didn¡¯t ask for an extra omelette like she usually did. Just after we finished, the demoness arrived. She told us to all gather outside, refusing to say anything else until we did. "Alright, now that we''re all here¡­" Dammit, she really knows how to put the tension, isn''t she? "Sherry, step forward please." I could easily tell that she was the most nervous out of all of us. Her entire small frame was practically shaking, with her hands balled up into fists. Gulp. Just tell us already goddamnit! "Congratulations, Sherry.¡± She smiled a little. ¡°Or, should I say, Sherry Izurdia.¡± Sherry¡¯s expression then was an expression I would never forget for the rest of my life. ----- She then explained everything there was to know about the Izurd race. About how they were a demon race feared for their monstrous physical strength and their rage-filled bloodlust. They would cut and skewer their opponents without mercy. At their peak, you could send other monsters running just from the knowledge of you being an Izurd. But over the years, they had declined severely in numbers, after the knowledge of their weakness, their Kryptonite, so to speak, was spread all over the Demon Continent. Humiliation, especially that of a sexual nature. If rage increased their strength, sexual humiliation decreased it, to the point that they would just be like a normal human. Once the other demons knew that fact, the Izurd stood no chance. The pride they once had in their power disappeared overnight, and they were humiliated to the ground, figuratively and literally. Demons skilled in that kind of stuff like the incubi and the succubi were key to their destruction. And now, they had to live under the protection of the Fey, with their numbers so much lower from where it used to. My mind immediately went to an image of Sherry being wrapped around by black tentacles, helpless as her strength had left her. And then, an incubi would stand in front of her. With a lecherous grin, he would¡ª Aaah! T-that¡¯s bad! Really bad! Ooh, I have to make sure to make her stay away from perverted monsters like that as far as possible! It didn''t help that their hair was a prized item. Apparently, you could use it as material to forge powerful swords and armors. And they said that the hair of the strongest Izurds was even better than the legendary Mythril at the job. It was all thanks to the fact that an Izurd could use their hair as a weapon. They could manipulate it at will, using it as sharp blades that could cut even steel. Their hair was their horns and tails. It was their demonic trait; a smooth and glossy black hair that could move on its own. When Myrilla finished her explanation, Sherry was completely silent. She was staring at the ends of her hair that she had bunched up together with her hands. "I can take you there. To the Demon Continent, and to the hidden village where most of the remaining Izurd live. They''re a long-lived race. 500 years isn''t odd for them. You would surely find your relatives there, even if your father and mother aren''t there." And there it was. The offer. Sherry looked up¡ªfear, confusion, and disbelief drawn on her young face. "T-truly?" "Yes, truly. The Nerthus, the race I belong to, we¡¯re quite good friends with the Izurd. So I know the way there, and the way through the Fey enchantment protecting the village.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it would be an easy journey though. It would be a long and tiresome one, especially for someone as inexperienced and young as you. We would have to cross to the Holy Continent first, then take another ship from there to go to the Demon Continent. And after that, it¡¯s another long walk to where the village is.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t return here for years to be sure.¡± Sherry¡¯s eyes widened. And me as well. Years of not seeing her? That¡¯s... ¡°Of course, that is, if you still prefer living here amongst the humans instead of there with your own flesh and blood. I¡¯m sure once you¡¯re there, they would take care of you really well. Their numbers are small after all, so every new Izurd child is precious to them.¡± ¡°I have no idea how you could end up in a human orphanage all the way out here. And it wouldn¡¯t be in my place to speculate. Ask your relatives there. They would surely have some insight to give you on the matter. Oh, and they would also be able to train you to control your hair. You still can¡¯t do it, can you? Most Izurdian kids your age are already able to do it by the way. Alan certainly wouldn¡¯t be able to teach you in the matter.¡± She paused, seemingly judging Sherry¡¯s reaction to her words. ¡°Think about it. If you still want to live with humans after you meet with your relatives, then I''ll be willing to take you back here straight away. It¡¯s not like I got anything better to do after all,¡± she added with a wry smile. To my surprise however, she looked at me afterwards. "So, you¡¯re the boy she likes.¡± Wait, how did she¡ª ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look so surprised. Being a Nerthus, I can also read the minds around me.¡± As she said that, her antennae lit up. ¡°And I certainly sense a strong adoration radiating from her towards you. And a terrible feeling of guilt and fear when she thought about leaving you behind to go with me to the Demon Continent.¡± Looking back at her, she continued, ¡°You don¡¯t want to be separated from him, do you? And you¡¯re afraid of being seen as ungrateful if you just leave the family that has adopted you?¡± Sherry nodded to both. ¡°And yet, I also sense a feeling of desire. And exasperation as well. You want to be strong, don¡¯t you? You hate how the gap between you and the boy you like is only growing more and more as the days pass.¡± Sherry nodded again. ¡°Hah, to think a little girl such as you could already possess such a feeling¡­ This world truly is getting more absurd at each passing day.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not absurd at all!¡± Sherry suddenly yelled. It seemed she thought Myrilla was mocking her. ¡°Hugo saved me! It¡¯s not odd at all for me to like him for it, is it?!¡± ¡°...Saved you, huh?¡± Myrilla replied, now with a full-blown smirk. ¡°I too saved your adopted father a long time ago yet he never fell in love with me for it.¡± She gave a look towards Father, who only responded with a regretful look on his face. At this point, she had transformed into a completely different person than the one I had met yesterday. ¡°Then all the more reason to go there. Who else is better to teach an Izurd like you to control her hair than another Izurd after all?¡± Sherry remained silent, looking away from her. I couldn¡¯t tell what her expression was. ¡°I will wait for your answer. A week from now, I shall pay another visit before I depart back to the Demon Continent.¡± And with that offer, she ended her speech. She turned and began to walk away, but not before Mother stopped her with a furious look on her face, pulling at her shoulder with her right hand, forcing her to turn around. ¡°You! What are you trying to pull off?¡± ¡°Oh, is it wrong for her to be with her family? I simply gave her the opportunity, that¡¯s all. It is up to her whether she would take it or not,¡± she replied, returning once more to her calm demeanor, though I could still definitely sense the cheekiness behind her words. ¡°Are you saying that we¡¯re not her family? She might be an Izurd but she¡¯s still my daughter! All these years I¡¯ve taken care of her as if she¡¯s my own and now you¡¯re telling her that she should leave on a dangerous, godforsaken journey with you just so she can be with her distant relatives that she knows nothing about? Have you lost your senses, Myrilla?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one that has lost your senses, Renee,¡± she replied coolly. ¡°She¡¯s a demon. She can never truly get along with your kind. Even if she gains their respect and adoration, or even love, she will eventually realize how different she is from them. As her husband and children and neighbor grow old and die, she would still be as youthful as ever. She would have to suffer many separations, breaking her heart to little pieces in the process. No, it would be much better for her if she lives with her own kind." The ¡°Tragedy of Long Life¡± trope¡­ It¡¯s something that keeps popping up in various fantasy romances, though naturally only in the more serious and drama-oriented works. I used to be somewhat of a fan of it. There¡¯s just something deliciously tragic about being separated by time, having to watch your lover die wrinkled and old while you¡¯re still young. Or even the tragedy of being a mother who has to bury her own aging child. But now¡ªnow I¡¯m actually in a fantasy world where it can very much happen¡­ I-I don¡¯t know¡­ And I don¡¯t want to think about it¡­ What would I do if I were in Sherry¡¯s position¡­ if I was a long-lived demon and I had fallen in love with a human woman¡­ Would I avoid her and keep my love only for my own kind? Or would I start a family with her anyways, even knowing the unavoidable tragedy that waits at the end? Before I could finish my thoughts, I was brought back to reality by Mother replying to Myrilla with another shout. "Ah, I see it now! This is because of Alan, isn''t in? You think he rejected you over me because you''re a demon? Don''t project your own close-mindedness into him! It''s exactly this sour, somber personality of yours that he dislikes!" Mom! You can''t just¡ª Too late. Just as I feared, Myrilla immediately snapped the moment Mother finished her speech. She slapped her with her left hand, leaving a notable redness on Mother¡¯s right cheek. "How dare you! You know nothing about Alan! I traveled with him far longer than you! It''s only because of you that he¡­ he¡­" Her voice trailed off. The always composed woman¡­ was now crying. Her tears dripped down her cheeks, as she looked away, trying to hide it from everyone, especially Mother. Quickly, she wiped herself with her robe. Looking towards Father, she said with a bitter smile, "This is why I am so reluctant to come. For a demon, twelve years is just a blink of an eye. The ache in my heart¡­ it still refuses to heal." With another glance towards Sherry, she left for real this time. Using a wind spell, she blasted herself away from the scene. Wait, isn¡¯t that my spell she¡¯s using, only she¡¯s better at it? I turned back and saw Father putting his hand on Mother¡¯s shoulder. My attention then switched to Sherry, who was clearly still shocked by all that information that she just received. I have to comfort her! Before I could do so however, our eyes crossed, and immediately, she bolted, not to chase after Myrilla, but to another direction entirely. Goddamnit she¡¯s running away again! I had enough of this! I decided to chase after her. Using my own Wind spell, I should be able to keep up with her speed. I didn¡¯t say anything as I left Father and Mother, only giving them the look that pretty much told her that I was going to chase after her. ----- Sherry eventually led me to the nearby forest. She was even faster than I thought. I couldn¡¯t catch up to her, only able to tail her from behind. Thanks to the thick woods, I immediately lost her. Not for long however, I heard a familiar yell coming from right in front of me between the trees. When I arrived, Sherry put the last finishing blow to a giant wolf with her sword, decapitating its head from its body with a single swing. Around her were several other giant wolves in a similar state. Blood. She was covered with blood from top to bottom. I could only imagine that it all came from the wolves she just killed. Her black hair was stained with it as well, making her bangs fall forward. When she noticed me, she turned to face and let out a dry laugh. ¡°Hello, Hugo! Like how I look? This is how demons should look, aren¡¯t they?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but flinch. The sight in front of me¡­ was it even the Sherry I knew? ¡°Oh, I never told you, have I? Whenever I got really angry, I would come here and slaughter the monsters here. Like this. I haven¡¯t done it in a long while though. Not ever since you kindly took me in.¡± She now smiled wryly, before looking at her bloodied sword. ¡°Ah, I need to clean this. Your father always told me to take care of my sword well. Can¡¯t sheathe it when it¡¯s all bloody like this.¡± Using the remaining clean part of her skirt, she rubbed the blood from the sword. ¡°Well, I have to clean it better later. But for now, this will have to do.¡± She then put it back on its sheath at last. ¡°You know, I always think it¡¯s odd for me to like killing monsters like this. But now I know that there¡¯s nothing wrong with me. I¡¯m a demon after all. An Izurd. Monstrous beings that enjoy slaughter and carnage.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s not true, you¡¯re not¡ª¡± ¡°What am I not?¡± She interrupted me. ¡°My violent temper. It¡¯s also part of my heritage. I grow stronger because of it, so I should have been cultivating it, instead of trying to dam it inside my heart.¡± She paused, now looking away from me. ¡°I am not the poor, unfortunate girl that you think I am, Hugo. I am a demon child, abandoned by my own parents at birth. If you ask me, they should¡¯ve just thrown me into a river instead.¡± Hearing her say that, for some reason, my blood immediately boiled. I walked up to her without hesitation, and slapped her right on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever say that again!¡± Anger had completely overtaken me. Tears were starting to fall from my eyes. ¡°Your life doesn¡¯t just belong to you, you know! So don¡¯t you ever say you¡¯re going to just throw it away like that! So what if you¡¯re a demon? You¡¯re still my friend and family! You¡¯re Sherry! And nothing will ever change that!¡± I now knew why I was so angry¡ªshe talking about wanting her parents to drown her like that, it reminded me of my own attempt at taking my own life. How many times I hoped I hadn¡¯t been born when I was still in that pit of despair? Sherry was nothing like my pathetic old self. She¡¯s just a nine year old kid with a bright future ahead of her. To hear her talking like that, I couldn¡¯t forgive her for it. I couldn¡¯t just let it slide. If she starts to think like that, then she will slide into the same hole that I couldn¡¯t escape from. ¡°Uuuu-uwaahhhh!¡± She threw herself onto me, hugging me as she sobbed on my chest. I didn¡¯t let go until she did. I didn¡¯t care that she was covered in monster blood, or that she smelled absolutely terrible. I even gently rubbed the back of her head. Even when covered in blood, her hair remains as smooth as ever. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She needed me, and I would be here for her. Really, a kid like her shouldn''t act so tough. So let it all out, Sherry, let it all out. ----- When she finished, it must have been a good ten minutes or so. She really could cry a lot when she let go of her tough facade. "Now, let''s go back, shall we? We both clearly need to take a bath now." I let out a chuckle. "S-sorry about that¡­" She smiled sheepishly in return. "I really shouldn''t have hugged you like that. "Oh, don''t worry," I returned. "If you need a hug, I''ll always be willing to give one.¡± I grinned. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be happy receiving a hug from a cute girl like you after all?¡± I decided to add a little flirting to lighten the mood. ¡°C-cute?¡± Yep! She immediately blushed. ¡°Y-you still think I¡¯m cute, even after knowing I¡¯m not a human like you?¡± ¡°Of course! Cuteness isn¡¯t bound by race after all!¡± I grinned. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s your demon heritage that makes you even cuter, Sherry. Your silky smooth long hair that always looks and feels good no matter the situation¡­ many girls would kill to have such a hair on their heads, you know.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes, really! Many guys would love to play with such hair! Including me!¡± I admitted proudly. Now that I think about it, I¡¯m kinda starting to sound like a hair fetishist here¡­ It¡¯s not a lie though. Her hair really is pleasant to play with¡­ ¡°H-hmph! Alright then! If you like my hair so much, then I¡¯ll let you play it with more! So come! We¡¯ll take a bath together!¡± She took my hand and dragged me back home, all with a blush on her cheeks. I smiled once more. Now this is more like the Sherry I know! Still, I feel bad for slapping her like that. I¡¯m certainly not into doing that to girls! I just feel I need to do it to send the message to her, you know. I just hope that this would be the last time I did it to her. Vol 1 Chapter 28: Sherry’s Choice When we got back home, naturally, we received a scolding from Mother, for returning covered in blood from top to bottom. To my pleasant surprise, it wasn¡¯t as long as I expected it would be, knowing her. She scolded me more than Sherry too, which I found unfair at first, until I realized it¡¯s because she didn¡¯t want to treat Sherry even the slightest bit harshly, after what she just went through. Afterwards, she told us to go clean up immediately, which was exactly what we were already planning on doing. However, I also noticed a sad look on her face as we left. Mother¡­ you¡¯re thinking what I¡¯m thinking, aren¡¯t you? ----- Our bathing time together went smoothly at first, with Sherry insisting that she should be the one doing all the scrubbing, still feeling guilty for smothering all that blood onto me. Of course, Sherry being Sherry, she was still too shy to scrub my front, opting to only scrub my back. Hehe, it¡¯s okay if you want to, you know~ And, as promised, she also told me I could play with her hair as much as I wanted. I only ended up just admiring how glossy and smooth it looked and felt though. Could something this lovely be turned into a weapon? I find it hard to believe. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡­ Ah, what am I thinking? I¡¯m just trying to forget the elephant in the room, aren¡¯t I? Is Sherry going to leave? That¡¯s one of the two questions that had occupied my mind ever since Myrilla made her offer. The other one being, should I persuade her to stay? Of course I wouldn¡¯t want her to go. Just like how I wished Marina could stay all year. However, if going with Myrilla would result in a better outcome for her, then I had no right to force her to stay. Just like Marina studying magic in the academy would make her be a skillful mage once she¡¯s an adult, securing a bright future ahead of her. A high-skill mage was always in demand, and the Magocracy, and other countries for that matter, would pay her handsomely either to act as part of their military or just to foster the prosperity of their domain. After all, a high level mage could do all sorts of useful things like controlling the weather and turning a wasteland into a lush farmland. Or so Marina told me. And I had no doubt whatsoever that she would be one of said mages. However, for Sherry, what future would she be able to earn if she went with Myrilla now? Wouldn¡¯t it be better if she waited until she was older then we three could go to the Demon Continent and to her homeland on her own, with me, Marina, and her? Does she really need to know how to manipulate her hair like the other Izurds? Once again, I had yet to come up with a satisfactory answer. I didn¡¯t even know whether I should ask her on the matter. Mother felt the same way. I knew just by looking at her expression then. Father probably too as well. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Suddenly Sherry spoke, breaking the silence. ¡°You¡¯re thinking about me leaving, aren¡¯t you?¡± Welp, she hit the jackpot right away. I sighed and nodded. ¡°Do you¡­ want me... not to go?¡± This question¡­ it¡¯s exactly what I feared.And that sad, hesitating expression on her face only made it harder for me to answer. ¡°...If you want to, I won¡¯t stop you.¡± Such was the answer that escaped my mouth. It wasn¡¯t me telling her not to go, or how much I would miss her if she did. It was me telling her to do as she pleased. To go if she wanted to go, or to stay if she wanted to stay. I forced a smile and added, ¡°I''ll miss you for sure. But if you want to meet your relatives, then who am I to stop you?" To my surprise, her reaction was not of relief, but that of sadness, before switching to anger entirely. ¡°Hmph, stupid Hugo!¡± ¡°H-hey Sherry, wa¡ª¡± SLAM Before I could say anything, she already jumped out of the bath and slammed the bathroom door behind her. -------- Sherry At first, I didn¡¯t know why I got so angry. Only that I was, and that I wanted to hide back in my room and cry myself to sleep. I took my towel and wore it in a hurry, before also taking my clean clothes with me. Then, I immediately bolted there. I didn¡¯t want Hugo to chase after me. ...No, I wanted him to chase after me. In fact, I wanted him to apologize, begging to me not to leave. That¡¯s what made me so angry. His answer¡ªit¡¯s like he didn¡¯t care about me leaving at all! I knew for a fact that wasn¡¯t true however. With everything that he had done to me, and with how nice he had been to me, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t be hurt if I decided to leave. But my heart was greedy. It wanted more. It wanted him pleading with tears for me not to leave. If he did, I would¡¯ve decided to stay to be sure. I wouldn¡¯t leave him just for some relatives I didn¡¯t know about, no matter how curious I was to meet them. But if he acted like this¡­ how would I know what to do? Once back in my room, I locked the door behind me before throwing off my towel. I then looked at the mirror in my room. So this is how a demon looks¡­ how an Izurd looks¡­ My real father and mother¡­ even if they have abandoned me, I still want to meet with them¡­ And I want to get stronger too¡­ strong enough to beat Hugo, just like I used to be able to¡­ The gap between us¡­ I know it¡¯s only getting bigger and bigger¡­ Before I know it, he would be just as strong as his big sister, whom I couldn¡¯t land a single blow on¡­ And then, if we really become a party of adventurers as he wants, I would just be a burden¡­ The weak link in their party¡­ It would be better if I don¡¯t go with them after all¡­ My training with Hugo¡¯s father had plateaued. He said that I should be patient, and I would eventually become strong if I just kept up my training, but I knew if I only improved at this rate, I would only be left behind by Hugo and Marina more and more. The immense Izurdian strength I was born with, and whatever talent I might have in the sword, it¡¯s nowhere near those two¡¯s level of talent in magic. They were true geniuses, while I was just a girl who got lucky that she was actually a demon and not a normal human. ¡­ I want it. I want more power. I want more strength to protect Hugo. And if I have to go all the way to the Demon Continent for that, then I will, without hesitation. Then, I will return to Hugo as a proud woman, who¡¯s worthy of becoming his partner and party member. And even¡­ Even his wife, if he still would have me¡­ ------------- Hugo When I met Sherry again at lunch, she was back to her usual self, as if nothing had happened. ...No, there was just one difference. Her eyes¡­ there was fire behind them. She had made her decision. ¡°Father¡­ Mother¡­ I have decided. I will go with Myrilla to the Demon Continent.¡± Those were the words that first came out of her mouth the moment she arrived and sat on. Mother gasped, dropping the fork and spoon she had been holding with a loud clang. Father, on the other hand, looked as if he already saw this coming. ¡°S-Sherry, you can¡¯t seriously think of¡ª¡± ¡°I am serious, Mother,¡± she replied without flinching. ¡°I am already ten years old, remember? I am perfectly qualified to start traveling around and being an adventurer. Father, you left your home at the same age, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true, but¡ª¡± ¡°Then there is no problem, is there?¡± ¡°There is a problem!¡± Mother suddenly slammed her hands to the table. ¡°Do you have any idea how dangerous the Demon Continent is, young lady? Your father nearly died once there! If not for Myrilla, he¡¯d be¡ª¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why Mother shouldn¡¯t worry. Myrilla is going to be with me after all,¡± Sherry quickly retorted with a sharp look. ¡°You would trust someone who you just met with your life?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Renee. I trust Myrilla with my life, so for Sherry to do the same, there¡¯s nothing wrong in doing so.¡± Father finally interrupted, and judging from his expression, he most likely didn¡¯t appreciate the tone Mother had taken on mentioning his ex-partner. ¡°Sherry, are you serious about this? The journey there would be tough, tougher than anything you have ever encountered in your life. Even discounting the harsh environment and the strong monsters of the Demon Continent, you would be out there with only Myrilla guiding you against the rest of the world. The hardships on becoming a wandering adventurer is not just from the quests you have to do and the monsters you have to fight. You will no doubt encounter people who would try to harm you, just like Marina did back at Aarom. You would be swindled, cheated upon, and even hurt, and the worst part about it that you wouldn¡¯t always be able to fight back. You might think you¡¯re really strong but there are many stronger folks out there. And if you pick fights with every single one of them, well, you¡¯ll end up dead in a ditch sooner or later.¡± Father folded his hands, looking fully serious. He was eyeing Sherry, no doubt looking whether there were any doubts displayed on her expression. ¡°I know,¡± she replied. ¡°But I have to do it. Not just because I want to know who I really am and why I was abandoned, but also because I want to become stronger. You know very well how my progress in swordplay has been slowing down lately. No matter what you say, I don''t have as much talent in it as Hugo and Marina do in magic. If I stay here, I''ll never be able to catch up with them. I want to go there, and learn how an Izurd is supposed to fight." Father didn''t even try to rebuke her. Instead, he simply let out a deep sigh. "It indeed might be best for you to continue your training there." "Alan!" Mother glared. "I remembered some tales on how the Izurd fights. They certainly aren¡¯t using the same style that I have been teaching you all this time. To them, their hair is also a weapon, and they can combine it with their actual weapon to unleash a devastating barrage of attacks against their opponents. They could even use it in a defensive way, forming makeshift shields and armors at will. So I cannot lie and say that you wouldn¡¯t get stronger if you train with them instead.¡± ¡°Then¡ª!¡± ¡°You might go. But in one condition.¡± He leaned forward, looking at Sherry straight in the eye. ¡°You will obey whatever Myrilla tells you to do. With no questions asked, alright?¡± ¡°Alan, you can¡¯t really be saying that she should¡ª¡± ¡°I see no uncertainty in her eyes, Renee,¡± he returned, looking at her. ¡°If we forbid her, she would just run away on her own. I have no doubt about that.¡± And with that, Father had given his blessings. -------- For the rest of lunch, Mother continued to tell her not to go, each time sounding more and more desperate to change her mind. Until eventually, Sherry was fed up with it and finished her lunch earlier than normal. She then left the house afterwards, most likely to train, judging by her statements before. ¡°Hugo, what do you think?¡± Father asked me once she left. ¡°Do you think she should go? It¡¯s not like you to be all quiet back then.¡± He gave me a small smile. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I answered honestly, sighing in the process. ¡°I certainly don¡¯t want her to go, but on the other hand, if she¡¯s already that determined¡­¡± ¡°You know you would be able to convince her to stay, right? She likes you after all. Just give her some earnest tears and beg her to stay. That would surely convince her,¡± he answered with a light smirk. ¡°Women like it when their men show off a little weakness once in a while. It triggers their motherhood instincts, making them want to comfort and even coddle them. If you read those female romance novels, you''d see it over and over." "...Wait, you read those kinds of novels, Father?" "N-no! I-I just want to see what your mother''s into, that''s all!" He quickly denied with a little blush on his face. Heh, even someone like him could get flustered by just a simple thing like that. My thoughts quickly returned to Sherry however, wiping the little smirk I had. Father then sighed, ruffling my hair with a smile. "You''re too mature for your own good sometimes. If you''re like any other eight year old boy, you probably would have run to her and beg her not to go. But you''re thinking of the bigger picture. You don''t want to become Sherry''s impediment. So you keep your feelings in check, hiding it behind a smile." I paused, looking at Father with a shocked expression. He was right. He was absolutely right. "Ha! Of course I was right! I''m your father after all! What kind of a father who can''t tell what their son is thinking?" Our conversation unfortunately was interrupted by Mother who slammed our desert on the table. She was clearly exasperated by Sherry running off like that. I spent the rest of the lunch in silence, deep in my own thoughts. ---- Afterwards, I immediately went out to look for Sherry. I had something really important that I wanted to say to her. ¡­ I found her a ways away from our house, on the grassy hills. And just as I expected, she was busy swinging her sword around. It seemed she was training her precision, as she was cutting the small leaves on the tree above her one by one into two, without cutting a branch or another leaf in the process. Amazing¡­ Would Father even be able to do something like this? He doesn¡¯t look like the precise type in the slightest. When she sensed my presence however, her movement became sloppy, ending it her cutting a whole branch off and then it landing right on top of her head. ¡°Oww!¡± She said as she rubbed her head. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the comical scene. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, Hugo.¡± She looked at me. ¡°What do you want?¡± It seemed she wasn¡¯t pleased that I had interrupted her practice. At first, my thought was to apologize to her, to tell her that I was sorry for becoming too strong too quickly to the point that she couldn¡¯t catch up. But I knew that if I said that, it would only wound her pride. She wouldn¡¯t be happy hearing me saying that. She would feel insulted. Gravely, I might add. I would feel the same. I saw how my siblings all grew to become successful people, with only me being the failure. If they started apologizing for their accomplishments, I would end up disliking them even more. Kindness could become condescension to an insecure person after all. So there was only one thing that he could say to her. ¡°Do you want to win over me and Marina that badly?¡± She returned an annoyed look, as if I had just asked something stupid. ¡°Of course I am. Like I said, I don¡¯t want to be left behind by you two.¡± ¡°Then, how would you know when you¡¯re good enough? You can no longer compare your strength with mine or Marina¡¯s if you go there after all.¡± She paused, averting her gaze away. She probably hadn¡¯t even thought of that. ¡°...I¡¯ll return when I feel I¡¯m strong enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s no good! What if you always feel you¡¯re not strong enough? Or what if you train too much and you end up being the one to leave me and Marina behind? You would make us feel bad then,¡± I said with a smile. She smiled as well. She knew I was trying to humor her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t be there for long. Just until I could learn how to control my hair. I¡¯m an Izurd after all. I have to learn that stuff, you know.¡± Judging by her happy, almost proud face, I knew that she already accepted the fact that she wasn¡¯t human. And I felt relieved for that. You will never devolve into that kind of self-hate again, would you, Sherry? ¡°How about this? You come back when Marina finishes attending the academy. Perfect time for us three to start adventuring, no?¡± ¡°Eh? You¡¯re not going to go there as well?¡± ¡°Hmm, I dunno. I think I¡¯m already good enough just having Big Sis as my teacher,¡± I replied with a small smirk. I really couldn¡¯t imagine myself wasting six years of my youth just being a student in a boarding school like that. I would be bored out of my mind quickly, after the pleasure I got from being the best student there disappeared. After all, Marina always said that I was already better than a lot of the students her age. And I would only get even better. When I was old enough to enter, I would be far and beyond my peers. Or so my cocky self believed. I just want to become an adventurer. And that¡¯s that. Sherry went silent for a few moments, looking away as she thought of my request. ¡°Alright!¡± she replied with a confident grin. ¡°Since you want it so badly, I promise I¡¯ll be back by then!¡± She offered her hand. I readily shook it without a second thought, smiling back at her. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t you train your sword skill with me for a change, Hugo? See if you can cut those leaves like I just did.¡± ¡°Eeh, I can¡¯t even do the ranged cutting thing you¡¯re doing!¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t complain already! You just have to swing your sword fast enough!¡± And so for the rest of the week, I obliged her, playing and training with her as much as I could. I didn¡¯t get much out of it, but Sherry was easily the happiest that I had ever seen, so I was happy as well. And then, came the day of her departure. Vol 1 Chapter 29: Thomas The Pervert Myrilla came early in the morning, before breakfast. One look at Sherry was enough to tell her that she had accepted her offer. "Get ready," she told her. "We''ll depart after breakfast." Sherry then came out with a bag filled with her clothes from her room, putting it in the corner of the room as she had her breakfast. Mother had given up trying to convince her not to go. And now, like a worried parent, she nervously checked and rechecked and rechecked again Sherry''s bag, making absolutely sure that she already got everything she would need. And before that, she demanded Sherry to sleep with her for the last few nights, kicking poor Father out of their bedroom in the process. I can just imagine her being smothered by Mother''s big boobs as she hugged her in her sleep. Ever since she became her adopted daughter, she kinda took her as a replacement to Marina who''s away for most of the year. Speaking of Father, he gave another speech to Sherry, though this time around, it was just a string of advice relating to adventuring. But just like before, what''s most important was for her to obey Myrilla. I of course had sent a letter to Marina, informing her on what was happening. Though it would be far too late for her to do anything once the letter got into her hands. Erika was also there, and like her usual self, she''s all jealous on the attention Sherry was receiving. I had to calm her down by letting her sit on my lap. "Is Sherry leaving?" She suddenly asked me with a curious expression, turning herself around. "Yes, she is," I replied with a wry smile. "For long?" she asked again. "Yes, for long." "Then, I can have Big Bro all for myself!" She giggled, before wrapping her little arms around my neck. Oh boy, don''t tell me she would be one of those hyper-possessive girlfriends that would get jealous at the slightest drop of a hat in the future! Myrilla was also there of course, sipping a cup of tea as she munched on the bread Mother had cooked. Her gaze was fixed at Sherry all the way through. Even I could tell that she was made uncomfortable by it. She remained silent all the way through, seemingly satisfied just by examining her closely like that. And then, the time came for her and Myrilla to leave. ----- There wasn¡¯t a carriage outside waiting for them, as there would be for Marina. They were of course heading to the same direction as she would go¡ªin fact, they would have to pass through Mira before they could go to the port town for their ship. But Myrilla had opted not to, saying how they would have to save money, as the ticket price of their ship would be quite expensive. ¡°And besides, I can move faster than any ordinary carriage could, if it¡¯s really necessary,¡± she stated. ¡°And I¡¯m sure Sherry could too, if she¡¯s truly an Izurd.¡± That¡¯s right. Using that Wind spell of hers, she could definitely do that. And I already saw how fast Sherry could run. They would spend their stamina doing so though. ¡°Hey, Sherry, say hi to Marina for me, alright? If you got the chance to stop by in her academy, that is. It¡¯s fine with you, isn¡¯t it, Miss Myrilla?¡± I asked the older woman, hoping to soften her cold heart with my charming smile. Father already told her all about Marina and how he had decided to give her an education in Mira¡¯s Academy of Magic. ¡°...I suppose it¡¯s fine,¡± she answered. Yes, I did it! ¡°We can take some quests there as well. We still won¡¯t have enough money to cross over to the Holy Continent as we are now, unfortunately. And no, Alan. I won¡¯t take your charity,¡± she added. ¡°It would be a good experience for this girl too.¡± She patted Sherry¡¯s head. ¡°Part of being an adventurer is to manage your funds after all.¡± ¡°So, you two would be staying for a while in Mira?¡± I asked again. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Myrilla replied. ¡°It depends on the quest we got. It would be nice if we could get an S-rank quest that wouldn¡¯t take us too far off our route to Tulpio.¡± ¡°Tulpio¡­ that¡¯s the port town where you can cross over to the Holy Continent, right?¡± ¡°Correct. I see Alan hasn¡¯t been neglecting your geography studies. Unlike himself, who can barely even read a map,¡± she let out a small smirk. ¡°H-hey! I¡¯m not that bad anymore, you know!¡± Father protested. ¡°Actually, Miss Myrilla, I learned it from Mother. Father really doesn¡¯t seem to care about me learning anything that isn¡¯t swordfighting. Mother had to be the one to teach me math (not that I needed it), writing, and all that stuff he probably finds tedious,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Hey, Hugo, don¡¯t say that!¡± Father turned to me. ¡°I care much about your education, you know!¡± ¡°And by that, I mean how he could swing a sword around like you could,¡± Mother chimed in with an obviously fake disappointed look. My gaze returned back to Myrilla and, wait, did she just giggle? That''s a giggle, isn''t it? She covered her mouth with her hand and everything. Seeing her like that, my heart skipped a beat. C-cute! That little giggle completely eliminated the gloomy, intimidating aura that she had been sending off all this time. For a split second, I saw the charm that lied beneath. Mother was right. If she would act less gloomy, she could have completely won over Father''s heart. She''s a long-lived demon. Eventually, she''ll forget about him and move on to another man. And he''ll be someone that can make her open up and relax. And what a lucky man he is! He''ll get to be with a beautiful woman like her! Her boobs might be small but I have a hunch she''s the kind of woman who would squeal really cutely if you grab them! And her dark skin certainly only adds to her exotic charm¡­ My mind started to imagine a perverse sight of her laying down on the bed with a sexy pose. Her dress was pulled down, just so that you could almost see her naked breasts. With upturned eyes and a blush, she would say, "I already know what you''re thinking. So just get it over with, you pervert¡­" Suddenly, I felt a searing pain on my left arm, kicking me out of my fantasy immediately. "You''re drooling." It was Erika. She was glaring after pinching me right on my skin. This brat! She¡¯s not even two years old yet she¡¯s already this sharp? ¡°I doubt your big sister would be able to help us do our quests however. Wouldn¡¯t she be busy with her assignments?¡± Myrilla continued. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s true... ¡° I had to agree. ¡°She said she would only do adventurer work if she got free time.¡± ¡°Then we shan¡¯t bother her. Sherry, you can just go on your own and greet her if you want.¡± I sighed. She¡¯s just being shy, isn¡¯t she? After a couple more minutes of Father and Mother saying their goodbyes to Sherry, with the latter all teary-eyed as she did it, before bombarding her with advice like ¡°Don¡¯t stay up too late!¡± and ¡°Make sure you eat three times a day!¡± before Myrilla stopped her, it was finally really the time for their departure. I walked up to Sherry and gave her the biggest smile that I could muster. Placing my hand on her shoulder, I told her, ¡°Take care, alright? I¡¯ll be waiting for your return every day, you know. Oh, and send letters. I want to know how the world out there is like.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do that,¡± Myrilla suddenly interrupted. ¡°The further we got from here, the more expensive it would be to send even just a letter here. When we reached the Demon Continent, the cost would be astronomical. We couldn¡¯t afford to spend our money on such frivolous things. We Adventurers are never rich, even us S-rank ones.¡± My smile dropped. ¡°W-wait, you mean¡ª¡± ¡°There would be no contact between you two until she returned,¡± Myrilla continued, completely unfazed. ¡°Not to mention the fact that there certainly isn¡¯t any courier service in the Izurd village. It¡¯s a hidden place after all, far away from any civilization.¡± I looked back at Sherry. A clear display of distress was drawn on her face. Even so, I knew that she wouldn¡¯t back down on her decision, even after knowing of this setback. ¡°I see,¡± Myrilla smirked, seeing Sherry¡¯s reaction. ¡°You really have raised your children well, Alan, even one that is not your own.¡± She turned towards Father. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to say your goodbye, Sherry. And make sure it counts. You won¡¯t be seeing him for a long time after all.¡± This is it. What will it be, Sherry? A teary-eyed hug? Come on, hug me as hard as you can, though I probably won''t be able to take¡ª Chuuuuuuuu~ Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a kiss right on the lips. And not just any light kiss, as she pressed herself even closer to me, deeply and greedily giving me a smooch. If I wasn''t so taken aback, I would hear the gasps of Mother and Erika. We stayed there for what felt like an eternity, though it''s probably only around ten seconds or so, before she released me. Naturally, her face was now as red as a tomato. Looking away bashfully, she mumbled, "T-that''s to remember me, alright? D-don''t go kissing any other girls while I''m gone!" I froze in the spot, no doubt just as red-faced as she was. I was still too flustered to notice ce that Erika was now hugging my arm, giving a glare towards Sherry, while Mother was grinning ear-to-ear. ¡°Come.¡± Myrilla didn¡¯t say anything, or even react in any shape or form. It was as if she already expected this to happen. And with me being dazed from Sherry¡¯s passionate kiss, the two left at last. ??? Marina When I read Hugo¡¯s letter telling me how Sherry was leaving, I nearly choked on my tea. Naturally, it was news I was not expecting in the slightest. I always suspected that Sherry wasn¡¯t actually human, knowing how unnaturally strong she was. But to think that she would leave us in this manner¡­ Well, I wouldn''t stop her. If it''s what she wanted, then I would only wish the best for her. I would miss her though. She''s a lovely girl. I had enjoyed her company all these years. I just hope that Hugo isn''t too heartbroken from it. Ah, if only I could be there to comfort him... Though knowing the route they would take, they would surely pass through this city. I wonder if they would make a visit here. Hmm, maybe I should tell the guards, just in case, so they wouldn¡¯t be kicked off the premises. Now, how should I write my reply letter to Hugo? Of course, I would have to send some words of comfort to him, but other than that? I suppose I could tell how I was advancing in my lessons as usual. Hmm, should I tell him about what I recently discovered about that hobbit boy? Hehe, he seemed to be all concerned about him after all. When I told him how I had this one hobbit who was bothering me, he immediately went into an uproar, angrily saying that if he could be here with me, he would tell him to go take a hike and never get close to me again. Aaw, how sweet. And was that a hint of jealousy I sensed from him? As your big sister, I was really glad to hear that, Hugo. But he really shouldn''t worry that much. He would never endear himself to me. Especially after what I saw of him this last Sunday. ---- I was there, doing a quest to make and deliver a medicine. Even though I wasn''t any good in alchemy, I still could manage to create such a basic drug. The delivery''s destination however took me to the red-light district of the capital, where you could find the usual business being done in such a place. Ignoring all the scantily clad women standing on the sides of the street, trying to attract any customers that would visit. I just happened to finish the potion at nighttime, so the place was absolutely bursting. I wasn¡¯t a coward that would just decide to come in the morning though. I pressed on, wanting to finish my quest as fast as I could. ¡°Whooooaaaa, look what we have here! What a cute little girl you are! Here, come to Papa and I will¡ª¡± With a roll of my eyes, I grew a vine under his feet, tripping the drunk over to the hard stone street where we were walking on. Judging by the scream of pain coming from him, he probably had broken his nose from that. This is why I despise drunks. Especially when they¡¯re perverts as well. ---- I soon arrived at my destination. ¡°Heaven¡¯s Dreamer¡±. What a gaudy name. But I suppose it matches the gaudy sign as well. I entered without delay, to the front section of the building which acted as a tavern where patrons could get all drunk before they moved on the main course. That was just my assumption though. It¡¯s not like I knew how this kind of adult thing really worked. What greeted me was overwhelming loudness, as the place was absolutely crowded. There was not a single empty table in sight. ¡°Oi, Missy! One more round over here!¡± One bearded, gruff-looking man shouted. He was surrounded by three beautiful girls, all fawning over him. Judging by his stature, he was most likely a dwarf. Hmm, I certainly had seen a couple of dwarves before around the city, but they were certainly a rarity. The girls on the other hand were all elves. So he¡¯s an elf lover, huh? I pulled my attention away. Why should I be paying any attention at the debauchery going on? I looked at the far end of the room. Ah, I should go there. I saw the bartender, busy pouring drinks after drinks into what could be described as a full row of beer mugs in front of her. Oh, a succubus? There was no doubt about it. Her horns, her tail, and her wings¡­ it was all there. And of course, her voluptuous bosom as well. I don¡¯t think you can be a succubus without a fully mature body like that. I walked over to her and said, ¡°Miss Kyleli?¡± She nearly dropped the mug she was holding. ¡°W-what? Who? W-who are¡­ a-a girl?¡± ¡°I have a delivery for you. You posted a quest asking for a medicine for a sprained ankle, correct?¡± I popped out the package from my dimensional storage with a wave of my wand. ¡°Here it is. I would like you to sign this paper as well as a sign that I have delivered it to you.¡± I popped out a sheet of brown paper as well. ¡°R-right¡­ of course you wouldn¡¯t be visiting a place like this as a customer. And we don¡¯t offer young girls as companions as well.¡± As she opened the package and signed the paper, I looked around the room. As expected, all the patrons there were male. Most of the brothels here were naturally aimed at them, though I saw one or two that were female-oriented instead on my way here, with male workers tending to the female customers. Not that I would ever be interested in such places. I would never get that desperate for companionship. I¡¯d rather end my own life rather than degrade myself that way. And then, I noticed him. The hobbit boy that had been bothering me nearly every day, asking to be my friend over and over again. He was in the far corner of the room sitting on a sofa, with four scantily clad girls all attending to him. Two squished his head between their boobs, while the other two were rubbing his chest. He''s here?! I walked closer out of simple morbid curiosity, far enough for him not to notice me but close enough for me to hear what they were saying. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Tom? You want to touch Big Sis'' chest? You have been staring at them all this time, you know." One of the girls giggled, poking him on the cheek. "Aww, no fair! My chest is bigger than yours! So he should be touching mine instead!" Another girl pouted, squeezing her two mounds with the sides of her arms. "Oh dear, I see something rising up down here. I didn''t know that you''re such a naughty boy, Tom!" "Getting turned on by your big sisters¡­ that''s real naughty indeed!" "Ehehehehe! All of you are just so beautiful I can''t help myself! I''m the luckiest boy in the world to have four beautiful big sisters like you all!" With a lecherous grin on his face, he began to grope two of the four girls, each responding with lewd moans that were clearly faked. "Mmm, you really are one naughty little brother, Tom!" "And naughty boys need to be punished~" The moment one of the girls went down on his crotch, I decided that I had enough and returned back to the bartender. I knew it! His whole innocent act is just a lie! This is his real self, a pervert that makes prostitutes pretend to be his big sisters! And to think that he calls me "Big Sis''" as well! Urrghh, who does he think he is? ¡®Hmm? What¡¯s the matter? That disgusted look on your face¡­ Is this the first time you¡¯ve been in a brothel, little girl?¡± The bartender giggled. I gave a little nod in return, impatiently waiting for her to return the proof of delivery. I just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. ¡°Please don¡¯t be too harsh on our customers. They¡¯re just lonely souls that come here to unwind and relax from the harshness of the real world.¡± S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Hmph! All I see are perverts! Nothing more!¡± I retorted. ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re still young so you wouldn¡¯t understand. Maybe when you¡¯re older, and you realize you can¡¯t get any boyfriends to cuddle with and warm your bed in the night, then you¡¯ll see the value of our establishment. Though with how cute you are, I doubt that would happen.¡± She then handed over the paper back to me, signed with her signature. ¡°There! Thank you very much, by the way! One of our girls sprained her ankle and it made her unable to do her job properly! This way, she could get back in action in no time at all!¡± As I left the building, her words echoed inside me. The value of a brothel, huh? I doubt I would ever be able to see it. I do know one thing though. Hugo would never use such a service. He would get a girlfriend, marries her, and then uses her for his comfort. And in return, he would give comfort to her as well. And if I were ever to get married, I too would try to be my husband¡¯s comfort as best as I could. That would still be a long time away though. Vol 1 Chapter 30: A New Friend? Enemy? Frenemy? Who Cares! Bubble Girl Makes Her Appearance! Sherry Our first destination was Mira, the capital of the Magocracy. We alternated between walking and running, me with my feet and her using her wind spell. I knew however that my stamina was no match compared to her mana capacity. When I got tired, she clearly could still get going. But she was patient with me, telling us that we''re going to take a break everytime it occured. I could tell just how powerful of a mage she was, to the point that I didn''t dare to ask for a sparring match to train. She would just mop the floor with me. And it wouldn''t even be close. Yet another reason why I must get stronger¡­ I noticed another thing that bothered me. That is, how much Myrilla was drawing attention everywhere she went. People in the villages we passed by would openly stare at her ears and antennas, with some children even asking their mothers about it, only to be responded by a harsh whisper on how she was a demon. I don''t know how she could bear it. If I was her, I would never be able to show myself in public again. When I asked her about it, she replied that her race was also quite rare, though nowhere near as rare as mine. Many people would live their entire lives never seeing a Nerthus, so she completely understood why people would stare at her like that. She also told me that it would get better the more we got closer to the capital. ¡°When we reach the Holy Continent however, expect it to get worse. Much worse,¡± she warned. ¡°They don¡¯t take kindly to any demons in the slightest.¡± My heart sank. If it¡¯s already this bad here, how bad would it be there? Noticing my distressed look, she put her hand on my shoulder with a smile and said, ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad. They won¡¯t bother you, just me. You don¡¯t look like a demon after all.¡± I knew she meant to comfort me by those words, but I didn¡¯t feel any relief whatsoever. I didn¡¯t want to see her being treated badly after all. Now that I knew I was a demon, just like her, I felt a certain sense of camaraderie towards her. Or perhaps I was simply projecting myself on her place. ¡°I see. You¡¯re worried about me, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t. I¡¯ve been used to it for many years now, ever since I departed from my home all those years ago.¡± ...There really was no hiding from her, huh? She could read minds after all. Or maybe it¡¯s just my expression that¡¯s too obvious. I¡¯m never good at lying after all. We rested in the cheapest inns we could find along the way. We naturally shared the same room and bed, both to save money and for safety. At the very least, she would always keep to her side of the bed, and not hug me like Hugo¡¯s mother always did every time we slept together. It¡¯s not like I hate it or anything, it¡¯s just that¡­ it¡¯s really quite embarrassing, you know... And if Myrilla starts doing it as well, I wouldn¡¯t know how to feel or react... I expected her to be like that though. Unlike Hugo¡¯s mother, she was far less open with her emotions. She would only rarely show any expression on her face. So I imagined she¡¯s the kind of woman who wouldn¡¯t show her affections openly either. However, I was still bothered by one thing and one thing only. The fact that she would freely change her clothes in front of me. It wasn¡¯t because it was an unpleasant sight. The opposite, in fact. She was beautiful, and that beauty was hidden under the heavy robes she always wore every day. Her chest was actually decently sized (though still nowhere near Hugo''s mother, obviously) and her bottom was tight, only enhanced by the skimpy black panties she was wearing (to think that she wore those under her modest robes). The hourglass figure was certainly there. I blushed at sight. I wondered if I would have an amazing body like hers when I grew up. Hugo would like me more if I do for sure¡­ That night, I secretly prayed to the Saint to grant me a figure just as attractive as hers. I didn''t ask much. I didn''t dare to ask Her to give me a big and voloptous chest like Renee''s, though I knew Hugo would love it for sure. I just wanted a body that could attract him. And then, before I knew it, around two weeks later, we had arrived. -------- Whoaaa¡­. My jaw opened as I saw the city in the distance. It was large, much larger than Aarom, which was already a large city of its own right. Or maybe Aarom was the small one, and this was how a large city was supposed to look. I wouldn¡¯t know. I never went anywhere after all. Only now I saw a city as large as this one. Mira, the City of Magic¡­ they say the strongest mages in the world gather here¡­. ¡°Or so their citizens would claim.¡± Myrilla snapped me out of my reverie. Once again, she was reading my thoughts freely. I certainly could¡¯ve protested the invasion of privacy, but I decided I didn¡¯t really care. It made our communication easier and less awkward. As long as she¡¯s not reading any embarrassing thoughts, that is. ¡°You think they¡¯re mistaken?¡± I asked back. ¡°Strong mages don¡¯t just belong to the Magocracy,¡± she answered, before walking away, cutting the conversation short. Like her, I suppose. She¡¯s a strong mage, but she doesn¡¯t work for them. ------ When we reached the gates, I felt as if I was an ant looking at a giant. In front of us was a tall and large pitch-black double leaf door that looked like it was made out of iron¡ªthe same color as the rest of the walls. When I got closer, I noticed the odd patterns and symbols written on it, barely noticeable on the pitch black door. They were opened all the way. "Those patterns and symbols are runes," Myrilla immediately explained, reading my mind once again. "They enchant the gates and walls with magic." "Oh, I see¡­" I never asked Marina or Hugo to teach me anything magic-related, knowing that I had no talent in it whatsoever. And now I couldn''t help but regret it a little. "And that isn''t iron. That''s obsidian. It''s quite conductive to magic so if you''re going to create enchanted gates or walls, it''s a good choice to take," she explained further. Would Hugo know this kind of stuff? Of course he would. He''s really smart after all. Unlike me, who can only swing a sword around¡­ ---- As promised, after getting a room at an inn, we immediately went to the Magic Academy to pay Marina a visit. The academy was located in the southeastern corner, away from the four large roads that converged on the center of the city. It¡¯s located in its own complex that was secluded from the rest of the city, separated by a series of greenery that made it look as if the academy was in the middle of a forest. In fact, you could almost say that there¡¯s a tiny forest inside the city walls. ¡°All these plants inside a city¡­ this could only be done by magic, right?¡± I asked, as my twinkling eyes wandered around to the sides. ¡°Not necessarily, though knowing them, they definitely grew and managed all these trees using it. No need to employ hundreds of gardeners for the same job that a competent enough Earth mage could accomplish,¡± Myrilla answered. ¡°And notice how the wind is always perfectly gentle, blowing in an almost perfect rhythm every minute or so? And how the humidity is just perfect? That¡¯s the work of a Wind mage and a Water mage.¡± ¡°So magic can be used that way too¡­¡± I said, impressed by the revelation. I always thought magic was just you throwing fireballs to attack your opponent. ¡°Magic can be used for all sorts of things. What separates a clever mage from a dull one is how creative he or she could use their spells, both in and out of combat.¡± The world of magic might be far deeper than I originally had thought. ------ We soon arrived at the front gate of the academy complex. As we had feared, there were guards posted outside, blocking our entry. However, unlike the guards in Aarom, they wore robes and pointed hats instead. They were mage guards, with some of them wielding staffs while some others had wands ready instead. ¡°Mind stating your business, Ma¡¯am?¡± One of them said to Myrilla. At least they seemed to be polite. ¡°We¡¯re here to meet Marina Greenwood, one of the students residing here,¡± she answered promptly. ¡°I¡¯m a friend of her father¡¯s, while she is her little sister.¡± She pointed at me. ¡°Then, please state your name, Ma¡¯am,¡± the guard asked back. ¡°I¡¯m Myrilla and she is Sherry.¡± The guard then eyed both of us from top to bottom for a good while, before replying, ¡°Very well. Miss Marina already told us that you were coming. I shall escort you to the visitor hall. This is still in lesson hours you see, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to join you, right away.¡± With a flick of his wand, the guard opened the gate, before leading us inside. ¡°Miss¡± Marina? So you become a bigwig if you¡¯re a student of this school, huh? ------ So this is the Academy¡­ How many of my old orphanages can fit inside here? This doesn¡¯t even feel like it¡¯s inside a city anymore... Once again, I was taken aback by how spacious my surroundings were. I could just imagine how much I would love to be a student here! With how pleasant everything was here, I would have no problem in learning my maths and vocabularies to be sure (though I wasn¡¯t sure if they even taught those subjects here, seeing how it¡¯s a magic school and all). Now that I think about it, I¡¯m at the perfect age to enroll. They accept 10-year olds as their first year students, right, if I remember correctly what Marina once told me? I didn¡¯t see any students around, which didn¡¯t really surprise me seeing how the guard said that they were in their classes right now. We soon arrived at the waiting room. It was a decently large room with comfortable sofas that we could sit in. They were even kind enough to place some cookies in a jar on the table in front of us. I didn¡¯t hesitate. Once the guard was gone, I quickly opened the jar and took out some. Mmm, they¡¯re delicious! I didn¡¯t notice Myrilla sighing as a result. Only after I finished eating the first one that I realized she wasn¡¯t happy at all to be told to wait like this. ¡°Oh, hello there.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, a voice called out to us, from across the room. The room was pretty much empty, except for another person across us that my eyes must have glazed over without realizing. She was a girl older than me, perhaps around the higher teens in age. She had long blue hair that went down to her waist, and she wore what certainly looked like a stereotypical mage outfit like the ones those guards had worn. The only difference that she wore a short skirt that clearly flaunted her legs. And the way she sat with one leg crossed over the other certainly didn¡¯t help matters either. ¡°You two want to meet with a student as well?¡± she asked with a cheerful smile. ¡°Me too! I¡¯m not a relative though. I¡¯m just a simple messenger.¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± Myrilla coldly replied, clearly looking a bit annoyed. ¡°Aaw, don¡¯t be such a sourpuss! You¡¯re a Nerthus, right? Why don¡¯t you read my mind to find out who I am waiting for? Don¡¯t read anything else though!¡± Myrilla decided not to reply, only sending her another glare before pulling a book in a nearby bookshelf with her telepathy and opening it immediately. ¡°Ah, the classic ¡®I¡¯m reading a book so I don¡¯t want to talk to you!¡¯ response! It¡¯s like you¡¯re a grumpy schoolgirl instead of whatever age you¡¯re currently at now. You demons live long, youthful lives after all.¡± ...Okay, now I¡¯m starting to feel annoyed as well. There¡¯s just something about her demeanour that makes you want to get angry with her. And I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s doing it intentionally or not. Before I could say anything to her however, the door on the far side of the room opened. It was Marina, walking in with a redheaded girl I wasn¡¯t familiar with. ¡°Ah, Alincia! About time!¡± The blue-haired girl spoke. ¡°Here! Take a seat beside me!¡± So the redhead¡¯s name is Alincia¡­ Wait, isn¡¯t that the girl Marina liked to talk about? ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± The blue-haired girl then asked. ¡°Umm, no? Should I?¡± Alincia tilted her head. ¡°We¡¯ve met before, you know. Though you¡¯re pretty young back then.¡± Alincia exchanged looks with Marina, who just shrugged in return. ¡°Oh well.¡± She sighed. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll start with an introduction then.¡± She stood up and offered her hand to the shorter girl. She gingerly took it. ¡°I¡¯m Elunmidis Brine. Or Elun for short. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Alincia,¡± she said with a small grin as she shook her hand. Immediately Alincia¡¯s eyes turned wide open. ¡°Y-you¡¯re the daughter of Selendia Brine?¡± ¡°Yep! That¡¯s my mother alright!¡± She proudly replied, as she sat back down, crossing her legs once more. I had no idea who she was, but even I could tell that she was someone important. ¡°Selendia Brine. One of the mages that sat on the Council. Her title is the Lady of the Depths. A powerful Water Mage they said to have made a summoning pact with a Leviathan. Her most famous¡ªor rather, infamous¡ªdeed however was how she brought ruin to Ledo, a small kingdom that used to exist to the east of the Magocracy ten years ago. With her magic, she drowned the entire capital, leaving not a single survivor. Their territory was now hers, naturally,¡± Marina commented. ¡°Hey, hey! Don¡¯t make my Mother sound like a bad guy! Those Ledo guys are planning to invade the Magocracy, you know! And that¡¯s after they tried to assassinate members of the Council! All just because they refused to honor the deal of selling all their Mana Stones to us! They¡¯re going to sell it to the Holy Empire instead! Can you believe that? I say those greedy folks get what they deserve!¡± I glanced back at Marina, hoping for her to give more explanations. I had no idea what Mana Stones were, only that they were something mages liked to use. I did understand that the Holy Empire was the Magocracy¡¯s enemy however. ¡°Aanyway,¡± She turned back to face Alincia. ¡°I come here to bring you some good news! The necromancer girl that killed your sister¡­ I¡¯ve found her!¡± This immediately turned Alincia as pale as a sheet. Even Marina looked visibly surprised. Playing with her blue locks, she continued. ¡°She¡¯s one slippery worm though. She has attached herself into one of the vassal kingdom¡¯s rulers as one of his many mistresses and his personal mage. She knew that she would be targeted by the Magocracy, and by doing so, she gave protection to herself." "Hmph, what a girl. She didn¡¯t even hesitate to use her body yet again to get what she wanted." She grumpily folded her arms under her chest, leaning back on her sofa. "Where is she?" Alincia immediately asked, a clear look of anger now drawn on her face. Her fists were shaking as well. "Can''t tell you that unfortunately. Your grandpa''s orders. He doesn''t want you getting any stupid ideas." She wiggled her index finger. "Tell me! I must know! You''re part of the group that chases after her, right? Then take me with you!" She walked over to her. Only for her to suddenly trip over nothing, landing face-first to the floor. ¡°Ouch. That looks painful.¡± She uncrossed her legs and stood up. ¡°Alright!¡± She clapped her hands. ¡°I¡¯ve delivered the message. Figures you at least deserve that, as her little sister. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make a move to kill her anytime soon. You see, your grandfather also told us that he wanted her alive to be tried and executed here. Judging by his wrathful look, he probably wanted a complete public execution for her, where she would be booed and humiliated by our dear citizens before being tortured for as long as possible until she begged for her death out of her own mouth. So my job had just gotten even harder.¡± She shrugged her shoulders with a sigh. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve told you too much already. Your grandpa also instructed me to not tell anything about my investigation to you or anyone else not in the Council. So Marina¡ª¡± She suddenly switched her attention to her. ¡°¡ªI would appreciate if you don¡¯t share this information around. And you two as well.¡± She then looked at us, who had just been sitting speechlessly on our sofa. She then began walking to the exit, before suddenly, Myrilla spoke up, stopping her in her tracks. ¡°Bubble. You tripped her with your bubble, didn¡¯t you?¡± Smiling, she turned around immediately. ¡°Correct!¡± Suddenly, numerous bubbles floated around her, appearing out of thin air. ¡°You¡¯re quite the perceptive one, aren¡¯t you, Nerthus? Or were you just reading my mind?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to read your mind to see an attack like that,¡± she replied, giving her a cold look. ¡°Ooo, scary!¡± She then abruptly turned to Marina. ¡°How about you, Marina? Did you see it too?¡± ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­¡± she answered with a look of shame. ¡°Hehe! Not on that level yet, aren¡¯t you?¡± She giggled, a pleased look on her face. ¡°Well, keep training! I¡¯m sure with your amazing talent, you¡¯ll reach that level soon enough.¡± And with that said, she left the room, but not without leaving her bubbles behind her, forming something like a wall that blocked anyone from following her. And then, a jet of water fired off behind her shoes, speeding her up considerably. I moved to chase her, but Myrilla quickly placed her hand on my shoulder, shaking her head. Don¡¯t. She¡¯s out of your league. I gasped. D-did she just speak into my mind? Marina was about to do the same, but she stopped as well, shifting her attention towards Myrilla. Most likely she too had sent a message to her mind. When I heard the sobs coming from Alincia, I decided that I positively disliked that girl. Marina quickly moved in and helped her friend stand back up. Myrilla sighed. ¡°I suppose this is a bad time to visit?¡± Marina sighed as well. ¡°I¡¯ll go meet with you two tomorrow morning. I don¡¯t have any classes then. Tell me where you¡¯re staying and I¡¯ll go there. We¡¯ll have our chat then.¡± As she gave her teary-eyed friend a hug and a gentle pat on the back, no doubt in an effort to calm her down, she watched us leave. I was about to ask her ¡°Just what is going on here?!¡±, but she shook her head, telling me that it wasn¡¯t the time. Only after we exited the academy¡¯s gate that Myrilla decided to speak back up. "Tell Marina tomorrow not to get involved with that Alincia girl." "W-what?! But w¡ª" "Maybe she''ll listen better to you than to me. Tell her that it''s never a good idea to get yourself wrapped up with the higher-ups of a country like that. She befriended one and now she got the attention of another. It''s the same as she being close to two princesses at the same time. And of rivaling houses at that." "I-isn''t that a good thing, though? To be friends with important people like that?" "It only brings trouble. You''ll just end up being pawns in their game of chess." ¡°I see¡­¡± I didn¡¯t reply any further. She knew better after all. If she said so, then it must be true. Who am I, who has no experience in the world, to doubt her? But I knew how Marina was. She would never abandon a friend just because of that. Hugo¡­ what would you say if you were here? Vol 1 Chapter 31: Crossroads Marina Aah, what a terrible mess this has become¡­ To think that out of the blue, we¡¯re going to get more information on the necromancer like this... I naively thought that they would just have given up on her seeing how she had fled to the Holy Continent, but of course they wouldn¡¯t. She had murdered the granddaughter of a Council member, as well as a number of other daughters of less prominent but still decently influential mage families¡­ Felicia Myne¡­ just what kind of a person are you? ------ Just a few moments after Sherry and who I assumed to be Myrilla left (I only knew her from Hugo''s letter after all), Alincia finally calmed down. She then told me that she wasn''t crying because that girl had tripped her and made her fall to the floor (though I was pretty sure that was a part of it), but because she suddenly realized just how much she still missed her big sister. I figured that all this time she had used me as her replacement, and only now, with this news, that the feelings she had buried resurfaced again. That girl¡­. Why did she tell her this? If it¡¯s decreed classified information from the Council, just telling it out in the open like that is a very reckless thing to do, isn¡¯t it? I only met her today, though I already knew her name. Elunmidis Brine. She already graduated from the Academy when I entered. A powerful Water Mage, following the path of her mother. With a personality like that, I didn¡¯t believe I could grow to like her. She seemed to be the type to take everything in an easygoing, not-serious manner. Even someone¡¯s sorrow. Just like flowing water, uncaring in the slightest on where it comes from and where it¡¯s going. A common saying was that a mage¡¯s spell aptitude was reflected on his or her personality. Even though there was not a single research that could prove such a theorem. But if I am to apply it to myself, then I suppose I would be the stable, reliable type. My best element is Earth after all. I¡¯m fine with that. I like to think of myself as the reliable big sister type after all. ¡°H-hey, Marina?.¡± Alincia then spoke, looking terribly unsure whether she should say what she was about to say. ¡°Yes, Alincia?¡± I replied with a smile, comforting her, telling her to just let it out. ¡°C-can you make me stronger? Train me how to fight using my magic better. You¡¯re really strong after all. I hear you¡¯re never defeated in your magic duel class. A perfect record, ever since you entered.¡± That was true. I indeed held that record. Not that I wanted it. I didn¡¯t even try to keep it. I didn¡¯t push myself to train day and night to do it. The only training that I did was to try out new theories that I had in my mind on my magic and how to develop and evolve them further. I did it out of pure curiosity, not to search for power like Alincia seemed to want. ¡°So please! Take me as your disciple! I-I¡¯ll call you Master if you want!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± I sighed. ¡°That would just be embarrassing.¡± ¡°T-then, you¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, I can teach you. My specialty is not Fire spells though.¡± Just like her big sister and her grandfather, she had the most affinity with Fire spells. ¡°Yay! Thank you, Master!¡± She immediately jumped to give me a hug. ¡°I told you not to call me that!¡± ----- Tomorrow morning, before breakfast, I left the Academy to go to the inn Myrilla had told me. I figured we would have our morning meal together, even if the food there was probably less delicious than the one the Academy¡¯s cafetaria served. The inn was located in a decent enough part of the city. Not in the rich, well-off part to be sure, but not in the slums either. I was glad to see that fact, since that meant Myrilla, who would become Sherry¡¯s guardian for their journey, knew well enough that it wasn¡¯t worth it to be a miser who only slept in the cheapest, worst inn in every city and village they visited. Such places risked a higher amount of thieves and even kidnappers who would take you away and make you a slave to be sold. Though honestly, if Myrilla was really the S-rank adventurer she was, it could almost never happen to her. I said almost, since there was always a chance of the slaver being on her level or even more, though however slim. Not to mention that if they were smart, they would use poison to weaken her severely to the point that she couldn¡¯t even fight properly anymore. Just because the enemy is far weaker than you doesn¡¯t always mean that you¡¯re completely invincible. The incident with the necromancer taught me that. I was worried about Sherry however. She could be the only one that¡¯s kidnapped, though looking as she was, there¡¯s little chance that they would think of her as a threat. And that would be their undoing. I soon arrived at said inn, and entering, I was immediately called over by Sherry who was sitting in the tavern just beside the small reception hall. ¡°Good morning, Sherry. Myrilla.¡± I said with a smile as I took my seat. ¡°So, mind telling me in detail about you two going to the Demon Continent to take Sherry to her Homeland?" I didn''t hold back. I really wanted to know what was going on. "It''s simple," Myrilla readily answered. "Sherry just wants to¡ª" "I-I''ll answer," Sherry interrupted. She then told me everything. How she wanted to know who her real parents and relatives were, and how she wanted to become stronger for Hugo''s sake. She even told me how she was feeling insecure that I and Hugo were outclassing her. "Sherry¡­" I said to her as gently as I could, taking her hands. "If you think that me and Hugo would like you less just because you''re weaker than us, then you''re gravely mistaken." "I know that. But still¡­" She lowered her gaze. "Still, you want to be stronger. I think that''s an admirable goal, Sherry." My smile became slightly wider. "My little brother is lucky that he has a girl like you to be his future wife." "F-future wife?" Oh, how cute! She immediately turned crimson from that! "I gave you my approval to marry him, as long as you continue to love him like this, that is." I winked. "So do your best there, alright? And go back really strong." "So strong that you can just force him to bed if he ever gets too lazy to do that with you." I leaned forward and whispered these last words to her ears. I couldn''t resist. I just had to tell her that. I could easily see her dominate him in bed, with how much stronger physically than him. Not to mention that if Hugo ever stopped paying attention to a lovely girl, soon to be a woman, like this, he deserved to be punished a little. I believed that it''s a husband''s duty to always love his wife, both in and out of bed. And I fully intended to find a husband that agreed with me on that matter without any compromise. Ah, here I went again, on my wild delusions. This happened more and more often as I grew older. I was at that age after all, where a girl became a woman. Even I, who normally only cared about books and magic, was starting to feel that desire. My classmates were like that as well. Just the last day, I caught one of them going at it with a boy from a different class. No, not that. But they were embracing and kissing sloppily in one of the many empty alleyways in the academy, and I just happened to go past them. It was an embarrassing sight. And yet, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off them. When they finished, there was a disgusting trail of saliva between their mouths. But they were both smiling brightly at the end, as if they had just experienced the utmost happiness that they had ever experienced. I didn¡¯t know what to think, or feel about it. Only that I certainly felt a little pang of jealousy in my heart, saying that I indeed would like to have a kiss like that someday with someone. I quickly put it on the back of my mind however. I was always good at forgetting things that didn¡¯t really matter after all. A lover? I¡¯m still far too young and unwise for that. After Sherry told her tale, Myrilla chimed in, telling what they were planning to do afterwards. They would go to the Guild and see what quests they could get. They needed to fund their travel first after all, just like a real adventurer. Sherry would need to get registered as well. I asked to go with them. I wanted to see the quests there as well. ------- As usual, the place was crowded with adventurers looking for quests to take. They needed to come early after all or else the good quests would all be gone in a flash. ¡°Urgh, there¡¯s too many people around!¡± Sherry protested, though only to herself. ¡°You can just push them aside, you know. You can do it, can¡¯t you? With your strength?¡± I suggested in a joking manner. Only for her to actually do what I told. ¡°W-what? What the¡ª¡± ¡°Hey, watch it¡ª huh?¡± ¡°Kyaah! Who touched my butt, you pervert?¡± Yep. As I thought., most of the adventurers here are low-level ones. They don¡¯t have the power to resist even a gentle push from her. They all now gave a confused look at her however. Did this little girl just push us aside like we were nothing? They must be thinking something like that. Myrilla immediately followed, taking the path that Sherry had made. I followed as well, of course. ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­ A quest to find a missing cat? Nah. Herb gathering quest? Nope. We want something S-ranked, right?¡± She looked back at Myrilla. Myrilla ignored her entirely however. Instead, she pushed her a bit to the side, wanting to get a closer look at the parchments posted on the bulletin board. ¡°Whoa, look at her!¡± ¡°She got those weird antennas on her head!¡± ¡°And her ears are odd as well!¡± Immediately the attention of the crowd moved to her. She seemed not to be bothered with it in the slightest however. ¡°Here.¡± She suddenly pulled off one of the parchments on the top. ¡°This is the quest.¡± Once again, she ignored Sherry, who asked what the quest was like a gleeful child. She walked over to the receptionist and placed the parchment on the table. ¡°Here. I¡¯ll take this quest.¡± The receptionist, who had been staring at her as well, immediately averted her gaze, turning it towards the parchment. ¡°This is¡­ a quest to kill a red manticore?¡± She looked up at her in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s an A-rank monster, you know. And what rank are you exactly?¡± Myrilla didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she just put down her card on the table as well. ¡°S-S rank? Wow, haven''t seen them in a while around here. Our land''s too peaceful for them, I suppose." She shrugged with a sigh. "Alright, you can take it. An S-rank could take care of an S-rank monster on her own. Probably." She then stamped the parchment and put it inside her desk. "You know the Tottima Volcano up northeast? The red manticore should be there, way up.¡± ¡°I can read just fine, thank you very much,¡± Myrilla dryly responded. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re a foreigner, after all. Maybe you don¡¯t know your way around the Magocracy.¡± She shrugged again. She¡¯s always this easygoing¡ªthis young woman. It was then Sherry¡¯s turn to speak with her. She asked for her to be registered, and to my surprise, she filled in on the form given that she was an Izurd, not a human. So she¡¯s already proud of her heritage. And here I thought she would still be ashamed of it. You helped her with it, didn¡¯t you, Hugo? I thought with a smile. After she was finished, the receptionist took the form and read it. ¡°An Izurd? What is that?¡± She asked with her eyebrows raised. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a human?¡± ¡°Nope! I¡¯m a demon! Just like her!¡± She gestured towards Myrilla. ¡°You probably don¡¯t know my kind though. They¡¯re pretty rare after all.¡± The receptionist just gave her a blank look for several seconds before sighing yet again. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s your problem if you get found out falsifying your info, you know.¡± After waiting for a couple of minutes as the receptionist went to the backroom, she reappeared with a shiny new card on her hand. She gave it to Sherry, who accepted it as if she just received the biggest candy in the world. ¡°Take care of it, alright? It¡¯s your proof of identity as an adventurer.¡± Sherry hurriedly put it in inside her dress pocket after admiring it for a good while. Myrilla then turned towards me and said, ¡°I suppose we¡¯re not staying here after all, unfortunately.¡± ¡°The Tottima volcano, huh? I¡¯ve never been there myself. It¡¯s the territory of the Salamander family, if I remembered correctly. It¡¯s pretty far from here.¡± I told her. ¡°Won¡¯t be able to go with you two even if I wanted to. Would take days to get there after all.¡± Suddenly, I was assaulted by a hug from Sherry. ¡°I¡¯m going to miss you, Big Sis Marina.¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Big Sis? You never called me that before,¡± I replied, genuinely taken aback. ¡°Hehe, I thought I¡¯m going to try doing it, even if just once,¡± she replied with a smile. Even when her eyes were starting to water. ¡°Feels weird after all.¡± ¡°Oh you¡­¡± I smiled, patting her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of Hugo while you¡¯re gone. I¡¯ll make sure he stays the cute and gentlemanly boy that you like so much, alright?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She giggled. ¡°Don¡¯t get too close to him while I¡¯m gone though!¡± I let out a tiny laugh. ¡°What? Getting jealous?¡± ¡°No, but I know¡ª¡± She stood on her toes, whispering the rest of her words to my right ear. ¡°¡ªthat you gave him your panties.¡± ...Never before I was pierced with a statement like that. My dirty little secret¡­ Sherry had known it all along¡­ Immediately my face went beet red, my normally calm demeanour vanishing entirely. Seeing my reaction, it was Sherry¡¯s turn to laugh. She whispered again, ¡°I gave him mine as well. I¡¯m not going to lose to you, you know!¡± I didn¡¯t notice at the time, but Myrilla was looking at both of us in confusion. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t decide to use her mind reading power, or else my naughty act would have been revealed to her as well. And with those words, the two left Mira. I watched them as they departed out of the eastern gate, waving my arm as they vanished up the hill. They wouldn¡¯t return here for a very long time, I imagined. They could turn in their quest on the nearest guild branch there and then they would make a beeline to the Holy Continent from Tulpio. That amount of payment was probably enough to get two tickets on the ship. With a smile on my face, I rested my arm. Good luck Sherry. Come back strong, just as you want. I¡¯ll keep polishing my magic as well, so I won¡¯t lose to you or Hugo. Then, we can all have a fun journey around the world as adventurers. -------- I spent the rest of my third year at the Academy without any further notable events. I started training Alincia in the ways of a ¡°fighting mage¡±, and I had to say, she was still far from her big sister. Unlike her who could already reach the rank of Master, she was still struggling doing Advanced-level spells. She could cast Advanced-level Fire magic just fine, but the other elements? Not so much. Instead of trying to make her able to master all the elements like I did with Hugo, I decided the best way was just to focus on the Fire element from now. It¡¯s her affinity after all. I wanted her to cast said spells faster, and without incantation, if possible. I told her to focus, to feel the flame on the tip of her wand, and to not fear it in the slightest. Fear made you lose control. If a swordsman feared his blade, how could he swing it around well? The same principle applied to us mages. We never heard from Elun again. She probably had returned to the Holy Continent to continue her spying on the necromancer girl. As for a certain hobbit boy, I now avoided him entirely, giving him a look of disgust in the process. Everytime I did, he used his acting skills to pretend that he was a hurt puppy, giving me this look that honestly pained me. I had to keep reminding myself that he was a pervert who would employ prostitutes to pretend to be his big sister. Thank goodness that he didn¡¯t have any actual big sister, or else she would¡¯ve probably been molested by him or something. Before I knew it, it was the end of the third year, and it was time for me to return home for the summer once again. I wonder how Hugo¡¯s doing¡­ In his letters, he had stopped mentioning Sherry entirely. Now he talked about Erika instead, who was growing more and more as time passed. I could sense how proud he was of her, which was certainly a pleasant thing to hear. She needed love from him as well after all. ¡°Well, time to find out,¡± I whispered to myself as I boarded the carriage that would take me home. Vol 1 Chapter 32: Hugo’s Loneliness Hugo Haah¡­. I sighed yet again. For what must be the 20th time now. As you can see, I am quite in the dumps right now. And as you can probably guess, it''s because of Sherry. Her letters¡­ they came less and less frequent as the months went by. And I expected them to stop coming entirely soon enough. And my mood slowly soured with that, to the point that I wasn¡¯t that spirited anymore to continue my daily training. Goddamnit, Hugo. She¡¯s out there training to be strong for your sake and yet you¡¯re just going to laze around? I scolded myself. If only Marina was here, I would no doubt feel refreshed in an instant. She always knew how to cheer me up. But it was still a couple more months until she returned in the summer. I missed Sherry. I really did. I missed admiring her long and smooth black hair that shone under the sunlight; I missed her cute little smiles; And most of all, I missed the rivalry between us. Guess the saying was right. You don''t know what you have until it slips out of your hands. At first, I thought that I could get through it just fine. I thought I could just replace her presence with Erika¡¯s. But, as cute as my little sister might be, she was still too young to have a meaningful conversation or interaction with She just wanted to cling to me and that¡¯s it. Nothing else. She asked me to teach me magic once, but she immediately gave up and cried when she found out she couldn¡¯t learn any of the basics immediately. Not that I would expect her to be, with her still being one and a half years old. I doubted she could even understand my instructions. She was just swaying her arms around, spelling the chant slowly as the words were still too complex for her. Yeah, she¡¯d been watching me train with Mary accompanying her. I heard from the maid that she demanded to be brought there, and she wouldn¡¯t stop crying until she did. I¡¯m starting to worry that she¡¯s going to grow up to be a spoiled girl who thinks she can get anything with her tears. I was happy, of course, when she declared how cool I was after I finished my training. Who wouldn¡¯t? My heart immediately felt like it was fluttering to the heavens, seeing my cute little sister praise me like that. She¡¯s a mile away from how the other little sister I used to have in my old life. That one was far more reserved and quiet, and she rarely smiled. And she started looking down on me the moment my downward spiral began, saying how embarrassed and disappointed she was to have a loser as a big brother like me. I never blamed her though. It was only normal for a genius like her to be ashamed of a failure like me. And so, seeing Erika being proud of me like this, it was an absolutely exhilarating feeling to have. It made me renew my promise on becoming the best big brother to her that I could yet again. And yet, I still craved for companionship from a girl closer to my age. Father told me half-jokingly with a grin that I should just go to the village and get some girls to play with there, so that ¡°you would stop looking so lonely¡±, he said. ¡°Or maybe some boys, since you''ve always been surrounded by girls since you were born. Get some of that manly bonding for once,¡± he continued, before laughing at his own joke. I tried to do it, but I immediately realized the gap between me and the kids out there. First of all, even when they¡¯re near my age, they were far less mature than I would like them to be. The boys would still just spend their days playing the common children games like hide and seek, something I quickly found to be a very dull thing to do. I always won every time, and they quickly got discouraged by that fact as well. The girls on the other hand, well, they were all pretty much just all flirting to be my future wife. They talked to me like I was the king¡¯s own son, and they all brought up to the fact how I was apparently this genius mage. Hmph, I suspected Mary was behind this. She probably told the entire village about my training. I was flattered of course, especially since some of them were quite cute indeed, but it was all that they knew. I didn¡¯t know whether they were told to do it by their parents or they were doing it out of their own volition, but after being given ten separate lunchboxes by ten different girls, that I had to finish or else they might cry, I had enough. I just felt suffocated to be around them. Heh, ironic. I ended up in the same situation as my old child self. However, I didn¡¯t intend to repeat the same mistake. So when they asked whether I already had a girl that I liked, I proudly answered, ¡°Yes! Her name is Sherry! You all know her, right?¡± And this was the moment where my view of them dimmed. They immediately went on to badmouth her, saying how they couldn¡¯t believe that I would like a bad-mannered and bad-tempered girl like her. They even thought that Sherry was only living with us as a servant, and not as part of our family. Hearing it, flame seemed to rise up from my stomach. With a stern frown, I told them that they had insulted me and our entire family by insulting her, before taking my leave. Naturally, they immediately tried to apologise for it but I paid them no heed, leaving them behind using my wind magic. Huh, so this is how it feels to have a girl you like being insulted¡­ Oh, and I also heard that some of the older boys had left to become soldiers. They would go to Aarom and receive training there, if they could pass the entrance exam. For most peasants in rural villages like this, it was their only other option, other than following in the footsteps of their father. Though I suppose they could also be adventurers, but with no previous training on how to fight, well, only the bravest, or most foolish, would attempt such a thing. I think the kid that used to hit on Marina is one of them, since I don''t see his big figure anywhere in the village. Who''s his name again? -------- S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Finally, summer came, and with it, Marina''s return home. And you can''t imagine how happy I am for it. I wore this stupid grin on my face throughout the morning, knowing that she most likely would return today, according to her letter. At first, Erika was just as excited as me for her. But she quickly got bored of waiting and ended up taking her day nap. Just when she actually arrived. Heh, that girl really got no patience, huh? When she was descending down her carriage however, I was taken by surprise. She now had a large staff with her in her right hand. It was made out of wood¡ªoak if I were to guess. It spread like a branch at the end, before curling back into a hole where a green gem was placed. ¡°So, how do I look?¡± She asked with a not-so-subtle grin. ¡°Wow, you look even more like a mage now, Big Sis!¡± I replied to her with a big smile. ¡°Thanks! I got it as a gift actually! Got first rank in my final exam so the teachers decided to give me this staff! And it¡¯s not just an ordinary staff either! Look!¡± Suddenly, the staff shrinked, reforming back into a wand. ¡°It¡¯s a transforming staff! Or wand, whichever you prefer! Some staves have the capability to do this, if the mage really wants that extra versatility. Though naturally, enchanted staves like this are much more expensive than run-of-the-mill ones.¡± ¡°And they gave you that for free?¡± Mother spoke, clearly astonished judging by her expression. ¡°Yes, they did! They said they saw my potential and they hoped that I could use the staff to reach even greater heights with magic! Not to mention that it fits perfectly with the fact that starting from fourth year, we¡¯re going to start learning how to use staves instead of wands to cast our spells. I already told you about the difference between the two, right Hugo?¡± She suddenly asked. ¡°U-uhh¡ª¡± Taken aback, I couldn¡¯t just instantly recall what she had told me about the matter. ¡°¡ªRight¡­ Staves can draw out and channel mana even better than wands, right? So technically it¡¯s the better weapon for a mage. Only that it¡¯s cumbersome to carry around and certainly not very stealthy. You can¡¯t hide it under your robe to hide your enemy, for example.¡± ¡°Correct!¡± Marina replied, raising her index finger. Aah, she¡¯s gone back into her teacher mode again. ¡°Although there¡¯s this one thing that you couldn¡¯t do with a wand.¡± The staff then transformed back into its original form, before she raised her other hand¡ªthe free one¡ªand conjured a simple Fireball on it, though she kept it there instead of firing it. ¡°Notice how my mana is circling around from my body, into the staff, and then to my free hand? That¡¯s another thing wands can¡¯t do. You can only fire your spell with a wand from its tip. But with a staff, you can do it with the hand that is not wielding the staff.¡± She then closed her hand, extinguishing the Fireball. ¡°There are more advanced applications of this, of course, but I have yet to be able to perform it, unfortunately. I just got the staff recently after all.¡± Oh Sis. You really don¡¯t have to try justifying yourself like that. You¡¯re already a genius just like this! ¡°Hmm, I suppose I¡¯ll have to send a letter of thanks to the Academy for that staff,¡± Father commented. ¡°That kind of a magic staff is really expensive. To think that they¡¯re nice enough to just give it to her.¡± At first, I was of the same opinion of him. But then¡­ Marina revealed the full truth to me when we were on our own. ------ That night, she visited my room once we had our baths and dinner. After knocking and excusing herself, with a serious look on her face, she took a seat on my bed before she began her tale. ¡°I promised you to not hide anything from you again, right?¡± My heart immediately dropped. Don¡¯t tell me that another girl has started to bully her yet again! ¡°That staff¡­ It¡¯s true that the teachers gave it to me for being the first in my exams. But, they also mentioned that it was also a gift from a certain person that had taken quite an interest in my progress.¡± ¡°A certain person?¡± Uh oh. That expression on her face. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m going to like who it is. ¡°Vera Marjoram. One of the ruling Council members. And that hobbit¡¯s grandmother.¡± She didn¡¯t need to say anything else. I could already piece two and two together. It¡¯s a bribe. For her to accept her grandson. She had talked about him further in her letters. Apparently, she caught him being a patron in one of the city¡¯s brothels when she was doing a quest. Not in the middle of him actually doing it, thankfully enough, but she certainly got enough proof to see that there really was nothing innocent about him. He was a perverted little hobbit who would ask prostitutes to pretend that they were his big sisters before teasing him. Now, ignoring the quite disturbing fact that Marina dared to go to a shady establishment like that on her own, even for a quest, I had both a scowl and a grin on my face when I read the letter. How dare that pervert try to go after my big sister, I thought to myself. But at the same time, I was also happy that whatever chance he had on getting close to her had just burned into ash. Marina never liked perverts after all. Especially one that pretended to be the opposite. ¡°So, what do you think? Should I just¡­ throw away the staff?¡± she asked with a wry smile. She didn¡¯t bring it with her of course, as she had put it in her room. ¡°N-no! That¡¯s a really good staff, isn¡¯t it?¡± I replied. ¡°That would be a big waste, especially since you like it so much.¡± ¡°I suppose¡­ I just don¡¯t like taking someone¡¯s bribe like this¡­ it feels¡­ dirty.¡± She averted her gaze, looking straight to the bookshelf instead. Putting my hand on her shoulder, I gave her a grin. ¡°Think about it like this, Sis. You might be accepting her bribe, but you have no intention in paying any attention to her grandson even after the fact. So instead of her controlling you with the bribe, you¡¯re the one using her instead. So you shouldn¡¯t feel bad. Instead, you should feel happy that you just tricked a big wig like her to give you an expensive staff.¡± Her dry smile turned into a genuine one, and she gave me a pat on the head. ¡°You¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯t overthink it. I should just take the staff while not giving anything in return to her or her grandson.¡± ¡°Now I can¡¯t help but feel a little bad. Just a little bit though.¡± She giggled. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s talk about something else.¡± Suddenly, her expression turned serious all over again. ¡°How are you dealing, Hugo? With her being gone?¡± She didn¡¯t need to tell me who this ¡°her¡± was. It was all too obvious. I sighed. ¡°Well, I get by. But if I say I don¡¯t feel lonely, then I would be lying,¡± I admitted with full honesty. ¡°She¡¯s the only friend that I have after all.¡± "How about Erika, hmm?" She placed her left hand around my shoulder. "She''s cute and all, but it''s just not the same¡­ She''s too young, you know..." I sighed again. "And the kids in the village?" "I don''t like them unfortunately. I feel bad for saying this but there''s nothing that interests me about them." "Ah, I understand." She released her hand with an understanding smile. She then looked away from me, back to the bookshelf. "I''m like you as well, you know. Barely any friends. I suppose I''m what you would call an introvert. I''m comfortable with just Alincia being my friend. And my books as well, I suppose." She added with a wry smile. It was then her turn to sigh. "I wish I could spend more time with you, Hugo. You won''t feel lonely with me around, would you?" she asked with a smirk. "Of course not, Sis..." I replied, looking down at my knee. "That''s why I''ve been looking forward to you coming back so much." ¡°...Well, at the very least, you have my panties to accompany you.¡± Wait, what? She broke out to a grin. ¡°You haven¡¯t thrown them away or anything, have you?¡± "O-of course not! I got them safely stored inside the box all this time, just like you wanted! Look! It¡¯s in the back of my wardrobe over there!¡± I pointed forward. ¡°Eeh, I actually expected you to just throw it after a month or so when you got bored. To think that you¡¯re this much of a pervert to keep them all this time¡­¡± She looked away with a disappointed expression. "I-it''s not what you think! I-I was just¡ª" Wait, that smirk¡­ "Hey, Sis! You''re just messing with me, aren''t you?" I pouted. "Aaw, and here I thought I could have some fun teasing my little brother like usual. You really are growing up quick, aren''t you, Hugo?" She ruffled my hair. Hmph, time to go for a counterattack! ¡°Sis, know you like seeing me all flustered but you nearly made me go on a panic attack there. If you start hating me because you think I¡¯m a pervert, then I wouldn¡¯t know what to do¡­¡± I trailed off my sentence, before putting on the saddest puppy look that I could muster. As expected, she was the one to panic this time around. ¡°Oh, you silly goose! I¡¯ll never do that to you!¡± She immediately went for a hug, wrapping her arms around me. She then released her grip just as quickly, putting both of her hands on my shoulders instead, staring at my eyes. ¡°I know perfectly well that you¡¯re a good kid, Hugo. And there¡¯s nothing wrong with keeping a girl¡¯s used panties around if she already consented to it. Or at least, that¡¯s what I believe.¡± It seemed even she wasn¡¯t quite 100% sure if what I was doing counted as a morally deplorable act or not. Which was completely understandable, of course. ¡°In fact, in a certain sense of way, you could see it as a romantic act. You want to be with her so bad that you want a memento of her lovely scent that you carry around everyday.¡± Welp, that logic sounds quite perverse if I were to be honest. But since it was her who was saying that, I somehow could accept it as a normal, completely non-perverse truth. Is my big sister slowly turning into a pervert too? She already has her puberty, right, at that age? Her boobs are still growing bigger, and even now, being this close to her, I can take a peek down her loose blouse to see the two naked mounds. ¡°In fact, Sherry gave you hers as well, didn¡¯t she? Hmph, why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± She huffed. Ah, this is her trying to tease me again. Not going to work this time, Sis! ¡°Well, Sherry is going to be my wife in the future, right? So it¡¯s a private thing between us. It¡¯s none of your business, Sis,¡± I answered sternly. ...Oh crap, I might have gone too far. Immediately she got this pained, hurt look on her face. ¡°R-right, o-of course. I-it¡¯s none of my business. Sorry¡­¡± She withdrew. ¡°W-wait, that¡¯s not what I meant, Sis! I-I was just too shy to tell you! That''s all!" I quickly corrected her. I didn''t want to upset her for real. And then, that hurt expression immediately transformed into a smirk. "Hehe, gotcha!" She stuck her tongue out. ...You¡ªaargghhh! Why am I being outwitted by a 13-year old girl? Afterwards, we had our talk for a little while more, mostly talking about my progress in magic. And then, she bid me goodnight, giving me a kiss on the forehead. As she left the room however¡­ "Oh, one more thing¡­" What? Without any warning, she started to lift her dress upwards on the sides, bending over a little in the process. And then, she made a movement that could only be described as her pulling down her panties. "Hey, Hugo." She stopped, looking back at me with a naughty smirk. "Do you want a new fresh pair for your little collection? I sat on them all day in the hot carriage, you know. Should have my big sister scent all good and nice." W-whaaatt? ¡°...Hehe, now that¡¯s a good expression.¡± She then pulled her panties back up. I didn¡¯t get a good look on them but I was pretty sure she wore a pale green pair under her dress. Argh, it¡¯s another tease from her! And I completely got fooled by it! Again! ¡°Well, good night, Hugo,¡± she said, still with a smirk. ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t give another pair, not when Sherry is doing it as well. Don¡¯t want to upset her after all.¡± Without waiting for my response, she left the room, just like that. I was lucky that I had yet to hit puberty, or else I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep that night for sure. And I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how Marina would make a perfect succubus with how good she was at teasing. ...Nah, she¡¯s too serious and reserved outside. She¡¯s just like this when she¡¯s with me, and when she¡¯s with her boyfriend/husband in the future, I imagine. That¡¯s not an attitude a succubus would have Vol 1 Chapter 33: A Fun Family Camping Trip For the rest of the summer, as usual, I practiced magic with Marina. It turned out that she had mastered her second Master-level spell, which was another Earth spell that created a deep and large pit that I couldn¡¯t even see the bottom of. If I had to estimate, the hole, which wasn¡¯t perfectly square or round, was around 50 meters or so in diameter. She called the spell Crumbling Earth, which I thought was quite the fitting name for what I did, even if a little bit plain. She proudly showed it off to me of course, with her being her, and when I saw it, my jaw almost dropped to the floor and I fell down on my knees, both from the awe and from the earthquake that she produced in the process as the earth itself crumbled away, making way for the giant hole. The gap between us is just growing even further, huh? I still was nowhere near able to cast a Master-level spell like her. The only progress I had was learning to cast hybrid elemental spells, though even that, I had yet to master all of them. I had yet to know my preferred element as well. Marina¡¯s obviously Earth, judging by how she learned two Master-level spells in that element first, but I still didn¡¯t feel any inclination towards a certain element. Most mages in the world had one or two elements that they were really good at, and at higher-level magic, no one could really master all the elements, or so they said. I then tried to comfort myself, saying it was only natural for her to be leaps and bounds above me, since she already got a five year headstart after all. But I couldn¡¯t help fearing how my magic capability would eventually plateau and hit a brick wall that it could never pass through. It¡¯s like how you might always be the No.1 student from elementary to high school, only to realize that you¡¯re nothing once you entered college. It didn¡¯t help matters either when Father put a halt to our training. By deciding that we should have a camping trip with him. It was at dinner when he gave the offer. Apparently, he got the word that a strong monster had been spotted on the nearby mountains, and that he had been ordered to slay it before it could get anywhere close to the village. An adventurer had alerted him to its presence. The poor young man had lost his entire party to it apparently, with him being the only survivor. ¡°These things happen, you know,¡± Father commented with a sigh, crossing his arms. ¡°Being an adventurer is a dangerous job. You might think you¡¯re going to have an easy quest, but then something happens that is completely out of your expectation. And then you¡¯re in a danger that you¡¯re not prepared for.¡± He then took a huge gulp of his water before continuing. ¡°Judging by the description that man gave, it¡¯s most likely a Chrome-Plated Mountain Lion. It¡¯s an A-rank monster, so it would be pretty strong. Wouldn¡¯t be odd that a party of unprepared novices would be slaughtered by it. But nothing that your S-rank father can¡¯t handle of course,¡± he boastfully bragged, thumping his chest in the process. ¡°An A-rank? You¡¯re seriously going to take them to face a monster that level? Have you lost your mind?¡± Mother spoke up. ¡°Relax! I¡¯ll be there to guard them, don¡¯t worry!¡± he replied nonchalantly. ¡°I want to test their strength, you know. To see how they would fare with a real life monster. Not to mention that this is the perfect opportunity to teach them how to camp in the wild away from civilization. You need to know that kind of stuff to become a good adventurer, you know.¡± Father¡¯s right. I haven¡¯t learned any of that stuff yet, have I? ¡°Marina, you only take quests that are near the city, right? You never actually go to the boonies or anything.¡± ¡°Of course not, Father,¡± she replied matter-of-factly, taking a sip of her tea. ¡°I can only do quests on the weekends after all. So I can¡¯t go far at all.¡± ¡°Perfect! And Hugo here certainly has never been out in the wilderness either!¡± He patted my shoulder. Somehow, the way he said it made me feel a little insulted. Maybe it¡¯s because I was practically a sedentary man in my previous life. Mother took a deep sigh. ¡°Fine. But if I will come along too. Just in case if they got wounded or anything.¡± Father was about to speak up, but she immediately shot him down with her patented glare. Well, it¡¯s settled then. It¡¯s going to be a whole family trip. ¡°Father, Mother, are you going somewhere with Big Bro and Big Sis?¡± Erika, who was also there but was completely ignored by the conversation, asked. Her blue eyes, inherited straight from Mother, were glimmering brightly with curiosity. ¡°Can I go too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my dear, but it¡¯s too dangerous for you. Maybe when you¡¯re older, alright?¡± Father answered her with a smile, patting her head. ¡°Be nice with Mary, alright, my sweet?¡± Mother smiled at her. ¡°We won¡¯t be long. Before you know it, we¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°S-so, E-Erika¡¯s going to be left alone?¡± Uh oh! Judging by her large eyes which are quickly watering, I think I know perfectly what¡¯s going to happen soon. ¡°N-no! You have Mary, right? You like her, don¡¯t you?¡± Yep! Here it comes! ¡°U-uwaaahhhh! I don¡¯t wanna be with Mary! I wanna be with you! And Father! And Big Bro! And Big Sis! I wanna, I wanna, I wanna!¡± As she yelled and cried, she started kicking her legs to the table, all the while slamming her hands all over. I sighed. At what age would she stop being a crybaby? Guess it¡¯s my turn to calm her down. I stood up and walked over to her. Gently, I lifted her small and light body, before wrapping my arms around it. ¡°Come on now! You¡¯re a big girl, aren¡¯t you? Big girls don¡¯t cry! And big girls can certainly take care of herself when her parents are gone.¡± I whispered to her behind her ear with a smile. ¡°B-Big Bro¡­¡± She immediately calmed down. The only saving grace of her temper tantrums was the fact that it would stop once I lifted her up and hugged her like this. ¡°A-alright. If you want Erika to be a big girl, then Erika will be one!¡± This girl¡­ ooh, she¡¯s just too cute! And with that, it was decided. We were going to leave on a family trip. To slay a monster. Not that odd if you consider us as an ex-adventurer family. ------- We departed the next morning, with Father and Mother carrying their sword and staff respectively. I always saw Father training with his sword every day so I was already familiar with it, but Mother¡¯s staff was something I only saw now. It was a staff with a wooden base that ended with a large blue orb at the tip. The blue orb had this sparkling, swirly effect inside it, which I found oddly hypnotizing. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointed however that Mother didn¡¯t wear a cleric outfit. You know, the usual white robe getup. She just wore her usual dress she wore every day. Surely she couldn¡¯t travel around in the past wearing a boring dress like that! Our destination was the Karha Mountains. The name ¡°Karha¡± was originally given to the mountains, before being adopted by the village since it was the closest settlement to it. It was your typical mountains, all things considered. Not too tall like Everest, and not too perilous either. In fact, for an A-rank monster to be living there was considered an anomaly, at least according to Father. Normal mountain lions certainly existed, and dire ones as well, their stronger version, but a chrome-plated one? That¡¯s a new thing entirely. ¡°Sometimes a monster would evolve into its stronger form. I¡¯m not really sure how but it¡¯s a thing that happens in the wild. So my guess is that one of the dire mountain lions evolved into one,¡± Father explained. Is it similar to how summons can evolve as well, I wonder¡­ We reached the base of the mountains in just a single day of walking through the nearby forest. It was the very same forest that Sherry used to, well, spend her frustrations in, but she never got too deep, knowing that she would risk being attacked by monsters that were actually strong enough to fight her and win. We climbed for a while before the sun decided to set. ¡°Alright, you two.¡± Father looked at me and Marina. ¡°What do you do when the sun is setting yet you¡¯re still out here in monster territory?¡± I immediately opened my mouth to answer but she beat me to the punch. ¡°Find a safe location to set up camp. In a mountain like this, a cave might be good. Although you have to make sure that said cave is completely uninhabited. And don¡¯t use a deep cave that you can¡¯t explore all the way to the end in a reasonable amount of time, as a place like that is most likely connected to an underground monster nest that could attack you while you sleep.¡± Oh wow, so this is why she¡¯s a star student in the Academy, if she answers every question her teacher gives her like this. And suddenly I¡¯m reminded of a certain magic bookworm from that book series¡­ ¡°Ha! A perfectly reasonable answer! Just as I expected from you, Marina!¡± He put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°However, you forgot one fact. That your mother can cast a monster-warding spell.¡± ¡°A monster-warding spell?¡± I asked. I never heard of such a thing. ¡°It¡¯s a Holy spell,¡± Mother chimed in, eavesdropping on our conversation. ¡°Naturally, the effect depends on the strength of the cleric herself. For example, my version of the spell can ward off up to B-rank monsters or so.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s really convenient,¡± I commented. ¡°It is, right?¡± She giggled. ¡°That¡¯s why most parties would have at least one cleric with them.¡± One cleric, huh? Now that I think about it, if me, Sherry, and Marina make a party together, we still need a cleric if we want a full party. ...Oh well, I¡¯ll think about it later. Afterwards, we got to a clearing where we decided to spend the night in. Mother did her spell, and I immediately felt a change in the atmosphere after she did. It was a peculiar yet pleasant change, and I felt I could relax better with it. After taking out our supplies, which Marina conveniently stored using her dimensional storage spell, Father then taught us how to set up our tents. Father and Mother would share one tent, while we each would have our own. Oh goddamnit, I¡¯m never good at this kind of thing, I grumbled to myself as my tent fell over due to something that was beyond my comprehension, making me have to start all over again. To my surprise however, Marina was also having the same problem. I even caught the frustrated expression on her face, which was a rare sight to be sure. Hehe, even she couldn¡¯t excel at everything, I suppose. ¡°That¡¯s not how you tie the ropes, Hugo. Here, it¡¯s supposed to go this way,¡± Father explained. ¡°And Marina, you¡¯re not tying your ropes hard enough. Your tent is going to collapse in the middle of the night.¡± Heh, Father sure seems all happy teaching us like this. Once our tents were all set up, it was time for us to go gather some firewood. Once again, Father took the lead while Mother stayed back at our makeshift camp. Since it was already late, we weren¡¯t going to hunt for fresh meat. Instead, we were just going to use the dried meat we had brought with us. ¡°Listen well, you two. Normally, you would only use dry wood for your fire, usually the dead branches that already fell off on its own. Damp wood wouldn¡¯t work thanks to the moisture stored inside.¡± ¡°But you can still use damp wood if you have a good enough mage with you, right? You can heat up the wood using fire magic, turning it dry yourself,¡± Marina interrupted. ¡°Correct! That¡¯s exactly what I was going to say!¡± Father laughed a little. ¡°Myrilla used to do that for us, you know.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for us to return with a huge bundle of firewood. Father then gave me the pleasure to light it, which I did readily, making sure that my Fireball was just the right size. After having our humble dinner, Father then asked what we should do before we went to rest. ¡°Decide on a watch order, Father,¡± I quickly answered, not wanting to lose to Marina. ¡°There should always be at least one person who stays awake at all times.¡± ¡°Good! You understand! It¡¯s naive to think that just because you have a monster warding spell, you can just all sleep without worries. If a strong monster that is unaffected by it wanders into your camp, and you¡¯re unprepared, well, that¡¯s the end for your adventure right there,¡± he spoke with a grim expression. We then decided on the order, with me going first, then Marina, then Mother, then lastly Father. Once I was all alone, with everyone else retreating inside their tents, I let out a sigh. Now that I think about it, have I ever gone camping like this? Hmm, I think I had once. When I was still at elementary school. A school camping trip, not a family one like this. Can¡¯t remember the details though. Soon enough, I started to feel sleepy, which made me decide to stand up and walked around, just so I wouldn¡¯t be nodding off. Come on, Hugo. Gotta stay alert. You want to be an adventurer after all. My sleepiness didn¡¯t stay long however, thanks to a series of noises that my parents were suddenly making. Yep, they were going at it, alright. Hey, your kid is right here, you know. And what¡¯s all that talk about always being vigilant in the wilderness? I got closer out of sheer curiosity. And hearing the dialogue going on there, Father was clearly the one who was pushing for it, though it didn¡¯t take long for Mother to drop her hesitating act and moan her heart out as Father started touching her. I was so tempted to cast a wind spell to blast their tent off, but I stopped myself. I am not a naughty kid after all. I¡¯m a good boy who wants his parents to be happy. Eventually, it was Marina¡¯s turn to stand watch. So I entered her tent, intending to wake her up. Only to find out that she was silently pleasuring herself. Her left hand was caressing her panty-clad crotch, as she muffled her moans with her right. She was closing her eyes so she didn''t notice me peeking into her tent. ...Ah, right, she''s at that age after all. I retreated away, pretending that I hadn''t seen what I just saw. It took me about a good fifteen minutes to process what I just saw. To think that she would be doing that kind of stuff¡­ you''re surprising me more and more, Sis¡­ A Father and Mother who were always doing it loudly, and now a big sister who secretly liked to pleasure herself (I don''t buy that this is just a one-time thing). Is this family just filled with a bunch of perverts? Including me, of course? Don''t tell me that Erika is going to be a pervert too when she grows up? "Hugo? Is it my turn already?" Suddenly, Marina exited the tent, looking as if nothing unusual had happened. "Y-yes, Sis!" I replied. Why am I the one feeling all awkward here? "Alright. Go sleep now, Hugo. Tomorrow''s going to be another tiring day after all." She smiled, putting a hand on my shoulder for a short moment before walking up to the bonfire. ...She did change her panties after she finished, right? ---- Our journey continued for six more days. The mountain range was indeed pretty large, so it wasn''t easy finding the monster that we wanted to take out. To my pleasant surprise however, my stamina had no problem whatsoever keeping up with the hours of hiking that we had to do. Even the thinning air didn¡¯t really bother as much as I felt it should be. It was all thanks to the physical training Father had subjected me to over the years, I imagined. The only one that was bothered by it was Marina, who never really had the training I had. Still, she kept up the pace pretty well, even though she was easily the most tired-looking out of all of us. I think she was actually using magic to make the air around her less thin, so that she could breathe more easily. Mother, as delicate as she might look, wasn¡¯t bothered in the slightest. I imagined her experience being an adventurer had toughened up her body over the years. On the way, we met and fought off other monsters over and over again, like the other, weaker mountain lions, as well as dire wolves, hell condors, and even zombie treants¡ªtreants that were born out of dead trees. It was nothing that we couldn''t handle. In fact, Father and Mother barely did anything, trusting me and Marina to handle all of them. "Rock Blast!¡± Marina fired off a rock the size of her head as a projectile at the Hell Condor. It was an Intermediate-level spell that she could cast swiftly to counter the Hell Condor¡¯s speedy aerial movement. The oversized bird managed to dodge the attack partially, with the rock hitting only the tip of its wings. But it was enough for me to do my follow up. ¡°Thunder Strike!¡± My Advanced-level spell stroke true, paralyzing the bird in mid-air, making it fall to the ground. Or so it seemed, before it sharply modified its trajectory, transforming its falling movement into a diving one instead, going straight after Marina. ¡°Sis!¡± ¡°Water Blade!¡± She was fine though, to my utmost relief, as she quickly finished it off by slicing it into two using her Intermediate-level Water spell. Water Blade. A spell that generated a high-pressure jet of water that was strong enough to cut things into two like a blade. ¡°That was careless of you, Hugo,¡± Father remarked, patting my shoulder. ¡°Never think of the enemy of being defeated before it actually fell down unmoving on the ground. And even then, there are some monsters out there who would gladly play dead before ambushing the adventurer once he let his guard down.¡± ¡°And Hell Condor happens to have quite the good thunder resistance, which is why your Advanced lightning spell didn¡¯t manage to kill it while Marina¡¯s Intermediate-level Water spell could,¡± Mother lectured as well. So that¡¯s why it goes like that¡­ ¡°S-sorry Marina, I should have used a different elemental spell instead.¡± I immediately apologized. After all, my blunder made her to be in danger unnecessarily. ¡°Ha, if you think I was in any danger from that, think again,¡± she replied with a boastful smirk. ¡°Really, you should stop underestimating your big sister so much.¡± ...Sis, you just don¡¯t want me to feel guilty, don¡¯t you? ----- And then, on the seventh day, we finally found it. Our prey, the Chrome-Plated Mountain Lion. ¡°So, you two want to take a bite at it first?¡± Father asked with a confident smile. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Vol 1 Chapter 34: Battle Against An Overpowered Mountain Lion There it was, the monster that we had been looking for. It was currently wandering around on its lonesome, on a cliff underneath us. It was still not alerted to our presence. Looking at it from a distance, it looked just like the mountain lions that we had faced before in this trip. The only thing that was different was the color of its skin. Like its name suggested, it was entirely chrome in color, from its head to its tail. Hmm, wonder what it¡¯s doing there... ¡°So, how about it? Want to test your strength against it? You got me and your mother to go to the rescue if anything goes wrong, so it should be fine. Though it would certainly hurt if you get bitten or clawed by it,¡± he said with a grin. Dad, aren¡¯t you being too carefree about this? ¡°I¡¯ll go first,¡± Marina answered with a determined look, taking out her wand from her pocket. ¡°I can hit it from here. Would that be fine?¡± she asked, looking up at him. Father gave a glance towards Mother, who nodded in return, her staff at the ready. ¡°Alright. Should¡¯ve figured you¡¯d be skilled enough to just snipe it from here.¡± Hey, isn¡¯t that kinda unfair to the monster? Just charging a long and powerful spell before actually entering the fight. You can¡¯t do that in the RPGs I used to play for sure. Marina then took a few steps forward, before making her wand grow into its staff form. She then started a chant, using her right hand to hold her staff while her left began to shine. And I knew very well what that chant was. It was her Master-level Earth spell, Crumbling Earth. She intended to just finish it in one blow indeed! ¡°O spirits of the Earth! Listen to my plea! Let those who stood on your soil be¡ª¡± Suddenly, her chanting was interrupted by a gasp. I, who had been looking at her, didn¡¯t realize why immediately. I quickly returned my sight back at the lion. Only to find that it wasn¡¯t there anymore. ¡°It¡¯s climbing! It¡¯s climbing the cliff! Right towards us!¡± Marina shouted. She quickly halted her current spell and summoned her owlbear instead, sending it down to fend off the lion. It roared at her command, barreling down the sheerness of the cliff without fear. Only for the lion to jump on top of the owlbear, slicing its skin with its sharp claws before jumping once more, right towards Marina. ¡°I won¡¯t let you! Rock Blast!¡± She sent a rock flying right at it, no doubt intending to stop it from getting closer any further. However, with just a single slash of its claws, it shattered the small boulder entirely, not unimpeded in the slightest. The horror on Marina¡¯s face told it all. She did not expect this. Not in the slightest. ¡°Barrier!¡± Just before its fangs could land on Marina, it crashed right onto Mother¡¯s Barrier, sending it flying back down. And then, Father stepped forward, and swung his greatsword towards the monster, sending a powerful wave that it immediately dodged. To my surprise however, instead of running back to fight Father, it instead retreated from the scene, after growling at him for a short while. Was it really that scared of Father¡¯s power? I turned my attention back to Marina, who was still shaken by what just occurred. Her owlbear was nowhere to be found. Maybe it had retreated on its own, after being wounded by the lion. Putting a hand on her shoulder, Father said, ¡°Let that be a lesson to you, kiddo. Monsters, especially high-ranking ones, aren¡¯t so dumb that they can¡¯t detect the shift in mana flow on its surroundings. Your spell was quite the powerful one, right? No wonder it got detected immediately.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She replied, her expression looking as if she just failed an important exam. I felt she was totally the type to be bothered for days for that sort of thing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sis! I¡¯ll avenge your loss!¡± I said with a smile, patting her on the back. Oh, what am I saying? That lion was indeed an A-rank monster. Its power and speed were far different than any other monsters that we have faced so far. How would I defeat such a thing? But after seeing Marina like that, I felt I just had to beat it to a pulp with my own strength. ----- We then followed the beast after making sure that Marina was unharmed. Father believed that it shouldn''t have run off too far, trusting that this part of the mountain was its territory. And sure enough, half an hour later, we found it again, sleeping underneath a jutting cliff that gave it a comfortable shade to rest under. "Alright. Your turn now, my boy," Father pushed me to the front with a grin. H-hey, you nearly saw your own daughter die to it yet you''re still this nonchalant? I gulped. I still wasn''t sure how I should initiate the battle. I probably shouldn¡¯t use my summons. Technically, they couldn¡¯t really die no matter what happens to them in combat, but making them get hurt terribly will cost the summoner their trust. So kinda like Pokemon in that sense. And besides, what can they really do? The earth sprite might be able to generate mud to hinder its movement a little, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough. With how strong its jumping capability and speed is, it could easily escape. It¡¯s certainly faster than Sherry, that¡¯s to be sure. As for the high fairy, well, she probably would just go into a panic and not do anything worthwhile. I felt bad insulting my summons like this, but it was my honest assessment of the situation. Just attacking with a weaker spell might be able to take it by surprise, but it certainly wouldn¡¯t finish it in one blow. Is there a way for me to set up a defensive perimeter around myself beforehand so that I would be ready for it? Hmm, I don¡¯t think so¡­ The only option left is for me to take to the skies using my wind spell, hoping that it can never jump high enough to get to me. But that would quickly get tiring. Not to mention that I still can¡¯t cast two spells at the same time. I would fall down when I cast another spell. Dual-casting was a rare skill only few mages were capable of, as it meant splitting the flow of mana in your body into two and regulating it into different shapes simultaneously. It¡¯s like trying to write with both hands at the same time, writing different words and letters. Even Marina couldn¡¯t do it. Yet. Knowing her, she would certainly be able to do it eventually once she got older and more experienced in magic. I had trust in her genius-level talent after all. Well, worth a try. I got Father and Mother as backup after all. Taking a deep breath, I ran towards the beast, before boosting myself upwards with my wind spell. Once I was up a good distance away, I charged up Cold Blast, hoping that it would be able to slow it down with its frost. I couldn¡¯t be too far away, as I might actually miss my target¡ªnot to mention the fact that the spell would get weaker the further it was from its target. As expected, the moment I started concentrating for my Advanced-level spell, it woke up and saw me up in the sky. It immediately jumped, right as I was falling towards it. Too late! Thanks to my training against Sherry, I finished just in time for it to be blasted point blank by my ice spell. I didn¡¯t wait until it landed to the ground¡ªI immediately boosted myself upwards once again, returning a safe distance away from it. As expected, it wasn¡¯t taken out by the spell. In fact, it looked even angrier than it already was. It looked up at me for a split second before it immediately jumped again. Ha, too bad! I was too far high up for it to reach with its claws, even with its amazing jump height. Like the clever beast that it was, it then decided to use the cliff it had been sleeping under to get to a higher spot. Of course, I already expected this as well. I had scanned the area beforehand and there wasn¡¯t any other higher point around that it could climb on. ¡°Earthen Blast!¡± As it ran away from me, I casted my Advanced-level Earth spell, exploding the ground it was climbing on, making it fall down to the ground yet again. It then looked at me, growling. Yep, it¡¯s positively angry, all right. Wait, this growling¡­ don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s going to run away just like with Father! I was wrong. I was oh so very wrong. Instead of running away, it suddenly let out a screech in my direction¡ªso loud and ear-piercing that I had to cover my ears out of reflex. M-my head! I-it¡¯s like it¡¯s splitting open! Aarghh! It was enough to make me lose my focus entirely. I knew that I was falling down with no wind spell supporting me, but I couldn¡¯t concentrate enough to recast the spell¡ªnot with the insane headache I had. Of course, the lion took the opportunity it had given to itself. It jumped up and opened its mouth wide, intending to bite my leg off in one move most likely. ¡°Barrier!¡± I didn¡¯t know exactly what happened afterwards. Only that I heard a pained roar coming from the lion before I crashed down to the ground. When I opened my eyes, Mother was standing above me, healing me with her magic. Immediately my headache disappeared as if it wasn¡¯t there. I looked around and saw Father looking over the lion. Or, to be more accurate, its corpse. Father had cut it into two. ¡°Hugo! You¡¯re alright?¡± Marina ran over to me, looking down with a worried expression. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just¡­ got a killer headache. What was that anyway?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an ability that the lion has,¡± Mother explained. ¡°Deadly Screech. It hurts its target¡¯s brain for a short while, enough for it to land the killing blow. You¡¯ve been baited to think that it can¡¯t attack you on the air.¡± Seriously? A mindless monster like that can be that smart? ¡°Well, now it¡¯s proven that you two are still nowhere near A-rank,¡± Father walked over with a grin. ¡°These things¡­ they¡¯re stuff that you can only learn through experience. So take it easy, and make sure only to take quests that you¡¯re sure you can handle. Don¡¯t be like your idiot father who¡¯s stupid enough to challenge an A-rank monster when he wasn¡¯t ready.¡± ¡°Is that when you¡¯re saved by Myrilla, Father?¡± I asked. I remembered her saying how she had saved him once. ¡°Yep!¡± He replied with a reminiscing smile. ¡°Aah, I was such a fool back then¡­ I went to the Demon Continent, thinking that I was a hotshot enough adventurer to challenge such a dangerous land. Only to nearly die after taking my very first quest there. If not for her saving your father¡¯s behind, we wouldn¡¯t be here now.¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. So, Father was around our level back then? So Myrilla was already as strong as his current self? How strong is she now then? As I thought about that however, I noticed a little smile on the corner of Marina¡¯s lips. ...I think she¡¯s a little bit happy that I too failed to win against the lion. Heh, you don¡¯t want to lose to your little brother, don¡¯t you, Sis? Before we returned back, Father decided that it would be a good opportunity to teach us how to skin an animal, using the chrome-plated lion as our instrument of demonstration. He had done so with the lesser lions and wolves of course, but the chrome-plated lion was different enough that it would make for a good lesson, at least according to him. ¡°First of all, you don¡¯t want to just cut a rare monster in two like this if you want the most optimum yield, as it would no doubt harm its bones and internal organs. Every body part of an A-rank monster like this one could fetch a pretty good price, especially at a relatively peaceful part of the world like this where A-rank monsters are rare,¡± he explained. ¡°And you would need a special knife to cut and skin it apart, unless you have a swordsman in your party that is precise enough with his blade and is willing enough to use it for things like this. Normal knives wouldn¡¯t be sharp enough.¡± He then began to dissect it apart, using said special knife that was enhanced by magic to be sharper than normal. And just like all the times before this, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how his cuts were quite messy. Huh, I wonder if Myrilla used to do this kind of stuff for him. After he finished, he told Marina to take out the jar. It was a magic jar called the Preserving Jar, enchanted so that the inside was always cold even without any ice placed inside. How convenient. It¡¯s basically a magical portable refrigerator that doesn¡¯t run off on batteries, though Mother said that it would eventually lose its coolness as time passed. He then put in the dissected remains of the lion into it, telling us that it would fetch a good price in Aarom¡¯s market. I like how he wasn¡¯t grossed out in the slightest from touching all that bloody, gory stuff. I saw Mother and Marina flinching from the slight. Even I kept my distance as well. It showed just how much of an experienced adventurer he was. Once finished, Marina stored it back inside her Dimensional Container. She too made sure that Father washed his hands after all that with her water spell. And then, it was time for us to return back home. ------------- For the rest of the summer, I continued my training with Marina. Or should I say, our training, as after her defeat at the hand of the chrome lion, she had begun to think up ways to overcome her weakness. I, on the other hand, still aimed to reach Master-level. I felt I could''ve won if I had a stronger spell to use against it, something that could really deal damage. At Marina''s advice, she told me to focus on Wind, as she believed I had a talent at the element. She couldn''t use wind spells the way I had been using it, to move and fly around like that. And so I did, focusing on control over power, as there was a certain concept for a wind spell I was interested in. For Master-level and above, you didn''t really have set spells written on books. You had to improvise and invent the next stage on your own. ¡°So, how would you know if the spell you had invented belonged to Master-level?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no exact measurement to it, but a Master-level spell would either have exceptional power or exceptional area of effect. Let¡¯s take an example. Say, Rainfall. You remember what it does, Hugo?¡± ¡°It makes it rain, right?¡± I answered. I still remembered her demonstrating it to me. ¡°Correct. To be exact, it manipulates the moisture in the air to form rainclouds, so it¡¯s a hybrid spell that combines Water and Wind. Do you remember how much the rainclouds covered? ¡°Just a small area. Around 50 meters in diameter at most.¡± ¡°Exactly. Then I will bring up to you the spell ¡®Rainstorm¡¯. It¡¯s the Master-level version of it. Can you guess how much it covers in diameter?¡± ¡°Umm, a lot? Much more?¡± I took a wild guess. ¡°Indeed! It can cover a much wider idea, to the point that Master-level Water mages are in high demand to farmers in drought. I don¡¯t even know how wide it covers since when one of my teachers used it, I couldn¡¯t see anything else other than the dark skies above me.¡± ¡°Wow, that sounds amazing, Sis! Would you be able to do it one day?¡± ¡°Well, I sure hope I could.¡± She smiled, patting my head. ¡°If you don¡¯t get it before me first, that is,¡± she added with a chuckle. Another goal for me to reach, I suppose, though I really prefer offensive spells instead. Turning the sky dark and making it rain might be cool but it can¡¯t do anything against monsters, can it? ¡°Now that I thought about it, ¡®Rainstorm¡¯ is pretty standardized for a Master-level spell. If you know how to manipulate water and wind well enough, and if you know how rainclouds work, you can perform it just fine. And they taught the latter in the Academy. A not-so-smart water mage might think that you would have to produce all the water falling down yourself, but a smart one would realize that you just need to trigger a chain reaction in the atmosphere, saving yourself a considerable amount of mana while at the same time keeping up the spell for much longer.¡± Suddenly, she paused in her explanation. ¡°...Hold on, that method on how to produce a better Rainstorm¡ªthat was developed by Selendia Brine, one of the Council mages! It was one of her inventions back when she was younger! Even then, she was already a genius at Water spells. And now, every Master-level water mage follows her theorem to cast Rainstorm.¡± ¡°Are all the Council mages geniuses like her?¡± I asked, out of curiosity. ¡°Hmm¡­ well, if they can reach Grandmaster-level, that already makes them geniuses beyond geniuses. I don¡¯t know much about them, really, other than the common knowledge. It¡¯s not like I go to the library to read their biographies.¡± ¡°Why not, Sis? You don¡¯t find them interesting?¡± She paused again, before sighing. ¡°As you already know, a friend of mine is a granddaughter of one. And judging by what she told me about him, and the rest of the Council, they¡¯re¡­ well, how do I put it? Selfish?¡± ¡°Selfish?¡± ¡°They only care about themselves¡ªtheir influence and their magic. They certainly didn¡¯t care about their family the way Father and Mother did. They expected their offsprings to continue their reign of glory, and that led to them treating their sons and daughters harshly.¡± So, basically, the usual asshole nobles you often find in fantasy stories, only with a dash of magic superiority added in, I thought with a grim look. ¡°Though I¡¯ve met one of their daughters who certainly didn¡¯t mind the treatment, since she seemed to be a bonafide genius, just like her mother. Oh, I haven¡¯t told you about her yet, have I? I think I omitted her in my letter to you about Sherry¡¯s visit.¡± It was there that I knew about Elunmidis Brine, the daughter of Selendis Brine. The bubble genius, whose trick actually managed to fool Marina, though not Myrilla, being the far experienced mage. ¡°Producing bubbles itself is already a hybrid spell, since you need water and wind combined. And she could do it so quickly and stealthily, while still having them be far tougher than the average bubble. I suppose you can call her the bubble genius. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she one day writes a magic theory book about how to use bubble magic more effectively, just like her mother, advancing the study of magic once more.¡± Bubble genius, huh? Don¡¯t tell me that she¡¯s going to be Marina¡¯s future rival?! Don¡¯t worry, Sis! I¡¯ll cheer for you all the way to the end! Vol 1 Chapter 35: The Next Two Years Marina My fourth and fifth year at the Academy were relatively uneventful, except for a couple of occurrences that I shall note in this little monologue of mine. First, my tutoring of Alincia ended up bearing fruit, as she ended up reaching Master-level just a couple months ago. Just as I had predicted, she reached it by learning how to cast a Fire-element Master-level spell. I would take little to no credit to that however, as I knew how hard she had worked on it, not just with me but on her own as well. At night, she would train in the Academy training grounds on her own, casting spells after spells after spells until she was completely exhausted. In fact, she would even overdo herself so much that she fainted on the spot, only waking up the next morning. I told her not to but she wouldn¡¯t listen. It was as if she was a completely different person than her usual, happy-go-lucky self who never put much effort in her studies. I knew perfectly well why she applied herself so much however. She was preparing herself. For her future confrontation against her sister''s murderer. Especially after Elun returned with the grim news of her failure. I still remembered the day the news came. It was around the middle of my fourth year where Alincia came to me and told me of their meeting. The bubble mage and her subordinates had sprung a trap and ambushed her. She only had a single knight to protect her, so they believed it was the perfect moment¡ªthe golden chance to strike at her. Little did they know that they had severely underestimated the abilities of said knight, and the abilities of the necromancer as well. Felicia never had the need to go all out in a fight before, and judging by her records in the academy, she was not that impressive of a mage. She had no Master-level spells under her belt, so she should not be a threat to Elun and her subordinates who were all Master-level mages. Only for her to reveal her impressive prowess in Dark-element magic, leaping far beyond what the academy knew about her capabilities. She already reached Master-level in the element, and it took them entirely by surprise. They didn¡¯t know whether she reached that level once she left the Academy, or she had just been hiding her true capabilities all this time, pretending to be an average mage in her academy days. Elun even suspected that she might intentionally kill Merinda and her cronies using alchemy, just to hide the fact that she was already that adept at Dark Magic. And then there was the matter of the knight as well. They had investigated him beforehand but found no particular credentials or history that showed he was more than the average elite knight at best¡ªnothing that they couldn¡¯t handle. Only for him to display a sword skill that was far beyond their expectations. With a defensive, counter-oriented style, none of their attacks could land on Felicia as long as he was still standing. Their ambush failed completely, and Elun lost every single one of her subordinates, with her being the only one who managed to escape. As a result of the disaster, she was now relieved of her task. The Council had decided that for the time being, they would let the necromancer be. Alincia said that the normally cheerful Elun looked haggard and disheveled as she told her story. Her last words were for her not to pursue Felicia if she valued her life. And naturally, she still refused to tell which kingdom the necromancer belonged to. This didn¡¯t stop Alincia however. It only rekindled the flame in her heart, which led to her trying so very hard to learn magic for the past year and a half. --------- Another big event that occured was me receiving my first love confession. From who else¡ªThomas Marjoram, the hobbit that had been stalking me around since second year. It seemed he decided to just drop the innocent pretense and went all out in his offense. And to make it worse, he had to do it in public as well. As I was returning back to my dorm after having lunch, he walked up to me and kneeled on one knee, offering what I could only assume to be an engagement ring as he confessed his undying love and loyalty to me. I still remembered his exact words even now. ¡°Oh, Marina, my beautiful goddess! If you would deem this poor hobbit worthy enough of your love, then I swear to you that I would forever be loyal to you and worship the ground that you walk on!¡± I didn¡¯t know from which bardic poem he stole those sentences from, but I knew that I would never want to be proposed by such a terribly cheesy proclamation. However, the other students had a different opinion. They instead clapped wildly and cheered at me to accept his proposal. It was as if we were a circus to them. I was so embarrassed and humiliated that I lost my composure. My answer to him was to blast him with my wind spell before fleeing, all red faced in anger. And this had terrible, awful consequences on my social life. I, who had recovered from being a pariah from Merinda¡¯s actions, was now returning on becoming one. I was quickly characterized as a stuck-up and arrogant girl due to my response to that hobbit¡¯s confession. He was actually relatively popular in the school, with many girls admiring him for his cuteness. And for me to trample on his love like that, it was the biggest crime possible in their eyes. However, unlike with Merinda, I was now skilled enough to fight back. They might try to attack me with their magic, only to realize the gap between our skill. It didn¡¯t stop the pariah part however. It only made me become a feared personage as well. Just like how Merinda used to be. Only that I wasn¡¯t loved by some as well. I could only sigh as the irony hit me. I was angry enough to tell his admirers who attacked me that he was a pervert who went to brothels to have girls pretend to be his big sisters. "Really?" "Kyaah, so little Tom secretly has that kind of hobby!" "Don''t worry, little Tom! I''ll be your big sister if you want!" ...Ah, right. This isn''t the Holy Empire where going to brothels is considered a shameful thing. It isn''t taboo for a man to unwind in such facilities after a hard day of work. I suppose my disdain for it came from Mother, who was still somewhat a Milicis follower though she never frequented their churches. She told me never to tolerate unfaithful perverts ever since I was little. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t stop there. He then tried to challenge me into a duel, saying that if he won, I would give him my hand in marriage. Ignoring the fact that I didn¡¯t approve such a method of proposing in the first place, he had no chance whatsoever against me. I defeated him with ease. He was certainly weaker than where Alincia was currently at. And yet, he still declared that he wouldn¡¯t give up, that he would train to get stronger and beat me eventually. He asked for me to wait until he matured and could be the husband that I wanted him to be. I took a deep annoyed sigh, before telling him everything that was wrong of him, including the part where I saw him frequenting a brothel a year ago. ¡°Look, Thomas.¡± How long had it been since I called him by name? ¡°First of all, I have no intention of marrying anytime soon. I have plans to become an adventurer once I finish my study here so I wouldn¡¯t be settling down right away. Second, even if I do, I would never marry you in a million years. I saw what you did. You like to frequent those facilities in the red-light district, don¡¯t you? And you make those girls call you their little brother. If I were to be rudely honest, that disgusts me to the core.¡± When I said that, he flinched, as if I just slapped him with my words. ¡°I won¡¯t ever marry a pervert like you. So give it up. Stop bothering me and find another girl to chase after. There are many older girls out there that are far more beautiful and attractive than I am after all.¡± ¡°N-no! I only like you and you alone, Marina!¡± He shouted, before averting his gaze. ¡°I-it¡¯s true that I originally only approached you because Grandmother told me to. But after seeing you for so long, before I know, I¡­ I really have fallen in love with you!¡± He shouted again, returning his gaze back to me. ¡°I-it¡¯s a genuine, honest-to-goodness love! I love how you¡¯re so calm and composed at all times! And I love how smart and skilled you are at magic! A-and everytime I catch a glimpse of your smile, my heart flutters in joy! I want to make you happy, Marina! No, I will make you happy! I promise you that! I-it¡¯s fine if you still want to be an adventurer! W-we can go together! I-if you¡¯re there with me, I would no doubt have the strength to go against what Grandmother tells me to!¡± This kid¡­ he¡¯s¡­ He¡¯s not lying, is he? For once, I felt something genuine coming out of his mouth. Perhaps I had misjudged him a little. ¡°Unfortunately, I have no such feelings towards you,¡± I replied coldly. Even if he might actually be in love with me, I had no desire to be with him. Not in the slightest. So it would be better to drill it into his head to just give up and find another girl to woo. ¡°J-just give me a chance to prove myself to you, p-please!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to prove,¡± I quickly replied. ¡°If you think love is about proving anything, then that¡¯s another reason why you wouldn¡¯t be compatible with me.¡± Call me a fool if you want, but I believed in the love those boards loved to sing about¡ªthe kind of love that was irrational, the kind of love that occured at first sight. If I ever fell in love, it would be with someone I couldn''t help but think about day and night, worrying how he was and how he perceived me. I would want to have his everything, while giving myself entirely in return. It would be that kind of deep and intimate love. With that said, I left him behind, but not without him having the last word. "I''ll make you fall in love with me, Marina! I promise!" What an idiot¡­ he doesn''t understand me at all¡­ Afterwards, I told everything that had occurred to Hugo via letter, even if I didn¡¯t really want to. I had promised him to tell everything after all. When I got his return letter, as I predicted, he passionately wrote how he would go here and teach the hobbit a lesson if he kept bothering me. I giggled reading it, feeling happy that he cared so much, but I refused, telling him that I was perfectly fine on my own. What kind of a big sister would I be if I have to get my little brother defending me? Not to mention that, to my pleasant surprise, he stopped his advances towards me entirely, making me wonder if he had really given up for real. ------ My fourth year then ended, and I returned home for the summer, as usual. Proudly, I demonstrated to Hugo how I had mastered my third Master-level spell, Rainstorm. I beat him to it after all. Although, I couldn¡¯t help but feel bad, knowing that he still had yet reached his first Master-level spell. He said he had a plan for the kind of spell he wanted to make, but he refused to tell me, saying that he wanted to keep the surprise, that silly boy. Well, it was time for him to have his own secrets that he couldn¡¯t tell even to his big sister. Just one more year until he¡¯s ten after all. Me mastering Rainstorm at the opportune moment as well, since this summer was unusually dry, causing a drought that threatened the crops of the villagers under Father¡¯s care. With my spell, it wasn¡¯t a problem anymore, though the villagers praised me as if I was their saviour, which quite embarrassed me. I didn¡¯t feel like I had done something particularly worthy of such praises after all. It was a quiet summer overall, with nothing else that would be noteworthy enough to talk about. ----------- I returned back to my fifth year at the academy. And I was certainly approaching that date of graduation that I looked forward to. Technically, I could graduate earlier if I wanted, since I already had three Master-level spells under my belt (and one would already be enough), but I figured it would just be a waste. Father had paid good money for me to enroll in this place after all. And besides, I still wanted to be by Alincia¡¯s side. The girl could still use me as a friend and I certainly enjoyed her company. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Though if after Hugo¡¯s tenth birthday, he begged me to just start adventuring with him, I might just consider it. Like I had said before in the start of this monologue, Alincia learned her first Master-level spell at this year, though at the end of it. According to her, her big sister also learned her first Master-level spell at that point, which made her grin ear to ear. She was clearly happy that she could follow on her sister¡¯s footsteps. There was one big and notable thing that occured in this year, and that was the invitation of the parents of the fifth year students to come in and talk to the teachers at the academy. Officially, it was done to ask how they would like their children¡¯s future career prospects be, as for our last year, the lessons would be completely focused to really be about said career, depending on the student¡¯s aspiration. There were many career options available to a mage. Ignoring the obvious thing of becoming an adventurer, which the academy didn¡¯t even count as a career option since to them, there was no stability nor prestige on it, you could become the Magocracy¡¯s mage soldiers, or, if you were more skilled, you could become the Council¡¯s elite guards. There was also an option to become a Council member¡¯s personal guard, if there was an opening. As for non combat roles, you could become a construction mage who used Earth magic to build houses and other structures. Or as a fisherman mage who used Water magic to catch fishes. Mind you, not everything was done through magic in this country, since even though it¡¯s called the Magocracy, there were still many of its citizens who couldn¡¯t use magic in the slightest. Naturally, my parents were also called in as well, so I wrote them a letter, telling them to come and visit. And two weeks later, they indeed did. But not just Father and Mother, but also Hugo and even Erika, who they believed to be sufficiently old enough to weather a long two-week journey on a carriage like that. Unfortunately, the academy didn¡¯t really have any extra rooms that the parents could use to sleep in, so they had to rent an inn outside of academy grounds. Still, I was delighted that they were coming, especially since the exception of Father, this was their very first visit here. Unlike some other kids who were easily homesick, I was fine just visiting them once per year at the holidays. Little did I know that it wouldn¡¯t be just the teachers that they would be meeting. -------------- Hugo When I first read Marina¡¯s letter saying how Father and Mother were invited to come to the Academy, I was ecstatic. After all, it could only mean one thing. Another family trip! But this time, we¡¯re not going to the mountains, but to Marina¡¯s school instead! The capital of the Magocracy, Mira! A place like that should be filled with all sorts of magical stuff, right? I can¡¯t wait! Although, when I asked Marina about it, she told me that the city wasn¡¯t really that different from Aarom, only that it was larger and it had a great pitch black wall surrounding it made out of magical obsidian. And some minor magical things in the academy grounds. It¡¯s nothing spectacular like in the magic cities in those fictions we liked to read. It¡¯s not a city in the sky, nor does it have an army of golems patrolling around in the streets. Even so, my excitement still remained. I felt that she was just being her usual characteristic self that rarely got excited over anything. And it¡¯s the perfect birthday present too¡­ if the date we were told to come was two months later, that is. Not that this world had that kind of tradition. Or at least, not in this part of the world. Argh, what rotten luck! Just two more months until I could register as an adventurer! If I was already ten, we could have our first quest together there! ...Then again, I had promised Sherry to wait for her before we go on any quests. Just one more year until Marina graduates and she returns. And I certainly don¡¯t intend to break that promise. ¡°Mother, I can come too, right?¡± I asked after I showed her the letter, giving her the best hopeful smile that I could muster. ¡°Hehe, of course you can!¡± She giggled. She clearly was happy by the news. ¡°In fact, I think our whole family can come together! Even little Erika! I believe she¡¯s old enough for such a trip. Though knowing her, she¡¯ll probably cry and scream a lot during it¡­¡± She let out a sigh. Ah, right. That girl gets easily bored after all. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother! I¡¯ll be there to calm her down!¡± I patted my chest, switching to a confident smile. I sure hope I can. Or else this fun trip would be hell instead. Urgh, she can get really loud if she doesn¡¯t get what she wants¡­ Vol 1 Chapter 36: An Unexpected Encounter Our trip to the Academy was done using, what else, a carriage, although this time around we rented the entire thing, unlike Marina who had to share it with strangers. That made it quite a lot more expensive than the usual cost, but it was totally worth it. It wasn¡¯t like we were wasting our money and time going back and forth from our home to Mira willy-nilly after all. This was our very first trip as a family to the Magocracy capital. Urgh¡­ It''s only been three hours since we boarded, and I was already bored out of my mind. There wasn''t anything unique on the road, only green plains to the left and right of us as well as some mountains far away. "Big bro, is Mira still far away?" Erika, who was sitting on my lap, looked upwards and back towards me. "It still is, Erika." I answered with a forced smile, patting her smooth blonde hair. "Two weeks trip, remember?" "I''m bored." "I know. I''m bored as well." Silence then fell between us, before she suddenly decided to turn around and hug me, burying her face on my chest. "Be my pillow." I sighed with a smile, placing my hands around her little body as gently as I could. "Oh dear, if you want a pillow to sleep on, then Mother would make a much better one, you know." I looked forward and saw Mother giggling at the scene. Father, on the other hand, was asleep, with his head outside the window. I couldn''t help but think how dangerous that was. "Because of your breasts, Mother?" "Ah. So Hugo is already old enough to know about such things." She giggled again. I intended to embarrass her a little but she clearly knew very well just how attractive her two jumbo-sized funbags were. Even now, they seductively jiggled every time the carriage hit a bump, threatening to burst out of the white button-up shirt she was wearing. "Maybe you can ask for your own pillow once Sherry returns." She smiled mischievously. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to that,¡± I answered with a dry smile. To be honest, I cannot imagine Sherry having huge breasts like Mother¡¯s. She seems to be the type of girl that will have small ones instead. She doesn¡¯t have to worry though! Unlike Father, I don¡¯t discriminate between large and small. They all have their own charms after all. In fact, I¡¯ll massage them for you every night, if you want them to be bigger! ¡°... Your grin is creepy, Big Bro.¡± W-what? I looked down and saw Erika frowning at me. "Hehe, he''s thinking about her for sure," Mother commented with her own grin. "Really, you are such your father''s son. Same fondness of girls, and same desire for adventures as well. You know, I originally wanted to send you to the Academy as well once you''re old enough, but if you want to go being an adventurer right away, then I won''t stop you. Wouldn''t want you to end up running away like your father did after all." My ears perked up. Running away? I knew that he left home to become an adventurer early in his life, but this running away part was certainly news to me. ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t told you this yet, have we? Only Marina. Well, I suppose we can spend our time in this stuffy carriage talking about it." With a nostalgic smile, she began her story. "Do you know about the Ferus Kingdom, Hugo?" "Ferus? If I remember correctly, that''s the kingdom on the far northwest of this continent, right?" "That''s the one, yes. And it''s your father''s homeland. He might not look like it, but he''s the son of one of the nobles there." My jaw dropped. "F-Father¡­ is a noble?" "Not quite. He''s been disowned, you see. So he''s just a common man these days." She paused and took a deep sigh. "It all started with an argument between him and his father. He wouldn''t tell me what it was, saying that, ''It''s just some stupid thing.'' He was a hothead when he was young, so he did the most outrageous thing possible and bolted out of his home to become an adventurer. He never returned or sent any letters since that day." "...Wow, Father did all that?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if I should be impressed or be stupified by his rash decision. ¡°Yes, he did. You see, unlike the usual noble kids, he had always been too rough and adventurous for his own good. He always said that it was his destiny to become an adventurer, and not to become a good, noble gentleman like his father wanted him to be.¡± ¡°...Yeah, I can definitely agree with that.¡± I said, nodding my head. Mother simply giggled lightly in return. ¡°And that¡¯s why we don¡¯t want to push you to do anything that you don¡¯t want to do, Hugo. And besides, you¡¯re already much stronger than Father was back when he started his adventures, so we feel safe enough to let you and Marina go on your own adventures once she finishes her school.¡± "I see¡­ So that''s how it is¡­ " I looked up straight at Mother''s eyes. "Don''t worry, Mother! I would never leave you or Father like that!" I gave my brightest smile. "You two have been really good to me after all!" "Aaw, you''re making your mother blush, Hugo." She giggled again, covering her mouth in the process. "I''m glad you feel that way. I try my best every day to be the best mother that I could, you know!" She reached forward and ruffled my hair. "How about you, Mom? Where did you come from?" Suddenly, her smile disappeared. "I¡­ would rather not talk about that, if you don''t mind." Seeing her reaction, I immediately decided to halt my curiosity. "... That''s alright, Mom." I put my hand on hers, rubbing it gently with an understanding smile. "If you don''t want to, then I won''t force you." "Oh Hugo¡­" Her smile returned. "No doubt Sherry is going to be one happy wife in the future. Make lots of children with her, alright? I want lots of cute grandkids to play with," she said with a little smirk. Hey, hey, did you just tell your nine-year old son to have sex? And lots of it? Not that I mind though. When I imagine Sherry''s adult self, who certainly will be much cuter, more beautiful, and with a dash of that adult sexiness in bed with me on top of her, what kind of sane male wouldn''t want to ravage her every night? ¡°...Hugo, you¡¯re fantasizing again, aren¡¯t you?¡± She huffed. ¡°Really, you haven¡¯t even hit puberty yet but you¡¯re already like this. Now I can¡¯t help but be worried.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I was only fantasizing about her after all,¡± I replied back. Normally, I would be flustered but I had gotten used to her teasing over the years. ¡°Oh, poor Sherry¡­ ¡° She shook her head. ¡°I hope you wouldn¡¯t be too harsh on her in bed, Hugo.¡± Somehow, I felt that it would be the opposite instead. ¡°Oh look, little Erika¡¯s sleeping. Hehe, good. She¡¯s still too young to be hearing about that kind of stuff yet.¡± Indeed she was. I didn¡¯t notice when, but she had drifted off as we were having our conversation. She was now snoring lightly, drooling a little bit onto my shirt. ¡°Here. Let me take her instead. You must be tired, having her on your lap all these hours.¡± I did as she told, gently handing over my currently sleeping little sister to her. Damn, she¡¯s in her most adorable state when she¡¯s sleeping like this. ¡°You take a nap as well, Hugo.¡± She then told me. ¡°I¡¯ll wake you up once we arrive at our stop.¡± Naturally, the carriage wouldn¡¯t go all the way to Mira without stops¡ªeither on the small villages they would find on the road or on little coachhouses built simply so that the horse and the travelling guests could rest. ---------- On the fourth day, we arrived at the border town Paigtef. Just like back on Earth, travelers would need to get checked first by the border guards before they were allowed to pass through. We, of course, passed the check with no problem. In this world, passports or visas weren¡¯t really a thing yet, it seemed. The check itself was pretty lax, though I noticed one of the guards give a perverted leer at Mother¡¯s chest, until Father¡¯s glare scared him off. I imagined these guards would ask for higher tolls if we were a merchant carrying our goods across. For the rest of the ten days, we traveled between the two mountain ranges to our north and south. And then, after some more villages and stops, we finally arrived at our destination, Mira. "Uwaaaaaahh! Look, big bro! It''s so huge!" The moment the driver announced that the capital city was right ahead, Erika bravely popped her head out the window to look at it. I immediately held her body, just so she wouldn''t end up falling to the outside. "You know, I can''t look at it when I''m right here." "Those walls! They''re all black and shiny!" I sighed. We remained in this position for a good while before she got bored and told me to pull her back in. Mira, the City of Magic, as they called it. It''s located on the plains right after the two mountain ranges ended, and it was practically a crossroad to the rest of the country. When it was my turn to see it, I couldn''t help but be awed as well. Naturally, Marina had already told me about how huge it was and how it had a tall obsidian wall surrounding it, but seeing it in person was a completely different experience entirely. Once we were inside, as Marina instructed, we were told to go find an inn, preferably one that''s near the academy. The place was full of people, as you would expect from the capital of a country. And not just humans, as I immediately took notice of elves, hobbits, and even a girl who had sheep-like characteristics on her¡ªa sheep beastkin, if I had to guess. "Enjoying the view, Hugo?" Father asked with a grin. "It''s fun traveling around to new places, isn''t it?" He patted my back. Just like Marina said however, there was nothing particularly "magicky" about the city. No flying carpets, no cute witches flying around with their brooms (allowing me to peek at their panties from underneath), and no magic automatons or golems. It looked relatively mundane inside. The only special thing that I noticed was the tall tower in the middle of the town. Oh, that''s right. That''s the Council Tower, isn''t it? Marina told me about it once. It''s the place where the top tier mages running the country would meet up for their meetings. I imagine a place like that would be heavily guarded by all sorts of magic. Though from here, it just looks like a normal tower. Tch, how boring. I expect floating crystals at the sides or something. We settled on an inn just outside the academy complex. Reflecting how prestigious it was, it was separate from the hustle and bustle of the city, even though technically it was still inside. You would need to take a road through a tiny forest to get to the academy proper. Like how we slept for the past two weeks, Father and Mother shared a room while Erika and I shared another. And yes, Erika hugged me every single night as I slept. I would perfectly be happy for it, if not for the fact that she still had bedwetting issues. Twice in those two weeks that I woke up soaked just like our sheets. Of course, she immediately cried when she realized what she did, apologizing for what she did to me at the same time. And, like a good and understanding big brother, I told her that it was all right. Kids normally only stopped wetting their beds entirely around six or seven after all, if I remembered my little sister from my previous life. Still, it led to Mother forcing her to wear diapers every single night since then, as she didn''t want to inconvenience the innkeepers. And boy, she wasn''t happy for that. Since we arrived a day earlier than the date Marina told in the letter, I now had a choice. Should I go visit Marina or explore the city first? It didn¡¯t take me long to decide. It¡¯s still noon so Marina should still be busy with her classes. So the city it is. Thankfully, Erika immediately fell asleep in our room once we arrived at the inn, so I wouldn¡¯t have to bring her along. Since I definitely knew that she would demand to go with me. ¡°Father, Mother, I¡¯m going to the city. Erika¡¯s sleeping in our room.¡± I told them. ¡°Be careful, alright?¡± Mother said with a smile, looking at me as she paused unpacking our luggage. ¡°Do you need me to go with you, Hugo?¡± Father then offered. ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m fine on my own.¡± ¡°Try not to get arrested like your sister!¡± He shouted as I left. Oh Father, always with his sense of humor. ---------- My first destination was the Council Tower, or, as the locals called it, The Tower of the Sages, as a form of respect to their wise ruling overlords who had their seat of government there. Hah, now that sounds like a proper fantasy tower! I wasn¡¯t planning on trespassing or anything, of course. Like Father said, I wasn¡¯t going to get myself arrested. I¡¯d be screwed if I did. This wasn¡¯t Aarom where Father had a pull with the local lord. As I arrived, I realized just how massive the whole place really was. First of all, just like the Academy, it was surrounded by greenery for a good amount, and you had to go through it first before you could get to the tower proper. And by a good amount, I meant there must be at least one kilometer squares of it, all protected from outsiders by tall steel fences¡ªa fact that I found out by actually circling around it, like someone with nothing better to do with his time. And judging from what I could see from the outside, it¡¯s a complete jungle in there. I could barely see anything inside through the thick trees. This is magic, right? There¡¯s no way a jungle like that could grow naturally in the middle of a city like this. Not to mention that there are only plains outside for miles. ...Wait, hold on, we do have something like this back home! City parks! Like the Central Park in New York! So it might not be magic after all? Doubt it. This is the land of the mages after all. They would be dumb not to abuse the hell out of their magic every chance they could. I noticed something peculiar about it though. Mainly, how light the security was. I could only see two mage guards standing half-asleep in front of the closed main gate, relying on their staves to nod off while standing (which was quite the impressive skill by the way, at least to me). No other guards walking on the sides of the complex. This immediately made me infer that the steel fences must be enchanted with magic in some way as well. Maybe an alarm that triggered when a person touched it. Or even a thunder enchantment, making them essentially amount to electric fences. Whew, now I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t get close to them. Though that only makes the jungle even more suspicious. It must be another layer of protection after the fences. Dammit, now I¡¯m even more curious about what could be hiding inside. And then, suddenly, the gate flung open. Out walked a figure that I didn¡¯t expect in the slightest. It was a maid¡ªa teal haired one, the same color as her dress. She also wore a white apron over it. The most peculiar thing about her however was the pair of objects attached to the sides of her head. That¡¯s¡­ those are finns, are they not? That makes her a sea-folk then? As the name suggested, the sea-folk was what us land-dwellers call those who lived on the sea. Yep, mermaids are real in this world, along with other mythological sea creatures as well. Unfortunately however, they were quite hostile, or, at the very least, isolationist and highly protective of their borders. The majority of the oceans in this world was off-limits for any ships to travel, as the sea-folk would attack and sink it on sight. Only specified routes to cross continents were allowed by them, which made travel a lot more difficult than how it could be. Behind her was another peculiar figure. This time, it was an adult woman, perhaps around Mother¡¯s age, or a little bit older. She was dark blue from top to bottom, from her long hair to her long dress, and that staff of hers she carried with her. Only her light skin was not blue. The two guards were immediately jolted awake by their presence. Naturally, they scrambled to fix their stance, bowing as deeply as they could to the woman. ¡°M-Madame Brine! T-this is really unusual! Y-you don¡¯t usually take this route!¡± One of them spoke. ¡°Oh, I simply wanted a change of pace, that¡¯s all,¡± the woman replied with a tiny, barely unnoticeable smile. Madame Brine? That means she¡¯s¡ª ¡°Boy! What are you doing there? Move out of the way!¡± Ah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m standing right in the middle of the road. And I must be staring at them like a deer in the headlights. I quickly did as I was told. The woman then resumed her walk with who I assumed to be her maid leading the charge. As she went past me however, she gave me a glance, before smiling. And it was a beautiful smile¡­ if not for the fact that said smile didn¡¯t reach her cold eyes. This feeling¡­ it¡¯s fear, isn¡¯t it? I would have gone for my wand, but I stopped myself. She or her maid would end me immediately if I drew it in front of them. ¡°Master, are we going to take a walk through the city as well?¡± ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be necessary. We shall go home right away.¡± The maid¡¯s question broke her gaze at me. And then, before I could do anything, something unbelievable happened right in front of her eyes. It was a giant jellyfish, appearing right above the two of them out from thin air. It then carried them to the inside of its transparent, watery body with two of its many tentacles. And then, the giant jellyfish fired off a jet of water from its bottom, sending it flying to the skies. I immediately covered myself with my hands, expecting the water to splash onto me, only to find that it never came. The water¡­ had just dissipated into thin air¡ªthe same way the jellyfish had appeared. T-that was¡­ that was a summon, wasn¡¯t it? T-to think there could be a summon like that¡­ Selendia Brine¡­ one of the members of the Council¡­ just being in her presence makes me feel like this¡­ Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I quickly went back to the inn afterwards, wanting to tell Father and Mother on what just happened. And I¡¯ll tell Marina too, of course! She¡¯ll be excited to hear that I¡¯ve met one of them for sure! It¡¯s like having a face-to-face meeting with the Prime Minister! ---------- Finally, our first Council member¡¯s appearance on screen! How Selendia looks: Her maid (AI generated): Vol 1 Chapter 37: Vera Marjoram When I returned, Father and Mother were thankfully still inside their room. Judging by the rush inside when I knocked, they probably just had sex and were still cuddling on their bed naked. Haah, can''t leave this two alone on their own at all. Once Father opened the door, all dressed up of course, I immediately told them of my encounter. As expected, they immediately turned pale with the news. "Y-you didn''t¡ª" Mother grabbed me on the shoulders. "I didn''t do anything, Mother, don''t worry. I just blocked their path, that''s all. And I quickly moved to the side when the maid told me to." "Ah, that''s good to know..." Father let out a relieved sight. "Really, what were you doing there?! And so close to the entrance too?!" Mother asked, shouting, shaking my body lightly as well. "You don''t just walk to the front gates of a lord''s castle just to sightsee! They might think of you as a spy or something!" "Sorry¡­" I apologized. Now that I thought about it, there really was no one else there other than me. It seemed the locals were wise enough to respect their rulers and stay away from their domain. ¡°To think that you end up meeting one of the Council like that¡­ I don¡¯t know whether to call you a lucky boy or an unlucky one, Hugo,¡± Father said with a sigh, putting his hand on my shoulder. ¡°They could kill you on the spot if you displease them, and there would be nothing that we can do against it, even if I were a Marchen Duke. The Magocracy is the dominant power in this southern region of the continent after all, and our kingdom is no match against its mages." "Yeah¡­" I smiled dryly, looking down to my knees. "That lady¡­ she''s scary¡­" "Good! That means you can tell a strong opponent from a weak one." Father patted with a grin. "You need that to be a good adventurer." "Well, I''m just glad you''re alright, Hugo." Mother smiled, before wrapping her arms around me from behind. We were sitting on the bed, with me in the middle. Munyuu~? Aahh, I can feel it¡ªher soft breasts pressing into my head! ? We had our dinner at the inn. It was a decent enough food, but certainly couldn''t compare to the stuff Mother made every day back at home. And no, it''s just my bias as her son. Mother truly was a great cook. The next morning, we dressed up in our semi-formal outfits before heading to the Academy. Marina said that technically there wasn''t a dress code mentioned but we certainly couldn''t just appear looking like country bumpkins. We would embarrass Marina then! Especially since most of the other parents there would be from well-off, rich families. I wore a white shirt under a black jacket, and since I was still a young boy, I could get away with wearing my usual white shorts. Mother wore a long-sleeved button-up ruffle blouse with a long dark blue skirt. She had her blonde hair primly tied in a bun, and she even used lipstick to redden her lips, something she never ever did. And as usual, like with her other clothes, there was no hiding her assets. Damn, those poor buttons¡­ Father on the other hand wore a similar pair of white shirt and black jacket like mine, only that he wore a pair of long black dress pants down below. It was all too obvious that he was uncomfortable in them, knowing how he usually only wore sleeveless shirts, exposing his amazing biceps to the world. Mother looks nice, but Father¡­ he just looks awkward, unfortunately. Erika, on the other hand, looked absolutely perfect. She wore this bright white frilly dress that must have multiplied her cuteness by tenfold. Not to mention the flower headband she had on. Mother really went all out on her. We departed early in the morning after breakfast, as the parents would be gathered in the academy¡¯s hall first for a speech from the headmaster. As we walked there, we found out that we probably should¡¯ve taken a carriage to the school, as numerous other carriages all went past us, no doubt carrying the other parents. Private carriages, I bet. We don¡¯t have such a thing, unfortunately. Once we reached the open gates, a guard immediately came to us and offered to take us to the hall. We, of course, accepted. We walked through the academy grounds, seeing all sorts of people disembarking from their carriages. Some were old, some were young, and some were even just little boys and girls like me and Erika. Hmm? I felt Erika''s grip on my hand tightening. I looked down and noticed how she was biting her lip with a frown on her face, with her eyes darting back and forth. Ah, she must be nervous. This was the first time she was near this many people after all. I was about to lift her up and calm her down, before I realized that this was a prime opportunity for her to be more used to strangers. Back at home, she would always hide behind me if we met someone. Sorry Erika, but I would have to stop spoiling you sooner or later. It''s for your own good. I looked around as well, just to see how we compared to the others. Hmm, most of them either wear mage outfits or super formal outfits like suits and the like. I don''t think we look that out of place though. And I can certainly say that Mother may be the most beautiful parent there¡ªan opinion that quite a number of husbands shared as they stole glances to her, and her impressive chest. We didn''t meet with Marina right away, as she was still in her morning class. We took our seats at the back of the room in the hall, with Erika having her own chair beside me. Thankfully, it didn''t take long until the speech started, with the vice headmaster opening the event before announcing the headmaster''s appearance at the podium. Is that how they introduce people here? The vice headmaster had opened his welcoming statement by stating his name and his magic level, before introducing the headmaster with the same format. Now I know that the vice-headmaster was a Master in Fire while the headmaster was a Master in Wind. It''s hilarious to imagine that Marina had already surpassed these two old coots. Haah¡­ It didn''t take long for me to start sighing, as the headmaster was droning on and on with his speech. The only thing that was entertaining about him was his perfectly smooth bald head. Seriously, I think I can see light reflecting off it. I noticed Erika getting uneasy as well. She''s still far too young for this kind of stuff. I doubt she can understand any of baldie¡¯s words to be honest. Suddenly, a man on the front row stood up and whispered something to him. ¡°A-ah, right, the time¡­¡± Oh thank God¡­ And thus, we were saved from what could probably be another hour of speech that would no doubt make Erika cry and me sleep out of boredom. Afterwards, the faculty told the parents to move to the cafeteria, where a buffet brunch would be provided, as one by one they would be summoned to the meeting office where they would have a nice chat with the teachers about their children¡¯s future. However, before we could even get started moving there, one of the teachers came over to us, stopping us on our tracks. It was a chubby middle-aged woman, wearing a black robe and a black witch hat. ¡°E-excuse me. You four are from the Greenwood family, correct?¡± she asked, a clear sign of nervousness displayed on her face. ¡°Yes, we are,¡± Father answered, his eyebrows raised. ¡°I-it¡¯s your turn for the consultation. F-follow me.¡± Father exchanged looks with Mother. Something was up. I could feel it. We then followed her as she requested. I wonder what makes her this nervous. Maybe she¡¯s just a naturally nervous person? That won¡¯t be good if she¡¯s a teacher. When we entered the room, Marina was already there, sitting on the couch with her back turned to us. And in front of her was¡­ wait, that couldn¡¯t be her teacher, could it? It was a girl¡ªa young girl to be exact. She looked as if she was around ten using my estimate. She was dressed in quite the flashy way, with a pure white luxurious-looking fur shawl wrapping around her little arms and back. She was sitting slouched on the opposing couch, casually putting her white stocking-covered legs on it. She had really long blue hair, tied on the side with a hair ornament mimicking an ice crystal. Wait, those long, narrow ears¡­ she''s not human. Let''s see, if I remembered correctly, that kind of long, pointed ears that go flat to the side instead of upwards mean she''s either a gnome or a high elf. ...Well, that changes everything! If she''s a teacher, then she must be a gnome! They''re similar to the hobbits that they are small and look like children for a lot of their lives. Only that they have a much higher lifespan than them. She was also holding a staff in her left hand, which she casually slung over the couch. "Finally! Took you long enough!" Noticing our entrance, she immediately sat up and gave a haughty grin towards us. "H-here they are, Ma''am." The plump teacher''s voice was positively shaking. "A-anything else I could¡ª" "No. You may leave us." Without even looking at us, she immediately bolted out of the room. "So¡­" Her gaze was now planted towards all four of us. "This is the Greenwood Family. The caretakers of one Marina Greenwood, the girl that my dear grandson Thomas is smitten with." Thomas? That''s the name of¡ª My eyes widened. I connected the dots. She¡ªshe''s the grandmother of that hobbit Marina talked about! Vera Marjoram! One of the Council mages! W-why is she¡ª "Don''t just stand there! Sit! Still a lot of space on your daughter''s couch," her haughty grin turned into a smile. I glanced at Marina and noticed how tense-looking she was. She too must have known who this gnome woman really is. We did as she told, taking our spaces on Marina''s sofa. "I suppose I should start with the introduction. The name''s Vera Marjoram. I assume you have heard of me?¡± ¡°The Ice Snake Witch,¡± Mother replied, her expression unflinching, though I could see sweat crawling down her forehead. ¡°One of the Magocracy¡¯s top mages.¡± ¡°Good. I hate having to tell people who I am.¡± Her smug grin had returned. ¡°And now, we can get straight to the point. Thomas, you can come out now.¡± From the back of the room a boy walked forward to us. Her presence was so overwhelming that I didn¡¯t notice that he too was in the room with her and Marina. So this is the little scamp that wants to marry my big sister¡­ My first impression of him? Not good. He screamed timid from top to bottom, and his girlish face did not help matters either. This is the guy that wants to marry Marina? As if I would ever entrust her to an unreliable-looking guy like him! Look at that! Look at how he periodically glances to his grandmother, seeking her approval! He¡¯s totally under her thumb, just like Marina predicted! I gave him a glare, playing the disapproving little brother role. Honestly, if I thought about it, I didn¡¯t care at all when my little sister in my previous life brought home a boyfriend with her¡­ No, that¡¯s not quite right. I did care, but only to heighten my sense of self-pity, knowing that my little sister had successfully entered a relationship while I, her older brother, still couldn¡¯t. Not to mention the jealousy of her being a ¡°riajuu¡±. I even started to think of her as a promiscuous 3DPD girl that I would never touch with a ten feet pole, as I heard them having sex on her room beside mine. If only I realized how childish and petty I was being then. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But now, it was different. I truly cared for Marina like a little brother should. And I would certainly guard her from anyone not worthy of her hand. Like this hobbit guy. And then, all of a sudden, our eyes met. To my genuine surprise, his timid, fearful eyes immediately transformed into a fierce one. He returned my glare without any fear whatsoever. What in the¡ª this little brat! ¡­ That¡¯s it, huh? You must have known about me, Marina¡¯s dear little brother. And you think that I¡¯m one of the reasons why you haven¡¯t conquered her yet. And now you want to declare war over her, is it? You got guts, kid. You got guts. But Marina¡¯s adoration belongs to me and me alone. And I¡¯m not sharing it with you. If you think you can replace me as her No.1 little brother, think again! ¡°So, Thomas here wants your daughter¡¯s hand in marriage. And I ask you two, as her parents, to give your blessings to their union. And, before you ask, you don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯ll get your family a mansion, right in my territory. I can even make it so it¡¯s built just beside mine, if you want to see your daughter every day. Of course, I would also grant you a generous amount of salary every month, as my guards. You two used to be adventurers, no? I certainly could use some more strong people under my house. We¡¯ve been quite understaffed lately, you see.¡± She gave a light chuckle before continuing. ¡°I assure you, it would far outclass whatever knight salary you¡¯re currently living from.¡± She smiled towards Father. ¡°...You¡¯ve been spying on us, haven¡¯t you?¡± Father returned with a stern look. ¡°Of course! I need to know the kind of family my grandson¡¯s love belongs to after all! And unlike those other stuffy Council members, I don¡¯t mind at all having my grandson marry a foreigner. I¡¯ve read the reports. Your daughter is practically the perfect model student! I¡¯m so happy that my little Thomas decides on such a girl to be his life partner!¡± She patted him on the head, making him flinch. ¡°So, how about it? It¡¯s a deal then?¡± She grinned, placing her free hand on the table as she leaned forward to support her chin. ¡°I won¡¯t. Like I had said before, I have no interest in your grandson whatsoever.¡± Marina, who had kept her silence all this time, suddenly spoke out. There was no hint of fear or hesitation in her voice, and she was looking straight at the ice witch¡¯s eyes, unblinking. Once again, I had to applaud my big sister¡¯s mental strength. No wonder she could go through all that bullying when Merinda was still around just fine. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you, my dear Marina. I¡¯m asking your father and mother.¡± She replied sweetly, though it was obvious that Marina had offended her quite severely by saying that. ¡°If Marina doesn¡¯t want it, then I won¡¯t want it for her either,¡± Mother replied, now coldly glaring at the witch. ¡°I apologize, Lady Marjoram, but I would have to refuse your offer.¡± ¡°Same with me,¡± Father joined in, folding her arms and sending his own glare towards her. ¡°We¡¯re getting by just fine with my knight salary. We don¡¯t need your help.¡± The witch fell silent for a moment, her smile disappearing for a little bit. But then, it quickly returned as she retorted with, ¡°Very well! So Thomas would just have to win her over, right? Then there¡¯s no problem! We still have a lot of time before their graduation after all! I¡¯ll teach him all about wooing girls and make him win your daughter¡¯s heart! I¡¯m sure he can do it! Your daughter likes cute younger boys, right? So my Thomas is perfect for her! Especially since he would stay looking that way for a long time!¡± ¡°However, just in case, if you still don¡¯t want to marry him even after you graduate, would you be willing to be my personal guard? I¡¯ll pay you handsomely, you know! I¡¯ll even give you your own land if you want!¡± ¡°...No. I would have to refuse that too. I¡¯m planning to become an adventurer once I graduate,¡± Marina answered, plain and frank, still not breaking her eye contact. ¡°Oh? An adventurer? How peculiar. You know they don¡¯t pay adventurers that much money, even for the S-rank ones.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need a lot of money.¡± ¡°You sure? Your wand certainly is an expensive one. You can¡¯t pay for it on your or your father¡¯s money, can you?¡± She grinned. This bitch! She¡¯s the one who gave her that! ¡°...Here. You can have it if you want it back.¡± Without any hesitation, Marina threw the wand on the table. That glint in her eyes¡­ ooh, if she isn¡¯t angry before, then she certainly is now! A snort escaped the witch¡¯s mouth. ¡°It¡¯s yours. You deserve it for being such a good student after all. I don¡¯t need it back.¡± She pushed it back to her side of the table. She then paused again, before letting out a long sigh that sounded just a little too exaggerated to be real. ¡°Alright then. Fine. You know, the other students would kill for a job offer I just gave you. Especially those less wealthy similar to you. But, if you rather become an overglorified mercenary, then it¡¯s your future, not mine.¡± She stood up. ¡°Come, Thomas, we¡¯re done here.¡± Without a word, the hobbit followed her to the exit. He gave another glance towards me and then towards Marina, before following his grandmother like a little puppy. We all took a relieved sigh once they left. Except for Erika, who just didn¡¯t seem to understand what was going on. ¡°...I don¡¯t like her. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to stand it, to have her as a relative,¡± Mother spoke first. "Did you see how she looked at us? Such arrogance!" ¡°And that hobbit kid, that boy¡¯s too timid for my taste. Push to shove, he would prioritize his grandmother over Marina for sure. And I won¡¯t have a person like that as my daughter¡¯s husband.¡± Father spoke next. "Especially since he''s immature enough to involve her grandma in his love escapades. Who does that? You''re not a man if you do that!" Hearing them, Marina started to giggle. Ah, there it is! The usual smile she always shows around us! "Well, since I now have the rest of the day free, why don''t I take you all for a tour around the city?" She stood up and clapped her hands. I noticed her pocketing her wand back to her coat. Guess even after being insulted like that, she still wanted to keep it. Vera Marjoram¡­ another top ranked mage of the Magocracy. Her atmosphere is completely different though. She might be dripping in arrogance, but she''s still less threatening than the one I met yesterday. Maybe she''s weaker than her? Or maybe it''s just her childlike looks. Urgh, this means Marina would have to fend off even more advances from that brat. You know, maybe I should have a little "chat" with him. But not when her grandma is around, of course. I started to smirk, imagining what I would do to him. "Big Bro, your smile is scary¡­" ------- A/N: Here¡¯s how Vera looks. Just with a pair of long, elvish ears. Vol 1 Chapter 38: A Date With Big Sister We spent the rest of the day sightseeing around the city. Apparently, that was it. That was the supposed meeting between us and the teachers. Marina told us that Vera had essentially ¡°hijacked¡± it, telling the professors that Marina ¡°belonged to her¡± and that no one else should give her future job offers than her. Naturally, they could only obey her command. Marina knew all of that only thanks to her pushing it out of one of said teachers by the way. A good proof that the ice snake was indeed that¡ªa snake. ¡°This is just formality anyways. The Academy doesn¡¯t really have authority on telling their students where they would go after they graduate. Well, except when you¡¯re one of those handful students who got the scholarship,¡± she explained as we walked to the gates. "So she wouldn''t be able to deny my graduation when that happens." "Are you sure about that, Sis?" I asked. "I mean, even if she can''t do it officially, she can, I dunno, pull strings to make the teachers intentionally fail you in your exams." "Silly Hugo." She smiled, rubbing my head. "The final graduation exam would be a magic duel with one of the teachers. And, forgive me if this sounds arrogant, I believe at my current level, I can already take one teacher just fine, even if they go all out, even though they''re not supposed to." I smiled. "I don''t think you''re being arrogant, Sis. It''s the truth after all." "Oh, stop flattering your sister like that. You''re making me blush." She giggled, rubbing my head even harder. ------- First, Marina took us to her favorite cafe that she often visited with Alincia. She had quite the large serving of tiramisu there by the way, something that I certainly didn¡¯t expect from her. She had always been a light eater. Maybe just for desserts like that? Afterwards, we went to the city¡¯s museum¡ªbasically a place where you could learn about the Magocracy¡¯s history. There, we got just in time for the scheduled show, where this pretty lady in her twenties used her Earth magic to construct miniature structures and even mud dolls to be used in her play. I¡¯m glad that she seemed to be truly enjoying her job, judging by the radiant smile she always had on her face throughout the entire thing. I could tell that it wasn¡¯t a fake one. For me though, I couldn¡¯t imagine being a magician just to take a job like this. Where¡¯s the adventure? This is a fantasy world yet you¡¯re spending your life being a museum employer, playing puppets to entertain kids? Though I suppose from their perspective, this is their real life. Hell, my old world would be their fantasy world, with how many technologies we have that would no doubt blow their brains out. And if you¡¯re not suited to be out there fighting monsters, then a job like this isn¡¯t too bad. At least you¡¯ll get the smiles of the patrons as your reward, and that is a lot better than being stuck facing a monitor all day like I did. Still, I had to criticize the contents of the museum itself. It¡¯s so obviously a propaganda in many parts that it hurts to see and read. It extolls the role of Mira so much to the point of near worship, while downplaying the achievements of Arthur and Milicis, her other two companions. In fact, Milicis got the worst of it, as she¡¯s portrayed as an incompetent cleric that Arthur only took in as his companion out of pity. It really reminded me of that old picture book Marina gave me. Other than that though, the museum was pretty interesting overall. We got to see a bunch of replicas of the staff Mira used, since there wasn''t really a consensus on how it really looked¡ªthe staff itself had been lost to the ages. And it''s apparently the most powerful staff that had ever existed, and she made it herself. Too bad the components and the method she used was, once again, lost to the ages. And just like her staff, her image too was unclear. We got to see many paintings and statues depicting her, but none they could really call her canonical looks to be sure. Some had her wear glasses to enhance her intellectual look, while others disagreed, saying that she would have discovered a spell to cure nearsightedness (which we still don''t have). Some portrayed her as a cool, expressionless lady, while others gave her large boobs and thick hips with skin-exposing robes. Then we moved on to the tale of the Founding, where after defeating the Demon God, in her wisdom, Mira decided to build a nation devoted in the growth and development of magic, free from the greed and filthy ambition of the non mages. It wouldn''t be ruled by nobles, but by wise magicians instead. It would be an enlightened society¡ªa Utopia of the magic arts. Many mages of that era flocked to her to become her disciple, and thus, the Magocracy was born. And then, the history from there to now. Lots of wars, as expected, many of which were against the Holy Empire in some way of form. The last one was around a hundred years ago or so, and now, they were currently in a peace agreement. They didn''t display the details of the agreement though. After the museum, we then went to the city''s market district. As you would expect, it was a busy place, filled with all sorts of people with all sorts of goods from across the country, and even abroad. We walked as a group, with me and Marina on the front and Father, Mother, and Erika on the back. Erika had fallen asleep at the museum, and now Mother was carrying her over her shoulder. ¡°Judging by that excited smile, you probably want to go see the magical item shops right away, don¡¯t you, Hugo?¡± Marina asked with an easygoing smirk. ¡°Of course, Sis! I mean, if you go to a magic city, why wouldn¡¯t you want to check out the magic shops inside it?¡± I replied with my own easygoing grin. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll show you a good place then!¡± With a confident gait, she led the way, with me following her from behind, not realizing that I was leaving Father and Mother behind. -------- Renee ¡°Hey, they¡¯re getting away, you know." ¡°It¡¯s fine. They can take care of themselves. Aah, I''m always so happy seeing them get along well like that." As a mother, naturally, I wanted all my children to get along well. And so far, I got exactly that. Marina doted on Hugo, and Hugo admired her back. And Little Erika here certainly loved them very much. "Should we just get back to the inn? Erika''s looking pretty tuckered out." "Hmm, I suppose you''re right." I smiled. "...Hey, that smile¡­ you''re thinking of doing that again when we get back, don''t you?" "Hah, you always read me like a book, honey," he replied with a grin. "Just want to use this opportunity well, you know. We don''t stay in inns that much these days after all." "Hmm? Is that a new perverted hobby I just hear?" I let out a pretend huff. "Honestly, what did I do to deserve such a lecherous husband?" He knew that I didn''t really mean it though. He liked it when I acted like that. He said it made me look cute. So he''s getting all nostalgic of the days where we would do it at every inn we stayed inside. He didn''t even care if we got noise complaints from our room neighbors. He would still rail me like a hungry animal. Even when I was pregnant with Marina. And even after all these years of our marriage, he still desired me just as much as when we first became a couple. And I am so unbelievably happy and grateful for that. ¡°Oh fine, we can go back. But go tell those two first. I don¡¯t want them to think anything happens to us after all.¡± --------- Marina "Well, I guess it''s a date then!" I turned to Hugo and smirked once Father left. All of a sudden, he told us that he and Mother were going back to the inn earlier. He said it was to let Erika sleep properly, but I have a feeling it''s also because they want to do that thing they always do. I''m fine with it of course. I''m happy that they''re still a happy couple even after these years. But I really think they should tone it down a little. Especially Mother. Her moans are too loud. I''m starting to think that she might be faking it a little. Still, as ashamed as I am by admitting this, it was enough to arouse me every time their lewd sounds reached my ears. And it''s even more shameful for me to admit that I have pleasured myself a couple of times to them. How ironic. I despise perverts, despite possibly being one myself. Well, my principle is if you don''t bother others with your perversion, then it''s forgivable. And I certainly am not bothering anymore by doing it. I always cover my mouth every time I do it, so that I wouldn''t bother anyone by my moans. Not that I''m a moaner or anything. It''s another matter entirely if you indulge in it by lifting skirts of unwitting girls like a couple of juniors I met a while back. One of them even dared to lift my dress as I was scolding them, thinking I''m stupid enough to not notice him secretly forming a ball of wind with the hand behind his back. Of course, I took care of him readily before he could even cast the spell. They didn''t know yet of my reputation, I suppose. "What''s the matter, Sis? You''re thinking of something?" Oops, Hugo took notice of my vacant stare. "Oh, it''s nothing. Let''s go. The shop is just over this block. Oh, and¡ª" I offered my hand. "¡ªsince we''re on a date, why don''t you take my hand? Let''s just say this is your training for when Sherry came back. You would take her on many romantic dates after all." He hesitated, but he took it anyway. "There we go! Now let''s see if you can walk at the same place as me. Not too fast. Not too slow. Just enough so that we would stay in sync." ¡­ "Yep, that''s how you do it! Keep it up!" -------- Hugo And now, all of a sudden, I am having a dating lesson from my big sister. The whole thing happened so suddenly that I still wasn¡¯t sure what was going on. First, Father said to us that he and Mother were leaving to tuck Erika to bed, and then Marina declared that we were having a date. I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s just one of her teases, but now she seems to be taking it quite seriously. For me, who never even had the opportunity to go on a date with a girl before, it was an overwhelming situation to be in. After we synched up our walk, she then told me to walk straight, but at the same time, always stealing glances towards her, to express how desirable she was to me. I don¡¯t think doing that is a good idea on a busy road like this though. I did as she instructed, just to make her happy. Not to mention that I certainly can use the knowledge. I want my first date with Sherry in the future to be a successful one after all. Still, isn¡¯t this kinda wrong? She¡¯s my sister after all, though to an outsider, we would indeed look like a brother-sister pair and not a couple, seeing how young I still am. She probably thinks the same way though. It¡¯s like how in some books and movies I¡¯ve read and watched, the father character would go on a ¡°date¡± with his young daughter. Or a gentleman big brother, doing it with his younger sister. There¡¯s nothing romantic or sexual about it at all. Of course, the way she says that this is for Sherry, who will actually be my future wife (I hope), I can¡¯t help but to think otherwise. Thankfully, we soon arrived at the magic item shop she mentioned. ¡°Here it is! The Emporio Emporium! Nice rhyme, isn''t it?" The place was quite large and fancy-looking, at least from the outside. So it''s a pretty upscale place then. Wouldn''t the stuff here be expensive? "Now, in this situation, you should be the one to introduce the place, not me. You would be the one planning out the date after all. Then, you gently lead her inside, taking the initiative on opening the door. You greet the shopkeeper like a gentleman, and if they ask if I''m your girlfriend, you have to answer yes without skipping a beat." Urgh, that''s a lot to take in. Where did she get the knowledge for all this stuff after all? She''s not dating anyone, is she? "Although, in my personal opinion, you shouldn''t really be taking girls to shops like this in the first place. Unless she''s into this kind of thing." ...Makes sense. There''s nothing romantic about an equipment shop after all, even if it''s a magical one. When we entered, we were immediately greeted by the shopkeeper, who, to my surprise, was a lizardman. He stood tall over the two of us, and honestly, looking at him up close like this, he''s pretty scary. "Welcome, welcome! What can I do to serve you, young sir and lady?" He said with a slithering accent, almost like a snake. He was mostly focusing on Marina, probably assuming rightfully that I was her little brother. Suddenly, I felt a nudge hitting my side. Ah, right, I should be the one to lead the conversation. "We''re here just to browse for now," I answered with a polite smile. "You see, I''m taking my girlfriend here for a date, and I thought I could amuse her with your wares." There. That''s good enough, right? "...A-ah, of course. Forgive my impudence, young Master." He bowed apologetically. Yep, he totally thought I was her little brother. "Then, might I suggest a certain item that would bless your relationship?" He then took out a pair of rings from one of the shelves. An exact pair of rubies were decorating each of them. "This, my good young Sir, is a pair of Lover¡¯s Rings. Each of you would wear one and it would make you always think of each other, no matter how far apart you are in the world. Truly a romantic, one-of-a-kind item, don¡¯t you think?¡± A ring, huh? With a ruby at that? These are most likely quite expensive stuff. He probably thinks I¡¯m a son of a rich family, thanks to my outfit. ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°Oh, for you, Master, just 100 gold coins. I¡¯m making it a bargain just because how nice they would look on you and your lover¡¯s fingers.¡± 100? That¡¯s really expensive, isn¡¯t it? I certainly don''t have that kind of money in my pocket right now! ...Oh crap, now that I think about it, I don¡¯t have much experience in buying goods like this yet. I don¡¯t go out much after all. The only things I¡¯ve bought with my own money are some food in the village, and those only cost a silver at the very most. Well, might as well have a look at them, now that Mr. Shopkeeper has brought them out for us. I gave a glance at Marina, and she seemed to be¡­ smirking? "Can I take a look at them?" "Of course, my good sir. Just be careful with them. The two rubies easily chip, you see. And the spell would stop working if that happens." Hey, did you just admit that your product isn''t as durable as they should? I gently took them out of their fancy case, one in each hand. Marina''s smirk still hadn''t disappeared. I wonder what she found so funny. ...Hold on, don''t tell me¡ª I remembered something. I once read that you could feel the mana swirling inside a magical object and that''s one way to tell which object is magical and which object isn''t. I closed my eyes and focused, reaching out to feel whether there really was mana swirling inside the two rings. ...Nothing! I can''t feel anything! And now I know why Marina had been smirking all this time. I returned the rings back to their ring cases. And then, I too smirked at the shopkeeper. "100 gold for a pair of ordinary rings? That''s a little bit too much, don''t you think?" "O-ordinary? I-I assure you that they''re¡ª" "How bold of you to try to scam me with fake rings. You think just because I''m still young, I''m also gullible?" "N-no, not at all! I-I swore that I didn''t know that¡ª" S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You don''t know who I am or who my girlfriend is, don''t you? She''s a close friend with a daughter of the Salamander family, you know. And just the other day, I met with Selendia Brine herself! And she graced me with her beautiful smile! Tsk tsk tsk, to think that a common shopkeeper would dare to pull a fast one on me.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I-I¡¯m so sorry! P-please don¡¯t report me to the Council!¡± The shopkeeper immediately prostrated in front of me, and I had a probably quite evil-looking smile at my face. Marina, on the other hand, was just holding back her laughter before she decided to speak up. ¡°Fine. We won¡¯t tell. But give us your Bag of Holding for free,¡± she said with a bright smile. And that¡¯s how I obtained my very first magic item¡ªa bag with the ability to store much more than the space it logically would have. Not to mention that it would always stay the same weight, no matter how many items you put inside it. The storage isn¡¯t unlimited though, unfortunately, but enough so that an ordinary adventurer just needs one to keep all their equipment and supplies. Once we¡¯re outside, with the bag slung over my body, I asked, ¡°Sis, you set that up, didn¡¯t you? Your aim was this bag at the very beginning.¡± ¡°Hehe, bingo! I already know most of the magic items in that shop were fake. But the Bag of Holding it has is real. And naturally, it¡¯s priced quite expensively. Thanks to you, we can get it for free!¡± ¡°Wow Sis, I never saw you as someone this devious.¡± ¡°Hehe, I don¡¯t really feel bad doing that to someone who would willingly cheat their customers,¡± she answered nonchalantly. Whew, did she just turn into a Chaotic Good character from a Neutral Good one? ¡°The Council doesn¡¯t really care about stopping scammers like him unfortunately. They believed that if you¡¯re a dumb enough mage to be fooled by a fake magic item, then you deserve it. Might be another matter entirely if you have a direct connection to them though, which is why that lizardman acted that way.¡± So it¡¯s just like your usual corrupt ruling class then. The only way to get justice is to know friends in high places. Hmph, they might fancy themselves as different from the typical nobility, but they certainly act similar to them in many places. ¡°Oh, and I also must applaud you for speaking up against him like that. That¡¯s really cool, you know! That¡¯s how you should act in front of your girlfriend!¡± She grinned, patting me on the shoulder. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at her compliment. I always thought that I would never be able to make a good boyfriend¡ªanother reason to the laundry list on why I was hesitant to go look for a relationship, even though I really wanted one. But for her to be praising me like this¡­ it made me feel that I really would be able to do it after all. I was always spiteful towards those ikemen who''re all cool and gallant towards their girlfriends, but now that I might just be able to join their ranks, I don¡¯t feel so jealous of them anymore. Afterwards, we spent some more time together just frolicking around the city. We bought a big vanilla ice cream that we ate together (which was kinda lewd if you consider the whole "indirect kissing" thing). And then, we went to the bazaar where we watched a group of traveling performers do their act with singing and dancing and jumping monkeys¡ªpretty mundane until they started fighting against one another with magic, welding rods as if they were actual mages. ¡°I bet those rods are pre-charged magic rods that allow you to cast basic magic, even if you¡¯re not a mage,¡± Marina whispered her theory. Ah, such a thing existed. I almost forgot. Once the show finished, we gave a generous donation to one of the monkeys who came over to us with a tall hat. And before we knew it, the sun was already going down. It was time for us to cut our date short and go back¡ªme to the inn and Marina to her dorm. ¡°Well, that was fun!¡± Marina said cheerfully, still holding my hand. ¡°I guess since I¡¯m feeling that way, you did a good job being my date for the day, Hugo! That¡¯s all what dates should be about after all!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you liked it, Sis,¡± I replied with a light smile. ¡°Though if you¡¯re just using me because you can¡¯t find an actual boyfriend, then I won¡¯t be happy for that,¡± I added with a smirk, wanting to tease her a little. ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re certainly getting more and more cheeky lately, you know that?¡± she replied with a fake huff that reminded me all too much of Mother¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can get a beau easily if I just put my mind into it.¡± ¡°Not that hobbit kid, I hope?¡± ¡°Hah, not him, of course! I got higher standards than that!¡± She laughed. I almost felt bad for him for a second there¡­ before I remembered that he was a shady pervert behind that cute and timid look of his. ¡°Now, for the last lesson on dating. I would ask you to chaperone me to the dorms, but since we¡¯re going to go pass your inn on the way there, might as well drop you there.¡± It didn¡¯t take long until we arrived at said inn. ¡°Now¡ª¡± She suddenly bent her knees down a little. ¡°¡ªgive me a goodbye kiss.¡± She moved her left cheek towards me, no doubt signalling that I was to do it there. ¡°But Sis, you¡¯re supposed to kiss your lover on the mouth, right?¡± I asked, feigning innocence. ¡°True. But I¡¯m not Sherry, so a kiss on the cheek would do.¡± She gave me a glance and a little smile. For a second, I actually thought of disobeying her and actually went for her lips. That would surely fluster her! But then, when she mentioned Sherry, I immediately remembered how she made me promise not to kiss any other girls until she returned. ...Yeah, I don¡¯t think Sherry would be happy if I do it. And so, I went with what she wanted and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°Hehe, good!¡± She straightened herself with a smile. ¡°Now, our lesson is officially over.¡± As I looked at her under the setting sun, with her light brown hair swaying in the wind, I suddenly realized something. My big sister¡­ she had grown into a fine young lady indeed. Vol 1 Chapter 39: Boom Cannon We departed back home the next morning, since there really was nothing else for us to do here. Not to mention that Father was unwilling to leave his post for long. He¡¯s the kind of honest guy that would never like getting paid to do a job he didn¡¯t do well. Unfortunately, Marina couldn¡¯t see us depart, as she had a morning class that day. It¡¯s fine though. She already said her goodbyes last night. In the end, I didn¡¯t get a chance to give that hobbit a little talk, which was quite unfortunate. But I was sure that Marina could handle him just fine. She¡¯s Marina after all, my smart and wise and now oddly beautiful big sister. Now, don''t get me wrong. She''s always been cute ever since she''s little. But only now that I realize she has blossomed into a good-looking young woman. Even though she''s only 14 years old, soon to turn 15, there''s just something about her that made her look more mature than her actual age. It''s always been like that since we were little. Or maybe it''s just my little brotherly instinct speaking. It was another two weeks trip back home, making it around a month of us gone from our house, with only Mary living there as our caretaker. And thus, one more month until my tenth birthday. ------------- I resumed my magic training like usual once I returned. Or, to be more exact, magic experimenting, as I was still developing my Master-level Wind spell. I could feel it. I was so close to be able to perform it properly. I just needed to stabilize my mana shape more and maybe adjust my calculations a little. I still kept up my physical exercises as well, though I would combine it with my Wind Walk for some fancy acrobatics, just so I could dodge and move even better. I had one problem though. The more I grew older, the heavier I became. That meant I would have to expend more mana for stronger Wind Bursts. I imagine one of the small races could be really good with this technique. They barely weigh anything after all. Uh, maybe not the dwarves though. They tend to be pretty stocky after all. This way of training wouldn¡¯t really develop my hand muscles though. Aah, I want to be good at the sword too but I really don¡¯t have the talent for Father¡¯s fighting style. I don¡¯t have that aggressive personality needed for it. I prefer to dodge and evade before striking back, exactly the opposite way Father uses his sword. There are two major sword schools in this world by the way, and they supposedly came from the disciples of the Legendary Hero himself. Let¡¯s see¡­ what¡¯s their name again? Ah, right, Lancelot and Galahad. Arthur, Lancelot, and Galahad. How convenient that those names all came from the King Arthur myth. Well, this world could be seen as some form of an alternate medieval Europe, only with a lot more fantasy stuff, so it wouldn¡¯t be that odd for them to have their own version of that classic European heroic myth. Anyway, Lancelot inherited his offensive form, while Galahad inherited his defensive form. And each disciple ended up founding their own schools, and even now, there was apparently still some form of rivalry between them. Quite ironic, since the Hero himself mastered both, though apparently no one else could reach the peak of swordsmanship that he stood on. As expected from the Legendary Hero, I suppose. Father¡¯s style certainly belonged to Lancelot¡¯s, but he never actually got a formal education by his school. He just swung his sword faster and stronger as he grew stronger, and with sheer instinct, he could become the swordsman that he was now. That¡¯s why his teaching capability wasn¡¯t the best. You couldn¡¯t teach something you only learned out of instinct after all. Sherry was the same way, at least according to him. She just let out that anger and aggressiveness inside her to become a stronger swordswoman. Maybe it¡¯s somehow related to her Izurd heritage? As for me, ha, I don¡¯t have the instinctual talent that they possessed. If I were to learn Galahad-style swordsmanship, I would need a proper instructor. And I would need to spend many hours into it, hours that I couldn¡¯t spend to develop my magic growth instead. Not to mention that good Galahad-style instructors usually are only available to those wanting to become knights, as it¡¯s the preferred style for them. Their swords are to protect their Lord instead to kill others. Especially important if you¡¯re going to be some important higher-ups bodyguard, like a princess. You might kill nine enemies in a single swing, but if the remaining one manages to sneak a blade or an arrow to the princess¡¯ heart, it¡¯s all over. And so my peaceful days continued, but not before a certain incident happened. ----------- It was bedtime, and I was relaxing in my room with my treasure box beside me. That night, I suddenly got assaulted by the feeling of loneliness¡ªthe feeling of me missing Sherry¡¯s presence. She was always in the back of my head. I would wonder what she was doing at this time. Was she getting ready to sleep, just like I am right now? Was she already sleeping, perhaps tired from a full day of training she no doubt would be doing? Or was she still training, pushing herself even harder than she should? I sighed. Working hard is good, but there''s a thing called working too hard, you know. I wish I can tell her that. Thinking about her, however, made me think of my treasure box, and how her panties from years ago were still there. I took them out (sorry Marina, but I just met you so your pair can just stay inside) and then spread them out above me as I laid down on my bed. Aah, still as cute as always¡­ I brought them down and began smelling them, taking in the sweet scent of the girl who hopefully would really become my future wife. I know this is completely 100% a perverted thing to do, but if she''s consenting, then who am I to go against her will? I then rubbed the fabric against my cheek, enjoying the soft cotton texture as I closed my eyes. Hmm, I really could sleep with them, but that would be too risky. What if I overslept and Mother or Mary woke me up, only to find me holding a girl''s panties in my hands? ---------- Erika W-wha¡­ What is Big Brother''s doing?! Those are¡­ those are a girl''s panties, aren''t they? Why is he¡­ why is he sniffing them like that? And now he''s rubbing them to his cheeks, while mumbling Big Sis Sherry''s name. Are those her panties? I¡­ I have to tell Mother! Unbeknownst to Hugo, his little sister was watching everything that was happening through his door, which he had forgotten to close off completely, leaving just enough space for her to peek in. And it just so happened to be one of the nights where she wanted to snuggle up and sleep with him. The poor girl¡¯s eyes went wide as she watched him in the act. I felt as if I just discovered something terrible! But Big Bro can do no wrong, can he? And why is he saying Sherry''s name like that? Why can''t he say my name instead? I''ve been a good girl, haven¡¯t I? She left the slightly ajar door as silently as she could. As she walked over to Alan and Renee¡¯s room however, she saw Mary walking by, who was also preparing for her good night¡¯s sleep. She had her own room in the house, though she usually would return at the weekends to sleep with her family instead back in the village. Oh right, I should ask her instead! If it''s really a bad thing, I don''t want to get Big Bro in trouble! "Mary?" She walked up to her. "Oh, Young Miss! What''s the matter? It''s not like you to still be awake at this hour." "I wanna ask something. But you have to keep it a secret from everyone." "Oh dear, did you hide your wet bedsheets again?" She giggled. The three-year old girl still had the occasional problems of keeping her bed dry, something that Mary knew all too well as the housemaid. "No, it''s not that, dummy! It''s¡­ I wanna ask¡­ is it a bad thing if a man sniffs a woman''s undergarments and rubs it to his cheek?" "That''s¡­¡± The maid paused, tilting her head. ¡°Why, that''s very bad, Miss. That man is a complete pervert then. I wouldn''t be close to such a man if I were you." "I-I see¡­ G-good night then, Mary!" She immediately ran off, leaving Mary completely confused on what that conversation was about. Oh dear, don¡¯t tell me that she caught Master Alan doing that to Mistress Renee¡¯s panties! Well, if he really does it, then he deserves whatever hell Mistress Renee would give him once little Erika brought it up to him! Really, a man shouldn¡¯t be doing something sneaky like that! If you want to pleasure yourself, then pleasure your wife as well! Mary was raised quite conservatively, you see, believing that the only proper relationship between a husband and wife is an intercourse in bed. It didn¡¯t even cross her mind that Alan might be doing it after Renee gave him her permission, let alone Hugo being the actual culprit. ------ Uwaaaa, Big Bro is a pervert! Big Bro is a pervert! Erika ran straight into her room with tears running down her cheeks. Only after she buried herself in her bed that she sobbed and cried into her pillow. In the end, she decided not to tell of this discovery to anyone, not even confronting the culprit himself. She still had great love and respect for her brother, and she believed that just one flaw wouldn¡¯t make him a bad person. That¡¯s what Renee taught her after all, that no one was perfectly good in this world. And now, she knew the imperfectness of her perfect Big Bro. And Hugo, either from his natural denseness or the fact that he¡¯s too focused on his magic training, didn¡¯t notice the slight change in her behaviour in the slightest. ---------- Hugo I-I did it! I actually did it! I stood in pure disbelief¡ªmy mind still reeling in on what I just did. In front of me was a series of dead, fallen trees¡ªtrees that I just obliterated with my spell. My brand new Master-level Wind spell, Boom Cannon. And the best part? My stubbornness actually paid off. I could do it without a chant right away. Let¡¯s start from the very beginning, when I started trying my hands on learning Master-level magic. After I finished mastering the hybrid Advanced-level spells, I declared that it was time for me to go on to the next step, to reach the heights that Marina had already reached. I decided on trying to learn Thunderstorm first, a Master-level Thunder spell that¡¯s basically multiple Thunder Strikes cast at once, creating a rain of lightning from above. I decided to learn it by the book, doing the whole chant and everything. At first, I thought it would be easy. It¡¯s basically just myself doing multiple Thunder Strikes at the same time. The image I needed to have inside my head and the way I shaped my mana would be the same, only multiplied. Only to find out that my mana control was nowhere near enough to be able to cast it. The stronger the spell was, the more complex the shape you would need to form your mana into. The best analogy I could come up with was like you shaping a balloon into various animal shapes for a birthday party. As you fumble around with the fragility of a balloon, taking care of not pressing too hard or else you would make it explode, you still need to put enough force so that its surface and volume would bend the way you want it to. It¡¯s that kind of a balancing act that I find to be beyond my ability. No wonder the book has a whole long chapter filled with many pages just dedicated to the spell. But magic isn¡¯t like math or physics. It¡¯s really closer to art more than anything. The explanations given there just confuse me more instead of giving me the clarity I need. I wasted many months on it too, trying to follow the instructions given there. I couldn¡¯t try it as many times as I¡¯d like too, as I would expend my mana in the process, as if I actually cast the spell. Supposedly, the chant should help with the visualization and shaping, but I don¡¯t feel that way if I were to be honest. And then, Marina gave her advice, saying that maybe I should focus more on Wind instead. Her reasoning was sound. I was already so used to manipulating the wind for my movements, so my mastery of the element should be better than Thunder, which I rarely used. However, instead of going by the books again, I decided on something that would either be very smart or very foolish. I would not look at any books. I would invent the spell on my own. I came up with an idea immediately. So far, Wind spells have been mostly about pushing wind around, right? Just generating a huge gust to a direction or spinning it around to form a cyclone. But you can use wind in other ways too. And by that, I mean wind pressure. Or, to be more exact, air, or atmospheric pressure. None of the magic books I¡¯ve read ever referred to that, even though it''s basic middle-school science knowledge back in my world. So what if I try playing with that instead? What if I try to create a vacuum-based wind spell? How cool would that be? Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And so my concept for my Boom Cannon was born. This is how the spell works. I would form a bubble of air around the size of a basketball (it¡¯s the size I¡¯m most comfortable with, not too big nor too small) and then divide it into two sections. The first section, the forward one, would have zero pressure in it, meaning it¡¯s a perfect vacuum, or at least, the closest I can get to one. The other section, the one at the back¡ªI fill it with as much air as I could, forming a high pressure air section. Now, what¡¯s the main rule of air pressure difference again? Right. High pressure air would always rush into a lower pressure one to equalize the gap. The more the pressure difference is, the stronger the rushing force would be. I am making what they would call a vacuum cannon. Of course, it¡¯s not that easy. First of all, the outer shell¡ªI have to make sure that it¡¯s strong enough to not break apart right away, or else the whole spell won¡¯t be able to work in the first place. It will also add to the toughness of the cannonball, so that it will have higher destructive power. And then, there¡¯s the separating membrane between the two compartments in my air cannonball. This is the most difficult part of the spell by the way. It took many months until I could get it just right. I had to design it so that it would be elastic, in a way that allowed it to carry the full force of the high-pressurized air and spread it to the entire cannonball, making it fly forward with high speed. But it had to be tough enough to withstand the force as well, but without actually diminishing it, just redirecting it to forward velocity. This is my own custom spell, made by using my own modern era knowledge that no one else has. ...No, this isn¡¯t even modern science. I¡¯m pretty sure theories regarding air pressure were discovered by Renaissance-era scientists or something, if I remembered correctly. I was never that good in physics in the first place, unfortunately. And now, today, I finally could cast it for the very first time successfully. And if I were to be honest, I was quite taken aback by the power the spell just demonstrated. I tried it in the nearby forest, aiming a row of trees to test just how destructive it could be. And the result? It tore through what must be at least a dozen of trees, breaking through them like they were nothing. Only the thickest could survive, with holes on their large trunks. The others fell down one by one as the spell blasted through them. This is it. This has to be a Master-level spell. The sheer power generated is beyond any Advanced-level spell that I know of! Not to mention that the speed of the cannonball surpasses the sound barrier, producing that loud boom that occurs whenever I cast it! Ooh, I can¡¯t wait to tell this to Marina! I know she would be amazed! Thanks to me inventing this on my own, I don¡¯t have to bother with any chants! I¡¯m ahead of her in that department! And to think that I could do it right on my birthday as well! I¡¯ll take this as my birthday present to be sure! Finally, I¡¯m starting to catch up to you at last, Sis! Alright! I¡¯m going to cast it over and over until I¡¯m out of mana, just to make sure that I really understand how to do it! ----------- When I returned home, the sun was already going down. All sweaty from my casting, it¡¯s time for me to take my bath as usual. Only to immediately feel that something had gone wrong, the moment I entered the house. Father, Mother, and Mary were all in the dining room, sitting on the chairs around the dining table. The former two were looking down with a troubled expression, with Mother¡¯s hands actively shaking as she held a piece of paper in front of her. Mary, on the other hand, was actively sobbing, wiping her tears with her handkerchief as she produced new ones. Erika was also there, looking terribly confused and out of place, not really understanding what was going on. ¡°Father, Mother, what¡¯s the matter?¡± I asked as I came in. There really must be something wrong going on! Mother didn¡¯t say anything. She simply pushed the piece of paper to my side of the table. And what I read turned me as pale as a sheet. Vol 1 Chapter 40: Crisis Dear Mr. and Mrs. Greenwood. I write this to tell you that your daughter, Marina Greenwood, has been kidnapped, taken against her will by none other than Vera Marjoram, the witch you have met one and a half months ago. She is currently being kept at the witch¡¯s home, the Ice Palace, smack-dab in the middle of her territory. If you value her free and independent mind, then you must rush to her aid at once. I do not know how long she will be able to resist, but she will break, sooner or later. And when that happens, the daughter you once know would be gone forever. She would just be yet another pawn for that witch to use. It¡¯s fine if you choose not to believe this letter and just dismiss it as a sick joke. And I certainly cannot disclose my identity to prove its legitimacy. However, let me assure you that I am neither your ally nor your enemy. I am simply a side that will benefit if Vera Marjoram and her house are brought down a peg. I know you two used to be S-rank adventurers. Perhaps you might have a chance against her, however slim that might be. But you would do anything for your dear daughter, wouldn¡¯t you, even betting your own life? That¡¯s what adventurers do every day, right? P.S. I wouldn''t suggest trying to negotiate. Every mage in the Council is selfish to the core after all. I blinked once. And twice. And thrice. My brain refused to accept the information the letter gave. I read it again. And again. And again. Up and down, down and up¡ªmy eyes glazing over the words. There really was no signature nor a name. The only identity it gave off was that it was written with someone eloquent at writing, as it¡¯s written in cursive. My dear sister. Kidnapped. By Vera Marjoram. I still remembered her radiating arrogance and smug smile like I just met her yesterday. She had Marina. And she intended to break her, to make her be her grandson¡¯s wife. Me, who had read many hentai with mindbreak, immediately imagined Marina suffering the same treatment as those many heroines. My stomach¡­ it''s now hurting terribly, as if there''s a miniature tornado inside swirling it''s contents around. I felt as if I could puke at any minute. In fact, I could already taste the bile knocking on my throat. Cold sweat pooled behind my neck, and my body was beginning to shake. I was scared¡ªscared on what could befall Marina. I was angry as well, but I didn''t know whether I was more angry at the culprit, or at myself, for letting it happen in the first place. ...I should''ve known this would happen. This is just like a noble ruling with absolute power being able to just take his serf''s wife or daughter and use her as he sees fit. The Council''s rule is absolute. There are no laws or constitutions to keep them in check. ¡°It just came an hour ago, delivered by an express courier.¡± Mother spoke, her voice grim and lifeless. ¡°He said he didn¡¯t know who sent it, only that it was addressed to us.¡± ¡°T-that can¡¯t be right, can it, Milady?¡± Mary interjected. ¡°M-Miss Marina can¡¯t actually be¡ª¡± ¡°As much as it pains me to admit, there¡¯s a possibility that it might be true,¡± Father answered, before slamming his fist to the table, nearly snapping one of its legs. ¡°I knew I should¡¯ve seen this coming! That witch¡­ she wants Marina for her grandson! And she¡¯s willing to do it, no matter what dirty methods she has to use! I should¡¯ve just told Marina to leave the academy immediately!¡± ¡°W-wait, h-hold on. We don¡¯t even know if what this letter is saying is true yet. Maybe it¡¯s just a prank letter, like it mentioned. Or maybe this is a ploy from another house to make us fight Vera.¡± I finally spoke. My voice was shaking, with no conviction whatsoever. I tried to put on a smile as well but I knew it was the hollowest smile that had ever graced my lips. Denial. The first stage of grief. ¡°Even if that were true, we still have to check up on Marina right away,¡± Father answered. ¡°Renee, we¡¯ll depart tonight.¡± He gave a firm glance towards Mother. ¡°We¡¯ll take the horses and ride as fast as we could to Mira. Hugo, you stay here and¡ª¡± "NO!" I didn''t know what came over me. I just shouted those words right at Father''s face. "If you think I''m going to just stay home like a coward, then think again!" I continued to shout. With tears falling down my face¡ªtears that I didn''t even realize were there until they tumbled down onto my cheeks. ¡°Hugo, you''re not¡ª" "I''m not strong enough?!" I yelled back. "I just learned my first Master-level spell today, you know! My Boom Cannon, strong enough to obliterate a dozen of trees in one blast. I am more than strong enough! I can help you two fight!" "No," Father refused with a stern look, crossing his arms. "Even so, you''re still not strong enough. If what the letter says is true, then we''re going after a Grandmaster-level mage. Do you have any idea how strong a person like that is? Neither Myrilla nor your mother have reached that level yet." "Not to mention that you barely have any battle experience. You wouldn''t be able to react the correct way and with a fast enough speed against that caliber of an opponent. You would only hold us down." Mother interjected, glaring at me like I''m just a child who doesn''t know any better. "T-that''s true, but still¡­" I clenched my fist, looking down. "I have to do this! I have to go with you, Father! Mother! Please, let me go with you!" I bowed as deeply as I could. I would throw away any pride that I had if I could help Marina. My lovely big sister¡­ in the hands of a villain who wants to defile her¡­ If anything happens to her, I would hate myself for the rest of my life. And it will happen, if we don''t rescue her as fast as we could. That perverted bastard would deflower her sooner or later! I have no doubt about that! And if that happens, even if we manage to get Marina back, she won''t be the same person. There''s no going back from that line. I never considered taking another person''s life before, even after coming to a fantasy world like this where such things are common. But now, if it''s that hobbit or his grandmother, I''ll do it in a heartbeat. I will exact judgment on them, for doing this to my big sister, for attempting of turning her into their slave. I will not hesitate. My Boom Cannon can obliterate their heads in one shot. And that''s all I need. I stood back up and stared right into Father''s eyes, unflinching. "That eyes¡­ you''re fully determined to save your sister, no matter the price. To think I will see such eyes in my son when he barely turns ten¡­" He sighed. "Very well. You can go with us. But you have to do me or your mother says. At all times. No exceptions." I nodded. Just like Sherry with Myrilla, I would be fighting under two much experienced fighters. I would be a fool not to obey them. My wrath might be bubbling in my stomach, but I still need to keep a calm head. "Pack your stuff. We''re departing in an hour." ------- I didn''t waste any time. I returned to my room at once and packed my clothes, using the Bag of Holding that Marina got for me. I didn''t bother putting them in all nice and ordered like I would normally do. This was an emergency, and I couldn''t be bothered less about keeping them tidy. "B-Big Bro?" Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice behind me. It was Erika. She had sneaked in without me noticing. "Did something happen to Big Sis?" I froze. I didn''t know what to say. Turning around, I put on a fake smile and crouched down to her level. "Don''t worry, Erika. I''ll get her back. I promise." I put my two hands on her little shoulders. "A bad guy took her away, didn''t they? That mean lady from before¡­" I was taken aback. To think that she, who''s only three years old is smart enough to know what''s happening¡­ "...Yes. Yes she did. At least, that''s what the letter says. That''s why me, Father, and Mother, are going back to your sister''s place¡ªto check up on her." She looked away for a short moment, before throwing herself into my arms. "Big Bro¡­ Please... Save Big Sis, alright?" She then started to sob. But it wasn''t like her usual crying where it would be accompanied by yelling and screaming. This one¡­ I could tell that it was completely genuine. ...What am I doing? Why am I questioning myself like this? So what if I might have to go up against a Grandmaster-level mage? Haven''t I swore to myself that I would never run away ever again? That witch might be a famous and powerful magician, but in the end, she''s just like those bullies in my old life, forcing her will upon others just because she can get away with it. There''s only one thing to do against such a person. I will fight her. And I will win. I will win this time around. I stood up and lifted my little sister, looking at her straight in the eyes. "Of course I will! Don''t you know who you''re talking to? I''m your cool and talented big brother, Hugo. A mere witch like that is no match for me and my magic! You''ve seen my magic, right? Weren''t they amazing?" "Yeah! They are, Big Bro!" She giggled. Good! A smile suits her far more than a frown. "See? She will stand no chance whatsoever against me! So you just sit tight and wait until I return with your big sister, alright? Then after that, we can have another family trip with all of us!" "Y-you''ll keep Father and Mother safe as well?" "Yep! No question about it! Leave it all to your big brother!" I answered with a grin. And with that, Erika''s worries disappeared completely. She is still just an innocent little girl after all, so she believes everything I say wholeheartedly. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Of course, I knew it was a lie, that there was no conceivable way that it would go that easily, if we actually had to fight against Vera. However, she didn''t need to know that. All she needed to know was that her invincible superhero-like big brother will take care of everything for her. That''s what I wanted. I wanted to be relied upon by her. That''s what a big brother does after all. --------- When I went back to the dining room, I heard voices coming from inside. It was Father and Mother, having a conversation with Mary. "...Ma''am, I-I can''t possibly¡ª" "Just in case, Mary, just in case." The two female voices must be Mary and Renee, respectively. "And we don''t ask for you to take care of her forever. Send a letter to either one of those addresses and with any luck, they would come to take her." It was Father''s voice this time around. "I would rather have you take care of her, Mary, if I were to be honest." Mother''s voice again. "At least, don''t send her to my parents. I don''t want Erika to end up being under my mother''s grip. I don''t think Erika would be happy there." "My old man''s pretty bad too though." Father interrupted with a sigh. "Really, you would be the best mother for her, Mary." "But I understand. It won''t be easy having another mouth to feed after all. Especially since you would lose your job if we never returned." Father again. "Not that we''re planning on doing so. In fact, this whole thing might just be a cruel prank!" He laughed. But I knew that laugh was not genuine in the slightest. I now understood what they were talking about. Talking about sending Erika to our far relatives like that¡­ I clenched my fists. Anger brew inside me yet again. This whole talk¡­ it disgusts me. How dare they¡­ how dare they even think about the possibility of¡­ of us¡­ I nearly bolted in to express my disapprovement, but I stopped myself. They were right. We had to have a backup plan for the worst case scenario after all. But still¡­ "Alright. I''ll do it. I swear that if anything happens, I will make sure that young lady Erika is taken care of." "Thank you." Father replied. "I really didn''t make a mistake hiring you as our family maid." "I have to apologise too, Mary." Mother spoke next. "I¡­ well, when you first came, I was actually afraid that you would try to seduce my husband. So many rich folks who employ maids would cheat with them after all." She sighed. "Oh Ma''am, I would never¡ª" "I know. You''re a diligent and honest girl, Mary. And I felt bad for ever doubting you." I couldn''t see what was happening inside, but I was pretty sure that Mother ended up giving her a hug. I would be happy for their reconciliation, if not for the situation we were currently in. ------- ¡°Be good to Mary, alright, dear?¡± Mother crouched down in front of Erika before hugging her. ¡°Of course, Mama! I¡¯ll be a good girl while you¡¯re gone!¡± We were now ready to depart. Father had her greatsword on his back, while Mother had her staff. Each of them also carried their own bags. They were also wearing cloaks, so that they would be protected from the night wind or any rain that might happen on the way. I too was ready. I got my wand in my shorts¡¯ pocket, and I also got a little cloak on my own that Mother gave for me to wear. And of course, my Bag of Holding was with me, slung over my body. Father already brought the two horses to the front lawn, and now, we were saying our short goodbyes. We had to depart as quickly as she could after all. I looked up to the skies and saw nothing. Not any moon or stars to be seen. It seemed we were going to leave under a pitch-black night. After Father and Mother said their goodbyes to Erika, and me getting another hug from her, it¡¯s time for us to leave at last. I rode with Mother¡¯s horse. I didn¡¯t even care that her soft breasts were pressing onto my back. I was too worried about Marina to care about any perverted things right now. Erika and Mary watched our departure with opposite expressions on their faces. Erika had a large smile on her face, waving her hand cheerfully to the air as we left on our horses. Mary, on the other hand, was only forcing a smile, while tears started to fall down her cheeks. I knew though that Mary would keep herself strong, just so she wouldn¡¯t get Erika to worry. Don¡¯t worry, you two. I¡¯ll get Marina back and I¡¯ll make sure that nothing happens to Father and Mother either. This is it. This is what all my training is for. All those endless hours, sweating like a pig, it will all pay off for this day. I will protect Marina. And I will protect this family as well, and all the warm smiles that it has given me all these years. ??? kin. Marina Darkness. I was falling in darkness. How long was it? An hour? Two hours? Half a day? A whole day? Or even more? I didn''t know. The only thing I knew was a flash of white I last saw before the dark enveloped me. ...That''s right. That white flash, it''s¡­ It''s¡­ "Wake up, sweetie!" My eyes opened. And I saw her, standing beside me with a grin on her face. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Marina Greenwood. How was it? My ''Frozen Sleep'' spell? Comfortable, isn''t it?" "...You!" I launched myself towards her, only for her to hit me right back with her staff. "Now now, take it easy. Your muscles would still be weaker than usual for the next few hours." That detestable grin of hers only widened. "Make yourself comfortable. This would be your new home after all." It all came rushing into me. How I ended up here, in a bed that wasn''t my own, in a room that I didn''t recognize, and with a person I despised. I was taking a quest at the weekend as usual. I went to the nearby mine for a simple monster extermination quest. I went alone, as Alincia was busy with her homework. I finished the quest, but as I was going back, I was attacked. By none other than her, Vera Marjoram, the woman wielding a triumphant face right in front of me now. I tried to escape of course, fighting back as well as I could to get away from her. But I immediately found out the immense skill gap between us. She could fire her spells so much faster than me, thanks to her ability of Dual Casting, charging and firing two separate spells at the same time. I still had yet to possess that rare ability. It didn''t take her long until she defeated me completely, encasing me in a block of ice, immobilizing me completely. And then, it all turned black. "Oh, I should praise you for your fighting skills. You actually made me try a little back then. Such talent from one so young. You truly would make an excellent wife for my grandson." "...So, this is how the Council does things, huh? Or are you doing this without their authorization?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself, my dear. No one in the Council would care about me doing this to you. You¡¯re a nobody, whose only worth is having an unnaturally high talent in magic.¡± ¡°Oh, really? This is the Magocracy. Your magic capability is prized above anything else, no?¡± I might be saying all this, but the truth was, I was only putting up a tough front. I didn¡¯t want her disgustingly mocking smile getting even wider, even though I knew what perilous situation I was currently in. One of the most powerful people in the Magocracy had decided to kidnap me to marry me off to her grandson, and there was nothing that I, or my family, or the country itself, could do to save me. She¡¯s too powerful for me or my family to take on directly, and any laws this country might have against kidnapping and forced marriage certainly didn¡¯t apply to a person like her. My only chance for a rescue was if one of the other Council members decided that she was going too far, but I wouldn¡¯t fool myself to think that chance was anywhere other than slim to none. For starters, they could actually agree with what she was doing. After all, if I really ended up bearing a powerful mage as a child, it would only lead to further prosperity and strength for the Magocracy. And if they didn¡¯t, then would they even suspect her for my disappearance? Many adventurers every year disappeared in the wilds while doing their quests. They could just say that I was taken off-guard by the monsters in the mines, and my body was completely eaten by them, clothes and all. I was afraid. Truly, I was. But I would rather die than showing it to her. ¡°Hmph, you know nothing about this nation, girl. You don¡¯t even live here.¡± Her grin shortly disappeared. ¡­ Did I just upset her? "Anyway, I''m sure you''ll come around sooner or later." Her smug smile quickly returned. "You''re smart enough to know that no one is going to come to rescue you, right? Your family doesn''t even know that you''re here!" With a shrill laugh, she left the room, but not before encasing my feet in ice, gluing it together with the bed. "Oh, and don''t bother trying to melt that. I''ve drugged you with a mana-weakening poison. You won''t be able to cast any spells whatsoever. You''re just a perfectly normal girl right now." ...It was true. I couldn''t even cast a basic Fireball spell. I really am unable to escape. But sooner or later, there must be a chance that I could take. I would just have to resist her offer. I will bide my time for now. ...Myrilla was right. It¡¯s not wise for me to be so close to the ruling class of a country, especially when one of them expresses outright love for me. I should¡¯ve just left the Academy altogether. Then this whole thing wouldn¡¯t have happened. But, like they say, there¡¯s no turning back the hands of time. I can only go forward, and get myself out of this situation with my own strength. Vol 1 Chapter 41: Alincia’s Search Alincia When I first took note of Marina¡¯s disappearance, it was at lunch. She wasn¡¯t at her usual table. I never saw her take a different one except when it was already occupied by someone else. I didn¡¯t see her at breakfast either, but I thought she just had her breakfast earlier. Sometimes she¡¯d do that as she liked to take morning walks in the gardens, or at the library reading some books. I didn¡¯t think much of it. But when she didn¡¯t appear for lunch either, that¡¯s when I was starting to get worried. Was she sick, I thought to myself. So I went to her dorm room to check up on her. Only to find out after knocking over and over, nobody answered. She wasn¡¯t inside. I thought to just blow the door open with my magic, but that would get me in trouble for sure. And so I went on with my classes and waited until dinner. Only to find out that she wasn¡¯t in the carefaria again. I asked her class friends and they all said that she hadn¡¯t made an appearance all day. Then I went to the gate guards and asked whether they had let Marina go outside. And it turned out that they hadn¡¯t. By Academy¡¯s rule, they had to note every single student that asked to be excused to go out to the city while it wasn¡¯t the weekends or the holidays. Something¡¯s up. Marina isn¡¯t like those lazy kids who would just leave by jumping over the academy¡¯s fence with their magic. She would never leave her classes for no good reason. And so, I decided to do something naughty for the very first time in my life. I¡¯d do it, if it¡¯s for a friend! I sneaked back to her dorm room, and using my fire magic, I melted the doorknob, while being careful not to burn the entire door itself. I gently pushed it open, only to find out that my suspicion was correct. She wasn¡¯t there at all. To make sure, I even decided to sleep for the night there, N-not because I wanted to smell her scent or anything¡­ And when I woke up, she still had yet to return. That¡¯s it! She must be out there somewhere! And then, I realized it. Two days ago, it was the weekend. I was at the library, miserably crawling over a pile of books as I rushed over an assignment that was due tomorrow. Marina came to me then, and she asked whether I wanted to go with her for a quest. I said no, since I was so busy and everything. Ooh, I was so stupid! Of course! It all makes sense! She went out on a quest and never returned! Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ...Wait, that¡¯s really bad then! Really, really bad! I stopped hitting myself in the head and immediately ran as fast as I could to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, even blasting through the still closed main gate in the process, to the outrage of the guards. All I had in my head was Marina, and how she must be in a trouble so big that even she¡ªour resident genius mage¡ªcouldn¡¯t handle on her own. I¡¯ve got to save her! Naturally, the thought of her dying crossed my mind, but I threw it out of the window immediately. She won¡¯t die that easily! She¡¯s Marina after all, the genius mage who has learned three Master-level spells even though she hasn¡¯t even graduated yet! Please, Marina, please! Just wait a little longer! I¡¯m coming as fast as I could! ---------- When I arrived, I slammed my hands on the receptionist¡¯s counter. ¡°Hey, you! Tell me the quest Marina Greenwood took two days ago!¡± To my irk, the bored-looking woman replied by sighing, before arrogantly saying, ¡°Look here, kiddo. We can¡¯t just tell¡ª¡± ¡°Look here, you boorish woman! I¡¯m part of the Salamander House, granddaughter of the great Merlinus Salamander himself, Alincia Salamander! And this is official business of the House, so you¡¯d better fess up immediately or else I¡¯ll report you to him!¡± Ha! With a mention of my family name, her bored expression instantly turned into a panicked one, and she promptly went through her book, trying to find the record that I needed. ¡°H-here! She¡¯s taking a monster extermination quest to the Barton Mines nearby!¡± ¡°Hmph, there you go! That wasn¡¯t so hard, was it?¡± With a triumphant smile, I left the building, before immediately running towards the city¡¯s northern entrance. The mines were located in the nearby mountain, and it would only take you around two hours on a casual walk to get there. Of course, I ran as fast as I could, not I couldn¡¯t keep it for long before I was out of breath. Darn it, if only I knew how to ride a horse, I could just rent one! And carriages are too slow! ---------- When I got there, I was soaked from top to bottom with disgusting, icky sweat. My outfit wasn¡¯t exactly designed for strenuous physical exercises after all. But I didn¡¯t care. The only thing I cared about now was Marina, and Marina alone! I stormed in, casting a persistent Fireball spell to act as my lantern. It didn¡¯t take long until I was attacked by a group of monster bats, but it was nothing that I couldn¡¯t handle. I took them all down in one sweep with a simple Flame Whip spell. There¡¯s no way these small fries would give Marina trouble! The receptionist said that it was a D-rank extermination quest, so the monsters would be D-rank at best. Even I could take on D-rank monsters just fine. Those bats are just E-rank though. So there must be tougher monsters deeper inside. And indeed there were, as I was soon attacked by a group of molerats, who were clever enough to try to ambush me from the walls. The old me might have been overwhelmed, but now, after I trained so hard under Marina¡¯s tutelage, my casting speed had far improved than before. I cast a Flame Wall around myself, fast enough before they could overwhelm me with their numbers. Ha, look at them trying to run away! Of course I didn¡¯t let them do that, as I barraged them one by one with my Fireballs. Still, this level of enemies¡­ Marina shouldn¡¯t be troubled by them at all. So why? Why hasn¡¯t she returned yet from this mission? Don¡¯t tell me that the miners had lied in their quest description and that there¡¯s actually a really strong and high-ranked monster inside that is too powerful for even Marina?! If they did, then they would feel the wrath of Alincia Salamander once I¡¯m finished here! Just you see! -------- But in the end, I didn¡¯t find anything. Not a single hair or even a hint of her presence. I must have killed every single monster there, but none of them were above D-rank. So the miners weren¡¯t lying. So what happened? Why was she gone? I-I don¡¯t understand! I don¡¯t understand at all! ...Wait, hold on. This pile of rocks in front of me. It''s a cave in, isn''t it? It''s blocking access to the rest of the tunnel over there. And then, this hole right here¡­ this shape doesn''t look like any of the other holes the miners have made. ... Something''s wrong. There''s something fishy going on. I looked around once more, with a keener eye this time around, and saw that there were many other weird holes all over this section of the mine. It was as if¡­ No¡­ These holes¡­ it''s done by spells! A fight must have taken place here! A-and it''s a long one, as there are so many similar holes around! This is it! This is the lead I was looking for! I redoubled my search. I processed every single nook and cranny, and thought hard on whether there''s something out of place. Wait, that''s¡­ those are vines and roots, aren''t they, at that corner? I ran over to them, and sure enough, I was right. That''s another out of place thing object here! No plants grew at all at the rest of the mine. Only here! This is another sign of magic being used! And then, I linked two and two together. Marina¡ªher affinity is Earth! She likes using Earth spells more than any other element! This is it! This is where she had her fight. Against an opponent so tough that she had to go all out! She''s in trouble after all! And then, I found something that truly disturbed me¡ªa giant hole, going deep down to the earth to the point that I couldn¡¯t see how big it went. At first, it didn¡¯t even register my mind as I thought it to be a natural part of the cave. But then, now that I re-examined it, I realized how odd it was that the hole hadn¡¯t been covered by the miners who worked here. There was only one explanation. This hole was a new one. Wait, this means that¡ª My face turned as white as a ghost. My joy from discovering the clues vanished to the wind, replaced quickly by despair. Marina¡­ she''s¡ª N-no, that can''t¡ª No! No! I don''t want to believe it! I refuse to believe it! "U-uwaaaaaaah!" "I should''ve¡ªI should''ve gone with her! If I had¡­ if I had¡­ then this wouldn''t have happened!" I cried for what must be a good 15 minutes or so, until I could cry no longer. And then, my tears were slowly being replaced with rage. How dare they! How dare they take Marina away! I looked down the hole with my fists clenched. I nearly decided to just jump down there and burn whatever monster responsible for her death until not even their dust remained. But I knew that if she couldn¡¯t handle the monster, that I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it either. I would just be throwing my lives away. And she wouldn''t want that. She would want me to stay alive and live a happy life, even without her. ...Wait, but what if¡­ what if she''s somehow still alive? What if, she''s still down there, alive but unable to escape? The giant molerat might carry her in it''s mouth to be stored for food later, not knowing that she''s still alive! My eyes widened. In a flash, my face was filled with renewed hope. T-that''s right! She must still be alive! She''s Marina after all! Even if she''s outmatched in raw strength, she is smart enough to bide her time to survive! I am such an idiot! What am I crying for? Why have I given up before she has? Without wasting another second, I rushed back to the city. I''ll do it! I''ll form a rescue team to save her right away! I might not be able to do it alone but I can recruit strong adventurers to help me! A-rank! No, S-rank even! I don''t care about the payment! I''ll just use Grandfather''s name again, even if I would get scolded for it! ----------- Haa¡­ haa¡­ I made it... When I returned back to Guild, I nearly collapsed out of exhaustion. But I persevered, knowing that Marina''s life was in my hands. I walked inside the building, and immediately went to the receptionist, pushing aside some elf girl that was standing there. "H-hey! I wasn¡¯t finished yet!¡± "I¡­ I want to put up a quest." I panted, slamming my hands on the table. "Oh, i-it''s you again, Miss Salamander." Noticing who I was, she immediately straightened her posture. "A rescue quest. For Marina Greenwood. She''s taken by a¡ª" "That won¡¯t be necessary." I looked behind me and saw a familiar face. It was Elun. She stood there with her half-taunting smile, walking forward with her staff on her right hand. ¡°Marina Greenwood is fine. She¡¯s not in any mortal danger, like you might have imagined.¡± ¡°R-really? Then where is she? She¡¯s been missing for two days, you know!¡± ¡°Of course she is. She¡¯s currently with¡ªwho¡¯s that hobbit¡¯s name again, Thomas, ah right, yes, Thomas. She¡¯s with him right now, going to his house. Or, to be more exact, his grandmother¡¯s house.¡± ¡°But that can¡¯t be! She hates him after all!¡± ¡°Oh? Is that your impression of her attitude towards him?¡± Her smile turned into a light grin. ¡°Perhaps you don¡¯t know this, being a kid and all, but there¡¯s this thing called ¡®playing hard to get¡¯ that some girls liked to do to boys they are fond of.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not saying that¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m exactly saying that. It seems she might have accepted his proposal after all, or at the very least, started to consider it, to the point that she¡¯s willing to go to his home and meet up with the rest of his family.¡± ¡°T-that¡­ that¡¯s not¡­ that¡¯s not how Marina is!¡± I shouted those words yet even I myself could tell that a clear seed of doubt had now been planted into my mind. Has she really changed her mind? If she is, then why didn¡¯t she tell me? I¡¯m her friend, aren¡¯t I? ¡°I¡¯m glad for the two, really.¡± She continued, now actively playing with the ends of her blue hair. ¡°You know, his grandmother tried to matchmake him with me before. Ha, as if I would ever be interested with a hobbit. He¡¯s a bad mage too, which is all the more reason why I don¡¯t want to be with him. For me, who has mastered many Master-level spells, I would never want to have a husband who can barely cast Advanced-level ones. Your sister gave the same condition too, right? Or rather, your grandfather did, though he set the deadline to be at his graduation?¡± "Y-yeah, I think so¡­" I replied, recalling what my sister told me. "No wonder that old gnome settled on some outsider instead. They tend to not have any pride in their magic after all, unlike us who was born in the Magocracy." I stood silent for a short while, trying to process all the things that she just said. ¡°Y-you¡¯re not lying, aren¡¯t you?¡± I looked up, the warmth of hope slowly overwhelming my chest. ¡°Of course not. What would I gain by doing so? I¡¯m not an ally of the Marjoram house.¡± Her grin returned back to a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been honest with you all this time, no? I told you about your sister¡¯s murderer. And I even told how I was humiliated by her. I wouldn¡¯t tell that to just anyone, you know.¡± She¡¯s right. She¡¯s been honest with me so far. And she¡¯s also honest enough to tell that she¡¯s hiding information for me only because my grandfather ordered her to. ¡°So, rest easy, alright?¡± She walked up to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Your good friend¡¯s only going to be gone for a while. So you go back to the Academy like a good girl and go on with your school life as usual, alright? Take a bath first though. You stink, you know?¡± ¡°H-hey, you don¡¯t have to say that!¡± ----------- Thanks to her, the boulder that had weighed my heart disappeared. I retracted my request of a rescue mission, and returned back to the Academy. Elun, as usual, already sneaked off before I noticed. But I was still not completely calm. There were still some pebbles of worry inside my heart. Is she really with Thomas? What if she¡¯s really lying after all? I went to check on whether Thomas was gone as well, and he indeed wasn¡¯t there. And asking around, he too disappeared yesterday, just like Marina. I asked the teachers as well and they told me not to worry about it, as he indeed went home to his grandmother¡¯s place, just like Elun said. Still, I was still worried, until I got an idea. Oh, I know! I¡¯ll write her a letter! If she replies back, then I¡¯ll be sure 100% that she¡¯s really there alive and well! And so I did, sending it off with the fastest courier available. I still remained in disbelief however, on her decision on giving that hobbit a chance. She never mentioned anything good every time we talked about him, yet all of a sudden, she wanted to know him better like this? Did he do something that actually pleased her, something I didn¡¯t know about? The last time we talked about him was after he did that stunt where he challenged her to a magic duel, only to lose terribly. And Marina expressed her distaste about how he thought he could win over her heart just by strength alone. Was there something off about her then? I turned my head around, trying to remember every little detail of her expression as she recanted her tale. And then, I remembered it¡ªthese words coming from her. ¡°I suppose if I¡¯ll have to applaud him for one thing, it¡¯s his determination, as misguided as it might be.¡± There it is! There¡¯s something she actually likes about him! Don¡¯t tell me that this is the turning point, that this is what makes her decide to give him a chance! Aaarghhh, I¡¯m too young for all this relationship stuff! But if she¡¯s happy, then I¡¯ll be happy too! That¡¯s what friends do after all! So I won¡¯t complain! ------------ Elun Hook, line and sinker. Well, that girl is never that bright in the first place, so this is only to be expected, really. She didn¡¯t even notice one of my sky fishes following her around. An investigation by the Guild of Marina Greenwood¡¯s disappearance would be bad. Highly skilled adventurers would be dispatched, and if any of them have a skilled tracker, they would know that it wasn''t a monster that attacked her. They might even find out that it was a mage who she had a fight with, though I''m pretty sure that old crone is clever enough not to leave any traces of her own spell. That gnome is lucky none of the Council mages have any other male children other than hers available for marriage, or else they might not just turn a blind eye to her scheme. Though thinking about it, he''s the only one available for that. Even Alincia is already taken, and the person herself doesn''t even know it¡ªthat poor girl. I''m glad that Mother isn''t the type to matchmake me with anyone. Well, now I''ll just have to see if they are coming for her. And if they do, I would need to make sure that Alincia doesn''t meet up with them. She''ll definitely go with them if they tell her about the letter. Aah, it''s like I''m playing babysitter to her. Why can''t she be more like her late sister? She might be an unpleasant person but at least she''s sensible. Vol 1 Chapter 42: The Chase Hugo We rode like the wind, barely taking any breaks or rests. I would fall asleep while still on the horse, trusting Mother to keep me from falling off. It was rough, if I were to be honest. My body ached all over, especially my bottom. Thankfully, Mother would periodically use her healing spell to hear said aches, or else I probably wouldn''t be able to walk once the ride was over. As a result, we reached Mira in just a single week. We entered the city in the morning, and naturally, we immediately rode to the academy. We only got off our horses when we were at the gates, with Mother demanding to meet Marina right away. We waited for what felt like an eternity at the waiting room, until the guard returned with a teacher, who told us that Marina was indeed not around. In fact, she hadn''t been around since the last two weeks. "But please, Sir, Madam, do not fret! She simply went with Master Marjoram to his home! She finally accepts his love! Oh, wonderful, isn''t it?" To her, it was just gossip. But to us, it was as if thunder had slapped us on our faces. The letter is right! Marina had indeed gone to that witch''s place! And judging by her reaction, she doesn''t know that Marina didn''t go there willingly. I was holding hope¡­ praying that the letter isn''t speaking the truth. But it is. It absolutely is. Because there''s no way in hell she''ll want to go with him to his house out of the blue! "...Thank you," Mother replied, her smile cold as ice. "His home¡­ where is it?" "Why, on the Uvarsa Mountain, of course! Around twenty days from here if you take a carriage,¡± the teacher explained, still with her cheerful, innocent smile. ¡°Just tell the stagecoach office that you want to get to Rau Uvarsa, the province¡¯s capital. The mountain is right beside it. I suggest you send a letter first though, since you¡¯re not exactly allowed to go to her estate unannounced. Though if you ask me, she¡¯ll be perfectly happy to receive you all unannounced! You¡¯re Marina¡¯s family after all!¡± Mother exchanged looks towards Father and then to me. We three knew exactly what to do next. Before we left though, I remembered something. There was another person here that really cared about Marina the same way we did. And perhaps, if we utilized her connection and stature, we could gain a significant advantage over that witch! ¡°Ma''am," I spoke up for the first time. "Can you call Alincia as well? Alincia Salamander. I heard she''s a good friend of my big sister. I wanna ask if she wants to come along as well." I put up my innocent boy act. "Ah, right, Miss Alincia! Of course! Please wait here for a moment!" She gave a little now before leaving. "Alincia?" Father spoke. "Oh right, that friend of hers. You''re smart, Hugo!" He patted my shoulder with a grin. "If we can get her family on our side, then we won''t have to barge into that witch''s mansion! We won''t have to fight at all!" "I doubt it would be that easy though," Mother spoke, voicing her skepticism with a dark look on her face. "I feel if Vera''s going all the way by doing this, she must have some form of support or at least approval from the rest of the Council. They wouldn''t intervene just because we asked them to." "True enough." Father sighed. "Well, it''s worth a try, at the very least." When the teacher returned however, she only brought bad news. "I''m sorry, but Miss Salamander isn''t here today. She left yesterday, I believe with Miss Brine." "Miss Brine?" My eyebrows rose. "Yes, Miss Elunmidis Brine. She told us that she would be having some one on one training with Miss Salamander, so they would be gone for a week at the very least." "That''s unfortunate. Do you know where they went?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t tell,¡± she replied with a sad tone. ¡°But since Miss Brine also mentioned how they would hunt strong monsters, it¡¯s most likely somewhere quite a number away from here. Only weak monsters exist around here after all.¡± ¡°...I see. Tell her about our visit once she returns if you could, Ma''am." I gave her a polite smile. Elunmidis Brine¡­ that girl Big Sis told me about¡­ ...Oh, she¡¯s part of this, isn¡¯t it? She¡¯s purposefully leading Alincia away from us, so that we can¡¯t ask for her help. Knowing how much Alincia likes Marina, she¡¯ll definitely help us if she tells her the situation. So this really means this entire kidnapping is orchestrated with the approval of the rest of the Council? Or at the very least, Selendia approves of it... ¡°P.S. I wouldn''t suggest trying to negotiate. Every mage in the Council is selfish to the core after all.¡± That letter was right after all. They probably don¡¯t consider anyone below them to have any rights whatsoever, not that this world has a concept of human rights in the first place. "My, of course! What a well-behaved child you are, little one!" She suddenly ruffled my hair, catching me a little off-guard. "Your sister certainly could learn a thing or two from you!" My ears perked up. "What do you mean?" "Well, she''s not rude or anything, but she''s¡­ well¡­ a tad standoffish, for a lack of a better term. She doesn''t get along with the other students, except for Miss Salamander and Master Marjoram. Being serious is good but I feel she''s a little bit too serious, if you catch my drift. N-no offense meant, of course! T-this is just my silly, personal opinion!" She quickly added, clearly not wanting to offend me or Father and Mother. Ah, I think I can imagine what she means. Once Sis decides she doesn''t like someone, it''s really hard to change her mind. From the exiling she gets when Merinda was around, to how now a large chunk of the school thinks she''s an arrogant and uppity person for rejecting that shitty hobbit, no wonder she doesn''t put any effort in knowing anyone else. In that way, she is strikingly similar to my old self. "Well, that''s strange¡­" I spoke up, still putting up my act. "When she''s with me, she''s always kind and warm¡ªnot standoffish in the slightest! She''s a good girl, my sister! I have no doubt about it in the slightest!" I smiled brightly. I knew Marina could look like that from the outside, but as her little brother, I wanted others to receive her friendly warmth and experience her charms as well! Not that hobbit though. That guy can just go to hell for all I care, especially after this whole mess. He must be in cahoot with his grandmother! There¡¯s no doubt about it! ¡°Ooh, how nice! She really must love you a lot, doesn¡¯t she?¡± She smiled, ruffling my hair again. Suddenly, she looked up to Mother and asked, ¡°How old is he, Ma¡¯am? If he¡¯s of age, then we would certainly welcome him as a student in the academy!¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s ten this year,¡± Mother replied, her smile slightly turning more genuine. ¡°I don¡¯t know about him enrolling here though. He always says he wants to be an adventurer instead!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame, Madam! At least let us polish his magic skill first here! If her sister¡¯s that talented, then surely he would share at least some of that talent, yes? He¡¯ll learn so much better here than if he were to learn magic by himself out there! Not to mention that he can help his sister get more friends!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Mother answered, clearly happy of the praises she was showering onto me. ¡°You see, he¡¯s already¡ª¡± ¡°Ahem, we¡¯d better get going now, Renee.¡± Father suddenly interrupted her. At first, I didn¡¯t understand why he did, but I think I now knew why. He didn¡¯t want to tell anyone related to the Magocracy that I was already a Master-level mage when I was still a ten year old boy. Because he knew if they knew, I would suffer the same fate as Marina did. I would be hunted down for my talent, with possibly a girl or even two whose parents were part of the Council throwing themselves at me to become my wife. Or, to be more truthful, I would be hunted by them. I doubt I would keep my Greenwood family name once I got married with them. Ya know, at first, having a harem of girls all wanting to make babies with you might sound nice (I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s a premise for quite a number of harem stories back in my world), but with what¡¯s currently happening to Marina, I know it will turn ugly sooner or later. And I won¡¯t have any freedom in the end. I would just be a puppet for their family essentially. So I have to thank Father for doing that. ---------------- Once we left the Academy, we immediately went to a bookstore to get a map of the region as Father suggested. As I went browsing however, a certain book caught my eye. Hmm? This is¡ª I picked it up, examining the title closer. ¡°The Great Ice Snake Witch, Vera Marjoram, An Autobiography¡± was what it said on the cover. This is a book about her! I immediately opened it. Not because I admired her, certainly not, but because if there¡¯s any info here that we could use to our advantage¡­ ¡°Hey, pay up first, then you can read it.¡± The shopkeeper, a grumpy old man with eyebrows so thick it should''ve covered his eyes, prodded me with his stick from behind. "R-right¡­" No plastic to cover the books like in the bookstores back home, obviously. I paid for the book and map, before going to the restaurant just across the road, whether Father and Mother were waiting. We had our lunch there, while laying down the map on the table to examine what route we should take. ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s only one road we could take to her province. We took the East Gate from here, going northwest to the town of Formatua where we would take the southeastern road, crossing the Kudasjarvo River at the bridge. Once we did, we would already be in her territory.¡± I gulped. She might put her soldiers there to stop us from entering. ¡°Then, we followed the road eastward until we reached Rau Uvarsa. Then we would climb the mountain. We should expect fierce resistance there. Remember, Vera most likely wouldn¡¯t want to alarm the entire Magocracy on what she was doing. To the citizens, the Council could do no wrong.¡± I nodded. So it¡¯s most likely for her to just put all her forces on said mountain, away from the prying eyes of outsiders. ¡°Just like before, we¡¯ll ride non-stop there. Are you okay with that, Hugo?¡± Father asked, looking straight at me. ¡°Of course, Father. I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Also, we¡¯ll purchase winter clothes before we depart.¡± He didn¡¯t need to explain why, of course. Just wait, Sis. I¡¯m coming for you. Just hang in there! --------------- After finishing up our meal, we promptly resumed our frantic ride with the wind. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The teacher said that it would take around twenty days to get there, so we aimed for ten. It was another non-stop ride, with me sitting in front of Mother on her horse. We reached Formatua in merely four days, crossing through the Lazarus Plains. It¡¯s a large stretch of green plains around Mira. We could see farmlands built around the tiny villages we went through on the way, though most of the plains itself were yet to be cultivated. From Formatua, we reached the Kudasjarvo River and Bridge in just a single day. To my pleasant surprise, we weren¡¯t stopped by Vera¡¯s soldiers when we tried to cross. In fact, there wasn¡¯t even a checkpoint. You could go straight to the other side, with only a sign stating that we were entering the Marjoram Province. So if she¡¯s going to stop us, then it would be at that mountain, huh? So not only is she going to be stronger than all of us, she would also have the home advantage. Not good. Not good at all. But what other choice do we have? We have to get Marina back, before it¡¯s too late! After we crossed the bridge, the environment around us changed immediately. The green plains we were in before¡ªthat disappeared completely, replaced by a barren taiga, stretching for miles. And the closer we got to our destination, the colder the temperature dropped. It was as if we were moving to a pleasant subtropic region into a frigid Northern Europe-like one. Heh, how fitting for a region ruled by an ice mage. I do wonder though, how the climate of this fantasy world works. To have a taiga and grassland side by side like this, that can¡¯t be natural. ...Wait, hold on, I think that book I bought at Mira talked about this. Any resting time I got, I would also use to skim through the book, even though most of its contents were just self-aggrandizing nonsense that I couldn''t care less about, and that the facts I found there could just be exaggerations or outright lies. Still, I had to gain as much information as I could on the enemy we were going to face. T-this is¡­ this can¡¯t be real, can it? There, I discovered it¡ªthe part where the book talked about how she turned this whole province into a cold taiga many, many years ago when she had her fight against the previous ruling magic family that she overthrew. They were the Albatross Clan, with their leader being Lana Albatross, a Grandmaster-level Wind mage. Wow, this book¡­ it doesn¡¯t even bother to sound neutral. It actively chastised the Albatrosses, saying that they were weak and they deserved their destruction completely for ¡°stagnating in their magic development, to the point that a complete outsider could beat them¡±. After her victory, to prevent any attempts of ¡°cowardly backstabbing¡±, as the book put it, Vera killed every single Albatross that still lived. I could imagine her doing it with the children too. And there goes my idea of contacting any remaining Albatross to ask for their help too... No wonder Marina is so disgusted by them. Another part I found interesting was how apparently, the Albatrosses were considered as traitors who ¡°secretly want to sell the Magocracy to the Holy Empire¡±. That might explain why the other houses were alright with Vera just overthrowing them with force like that, though knowing the Magocracy¡¯s propaganda, they probably weren¡¯t actual traitors. Maybe sympathizers, who wanted a better relationship between the two nations. I didn¡¯t buy the taiga part though. I mean, no mage could be that powerful, right? It must be just another exaggeration, to make her more amazing that she really is to the populace. If it¡¯s not, well, our already slim chance of winning against her would go down straight to zero, I¡¯m afraid. I also went through the book to see if there was any hint of her fighting style that I could use. But nope, nothing whatsoever. Only stuff like ¡°Woo, she¡¯s a powerful mage that can turn the very air itself into ice!¡± I can already figure that out on my own, thank you very much. There was an info that we actually could use though, and that was the knowledge of her summon. Just like her namesake, she could summon a gigantic front snake to do her bidding. It had freezing cold breath that it could use as an attack, a freezing cold body that could freeze anyone who touched it''s skin for a second, and it would leave ice crystals behind its trail. Well, that''s another hurdle we somehow have to overcome¡­ The ride to Rau Uvarsa took us another four days, making the whole trip only taking nine days (and a half, I guess, since we arrived at dusk). We were even faster than our original prediction. Quaint was a good way to describe the place. It was definitely smaller and less busy than Mira. And a lot of the structures and buildings there looked old. And it didn¡¯t even have a proper wall, as most of it were only remains of what used to be a wall. Well, Vera isn¡¯t big on maintaining her city, it seems. Another thing peculiar to the city was the surprisingly large amount of gnomes we found walking in the streets. I could only guess one reason, and that being Vera, a gnome herself, being the ruler of the province. Maybe they were all immigrants from other countries, wanting to be led by another gnome instead of a human. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but feel weird walking amongst them like this. I was already used to looking upwards to talk with other people, as I was still a kid and all, but now, I could talk to them eye to eye directly just fine. Let¡¯s see¡­ I think that book also talks about this city. It¡¯s her city after all, so it must reflect well on her. Ah, I remember! ¡°The Marjoram Province is ruled wisely by her The Great Witch. Turning the region cold allows its people to cultivate rare herbs and plants that only would grow in such a temperature, increasing the wealth of the region heaps and bounds from when the failure Lana ruled it.¡± As much as I despised it, I had to agree with the book. I did indeed see rows and rows of strange-looking bushes of plants I didn¡¯t know about when we rode here on the road. So they were actually this region¡¯s equivalent to the normal farmlands other, warmer regions had. Just like at the Lazarus Plains though, most of the taiga weren¡¯t really developed. Though I doubt that the transition to a completely different agriculture when she took over was smooth. How many farmlands did she destroy, if she truly was the one responsible for turning the whole region colder? How many farmers did she starve by doing so? We took an inn for the night, with I getting my own room while Father and Mother had their own. Father told me to rest as well as I could, as tomorrow would be our confrontation day with Vera. That night, I didn¡¯t hear a single noise from their room. Vol 1 Chapter 43: Captive Thomas ¡°Grandmother, y-you can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Hmm? Are you trying to say something, my sweet Thomas? You, who have failed miserably at chasing her on your own all this time?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s too cruel to her, is it not?¡± ¡°Cruel? There¡¯s nothing cruel about it! After all, I know you¡¯re going to take care of her just fine. You really do love her, don¡¯t you? Like the love those bards love to sing?¡± ¡°I-I do! B-but still¡­¡± ¡°Silence! I will not hear another word of complaint from you. All you need for you to do is to just stand there as she ate her food. She will look at you and you only as the potion slowly affects her. Even your useless self should manage to do something so simple.¡± -------- It started back when she visited the Academy. After our meeting with Marina¡¯s family, she told me in private that she had a plan to make Marina my wife. At first, I was ecstatic, thinking that finally, I could obtain the girl of my dreams. However, when she told me what her plan was, that excitement turned into horror. It wasn¡¯t that she had some love advice that would finally win her over, but instead she decided to kidnap her and force feed her love potions to make her fall in love with me. I know what the potion did. It wouldn¡¯t be love that Marina felt when she drank it. It would be lust instead. Anyone who drank it would feel increased lust towards the opposite gender he or she first saw after swallowing it. And Grandmother was going to use it until Marina willingly offered herself and her body to me. It was scarily ingenious, just like her. She wasn¡¯t just going to make her down an entire bottle and have the effect be instantaneous. She was going to spike her food and drink slowly, day after day, until her hardened heart would melt against me. Then, I would give her my sweet promises, in which she would accept, and then we would be a couple at last. She didn¡¯t believe in the concept of love, saying that all love was only romanticized lust in the end. But I knew it wasn¡¯t true. Because I had experienced both. I, who was an only child, always craved a sibling ever since I was born. I was lonely, without a single person to play with. Only my Father and Mother, who feared Grandmother more than they loved me, and the servants, who worshipped Grandmother like a goddess. I always feared Grandmother, just like my Father and Mother. I always dreaded whenever they told me that I should go play with her. She would lift me up and caress me with a smile. However, that smile never reached her eyes. And all she ever said was that she wished for me to grow up quickly and become a powerful mage for her. Merinda was the only person from the outside that I had a close contact with. I would visit her in her home sometimes and vice versa. However, it was clear that she had no interest in me whatsoever. She only found it funny that I could never beat her in magic, not even once. I could never like such a sadistic person. Even so, she was pretty. And I was smitten at her. Just for the look, not the personality. I then realized that if I were to get a wife, she had to be the older sister type, just like her. When I was sent to the Academy, I quickly learned of the existence of those places they called brothels¡ªpleasure palaces where lonely men could be comforted by a number of beautiful women who would all adore you and treat you like a king. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And so I went there, and I was immediately hooked by it. I felt so happy, being surrounded by all sorts of wonderful ladies who all loved me unquestioningly and unconditionally. I could even make them pretend to be my older sisters, which gave me great pleasure to be sure. The one thing I could be grateful to Grandmother was that she gave me a generous amount of allowance every month, so money was never a problem. But then, Merinda died, and Grandmother told me to chase after a different girl altogether. And that girl was Marina. At first, I didn¡¯t like her that much. I thought she was too cold for my taste. So I was just flirting with her because Grandmother told me to, using my boyish charms that she apparently liked, as Alincia had spread the rumors of her having a brother complex behind that cold demeanor. But then, I actually fell in love with her. The real kind of love, not just the lust I had for those prostitutes I frequented. I wanted to be accepted by her. And yet, she only grew colder and colder. I even braved myself to confess, yet she wasn¡¯t even budged by my genuine display of emotion. I challenged her to a duel, fully knowing that I was outclassed, just because I hoped she would see my brave and gallant side. And yet, it only ended with her calling me a fool. What was I doing wrong? Why couldn¡¯t she ever like me? At the very least, please smile at me, if you can¡¯t give me your love. And then, that despair, even if just for a little bit, turned into hatred. Combined with my fear towards Grandmother, it made me stop myself from telling her about Grandmother¡¯s plan. In retrospect, perhaps if I had told her, it would be the act that finally allowed her to see me as more than just a nuisance. But it¡¯s too late now. She¡¯s already here, inside Grandmother¡¯s mansion¡ªa captive, fully under her mercy. Even if I was somehow brave enough to aid her escape, which I certainly wasn¡¯t, it would never work. She¡¯s too good of a mage for that. It would only end with her punishing me severely, and perhaps even Father and Mother too. I¡¯m sorry, Marina¡­ But the only future you have is with me. As my wife. --------- Marina ¡°Please, Marina, you have to eat.¡± It was him again. That hobbit. He held another tray of food with him. It seemed it was his duty to bring me food and water. I refused to eat or drink any of them though. Not because I wasn¡¯t hungry or thirsty, but because I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to not expect it to be spiked by something. I just let the tray remain on the table beside me, untouched. This was the second day, and I certainly could feel my parched throat and hear the sound of my empty stomach. ¡°I will not,¡± I told him. ¡°I don¡¯t put anything in them, if you¡¯re worried about that.¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m foolish enough to believe that?¡± He paused, averting his gaze. Yep, there¡¯s definitely something in them. ¡°You¡¯ll get sick if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re the one who wants me alive after all, to be your wife.¡± I gave a resentful grin. ¡°I-it¡¯s not me! I-it¡¯s all Grandmother¡¯s plan! I-I was forced into this, just like you!¡± ¡°Hoo¡­ how convenient¡­ so you say you actually don¡¯t want to see me like this¡­ so why don¡¯t you help me escape then?¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t do that! Grandmother will punish me if I do!¡± I laughed¡ªa hollow and lifeless one. ¡°What a joke of a man you are! You¡¯re scared! Ever since you were born, you are always scared! Scared of her! It¡¯s not just me who¡¯s her captive! You are as well!¡± I was usually not like this. But every time he appeared, it truly disgusted me that he thought he still could win over me by playing up his innocent act. ¡°You¡¯ve met Hugo, right? My dear little brother? He¡¯s younger than you and yet he¡¯s twice the man that you will ever be!¡± ¡°S-stop it! I-it¡¯s not like I¡ª¡± ¡°Like what? You¡¯re a coward through and through! You¡¯ll never be able to be like him! You think if he¡¯s in your position, he will still obey your vile grandmother? Not in a million years! I¡¯m sure of that completely! Without a single grain of doubt in my heart!¡± ¡°Shut up! SHUT. UP!¡± To my genuine surprise, he actually yelled at me. ¡°You don¡¯t know how hard it is to live with Grandmother all these years! He doesn¡¯t know either! You two are lucky! You have a loving father and mother to raise you! Mine is just another puppet of hers!¡± He was still yelling, yet he started to tear up at the same time. ...This is good. This means I¡¯m getting closer to his real self. ¡°Ah, self pity! That¡¯s another thing you¡¯re good at!¡± I continued my assault. ¡°You want to know the reason why I never liked you? It¡¯s exactly this! You¡¯re a weak little hobbit, Thomas! Not just in magic, but mentally as well! You said you don¡¯t like your parents being Vera¡¯s puppet! Yet you¡¯re just like them! If you¡¯re really a man, then cut off those strings and free yourself from her!¡± KLANG The sound of steel clashing with the floor filled the room. In his anger, he actually threw his tray to the floor. ¡°You¡ªyou¡¯re horrible!¡± With a loud bang, he ran away, slamming the door behind him. ...Hmm¡­ did I overdo it, I wonder? Well, now my suspicion is confirmed. He doesn¡¯t really like his grandmother that much. He can be my key to escape this place. ------------- Thomas W-why? Why did she have to say all of that? I-I¡¯m not weak! A-and even if I am, I-I¡¯m not the one to blame! It¡¯s Grandmother! A-and Father and Mother too! I¡¯m the victim here! ¡°How did it go? Did you manage to get her to break her fast?¡± Before I knew it, my feet already took me to Grandmother¡¯s throne room. It was a large room on the second floor, decorated with all sorts of objects that reminded you that she was indeed the ice witch herself in the flesh. The throne was made out of pure, sculptured ice, and there was snow falling in the room, from the tall ceiling. Ice crystals were placed to the sides, and the floor itself was also made out of ice, though it wasn¡¯t slippery in the slightest. Between her were two tall ice sculptures of snakes, baring its fangs towards me. She sat on her throne in her usual manner, casual and not like a prim and proper queen in the slightest. Since it was so large, she could use it as if it was a couch, with her shoulder resting on one of the hand rests and her feet resting on the other. ¡°N-no, Grandmother. She still refused to. S-she even threw the tray I gave to the floor.¡± I lied. I couldn¡¯t tell her that I was the one who did it. ¡°Aah, what a useless grandson you are. Do I have to do everything for you? Three days and she would die from thirst, you know. And then you won¡¯t have your lovely wife.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sure she would come around before then!¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s just hope so. That girl really is a piece of work. Never before I¡¯ve seen such a defiant young lady like her.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll break her, sooner or later. No one is going to come to save her. And even if somehow they knew of our plan, they wouldn¡¯t survive my mountain guards. Already told your Father and Mother to stand guard for any intruders, though I also told them not to kill them immediately. Because I certainly would want to have a chat with them. After all, I¡¯d rather not kill her family if I could.¡± ¡°G-Grandmother thinks her family would come?¡± ¡°...Well, there¡¯s a slim but existing chance that one of my dear friends at the Council would decide to ¡®leak¡¯ the information to them. Especially that Brine woman. Can¡¯t you believe how many snide remarks she directed to me lately?¡± She huffed. Grandmother never really got along with the other Council members that well. She often complained about them to anyone who would hear. ¡°T-that¡¯s really bad, isn¡¯t it?¡± I replied, imagining that entire family suddenly barging in through the front door. ¡°Hmm? Of course not. It¡¯s just a minor inconvenience at best. Even if they might be ex S-rank adventurers, they¡¯re not match against a Grandmaster-level mage like myself.¡± ¡°B-but Father and Mother¡­¡± ¡°Hmph, if they can¡¯t take on just a pair of S-ranked adventurers, then they don¡¯t deserve to be the leaders of my mountain guards in the first place.¡± And with that, our discussion was over. I was dismissed, to wait until it was lunchtime¡ªto deliver food to Marina yet again. ------------- Marina Today is the fourth day I¡¯ve been captive. I am now too thirsty to even speak. And I am weakened by hunger as well. It seemed the poison Vera used to sap me from my magic lasted for quite the long time. Not that it would matter since she could just force me to drink another dose at her convenience. I spent my time sleeping as much as I could to conserve my energy. I would dream of home, of Father and Mother¡¯s warmth, of little Erika¡¯s laughter, and most of all, of Hugo¡¯s smile. I tried to influence Thomas with my words, but it seemed he had decided to shut off my speech from his ears completely. Maybe I went too far after all. And now, I couldn¡¯t even speak any longer. ...Ah, the door opened. I suppose it¡¯s time for breakfast already. ¡°Marina, I¡¯m going to feed you, whether you want to or not.¡± I turned around and saw him again, standing with a worried look on his face as he put down the tray on the table. ¡°I may be weak, but I still have some strength to knock off your spoon with my hand if you think of force feeding me,¡± I stated, forcing a weak grin. ¡°I¡¯m sure of that,¡± he replied with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re a really strong person after all, Marina. That¡¯s another part of you that I love.¡± ¡°And so, I¡¯m sorry that I have to do this.¡± ¡°G-gaahh!¡± Before I could react, he pressed what looked to be a palm-sized ice crystal into my chest. I froze. My body¡­ I¡¯ve lost control of it completely. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just temporary. Just so I can feed you,¡± he said, still keeping that wry smile of his. I could only move my eyeballs in fear as he began by pouring the water in the glass into my mouth. I had no choice. I had to swallow it all down or else I would choke. My opened mouth was also frozen. ¡°There! All better, right? Now, I¡¯ll help you with the soup. My grandmother might be an ice mage, but she¡¯s proud of our cook¡¯s warm chicken soup! So you¡¯re eating her favorite food right now!¡± I tried to spit it out but just like before, he poured so much of it that I had no choice but to swallow it yet again. ¡°There you go!¡± He clapped his hands once I had drunk and ate it all. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll take my leave. Don¡¯t worry. Grandmother says that the spell would thaw just around half an hour later.¡± I could only give him a hateful glare as he left the room. And thus, he was given a way to ensure that I wouldn¡¯t just kill myself through dehydration or starvation. I had expected this, really. A mage at her caliber should know how to do things like this. I could vomit it once the spell ran out, but I knew there would be no use doing so, as whatever poison it had would have been absorbed by my body already. Since today, using this method, he would ensure that I ate three times a day. ---------------- Thomas Oooh, I think she hates me even more now for doing that to her¡­ But, just like Grandmother instructed, I have to put on my warmest, brightest smile as I feed her, so that the effect of the love potion would act better. She says that she would remember my cute smile, and her heart would thaw quicker. She¡¯ll finally stop acting so cold towards me. She might even smile at me, like she would smile at her little brother. And then, she will fall for me, and I would accept her with open arms. We would be married, and I would make her the happiest girl in the whole world! ...I¡¯m sorry, Marina, but you would just have to bear it for a little longer. This is for your own good too. Grandmother might be scary, but she always provides to those loyal to her. We will have our own mansion, with butlers and maids. You can have all the jewelry you want. I can just imagine how beautiful you will look with a diamond necklace around your neck! And of course, you might just end up replacing Grandmother once she retires! You¡¯re really good at magic after all! You can carry the Marjoram name and become a respected and revered member of the Council! What greater joy can there be, to be such a powerful figure? Your name will be jotted down in the history of the Magocracy itself! Naturally, if you want your family to come along, then they could come along as well. They can stay in our mansion, or they can have their own. It all depends on what you want, my dear! So please, just bear it! Just bear it for a little bit longer! Before you know it, your stubbornness will disappear and you¡¯ll realize how much smarter and wiser it is to go with Grandmother¡¯s plan! Everyone will be happier in the end! Just a little more¡­ just a little more¡­ Vol 1 Chapter 44: Time Limit Hugo The next morning, as usual, we gathered downstairs to have our breakfast. Only for me to be completely blindsided by what I was seeing W-whoa... Well, this is¡­ different¡­ Father and Mother were no longer in their usual outfits. Instead, they were wearing what looked to be their adventuring outfits instead, maybe even the very same outfits they used to wear. This image change¡­ Father''s isn''t that big but Mother''s¡­ She was wearing what very much looked like the stereotypical white mage / cleric outfit. Her robe was a mixture of white and blue, with a black underdress underneath that ended at her upper thigh. She also wore a pair of white thighhigh boots¡ªthat totally didn''t draw attention to her exposed upper thigh at all¡ªalong with a white and blue priestly headdress. The most noticeable change however was her hair. It was fully let down to her waist, not tied in a bun like usual. So this is how Mother looks when she was still an adventurer¡­ Wow, no wonder Father fell for her! She''s gorgeous! N-not that she isn''t already before, of course¡­ "So, Hugo, how does your mother look?" she asked with a slight blush. "It''s really been a long time since I last wore these. I was afraid they wouldn''t fit me anymore to be honest. And they''re indeed a bit tight in certain places¡­" Ah, I can see that for sure. Her breasts were practically bursting¡ªher dress not really able to accommodate their size. And I could see the outline of her butt on the back of the dress as well. "Don''t worry, Mom! I think it suits you perfectly!" I replied with a smile. I glanced at Father and he gave me a look that said, "Good job, Hugo!" "Hehe, I''m happy to hear that!" She giggled, rubbing the top of my head. And then, all of a sudden, her smile disappeared. "Do you know why we''re wearing our old adventurer days clothes back, Hugo?" She asked, now with a completely serious look on her face. ¡°...Because this is a life and death mission, isn¡¯t it, Mother?¡± I replied. ¡°We¡¯re up again one of the top mages of the Magocracy after all.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Father stepped in, also with a deathly serious look. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest with you, Hugo. This is going to be the toughest opponent we ever face. A Grandmaster-level mage like her¡­ she surpasses any S-rank monsters we have ever fought for sure.¡± He then let out a dry chuckle. ¡°What a mess we¡¯re in. To think that we have to go back doing something like this when we¡¯re already retired for a good fifteen years. I thought our life and death days were over. Apparently not.¡± ¡°...If only Myrilla is here¡­¡± Mother spoke, suddenly looking melancholic. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped, can it? She must already be back in the Demon Continent right now. There¡¯s only two of us. Well, and our genius son, Hugo.¡± He smiled, patting me on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re just ten and you already reached Master-level. That¡¯s even faster than your big sister!¡± I shook my head. "It''s only thanks to her that I can get this far, Father. She''s my teacher after all." Yet another reason why I have to save her. ----- After breakfast, we returned back to Father''s room to have our strategy meeting. ¡°Alright, let''s review the situation. First of all, what is our goal?" Father opened. "To save Big Sis, of course!" I answered readily. "And the best way to do that is?" "We snatch her without Vera noticing and then run away as fast as we can." ¡°Good. So you understand that this would ideally be a stealth mission. We won¡¯t be confronting her or any of her guards if not necessary.¡± ¡°From what your book told about her, we would be outclassed if we have to fight her,¡± Mother joined in. ¡°So a nonviolent approach would be the best to be sure.¡± ¡°You¡¯re alright with that, Hugo? You don¡¯t want to take revenge on Vera or her grandson for what they did to Marina?¡± Father then asked. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m alright with that,¡± I answered. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m angry at them, but Big Sis¡¯ safety and our safety are far more important than any revenge.¡± ¡°Good. Keep that calmness on your head and we¡¯ll go through this just fine.¡± Unlike a lot of those protagonists who got transported or reincarnated into a fantasy world, I don¡¯t have any overpowered abilities that will allow me to just win against anything and anyone. Sure, I might be a genius at magic, being a Master at just ten, but I¡¯m still nothing compared to Vera, who¡¯s on a tier on her own above mine. As much as I hate it, I have to calm my raging heart and do as Father says. ¡°So, let¡¯s talk about the mountain we¡¯re going to climb today,¡± Father continued. ¡°There¡¯s no map of it since it¡¯s Vera¡¯s private property, but from what I¡¯ve asked the locals, there¡¯s only one road that you could take to reach her mansion at the top. Well, two, if you count the road from Mau Uvarsa, the town at the other side of the mountain. But obviously, we can¡¯t take that route without spending two more days on the road. The two roads are pretty much the same anyways¡ªlong, narrow ones with tall cliffs on each side. That means the risk of avalanches is high, especially if she¡¯s going to have mage guards who can just send all that snow on top of our head.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t have to worry much about that,¡± Mother interjected. ¡°If it¡¯s just an avalanche, I can protect us all with my Barrier spell. What worries me more is said mage guards. What did your book say about them again, Hugo?¡± ¡°They are at least Advanced-level mages, with higher ranking ones being Master-level,¡± I answered with a grim look. ¡°Gah, if only that book says how many there are.¡± ¡°Naturally, such sensitive information would be kept away from the public eye,¡± Mother interjected. ¡°We can just hope that the majority of her guards would only be Advanced-level mages. I believe we can fight against them quite easily. Right, Alan?¡± ¡°Yep! Not to brag but mere Advanced-level mages are no match against me and my greatsword. I¡¯ll cut them all before they can even cast their spells,¡± he said with a confident grin. Cut them all though? So killing them, pretty much. ¡°...Oh, right, Hugo, you never killed a person before.¡± Like a good mother, Renee immediately took notice of the shift in my expression. She then came to me and put her hands on my shoulders, kneeling down as she looked me right in the eyes. ¡°Can you do it, Hugo? Can you fire your spells, knowing that you will end another person¡¯s life with it? Their hopes, their dreams, all disappearing with a single strike? Not to mention the sadness you will bring to their loved ones?¡± ...I know what she¡¯s doing. She¡¯s testing my resolve, isn¡¯t she? ¡°If not, then we can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mother. I can do it. I¡¯ll do it if it¡¯s for Big Sis¡¯ sake.¡± Even though I used to live in a peaceful country, I wouldn¡¯t call myself a pacifist. I believed in the maxim that if someone hit you, you have the right to hit them back. And now, in this world, it wouldn¡¯t be strange in the slightest to take someone else¡¯s life. Just like how in those RPGs, you can kill hordes of bandits and the like with no remorse whatsoever, you must be able to do so here as well if you¡¯re going to survive as an adventurer. And I can tell¡­ that both Father and Mother had killed people before when they were still adventurers who traveled around the world. And if I am going to become one, I will eventually have to start killing people as well, sooner or later, if I am to protect myself and the people I care about. And that¡¯s exactly what I will do now. I will kill to save Marina. Seeing the determination in my eyes, Mother let out a relieved sigh before standing up. ¡°Very well. You can go with us. I see you are determined enough to do so.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t mistake us by thinking we¡¯re telling you to kill every single person that you find,¡± Father interjected. ¡°If you wish, you can aim for their legs or hands instead, crippling instead of killing. I¡¯ll leave the judgment to you, Hugo. Just don¡¯t be caught off-guard, as a desperate enough opponent could still do your harm even if he¡¯s severely injured.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I won¡¯t.¡± I gave him a reassuring smile. To use my magic to cripple, not to kill. Can I assess the situation well enough to decide which opponent can be left alive and which one cannot? How about a surrendering opponent? How can I trust them that they won¡¯t stab us when our back is turned? ...I do not know. I have never trained for this. But I know that anyone who stands in my way on saving Marina, I will show them no mercy. ------------ Marina A week had passed since my confinement. And I think¡­ I think whatever drug they put in my food is finally showing its effect. Whenever I saw Thomas now, I no longer felt the overwhelming hate and disgust that I used to feel. Instead, I started to feel a little glad every time he came. I refused to show it to him, of course, knowing that it was just a false feeling implanted into me by what''s most likely being some sort of a love potion. I kept my cold expression at all times. At the very least, I was lucky that Vera hadn¡¯t just decided to drug me with a full dose. If she did, I would lose my mind and I would be lusting over her grandson like a dog in heat. And he would happily take my virtue away. What Vera was doing was far more insidious however. I¡¯d read about it in one of my alchemy books¡ªabout how a love potion in low doses fed in a long period of time would eventually make the victim feel genuine desire towards the person feeding them. Their hormones would influence their brain, making them think better of the other person. It¡¯s just like in that one tale about a womanizing bard, who cheated on various girls over and over, and yet they all still wanted him in the end, even after being furiously angry towards him. Fortunately, making a love potion is a relatively difficult matter. The ingredients are rare and the methods are hard to perform. Only a master alchemist could do it. Not that Vera would have any trouble finding one, knowing her position and all. Speaking of her, her grandson had started to attend to me more, sitting beside me, reading me a book. He loved adventuring novels, and he would gallantly voice every character. And, as much as I despised to admit it, he did a great job doing so. He could even voice the female characters well, thanks to his youthful voice. "And thus, Charles and Rosemary live happily ever after! Aaah, what a great romantic ending, isn''t it, Marina?" I didn''t answer. "Now that we''ve finished Charles and The Sword of Fate, we can move on my favorite series! Luca and the¡ª" "You like these books so much, yet you don''t learn anything from them." "...H-huh? What do you mean, Marina?" "Take Charles, for example. Remember how he still insisted to fight against the Demon Lord Gaurus even though his sword tells him that he''s fated to lose? Just because he wants to save his love Rosemary? That''s true bravery, right there. No wonder Rosemary falls for him in the end.¡± ¡°O-oh yes, I love that part!¡± He replied with an excited smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t it so romantic, for him to do¡ª¡± ¡°And yet, you yourself won¡¯t fight against your fate, to be your grandmother¡¯s puppet. If you truly love me, then you would do it. You will fight against her, just like Charles fought against the Demon Lord. Then maybe, I¡¯ll fall for you at last.¡± This was another opportunity that I didn¡¯t intend to squander. This was a race, to see which one of us would change the mind of the other¡ªhim with his love potion and me with my words. He looked away, before replying, ¡°I-I can¡¯t do that¡­ I¡¯m not a hero like Charles¡­¡± ¡°Being a hero is not about strength. It¡¯s about bravery and the will to act.¡± ¡°...N-not fair¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re not being fair, Marina! Your standards for a man are too high!¡± When he turned his head back, he was crying. And immediately I felt a pang of guilt in my heart. ¡°I-I¡¯m trying my best, alright? So please, stop scolding me like that!¡± And with that, he ran away, taking his book with him. This is bad¡­ I¡¯m running out of time¡­ I¡¯m starting to feel pity for him now... At this rate, I won¡¯t be able to berate him properly anymore¡­ ----------- Thomas ¡°Did it work?¡± ¡°Yes, it did work, Grandmother!¡± I replied with a smile. I was back at Grandmother¡¯s throne room, giving my report as usual. And to my relief, she¡¯s smiling as well¡ªthe first time she did towards me after being upset in my lack of progress. ¡°Good! Your cute little hobbit tears¡­ they surely can become a powerful weapon to melt her heart. Even if they¡¯re fake.¡± She smirked. ¡°I-I never thought to make fake tears using water magic! I have you to thank for that, Grandmother!¡± ¡°Of course you don¡¯t. You barely think at all in the first place.¡± I wasn¡¯t even bothered by her insult. I was so happy that her trick had worked. Especially since I got to see Marina¡¯s expression melting, even if it¡¯s just a little! ¡°Alright, Grandmother! I¡¯ll make sure to keep it up! Just like you wanted!¡± ------------ Marina It¡¯s been one week and three days since the start of my captivity. The more the days went, the cuter he became in my eyes. And the more I wanted to just¡­ cuddle with him. Yesterday, he cried yet again when I provoked him. And when it happened, I felt an overwhelming urge to hug him and told him that I was sorry. I had to clench my blanket in order to stop myself. And today, I did the unthinkable. I gave my smile at him. All he did was making a joke, and suddenly, I started giggling. I didn''t even know whether the joke was funny or not. My mind was getting cloudier and cloudier everytime I was with him. Slowly but surely, I''m losing my grip. ----- It''s been one week and five days in captivity. I can''t¡­ I can''t do this any longer. My dreams are now all about him. And not only that, they''re lewd dreams as well, with me kissing him or even rubbing my breasts onto his face. All with a smile on my face. I can''t even resist his food anymore. Just one hurt look, and he won me over. I felt I would die if I were to deny that innocent, precious look. And of course, I can''t scold him either. I tried to do it, but the moment he gave his sad look, the words wouldn''t come out anymore. I''m losing myself. There''s no doubt about it. Should I just surrender? If I forget about everything, Thomas is a cute and lovable sweet hobbit who swears to make me happy. Would it be so bad to have him to cuddle with every night? ...No! D-don''t let him¡­ don''t let¡­ aaarghhh! ----- Two weeks¡­ I think¡­ does it even matter anymore? Father¡­ Mother¡­ please¡­ help me¡­ Hugo¡­ please¡­ embrace your big sister once more¡­ I miss your smile¡­ I miss your scent¡­ I miss your touch¡­ I will fight¡­ right to the end¡­ so please¡­ you are coming, right? You''re not just going to abandon me, right? Please¡­ please come soon¡­ ------- Thomas "G-Grandmother, please help! Marina is acting weird!" As usual, she was sitting on her ice throne at this time of a day. I didn¡¯t know what she was doing there, only that she would nod off and even snore there occasionally. "Hmm?¡± She gave me a bored look. ¡°What do you mean? Haven¡¯t you been telling me that you¡¯re winning her over?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true! But today, she won¡¯t even look at me! She covered herself under her blanket while yelling at me to go away!¡± ¡°Oh? Fascinating,¡± Grandmother replied. She wasn¡¯t even perturbed in the slightest by my news. ¡°I believe it¡¯s her last ditch effort to resist you, my dear.¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes, really. There¡¯s nothing wrong with my potion. In fact, it¡¯s a good sign that she is really losing it. Hah, two weeks are all it takes, huh?¡± She grinned. ¡°It almost makes me want to watch as you make her squeal with pleasure, my dear. I want to watch how her proud face will look once she¡¯s completely infatuated with you.¡± Uuu, her grin is scary as always¡­ ¡°T-then, what should I do, Grandmother?¡± ¡°Why, I think you should¡ª¡± ¡°L-Lady Vera, e-excuse me for barging in!¡± Suddenly, our conversation was rudely interrupted by a young male. Judging by his outfit, he must be one of Grandmother¡¯s mountain guards. He immediately bowed in front of Grandmother¡¯s presence. ¡°I-I have urgent news! T-the intruders you said might come¡­ they have arrived! Now they¡¯re climbing up the mountain to get here!¡± ¡°...So they come after all. Interesting! Very interesting! I assume Lotho and Myrtle are already in position?¡± ¡°Of course, Milady!¡± ¡°Good. Tell them to proceed as planned.¡± After giving another bow, the man left. Grandmother then turned her attention back to me. ¡°Well, Thomas. This would be the perfect opportunity to break her completely. If she were to appear in front of them, telling her undying love to you, then there would be no reason for us to be enemies. You want that, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°O-of course, Grandmother! I want Marina¡¯s family to be able to live happily with her as my wife! She¡¯ll be sad if they¡¯re gone!¡± ¡°Then, get to work. You know what you must do, right? You¡¯ve played with those prostitutes so many times after all.¡± Vol 1 Chapter 45: The Climb Hugo After our strategy meeting, we immediately departed to the mountain. The entrance was located right at the outskirts of the city, so it didn¡¯t take long at all until we reached the gate. As expected, it was closed, and there were a group of mage guards standing right in front of it. Just like we had discussed, we weren¡¯t going to go up to them and ask whether we could be allowed to enter. We very well knew that there was little to no chance that Vera would approve, and it would only alert the rest of her forces of our presence. To the sides were a series of natural sheer cliffs, preventing ordinary folk to opt out of the main road. However, we weren¡¯t ordinary in the slightest.. Cliffs like that, we could climb up with no problem whatsoever. After making sure that we were far away enough From the main entrance, we began our climb. ¡°Barrier! Ramp Mode!¡± Mother lifted her staff, and then, a ramp formed out of the same translucent structure she generated to protect us appeared out of thin air. ¡°Impressed?¡± She giggled a little, looking at my surprised expression. ¡°A barrier isn¡¯t just limited to the usual dome structure, you know. You can use it like this as well.¡± ...That¡¯s a good point. Why can¡¯t you use barrier or force field spells this way in all those RPGs I¡¯ve played? We walked up the ramp with Mother guiding us in the front, lengthening the ramp as we went while retracting it behind us. It didn¡¯t take long until we reached the top of the cliff. ¡°First step complete,¡± Father stated with a smile. ¡°Now, to climb up the mountain for real.¡± ---------- The mountain was expectedly cold as it was covered with snow. Our decision to buy and wear winter clothes was certainly the right one. They weren¡¯t just going to be used to fight Vera. Father warned us to remain vigilant, and try to be as stealthy as possible. It¡¯s hard to do so however, since there are so many spots around where a person could certainly see us from a distance, with us possibly not even noticing. If they wore white robes, they could easily mix in with all the snow around us. Still, we hurried on upwards, taking a route as far away as possible from the main road. Mother would use her barrier spell to help us cross a chasm or go up a cliff, but Father said we shouldn''t use it all the time as she needed to conserve her mana for the possible fight we might have. -------- Lotho and Myrtle Little did Hugo and his family know that they were being watched. By an unassuming, totally normal-looking snow rabbit that blended perfectly with the snow-covered grounds and rocks. The rabbit, after affirming their position and the route they seemed to be taking, immediately hopped away out of their sight range, before transforming back into his human form. And then, he used a different transformation magic to turn into a pigeon before flying away. It was one of the mage scouts whose job were to look for any unwanted vagrants climbing up the mountain. Normally, they would appear in front of said intruders, asking what their business was, but they had been informed that there was a possibility of a pair of powerful adventurers entering illegally. And their explicit orders were not to engage, but to report back to their superior. The scouts were not specialized for battle, but they all were able of transformation magic that allowed them to be practically unnoticeable to the intruder, as well as granting them the ability to pass their report quickly. The pigeon flew to a wooden outpost sitting halfway up the mountain. When he landed, he turned back to his human form, before kneeling to one of said superiors. "Report! The intruders you spoke about, they''re already here!" "And their location?" "Near the Great Ice Gorge, Sir!" "Understood. Thank you for your report. Gather all the men. We''re going to intercept them at once. And of course, send a messenger to Lady Vera to inform her of this intrusion." The man he spoke with was a middle-aged male hobbit, Lotho Marjoram. Even though he was Thomas Marjoram¡¯s father, his features were nothing like him. He was rough-looking with a square jaw and broad shoulders, with only his black hair marking their similarity. As a hobbit, he couldn''t grow any facial hair, with his roughness stemming from the sharp look on his eyes and the scar on his cheek¡ªa scar he got when he fought for his wife, Myrtle. However, contrary to the popular opinion amongst his men, he didn''t wear it with pride. He wore it with fear. There was once a time he was a proud adventuring hobbit. But that era had vanished, even to his own memories. Now, he was just another one of Vera''s loyal puppet. "So they come after all." Approaching behind him with her boots digging through the snow was her lovely wife, Myrtle. Her gnomish features were soft and delicate, a full reminisce of her mother. However, unlike Vera, there''s a constant shadow of fear behind her eyes¡ªfear that he took notice ever since the first time they met. And now, it''s a fear they both shared. "Yes, my dear," he replied softly, though with a grin smile. "So we have to fight them after all?" "Yes, my dear." "There''s no other way, is there?" "No, my dear." ¡­ "Do you think¡ª" "We do not think, my dear. We simply do what she asks of us. After all, it''s for our own good, and our son''s as well." His left hand went around her, wrapping around her waist. "... You''re right. This is for the greater good. They''re fools if they think they can stand against Mother." "Indeed. No one can stand against her. As one of this fair nation''s rulers, she''s an absolute existence. Just two adventurers can never hope to match her, even if they''re a pair of S-ranks." He spoke from experience. He used to think he was a big hotshot, being one of the rare few who could reach such a rank. He thanked Vera every day for showing how foolish he had been. ¡°We shall depart right away. They shall never reach Lady Vera¡¯s halls while we¡¯re still alive.¡± --------- Hugo Two hours had passed since we started our climb. Thanks to Mother¡¯s Ramp Barrier spell, we were making good progress. According to Father¡¯s estimation, we were already halfway up the mountain. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t that tall of a mountain in the first place. We would be screwed if it¡¯s as tall as Mount Everest back home. In front of us was a narrow passage between two towering tall ice cliffs. They were so tall that we couldn¡¯t get a good look on what¡¯s above them. ¡°Father, I don¡¯t think we should go this way.¡± I spoke up. ¡°We can get ambushed very easily in a place like this.¡± It¡¯s just common sense really. I could just imagine a group of ice mages standing on top of those cliffs, just collapsing the entire thing right on top of our heads. ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right. Renee, can you make the steps for us to go up there? I¡¯ll carry you while Hugo can fly on his own using his magic.¡± ¡°Ah, that form, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mother replied with a smile. ¡°Yep. A ramp would be too long and steep. It¡¯d be better if I make it in that form instead.¡± Stepping forward, she raised her staff and declared, ¡°Barrier! Platform Mode!¡± Immediately, a series of translucent square-shaped floors appeared in the middle of the air, going upwards until it reached the top of the cliff. They were not that big, but enough so that an adult could stand safely on top of them without falling. It¡¯s too bad that I am unable to fly them upwards with my wind magic, or else I wouldn¡¯t have to let Mother do all the work. My control wasn¡¯t good enough for that unfortunately, since I was only used to using it on my own light body. Father then grabbed Mother¡¯s waist, before doing a series of tall jumps that must be superhuman. I soon followed using my Wind Step spell. On top of the cliff was only more ice. It seemed we had arrived at a literal field of them. The ground was made out of pure ice. There was no dirt or even snow around. It was truly a pure and unblemished ice field, as far as the eye can see. ¡°Oh dear.¡± Mother spoke first. ¡°Well, this is unfortunate.¡± ¡°This is going to be hard to walk on for sure.¡± Father then stepped onto the ice. ¡°Yep. This is slippery alright. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise for us to walk up here. Our movements are going to be severely hindered.¡± ¡°Tch, if only we had bought ice skates before we went here¡­¡± I grumbled under my breath. But what¡¯s done is done. I can¡¯t turn back the clock on that. Not to mention that I don¡¯t really know how to ice skate in the first place, and Father and Mother probably wouldn¡¯t know it either. We don¡¯t live in a snowy region like this after all. ¡°What should we do then?¡± Mother asked. ¡°Should we turn back and walk through the path from before? I can certainly help our feet get a better grip by conjuring my barrier as a floor but we don¡¯t know how long this ice field would last. I¡¯ll run out of mana doing that,¡± she said with a regretful look on her face. ¡°That¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll take the lower road instead,¡± Father answered. ¡°Though Hugo, occasionally, you will fly upwards with your magic to scout. You¡¯re alright with that?¡± I readily nodded. I don¡¯t like it though. I¡¯m not a claustrophobic person or anything but walking inside a crack in the middle of an ice field, it really feels like a bad idea. We have no choice though. We didn¡¯t have any other routes we could easily turn back to. This was definitely the fastest way to take if we were aiming for the top of the mountain. -------- We traveled inside the crevice for half an hour before suddenly, the weather changed drastically. The blue sky from before disappeared, replaced by a furious snowstorm that covered our sight in pure white. It only started with snow falling, but not even five minutes later, before we knew it, we were in the middle of a full blown snowstorm. "...This is magic. Renee, cover us with your barrier. Now!" "Got it!" The moment she erected it, the snow and cold wind that battered my body disappeared. Her barrier can protect from harsh weather as well, huh? "Keep it up. And prepare for ambush." Father was right. With our severely reduced visibility and hearing, it would be so easy to launch an attack without us noticing. I didn''t see anything the last time I did my scouting though. Even so, I still drew my wand and unsheathed my sword. I wasn''t going to underestimate our current situation. Father did the same thing, taking out his greatsword from his back. We progressed like this for a good while, until¡­ CRACK Hmm? CRACK CRACK That¡¯s¡­ "Renee! Platforms! Now!" Father shouted. Shit shit shit the ice cliffs to our sides are cracking, isn''t it? "Hugo! Fly up! But stay close to me!" Father didn''t hesitate. He immediately grabbed Mother and jumped up as fast as he could using her platforms. CRACK CRACK CRACK Damn it! I can''t see anything in this snowstorm! Thankfully though, it seemed we managed to avoid being buried alive, as judging by the crashing noises, the ice only fell down after we were safely up. Only for us to walk straight into a trap. "Cold Blast!" "Cold Blast!" "Cold Blast!" Numerous amounts of the Advanced-level Ice spell were fired right towards us from all directions. Shit! They''ve been waiting above the ice all this time! "Hugo, duck!" Hearing Father''s yell, I immediately lowered my height, just in time before the swing of his greatsword formed a circular wave that repelled all the fired spells away from us. Any later and my head would''ve been flying off my torso. In fact, I could feel my soul nearly leaving my body as the slash cut a lock of my hair. And the powerful woosh sound it made didn''t help matters either. ...G-gah, I might have dribbled a little from that... I recognized the technique he used to be the same as the one Sherry used to disperse my own Cold Blast. Only far more powerful, as he completely destroyed what must be ten or twenty or even more Cold Blasts fired off simultaneously. "Hugo! Go to the ice!" Using the opening he had made, he took Mother and jumped straight to the edge of the ice cliff, one that was still relatively intact. I quickly followed. And now, being on firm ground, I could start casting other spells than just my Wind Step. "Barrier!" Mother erected the normal barrier back up, not having to keep up the platforms anymore. This snowstorm¡ªI can''t see a thing! I don''t know where to aim my spell! ..Oh right, I can just use that! ¡°Air Sunder!¡± Using the Advanced-level Wind spell, I blew away the snowstorm momentarily, letting me see through it, even if just for a single moment. And that was enough, as I could see five figures nearby, all wearing white. And they were all in the middle of chanting another spell! I have to stop it! ¡°Flame Wall!" Unlike them, I could cast my Advanced-level spell far quicker. So even though they were already Midway through their chants, I managed to launch my spell earlier than them. ¡°Guwaaahhh!¡± They were standing nicely on a line, so my Flame Wall could hit all of them at once. My sense of victory was short-lived however as immediately after, Father shouted, "Renee! Incoming!" Incoming? Incoming wha¡ª A powerful cold spell suddenly rammed right onto Mother¡¯s barrier, visibly making her flinch. ¡°T-this is a Master-level spell!¡± She yelled. ¡°M-my normal Barrier can¡¯t hold!¡± ¡°Hold on! I¡¯ll go get the mage right away! Hugo, protect your Mother!¡± Before I could say anything, he already ran out of the barrier into the snowstorm. Damn it, Dad! I can counter this spell with my own! You don¡¯t need to go out on your own like that! I began charging up the only Master-level spell I knew. My Boom Cannon. A Master-level spell to fight another Master-level one. It only made sense. Aiming at where the waves of frost were coming from, I let my spell loose. ¡°Boom Cannon!¡± With a loud explosive sound, my air cannonball flew, right into frost spell. And immediately, I could tell that my spell had an advantage. It weaved through the frost wave, crashing through any ice and snow like it was nothing¡ªits supersonic speed barely impeded by them. However, I didn¡¯t hear it¡ªthe scream of pain that should come when my spell hit the caster. Did they dodge it? With that speed? I know it¡¯s going slower thanks to the frost, but it¡¯s not that slow! At the very least, I managed to relieve the pressure on Mother¡¯s barrier. ¡°Thunder Strike!¡± ¡°Rock Cannon!¡± ¡°Cold Blast!¡± Or so I thought, before those three Advanced-level spells stroke it simultaneously, destroying the barrier while in its weakened state. It knocked her off balance, making her fall down, thanks to the slippery ice we were standing on not giving any grip to our boots. ¡°Mom!¡± ¡°Hugo, don¡¯t look at me! Look at the follow-up attack!¡± She yelled. H-huh, wha¡ª oh crap!¡± A giant-sized white wolf suddenly appeared out of nowhere and leaped towards me, fully intending to bite my head off with its large jaw. I got no choice! I have to summon those two! Those two, of course, being my two fairy summons. "Yes, Master, I''m here to¡ªuwaahhh!" The mud sprite was more ready than the high fairy, and she promptly formed a sphere of hard mud around herself and the high fairy, protecting themselves from a snap from its jaw. Sorry, you two! But I need you to act as a meat shield for a while! "Flame Strike!" A quick Intermediate-level Fire spell, right at the beast''s eyes. It screamed in pain as my wand torched it like a flamethrower before retreating, spitting the mud ball in the process. "Grrrr!" "Awoooo!" To my horror, there isn''t just one of them. There were at least a dozen of them, surrounding us completely. And they all now rushed towards us, knowing that just one of them wouldn''t be enough. Tch, this is bad! I can''t take them all at once! "High Barrier!" Right before they landed, they were thrown back by a translucent dome that they crashed painfully into. It was Mother. She had recovered, and apparently, while she was down, she was chanting her Master-level Barrier spell under her breath. ¡°Hugo! Now¡¯s your chance! High Barrier will hurt anyone that attacks it in a melee range!¡± She¡¯s right! The wolves are now all prone on the ground, unable to recover right away from their failed attack! This is my chance! ¡°Flame Wall!¡± I created a ring of fire around us that enveloped all the incapacitated wolves before they could escape. And it worked, as I could hear their squeals and yelps of pain as they were being burned alive. They¡¯re most likely snow wolves, so they would be weak to fire. Only after those noises died down that I turned off my spell. W-wait, t-those are¡ª Only to find out that I just killed fifteen people with a single spell. They were transformation mages, and they had turned to those wolves in order to attack us up close and personal. I could only look at horror at their charred, burnt remains. Most of them were gnomes, just like their mistress, with only two being humans. And I just killed them. Ended their lives like it was nothing. My body shook, and I felt I was going to puke right then and there. Before Mother pulled me into a hug from behind, calming me down. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Hugo, it¡¯s alright. You did nothing wrong. You were only defending me after all. And you did it because I told you to as well.¡± S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°You can¡¯t lose it now. There are still enemies nearby. I need you to protect me, my dear.¡± She whispered behind my ear. T-that¡¯s right¡­ what am I thinking? I can¡¯t waver! I¡¯ve sworn to save Marina, even if I have to kill other people to do it! ¡°Good. You¡¯re calming down.¡± I could tell that she was smiling as she said it. ¡°Now, we should go chase after your father.¡± Vol 1 Chapter 46: Cold Death Lotho It¡­ it shouldn¡¯t have gone like this! I thought they would just lose to our ambush right away! If not by the collapsing ice, at the barrage of Cold Blast we sprung on them! To think that the father would be strong enough to deflect all of them like that! He might be a fellow S-rank adventurer, but he¡¯s definitely stronger than me! And now, he¡¯s hunting me down, knowing that I¡¯m the strongest and most dangerous mage around! The plan was to incapacitate them with our ice spells before offering them to Lady Vera! But now, that option clearly has gone out of the window! And my Cold Nova¡­ what was that counter spell? I¡¯ve never seen anything like it! If I had been slower by a millisecond to dodge, I would have my head blown off! I thought they wouldn''t have their mage with them! This ain''t right! This ain''t right at all! ¡­. N-no, I can still do this! I have to do this! O-or else Lady Vera would¡ª His newfound fear for Alan was still unmatched by the deeply rooted fear he had for Vera. He too had climbed this mountain once, thinking foolishly that he was going to snatch his would-to-be-wife away from her mother, who had forced her to return back home. He did it with a party of ten, with the rest being A-rank adventurers. They called themselves the Miracle Company, as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that they were all hobbits, and how hobbits were usually viewed as a weak race by the world, neither strong physically nor magically. For them to reach that rank as adventurers, it could only be a miracle for sure. He met Myrtle when she ran away from the Academy, as back then, she still had some spirit inside her to oppose her mother. She ended up joining their ranks. And it didn¡¯t take long until he started to fancy her. He thought it would be just like any other quest. A difficult one to be sure but not impossible. They would sneak in, grab Myrtle, and then ran away to the Holy Continent where they would be safe from Vera¡¯s reach. Only for him to be completely destroyed by her. She killed his entire party one by one in a sadistic and gruesome way, making their body parts fall one by one from cold as he could only watch in horror, begging for her mercy. But she didn''t¡¯ stop, not until it was only him remaining. It crushed him completely. Knowing that his inevitable death was near, he begged her for a chance to meet her daughter one last time. And that pleased Vera¡ªso much that she decided it would be funny to have him work as her guard and even to marry said daughter. She knew that she had broken him down completely, and that there was not a chance of him turning against her later on. And even if he did, it was nothing that a mage of her caliber couldn¡¯t handle. From that tragedy, Vera also broke her own daughter, ensuring that any disobedience against her will would only be met with suffering and death. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Myrtle! Stop the snowstorm! We don''t need it anymore! We have to fight the father together, while he''s separated from the mother!" He shouted. Not directly, of course, as he wouldn¡¯t want the information to be relayed to the father as well. He used a special spell that allowed him to send his voice through the snowstorm only to the intended recipient. Of course, it wasn¡¯t him or her who invented said spell. It was Vera, and she graciously decided to teach it to them. ¡°Got it!¡± she replied. His wife was the one responsible for the sudden change in weather. She used her Master-level Ice spell, Snowstorm, to perform such a feat. We still have an advantage! We are used to moving around on this ice while he isn''t! If he loses his balance, then that''s an opening we can use! Not to mention that we can see through this snowstorm thanks to our training, while he can''t! He knew however once the snowstorm stopped, him and her would be vulnerable to the father¡¯s ranged attacks. They would have to use that short moment where the snowstorm hadn''t quite dissipated yet to launch a surprise two-pronged attack. There he is! He''s over there, running towards me! He immediately retreated, just in time to dodge his vertical sword swing that left a large gash on the ice where he once stood. "O spirits of ice! Freeze my enemies to their bones! Cold Blast!" He didn''t intend to really harm him with it. He only wanted to draw him in towards his direction, away from his wife. His spell never landed, as expected. The brute of a man cut through it like it was nothing. But it was enough to give him his location. Good! He''s heading this way! Come on, Myrtle! Where''s your Cold Nova? He''s waiting for his wife''s attack, hoping that the father would be blindsided by it. Then, he could start to chant his own Cold Nova, to finish him off. He fired off a couple more Cold Blasts, dodging out of his swings as well. He always had pride over his exceptional agility. And then, it finally happened. Right as the father launched another slashing attack, a wave of cold moved towards him at high speed from the back. He immediately turned around to repel it, but he wasn''t fast enough to perform another swing. Instead, he''s only capable of blocking it using his greatsword. This is it! This is my chance! "O spirits of ice! Grant me your strength! Envelop my enemies with your cold embrace! Wrap them in ice and snow and deliver to them a freezing grave! Shatter them and break them like the foolish beings they are! Cold Nova!" He fired off his own spell. And Alan, with half of his body being frozen, and the other half going that way soon enough, could not dodge in the slightest. We won! We¡ª SPLAT He didn''t see it coming. Not in the slightest. His head disappeared, obliterated into tiny, bloody chunks as Hugo''s Boom Cannon crashed into it. He fell to the icy ground¡ªa gory, yet painless, instantaneous death. ---------- Myrtle She didn¡¯t realize her husband¡¯s death until a few seconds later, where she gave a glance to where he stood. And when she did, she screamed his name, so loudly that it could pierce through the loudness of the dying snowstorm. And then, she too received a quick and painless death, as Hugo¡¯s second Boom Cannon pierced her torso. She fell to the ground, just like her husband did. ---------- Hugo I-I did it! I saved Father! I took down the two mages attacking him! It was truly a gamble. I had to use the bright light produced by their spell to estimate where their location could be. But I had no other choice. If I hadn¡¯t done that, Father would¡¯ve died for sure, with his inner organs being frozen, especially his heart and his brain. And I did. I took them both down, each with a single spell. Mother is now rushing to his place so she can heal his wounds. I¡¯ve no doubt that she will be able to. But that scream¡­ that came from one of them, didn¡¯t it? The snowstorm soon disappeared, revealing back the clear blue skies above us. And then, I could see the true extent of what I had just done. A man, or a hobbit rather, laid down on the ice on the pool of his own blood, decapitated, with his head nowhere to be found. Gory chunks were spread away from him, with some that I could identify as bits and pieces of hobbit brain. And then, a woman, a gnomish one, with a large gaping hole on her torso, also laying down on her own blood, with her own gory chunks of her inner organs spread near her. It didn¡¯t take me long to realize that I might just have killed a pair of lovers, with the female being killed last, thus the scream of anguish she let out. ...W-what have I¡­ what have I done? My whole body shook again, and this time, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from retching a couple of times before puking my breakfast entirely. I fell to my knees, tears falling down my face. I curled down like a ball, shaking furiously as if I was having a high fever. Scorching those people from before was one thing, but this¡­ I could clearly see how they looked before they died, and the gory mess I had created through my spell. When Mother picked me up and embraced me, I cried like Erika would cry¡ªa loud and absolutely pathetic cry. ¡°U-uwaaaaahhh!¡± I knew this was an unsightly display. I knew that I was breaking my promise to Father and Mother that I could take a life without hesitation. But I was never a strong person. I flinched at the sight of blood. I had to force myself to hug Sherry when she bathed herself in monster blood that one time. I wasn¡¯t like her, who could probably kill without hesitation if the enemy threatened those she cared about. I wasn¡¯t like Marina either, who could most likely keep herself calm in a situation like this, separating her emotions from the battlefield. I was just myself, a failure from another world who only got this far because he had to force himself to try his best every day. Mother didn¡¯t say anything. She just rubbed my back gently as she let me wet her robes with my tears. ----------------- Thomas "M-Marina?" Slowly, I opened the door to her room. She was still in the same position from before, looking away from me while her blanket covered her head. Should I tell her that her family is coming to see her? But Grandmother told me not to¡­ "Marina, I''m coming in, alright." "Go away!" There she goes again, yelling at me like that. Time to use my fake tears again, I suppose. "M-Marina, why are you so angry at me? D-did I do anything wrong?" I made sure my voice shook, while applying my water magic at my face. "GO! AWAY!" "M-Marina! Please!" I walked up to her and put my hands on her shoulders. Only for her to suddenly retaliate by scratching my eyes with her long nails. "O-owww! W-what was that for?" "Leave! I don''t want to see anyone!" She quickly turned her back at me again. I thought of leaving, not wanting her to end up scratching me again. But I remembered what Grandmother said, that this was just her being stubborn, and that I should push until she surrendered. That''s it! I should just hug her! Then she shouldn¡¯t be able to resist me any longer! With a nervous gulp, I approached her once again. But this time, I didn''t hesitate. I jumped straight into her bed, wrapping my arms around her, before giving a nice firm grope on her soft, lovely breasts. "Hehe, don''t be so grumpy, Big Si¡ªguwaarghh! Gah!" She-she hit me in the stomach with her elbow! A-and she pushed off the bed! Uuuu, my face hurts¡­ "Get your filthy hands off me!" I slowly stood up, still rubbing my tender face that just hit the hard floor. D-damn it! My nose is now bleeding! Why isn''t she surrendering? Those girls always said that my groping skills are second to none! I have no choice! I have to retreat for now! Uuurghh, this sucks¡­ --------- After that, I got one of the maids to have a look on my nose, enjoying the close-up view of her large breasts as she bent forward to take a look at it. ¡°This is no big deal, Young Master. Look, the blood has already stopped leaking.¡± ¡°But it hurts so much¡­ Can you make it hurt less?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use healing magic, Young Master.¡± Her name was Veronica, and I suppose you could call her my personal maid. She was the one to take care of me when Mother couldn¡¯t in the past, though lately, since I had to go to the Academy, she had stopped being my maid, reassigned by Grandmother to be a general maid instead. She was in her forties, but she certainly didn¡¯t look like it. She was still as pretty as ever, with black hair that was tied to a bun and a pair of bountiful breasts that any breast-loving men (like me) would die for. If only she would stop being so cold, she would even be prettier. She had always been like this as long as I knew her. I used to wish to make her my friend, but every time she would put a distance between us, telling me that she was just a maid while I was an honored member of the Marjoram family. I believed it was just an excuse though. I felt she always just disliked me, for some reason. ¡°Veronica, how should a man win over a girl that doesn¡¯t like him?¡± There. I asked her. Maybe she could give me some advice on how to deal with Marina. ¡°Are you talking about that guest, Young Master?¡± ¡°Yes, I am,¡± I replied with a sigh. ¡°Even with Grandmother¡¯s love potion, I still can¡¯t make her accept me.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She pursed her lips for a moment before answering. ¡°What did Lady Vera say?¡± ¡°Grandmother said that I should just push forward with her. But when I did, I got this bloody nose instead¡­¡± "Hmm¡­" She put a finger on her lips. "Have you tried kissing her?" "Kissing?" "Yes. It''s the best way to convey your feelings to her." "Really? Ooh, why didn''t I think of that? Of course a kiss would be the best way! Just like in those stories where the hero forcefully kisses the stubborn heroine! Thank you, Veronica!" I gave her a hug. Unfortunately, I could only reach up to her waist, so no burying my face on her soft chest. Although, I could only give her butt a firm squeeze. "Then, since I am no longer needed, I shall return to my other duties." She released herself from my grip before walking off. Tch, how boring. She''s always like that! Never reacts to my touch whatsoever! ----------- After washing and cleaning up my nose, I went back to Marina. This time, I''m going to just go straight for the kiss! I decided not to alert her of my entrance, sneaking in as silently as I could. I''m a hobbit after all, so I should be good at this kind of stuff. "A-ahnn¡­" Wait, what is she doing? "Ahnnn, hyaannnn..." Those lewd moans¡­ and those movements under her sheet... S-she''s¡­ she''s¡­ "H-Hugo¡­ Hugo! Aahnnnn, Hugo!" ...E-eh? S-she''s not doing it to me. But rather, to her little brother? W-why? B-But the potion¡­ the potion should¡ª" "Aaahh, I-I''m coming, Hugo!" And then, a long relieved sigh escaped her lips. "U-uwaah, Grandmother!" I slammed the door shut, unable to accept what I just saw. I ran straight upstairs to tell what I just saw to her. W-why him? Why wasn''t it me she masturbates to? T-this doesn''t make any sense! I-it''s not fair. Why can''t it be me instead?! Before I could reach the throne room however, I found her walking down the great hall with her staff in hand. "Oh, good timing." She smiled. "Tell the servants to evacuate the premises. You too. Go with them to Mau Uvarsa.¡± ¡°W-wait, what do you mean, Grandmother?¡± ¡°Your father and mother failed. Our little Marina¡¯s family is still coming over here to get her.¡± ¡°F-failed? You mean they¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, they unfortunately perished in combat. I thought they would be stronger than that, but apparently not. So now I have to be the one to do the dirty work.¡± ¡°P-perished?¡± A look of horror crept into my face. ¡°Y-you mean, they¡¯re¡ª¡± ¡°Stop stuttering, boy! You¡¯re starting to annoy me!¡± She slapped me with her staff, sending me to the ground. ¡°Yes, they¡¯re dead. And you¡¯ll suffer the same fate if you don¡¯t do as I say! I¡¯m going to go all out with my magic. You know what that means, right?¡± ¡°D-dead? Father and Mo¡ªugaahhh!¡± She slapped me again with her staff. ¡°And Marina, I¡¯ll take care of her, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll freeze her in my special ice so she wouldn¡¯t be hurt even if I went on a rampage with my spells.¡± ¡°A-alright then, Grandmother. ¡° I stood up. ¡°I-I¡¯ll tell Veronica and the others to leave the mountain at once. But my Father and Mother, can you tell me what hap¡ª Gwahh!¡± I fell over once again, clutching the spot at my stomach she just stabbed with the bottom of her staff. ¡°Stupid, useless boy. You¡¯re just as worthless as the corpses of your father and mother.¡± I could only watch as she walked past me, treating me like I wasn¡¯t even there. There was not a single tear on her face, even though her own daughter had just been killed. In fact, once her conversation with me was over, she was smiling. S-she never¡­ she never really loves me or my mother and father, does she? My tears started to fall again. But I quickly collected myself, wiping them with my sleeves. We had to leave. I never saw Grandmother actually fighting with all her power, but I had heard enough from my father. She really could kill us without her intending to do it. --------- Vera Aah, what a mess this turns out to be¡­ Those two aren¡¯t good enough for the job after all. Now I have to be the one to do it myself. I¡¯m glad I decided to send off that fairy to look at the situation, even though she arrived when the fighting was already over. Too bad. I would certainly love a more detailed description on how those two fought. Not that I¡¯ll need it of course. I already know the father is the offensive swordsman type while the mother is the defensive cleric type. That just leaves the son. Yep, from what Alyssum told me, they actually had another person with them. And it¡¯s their ten year old kid! Ha, I imagine no adventurer is insane enough to accept their request to fight against me, so they have to settle with their dear little boy. Most likely, he¡¯s covering for their missing mage member.. Even if I assume that he¡¯s just as a genius as his dear big sister is, at best, he might have a single Master-level spell under his belt. Hmm, if he really does, then I will like to get my hands on him as well. I¡¯ll need to break his will first though. Maybe by killing off his parents? Oh, I can do it in front of Marina as well! Two birds with one stone! Oh, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯m having this much fun. Vol 1 Chapter 47: The Ice Witch Marina I had to fight it¡­ I had to fight it! I had to fight this overwhelming, burning urge inside me! "M-Marina?" There he comes! Don''t look at him! Don''t listen to him! Don''t talk to him!" "Marina, I''m coming in, alright." "Go away!" "M-Marina, why are you so angry at me? D-did I do anything wrong?" "GO! AWAY!" "Marina! Please!" At this point, my entire body was shaking. I could hear his voice shuddering. He''s probably crying right now. I knew that if I saw him tearing up, I wouldn''t be able to resist anymore. So I had to look away. And cover my ears as much as I could as well. I want to comfort him¡­ I want to comfort him so bad! I want to hug him, cuddle him, and tell him that it''s alright and that I''m sorry. And then, I felt his touch on my shoulder. I gasped. In a split second, I retaliated, scratching his eyes with my nails. They were long, thanks to not being able to clip my fingernails all this time. "O-owww! W-what was that for?" "Leave! I don''t want to see anyone!" That touch¡­ that single touch was nearly enough to send me over the edge. I had to do that or else I would¡¯ve lost myself. I didn''t say anything else to him, hoping that he would just leave on his own volition. But then, something even worse happened¡ªsomething that caught me off-guard completely. He threw himself into my bed and groped my breasts from behind. My mind went blank, and I immediately felt my squirt dampening my panties. And then, I elbowed him and shoved him off the bed. "Get your dirty hands off me!" I yelled. I didn''t know whether it was luck or my own determination that I was still able to resist that. But I did, and I didn''t even think while doing it. I simply acted out of pure reflex. I then felt it¡ªa painful sensation on my tongue as well as a strange metallic taste filling the inside of my mouth. It seems to stop myself from moaning, I had bitten my own tongue to the point that it bled. I would normally feel grossed by it, but at this point, I would rather bleed than to surrender myself to him. And then, I heard him leave. I took a big sigh of relief. To think that just a short grope like that was enough to make me come immediately¡­ And now, my desires for him are only burning even harder. I want him to grope me even more. And not only that, I want him to¡­ to do that to me. I want him to fill up my itching flower with his¡ª I slapped myself, stopping my train of thought from reaching the inevitable conclusion. I found that pain was one way I could keep my sanity. But for how long? I knew it was only a temporary measure at best. If he threw himself at me again¡­ I have to¡­ I have to reduce this lust somehow¡­ My left hand traveled downwards to the front of my dress, touching the fabric. It''s wet¡­ I really leaked that much¡­ I then lifted it and bunched it upwards, allowing my hand to touch the soaking wet panties that laid underneath. "A-ahnn!" A moan escaped my mouth. It¡¯s still so sensitive, even though I just finished a while ago. Another effect of the potion, I suppose¡­ ...T-these thoughts¡ª N-no, I-I can¡¯t! I won¡¯t pleasure myself to these! Those thoughts were of course, thoughts of Thomas. From how much I wanted to play with his little body, to how much I wanted him to play with me¡­ it was all dirty, filthy thoughts. And I was disgusted by myself to even think of them. I-I can¡¯t do it! Not when I¡¯m thinking about him! He¡¯ll just win over me even more! I-is there some way that I could not think about him while doing it? I don¡¯t usually imagine anything when I¡¯m doing it, but now, my head is just filled with him! And then, an idea came into my head¡ªan idea that truly horrified me to the core. I-if, if I can switch his image to Hugo¡¯s¡­ Yes, I was truly suggesting switching my masturbation session towards my little brother instead. The rational side of my mind spoke. ¡°It makes sense. In a way, he resembles Thomas quite a lot. He¡¯s also cute and he¡¯s just slightly taller than the hobbit. He might have blonde hair as opposed to black, but you can take care of that in your imagination. And you actually like him. So why don¡¯t just use him for this purpose?¡± But then, the other, more moralistic side spoke otherwise. ¡°How can you do that?! He¡¯s your own little brother, you know!¡± In the end, the rational side won over. P-please¡­ forgive your big sister, Hugo... She has no other choice¡­ She has to do this, or else she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep her virtue¡­ She would offer myself to that creep, and then, it would be all over¡­ And so, I did it. I did it over and over again. At first, it was difficult, switching the image of Thomas that constantly were stuck inside my mind with Hugo¡¯s. But I concentrated as best as I could, forcing myself to imagine all the cuteness that he had displayed to me over the years. His smile, his laugh, and his blush whenever he got flustered¡ªI drew all that from my memories. I even teared up a little, grateful that I had yet to forget about him. And then, I started rubbing it. Back and forth and back and forth in a steady rhythm, making sure that it was Hugo I was imagining, and not Thomas. Eventually, I managed to go all the way, to the point that I started mumbling his name. I came multiple times, thanks to the love potion increasing my lust to a near endless level. And every time I did, I felt an awful, terrible guilt. I might not be able to look him in the eye ever again after this... I started to sob, ashamed of what I had done. I never thought that I would ever cry after I pleasured myself. To my consolation, after multiple times of doing it, I could finally sense a lowering of my desire. It¡¯s working! It¡¯s working after al¡ª BAM Suddenly, the door to my room opened with a bang, revealing the ice devil that was responsible for all my misery. Naturally, I immediately put on my stern expression. She wasn¡¯t Thomas, so I could do it just fine. I also made sure to put my dress back down so she wouldn¡¯t realize what I just did. ¡°What do you want? I don¡¯t need to relieve myself just yet, you know.¡± I said with a cold glare. The one thing I could be grateful of her was that several times throughout the day, she would come over and free me of the ice that kept my feet stuck to the bed, just so I could use the chamberpot. Of course, I had tried to use the opportunity to run away, though I couldn¡¯t get far at all before she froze my feet back. She would also use these visits to reinject the mana disruption poison into my body, making sure that I would still be unable to use my magic. ¡°Oh no, I don¡¯t come here for that, my dear,¡± she replied, still with that disgustingly smug smile on her face. ¡°I come here to bring you good news! Your family¡ªthey¡¯re here, you know!¡± My heart skipped a beat. I could feel my eyes widening. ¡°...You¡¯re lying. I-I don¡¯t¡ªI don¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°Suit yourself. I''m off to give them my greeting, by the way. As for you¡­" THWACK The last thing I saw was her slapping me right at my face with her staff. ------- Hugo Thanks to Mother''s warm embrace, it didn''t take long until I calmed down. "All better?" She asked with a smile, once I was finished with my pathetic crying. "Y-yeah. Sorry about that¡­" She then let me down. "I lost my composure, seeing those two¡­" "It''s alright, dearie. It''s alright." She bent down, rubbing my head. "It just shows that you''re a kind boy. You don''t take pleasure in killing others, even if they''re your enemies. And that''s a perfectly fine way to feel." "But, I shouldn''t have¡ª" "I reacted the same way, you know. When I first killed a man." That forlorn expression on her face¡­ she still remembers it¡­ even to this day¡­ Will I remember this for the rest of my life as well? "Hugo." Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by Father, who was standing nearby. "Good job back there. You saved my behind." He patted me on the shoulder. "Really should''ve expected a flank attack to happen in a snowstorm like that." He didn''t need to say anything else. Just his proud smile was enough to cheer me up. Afterwards, we pressed forward. My fairies had returned back on their own, it seemed, probably when I was crying in Mother''s arms. I felt bad, not giving them the payment as usual. Should I even use them at the upcoming battle with Vera? I don''t think they''re strong enough to fight against her. Sure, they won''t die, just vanishing back if they got too injured, but they would still feel the pain. I only called them back there because I got no other option. We continued our climb up the mountains, remaining wary of any more possible ambushes. There''s no guarantee that what we faced before was all of Vera''s forces after all. Another two hours passed however, and no other attack occurred. And we were now definitely nearing the peak of the mountain. Instead of being happy however, I only felt a slowly climbing sense of dread. I imagined Vera to be hiding at every corner, above every cliff, and behind every rock. She must be planning to ambush us again. And this time, she¡¯ll be there with the rest of her forces. Or would she be the type to just wait until we reach her mansion before she¡¯s going to fight us? Or she could even be the type to just leave all the fighting to her subordinates while she takes a nap in her room. That would be the ideal situation to be sure. I¡¯m not that lucky of a person though. And remembering our meeting with her, she seems to be the type that takes sadistic pleasure on tormenting her enemies. So she might be participating in the assault personally after all. Worst case scenario, she takes us completely off-guard and obliterates us with her spell before we can do anything. And that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t be calm in the slightest, even though we were now so close to saving Marina. And looking at Father and Mother¡¯s expression, they were feeling the same way. Suddenly, Father raised his hand, telling us to stay back. ¡°Look. Over there, on top of that tall hill. At the far end.¡± He pointed. I followed and saw a tiny silhouette of what was definitely something like a mansion. ¡°There it is! That¡¯s Vera¡¯s mansion, isn¡¯t it?¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Most likely,¡± Father returned. ¡°Still, we would have to climb up this long and steep snowy hill to get there. If I were her, this would be where I blast us with magic, since she has the height and range advantage.¡± ¡°Is there no other route we can take?¡± Mother asked. ¡°Unlikely. This hill seems to be a full 360 degrees one. No matter which direction we come in from, we will have to climb it anyways to reach her house.¡± As they were having their discussion, I looked around, just in case there was something Father missed in the area. ¡°Father, why don¡¯t we take that road instead?¡± I pointed at a dirt trail going all the way up to the mansion. ¡°That just makes us even more obvious, no?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it matters,¡± I argued back. ¡°I have a feeling that Vera should be able to see this hill in its entirety well enough from up there. And the road would certainly help with our mobility. We want to get up close to her as fast as we can, right?¡± ¡°...True enough. The best way to fight a mage is to get up close and personal with them after all.¡± After some more thinking, he finally decided. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll do it your way. We¡¯ll take the road and then run as fast as we can, straight to the mansion.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile, feeling happy that my suggestion was accepted by him. ------------ We then circled around towards the dirt road first, staying away from the snowy hill. This would be the road you would normally take if you have an official business with her, I imagine. Naturally, we didn¡¯t take it since we wanted to hide away from the mountain guards, though that didn¡¯t work perfectly well, as you¡¯ve already witnessed. Once we stood on said road, we took a good look on how it would carry us up the hill. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s not a straight line to be sure. It bends to the left and right, seeking the least steep part of the hill, so that horse-drawn coaches or carriages could climb all the way up there.¡± ¡°I think we should just follow the road when it¡¯s a straight line, Father,¡± I responded. ¡°So we¡¯ll traverse through the snow if needed. I¡¯ll use my Fire spell to melt the snow so we can have an easier time running through it.¡± ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll do that.¡± He gave a grin. ¡°Renee, you¡¯re alright with me carrying you all the way? You can¡¯t run very fast like us after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with that,¡± she replied, though not without a small blush on her cheeks. ¡°Good. Hugo, try to use your Wind Step magic as much as you could. I¡¯ll run at full speed so you¡¯ll need it to keep up.¡± ¡°Got it, Father.¡± I was just a ten year old kid after all. My legs were just shorter than Father¡¯s. Not to mention his superior stamina as well. Father then bent down, allowing Mother to climb up on him on his back. Damn, her breasts were fully pressed to his back (though his sheathed greatsword was on the way). He must be happy with that. Not to mention that the one hand that held her was placed suspiciously close to her bottom. ¡°Hugo, ready?¡± ¡°Ready, Father.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give the signal. In three, two, one¡ªWait, hold on, there¡¯s someone approaching us from the top of the hill!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s Vera!¡± I shouted. Immediately, I readied my wand, while Mother started chanting after Father dropped her while he himself drew his greatsword. The ice witch was sliding down the hill as if she was a professional ice-skater, using her staff as her snowboard. ¡°High Barrier!¡± Mother¡¯s barrier was erected, just in time as the witch stopped, right in front of us. With a kick of her feet, her staff righted itself to be grabbed by her right hand. ¡°Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Greenwood!¡± she said with a proud smile. ¡°And of course, your little son as well. May I enquire about your purpose in trespassing upon my domain?¡± ¡°Cut the crap,¡± Father answered first, his hand gripping the handle of his sword tightly. ¡°You kidnapped my daughter and I want her back.¡± ¡°Kidnapped? Oh my, it seems you¡¯ve misunderstood. She came here willingly with my grandson! He finally managed to win over her heart, you see!" Bullshit! You''d expect us to believe that? After your own guards just tried to kill us? "Then, take us to her." Mother spoke next, her expression even colder than the snowstorm we fought off before. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Sure! Follow me then! Just up this hill!" She then turned her back and started to walk forward as she casually hummed. Mother exchanged looks with Father, before nodding. And then, Father swung her sword, cutting the ice witch in half. Or rather, a pile of snow shaped like her. "Ahahahahaha! I suppose you''re not stupid enough to fall for that! Too bad. I really wanted this to be a quick fight, you know." The weather immediately changed, as a fierce snowstorm blew down from the top of the hill, reducing our visibility as before. "Welcome! Welcome! Welcome to the domain of the great Vera Marjoram!¡± Her voice echoed in the snowstorm, as if it was being carried by the harsh wind itself. ¡°Using an ice decoy? What¡¯s the matter, O Great Marjoram? Scared for your pretty little face to be cut by my husband¡¯s sword?¡± Mother yelled, a terrifying smirk on her face. Welp, she sure is angry now. ¡°If you release Marina now, I won¡¯t kill you. I¡¯ll just take off an arm and that would be that.¡± Father spoke next. ¡°As long as she¡¯s still unhurt, that is.¡± Father¡¯s expression was just as scary as Mother¡¯s. In fact, this was the first time I¡¯d ever seen him this scary-looking. ¡°Oh, rest assured. She¡¯s perfectly fine. She¡¯s just slowly coming around to accept my grandson, you know. A dash of love potion in her food and drink would do that.¡° The letter was right! She¡¯s really using something like that to control her mind! ¡°...Well, that¡¯s your life forfeit right there,¡± Father responded, swinging his blade. ¡°I don¡¯t forgive anyone who treats my daughter like that.¡± ¡°Interesting! So you think you can kill me? Why don¡¯t you try then? Climb up this hill. I¡¯m right at the very top.¡± ¡°Renee. Hugo. We¡¯ll carefully climb up this hill. Keep up the barrier at all times, Renee. Don¡¯t switch into offense unless you really need to. Hugo, you snipe anything that pops up with that Wind spell of yours. But if you can get an aim at Vera, speak to me first. We¡¯ll send a combined attack at her from two directions. I doubt your spell would be strong enough to take her on its own.¡± ¡°Right, Father.¡± I nodded. ¡°If we can¡¯t do that, then our goal would be to close in at her. But if she decides to flee, then rescuing Marina would be our priority, no matter how angry we are at her.¡± Angry? Ah, that¡¯s right. I should be feeling angry, shouldn¡¯t I? But, for some reason, I don¡¯t feel it. At least, not as much as I would expect. I think it¡¯s because I already expected her to do something like this ever since the letter came to us. Just from the way she carried herself when we met her. ¡°Oh, one more thing.¡± Suddenly, the witch spoke again through the snowstorm. ¡°Your dear Marina¡ªshe has such lovely, lovely moans. To think that she is hiding such lewdness behind the stony expression she wore everyday¡­ ah, how wonderful! My grandson is having so much fun nailing her everyday, you know! I must thank you two for raising such a wonderful daughter for my grandson!¡± ...W-w-w-what? ¡°That¡¯s right! Your effort, coming all this way to this province and climbing up this mountain¡ªall that... is useless! She¡¯s already too far gone! She¡¯s his perfectly willing fiance right now! Or, if you¡¯d prefer, his sex sla¡ª¡± ¡°Hugo, wait!¡± I didn¡¯t hear Father¡¯s words. In fact, I couldn¡¯t hear anything at all. I ran forward, up the hill, using my Wind Step spell at full power. All I cared about was to turn her head to one gory, messy mush with my spell. Vol 1 Chapter 48: The Ice Witch Pt. 2 Vera Ha, stupid boy! You just walked to your own death! It¡¯s a shame though that the other two don¡¯t really respond to my provocation. Oh well, as expected from ex S rank adventurers, I suppose. No matter. Their barrier would shatter far before they could reach my location. Of course, Vera was lying out of her teeth. She simply wanted to provoke the family to just charge at her like the absolute morons that they were. She didn¡¯t want Marina to be a simple sex slave to her grandson. She wanted her to retain her genius magical mind while at the same time broken enough so that she would obey her every word. And the way to do that, at first, was to make her genuinely fall for her grandson. Or at the very least, make her lose her virginity to him. Not through rape though, but with she herself offering it to him. She wanted to make her addicted to the taste of his manhood. Not to mention the shame she would bear for not being able to resist her burning urges. It would be better that way, she believed, to break a proud person such as her. A long time ago, when she was still a simple wanderer, she heard many tales and stories of princesses or noble daughters being seduced by a handsome rouge to the point that she would decide to abandon everything¡ªtheir wealth, their etiquette lessons, and their entire dignified upbringing, just to be able to follow their ¡°love¡±. And of course, a lot of those cases had said rouge stealing the lady¡¯s virtue first, but they wouldn¡¯t do it forcibly. They would make those princesses do it willingly. And of course, once a princess lost its virtue, their worth decreased dramatically. And that still didn¡¯t account the scandal that would befall their family. And thus, a once proud princess would be forced to become a commoner. If they were lucky, the rogue actually loved them and would care for them. But most of the time, the rouge would just lead her to his kidnapper buddies, sending a ransom letter to her family. And if they didn¡¯t want to pay, and a lot of them wouldn¡¯t, since she lost her virtue and all, she would end up as an expensive slave, to be sold to the highest bidder. She pitied those girls who could not control their lusts. Oh, how blessed she was to be born without such feelings! Even her late husband didn¡¯t know the truth for his entire life, believing that she actually loved him! What a stupid fool! And thus, she formed said plan for Marina. There wouldn¡¯t be a need for the love potion in the first place, if her grandson was actually a competent womanizer. Alright! Time to concentrate the cold at this location! She lifted her staff, and the already shining tip shone even further, as she adjusted her Grandmaster-level Ice spell¡ªIce Age. It was a much powerful version of Snowstorm. In its original form, it could create harshly cold winds and snowfall throughout the entire mountain. However, with this modification, she could increase its freezing power in exchange for reducing its range. Heh, that boy¡­ A Wind mage, huh? He reminds me of that old hag Lana. She would use her wind spell in the manner, dancing around in the sky like it was nothing. Too bad for him though. He¡¯s not a Grandmaster-level Wind mage like she was. He wouldn¡¯t be able to counter my cold, and in just a few moments, he would turn into a human popsicle.And then, no doubt his parents would rush forward to save him, where then I would spring my trap. Aah, this is no fun at all. I don¡¯t like it when they make it too easy, you know. ...And there he goes, falling down to the snow as he¡¯s no longer able to channel his mana to his feet. Ha, what a joke. ¡­ Eh, what? What is he doing? Is he? Magma Burst? BOOM! To her surprise, a spring of lava suddenly burst forth from the ground just inches away from Hugo, giving him the heat needed to defrost himself. H-how? How can he cast that spell while in that condition? And it¡¯s a Fire and Earth hybrid spell! I thought he¡¯s supposed to be only good with Wind magic! Tch, he really is just as skilled as his sister! ----------- Hugo T-that was¡­ that was close! Too close! I really, seriously almost died there! And I would¡¯ve been if not I hadn¡¯t trained my hybrid spells to this level! The blizzard! It suddenly turned really cold, to the point that my muscles were starting to freeze! Damn it, I¡¯ve been had! That was her just taunting us to make us a mistake, wasn¡¯t it? We weren¡¯t too late to save Marina, were we? Please, whatever God is listening out there, please make it be a lie! I felt tears escaping once again, but I quickly stopped myself. I had no time for that. I had to take down this¡ªthis ice bitch, who had made all this happen in the first place. And I have to focus, just like I¡¯ve promised to Father. I need to keep a calm head, or else I¡¯ll be dead like before. For now, I have to retreat, back to the barri¡ª Time froze. As I was in mid-air, planning to fly back while casting Magma Burst along the way to keep me warm, I realized that the ground I was on had disappeared. Replaced by the gaping maw of a giant white snake. T-this snake¡ªit¡¯s hiding under the pile of snow?! ¡°F-fairies! Come out!¡± ¡°Master, what¡¯s the¡ª¡± ¡°...Tch." With speed that truly surprised me, the earth sprite formed a pair of mud hands that threw both me and the high fairy away from the giant snake. Only for her to be swallowed by it moments later. I could only stare in shock, as I felt my connection with her shattering. The snake towered over me with its impressive size. His entire body wasn¡¯t even out from under the snow, yet it was already at least twenty meters tall, if not more. And the diameter of its body was around five meters thick at the very least. Immediately I retaliated, both in anger and in fear that it would try to swallow me again. I fired my Boom Cannon at it, aiming at its head. "SHAAAAHHHH!" The force sent it falling down to the snow. But I knew that I hadn''t killed it, as even my pride and joy, my Master-level spell that I had invented myself, had failed to pierce its skin. "Haaaahhhh!" Then, I heard a yell. It was Father¡¯s, and he jumped so high above me as if he was flying. He brought his sword down, intending to stab the snake at its head while the immobilizing effect of my spell still remained. Only for a human-sized fairy to appear behind him, stabbing him through his stomach with an ice sword she created out of her palm. ¡°G-guwahhh!¡± A spurt of blood escaped his mouth. ¡°Father!¡± I yelled. That fairy¡ªit¡¯s Vera¡¯s summon, isn¡¯t it? Damn it, the book only spoke of the giant snake! Even with the surprise attack, Father still managed to stab his sword at the snake, making it scream in pain once more. However, his blow was severely weakened as a result. It failed to pierce the head all the way through. ¡°Holy Bolt!¡± A flash of light came from behind, crashing into the fairy in a bright explosion. When the light died down, she wasn¡¯t there anymore. The spell belonged to Mother, who was running after Father. ¡°Hugo! Cast your lava spell right now!¡± She shouted, before she started chanting. ¡°R-right! Lava Burst!¡± I aimed it at the snake''s lower torso, fearing that I might hit Father with it if I cast it near its head. Not to mention that our bodies would start freezing up again really soon without its blazing warmth. It was effective enough to make it screech in pain, but I didn''t know how much damage it was doing to it ¡°Master! That fairy! It was a Great Fairy! A snow one! I can still sense her presence! She must have disguised herself as a snowflake!¡± My remaining fairy spoke. "Don''t worry though! I can sense where she is since I''m a fairy as well!" A snowflake? How in the world am I supposed to keep track of a single snowflake in this intense snowstorm? Damn it, I just have to rely on her, I suppose! The snake screeched again before lifting itself up with Father still on top of it¡ªhis sword stuck inside its hard skin. ¡°O blessed light! Judge those who defile your name and purify the unworthy from this world! Holy Barrage!" A series of light orbs appeared from the tip of Mother''s staff, flying towards the giant snake, crashing at various parts of his body with what looked like holy explosions. It was enough to make it decide to retreat, though still carrying Father on top of its head. "Master! Behind her!" A snowflake, behind Mother''s back, suddenly transformed into the fairy from before. I snapped out of it, immediately firing off a Flame Whip before she could do the same backstabbing move she used on Father. "Kyaaah!" She let out a pained scream as my spell burned into her flesh. Since she was a snow fairy, it probably was extra painful for her. I pulled her to my direction, but she turned back into a snowflake again mid-air, making my whip lose its grip. Meanwhile, at the distance, covered by the harsh snow, I could hear more screeches and tremors made by the giant snake. "I''m going after your father! Can you handle that fairy on your own, Hugo?" "Don''t worry! I got this covered!" Judging by that stab, Father really needs some healing spell right now! I can¡¯t hold her behind! "Master, behind you!" "Shit!" I quickly turned around, just in time to block her sword with my own. "Get away from Master!" My fairy fired off a blast of water, only for it to freeze mid-air. And finally, I got a nice, close-up look on this opponent of mine. She was a fairy all right, though human-sized and with wings made out of icicles. She was taller than me, and for a fairy, she was pushing me down with her strength. Just like her element, she was cold-looking yet beautiful. She had a long azure hair that reached down to her feet with snowflakes decorating it all over. She wore a long white robe that reminded me of those togas the Ancient Greeks liked to wear. And then, I saw it. Icicles forming in mid-air, all aimed towards me. ¡°W-Wind Step!¡± I immediately blew myself backwards in an attempt to dodge them. ¡°G-gahhh! Aarghh!¡± But I was too slow. A couple of them managed to pierce my body¡ªone on my left shoulder, one at my right stomach, and one at my left thigh. I didn¡¯t need to look down to feel the blood leaking out of the wounds, forming a puddle under me. I-it hurts! It hurts so bad! This is the first time I am actually hurt this badly in combat before! M-my body¡­ i-it¡¯s shaking¡­ A-and my tears¡­ i-it¡¯s coming out in droves... A-and this chill on the back of my neck¡­ I-I¡¯m¡­ scared? I-is this¡­ the fear of death? I lost my balance, making me kneel on the snow. I remembered. Ten years ago, I threw myself into a raging river to save a kid from drowning. No, to be more exact, I did to kill myself. I never planned on surviving in the first place. Back then, I didn¡¯t fear death, as I felt there was nothing for me to live for. But now, now that I had a warm family that loved me, and a life that I could be proud of¡ªI feared it. I feared it to my very bones. The warmth disappeared. My Lava Burst had stopped. Soon enough, the cold would surround me once again. I-I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t die¡­ not before I save Marina! I aimed my wand at the fairy, intending to use another Flame Whip to quickly debilitate her. Only for her to stand there with a swarm of the same icicles that she had made again. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. H-heh¡­ Too slow, I suppose... They fired, and I could only close my eyes, bracing for the inevitable end. Only to realize that they never came. When I opened my eyes, there was a bright figure standing before me. N-no way¡­ This is¡­ straight from a shonen anime... It was my High Fairy. And she had just evolved into a Great Fairy, melting all the icicles with a wall of searing hot water she just created in front of her. ¡°You¡¯re not going to harm Master anymore!¡± She flew, forming her own sword created by hot water. The snow fairy, clearly taken aback by this sudden development, tried to block her sword with her own. ¡°Give up! You know you can¡¯t win!¡± ¡°I exist for my mistress. I shall not betray her.¡± ¡°Your sword! It¡¯s melting!¡± It was true. Her sword¡¯s coldness couldn¡¯t compete with the heated sword my Great Fairy possessed. ¡°I exist for my mistress. I shall not betray her.¡± ¡°You.. you gave your name to her, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°...I am Alyssum. I exist for my mistress. I shall not betray her.¡± With a sad look on her face, she fired off a strong torrent of hot water with her free hand, causing the snow fairy to scream out in pain as she too started to melt. ¡°Finishing Blow! Hot Spring Slash!¡± Like a cheesy tokusatsu protagonist, she yelled those words as she split the fairy into two by a two-handed overhead swing. Of course! That makes sense. She''s a spring fairy. So she evolves to a hot spring fairy. ...Did she really do that just because she wants to protect me that badly? She even gets the right element that the other fairy is weak to. It was over. The snow fairy, weakened by Mother¡¯s attack from before, couldn¡¯t win against the newly evolved fairy. Her ice-making power, as well as her body herself, was weak to the power of searing hot spring water that she possessed. She wasn¡¯t dead of course, as summons wouldn¡¯t die permanently when they got defeated in combat, but she wasn¡¯t coming back anytime soon. ...Just like my Earth Sprite. Damn it, I would have to make it up to her when this whole mess is over. But that name thing¡­ so she was permanently bound to Vera. And that¡¯s what she got in return. She basically turned her into a soulless robot. ...There¡¯s only one way to free her, and that is to end her master¡¯s life. As I doubt Vera would ever release her from her servitude on her own. I was then broken out of my somber reverie, as High Fairy, now Great Fairy, gave herself cheers for successfully driving her off. She¡¯s not sad at all that one of her kind is treated like that? ¡°Yaay, I won! How about that, Master? I¡¯m finally useful enough for you!" She came over to me with a big smile. "O-oh, right! Your wounds!" She then poured me with her spring water. The icicles melted away as my wounds started to close. That''s right. They say hot spring water can have healing properties. Though of course, not to this extent¡­ And just like that, I was restored back to top condition, as if I just had been healed by Mother. I stood up, only to realize that she was now taller than me, thanks to her rapid growth in size. Well, this feels odd¡­ "Thank you." I smiled. "Without you, I would''ve died for sure back then." "Ehehehe! No problem!" She grinned, scratching the back of her head. "But to think you would just suddenly evolve like that¡­ I didn¡¯t see that coming at all! How did you do that really?" I asked, genuinely curious. "I¡­ don''t know, Master. I just wanted to protect you so badly that I transformed on my own. You''re my favorite person after all so I can''t let you get hurt!" That''s it? Just because she wants to protect me? Sheesh, this really sounds like a cliched shonen anime now. But cliche or not, it saved my butt. So I won''t complain. ¡°SHAAAAHHH!¡± Oh crap, I forgot! Father and Mother are still battling against that giant snake! ¡°Spring Fairy! Come! We have to get to them!¡± I told her, before I started to run there, aided by my Wind Step. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master! I¡¯ll keep you warm!¡± She then hugged me from the back, melting any ice and frost that might threaten to paralyze me. She was also flying with her wings, so she barely weighed anything, if at all. I heard several more pained screeches coming from the snake, until I could see Father and Mother at a distance. Barely, mind you. Only thanks to Spring Fairy here letting out heat that melted the incoming snow, I could make out a blurry image of their current situation. They were fighting inside Mother¡¯s barrier, which I imagined would protect them from the extreme cold. And they¡­ were at a definite disadvantage. The giant snake, though looking severely wounded, with numerous bleeding gashes and wounds all across its body, was still actively attacking them, ramming its head and slapping its tail to the barrier. Even from there, I could feel the impact. I thought Mother''s High Barrier was supposed to harm anything hitting it with melee attacks. Either the snake didn''t really feel it, or it simply didn''t care. And yet, it wasn''t the worst part. Vera was also there, and she was barraging them with her Ice spells, laughing maniacally in the process while gleefully taunting them. This made Father have to fight with one hand, as he dodged her spells while carrying Mother who was less mobile than him. I couldn''t help but be amazed as well however, to how well Father fought. He really was fending off both the snake and Vera with his ranged sword slashes. Every time he slashed, it was as if the air itself was split apart. It was even stronger than my Boom Cannon, as it could leave a wound on the snake when it landed. ...Gah, this is no time for that! I have to help them! I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t be able to last for long! I looked back at Vera. Good. She didn¡¯t seem to notice my presence in the slightest. Too preoccupied with her throwing off her volleys of spells at them. If I could just land my Boom Cannon without her realizing, then it¡¯s game over. She should nowhere be as tough as her monster snake. I could end her in one strike, just like I did with those two mages from before. Mages are the squishy type in this world after all. They¡¯re extremely weak to surprise and quick attacks. And my Boom Cannon certainly is very quick, as it travels at the speed of sound. But damn it! It¡¯s hard to aim at her when she¡¯s moving all around like that! And how is she moving around like that anyway? She¡¯s using her staff as a snowboard even though its tip is shining? That means she¡¯s currently using it to cast a spell right? ...Oh, I get it! She¡¯s manipulating ice, just like I manipulate wind. And she has that rare ability of dual casting, allowing her to cast two spells at once. ...Wait. But she can fire her spells simultaneously while she¡¯s moving. And this snowstorm isn¡¯t receding at all either. That¡¯s three spells at once, no? What¡¯s going on here? Don¡¯t tell me she can do triple casting as well! That¡¯s insane! Totally unfair! ...Or maybe¡­ Marina told me once about how Selendia could make her Rainstorm last for a good while without her actively maintaining it. And seeing how Vera is also another Grandmaster-level mage like her, she could probably do the same thing with this snowstorm. Her biography didn¡¯t mention anything about it though¡­ maybe she kept it a secret? ...Oh, why do I care? Dual casting, triple casting, it doesn¡¯t matter. I will take her down with just a single shot. I¡¯ll be screwed if she starts attacking in this direction as well. Sure, I now have Great Fairy, but I doubt even her hot water can stand a barrage of Cold Novas that Vera¡¯s sending over and over. "What''s the matter, Master? Aren''t we joining the fight?" she asked innocently. "Not yet. I''m aiming for an ambush here. See that woman, speeding through the snow and firing off all those spells?" "The little girl, Master?" I couldn''t help but chuckle. "Yes. That one. I want to take her down from here." I aimed my wand at her, focusing just slightly above the light her staff was emitting. Come on¡­ come on¡­ come on! I held the spell on the tip, patiently waiting until that perfect moment. There! I fired, praying that the spell would hit her. Only for a giant yeti to suddenly appear out of nowhere, sacrificing himself to block my magic from reaching her. T-that was¡­ that was just like what I did with the fairies! I screwed up. Once again, I had made a tactical mistake. I didn¡¯t expect her to have yet another familiar hidden away from the fight. And now, she noticed my presence. And she didn¡¯t hesitate at all to jet straight towards my location. Vol 1 Chapter 49: Tears Vera ...How dare he... HOW DARE HE HOW DARE HE HOW DARE HE? He¡ªhe nearly got me! Me, the great Vera Marjoram! One of the Magocracy''s ruling mages! What was that spell?! If I hadn¡¯t summoned Wendigo, I would¡¯ve died to that spell! Even Lana didn¡¯t have a spell like that! That speed and destructive power¡ªit can only be a Master-level Wind spell! He actually manages to take down Alyssum too! To think he actually has his own Great Fairy! Gah, once again, I¡¯ve underestimated him! But no matter. This is an excellent chance. He¡¯s stupid enough to expose himself out of the barrier. I¡¯ll just dispose of him first before finishing off his parents. That spell might be powerful, but he no doubt needs a long chanting time for it. And I won¡¯t give him that chance again! It¡¯s a shame that such a gem of a talent has to die, but it¡¯s too dangerous to keep him alive in this situation, after what he just did. The ice witch immediately switched her target towards Hugo, using her ice magic to cross the snow field at incredible speed. She held her right hand upfront, gathering her mana into it before firing a Cold Nova straight at him. Using his Wind Step however, he managed to dodge out of the way. It wasn¡¯t over though, as she moved the angle of her spell, continuously chasing after him as Cold Nova isn¡¯t just a one-shot spell like his Boom Cannon. As long as she maintained her focus, she didn¡¯t have to renew the mana gathering phase to remain firing the cold wave. Ha, gotcha! A splash of the Nova managed to land onto Hugo, freezing his legs solid. Only for his Great Fairy to melt it right away. Grr, fine! Double spell then! She raised her other hand, before it too fired a Cold Nova towards Hugo. Only to immediately stop it as she had to dodge a slash from Alan. Tch, that snake can''t even do its job properly! Fine! You want me to get serious? Then I''ll get serious! To think that I would have to use that spell just for a bunch of nobodies like them! Hey, snake! Come over here! The snake, who was still busy keeping Hugo¡¯s parents from reaching their son, immediately obeyed. It buried its giant body through the snow, popping back up right where Vera was. And swallowing her whole in the process, before burying itself back under the snow. ----------- Hugo Somehow, I actually managed to dodge all of Vera''s attacks and get inside Mother''s barrier safely. I nearly didn¡¯t make it too. Only thanks to my Great Fairy that I could make it here. ¡°Hugo... Oh Hugo... Thank the Saint that you¡¯re alright...¡± Mother was smiling brightly, even though she was clearly severely tired, as she was panting heavily, with her unable to stand up normally, having to lean on her staff. Father too was panting, and the moment there was a lull in the attacks, he kneeled down, stabbing his greatsword to the snow. ...Wait, a lull in attack? What happened to the snake and Vera? I looked around. There was no sign of their presence. They had disappeared completely. ¡°D-did Vera¡­ did she retreat?¡± ¡°N-no, she¡¯s planning another sneak attack,¡± Father answered. ¡°She pulled her snake back and told it to swallow her before burying itself under this hill. She¡¯s hiding inside its stomach, using its ability to silently traverse through snow to hide herself.¡± ¡°W-we have to use this chance to retreat, Alan. I-I can¡¯t keep up my barrier for much longer. My mana is nearly entirely gone,¡± Mother spoke. ¡°Understood. We¡¯ll make a beeline to¡ªwait, that rumble¡ªEVERYONE, RUN!!" Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Father immediately tackled Mother as he leaped away, while I reflectively used my Wind Step to blast myself backwards. Just in time before the snowy ground under us burst forth, revealing the snake''s wide open jaw. And Vera, who was standing inside with her two hands glowing brightly¡ªall with a triumphant grin on her face. She jumped out and aimed one hand towards me while the other went towards Father and Mother instead. ¡°Absolute! Zero!¡± An immensely powerful blast of cold fired off from her two hands. They were nothing like the Cold Novas she had been throwing before. Two Grandmaster-level Ice spells, casted simultaneously. She must have used her snake as a cover to give her the time to chant them both. What happened afterwards were a series of events happening near simultaneously. Great Fairy erected a wall of hot water to block the spell heading towards me. Only for said water to immediately turn into ice, before she herself was frozen completely. Father, seeing that Vera wasn¡¯t just attacking them but also me, sent a powerful slash to intercept the spell. It crashed with it, weakening it considerably, but not enough to dispel it completely. And then, the spell nearly reached me. I could feel the intense freeze enveloping my skin in the millisecond it almost touched me. I was lucky. I fired off my Boom Cannon, charged mid-air as I flew backwards, just in time to dissipate the remaining spell. It flew straight to Vera, flying right towards her head. Her attention, devoted entirely towards Father and Mother, didn¡¯t see the spell coming until the very last second. And by then, it was already too late. Her triumphant expression turned into horror, before my spell decapitated her in a single strike. She had no other summon that could take the blow. Her body fell down to the snow, and soon after, her snake vanished. We did it¡­ We finally did it... My back landed on the snow, chills enveloping my body. I didn¡¯t escape the powerful spell completely, even after all that, and I could feel my body temperature being dangerously low right now. Great Fairy had sacrificed herself to block the spell, so I couldn¡¯t ask her to warm me up again. I saw her body shattering into pieces in the process. Father! Mother! We¡¯ve¡ª Father? Mother? My eyes darted around. I can¡¯t find them. I can¡¯t find them anywhere. Weren¡¯t they just right there a second ago? ...Wait, the spell that was aimed for them¡ªwhat happened to it? Did they dodge it? I then noticed a large formation of ice crystals in a straight line that certainly wasn¡¯t there before. RIght at the trajectory of the spell going after them. My heart dropped. I walked there, unable to even run at my current state. And then, I fell on my knees. N-no, t-this can''t¡ª I could see them¡ªbits and pieces of frozen flesh and body parts with their clothing. There were a pair of ears, a finger, a half-exposed bone with a sinew, and even a whole foot. Even the remnants of Father¡¯s sword and Mother¡¯s staff were there, all scattered and separated. H-hey, t-this is not funny¡­ Mom, Dad, w-where are you two really? Come on Mom, Dad, we''ve won. Stop hiding. You two can come out safely now. ¡­ P-please¡­. Please! And then, I saw them at a distance. Two round objects, sitting side by side on the snow. Father and Mother''s decapitated heads. I was looking right at their remains. They had suffered the same fate as Great Fairy, who shattered into a million pieces when the spell hit her. But unlike her, there was no respawn mechanic that they could use. They were humans. Normal, ordinary humans. Mortals with a limited lifespan. Not summoned Feys who can never die. And I had lost them. I had lost them forever. "U-uwaaaaaaaaahhhh!" I cried. I cried until I couldn¡¯t anymore. I cried until everything turned black. -------------------- When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a well-lit ceiling¡ªa beautiful sapphire blue chandelier brightening the room with its candles. And then, I felt the softness under me, telling me that I was most likely laying down on a bed right now. I¡¯m¡­ not dead? I should have lost my consciousness back then. Then why am I not dead? My body couldn¡¯t have withstood the cold on its own. ¡°Oh, thank Mira, you¡¯re alive!¡± I slowly looked to my right and saw a girl sitting on a chair, wiping off her tears with her long sleeves. She looked like a witch, with a tall and large black hat decorated with stars underneath. And she had long red hair that went down to her waist on the front, tied in a pair of loose braids. ¡°I-I really thought you¡¯re already too far gone for my spell to heal! When I found you, you were nearly buried completely under the snow. It was pure luck that the snowstorm had died down when I reached the top of the mountain, and that I found your hand jutting out like that. And when I pulled you out, you were as cold as ice, you know! I had to use my secret family spell to¡ª¡± She abruptly covered her hands with her mouth. ¡°¡ªOops. I can¡¯t tell that to an outsider. Grandpa will be mad!¡± I looked at her as if I was looking at a ghost¡ªmy brain still not quite processing her words. ¡°Oh, we haven¡¯t met yet, have we? I¡¯m Alincia! Marina¡¯s friend! And you must be Hugo, right, her little brother?¡± She smiled. ¡°Y-you.. A-Alincia¡­¡± My voice croaked. ¡°R-right, have something warm to drink first.¡± She helped me sit up before bringing a glass of water to my lips. Using her magic, she heated up the glass, turning the cold water into a warm one. I slowly chugged it down. ¡°There! Should be easier to talk now!¡± She put the glass back down on the nearby bedside table. "W-where is this? W-where''s Marina?" I yelled. "H-hey, calm down! This is Vera''s mansion. I had to carry you all the way here after you collapsed outside.¡± "A-are you with the Ice Witch?" I pushed myself away as far as possible from her. Damn it, my wand! Where is it? "No, I''m not!" She huffed, folding her hands. "I''m Marina''s friend, remember? In fact, I came all the way here to rescue her myself. And your wand is right there, on the table.¡± I looked to the direction she pointed to, and sure enough, just behind the glass from before, there was my wand, along with my Bag of Holding. Naturally, I quickly snatched them both. ¡°Look, I had to go through hell to get here, you know! I had to fight off that bubble girl who told me that she wasn¡¯t going to allow me to go, when I finally realized her scheme. She brought me away from the Academy just so I wouldn¡¯t meet with you guys when you came there to check up on Marina. And then, I had to hire some guy I never even met before to take me here with his horse. And it was a painful, non-stop ride all the way here. My butt is still sore from that.¡± ¡°And after all that, you guys already did everything, didn¡¯t you? How in the world did you manage to defeat Vera on your own? I saw her staff near where I found you, also sticking out of the snow. And she would never abandon it if she wasn¡¯t dead.¡± Right¡­ I killed Vera¡­ It was me who blew up her head with my spell. ¡°And Marina''s just fine! Although¡­ well, can you walk? I''d rather show it to you, to be honest.¡± Her smile switched to a sad one. ¡°M-Marina? What happened to her?¡± I nearly jumped out the bed. "W-whoa, calm down! it¡¯s nothing too bad. She should recover in a few days on her own.¡± Taking her word, I methodically put one foot to the floor before the other. And then, I lifted myself off the bed. I still staggered a little at first, but I quickly stabilized. "She''s sleeping in the next room. Follow me.¡± She smiled as she took the lead. The hallway we exited to was completely empty¡ªnot a single soul in sight. Not to mention the fact that there were numerous icicles stuck on the walls and ceilings, while a layer of snow nearly obscured the floor. ¡°What happened to the people here?¡± I asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Vera have lots of servants around?¡± ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s already like this when I got here.¡± She shook her head. ¡°My guess though that Vera probably told them to evacuate. You see all the frost and snow around? Those must have come from Vera¡¯s snowstorm spell. Made by a mage her tier¡ªno windows or doors should be able to stand against it for long, so the cold would seep through, endangering whoever stayed behind. Really, it¡¯s such a bother. I had to clean up first with my Fire magic before I could use that room for you to rest.¡± We then entered the next room, and sure enough, Marina was there, laying down on her own bed. ¡°Big Sis!¡± I immediately rushed forward, grabbing her hands. Only to find out that they were cold. Really cold. Even colder than a corpse. ¡°Why is she¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s Vera¡¯s spell, I think. Grandpa told me once about it. There¡¯s an Ice spell that can keep the victim in a state of cold sleep, preserving their life perfectly without any need of sustenance or even air. Before I got here, she was actually inside a giant ice crystal. And I had to melt it first before I could get to her. And man, what a tough ice that was! There was no doubt that Vera made it intentionally as well, to protect her if the ceiling decides to collapse or something while she was fighting outside. Using that cold sleep spell, Marina could be preserved inside safely, since she no longer needs to breathe after all.¡± ¡°S-so she¡¯s not dead?¡± ¡°Of course not, silly! Or else I would still be wailing loudly when you woke up!¡± She grinned. "In fact, she should wake up and recover with no problem whatsoever in just a few days. So don''t you worry about a thing, alright?" She patted me on the shoulder. I looked back at Marina, still rubbing her hands with my own. She had a calm expression, almost as if she really was just sleeping normally. Only, I could tell that her chest wasn¡¯t rising up and down in the slightest. She¡¯s really not breathing, huh? And then, I remembered¡ªthe things that Vera had said. ¡°Hmm? Why are you turning pale all of a sudden?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ well¡­¡± I told her what she had said, in the most polite words I could. ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± She paused, looking away with a blush. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± She looked back and gave a bashful smile. ¡°I¡­ well¡­ I¡¯ve checked on her down there and her¡­ well, thingy is still intact¡­¡± ¡°W-wait, don¡¯t get me wrong! I-I¡¯m not a pervert or anything! It¡¯s just that¡­ well, I know exactly what Vera was planning with that grandson of her, so I took the liberty to check immediately. I-it¡¯s not like you can do the checking after all. Y-you¡¯re a boy! I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re his little brother but you can¡¯t do that! Not to a girl!¡± She huffed again. I took a big sigh of relief, placing one hand on my chest. Oh thank God. It was a lie after all! It was just her trying to taunt us. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Where are your parents? You came with them, right?¡± My smile immediately vanished, as a rush of my memories resurfaced. "They¡­ they didn''t¡­ they didn''t make it¡­" Before I knew it, tears started to fall down from my face again. I bolted, running away from her before she could say anything. ---------- I went outside, back to the place where I saw them fall. No, I didn''t even get to see that. I didn''t get to see their last moments, as Vera''s spell shattered Mother''s barrier before freezing the two. And I didn''t get to see either the moment they shattered into a million pieces. I was too preoccupied with my own trouble. On the other hand, Father paid attention to me in that split second. Knowing that I wouldn''t be able to protect myself from the spell, he used his sword to save me first. I killed him. I killed Father. And Mother as well in the process. If it weren''t for my weakness, they would have survived against that spell. If I had been stronger, I would¡¯ve been able to repel or dodge that spell on my own. There would be no need for Father to do that. I fell to my knees yet again. I felt sick to my stomach. My whole body shook, and my tears refused to stop. ...Why? Why am I here in the first place? I am a failure. A complete failure. I disappointed my parents in my first life. And now, I took their lives in the second. ...I should''ve never been reincarnated in the first place. I should''ve drowned in that river like the trash that I am. Then maybe, the Hugo that would be born without me would be able to keep them safe. ...I shouldn¡¯t have gone with them in the first place. I was so much weaker than them. I was their burden, the weak link in their party. I was nowhere near Myrilla¡¯s level as a mage. "You''ll keep Father and Mother safe as well?" "Yep! No question about it! Leave it all to your big brother!" To think I was so arrogant, so stupid, to make that promise to Erika¡­ What would I say to her when I returned? What could I say to her crying face, as she demands me to return them like I have promised? And not only her, but Marina as well¡­ how would she feel that when she woke up, her father and mother were no longer in this world¡ªall because of me. If it were her in my position, they would¡¯ve survived to be sure. Not only have I failed to be a good son to Father and Mother, I¡¯ve failed to be a good brother as well to them both. Erika would certainly hate me, for breaking my promise and taking away her father and mother from her. Marina, on the other hand, might keep up her cheerful demeanor towards me. She might even say that it¡¯s not my fault that Alan and Renee are dead. But I know, that deep down, she won¡¯t truly ever forgive me. Her smiles will always have that underlying coldness, and her eyes will never look at me the same way again. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t return to such a place. It¡¯s all over. I no longer have any home to return to. And that¡¯s what I deserve. A garbage human being like me never deserves a warm and loving family in the first place. Heh, maybe I should just¡­ end it all¡­ all over again¡­ Maybe I can get another chance at life¡­ at a different world entirely¡­ as a different person¡­ It will be nice if I can be a girl this time... I pointed my wand right at the bottom of my head. It¡¯s only going to take a second. It won¡¯t even hurt. ... "T-that''s to remember me, alright? D-don''t go kissing any other girls while I''m gone!" Sherry. That¡¯s right. I still had Sherry. Sherry, who I had promised to be faithful to. Sherry, who had promised to be my wife. Sherry, who had promised to be stronger for my sake. I put the wand down. That¡¯s right. I couldn¡¯t die yet. I still had her. My future was now clear. I would go to her. I would travel all the way to her village in the Demon Continent. I would tell her everything that had transpired while she was gone. And then, I would wait for her judgment. If she still somehow felt any love towards me after my confession, then I would start a loving family with her, just like she wanted. It would be my third chance in life. I looked back at the mansion in the distance. She¡¯ll be fine. She has Alincia taking care of her. Don¡¯t worry, Sis. You¡¯ll never see me again for the rest of your life. And I¡¯m sorry, for being such a pathetic failure of a brother. And then, I ran. ??? Vol 1 Chapter 50: The Flame Witch’s Feelings Alincia ¡°Hugo, wait!¡± I shouted. Too late. Or rather, he probably didn¡¯t want to listen. They didn¡¯t make it? So they¡ª If only¡ªif only I had made it here faster, then maybe I could¡ª -------------- Nine days ago, I was still in the capital. Or rather, I was at the hills to the east of it, not that far from the capital itself. Elun had invited me for a trip to hone my magic, saying that she could teach me a trick or two on how to use magic in a real combat situation better. I knew she was far more experienced in the matter, as she was already out there, doing work for the Council. So I gladly accepted, thinking that I could get even stronger than I currently was. Not to mention if I prove myself to her, then maybe she¡¯ll tell me where that accursed necromancer is hiding! With such hopes, I departed with her. Once we were there, she indeed started to teach me how to fight better. Using the monsters there as punchbags, she told me many things, from how to start a fight, how to keep your distance from the opponent, and even how to escape and retreat if you find yourself outmatched. Those poor mountain wolves though¡­ they stood no chance whatsoever against her, even when there''s a whole pack of them. Even so, while I was watching and learning from her, the restlessness in my heart wouldn''t disappear. Ooh, Marina, are you really fine there? The letter I sent had yet to get a return, which I thought was just because the letter itself might have arrived earlier than the person herself. If they decided to not rush back home, then they very well could still be in Minitumala or Rau Uvarsa, looking around and taking it easy. I paid for the fastest delivery I could find after all. And so I decided to ask Elun about it once again. ¡°Hey, Elun.¡± I approached her after she finished one of her demonstrations. ¡°Do you think Marina is alright over there with Thomas and his grandmother?¡± ¡°Hmm? Of course she is!¡± she replied with her usual smile. ¡°Why are you so worried all of a sudden?¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I still don¡¯t believe she¡¯s going with him, you know. She always hated him. And now she¡¯s perfectly willing to sit in a stagecoach with him for how long to travel to his home all the way in the Marjoram Province? I still can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ Well, I¡¯m not her friend. You are. So you would know this stuff better than me.¡± sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Hey, Elun¡­ can we¡­ can we take a trip there? To Vera¡¯s place, I mean?¡± Hearing my plea, she snorted. ¡°So you don¡¯t want to train with me anymore?¡± ¡°No! Not at all! But I can¡¯t stay calm when I don¡¯t know for sure how Marina is!¡± Before I knew it, I started shouting to her. And then, the bubble mage took a deep sigh. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t like it. The truth, I mean.¡± My heart dropped. ¡°What do you mean?! What happened to her?¡± I walked forward and yanked her collar downwards, since I was shorter than her. ¡°Tell me, you¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say that she didn''t come entirely voluntary." She grinned. I was right! Marina''s in trouble after all! I pushed her away before I bolted, running straight back towards the city. "Aahh!" Only for a searing pain to suddenly appear on the back of my left thigh, making me trip and stumble to the ground. W-what? I looked back and saw a wound there. A bleeding one. "Oh dear." I looked up and saw Elun, now surrounded by her bubbles. "I''m sorry, Alincia. But I can''t let you go there. It''s your Grandfather''s order, you know." My eyes widened. She fired off another bubble in high speed, hitting me on the right shoulder this time. ¡°Gah!¡± The wound wasn¡¯t deep. But it hurt. It was as if a small arrow had pierced my skin. I pressed the wound with my hand. Sure enough, it was bleeding as well. ¡°A-are you crazy? Y-you can¡¯t just attack me like this! I-I¡¯ll tell Grandpa on you!¡± "Oh? But he himself already told me I can use violence to stop you." ¡°G-Grandpa¡ªGrandpa did?¡± ¡°So, if you truly want to save that girl, you have only one choice. Fight me. Fight me as if I was the one who took away your dear friend.¡± ------------ What happened afterwards was a blur. I decided to fight, knowing that Marina was definitely in danger. I used my fire magic to cauterize my wounds, clenching through the pain in the process. And then, I stood up and fired a Fireball right towards her. Naturally, her bubbles blocked it, with her not getting a single scratch or burn from it. But it was enough to allow me to put a good distance between us. I had no intention to really fight her though. I knew I wouldn''t be able to win. She was just too skilled with her magic. I just needed to lose her. That''s all I needed. Then, I could go and help Marina. It was not an easy feat however, as bubble girl chased after me, moving at high speed using her water jet magic. I could see her sky blue panties clearly, thanks to her short skirt blowing freely in the wind. "Hey, I can see your panties, you know!" I yelled with a grin. "So why don''t you just let me go, alright?" "Why, I can see yours as well. Cute pair, by the way. A bit childish for my taste though." "Wha¡ªkyaah!" I promptly pressed the front of my dress down. Like she said, it was blowing upwards, as I too was moving fast downhill using my fire jet spell. Marina was the one who taught me that by the way. "Uuuu¡­" I was so embarrassed! My bear print panties were showing and I didn''t even notice! I thought my dress would be long enough to cover them! I wasn''t the one wearing that black miniskirt like her! But then again, my own dress still ended above my knees. Shorter than Marina''s. And I already caught a glimpse of Marina''s panties a couple of times when a strong wind blew. ...Aaah, what am I doing? This is no time to be thinking about such things! I have to get away from Bubble Girl here! And fast! And in the end, I managed to do exactly that, after I cast my Master-level Fire spell at her, Explosion. I didn¡¯t see what happened to her afterwards though, as I left right away, not wanting to waste another second on her. I hoped she didn¡¯t die from that. ...No, I didn¡¯t think she would in the first place, since I could tell she was holding back as she fought and chased after me. I might have wounded her quite considerably though, to the point that she could not chase me any longer. Or maybe she just decided to let me go, after seeing myself using my strongest spell with a full intent to kill her. It was a test, I imagine. Grandfather¡¯s test. He probably wanted to see my resolve first before I was allowed to intervene in another Council member¡¯s business. He wanted to see my resolve in saving Marina and how far I would want to go. That¡¯s why Elun taunted me all the way, telling me that I had to fight her with my full strength. I could just imagine him saying, "If you want to save your friend so badly, then fight for it like a true Salamander." It¡¯s just the kind of thing he would say. As long as I don¡¯t die or get permanently crippled, it¡¯s fine with that old coot. Naturally, this also meant I couldn''t rely on his help to free Marina. He''ll just tell me to do it on my own. But to think he would use Elun, Selendia¡¯s daughter, for that purpose. Did Selendia agree with this? I could never understand that scary woman. And Grandpa rarely talked about her either. After escaping, I was lucky enough to find a letter courier riding his horse on the road. I stopped him with a Flame Wall, nearly giving him and his poor horse a heart attack, and then demanded for him to take me to Rau Uvarsa, declaring my Salamander name. I even showed him the family emblem I always carried around with me, just for this purpose. And that¡¯s how I managed to get to Rau Uvarsa in record time. Of course, once I was there, I still needed to climb the mountain on my own. But it was no problem, I could force the guards on the front to open the gate, once again flashing my family emblem to them. I didn¡¯t care that I was announcing my arrival to Vera. Even if Grandfather was alright with me getting hurt and injured, he wouldn''t be alright with me actually dying for real. And this was really important, as from the gate guards, I then knew that Marina''s family had come to the mountain, just a few hours before me. They warned me that there would be a fight and I shouldn''t climb up since it would be dangerous. Of course, I ignored them and pressed on. It was now more important for me to get there as I could help them in saving Marina. I was even perfectly willing to be a meat shield to them, so that Vera couldn''t kill them without killing me. But when I arrived, it was already too late. The fight was already over, and all I found was him. Hugo. Half-buried under the snow. And Vera''s decapitated body near him. They had won, but all of them had paid for it with their lives. Or so I thought, before I still felt a pulse from the young boy. I dragged him out and went to the mansion, asking for help from the servants, only to find that it was completely empty and abandoned, and full of ice and snow. I had no choice. I had to be the one to heal him. I cleared the nearest empty room I could find with my flames before carrying him there. And then, I used the secret family spell that Gramps always told never to use for anyone else but myself or a member of the family. The Salamander Flame Regeneration spell. It was a spell that allowed recovery and granted protection from even the most extreme state of cold. It would be the perfect counter to any ordinary ice mage as you would be practically impervious to cold while you don it in your body. I didn¡¯t even tell Marina that I could do this spell, even though according to Grandfather, who had taught it to me, the complexity required to cast it was around Master-level. So the truth was, I already mastered two Master-level spells now. I carefully used it on the boy, concentrating fully as I would kill him if I messed up for even just a sec. One of his blood vessels could burst inside his body, leading to internal hemorrhaging that would no doubt lead to death. And then, slowly, his color returned. He had returned from the brink of death. He didn¡¯t wake up immediately however, so I decided to explore the rest of the mansion. I originally expected the worst, that Vera had relocated Marina somewhere else, but to my relief, she was still there, frozen inside a giant ice crystal in what I assumed to be her room. I carefully melt said crystal with my magic, only to find out that she was in a state of cold sleep. I was then so grateful of my old self for actually listening to Grandpa¡¯s explanations, as if I hadn¡¯t, I would¡¯ve thought of her as dead for sure. He had told me of such a spell before¡ªa spell that induced cold sleep to the victim. He or she wouldn¡¯t need food or water or even air as they were suspended in that state. And when they woke up, it was as if they just woke up from a normal sleep. Gramps would teach me all sorts of spells (eating up all those summer vacations I was supposed to have), even if for just the knowledge of them. I always thought that it was stupid, since I would never be able to cast all those complex water or ice spells, but now, I finally understood why he taught them. I needed them to really know what the opponent was using, since a lot of high-level complex spells weren¡¯t just sending icicles or thunder in your way. They worked far more subtly, in a matter that wouldn¡¯t be obvious right away. Like this spell for example. And according to him, a spell like this would just wear off on its own in a few days. So there was no need for me to do anything. And then, I was suddenly reminded of why I went all the way here in the first place. That shitty hobbit! He¡¯s gone and run like the coward he is, hasn¡¯t he? I just realized that I hadn¡¯t met Thomas. And that made me furious. I was truly, honestly considering of burning him to a crisp with my spell. He couldn¡¯t have actually done that to her, could he? I-if he did, then I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m going to provoke a war between Gramps and Vera! I¡¯m going to kill him! ...Ehe...ehehehehehehe! That¡¯s right! Vera is already dead! That means¡­ I started to imagine all the ways I could torture him. R-right. That could wait. I have to check if he really did it to her. And there¡¯s only one way to do that, isn¡¯t it? I gave another look at Marina¡¯s unconscious body, before my face started to redden. I-I¡¯m not a pervert! I-it¡¯s not like I want to have a closeup look! I-I just have to confirm it, t-that¡¯s all. I gulped. Should I be the one doing this? Should I even be doing this in the first place? N-no. I can¡¯t let her little brother to be the one doing it. They might be related, but he¡¯s still a boy after all. She would be sullied if he¡¯s the one doing it. It has to be me! Another girl! I braced myself. And then I gently lifted her dress, pulled down her panties, and went down there. ... O-oh, thank Mira that she¡¯s still intact down there! I quickly retreated, pulling her skimpy, all too thin black lace panties upwards before fixing her dress. She''s fine then. She''s perfectly fine. With great relief, I returned back to her still unconscious little brother, waiting until he opened his eyes. ------------- And now, I am in this situation, with him running away in tears after he said that his parents had perished. So Vera got to them after all¡­ I was hoping otherwise, that they were just off somewhere else, since I didn¡¯t find their body. But now, I knew it was just a false hope I told myself. So that I wouldn¡¯t feel guilty for coming too late to help them. If only¡­ if only I had come sooner, I could¡¯ve helped them against Vera. I could¡¯ve prevented their death! And that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t chase after him. I couldn¡¯t really comfort him. Not like this. I went back to Marina¡¯s room, wondering how I was going to bring her the bad news when she woke up. I smiled wryly. Maybe she''ll hate me, for not coming just a little bit sooner. Or maybe she won¡¯t. She¡¯ll blame herself instead, for having to be rescued like this. But I won¡¯t let you blame yourself, Marina. If there¡¯s anyone to blame, it¡¯s Vera and Thomas. And the former is already dead. If you want revenge on Thomas as well, then we can go together to hunt him down. And of course, if you need a shoulder to cry to, I will be there too. I¡¯ll pat your head and comfort you, just like you comforted me when Big Sis died. ---------- Thankfully, they didn¡¯t really take anything off the mansion when they decided to abandon it, so I could still find some food in the kitchen to eat. It was just bread unfortunately, because I couldn¡¯t cook in the slightest. I just roasted the bread with my fire spell and ate it. Oh, that¡¯s right. Where¡¯s Hugo? He hasn¡¯t returned yet. It¡¯s been a while since he left. After eating, I went out to go look for him. Don¡¯t tell him he got lost or anything. To my horror however, after searching for what could¡¯ve been an entire hour, I couldn¡¯t find him. I¡¯d called his name over and over, but he didn¡¯t answer back.. And then, I noticed footsteps heading down the mountains. They were those of a boy his age. ...No way. Why would he do that? Why would he be climbing down the mountain when his sister is right here? Should I chase after him? But I have Marina to watch over. Damnit, what are you doing, Hugo? Ultimately, I decided on staying, trusting that he could take care of himself. Marina always mentioned how he was smarter and older than kids his age. Not to mention that his parents actually took him to fight against Vera. And he ended up being the only survivor. And speaking of that, after searching for the nearby area more closely, I found them. The bodies of his parents. When I first dug them out, I nearly screamed. And I ended up puking the bread I had eaten, unable to stomach what I saw. They weren¡¯t whole. They were mutilated into so many frozen pieces that even now, after I dug out the whole area, I couldn¡¯t find all of the parts. It was as if they were shattered into pieces. It¡¯s the work of Vera¡¯s ice spell, isn¡¯t it? I only wish that their death was a painless one... I didn¡¯t know what to do with them, so I just left them there, after burying them back under the snow manually using a shovel. Did Hugo see the moment it happened¡ªhis parents shattering into pieces right in front of his young eyes? Is that why he ran away? D-don¡¯t tell me that he felt guilt over it, and now he can¡¯t face Marina? T-that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s dumb! Really dumb! It¡¯s Vera he should be angry at! Not himself! Should I really chase after him after all? But he already got such a headstart. Not to mention it¡¯s getting dark as well. And I can¡¯t abandon Marina on her own either¡­ I bit my lip. Once again, I decided to stay, praying that he would eventually return to his senses and come back here to his sister. Marina would need him, I had no doubt about that. And yet, he never did. Vol 1 Chapter 51: The Council’s Schemes Selendia In the skies, under the dark night, was a giant transparent jellyfish. It continuously fired off a jet of water from its bottom, maintaining its altitude in the process. And inside said jellyfish was two figures¡ªtwo women, one wearing a white and cyan maid dress with a pair of peculiar fins attached to the sides of her head while the other wore a luxurious deep blue dress, wielding a staff on her right hand. It was Selendia Brine and her maid. ¡°Do you believe they could do it? That they could win against her, Ma¡¯am?¡± the maid asked, her tone curious yet respectful. ¡°Hmm, maybe they could. I certainly hope they do. Vera will most likely underestimate them. She wouldn¡¯t use her artifact to be sure, and she wouldn¡¯t go all-out immediately as well. That sadist always loves torturing her victims after all.¡± ¡°If they can¡¯t?¡± ¡°Well, it would just be a polite visit. We¡¯re neighbors after all.¡± The jellyfish then rapidly descended, free falling as it no longer fired off its water. And then, it landed right in front of Vera¡¯s mansion, only resuming to shoot out its water when it was about to land so its occupancy would feel a softer, more comfortable landing. The jellyfish then disappeared, leaving only the two figures behind outside. ¡°No snowstorm. That means the fight is over.¡± ¡°There are no guards around, Ma¡¯am. Vera must have told everyone to evacuate." "Yes, I can see that." "A-apologies¡­" The water mage then casually walked into the already opened gate, before turning around to glance at her maid. ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? Let¡¯s go inside. Let¡¯s see if our little Vera is triumphant or not.¡± "R-right, Ma''am." It didn¡¯t take long for them to find out that there were only two people inside¡ªAlincia and Marina, both sleeping soundly in their own rooms. And after looking around outside, the maid also found Vera¡¯s body and staff, almost buried under the snow. When the maid reported it to Selendia, she was having a seat on Vera¡¯s throne, finding the chair far more suited for her than Vera¡¯s small body. ¡°So they actually did it. They managed to kill Vera.¡± The mage began to laugh uncontrollably,, covering her mouth with her left hand in the process. ¡°Oh, it went just like I wanted! I thought the chance of two ex-S-rank adventurers and their son winning against her would be slim, but they did it anyway! That gnome really did use one of Mira¡¯s artifacts to win against Lana all those years ago! She isn¡¯t an Archmage-level mage after all! Not in the slightest!¡± Archmage. One step beyond Grandmaster. No one in the Magocracy currently laid claim to the title, as you would need to be able to cast one of the legendary spells Mira herself apparently used a millenia ago. In the Magocracy¡¯s history, the true history, hidden from the public, only a few had ever reached that height. And if a mage reached that level, they could very well make themselves a Mage-King. The mage families occupying the Council would have to bow down to them. The Magocracy¡¯s history books claimed that only Mira had ever reached said heights, hiding away any records of other mages reaching that level, so that no one would question the ruling Council¡¯s legitimacy. The Magocracy also taught its citizens that the many Saints of the Milicis Faith were never actually Saint-level in their Holy Magic (as the two positions were equivalent). After all, they never displayed any Saint-level Holy Magic to the public. Not to mention that if they were truly Saint-level, they would have them on the front lines, not hidden away from the fight. ¡°I assume the rest of the Council would be overjoyed as well, wouldn¡¯t they, Ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°Indeed. We¡¯ve only been tolerating her for so long because of the chance that she really had reached Archmage-level in her Ice spell, as she demonstrated in her fight against Lana. But now, with how she died so pathetically to a bunch of nobodies, there was no doubt that she was just a weakling. Possibly even the weakest amongst all of us. She only got that strong because of that artifact.¡± ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll keep it in this place, Ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°I doubt it. It must be in a safer place somewhere, away from any and all prying eyes. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here, to find any clues where she could be hiding it.¡± She then rose. ¡°I¡¯ll go look in her library right now. Tell Alincia not to disturb me when she wakes up.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She suddenly stopped for a bit before she left the room, tilting her head backwards to her maid with a smile. ¡°And cook her some breakfast, would you? The poor girl must be starving.¡± --------- Alincia ¡°U-uuuhhh¡­¡± I slowly opened my eyes, before stretching my arms upwards, yawning in the process. I sat up groggily, rubbing my eyes, before yawning once again. That''s right. I''m sleeping in Vera''s mansion right now. Hmm? What''s this smell? This smells like¡­ bacon? But who could¡ª I quickly jumped out of my bed, wore my leggings and sandals, and ran out of the room, immediately running to the kitchen. Only to find a complete stranger there, cooking what indeed looked like bacon on one of the stoves. "Oh, you''ve woken up, Miss Salamander. Please wait just a few more moments. Your breakfast will be ready soon." She gave me a sideways glance. I was speechless. The situation was too bizarre and unexpected for me to comprehend. "W-who are you? You''re one of Vera''s servants?" I drew my wand from my pocket. She didn''t answer immediately. Instead, she lifted the pan and then put the cooked bacon on a plate she had placed on the nearby table. Only after that she turned to face me. "You don''t remember me, Miss Salamander? I believe we''ve met before." I paused, looking at her more carefully. She was mature yet youthful-looking. Judging by her outfit, she looked to be a maid. Hmm? Those fins¡­ she''s a sea-folk? And those large breasts¡ªtheir shape jutting out her uniform¡­ "Ah, I remember!" I pointed my finger. "You''re Selendia''s personal maid, aren''t you? You''re the maid that would always be beside her whenever she goes, aren''t you? I''ll never forget that scary lady with her creepy grin!" "Please address Milady with the proper respect." Eek, a chill just crawls on the back of my neck! T-that glare¡­ s-scary... "A-ah, sorry about that," I quickly apologized. "...Wait, hold on! Why are you even here?" "Because Milady is here." "Selendi¡ªI-I mean, Mrs. Brine. She''s here?" "Yes. She''s currently upstairs, at the library. And she has asked not to be interrupted, so there''s no need for Young Miss to wait for her to have your breakfast. And, before Young Miss asks, we haven''t touched your friend in the slightest. Rest assured that Milady wishes her no harm." ¡°I-I see¡­¡± ¡°Wait, no, why are you two even¡ª¡± Her sharp glare returned. ¡°I-I mean, why are Mrs. Brine here?¡± I quickly corrected myself yet again. ¡°T-this is Vera¡¯s territory! Shouldn¡¯t you two be back in your own territory?¡± ...Hmm? She¡¯s pausing? She¡¯s not answering immediately?¡± ¡°...Milady has a certain matter that she needs to attend to here. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡± ...Ah, I got it! ¡°Ha!¡± My confident smile returned. ¡°I know what your master is doing! She¡¯s ransacking Vera¡¯s magic books and research notes, isn¡¯t she? Grandpa always says that we have to guard our magic knowledge from any outsiders, even if that outsider is another member of the Council. And now, she¡¯s here to plunder the Marjoram Family¡¯s knowledge, knowing that Vera is dead. Am I right, or am I right?¡± No response. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Cat got your¡ª¡± ¡°I have no need to converse further with you. Please enjoy your breakfast.¡± Deciding that the conversation was over, she exited the room. What? Running away? As if I¡¯ll let you! ¡°You know that I got here first right?¡± I shouted at her down the hallway. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be the one to get the right to Vera¡¯s knowledge?¡± She stopped in her tracks, before turning back, immediately sending me that terrifyingly sharp glare once again. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to try. But you shall have to fight my mistress for that.¡± Water suddenly manifested near her right hand, before transforming into a solid trident, promptly aimed right at my direction. ¡°And I will not hesitate to pierce anyone who threatens her, no matter who they are.¡± W-what is this¡­ p-pressure? M-my legs are shaking. I-I can¡¯t move. I-I can¡¯t speak either. M-my body¡­ i-it¡¯s not moving the way I want it to. I could only stand there like an idiot, completely speechless as the maid went upstairs, no doubt going to meet up with her master. T-the pressure¡­ i-it¡¯s gone. W-what was that? I now knew that there wasn¡¯t a chance for me to get my hands on those grimoires anymore. Dammit, I should¡¯ve taken them last night! They must have come when I was asleep! And I want to give them to Marina too¡­ Unlike Grandpa, I wasn¡¯t obsessed with ¡°reaching the new heights of magic¡± as he always said. I just felt that Marina deserved them, after all the things she had gone through. I was sure that she could make great use of them. She was a magic prodigy after all! And I¡¯d certainly rather have her possess the grimoires rather than that scary lady and her scary fish maid! ----------- After having my breakfast, which I begrudgingly accepted as delicious even though the one who made it was that maid, I decided to pay a visit to the library on the second floor. Only to find that maid standing in front of the door, shooing me away. "Hey! I just want to greet her, you know!" "Mistress doesn''t want to be disturbed. And you are a disturbance." ¡°You know I can report this to Grandpa, right? Do the rest of the Council even approve of¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, they do. Now go away and attend to your sleeping friend or something. I won¡¯t tolerate you disturbing Milady with your noiseness.¡± Tch, she just drops all pretense of politeness towards me now. If only you work for my family instead, I¡¯ll have you fired at once! Fired, you hear that? In the end, I had to retreat. There was no other entrance to the place, and there weren¡¯t any windows either that I could use as an entry point. Vera probably designed the room intentionally that way. I couldn¡¯t imagine spending hours inside a library with no fresh air coming in though. Not that I would ever spend hours reading books in a library in the first place. Books are just not my thing. I didn¡¯t know whether the maid was telling the truth, that they were really approved by the Council on doing this, but I was definitely going to report them to Grandpa for sure! I ended up spending my free time just watching over Marina. I couldn¡¯t trust those bunch to guard her of course! Sure, they really didn¡¯t do anything to her, but they must know that it was her family who killed Vera. In fact, now that I thought about it, it¡¯s more likely that they were involved in this whole mess from the start. ...Oh I am such a complete idiot! In my surprise of their sudden appearance, I had completely forgotten that Elun was Selendia¡¯s daughter. And since she knew what was going on, then Selendia must know as well! Furious, I once again climbed upstairs to face the maid once more. ¡°Hey! You two know about this whole kidnapping business, don¡¯t you?¡± I yelled right to her face. ¡°Kidnapping business?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb! Marina got kidnapped under Vera¡¯s orders and you knew about it!¡± ¡°Oh, about that. I believe it would be best if Young Miss discusses it with my mistress instead.¡± ¡°Then let me in!¡± ¡°Apologies, but you¡¯ll have to wait until she¡¯s finished. It shouldn¡¯t take much longer.¡± Seeing her neutral, unconcerned expression¡­ it only made my blood boil even more. It¡¯s as if she doesn¡¯t care about Marina¡¯s horrible treatment in the slightest. ¡°MOVE. OUT. OF. THE. WAY!¡± Without thinking, I sent a slap right towards her face. And not just a normal one, but a flame-covered, superhot one as I instinctively cast a Fireball on said hand at the same time. Only for her to grab my hand with her own mid-air before it could even land, somehow dousing the flames in the process. ¡°W-wha¡ª¡± SLAPPP She slapped me back, sending me flying to the floor. ¡°You¡¯re just like your sister, aren¡¯t you? Doesn¡¯t know her own limits. Always underestimates her opponent,¡± she spoke coldly. ¡°If you weren¡¯t Master Merlinus¡¯ granddaughter, I would have killed you right on the spot.¡± And then, the door behind her suddenly opened. ¡°Oh my, what is going on here?¡± It was her mistress, and her eyes immediately darted towards me, who was still knocked down on the floor, glaring in complete anger and contempt. ¡°Did you knock her down, Lucentia?" "I did, Milady. She tried to hit me so she could barge in." "I see. Well, that''s a shame." She then walked towards me before kneeling down, offering her hand. "Apologies. Lucentia can really be too overzealous at times." I slapped her hand away. "You know about Marina''s kidnapping, don''t you?" I yelled as I stood up on my own. "How could you not do anything about it, huh? And not only that, you sent Elun to stop me from rescuing her! Do you know just what¡ª" "Of course I do," she quickly interrupted me, standing back up and towering over me with that unnerving smile of hers. "In fact, all of the Council members knew, even your grandfather. Vera herself brought it up in one of our meetings, saying that she wanted Marina to be part of her family. And we all agreed to turn a blind eye on her actions." "But that''s¡ªyou can''t just do that to someone!" I yelled back. "Do you know that Marina has lost her father and mother thanks to Vera and your stupid Council for just allowing this to happen? Don''t we have a law that forbids kidnapping someone?" "Oh, but we can." Her smile widened, making it even more unnerving. "We can do whatever we want to her. Or to any other weakling that is unfortunate enough to attract our attention. The law exists only for the weak and foolish. We stood above the law, my dear. We are the Sages of Mira, the inheritor of her wisdom. Haven''t Merlinus taught you girl, that power is everything in this world?" For the first time in my life, I felt repulsion towards Grandfather. I always accepted his teachings, that strength was a virtue. Even if I wasn¡¯t that strong myself, I looked up to strong people, like Big Sis and him. Even if he was always strict and demanding towards me, I still held some fondness and admiration towards him. And I knew that Big Sis felt the same, knowing just how hard she tried to make him proud. It was the same with Marina. One of the reasons why I admired her so much was because she¡¯s strong. And yet, only now I realized where that way of thinking could lead. Grandfather let Vera kidnap Marina, possibly because he believed that if Marina wasn¡¯t strong enough to fight against her, then she deserved to be kidnapped. Grandfather also prevented me from chasing after her, only telling Elun to let me go if I could prove my power to her. And he most likely believed that if I wanted to save Marina that bad, I had to do it by my own strength. He wouldn¡¯t care in the slightest how much Marina and her family suffered from Vera¡¯s actions. "You¡ªyou''re monsters! All of you! Marina suffered so much because of you all! And yet¡­ and yet, you don''t even have a single speck of compassion towards her!" Before I knew it, tears started to fall out of my eyes as I clenched my fists. "But that¡¯s wrong. I do have compassion for her. Now, come. Wipe those tears. We''re going to meet with your friend." "Compassion? What kind of compassion? It''s far too late for you to decide to apologize! Marina lost her parents to Vera! Hey, don¡¯t just ignore me and run away!¡± In the end, I had to follow her and the maid all the way to Marina¡¯s room. ¡°Look at her! She¡¯s like this because of you just allowing Vera to do what she wants!¡± ¡°She¡¯s just cold sleeping, right? Why haven¡¯t you woken her up? You should be able to do it, with that family spell of yours.¡± S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°W-wait, you know about the Flame Regeneration?¡± ¡°I see. So that information was right after all. Thank you for clarifying that,¡± she replied with a small grin. Oh crap! My hands immediately went to cover my mouth. "...Wait, how did you get that information in the first place? Have you been spying on Grandfather? Hehe, you''re in trouble now! Just wait until I tell him!" I grinned triumphantly. "Oh no, I just had one of my people ask one of his servants. They didn''t even know they were leaking quite the precious information. Just like you, my dear. Hmph! I don''t believe that for a second! I''m definitely telling Grandpa! "Well, let me guess, you''re afraid of accidentally killing her in the process, aren''t you? I know how the cold spell works. And I know it would be incredibly difficult for a mage of your level to lift it without killing her in the process." ...She''s right. I certainly could have tried. But what''s the point, when she should wake up on her own if I would wait for a few days? Not to mention that the spell is nothing like her little brother''s hypothermia. He would have definitely died if I didn''t cure him. And so I did, thankfully not popping any of his blood vessels in the process. But this is an intentionally casted cold sleep spell. I will be attempting to dispel a spell cast by a Grandmaster-level mage. It''s too risky! There''s no way I''ll do it, especially when there''s no good reason to do so! "However, I can help you with that. I can stabilize her body with my healing water while you warm her back up as carefully as you could.¡± I looked at her in disbelief. Did she really just offer to help me heal Marina? ¡°Look, your friend here¡ªshe¡¯ll soon be declared as a criminal by the Council. She¡¯ll be blamed for Vera¡¯s death. Her punishment would be even graver than that necromancer girl who killed your big sister. This is my compassion. I want to give her a headstart, so that she can run away from this country before the Council officially gives that declaration.¡± ¡°Y-you can¡¯t be¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, I''m serious. And not just her either. Her entire family would be branded as criminals as well. The Council wouldn¡¯t care if they are foreigners. We can demand the king of Marchen for their extradition and he will obey, no questions asked. She will have to travel far away, to a country that won¡¯t kneel to the Magocracy. She still has a little sister back home, right? And a little brother as well, if I remember correctly." "That''s¡ªthat''s not fair! Not only you let Vera kidnap her and murder her parents, you''re not forcing her to run to some faraway country on her own?" "The world is never fair, my dear," she replied with a smile. "This is simply the cards that are dealt to her." "No!" I stamped my right foot to the floor. "I am not going to let you or the rest of the Council do this! I''m going to tell Grandpa to go against this stupid decision!" "Feel free to do that. He''ll probably ask you to fight him first though." "Hmph, I''ll do exactly that! But I still don¡¯t trust you enough and your water magic! You¡¯re part of the Council that will vote for her criminal status, right? You can just kill her right now, or even make me kill her accidentally just because you find it funny!¡± ¡°Oh please.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°I am not a sadist like Vera. I don¡¯t enjoy inflicting needless suffering to people. And I could¡¯ve just killed her when you were asleep if I wanted her dead." She then walked away to the corner of the room, before sighing, speaking with her back turned to me. "I sympathize with her a little. You see, I was nearly a victim of forced marriage myself, just like her. So I would rather have her live a happy life." "Then you should''ve stopped this from happening in the first place!" I shouted. She turned back to face me with an uncharastically glum expression. "Well, as a Council member, I can''t do that. And I can¡¯t tell you why unfortunately. If you really want to know, confront your Grandfather about it.¡± ¡°Then at the very least don¡¯t make her a criminal!¡± ¡°Just my vote wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡± My body shook. My anger once again was reaching its boiling point. ¡°...I¡¯m sick of it. I¡¯m sick of everyone hiding everything from me.¡± ¡°Then you know what to do. That old coot will only listen to power.¡± ¡°I promise. I promise I¡¯ll make him tell everything, even if I have to fight him for it! And I¡¯ll make him and the rest of the Council members change their minds as well!¡± ¡°Good girl.¡± She patted my head through the hat. ¡°Merlinus would be happy to hear that for sure.¡± In the end, I decided not to take on her offer. I still couldn¡¯t trust her fully in the end. She and her maid left soon after, telling that I and Marina would be welcome to take anything left in the house. So she probably already got the grimoires that she wanted. She also promised me that she would try to delay the announcement of Marina¡¯s bounty as much as she could. As for myself, I started training my magic right away. Fine. Grandpa wanted strength? I¡¯ll show him strength. Maybe I won¡¯t be able to beat him right away. Maybe Marina would have to flee for a time. But I promise her that one day, she will be welcome once again in the Magocracy. She and her entire family. I didn¡¯t know what happened to her little brother. He never returned. I just hoped that he would be wise enough to realize that the Magocracy would be after him as well. I just hope that Marina will recover soon. In the meantime, I¡¯ll gather up all the valuables and magic books I reckon she can use for her journey. Vera¡¯s servants never returned, as well as her grandson. They probably have realized Vera has fallen, and thus they decide to flee instead. Good. Because if I see Thomas, I¡¯ll burn him with my flames until he begs for mercy. Only after he regrets what he¡¯s done to Marina, then I¡¯ll take his life.. He no longer has his grandma to protect him after all. I never killed anyone before, and I¡¯m perfectly fine with him being the first. Vol 1 Chapter 52: Goodbyes Marina When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Alincia, crying her heart out with a smile before throwing herself at me for a hug. She then told me everything. How Vera had died, how she had come here to rescue me¡ª And how Father and Mother had perished. My eyes widened in shock, but I didn¡¯t say anything. I didn¡¯t even shed a tear. "U-uwaaaa, I''m sorry! If I had come sooner, then they might have lived! I didn''t even get to help them! Vera was already dead when I arrived!" As she hugged me with her tears, I didn¡¯t feel anything. Or rather, my mind refused to feel anything. It was as if I was still a dream, and all this wasn¡¯t real. I was still walking in clouds, with my mind unable to comprehend the tragedy that I just heard. "...I see. So they came after all. Vera was speaking the truth." I looked away, expressionless, my gaze staring into nothing. "I-I can take you to them. But they¡­ their bodies¡­" I didn¡¯t need to hear her actually say it. Just looking at her expression was enough. Their body must have not survived intact, which wouldn¡¯t be out of place if they were fighting such a powerful mage. "...Take me to them.¡± I told her firmly, still not showing any signs of weakness. And so she did, though not before handing me back my wand that she had found from Vera''s study. I pocketed it immediately. Outside, not that far off from the mansion, she took me to a certain spot on the middle of the snowy hill the mansion was located on. "I-I''ll have to dig through the snow first,¡± she declared. So their bodies must be buried underneath. I let her do the job with her fire magic, watching quietly as my gaze was fixated downwards. I wasn¡¯t especially preparing myself for the worst. Instead, I was just doing it mechanically, not really thinking about it in the slightest. And then, I found them. Or rather, what remained of them. And they were indeed in a horrible state. Just as I had feared. I stared at them wordlessly for at least several minutes¡ªI didn¡¯t know exactly how long. There was no doubt about it. They were dead. Even though I could barely recognize them, I still knew they were Father and Mother, all thanks to their heads that had survived relatively well. I didn¡¯t know how I should react. Should I cry? But my tears weren¡¯t coming out. Should I scream? But I didn¡¯t want to scream. Should I fall down and beg at their corpse for them to return? That would be silly. Instead, all I felt was anger¡ªanger like I had never felt before. "M-Marina?" She spoke ¡°...Stay back, Alincia. I¡¯m going to bury them.¡± ¡°B-bury them? Here?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t bring them home. Not in this state. But I won¡¯t let them become food for monsters as well once the snow thawed.¡± She did as I requested, giving a good distance away from where the remains were. I took out my wand, transformed it to its staff form, before I began to chant. ¡°O spirits of the Earth! Listen to my plea! As you give stability and protection to those who walk on the land, let those who stood on your forbidden soil be accursed! Let them fall to a pit that they would never escape from! Let them fall to the depths of the Earth itself, swallowed by your jaws whole! Manifest your will by crumbling the very ground itself! Crumbling Earth!" I aimed it not at the snow hill itself, but at the ground underneath it. ¡°E-Earthquake?¡± Alincia yelped. The snow nearby began to get sucked down into the forming pit down below. I took a few steps backwards, as well as Alincia, making sure that we wouldn¡¯t be caught by the falling snow. And of course, in the process, the remains of my father and mother fell down as well, right down to the earth itself. Eventually, the rumbling stopped as the pit I formed filled up with snow. "Y-you''re okay with this, Marina? Just burying them here?" I nodded silently. I felt if I had tried to collect their remnants, digging through all the snow by hand hoping I could reassemble them, I would have broken down completely in the process. I remembered a tale about how some warriors wanted to die gloriously in the battlefield, instead of dying of old age on a bed. He even joked that he would perfectly be fine with dying in a fight, as long as he fought for his family, against an insurmountable opponent that even he would have trouble with. Is this it, Father? Is this what you want? You have defeated a Grandmaster-level mage, a member of the Magocracy¡¯s Council and one of the strongest people in the world. And you have succeeded in defeating her, even at the cost of your own life. How about you, Mother? Are you happy now in the heavens above, knowing that I am saved because of you? Of course you are. You will sacrifice yourself for me and Hugo and Erika without question. I know it even without you saying it. Drip Drip drip Ah¡­ It seems the rainfall is coming after all. I turned my back to Alincia, not wanting her to see that I was crying. But she took notice anyway, and she gave me a hug from behind, not saying anything at all, knowing that I hated to be seen in tears by others. We stayed like that for a good while until my tears dried. ------------- We then moved on to Vera¡¯s corpse next. She was headless, but otherwise intact, although she was nearly buried under the snow completely. ¡°Huh? Where¡¯s her staff? I swear she¡¯s still gripping it the last time I saw her,¡± Alincia spoke. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me those two took it with them!¡± I didn¡¯t care about her staff. I ignored Alincia completely to charge up my Fire and Earth spell. ¡°Magma Burst.¡± A jet of magma spew forth from under the snow, obliterating the body completely until nothing remained. You will not get the satisfaction of being buried as an intact corpse, Vera. Neither you or your grandson. I thought of throwing my staff as well to the lava, knowing that it was given by her. But I refrained from doing so. As much it disgusted me to be using anything she gave to me, it was a useful weapon. And I had gotten well-acquainted with it, almost like a trusted friend. No, it would be a shame to just leave it behind. Instead, Vera should be angry instead in the afterlife that I ended up triumphant in the end, and still using the staff she bought expensively for me as a bribe. Afterwards, Alincia and I returned back inside the mansion, without a word spoken between us. --------- We then ate together silently in the dining room. Just some dry, leftover bread that was as hard as bricks. I ate them anyway, not because I felt especially hungry, but just because I could. ¡°O-oh I forget to tell you. Your little brother was here too. But he left five days ago and he never returned.¡± I paused. ¡°Hugo was?¡± I looked at her. ¡°Y-yeah. I think he fought with your parents against Vera, actually.¡± "...Did you notice anything strange when he left?" "Well, he''s¡ªhe was crying. After I asked what happened to his parents, he ran away after he told me that they''re gone. And that''s when I last saw him. I did notice his footsteps going down the mountain, using the eastern route." "...That idiot." I stood up, fully intending to chase after him immediately. He must be blaming himself for their death. And now he decided to run away. I thought you''re a smart and wise boy, Hugo. But this¡­ this is exactly something a child would do. If there''s anyone to blame, it would be me. It''s for my sake that you and them came here and fought Vera, knowing very well how powerful she was. If I had just thrown my pride and stubbornness away, I could''ve stopped their death. Or, the even wiser thing is to just blame Vera, the monster behind this all. "W-wait, Marina! You can''t chase after him! You don''t know where he is now!" Alincia stopped me, hugging me from the back S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "He must be near Mau Uvarsa. He took the east path, right?" "No, please! Listen to me first! You''re going to become a criminal soon! You, him, and your little sister back home! You can¡¯t spend time looking for him!¡± At first, I was going to ignore her plea. I was not going to leave my little brother in this accursed country, especially when I knew he would be hunted down too. But then, I realized something. He took the east route instead of the west. Why would he do that? If he wanted to go home, then he would take the west. Then I imagined the map of the country inside my head. And I realized where he could possibly be going. ...That idiot! He¡¯s going to the Holy Continent, isn¡¯t he?! If you were aiming for the port town Tulpio, then yes, you would take the east route. You could go north from Mau Uvarsa, get to the Brine Province, and then took the river transport for a quick ride to the port town. ...He¡¯s going to go chase after Sherry, isn¡¯t he? After he reaches the continent, he¡¯ll go all the way across it to the far north. Then he¡¯ll take another ship from there to the Demon Continent. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s completely outrageous! What can he do on his own, going all the way there without anyone more experienced in adventuring to accompany him? If not for the fact that I have to fetch Erika first back home, I can go after him! The Holy Continent is a safe place to run from the Magocracy after all, especially if you go all the way to the Holy Capital. They won¡¯t dare to chase us all the way there! Then I can get a job as an adventurer and we can start a new life together there! But now, I have no choice but to take the northwestern route. It would be too risky to go back into the Magocracy after I get Erika. I have to go to Grandfather¡¯s place, drop Erika there, and then go after him. I¡¯ll knock some sense into him, and drag him back home. Even if it will take me years to do it. But for now, please be safe, Hugo. Please be safe. I¡¯ve lost Father and Mother. I can¡¯t lose you too as well... --------- "...I see. So that''s how it''s going to be." I was now sitting once again at the dining table. "That''s something they would do indeed," I said with a bitter smile. "D-don''t worry, Marina! I''ll get Grandpa to change his mind! And Selendia already agreed to vouch for your innocence as well!" "...Do you believe them?" "H-huh?" "Do you believe them to keep their word? Or rather, do you still believe them to be just rulers, after what they did to me?" "W-well, what they did was certainly horrible! And I''m still angry with them! And I no longer think of them as just after letting this whole thing happen for sure! But I can still change their minds so you won''t have to leave!" "Then, I wouldn''t be kowtowing to them if I were you." I stood up, looking away from her. "I had enough. I had enough of this country altogether. I''ll never forgive it for what they did to me and my family." I then looked down at her before resuming. "You''re Merlinus'' granddaughter, so I wouldn''t expect you to understand. As her granddaughter, you would always possess some amount of familial love towards him, even if you hated him right now But I am different. I have nothing but pure spite for him and the other Council members. And I won''t step in in this country anymore as long as they are still in charge." "W-wha¡ªbut you can''t! W-what about your study at the Academy? You haven''t even graduated yet!" "Do you think I''ll care about such a trivial thing anymore?" "B-But I''ll¡ªI''ll be lonely if you''re gone!" "Then, would you rather come with me instead?" She paused speechless. She was taken completely off-guard by my declarement. "I¡­" Her eyes darted away. "I can''t¡­ Grandpa will¡­" "...I understand." I walked over and patted her on the shoulder, giving her a smile. "You belong here, Alincia. One day, you''ll take your grandfather''s place. And I hope you can be a better ruler than he is." "U-uwaaahhh! I''m sorryyyyyy!'' Before I knew it, she threw herself at me again. Unfortunately, your path and mine split here, Alincia. I shall travel to the far west, to my own grandfather¡¯s land. We might never see each other again. And perhaps, we might even become enemies in the future, should the Magocracy decide to insist on chasing me or any of my remaining family. But even so, I wish you the best of luck. And may Mira be with you. -------- Afterwards, she led me to the loot she had gathered from the mansion. Apparently, Selendia was gracious enough to let me take everything left behind that she hadn¡¯t plundered first. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t a mountain of gold around. Not like Vera was a dragon in the first place. Instead, there were only jewelries left behind, and not many of them either. Vera didn¡¯t seem to be a fan of collecting them in the first place. However, what¡¯s more valuable to me was the grimoires she left behind. I made a visit to the library, and began to scramble through the place. As expected, many of the books were missing, most likely taken by Selendia, and some of them were just useless like books about the spells I already knew, but some of them indeed contained knowledge of spells that I had yet to know. I believed I could grow more as a mage from them, if I spent my time learning their contents. Though I didn¡¯t know if I could reach Master-level at the element of Ice in the first place. But I certainly would try. ¡°With the jewels, I believed I would have enough money to flee with my little sister. So you don¡¯t have to worry, Alincia,¡± I said to her with a smile, after she offered to give me more money for the road. ¡°Not to mention that you don¡¯t exactly have much money in the first place, do you? You get your allowance from your grandfather after all.¡± I didn¡¯t tell her where I was going, so that she would genuinely not know where to look for me if the Magocracy decided to hunt me down. Thankfully, I never mentioned to her where my extended family lived. Or to anyone else for that matter. ¡°How would you return back to Marchen, Marina?¡± she then asked me. ¡°Can you ride a horse?¡± ¡°No, unfortunately. I would have to hire someone to take me there on horseback.¡± ¡°Ooh, then I¡¯ll introduce you to Mr. Courier!¡± ¡°Mr¡­ Courier?¡± ¡°Yes! He¡¯s the guy that helped me get here all the way from Mira! I can ask him to help you as well! I-if he¡¯s still in the city that is. He¡¯s a courier after all¡­¡± I took up on her offer. And, after packing and then storing as much as I could all the jewelries and books and even some valuable-looking candelabras and plates into my dimensional storage (its space is limited unfortunately), we departed. But not before I did one final thing. ¡°Crumbling Earth!¡± With my spell, I made the entire mansion fall to the earth, erasing any remaining wealth and prestige that Vera and her family might once have with said house. ¡°Might as well do this, since I¡¯m going to be branded a criminal and all.¡± Judging by Alincia¡¯s scared expression, my smile at that moment must be quite the evil-looking one indeed. ---------------- We reached Rau Uvarsa in record time, as we were just running downhill while taking the relatively smooth dirt road. To our surprise, the guards at the front gate had abandoned their posts completely, leaving the gate wide open. They already knew that their mistress was assassinated, huh? The atmosphere in the province capital was one of clear unrest, as its citizens all whispered with each other with a scared tone, fearing what would happen to them now that their patron and ruler Vera was dead. They were mostly gnomes, and they practically worshipped her for being one of them. I tried to ignore all the praises they were giving to her, as well as the curses they gave to her murderer, even if I had to grit my teeth in the process. We went to the post office, and, to my fortune, the person Alincia hitched a ride on was there. He quickly agreed, not even asking any questions after Alincia showed her family emblem. Such was the power of being one of the ruling houses in this country. At the stables, Alincia and I said our goodbyes. Possibly for the final time. ¡°U-uwaaaahh! Be careful, alright, Marina? I''ll miss you so much!" She hugged me yet again. "I''ll miss you too, Alincia." I hugged her back, patting her on the back of her head. "Thank you for being my friend all these years." "I-I should be the one thanking you, Marina! You''re always there to comfort me from the start. At first, I thought you were just a stuck-up girl like Big Sis said, so I teased you a lot. And yet, when Big Sis passed away, you didn¡¯t push me away. You embraced me and told me that everything was going to be alright. You even told me that you¡¯re willing to be a replacement big sister for me, if I missed her that much.¡± ¡°Ssh, don¡¯t say that out loud. You¡¯re embarrassing me, you know,¡± I replied with a smile, a little blush forming on my face. ¡°And then.. And then you teached me magic as well. You made me become so much better at it! And now, I¡¯m a Master-level mage, just like Big Sis!¡± ¡°That¡¯s from your own hard work, no? You always trained hard at night, even passing out in the process a couple of times. Not to mention that I have to be the one thanking you, Because without you healing my little brother with your magic, he would¡¯ve died for sure.¡± She had told me about how she found Hugo unconscious in the snow when she arrived. It really was sheer luck that he even survived, which I was deeply grateful for. ¡°I-I could only do that because you¡¯ve trained me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. But that¡¯s a good lesson to take, isn¡¯t it? That if you do a good thing for someone, then, one day, that good thing will be repaid, perhaps even in a way that you wouldn¡¯t expect in the slightest.¡± She sniffled, wiping her face with her long sleeves. ¡°I-I swear I¡¯ll repay you one day as well! I¡¯ll work even harder to become a mage even stronger than Grandpa! Then I¡¯ll replace him and reform the Council! That way, you¡¯ll be willing to go back to the Magocracy, right?¡± ¡°...Perhaps I would.¡± Vol 1 Extra: The Budding Necromancer Four years ago... "Hey, where are you going this summer break? Papa''s taking me to Durcesa, you know!¡± ¡°Eeh, how nice! My papa isn¡¯t taking me anywhere! I¡¯m stuck with his boring etiquette lessons instead! Etiquette lessons! I¡¯m not some highborn noble lady! I¡¯m a mage!¡± ¡°Hehe, he¡¯s still big about you being a court mage? Doesn¡¯t he want you to inherit his business instead?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you? That¡¯s for my big brother. Not that I¡¯d want to. I¡¯m not good at all with numbers and bookkeeping and all that junk!¡± Cheerful conversations could be heard everywhere in the Mira Magic Academy as students in droves left the premises. It was summer break, and they were leaving to be back with their families. Most of them had stagecoaches waiting to pick them up. Only some left by walking, like a certain redhead girl this short tale would be about. She walked at the sidelines with no other student beside her to converse with, unlike the others. She hugged a book close to her chest¡ªher eyes looking straight to the road in front of her. Her expression was neutral, though perhaps there was a little sign of distaste in the corner of her mouth. She wore a dull and cheap-looking black robe, unlike the other students who wore colorful and stylish outfits. Looking closer, you can see that it had been repaired so many times, to the point that it had patches all over the garment. In fact, it looked closer to the rags the poor would wear than a proper mage robe. And then, said robe caught fire. She yelped, and she immediately patted her burning bottom with her book. It died down, but not before it made a hole at said robe, revealing the fact that she was currently not wearing any underwear. "Oh my, would you look at that? You''re quite the pervert, aren''t you?" A fancy-looking stagecoach had stopped near her, with another redhead sneering at her through the window. Just from her gaudy robes, you could tell that she was rich, the complete opposite of the poor-looking girl she was sneering at. One of her arms was outside the window. She didn''t even bother to hide the wand she had used to start a fire on her robe. "Where are you going this summer, Felicia? I never know where your home is, come to think of it. Oh, right, you don''t have any, don''t you?" Felicia didn''t reply. She didn''t even give her a look as she hurried her steps, covering the hole on her thin robe with her right hand. This offended the rich redhead. She never liked to be ignored like that. "Everyone! We have quite the pervert here! She doesn''t wear any panties under her robes, can you believe that? That goes against the academy''s dress code, isn''t it?" "Really? Eww, gross. What kind of a lady wouldn''t wear undergarments." "Even her entire outfit is gross. It''s an eyesore to look at and I bet it smells bad as well." "Really, how did she even pay for her tuition in the first place? Don''t tell me that she stole the gold from somewhere?" "I heard she''s one of those scholarship folks." "Ah, that explains it. Those folks are dirt poor bums after all." As if rehearsed, the surrounding students all three harsh words to the poor girl. Not a single one of them stood for her, or even whispered a kind word for her under their breath. She continued to walk, enduring the derisive laughter entering her ears. Her cheeks were red of humiliation, and her eyes were shivering, almost as if she was holding back tears. She now placed her book on her exposed bum. Only when she was out of sight of them that she bit her thumb until it started to bleed¡ªher tearful eyes immediately switching to that of pure anger. No matter how many times she ended up in a situation like that, she could never get used to it. Ever since she got better grades in alchemy than that Merinda girl, she immediately turned hostile against her, even though in every other grade, Merinda was much better than her. She knew that if she were to fight, she would win. An arrogant girl like her would be easily caught off-guard by the many tricks she had under her sleeves. In fact, she could easily humiliate her in public if she wanted to¡ªthe same way she had humiliated her so many times. However, she had sworn to herself, that she would not draw attention to herself and not to show herself to be a capable fighter. She would only be good at alchemy, and that''s that. It would be disastrous for her plan if the Academy, or even the Council, would start paying attention to her. I¡¯m not a complete fool like that little girl. She was referring to the one and only Marina Greenwood, who had made a complete spectacle of herself when she entered the school last year. As a result, she drew the attention of Merinda as well, as she ended up becoming her newest victim. She ended up having to walk across town still with her exposed buttocks, awkwardly covering them with her book, drawing some not-so-polite stares from onlookers. She had run out of panties to wear, thanks to them either becoming too small or their cheap waistbands breaking apart. She was poor, so terribly so, especially since she had to pay the rent for her shack on her meager adventurer income, as well as all the alchemical reagents and tools she needed for her experiments. Her clothes could wait. Her shack¡ªshe wouldn''t call it a house, was located at the southern outskirts of the city. It was used to be a storage house of her landlord, but it was no longer in use due to its deteriorating condition. And she had been able to rent it at a relatively cheap price, though she agreed it could be cheaper. It was the ideal place to be used as her lab, since the owner never checked on her or the shack, as long as she paid her on time. Once there, she opened the door and closed it behind her. She was immediately greeted by the familiar scent of herbs and drugs and all the strange concoctions she had on the shelves. She took out her wand and lit the candle hanging inside a lamp chained to the ceiling. It was dim, but she was already completely used to it. She then put the book on her work table. That''s right. I need to check the corpse first. She then went to a trapdoor in the corner of the room, lifting it open with both of her hands. As she was no longer in public, she no longer cared about exposing herself to anyone. She bent down freely, giving an excellent view of her soft and full bum as she lifted over the cover. She then climbed down to the basement, using the ladder that was already put there beforehand. And this was where her true, forbidden research was kept hidden, away from the prying eyes of the world. A foul odor of death and decay entered her nostrils, but she was already used to it, just like she was used with the smell of alchemical components up above. Inside were at least a dozen animal and monster corpses, either hung on the wall or put on the tables and shelves that filled the room. From household pets to cats and dogs, to actual monsters like wolves and bats. She walked over to the corpse at the end of the room. It was a corpse of a giant snake. She took it down from the wall and immediately examined it with her bare hands. "Tch, another failure. It decomposes too quickly again." She returned it back to the wall before biting her right thumb again. It was her habit. Every time something didn''t go her way, she would bring it to her mouth and press it with her teeth. "This isn''t good. My research isn''t progressing anywhere. If only I can get that necromancy book¡­ but that old coot isn''t giving me the permission I need. Even though I had acted like a model student to him¡­" "I have no choice. I would have to use my body once again. I know he has been leering at me for a good while. He wants me." For just a split second, a sad smile appeared on her face. Before turning to a wide grin. "It''s fine, isn''t it? I have promised to myself. I will use whatever means is necessary to advance my research. I will give my everything. My heart. My body. Even my very soul. If I could bring my ideal world to existence." "A world free of death." --------- The next day, after another night spent falling asleep on her work table as she worked on her formulas, she departed back to the city to visit the Adventurer''s Guild. Of course, she had fixed the hole on her robe for yesterday. Her mother teaching her how to sew really came in handy. She wouldn''t need to waste money going to the tailor or buying a new robe. Summer break was the perfect opportunity to earn money, as she could take more well-paying quests that would take her quite a distance away from the city. Ranking wise, she already reached C-rank, due to the amount of quests she had done over the years. She went to the job posting board, looking around for any quests that would yield the most money with the least amount of effort needed. Hmm? What''s this? A B-rank quest to gather alchemical ingredients? ... Perfect. I could find all of these in one mountain. It would take more than a month going back and forth from me, but the payment is worth it, so I don''t mind. But to think I would have to return to that place¡­ She took the parchment and gave it to the receptionist. You are allowed to take a quest one rank higher, so a C-rank like her can take a B-rank quest just fine. ----------- She then departed immediately, opting for travelling by foot instead of taking a stagecoach to the south. She didn''t have any money to waste, even though taking them could significantly cut the amount of days she would have to travel. Her destination was to the south of Mira, which meant she would enter the part of the Magocracy that¡¯s under the jurisdiction of the Vehta Family and its ruling patriarch, Monas Vehta. He was a Grandmaster-level Earth mage, which reflected in his green and lush territory, filled with many forests. In fact, to enter his territory from Mira, you had to pass through a forest first. The Kuluasa Forest was its name. You would be able to find a town built just outside of it on the other side, named the same as said forest. The Kuluasa Forest was, unfortunately, not that safe of a route to take. Even though the road cut straight through said forest, with a decent chunk of the trees sacrificed for said purpose, the monsters from the remaining green part of the forest would sometimes pop out and attack travelers. They were weak, thankfully enough, though it meant merchants and other travelers who couldn¡¯t defend themselves would have to hire an adventurer or two to guard them as they crossed said forest. Monsters weren¡¯t the only thing you had to worry about however, as lately, there had been talks of a new bandit gang taking camp in the area, ransacking any travelers that were unfortunate enough to lack the ability to defend themselves. It wasn¡¯t that odd however, as bandits would come and go in the forest, usually after someone wealthy enough to ask for an extermination mission of them came along and posted a high level request on the Guild. The locals who frequently traveled through it had petitioned both the Capital and the Vehta Family for a constant patrol in the forest to make the route safer, but so far, neither of them seemed to care enough to bother. Which was why she ended up having to face them on their own. -------- ¡°Alright, pretty little missy! You¡¯re a mage, aren¡¯t cha? Now take out your wand and throw it on the ground, or else my archer friends up there on the trees would turn you to cheese before you could even chant a single word.¡± The big brute of a man in front of her had jumped down from a tree as she was traversing the road, brandishing a giant axe that he was holding in a single hand. Night had fallen, and he wisely abused the reduced visibility so his ambush would be more successful. And behind her were two sword-wielding bandits, preventing her from just turning tail and fleeing. Most mages would just surrender at this point. Mages were creatures that were weak to ambushes after all. With no chance to cast their spells, they might as well be ordinary citizens who couldn¡¯t defend themselves. "Come on, Missy! I really ain''t wanna wound that pretty face of yours! Girls as good-looking as you would fetch a pretty price on the market after all!" The slave trade wasn''t that popular in the Magocracy, but black markets still existed. The Council didn''t really ban its practice after all. The only reason it wasn''t popular was because the nation itself had no need to rely on it for its income. "Or would''cha rather be my girl instead? I promise I''ll make you feel really good, hehe¡­" He licked his lips in a most repulsive manner. "You''ll do." "Huh? What? Speak up, Missy! I can''t hear¡ªUgaaahh!" He looked down. And saw that his abdomen was bleeding profusely, as if he had just been stabbed by a sword. The two behind her saw what happened, and they were just as baffled. "A-a shadow¡­ a shadow just¡ªGuwaaahhh!" "Y-you bitch!" The one remaining man charged forward and slashed at her. Only to find that his blade went through her like she wasn''t even there. "Graahhh!" A shadow pierced through his chest, and the last thing he saw was the demonic grin on her face. "Aaarghh!" "Ugyaahh!" "Raaghh!" S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The archers all fell down one by one from their trees, pierced by similar shadows in their vital organs. They thought they were doing the ambushing, but it was the opposite. She already knew they were there from the start, and she already cast her shadow magic in anticipation beforehand. The girl they ambushed¡ªshe was nothing more than her shadow clone. The real her was hidden in the shadows from the beginning. Her clone vanished, and her real self rose up from the nearby shadow. With a gleeful grin, she walked over to the big guy''s corpse and pointed her wand at him. "Reanimate." The corpse immediately twitched all over, as if an electric current was passing through it. And then, it stood, grabbing back it''s giant axe in the process. "Now, let''s see how long you can last." --------- She made it through the rest of the forest safely, with only just a handful of monsters that she joyfully slaughtered using her zombie bandit. That joy abruptly ended however when the zombie, after just four hours of usage, shriveled and fell apart. Such was the current limitation of her necromantic ability. She wasn¡¯t yet able to control more than one corpse at the same time, and she couldn¡¯t make it last for long. It was already a miracle she could learn necromancy in the first place. She did it by applying the magic theory of golem control to corpses, combining it with some dark magic on the side. Unlike golems, who always had a control unit inside it that could receive commands from the mage and relay it to the rest of the body, she had to rely on the brain inside the corpse instead. I need it¡­ I need that book¡­ The Book of Necromancy, apparently written by the Necromancer King himself 500 years ago. She had reached her limits. She needed the knowledge written in it if she were to get anywhere close to her goal. After resting at the town just outside the forest, she headed west. It was another ten days of walking through the countryside until she reached her hometown. And along the way, she passed through numerous empty and abandoned villages, with its houses overgrown with vines and moss, barely keeping itself from collapsing. It was the result of the Crystal Plague. Eight years ago, a strange plague devastated the region. It slowly made anyone afflicted to grow mana crystals on their bodies, until they eventually suffered organ failure from their organs crystallizing, leading to certain death. The strangest part of the plague however was that the ones afflicted were only those with no magic potential. Magicians were entirely fine. The non-mages, however, they all suffered. No cure was ever found. The plague eventually stopped on its own, but not before killing so many people in the process. Including her entire family. --------- She stood on the hill at the edge of her village, where her old house used to be. From there, she could see the mountain she was heading to. How many times had she gone there to gather medicinal herbs, when she still had her dream to become an alchemist? "I wanna be a great alchemist when I grow up, Daddy! I want to heal everyone with my medicine so everyone can be happy!" How foolish. There are so many ailments and diseases out there with no cure to be found. Even if she were a genius that devoted her entire short, human life to find new cures, she would only be able to find a handful of them in her lifetime. Alchemy is hard. Really hard. Far more technical than just casting fireballs or healing spells. Especially medicinal alchemy, where you need to also study the inner workings of the human body, a field of knowledge woefully underdeveloped. And yet, it is the only way to develop cures for rare, incurable diseases as healing magic is oriented far more towards healing wounds and afflictions you can get in battle. There is only one permanent, ideal solution to eradicate the world of all illnesses forever. To turn everyone into immortal undead. Only then the mythical Panacea would become a reality. Not through alchemy, but through the power of necromancy. Vol 1 Recap (As Narrated By A Future Historian) An excerpt from the biography of Hugo Greenwood. Chapter 1 The Genius Child Historians agreed that even from the beginning of his childhood, Hugo Greenwood had already proven himself to be an exceptional individual. Easily mastering basic magic when he was just three or four years old, it demonstrated the awe-inspiring talent he possessed in the art, a talent that he shared with his older sister, Marina Greenwood. Both were magical geniuses in their own right, though most historians agree that if their age were to be equalized, the former would come out on top. When he was five or six years of age, the young genius convinced his parents to adopt the Izurd named Sherry. Their meeting was by complete accident, with some of the more romantically minded in the opinion that he fell in love with her at first sight. Now, certainly, the concept of a child that age being able to fall in love at all was questionable, but some records suggested that the man, even in his early youth, was already the great lover he would be once he was an adult. His charms made both his mother and sister love him and it wouldn¡¯t be at odds to consider that he would conquer the demoness as well. And certainly, by saving her from her abusive adoptive grandmother, it was enough for her to fall in love with him. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Some time after that, his little sister was born. Erika Greenwood. Her story would be little in this chapter, but rest assured, she would be one of the key figures in Hugo Greenwood¡¯s life. Now, we shall skip a few years, where Sherry Izurdia left him for the Demon Continent. It all came to be by the arrival of the Nerthusian named Myrilla. The demoness was an old friend of Hugo¡¯s parents and she had been called to confirm that Sherry was indeed an Izurd. With her absurd strength that defied explanation, even without any visible sign that she was a nonhuman, like a horn or wings, her new adoptive parents swiftly wrote a letter to the demoness. Historians had speculated much on why the charming ladykiller of a boy didn¡¯t stop her from doing so. Some believed she was simply too stubborn of a girl to be dissuaded from her path, even with the boy¡¯s immense charm. Others believed he wanted her gone so he could have other girls to woo. As for this writer¡¯s personal opinion, I believed he simply wanted her to find her own path, not bind to her just because he had saved her. We then skipped a few years ahead some more, around when Hugo Greenwood was around ten years old or so. It was then that he faced his first trial ¡ª the kidnapping of his older sister by Vera Marjoram, the member of the Magocracy¡¯s ruling council at the time. At that time, he had invented his very first signature magic. Boom Cannon. Ten years old and he was already a Master-level mage. It was proof of his indisputable talent in magic that would aid him in becoming one of the strongest in existence in his generations. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, he soon made his first mark in history by slaying the Council mage, albeit with the sacrifice of his parents¡¯ lives. In this humble historian¡¯s opinion, they had made a great mistake overlooking his talent, only looking for the talent of his elder sister instead. Even so, it wasn¡¯t enough for the young man. He believed he could¡¯ve been stronger. The young man began his journey there. Realizing his weakness, he left his now rescued elder sister. It was here that some characterized the man as no better than a power-obsessed mage that was selfish enough to leave his family when they needed him the most. But, once again, in this writer¡¯s humble opinion, I believed he was simply making a rash decision in the heat of the moment. Grieving the death of his parents, he left his family in sorrow, believing he wasn¡¯t worthy to be with them. And this interpretation of mine is backed by future events I shall deliberate on later. For now, let us skip the debates and continue on further into this man¡¯s journey in life. Vol 2 Chapter 1: An Old Acquaintance Hugo It''s not fair! Not fair not fair not fair! Why does it end up this way? Why God why? I''m an isekai protagonist! I''m supposed to be overpowered as all hell while having hot chicks all fall over me! But now, I''m still a weakling! And I''m traveling alone in this goddamn snow without any girls to warm me up! The childhood friend type girl is off on the other side of the world and my cute sisters hate me now! And my beautiful big-boobed mom is a chopped-up frozen corpse, because I failed to save her and Father. Is this it? Is this how it goes? My life will decline once again after childhood, just like before? It''s not fair, goddamnit, it''s just not fair! Such thoughts swam inside my mind over and over again as I ran across the freezing taiga. With no one around, I didn''t care that I was crying and wailing in the most uncool, unsightly manner. Not only that tears were falling down my face, snot was falling out of my nose as well. Some snow wolves tried to chase me but they couldn''t even keep up with my speed. I was crushed. Completely and absolutely crushed. I didn''t even look where I was running, going off the road as I wished. I just knew that I was heading northeast, to where my destination was. I traveled in that state of mind for a week, stopping in the occasional villages for food and shelter. I was lucky that Father entrusted me with quite the generous amount of money when we departed from home. ...No, it wasn¡¯t luck, was it? It was him anticipating if something ever happened to him and/or Mother. And it did. My sleep was, naturally, nowhere near a good night¡¯s sleep. Every night I would have nightmares of Father and Mother, shattering into pieces right in front of my eyes. Their decapitated heads would then speak, telling me that I wasn''t good enough, that I was holding them back. And then I would see Erika, shouting to my face that she hated me. Marina would be there as well, giving me a look of disapointment. I would wake up in cold sweat in the middle of the night, with tears in my eyes. It got so bad that one night, I actually wet the bed from it. Imagine that. A ten year old that still wets his bed. I shamefully admitted it to the innkeeper, giving her some extra coins before running away. It''s what I deserved really. I was a pathetic failure. I was nowhere near those cool fantasy protagonists I liked to read about. Might as well add bedwetting to my long list of failures. Eventually, I saw it. Lake Nurion. It was a large freshwater lake near the border between the Marjoram Province and the Brine Province. For the next three days, I would run around it. I might be in my reckless mindset right now, but I wasn¡¯t reckless enough to decide to just cross it using magic. I couldn¡¯t even see the other end. And then, I finally arrived at the Town of Nurion proper. And thus, I had crossed into Brine Province at last. I gave one last look back at the taiga plains I had left behind. I hope Marina¡¯s all right now. Maybe she¡¯s already getting back home at this point. And sorry, for being a coward who decides to run away from his failure. -------------- From there, I took the river cruise, going north where I would disembark at Loinavuta. And from there, it was just a short walk away from Tulpio, the port town where I could finally leave this blasted place. Holy shit, that was close. The ticket for the trip was much more expensive than I had imagined. I nearly wasn¡¯t able to pay it. Oh God, now how would I pay for the ship to the Holy Continent? The ticket there must be even more expensive! ...I didn¡¯t think this through, did I? I thought I could make it to the Holy Continent with just my current funds. But it seemed I would have to take jobs as an adventurer if I was to buy my passage there. The ship simply employed the current of the river heading to the sea to propel it forward. I originally thought they would utilize water magic to just boost the river forward, but I realized no water mage would last that long constantly casting their spell. And if they had a bunch of water mages, I imagined the expense each trip would take would skyrocket enormously. They did have a water mage onboard though¡ªa pretty young lady with teal hair, tied in a ponytail. It seemed it was her job to make sure that everything went smoothly on our trip. In fact, she did just that, as she took care of a river octopus that blocked our passage. She was an Advanced-level mage at the very least, judging by the spell she used. This is how you can get a stable job as a mage, I suppose. In four days, I arrived at my destination. ------------- The trip from Loinavuta to Tulpio only took me three days. Once again, I was running, though at this point, I believed I might have calmed down, if only just for a little bit. I decided that I would register at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Tulpio, hoping that I wouldn¡¯t get in trouble by doing so. After all, I just killed one of their heads of state. Surely they would put a bounty on my head sooner or later. But I got no other option. Unless I smuggled myself into one of the ships¡­ You know, that might be the better option. I¡¯m already a criminal after all. And possibly a big shot one at that. Being a stowaway is far less of a crime than assassinating one of the Council members, I imagine. I¡¯ll consider my options once I get there. ---------- Well, this place sure is a busy one. After three days on the road, I finally arrived at the port town. And it was absolutely bustling with activity. Even though it was winter, the weather was mild enough that the usual business and commerce proceedings were not impeded in the slightest. I could see multiple big ships docking on its port, even from the entrance of the town, as the whole place was built on a slope heading down to said port. That salty scent you would find in the beaches back home assaulted my nose here as well. Even in another world, an ocean is an ocean after all. I decided to go to the docks first, just to see if there really was a way for me to smuggle myself in. Of course, I also had to be sure that the ship really was going to the Holy Continent though. On the way, I passed through the town market. Like your typical open market, it was loud and crowded, with a lot of merchants inviting in customers with their shouts and yells. Some sold fishes and other aquatic animals like octopuses and the like, which I could safely assume was caught straight from the nearby ocean. Some sold miscellaneous curiosities¡ªmagic items and the like. I took a look at one and immediately determined that it was fake. No magic inside it whatsoever. I didn''t say anything to the shopkeeper though. I''m not some sort of hero of justice who can''t overlook even the slightest evil. I''m just a failed trash. That''s what I am. Hmm? What''s that? Is that merchant selling books? I walked over to the stall. It was somewhat secluded from the others with the merchant just chilling with his own book up on his face. I picked up one of his books. The title was "The Adventure of The Strongest Knight." Probably just the usual fantasy fanfare. ... Wait, t-this is¡­ It''s a porn book. It''s absolutely, 200%, a porn book. It was a story about the titular knight, bedding all kinds of women in his journey to save the princess, whom he bedded in the end as well. Every woman received their own graphic picture as they were conquered by the protagonist, from the innocent barmaiden to the haughty female dragonkin that had kidnapped the princess. "You want that, boy? 1 gold coin." I jumped, surprised by the shopkeeper who was now glaring right at me. Nice, he''s probably mad I''m skimming through his book without paying. "Hold on, that look¡­ Boy, something horrible had happened to you, hadn''t it?" Huh? "Those eyes¡­ they look like they''ve seen death. And recently at that." He scratched his beard. "Fine. You can take some of my books for free. They don''t really sell anyways. Bah, you''re what, ten years old, yet you already have those haunted eyes? What is wrong with the world these days?" "R-really?" "Yes, really. I just hope they could be of comfort to you, boy. Though, take my advice. There''s nothing better than a real woman, gahahahaha!" Real woman? Does he mean prostitutes? I''m not old enough for that. I haven''t even hit puberty yet. Not to mention that not only I''ll be trash, I''ll be cheating trash as well if I start going to such places. But porn books are okay, r-right? In the end, I took up his offer, though I couldn''t fit much in my Bag of Holding. So I only took a handful. "T-thank you, Sir!" I gave him a smile. "Now move along, kiddo. You''re traveling, aren''t''cha? I wish you the best of luck." He grinned, his two missing teeth showing. And with that, I''m all stocked up on entertainment for a good while. ---------- I continued drudging through the market, trying my best to keep my Bag of Holding close so no thieves or pickpockets would be able to steal it from me. At times like these, I wish I can use Marina''s spatial magic thingy. Then I won''t have to walk around with an obvious bag like I''m doing right now. "Come! Come! Take a look! Our Bramblewood Company sells all sorts of magic items! And they''re all guaranteed to work 100%! And if they don''t, we''ll return your money!" Argh! That''s loud! So high-pitched too! My gaze naturally turned to the source. That''s¡­ a lizardgirl? She was indeed one, red-skinned and all scaly with a lizard head. She wore a simple white dress, with what looked like a necklace made out of some animal tooth worn around her neck. Like a professional salesgirl, she was all smiles as she tried to attract customers to come to her shop. Beside her was another red-scaled lizardkin, only that they were a tall and buff-looking man instead. He wielded what looked like a halberd, wearing some leather armor as well. The bodyguard, I guess. Maybe he''s even related to the lizardgirl. Brothers and sisters, maybe? And then, behind the two of them, the person who actually sat inside the stall, was a Hobbit girl. She casually sat on a lazy chair, leaning backward with her eyes closed with a pipe in her mouth. Smoke clouds would come out frequently from the other tip, forming a ring-like shape. ...Wait, have I seen her before? She looks familiar¡­ And then, it hit me. She''s that hobbit girl Marina saved all those years ago! What''s her name again? Umm, right, she''s Sophie! Sophie Bramblewood! "Oi, you thief!" Suddenly, a bald middle-aged man came forward and slammed what looked like a dagger on the counter. The big lizardman immediately moved in, but hobbit girl raised her arms, opening her eyes in the process. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Is something the matter, dear customer?" "You lied to me, you little bitch! This dagger doesn''t work!" "Ho, this is the Dagger of Safe Cutting, isn''t it? What might be the problem?" "I still cut my finger, even though you say it can never happen if I use this dagger to cook! Look!" He showed off his bandaged index finger. Sure enough, you could see how the white fabric was reddened. She gave a good look at the finger for a moment, even giving it a sniff, before letting out a sigh. "Sir, it''s not nice to lie, you know. You''re not really wounded, are you? That''s just strawberry jam you slathered inside the bandage." "What? How dare you, you shitty hobbit! You accuse me of being a liar? I''ll have you know that I''m the owner of¡ª" "Take him away, Rudferd." She waved her hand. The lizardman immediately moved, lifting the irate customer mid-sentence and throwing him off the premises, straight to the dirt. ¡°And give him his dagger back.¡± The lizardman then threw said dagger to him, landing right beside his face in quite the threatening manner. ¡°You¡¯re no longer welcome in this establishment.¡± He finally spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t bother Miss Bramblewood anymore.¡± ¡°Y-you¡­ you uppity¡ªGaaah! Mark my words, you shitty hobbit! I¡¯ll make you pay for this!¡± The man then ran away, but not without taking his dagger with him. ¡°Alright everyone! Please, don¡¯t mind that! Take your time looking at my merchandise! Like Rina said, it¡¯s guaranteed to work 100%! Here, at the Bramblewood Company, we only sell the real deal! We don¡¯t cheat or lie or scam our customers ever! Your satisfaction is completely guaranteed, so feel free to spend your money on anything you¡¯re interested in!¡± Witnessing all this, my jaw nearly dropped. T-this is¡­ this is the same Sophie Bramblewood that Marina rescued just a few years back? The same timid and scared merchant girl that just started her business?¡± Just a few years and she¡¯s transformed completely like this? If I had to make a comparison, it¡¯s as if your usual moeblob had transformed into a mob boss. She even kinda acted like that, with how she ordered the lizardman around. Not to mention that pipe of hers¡­ God it felt so weird watching a little girl smoke, though obviously, she¡¯s a hobbit, so she would still look like that even if she¡¯s an adult for a good while. Signs of aging on a hobbit only appeared much later in their life. And then, her eyes rested on me. And it promptly widened in surprise. ¡°Hey, you! Hey kid! You¡¯re Hugo, right?! Hugo Greenwood!¡± Oh shit. I didn¡¯t want to show myself to her. In fact, I was just about to continue on, pretending not to recognize her. What would I do if she starts to ask about Marina? A radiant smile appeared on the hobbit''s face. She put down her pipe, most likely putting it in a cabinet underneath her. And then, without any hesitation, she jumped off her chair, did a somersault mid-air, before running right towards me. "You''re him! You''re really him!" "U-uh, excuse me, Miss, I don''t think we''ve ever met before¡­" I lied, pretending not to know her. "Whaaat? Don''t tell me that you''ve forgotten about me? I''m Sophie! Sophie Bramblewood! The hobbit girl your sister saved three years ago!" "O-oh, really?" "Really! What are you doing here anyway? And where''s Marina, huh? Where''s your big sister? You''re on some sort of family vacation? Going to the Holy Continent? That''s one heck of a vacation if that''s true!" "N-no, I''m¡­" I averted my gaze. I couldn''t look at her bright blue eyes. "...O-oh no, don''t tell me¡­ you ran away from home because you did something stupid and you ended all the way here?" Bingo. She read me like a book. ------- I silently let her grab my hand before dragging me to her shop. "Alright, everyone! I''m sorry but we''re going to close now!" She shooed away her customers. They all left with disappointed looks on their faces, which made me feel even worse than I already was. "H-hey, you don''t have to do this, you know." "Nonsense! I want to have a nice chat with you, over a cup of coffee! I can''t do that when I¡¯m attending my shop!¡± Not listening to my complaint in the slightest, she then ordered her two servants to start packing up, telling them that they were closing early for the day. ¡°Miss, is he your acquaintance?¡± The lizardman named Rudferd asked, eyeing me up and down with suspicion. ¡°Yes, he is. Haven¡¯t I already told you how I started on this line of work? It¡¯s all thanks to his sister that I can be where I am right now!¡± ¡°Aah, he¡¯s the little brother, isn¡¯t he?¡± The little lizard girl then chimed in with a giggle. ¡°I remember now!¡± She clapped her hands together, smiling cheerfully. She would be a very cute little girl, I imagine, if I was into lizard girls. ¡°I see. So you¡¯re the little brother of Miss Bramblewood¡¯s benefactor. Forgive me for my insolence.¡± He gave a little bow. Ah, he¡¯s the silent and loyal type. Perfect for a bodyguard. Or a knight, even. Makes sense why she would want one of those. If not to guard her and her goods of monster and bandit attacks on the road, then to protect her from scumbags like the guy from before. And besides, it looks cool as all hell to have one just hovering near you, obeying your command with just a single gesture. They packed up quickly, seemingly well-trained in the matter. I still couldn¡¯t run away, since Sophie kept her grasp at my arm while the two worked. Why do I have the feeling she¡¯ll know it if I make up a false story to her? She¡¯s gotten way better at distinguishing lies from the truth all these three years, I think. The way she confidently exposes that baldie¡¯s lie, that¡¯s not how an amateur would do things. She has experience doing that kind of thing. A lot of experience even. Heh, to think that a timid girl like her could mature this much in just three years¡­ What have I been doing with my life in comparison? Just messing around with magic, only to fail miserably at protecting those I care about... ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with that gloomy look? Something bad really must have happened, huh?¡± Once again, she read my expression like an open book. I sighed. This is going to be hard. Vol 2 Chapter 2: Crossing The Sea Whoa, that''s¡­ pretty cool actually. After her two employers packed up everything, the big guy rotated a lever on the back, revealing the fact that the whole stall was actually a convertible wagon. "Amazed? Good! I paid a fortune for that bad boy, you know. Got a whole team of dwarves working on it. But this way, I could handily set up shop anywhere I want! Which is really really important since I''m a traveling merchant and all." She patted her chest proudly. ¡°Where are you going anyway?¡± I asked, out of pure curiosity. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to Mira next. Get some magic items that I can buy for cheap to be sold somewhere else. Gotta stock up on that kind of stuff, you know!¡± She grinned. ¡°And after that?¡± ¡°After that? Hmm, I dunno. I can go to Marchen first or I can go straight to the northwest. Haven¡¯t really decided to be honest.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not paying a visit to Hobbiton?¡± Suddenly, her cheerfulness vanished. ¡°You see, I¡¯ve¡­ kinda promised to Mom and Pops that I wouldn¡¯t return until I¡¯m a wealthy merchant. Well, it¡¯s less like promising and more like me just shouting it at them before running away.¡± She confessed with a sad smile. ¡°And business might be good right now, but I¡¯m nowhere near wealthy. You saw how Rina shouted my company¡¯s name? For now, it¡¯s just me and those two. But in the future, I have a dream to open up other branch shops everywhere, like a proper trading company! Tell me, have you heard about the Rinea Corporation over in the Holy Continent?¡± ¡°Umm, no? I¡¯ve never been there after all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the biggest trading company in the entire continent! They say it¡¯s so wealthy and powerful that it can easily take over a small kingdom or two if it wants to! It has branches everywhere and it even has its own mercenary group too! Isn¡¯t that just amazing?¡± Her eyes were now shining like the stars themselves. Gone were the menacing mob boss-like attitude she showed before. Now she looked more like a little kid who¡¯s excited from getting a candy. "Aah, one day, I''ll make my own company be that big! Just you wait!" She punched the air with a smile. "I''ll sell high-quality goods on the cheap, becoming a company that everyone can trust! I want them to smile every time they hear the Bramblewood name! This girl¡­ She''s disgustingly naive. How can she have this much optimism when all she has now is just a single wagon? How many years will it take her to have an international, continent-spanning company like that Rinea Corporation she mentioned? It''s like if a mere street ramen seller with just a cart dreaming that he will have numerous ramen restaurants all over the country one day. It''s simply impossible. ...No, it''s not impossible. I''ve heard and read tales about it happening. A real life rags-to-riches story. But what are the odds? All you hear are the success stories. Innumerable others failed horribly, getting into an awful amount of debt and then filing bankruptcy in the end. It''s even worse if you actually borrow from unofficial lenders like those Yakuza loan sharks. Your life is pretty much over if you can''t pay them back. You never heard about them, of course. People only care about winners, not losers. As for dreamers like her, it''s all survivorship bias, nothing more. "I think you shouldn''t dream that high, Sophie." I blurted out. I couldn''t help myself. Even if she had gained quite the expertise in being a merchant, she''s still naive in the ways of the world. "It''s not healthy, you know, putting that high of an expectation on yourself." "Really?" She looked genuinely curious. "Why not?" "Because you would only set yourself up for disappointment." To my surprise, her expression suddenly turned harsh. She now glared at me, with a genuinely angry look. "That''s how you will become a dissapointment in the first place." What?! "I would rather fail terribly than never trying at all. That way, at least I can be happy that I''ve given it my all. But you¡ªyour way, that''s the way of a loser. You will never be happy living like that, wondering what could''ve been until the day you die." "To think that I will hear those words coming out from my benefactor''s little brother''s mouth, I am disappointed in you, Hugo. Do you think Marina will like it if her beloved little brother turns out to be a coward like¡ª" SLAP The hobbit fell to the ground. My right hand¡­ it flew on its own, slapping her with my full strength. Before I knew it, I fell to the ground too, as a punch landed on my right cheek. Rudferd didn''t hesitate to punch me back after I had hit his master. He then grabbed me at the collar, lifting me up with his left hand to the air. His right hand was forming into a fist, no doubt intended to crash into my face over and over until he was satisfied. "S-stop, Rudferd. Stop." Sophie slowly stood up, wiping off the little blood on her lips with her sleeve. "He''s just a child. Put him down." "But he hit you, Miss." "True. But it''s just him putting on a tantrum. He doesn''t really mean it, alright?" He then threw me down to the dirt. "Leave. You are no longer welcome to talk to my master." And I did just that, ignoring Sophie shouting at me to stop. Only after I stopped running, I realized that once again, I was crying. "U-uwaaahhh!" I wailed like a pathetic child. No, even more pathetic, as I wasn''t really a ten year old boy. I hid in one of the nearby alleys, not wanting to be seen in public in my current state. T-temper tantrum? W-what does she know? She''s just a little girl who knows nothing about the world! I''m far older, far more experienced in life than she is! She has no right to say all that to me! Of course, I was just lying to myself. Deep down, I knew that she was right. I''m a loser, a coward, and a disappointment. I''m a piece of human garbage through and through. Not to mention that my dream was as pathetic as its owner. Unlike her, who reached for the skies, all I wanted was just to get a cute, loving girlfriend and then marry her afterwards, which was what every normal person out there already could do without a problem. I took out one of the books I got from that vendor, quickly giving it a skim. Back in my old life, when I got upset, one way I would calm myself was by reading the books I had. It was titled "The Demon King Wants A Family." It was a story about a powerful demon king realizing that he wanted to experience love the same way humans do. He ended up proposing to the human maiden that was sacrificed to him by the other humans, and they immediately fell in love with each other. The demon king loved her for her innocence, and she loved him for being the only person that had ever cared about her and showed her love. It was less of a porn book and more of just a sweet, saccharine-filled romance, though the author delightfully drew their intimate moments in bed together many times. The two ended up having an adorable little daughter, and the epilogue was the demon king deciding that he would rather care about his family than to take over the world. And that was how the world was saved. With love. This is it. This is what I want. It''s terribly cheesy, but it''s exactly what I want my life to be. I want to have a beautiful woman as a wife, and then cute little children that will call me Daddy or Papa in the most adorable way. I even am willing to bear being stuck in a painfully boring dead-end job if I can just have that when I return home. Of course, if you tell me to go all out with my wish, then I will also want to become a rich and famous and even a powerful person. I want my name to be entered in the history books, so that I will leave a lasting mark on the world after I died. I will also shamelessly wish to have more wives, because like the pervert I am, I want to experience having a harem like all those protagonists I''ve read about. I want to be surrounded by many beautiful women in bed who all craved for my touches and kisses. Of course, I will be a sex god who can satisfy them all every single night. It''s a perverse dream, fitting for a perverse person like me. I don''t care to better the world or to help people, like Sophie is with her company. I just want to satisfy my sex drive and to pat my own ego in the back. -------- In the end, I decided on just smuggling myself across the ocean. I decided that I didn¡¯t want to stay in this town any longer. Not with that hobbit around. She¡¯s right. I am a coward. I¡¯m now running away from her. Just like how I ran away from Marina and Erika. At this point, I had accepted that fact. I scouted the docks with the remaining sunlight, asking around with the sailors there which ships were going to depart to the Holy Continent¡ªthe sooner, the better. After weighing my options, I decided on a cargo ship called the Bountiful Seamaiden. It departed right this night, which would just be perfect for my purpose. With the pitiful amounts of money that I still thankfully had, I bought water and food for the trip. According to the sailors I¡¯d talked to, it would take only five days to go across, with the ship arriving at the sixth. Now, the question is, how should I sneak onboard? Naturally, I would aim for the hull where all the cargo would be stored. With how large the ship was, and with how small I was, it should be easy for me to hide amongst all the crates and containers. The problem was, how could I get there safely, without being spotted by any of the ship crew? They would certainly have people guarding the place. Not to mention that I would have to enter the ship in the first place. Thank God the port was a deep water port, so I could get direct access to the ship from land. If it was a shallow water port instead, you would need to ride a boat to get onboard the ship, as it couldn¡¯t dock so close to land without grounding itself. Well, I already knew where the ship was docked. I just had to wait until night fell and then look for my way in. The sailors said that it would depart at midnight, so I had some hours to spare before I would miss it. ---------- In the end, I could only think up one really risky and honestly pretty dangerous plan. The ship was large, and on a moonless night like this, you couldn¡¯t even see the part where the hull touched the seawater. Perfect for a place where I could sneak in. Here goes nothing! Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I used my Wind Step as quietly as possible, flew over the surface of the water to that spot of the hull, and froze the water underneath me, creating a platform that I could stand (relatively) safely on. Whew, that¡¯s the hardest part done. They didn¡¯t seem to notice me, thanks to the night being so dark. I¡¯m lucky that it¡¯s winter right now. Then, I used a precise fire spell to open a peephole in the wood. It¡¯s basically Fireball, only that the heat is completely focused on the tip of my wand. Hmm¡­ let¡¯s see here¡­ Umm, it¡¯s all pitch black. That means nobody should be around. Anyone would be carrying lanterns inside the ship. Using the same fire spell, I made a hole large enough for a child¡¯s body to fit through. The wooden plank fell off inside, nearly giving me a heart attack, but no one seemed to react to the noise. Good. There really isn¡¯t anyone there then. I then sneaked inside, landing on the wooden floor as gently as I could. I paused for a few moments, sharpening my ears if I could hear anything around. Nothing. Then I guess I could light up the room. I did just that, using another fire spell, revealing the fact that I was lucky enough to end up straight in the cargo bay where they stored all their wooden crates and containers. Nice! I didn¡¯t expect it to go this smoothly to be honest! I stopped the fire spell, not wanting to accidentally burn something. That would be disastrous. I then turned back to the hole I just made. Using a hybrid spell of water and earth, I formed hardened mud to block the hole I just made, ensuring that the hull remained watertight. And with that, my sneaking mission was a complete success. Now, all I need to do is find a good spot that I can use as a makeshift camp. -------- A few hours later, accompanied by a loud horn that permeated even all this way inside this storage, the ship finally departed. I took a deep sigh of relief. They didn¡¯t bother doing another throughout check this close to departure, I suppose. I ended up taking a spot amongst five large crates that formed a U, allowing me to rest my back while at the same time hiding me away from view. I didn¡¯t bother looking at what the crates contained, as I wouldn¡¯t want to risk it by opening them. It could be fishes, it could be precious jewels, or it could be even gunpowder. I admit it. I actually considered stealing their contents if they really contained jewels, but I stopped myself. I didn¡¯t want to lower myself any further than I already am. I¡¯ll get my money by doing honest work. Once I¡¯m in the Holy Continent, I would be safe to start anew as an adventurer. I¡¯ll use a fake name even. I don¡¯t believe the Guild has any rules against that. As the ship started to move, I realized something. ...Oh right, I don¡¯t know if this body is susceptible to seasickness like my old self was. Oh please, don¡¯t get seasick. I¡¯ll be screwed if I start vomiting around. The noise might alert someone that I¡¯m here. I really didn¡¯t think this through, did I? --------- For the next several days, I was stuck there in the dark, spending my time reading the books I had gotten for free using my dimly lit wand as a flashlight. It was all that I could do, other than sleeping, to pass the time. Luckily, no one really checked on the cargo. They probably locked the front door tight with guards standing at all times so they thought there would be no need to ever check the interior of the storage room. As I had expected, the books were indeed, well, to put it frankly, trashy. They were the kind of books you would only read just to pass time, turning off your brain in the process. They had no merit whatsoever, literary or otherwise. And yet, I continued to read them anyway. Just because I would imagine myself being in the shoes of the main character. Currently, I was reading the one titled, "The Retired Hero''s Adventures". It was a story about a hero who had saved the world, going around solving people''s problems with his overpowered self. It was quite obvious that the author based it off the Legendary Hero himself. He got an innocent cleric, a cool mage, and a beautiful princess all vying for his attention. The princess, by the way, was based by how the Legendary Hero married a princess of some kingdom back then. Said kingdom, of course, would become the Holy Empire in the future. The story was terribly boring, with the main character just solving everything with his OPness in one hit. However, you wouldn''t read this kind of stuff for the story anyways. You read it for the girls. And I had to say... Aargh, this lucky bastard! He gets all these beautiful girls clinging in his arms! God, I wish he was me! I want to fondle a princess'' big boobs all over as she moans cutely! I want to have a cute miniskirt-wearing witch that constantly flashes her panties every time she casts her spell! I want to accidentally walk into a shy priestess while she¡¯s changing her clothes! I spent my five days like this. Just reading lewd books in the dark. Probably breathing heavily in the forest. At the very least, I didn¡¯t do that as well, seeing how I wasn¡¯t old enough to have the urges yet. So I was just slightly less of a loser than my old self. And at the sixth, when I heard the horn announcing that land was coming, I opened the hole I had made before, and escaped that way. I quickly ran off using my Wind Step, no longer caring whether I was seen or not. They wouldn¡¯t be able to catch me anyways. And with that, I arrived at the Holy Continent at last¡ªat the port town of Frastelleren, at the far south end of the continent. All without a ticket or a pass, which I imagine would be necessary if I had chosen to travel normally. I didn¡¯t have money for the ticket. As for the border pass, I believe you can actually use your Adventurer Card as a replacement, but it would be too risky to register myself on the Guild there, seeing how I¡¯m still in Magocracy territory and all. I don¡¯t want to give them a lead on where my last location is (even though it may be really obvious, seeing how Tulpio is the only port town you can take from the Magocracy to cross over to the Holy Continent). I might be able to buy a pass in some shady black market or something, but it would 1) be risky, and 2) be really expensive. So this is the wiser choice, even if it technically makes me an illegal immigrant. Bah, who cares anyway, when I''m already a wanted man? I immediately headed to the city¡¯s Adventurer Guild, as I didn¡¯t even have enough money to pay for an inn right now. I would register and finally start my career as an adventurer at last. On the way there however, I couldn''t help but to start reminiscing. Heh, I didn¡¯t imagine that it would end this way. All these years, I thought I would start my adventuring with Sherry and Marina on my sides. But now, there¡¯s only me and me alone. With a bitter smile, I pushed onward. Vol 2 Chapter 3: Meet The F-rank Trio! It didn¡¯t take me long to find the Guild. Just a little asking around and I immediately was given the directions I needed by the kind populace. Whoa, so this is how an Adventurer Guild looks¡­ I looked around in awe, taken aback by the sheer sense of adventure that it exuded. All around me were all sorts of warriors. First, there were the knight-types. They wore those full heavy armors and they lugged around large shields on their backs. They were all shiny under the sunlight going through the windows. Looking at them like that, it really felt as if I could rely on them to heroically protect me with their lives Then, there were the fighter-types. They wore light leather armors instead. Some used normal swords, some used greatswords, and some even carried around two swords, for some cool dual-wielding, I suppose. After that, there were the clerics. Most of them wore white robes while wielding around staves, with some wearing those priest hats. Last but not least, there were the mages. Just like back in the Magocracy, a lot of them wore those pointed wizard hats. Some had staves and some preferred rods and wands. None of them seemed to be like me though, having both a sword and a wand. There were a few outliers of course. Rogue-types who wielded dual daggers, ranger-types who had a bow and a quiver filled with arrows, and a few others who defied classification altogether, like that guy who wore a clown outfit. What''s that for? Wait, don''t tell me. I don''t think I want to know. And man on man, to my delight, some of the female adventurers were outright gorgeous. One was a female knight with beautiful long golden hair that reached down to her waist. Her armor outright drew attention to her large breasts, as the breastplate had two large bumps jutting out conspicuously. Another was a catgirl thief, wearing criminally tight and short black shorts. They were low-rise enough so that her tail could waggle around freely, resulting in me getting a wonderful view of her buttcrack. But the most beautiful of them all however, was ironically enough, one of the receptionists sitting in the far end of the room. I was lucky enough to be able to go directly to her after I was finished ogling the female adventurers. Embarrassingly however, I wasn¡¯t tall enough for the table to look over it comfortably, so I had to fetch a nearby tall chair to lift myself up. "Hello! Good morning!" She greeted me with a smile. And I was immediately smitten by her. If I were to guess, she looked to be in her early twenties. She had a lovely long brown hair that went down over her shoulders. She wore what looked like a uniform¡ªblack vest and white shirt underneath, and it clung to her body wonderfully. Her large breasts were practically bursting out of the seams, pressing all too provocatively on the table. "Well, you''re a young one! What might be your business today, young Sir?¡± Aah, her voice! It¡¯s like the voice of sunlight itself! S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°A-ah right. I-I want to register please.¡± I was taken off-guard, as I was blatantly leering at her breasts. Luckily, thanks to me being just a kid, I suppose, she didn¡¯t seem to notice in the slightest. ¡°Register? Oh, you mean you¡¯re just starting out?¡± ¡°Y-yes, Miss¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s wonderful!¡± She clapped her hands together. ¡°From which village did you come from? Or are you from around here?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I paused. I nearly almost told her that I came from across the sea. But there was no reason why I should tell her that, especially since I was supposed to start all over, now that I was in this new continent. ¡°I-I¡¯m from this town, Miss,¡± I replied. ¡°Ah, I see. Please fill this form then. I¡¯ll fetch the Oracle Orb in the meantime.¡± ¡°Oracle Orb?¡± She didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she just gave a smile before sitting up from her seat, turning around before bending over forward, going through the cabinets behind her. Uoohhhh! My jaw nearly dropped. H-her butt! It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s gorgeous! The way her black pencil skirt wrapped itself tight around it, to the point that I could see its shape clearly! Not to mention the pantyline she¡¯s proudly showing! What a divine sight! Aah, I am truly blessed! Truly blessed indeed! My perverted mind immediately went into overdrive. I could just imagine myself standing behind her, unzipping her skirt, taking off her panties (which should be a sexy black or red pair!) and then plunging myself into her while my two hands groped her breasts. ¡°Here it is! The Oracle Orb!¡± To my grave disappointment, she quickly found the thing she seeked, ending the wonderful sight after just a minute. ¡°Oh my, you still haven¡¯t filled them? What¡¯s the matter? You can read and write, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°A-ah, r-right¡­¡± My face must be red right now, though judging by her giggle, she didn¡¯t expect the redness to come from me ogling her. She probably thought I was just a normal, ordinary shy boy. I was so glad that I had this body over my old unattractive one. If I ogled anyone with that body, I would immediately be labeled as a disgusting creep. Which what I deserved really, if I were to be honest. I looked at the form and saw how simple it was. It only asked for my name and what my combat role was. I guessed she meant my class by the last one. Let¡¯s see here¡­ what should my name be? I had intended to use a fake name after all. There¡¯s no good reason why I would use my actual name, especially since there¡¯s always a chance of the Magocracy sending assassins at me after what I did to one of their leaders. How about¡­ Charles Pendleton? It was the first name that popped out in my head. Charles seemed like a good name for a boy, and Pendleton had that fancy feel to it that might hint of me belonging to the upper class. I wouldn¡¯t outright admit to people that I am the son of a noble or anything, but I think it might help with making it easier for people to trust me. I filled in my fake name, and of course, I entered ¡°mage¡± as my combat role. ¡°Thank you, Sir Charles!¡± She gave another one of her lovely, lovely smiles. ¡°Then, please put your right hand on the Orb.¡± There was now a light blue orb sitting on the table, attached to a small pedestal-like box underneath it. It really resembles those crystal orbs you would find when you visit a fortune-teller. I did as she told, grasping the orb on the topside with my right hand. Whoa! It immediately shined, nearly making me take off my hand. Whew, I thought it was going to explode or something. It dimmed soon after. So no theatrics like you would get with a fortune-teller. ¡°Now please take off your hand.¡± I complied. Then, she took my form and pressed it into the top of the crystal ball. It shone again once more, before a light clang could be heard from the box underneath it. And then, a metal card slid out from the small hole on said box. ¡°Here it is!¡± She grabbed the card and offered it to me with a smile. ¡°Your very own Adventurer Card!¡± I took it from her and immediately gave it a close examination. It was made out of some kind of metal. Its color was silver, and you could see texts engraved on top of it in black. Name : Charles Pendleton Age : 10 Sex : Male Race : Human Role : Mage Rank : F Huh, neat. Must be some sort of a magic device. Kinda reminds me of when I got my first debit card, though the form then was far, far longer than this one. And no crystal balls either, naturally. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll give you an explanation on how you would take quests and report them!¡± She clapped her hands. Why was she so excited anyways? I never met a customer service worker being this cheerful before. I mean, this is basically one of those jobs after all. Just sitting all day wearing a fake smile, having to put up with rude customers here and there, as well as some perverted one who would ogle you if you¡¯re a beauty like her (oh, I¡¯m sure those exist). If I were in her spot, I would never be able to be as high-spirited as her. ¡°So, you would first want to check out the boards over there.¡± She gestured towards them at the side of the room. ¡°You pick the quest you want¡ªcan only be one more or less than your current rank, by the way¡ªand then you bring it to me. Got it?" "Got it, Miss." I gave my brightest smile. "And thank you for the explanation!" The method she described was just like how I imagined it though, thus I didn¡¯t really need her to explain it to me in the first place. Gotta be polite after all, especially to pretty girls like her. I jumped down from my chair, stuffing the card to my pocket. "You''re welcome!" she replied, standing up and giving me a bow. Yep, those boobs are bouncy alright. I remembered Father explaining how you could exchange currency in any Guild branches that I came across, so I should be able to change my money here to Imperial coins, which was the currency most widely accepted in this Holy Continent. But seeing how I only got a handful of copper Magus coins with me, which was the currency of the Magocracy (and Marchen as well), there really was no point in converting them, especially since you would have to pay a certain amount of fee for doing so. Heh, she forgot about explaining that to me, now that I think about it. Should I tease her for it? Nah, she probably just thinks there¡¯s no need for it, since I said that I¡¯m a local. As I walked away, I heard her say to her friend, "What a polite kid! He must come from the wealthy part of town! He might even be a noble!" Hehe, a noble, huh? I couldn¡¯t help but grin. Vanity filled my head. I loved it when someone praised me. Probably because I always hungered for validation from others. It''s pathetic, I know. But that''s just how I am. I remembered when I strived to get the best grades in elementary school so Mom and Dad would praise. And how much I loved Renee rubbing my head and telling me how I''m a¡ª Oh¡­ Goddamnit, why must I think about that now? There goes my self-esteem again. The light feeling in my heart disappeared, replaced by sadness once again. --------- Hmm, let¡¯s see here... Since I was just an F-rank, the only quests I could take were F and E-ranked quests. ...Wow, these are absolute garbage. The F-ranked quests are all just menial labor stuff, like finding lost pets or cleaning up warehouses. There¡¯s nothing adventurous about them. The E-ranked quests on the other hand only sent you out to the outside of the port town to fight against E-rank monsters, like horned rabbits on the plains and rock crabs on the beach. Wasn¡¯t Sherry already able to beat the crap out of a horde of E-rank monsters on her own, barehanded, when she was only like eight, as a way to relieve her stress? Of course, the pay was garbage as well. But I had no choice. The Guild didn''t allow skipping ranks, even if you were wildly overqualified for the job. I took the quest to kill horned rabbits and take their horns, sighing in the process. Might as well get this over with so I can get an inn. --------- The plains outside of the town were barren, thanks to the season being winter. It probably would turn back green once spring came. It was a little different than the plains back home or the Lazarus Plains near Mira, as there were far more trees around here. Palm trees, in fact. It was quite weird though, seeing them here. I thought palm trees could only grow on beaches. Alright, where are you, horned rabbits? I need to pluck those pretty horns off your heads if I¡¯m going to get a place to sleep tonight. I walked around for a while before I spotted one, just hiding behind one of said palm trees. So, how should I get that guy? I wouldn¡¯t want to damage the horn, so it has to be a quick and clean blow. ¡°Spark!¡± I fired off an Intermediate-level Thunder spell. It immediately connected, electrocuting the poor thing to death. It plopped down with only minor burns on its skin. Its horn? Completely undamaged. Yep, that would work. ------------ I spammed the same spell over and over for an hour or two, gathering the horns into my Bag of Holding. My God this is dull. This is how it feels to be an overpowered character killing small fries in the first area of the game, I suppose. ¡°Help! Somebody help!¡± Huh? That¡¯s¡­ ¡°Please help somebody! Kyaaahh!¡± That¡¯s the scream of a girl in distress! I immediately flew using my Wind Step to where the voice was coming from. Only to find a trio of adventurers, facing off against a really angry looking giant-sized boar. It was a dire boar¡ªa C-rank monster. Two of them were males with the remaining one being a female. They were just around my age, maybe a bit older, and their party composition seemed to be one knight, one fighter, and one mage, with the girl being the latter. Knight boy was blonde haired, fighter boy was dark haired, and mage girl was violet haired. Only the mage girl dressed quite peculiarly, as she wasn''t wearing the usual mage robes. Instead, she wore a combination of a purple poncho over white wide-sleeved robe and a red long skirt that reminded me of a hakama. Oh, and she also had a red headdress on her head. ¡°Guaahh!¡± The giant boar rammed into the boy knight, shattering his wooden shield and sending him flying backwards. ¡°Aarghhh, you bastard! Take this!¡± The fighter boy furiously stabbed his sword towards the side of the boar, only to find out that he was nowhere near strong enough to really push it all the way in. He then panickedly tried to pull it out, only for the boar to kick him right on the gut, sending him flying just like his friend. ¡°Felt!¡± The girl was now absolutely in tears, and her hands shook as she aimed her staff at the beast. ¡°O-oh Spirits of the Earth! Grant me your power and¡ª¡± Shit! She¡¯s lost her mind! She can¡¯t just stand there and chant a powerful spell when the boar is right there in front of her! ¡°Rock Cannon!¡± A boulder flew at high speed right towards the boar¡¯s head. It crashed, and in a single blow, knocked it down dead. The girl, still in disbelief in what just happened, fell down to the dirt. She didn¡¯t even look at me before rushing to the wounded boy. ¡°Felt! Oh Felt! Are you alright?¡± I rushed there as well, and just from a glance, I could tell that the wound was fatal. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, Lily. I just¡­ need to rest¡­¡± Bullshit! He probably broke his ribs from that kick! He could even have some internal bleeding as well! You¡¯re just acting cool, aren¡¯t you, boy?! You must be awfully in pain right now yet you still smile like that! Damn it, if only I can cast healing spells! ...Wait, maybe I can¡¯t, but she can! ¡°Great Fairy, come out and heal this boy!¡± Immediately, the familiar azure-haired fairy appeared. ¡°Aye aye Sir!¡± she cheerfully said before moving in to get closer to the wounded boy. ¡°W-what? A-a fairy?¡± The girl named Lily looked at her in fright. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m here to heal him, just like my master told me!¡± The fairy replied with a smile. The girl moved to the side, looking towards me with a confused and bewildered look. The great fairy then moved her hands near the boy¡¯s mouth. ¡°Drink this, alright? It¡¯ll heal you.¡± ¡°Drink wha¡ª argglugluglug.¡± The boy¡¯s mouth was promptly assaulted with a jet of water. ¡°Don¡¯t spit it out! Drink it all down!¡± The fairy yelled. W-wow, that looks awfully uncomfortable¡­ In the end though, the water he drank started to work, and he immediately felt the pain inside him disappear. ¡°I-it works!¡± The boy smiled in awe. "I-it doesn''t hurt anymore!" ¡°It does?! Oh, thank you, Miss Fairy!¡± The girl immediately threw a hug at her. ¡°Hehe! You''re making me blush!" I smiled as well. That was close. If I had let another person die on my watch... --------- "Thank you so much!" The three said in unison, bowing as deeply as they could. Ah, this feels nice¡­ My vanity resurfaced, and I grinned as I looked over the three young adventurers that I just helped. ¡°No problem! That¡¯s what a senior should do to their juniors after all!" I put my hands on my waist cheekily. Yep, I''m totally their senior. Even if I might be younger than them, and I haven''t even completed my quest yet, and that I just wet my bed a week ago¡­ B-But on fighting skills, I''m totally their senior! "Wow, you''re really amazing, Senpai! You can kill a big monster like that in just a single spell!¡± The knight boy said with starstruck eyes. ¡°Yeah! Wasn¡¯t that an Advanced-level spell? And you can cast it without a chant? That¡¯s really amazing!¡± This time, Lily was the one to speak, with her eyes being just as bright as him. ¡°I can¡¯t even cast Beginner-level spells without chants yet!¡± ¡°What rank are you, Senpai?¡± The fighter boy named Felt spoke next. ¡°We¡¯re just starting out so we¡¯re still F-ranks.¡± ¡°W-well, I¡¯m¡ª¡± Shit, what rank should I be if I¡¯m their senior? ¡°¡ªC-rank, yes! I¡¯m a C-rank!¡± ¡°Woow, a C-rank? That¡¯s awesome!¡± The knight boy replied. ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet, have I? I¡¯m Byron!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Felt!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Lily!¡± ¡°And together, we¡¯re the Felton Village Adventurers!¡± Byron finished it up by punching the air. U-uh, right¡­ ¡°That¡¯s the name of our party by the way! Since we come from there after all!¡± Lily beamed. Oh, that¡¯s right¡­ Normally, adventurers wouldn¡¯t just go solo. They would have a party consisting of several people doing the same quest together. I don¡¯t need that though. At least, not for now. Not when I¡¯m still this low of a rank. ¡°And I¡¯m Hu¡ªI-I mean, Charles. Charles Pendleton.¡± Whew, that was close. I offered my hand to each of them, which they readily shook with wide smiles on their faces, as if they were shaking hands with a celebrity. Well, I was their savior after all, so it wasn¡¯t odd for them to react that way, especially since they were still young and impressionable. ¡°I-if I might ask, Senpai, y-you¡¯re here for a quest, right? M-maybe we can help?¡± Lily spoke, her expression a mixture between shyness and determination. D-damn, now that she¡¯s all up on my face like this, I just realize how cute she is! ¡°N-not really. I can handle it by myself just fine,¡± I replied. I couldn¡¯t tell them that my quest was just a lowly E-rank one after all, or else my lie might be exposed! ¡°I-in fact, I think it¡¯s too dangerous for you guys! I¡¯m off to hunt monsters far stronger than that boar, you know!¡± There. That should deter them. Feels bad lying to them like this though. ¡°I-I see.... Of course you would take quests like that, huh?¡± Lily retreated with a look of sadness. Damn it, don¡¯t give me that look! You¡¯re making me feel even guiltier! ¡°Of course, Lily!¡± Byron interrupted. ¡°A C-rank like Senpai would take quests far more difficult than what we can handle! It¡¯s just common sense, you know!¡± ¡°I-I just want to repay his kindness, that¡¯s all¡­¡± ¡°Well, nothing we can do for now,¡± Felt then chimed in, patting her on the back with a melancholic look. ¡°We¡¯re still too inexperienced. And we lack training as well.¡± ¡°What are you doing here anyways?¡± I asked them, out of curiosity. ¡°You said you¡¯re F-ranks, right? So that means you probably take an E-rank quest. Maybe to gather horns from the Horned Rabbits?¡± ¡°Yea, we came here for that,¡± Byron answered. ¡°But that boar just suddenly came out of nowhere and charged at us! We weren¡¯t planning to fight it in the first place!¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you retreat?¡± I asked again. ¡°No sense in fighting an enemy you won¡¯t gain anything out of, especially one that you didn¡¯t expect at all.¡± ¡°W-well, that¡¯s because¡ª¡± ¡°He¡¯s stupid enough to think that we can win against it,¡± Felt replied coldly, sending a glare at the blonde kid. ¡°And I was stupid enough to be persuaded by him, even though I was originally against it.¡± ¡°I-I was to blame as well!¡± Lily interrupted. ¡°I-I thought that if I could just fire off my strongest spell, while Byron and Felt distract the monster, we can win against it!¡± ¡°Only to find that we¡¯re completely outmatched. That monster was on another level completely,¡± Felt admitted with a sigh. So this is how it is for the normal folks, isn¡¯t it? A boar like that is like an insurmountable opponent to them. Meanwhile, I was already murdering B-rank monsters a few years back with barely any problem. Speaking objectively, I really was born with a cheat after all, to be able to become this strong of a mage this quickly. ...It¡¯s not enough though. It¡¯s not enough when the opponent is like Vera¡­ ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s with the long face, Senpai?¡± Lily asked with a concerned look. ¡°O-oh, nothing. Just.. reminiscing of my early days when I just started out like you guys.¡± I gave them a forced grin. ¡°Oooh, I would love to hear that, Senpai!¡± She grabbed my hands, eyes all glimmering with excitement. ¡°We can surely use any advice or experience you can give to us!¡± ¡°Hey, Lily, don¡¯t be a nuisance,¡± Byron interrupted ¡°He has his own quest. You can¡¯t just ask him to stay here and chat with us like that.¡± ¡°R-right¡­ sorry¡­¡± She withdrew her hands. Thank you, kid. I gave a little smile towards the boy knight. As much as I love the praises they have been giving me, especially since one of them is a girl this cute, I really don¡¯t want to lie to them any further. This is already bad enough as it is. Not to mention that I really have nothing that I can teach them. I¡¯m just a natural genius with magic. And they¡¯re just ordinary kids. No matter how hard I teach them, I will never be able to bring them up to my level. Such is the nature of this world, and my old world as well. It¡¯s a lie that you can accomplish anything with just hard work. You need talent as well. And with that, the trio decided to retreat for the day. After showering me with another round of praise, and stating that they hoped they could meet up with me again so that they could repay me, they left for the city. Vol 2 Chapter 4: The Joy of Grinding Quests And there they went. Really, what a bunch of adorable kids. Hope they¡¯ve learned their lesson on not underestimating their enemies. But why would that boar be here in the first place? It¡¯s a C-rank monster. If its habitat is really around here, then the quest to gather materials from those E-rank monsters shouldn¡¯t be classified as E-rank quests in the first place. Hmm, maybe it just so happens that the boar wanders off on its own all the way here? I watched as they slowly faded to the distance. They should make it to the city safely on their own. I didn¡¯t really see any other dire boards around when I walked through the area. ¡°Well¡­¡± I turned to my fairy summon, which still hadn¡¯t left yet by the way, ¡°It¡¯s just you and me now.¡± I gave her a wry smile. ¡°Maaasterrrr!¡± Before I could do anything, I was assaulted by softness, as she threw herself onto me, pressing her breasts into my face. I was lucky that she was floating with her wings, or else I might have been knocked down by her weight. ¡°U-umphhh...umpphhhhhh!¡± Her two mounds weren¡¯t that big, but thanks to her grabbing the back of my head so tightly, I could barely breathe. At the very least she smelled really good up this close. It was a fresh and pleasant smell that reminded me of that clean air you could breathe in in the middle of a forest right when the sun just went up. I would enjoy the sensation, if not for the fact that I was slowly suffocating in the process. ¡°C-can¡¯t breathe¡­¡± ¡°A-ah, s-sorry!¡± She quickly released me. ¡°I-I just got carried away! I was so grateful to see that you¡¯re still alive! The last time you summoned me, I couldn¡¯t protect you at all from that spell! I thought you had died from it!¡± she said, tears starting to pool in her eyes. ¡°Couldn¡¯t summons feel when their master is dead though? Since their bond would be severed and all?¡± ¡°...N-now that you mention it, t-that¡¯s right! I would feel it if you actually have died! Ehe...ehehehehehe!¡± ...This fairy really isn¡¯t too bright, is she? ¡°Well, I guess I have to apologize to you, don¡¯t I? I summoned you twice without paying for the cost.¡± ¡°...Oh, that¡¯s right! I¡¯ve totally forgot about that!¡± ¡°Welp, guess that means you don¡¯t really care whether I do it or¡ª¡± ¡°N-nonononono! I want the headpat, Master! The headpat and the praise!¡± She promptly interrupted me. ¡°Alright, alright.¡± I chuckled. I¡¯m having too much fun teasing this fairy. Though it felt weird though, now that she¡¯s actually bigger than me. And now, I actually can see her as a normal girl. Yeah, those boobs are pretty soft¡­Maybe I should ask her to let me grope them. ...N-no, I can¡¯t do that! That¡¯s abusing her summoning contract, isn¡¯t it? Sexual favors certainly aren''t part of the package! I quickly threw the idea out of the window. Not only that I didn¡¯t want her to see me as a pervert, I remembered the folktales from my old world, about how it¡¯s dangerous to fall in love with the Fair Folk. Though I have to question whether that applies here, especially since this Fey is nowhere near as cunning or tricky as the Fey I¡¯ve read in those old books. ¡°There, there. You¡¯ve done a good job. Without you, I¡¯d already be dead. Twice.¡± I said as I patted her head. ¡°Hehe, thank you, Master!¡± Her wings fluttered faster, showing her excitement. ¡°Oh, that reminds me, how about Earth Sprite? You haven¡¯t paid her either, have you?¡± Oh right. I completely forgot. ¡°Earth Sprite! Come out!¡± I ordered. She immediately manifested in front of me. ¡°Hmph.¡± She huffed, throwing her head to the side. Oh crap, she¡¯s mad, isn¡¯t she? Well, might as well do it right away. ¡°Hep!¡± ¡°Kyah!¡± I lifted her up from behind and hugged her tightly. Whispering to her ear, I said, ¡°Thank you for saving me back then from the snake. I really would¡¯ve died with you, you know.¡± And then, she suddenly disappeared. H-huh? What just¡ª ¡°Hehe, I think she¡¯s just shy, Master!¡± The other fairy giggled. ¡°She¡¯s blushing terribly, you know, when you did that!¡± Ooh, really? Damn it, I want to see that! ¡°Well, Master, if you got nothing else for me to do, I¡¯ll take my exit!¡± She vanished as well, but not before giving me a kiss on the cheek. I smiled. Even if I got no one else, I still have my summons with me, I suppose. ---------- Afterwards, I extracted the meat from the still dead boar, knowing that I could use it as food for quite a good while. Would have to buy some salt later though, to preserve them. As I cut through its thick skin however, I started to reminisce how Father taught me to do it for what seemed like an eternity ago. "That''s not how you do it, Hugo! You have to cut it horizontally, like this!" ... "Good! Good! That''s how you do it! You''re now one step closer to becoming a real adventurer!" ... Drip... ...Oh¡­ Goddamnit, I''m crying again. Heh, glad that no one is around to see me being uncool like this yet again. I soon finished, and continued my journey onward to gather those horns. As for the remaining carcass, I burned them, just so there wouldn''t be an unsightly and smelly corpse left around. I got as many horns as I could from the rabbits. The quest said that the more I got, the more I would get paid. And after a certain amount, it would count as two quests. And then three. And then four. And so on. I burned their corpses too once I extracted the horn. Their meat was inedible unfortunately. Supposedly, from the monster encyclopedia I had read, it tasted really, really bad. And then, when night fell, I returned back to the port town. --------- My client was apparently some alchemist with his own shop in the city, so I headed there straight away. I needed the money. Bad. My stomach was grumbling and I hadn''t gotten an inn yet either. It was a decently sized building in the middle of the city. I immediately could tell it was an alchemist''s laboratory, thanks to the large sign the owner had put outside. Heh, Ravan''s Alchemic Atelier, huh? The client really did state his name was Ravan. I knocked on the front door, patiently waiting until the person inside to respond. "Hello?" The one to open the door was a middle-aged man, perhaps on the older side. He had a white goatee and a monocle, and he wore a long grey robe. "Sir Ravan?" I asked "That is me, child," he replied. "I brought you the horns you want, Sir." I gave him a smile. "Hmm?" He adjusted his monocle. "You''re an adventurer? You brought me horned rabbit''s horns?" "Yes, Sir!" I continued my smile. "A lot of them in fact." "Good, good." He smiled in response, stroking his goatee. "Come in. I''ll fetch you some tea." I followed him inside. Whoa, so this is how an alchemist''s workshop looks¡­ First impression? It was messy. Really messy. Even worse than my own room. Second impression? It looked like the laboratory I used in high school as part of my chemistry lessons. Only far more disorganized. Third impression? The strange smell in the stale air overwhelmed me, nearly making me gag. Urgh, this must be the combination of all the smells of his potions and drugs. Can he even work in a place like this? "Come, come. Here. Sit here." He shoved an entire pile of books off the corner of one of the tables before gesturing for me to sit down on the chair near it. "Umm, sorry, Sir. But I''m in a hurry right now so I can''t stay and chat." I explained to him. I didn''t hold anything against him, only that I seriously wasn''t comfortable taking any drinks from an alchemist I knew nothing about, especially since he seemed to be living alone. What if he was the mad scientist type and he ended up drugging my tea with some sleeping or paralyzing poison, just so he could test his experimental drugs on me? Brr, I shivered just thinking about it. "A-alright then¡­ now come¡­ show me the horns¡­" One by one, I took the horns from my Bag of Holding. It took quite some time, since I managed to get around a hundred of them. When I finished, there was an entire pile of them on the table. And the alchemist was looking at me with awe. "S-so many¡­ Let me count them first.¡± I watched worriedly as he did his own count of the horns. Uh oh, if he doesn''t have enough money to pay for all of them... "Exactly 100 horns. And I believe my rate was 20 copper coins for 10 horns. Which means you have earned 200 copper coins. Or would you rather have that in silver instead?¡± ¡°In silver please!¡± I smiled, sighing internally in the process. He could pay after all¡­ He then gave me two silver coins, which was the equivalent of two hundred copper coins. I put it inside my purse before putting that inside my bag. ¡°Thank you, Sir!¡± I replied, turning around to leave. ¡°Wait, you forgot this." I turned around again to see him holding a metallic card, quite similar in size with my own Adventurer Card. "You need this to confirm the quest''s completion, right?" "Oh, r-right." I completely forgot. "Quest confirmation. Adventurer has supplied 100 horns." He spoke. It responded by brightening up for a bit before dimming again. "There. That should be enough, right?" He gave it to me with a smile. "R-right¡­" I took it from him. "Thank you again, young man. These horns will help me greatly in making my potions." And with that, my first quest was complete. --------- I decided to report the completion tomorrow. For now, I needed some food, an inn, and a bath as well, if possible. I hadn''t taken the latter since forever. In the end, I took a cheap inn and ate in a cheap pub. The bath though, I decided to not waste my money on the town''s public baths. I could just use my water magic in my room, cleaning it up afterwards with the same magic. Ah, isn''t magic just convenient? One night at the inn made me spend 20 copper coins, and the food at the pub in total took 5 copper coins. So I now only had 1 silver coin, 7 large copper coins, and 5 copper coins. I wouldn''t waste money needlessly. I would save in case of rainy days in the future. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Or so I thought, until I realized just how bad the stuff you could get from going cheap like this. First of all, the food at the pub was just hard bread and water. And they both tasted terrible. Second, the inn I stayed in was barely holding itself intact, with bits and pieces of the ceiling missing, and moss growing in the walls here and there. There were no windows, and the bed was as hard as it could be. And you didn¡¯t even have any locks in the door, which made my paranoid self barely able to sleep. And that paranoia was well-justified, as in the middle of the night, this burly man sneaked into my room. He¡¯s either here to steal my stuff or to just kill me and rob me while I¡¯m asleep. It didn¡¯t matter, as I knocked him out with just a single Wind spell to the head. I reported the incident to the inn owner immediately, but the old man just shrugged, and told me that he would tell the town guard to come and arrest him the next morning, as if this was a common occurrence. That¡¯s it! I¡¯m never going to be a cheapskate ever again! Not only is it unpleasant, it¡¯s dangerous as well! --------- The next morning, I hurriedly left that wretched inn to go back to the Guild. Nice, she¡¯s free! I thanked my good fortunes that the beautiful receptionist from yesterday wasn¡¯t occupied by another adventurer. ¡°Miss! I want to report a quest completion!¡± I cheerfully said to her, taking out the card that alchemist had given me and putting it on the counter. ¡°Congratulations on completing your first quest, Sir Charles!¡± Ooh, her lovely voice and smile send tingles all over my body. ¡°Let me look at that card first for a sec.¡± ¡­ ¡°O-oh my, this is... ¡° ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the matter, Miss?¡± "N-nothing!" She flashed a nervous smile. "I just didn''t expect for a new adventurer to be able to do this in just a day! 100 horned rabbits? That''s amazing!" "Thank you, Miss!" I brightly smiled. Internally however, I was screaming in delight. Yes, Miss! Praise me more! You can pay my head if you want! Or even better, you can give me a hug and bury my face in those two lovely breasts of yours! "And with that, I have to congratulate you once again! You¡¯ve been promoted to E-rank!¡± ¡°R-really? Just from one quest?¡± ¡°Yes, really! It¡¯s not just from one quest. The client¡¯s minimal amount of horns were just ten after all! And since you got one hundred, it¡¯s similar to if you have completed 10 E-rank quests, which are more than enough to make you rise up in the ranks!¡± I then surrendered my adventurer card for a short while so that the rank part could be updated. ¡°There! Now you can take D-rank quests if you want! Don¡¯t rush them though, if you feel you can¡¯t handle them yet!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss! I think I can handle them just fine.¡± I smiled smugly. Heh, she didn¡¯t know that I was already a Master-level mage after all. --------- Afterwards, I decided to stay for a good while in the port town, taking quests while staying at the cheapest inn to gather money for my journey ahead. There would be no point going ahead to the countryside, only to run out of money halfway since little villages wouldn¡¯t have any Adventurer Guilds that could give me any jobs. Just like in my previous world, you had to go to the cities to get the most amount of jobs. I wasn¡¯t in any rush to get to the Demon Continent, especially since I realized that there might be a chance of Sherry not being in her village anymore. After all, the promise we made said that she would return once Marina finished her education, which would be one year from now. She might already be in the process of traveling back to Marchen. Which was why I would occasionally ask the receptionists in the Guild for her description¡ªa girl around twelve years old, a sword user, unexpectedly strong physically, and probably have a violent temper (I kinda doubt she would be able to overcome that part of her, even after she grows up). They never saw her though, which was fine by me. I didn¡¯t expect them to. If she already left, she probably would still be in the Demon Continent by now. Speaking of not seeing someone, I didn¡¯t see those trio for a good while afterwards. Seeing how they would have to go to the Guild to take and report their own quests, I might just be unlucky in the matter. The D-rank quests I took sent me further away from the city. There were quests of me going along to the seas with a fisherman¡¯s boat, acting as their bodyguards. One of them however actually tricked me, using me to go hunt a sea monster instead. That sea monster was Lightning Shark, a C-rank monster. And he hired an E-rank to do it, just because he didn''t want to spend the money. He took me outside of the normal region where fishermen would fish, right into the territory of the Lightning Sharks. He wanted their fins, as it would fetch him a nice amount of money. He planned for me to protect the ship from the shark¡¯s attack as part of my escort duty, thus ¡°technically¡± not lying to me. He probably thought I was just an idiot kid who could easily be fooled. Of course, I had no problem killing it. And I took the fins afterwards for my own, not caring in the slightest of his protests and intimidations. In fact, I ended up scaring him back, as I stated I could just kill him if I wanted to, after I knocked out his pair of bodyguards with my magic. The rest of the crew quickly followed suit. They probably had no love for their greedy captain in the first place. Or they decided it really wasn¡¯t worth their lives to risk opposing me. After what I did to those mages back at that icy mountain, I really felt I could kill other humans if I chose to. And perhaps that showed in my eyes, which made them so afraid of me in the first place. Afterwards, I gave a formal complaint to the Guild afterwards. As an adventurer, you could do that if the quest giver lied in their quest description. Imagine if I was actually an ordinary E-rank adventurer. I could¡¯ve ended up dead. Other than that quest, I also took trips to the west and east of the city, to the beaches. I still got D-rank quests asking for monster parts or herbs that only grew near the ocean. Examples were Sand Tortoises, which armorsmiths wanted for their shells, and Amphibious Sharks, which weaponsmiths wanted for their teeth. Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t really know how weapons and armors are made in this world. How would they even use those? Maybe just slip them in with the usual steel to make a better alloy? And thus, before I knew it, I reached D-rank at last. Quite ironic how I reached E-rank in just a single day, yet I needed around a month to do the same for the next step. Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped. The fisherman escort quests would require a couple of days, even if the sea monsters I encountered were just D-rank weaklings. And sometimes you couldn¡¯t find enough monsters or herbs to gather in the wild, so you had to spend the night there to try again next morning. Thankfully, I had bought camping equipment for that exact purpose, though I had to spend quite a good chunk of my money to do so. And I decided that it was time for me to move on. Deeper into the Holy Empire¡¯s territory. Vol 2 Chapter 5: Marina’s Side — Returning Home Marina ¡°This is the place, right, Miss?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± I disembarked from the horse¡ªmy sight completely focused on the house I was standing right in front of now. Home. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a pleasant journey, Miss. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve been all the way out here.¡± The rider said with a grin, showing that he had one tooth missing. ¡°Thank you, Alex,¡± I replied. I learned his name in our journey. It was easier to address him with it than just calling him ¡°Mr. Courier¡± like she did. ¡°Miss¡­¡± His grin suddenly disappeared, replaced by a concerned look. ¡°Do you¡­ require any other assistance?¡± ...He¡¯s smart enough to know that I¡¯m probably in some form of trouble. What a kind soul. ¡°That will be all,¡± I responded, only now putting up a smile. ¡°I can take care of myself from now on. You don¡¯t have to worry a thing, Alex.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Then, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± He tipped his hat and bowed, before riding away with his horse. I watched him go until he disappeared over the hill. I probably would never see him again. And then, I turned around, once again facing the inevitable. I took a deep sigh. And I entered. ---------- It¡¯s just like the way I last remembered it¡­ Nothing has changed¡­ Only that¡­ they¡¯re gone now¡­ and Hugo too¡­ And now, we would have to leave as well¡­ ¡°M-Miss Marina!¡± Mary was the one who spotted me coming in first. She was hanging the clothes to dry when I walked into the courtyard. ¡°Miss Marina, oh, Miss Marina, you¡¯re safe! Oh thank the Saint you¡¯re safe!¡± She hugged me tightly to the point that it hurt. She also smothered me with her large breasts. Thankfully, it only lasted for a few seconds before she released me. ¡°You must be so tired, Miss! But don¡¯t worry! I keep your room clean and ready every day so when you arrive, you can use it right away!¡± she said as she sniffled¡ªtears of happiness falling down her cheeks. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, where are Master and Madam? And where¡¯s Young Master Hugo?¡± ¡°...Father and Mother are dead. Hugo ran away.¡± I then explained everything that had transpired, from how they went all the way to Vera¡¯s home to save me, and to how Father and Mother perished in the fight against the ice witch, and Hugo deciding to run away because he blamed himself from it. I recited it in a monotone, lifeless manner, as if I was just a distant observer, wholly unaffected by those events. But before I knew it, tears started to fall down my eyes once again. And once I finished, I hugged the maid, burying myself into her chest once again as I weeped. I didn¡¯t know why I did it. Only that her soft and warm bosom reminded me of Mother''s terribly. I remembered, how many years ago it was, when I was still really young. I was practicing my magic foolishly inside the house, and I ended up starting a fire that would''ve burned the house if not for Father being nearby. I was so terrified of my mistake that I was paralyzed. I couldn''t even shout for help. I could only stand with shaking legs, crying. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And yet, after what I did, Mother just hugged me, thanking the Saint that I was alright. She didn''t even scold me afterwards. That warmth¡­ I now experienced it again, even if it''s Mary''s warmth. If I had known¡­ if I had known that Mother would... I shouldn''t have been so prideful. I shouldn''t have been so stubborn. I wanted so badly to grow up so I could be a proper older sister to Hugo that I refused to receive the show of affection Mother loved to do. I told her that I didn''t want to be hugged or embraced, especially in front of Hugo. The last time I willingly buried my face in her chest was when I wet the bed as a nine year old girl. I was so ashamed, especially since I had Hugo who had completely stopped doing that. I didn''t want to be laughed by him. And so I cried to her, begging for her to hide the evidence. And, like a good mother, she did. Hugo never found out to this day and I managed to keep my dignity as his older sister. It doesn''t matter now, does it? I have failed as his big sister completely. If I had just accepted what Vera wanted of me, our parents would still be alive and he wouldn''t have to run away. I should have just sacrificed myself for their sake. But now¡­ now our family is in ruins. I soon recovered, returning back to my usual stoic self. Mary kindly wiped off my tears using her apron. "Miss¡­" She spoke. "Do you... want me to¡ª" "It''s fine. I''ll do it myself. I''ll tell it to her," I replied. I readied myself, taking a deep breath before I entered the house. Erika would need me more than ever now. So I have to keep my chin up and be her pillar of support. Those tears I just showed to Mary¡­ let them be the last one¡­ ---------- I found Erika inside Father¡¯s study, reading a book down on the floor. I smiled. It made me remember how Hugo and I would do the same, back when we were young. We were bookworms and it seemed little Erika here is one as well. "Big Sis?" She looked up, noticing my presence. "Oh, Big Sis!" She threw herself to me, hugging my legs with a wide smile on her face. "Big Sis, you''re back!" "Yes, I''m back, Erika," I replied, kneeling down to pat her in the head. "You''ve been a good girl with Mary while I was gone?" "Of course! I''ve been a real good girl! I''ve stopped wetting my bed entirely, so Mary won''t have to worry about washing my sheets ever again!" She grinned. "That''s great news, Erika! I''m so proud of you!" I wrapped my arms around her for a hug. "Oh, where''s Mommy and Daddy?" My smile disappeared. "They¡­ well, they¡­" I hugged her tighter. And told her everything. --------- "...Y-you''re kidding, r-right, Sis? There''s no way¡­ there''s no way that can be right." "¡­" "H-hey, i-it''s not funny, you know! M-Mother wouldn''t like you making this joke! I-I''ll tell on you!" "¡­" "Hey, answer me, Sis! Please¡­ please tell me that you''re just teasing me! M-Mother! F-Father¡­ t-they can''t be¡­ they can''t be¡­" "U-uwaaahhh!" Nothing in this world was more painful to me than to hear her tears at that moment. I would willingly accept being tortured once more by Vera if I could make her stop. She had learned the concept of death at an early age, just last summer in fact, thanks to a certain picture book that had the main character die in the end. It was a sad and harrowing tale of an orphaned boy trying to live on in a harsh and cruel world, yet in the end, he succumbed to it and left the mortal coil as he died starving in the snow. It was a Milicis religious book, teaching young kids to be kind to those in need and to be grateful for your blessings. Erika had picked it up on her own from here, Father¡¯s study, and she asked Mother on what it meant for the poor boy to die at the end. To my surprise, Mother decided to tell her right away, even though she was just a three-year old child. Of course, she also cheered her up, saying that the boy would no doubt enter Andalucia, the Paradise of the Poor. In the Milicis Faith, there are several paradises its believers could enter once they left this world. Depending on your virtue, you would enter different types of paradises. Andalucia was one of such paradises. They said that it was a bountiful land free of hunger and want, perfect for those who suffered them in this world. Knowing her past, of course Mother would know such a thing. She cried and cried and cried until she fell asleep. Gently, I lifted her up with me as I stood up, putting her light body over my shoulder, intending to take her back to her room. Mary was standing outside the study, looking as if she was going to cry herself. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I told her with a forced smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be there when she wakes up. In the meantime, can you please go to the village and buy a carriage? You can use Father¡¯s money. No need for the horses. We can use the ones we already had.¡± ¡°A-a carriage? W-what for, Miss?¡± the maid asked back, a clear expression of surprise drawn on her face. ¡°A-and the horses¡­ Sir and Madam took them when they rode after you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Then they must have left them in Rau Uvarsa¡­¡± I had completely ignored that possibility. Oh those poor beasts¡­ the stablemaster where they¡¯re stored in would no doubt just take them as his own sooner or later¡­ I just hope he¡¯ll treat them right. ¡°Then, purchase the horses as well. Buy the best and strongest pair that you can get.¡± ¡°Why, Miss?! Don¡¯t tell me that you¡ª¡± ¡°Yes. I am leaving. With Erika. We¡¯re going to Grandfather¡¯s place.¡± Her expression immediately switched into confusion to that of horror. ¡°Y-your grandfather, Miss? May I ask where that is?¡± I looked away, pausing for a short while before shaking my head. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry. I cannot tell you. It¡¯s for your own good.¡± ¡°What do you¡ª¡± ¡°The Magocracy will soon send its agents after me.¡± I interrupted her. ¡°And I can¡¯t stay here. Marchen cannot protect me. I need to go somewhere else, where their long arms cannot reach me.¡± ¡°And that would be your Grandfather¡¯s place, Miss?¡± ¡°Yes. Or at least, I hope so.¡± I knew where Father and Mother hailed. And after weighing my options, judging by what they were willing to share with me about their past, I decided that Father¡¯s homeland would be the better option. ¡°W-what do you mean by ¡®hope so¡¯? You¡¯re not even sure if he¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Enough, Mary.¡± I gave her a stern look. ¡°It¡¯s what I have decided.¡± ¡°Then I should go with¡ª¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not coming with me. You¡¯re going to get married soon, aren¡¯t you? Your place is here, back in Karha Village. I won¡¯t ask for you to ruin your life just because of me. If you come with us, you too would be a fugitive.¡± ¡°M-Miss¡­¡± She now averted her gaze, and her look was now a mixture between guilt and concern. ¡°Don¡¯t fret.¡± I smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡± Once Mary left to purchase the carriage, I went to Erika¡¯s room and placed her gently on the bed there. Poor thing¡­ to lose her parents at such a young age¡­ I¡¯m already old enough to take care of myself. But her? Should I even leave her with Grandfather? I sighed as I took a seat on the nearby chair. Eventually, I started to doze off, as I was certainly still quite tired from the journey here. Only to be woken up by Erika, who was moving around in her bed, sweat covering her face. ¡°Mommy¡­ Daddy¡­ Don¡¯t go¡­¡± She was mumbling in her sleep. It was clear that she was having a nightmare. And once again, tears started to flow from her eyes. Oh, what am I thinking?! I should be comforting her! I immediately rushed to the bed, giving her a hug as I laid down beside her. ¡°Shh, it¡¯s alright, Erika¡­ it¡¯s alright¡­ Big Sis is here¡­ ¡° I whispered to her as I pulled her close to my bosom. This is how Mother did it, right? Just place the head near her breasts like this¡­ My chest might be nowhere near as big as hers, but I hope this will be enough to calm her down¡­ Now that she¡¯s gone, I have to take her role as Erika¡¯s mother. I just hope that I can do as good a job as she did when she raised me. ------------- ¡°...Sis¡­¡± ¡°...ake up¡­¡± ¡°Wake up, Sis!¡± When I woke up, it was because of Erika. To my surprise, she woke up earlier than me. ¡°Sis, I¡­ I wet the bed.¡± ...Hmm? Sure enough, I could feel the dampness on me. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± She apologized, as tears started to appear in her eyes yet again. Ah, that explained why she woke up earlier than me. ¡°Shh, it¡¯s fine.¡± I smiled, brushing a stray thread of hair near her bright blue eyes back over her ear. ¡°You had a nightmare, didn¡¯t you? About Father and Mother?" She nodded, before looking away. ¡°So it¡¯s true then. Mommy and Daddy are¡ª¡± She abruptly trailed off. ¡°H-how about Big Bro? Is he alright?¡± She looked back at me with a hope-filled yet fearful look. ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± I replied. ¡°But he¡­ well he¡­¡± Ran away. I was about to say that before I stopped myself. ¡°W-what¡¯s the matter, Big Sis? D-did something happen to him?¡± Her expression was full of worry, and it only made it even more difficult for me to tell the truth. ¡°He¡­ left.¡± was the best that I could come up with. ¡°Left? What do you mean ¡®left¡¯?¡± ¡°He¡­ doesn¡¯t want to come home, Erika,¡± I replied. ¡°Before I could stop him, he already left. Most likely to Sherry''s homeland, at the Demon Continent." Erika''s expression quickly shifted, from that of worry, to confusion, to bewilderment¡­ And then, to anger. "He promised¡­ He promised to keep Mommy and Daddy safe¡­" She gripped her blanket tightly. "He broke it¡­ he broke his promise¡­ And he ran away to Sherry¡­" "H-how could he¡­ how could he?!" "Erika, calm down! He¡­ he''s just¡­" "Just what?" She glared at me, tears pooling under her eyes yet again. "He''s a coward! And a liar! I¡­ I hate him!" Before I could do anything, she bolted out of her blanket and stormed out of the room. "Oh, Erika¡­" I sat up, before curling my legs and resting my head on my knees. She''s right. That idiot is really being a coward by running away like that. Why, Hugo? Why do you blame yourself that much? --------- Dinner was awkward, as I had feared. Erika remained completely silent, not even touching any of her food. Mary, who had returned from her task, looked as if she was going to burst to tears at any minute. And I imagined my expression not being that welcoming either. And to think that I have yet to tell Erika of our journey. I sighed. Might as well do it now. "Erika, I have something to tell you." She didn''t respond. "Tomorrow, we''ll be leaving for the northwest of the continent. We''re going to Grandfather''s place." "Grandpa?!" She finally looked at me, with a surprised expression. "The bad guys that kidnapped me¡­ they''re still after me, you see. So we have to go to a safer place." "T-the bad guys¡­ they''re still around?" "Yes, unfortunately. Even Father and Mother couldn''t take care of all of them." I looked away. "B-But it''s not¡­ it''s not fair!" She suddenly yelled, slamming her fists to the table. "Mommy and Daddy are dead and yet they''re still alive?" Her entire body shook. My heart skipped. Her expression¡­ it genuinely terrified me. Her eyes were bulging out of their sockets, even as she started to cry yet again. "I know," I replied with a forlorn look. "That''s why your sister here had sworn to be stronger." If I had been just a little stronger, I might be able to run from Vera. Then this tragedy wouldn''t have occured in the first place. "Really?" Her expression immediately brightened. "You promise you''ll beat up the rest of the bad guys?" "Of course," I replied. "When Big Sis is strong enough, then we can go back here." The rest of the bad guys, huh? The rest of the Council, obviously. If I am to beat them, then I must become so much stronger than I am now. I need to reach Grandmaster-level¡ªno, even more than that. If I am going to fight against a number of Grandmaster-level mages, I need to reach a level even beyond that. I need to become an Archmage, surpassing all of them in magic prowess. I don''t care how long it will take. One day, I shall reach that level. And then¡­ -------- The next morning, after sleeping with Erika together once more (thankfully, she didn''t wet the bed this time around), we immediately started packing for our journey. I packed on my own while Mary did most of the work for Erika¡¯s clothes, toys, books, etc. We couldn¡¯t really carry everything with us though, as my dimensional storage spell capability was limited and there wasn¡¯t that much space in the carriage Mary had purchased. Not to mention that carrying too much goods would just make you a target for bandits and the like since they¡¯d think you would make a good target for them. Well, if they were just ordinary bandits, I think I could take them just fine though. ¡°Miss, I¡¯ve finished packing Miss Erika¡¯s goods,¡± Mary reported to me afterwards. ¡°Thank you,¡± I replied, giving her a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve been a great help, Mary. Not just today, but all the years you¡¯ve been employed by Father to help around in the house.¡± ¡°N-no, not at all! I should be the one thanking you, Miss!¡± she replied, waving around her arms in a panic. ¡°Your father paid me unbelievably well for this job and thanks to that, I can actually have my wedding with John!¡± John was just an ordinary farmer in the village. I didn¡¯t know the details but over the years he actually managed to woo Mary into agreeing to marry him. Of course, Father had looked into his background. And personality as well. He didn¡¯t want her valued employee to be tricked into a marriage she wouldn¡¯t be happy about after all. And he told me that there wasn¡¯t any problem with John, that he was a perfectly trustworthy person. ¡°I¡¯m happy for you, Mary.¡± I continued my smile, though there was now a wistful, lonely tinge to it. ¡°I hope you will be able to make a happy family with him.¡± ¡°Miss¡­ Oh Miss!¡± Before I knew it, once again, I was in her embrace. ¡°I¡¯m so terribly sorry that I can¡¯t accompany you, Miss!¡± ¡°I told you, Mary. You¡¯ve done nothing wrong. In fact, here. I almost forgot.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± After she released me, using my storage spell, I took out a diamond necklace. ¡°Here. Consider this your severance pay, Mary.¡± I handed it over to her. ¡°W-what? T-this is¡ª¡± ¡°I suggest you sell it immediately in the city if you could. I stole it from the house of the bad guy that kidnapped me, you know,¡± I replied with an innocent smile. Indeed, it was one of Vera¡¯s jewelry. And I had no doubt that it would fetch a good price if she were to sell it. ¡°Just don¡¯t do it on ¡®Benedict¡¯s Beautiful Jewelries¡¯, alright?¡± I added with a small smirk. Ah, that seemed like such a long time ago, now that I thought about it. ¡°I-I can¡¯t¡­ t-this is too valuable, Miss!¡± Her hands shook as she looked over the necklace. ¡°No, you deserve it. You have not only been our maid, but you''ve been a part of our family as well. And don¡¯t worry. I still have more of those where they come from.¡± If I rationed our coins well, it would be enough until we reached Verus. ¡°M-Miss, thank you! Thank you so much!¡± And once again, I was buried inside her large bosom. ----------- It was finally time for us to depart. Mary had already moved the carriage to the front. Apparently, she had gone all around the village looking for the very best carriage and horses that she could find. She gave her goodbyes to Erika as well, hugging her in the process, but she wasn¡¯t really responding to her, not giving her a nod of acknowledgment, let alone a smile. She had turned completely quiet. I would be the one driving. Thankfully, I think I already got the gist of it well enough from all these years watching the driver that brought me from home to the academy and vice versa. A few times I actually got him to teach me how to do it too. He was a kind old man and I was thankful for him to indulge my curiosity. Erika remained silent, sitting beside me on the driver seat. I told her to go inside but she shook her head. She instead grabbed my left arm and wrapped herself around it. I smiled. She just wanted to be close to me, wasn¡¯t she? Mary stood nearby, using a handkerchief to continuously wipe off the tears trailing down her cheeks. I told her that she could just leave the house behind, especially since eventually, another knight would be assigned to live here. I just hoped that it would be the good and benevolent kind, like Father. Should I make a visit to Lord Eriol¡¯s place, just to tell him about Father? He¡¯ll probably tell me to move in with him instead. But I will have to refuse. He can¡¯t protect me from the Magocracy. I decided to think about it more later. For now, we would just make our way to Aarom. Taking the carriage reins, I whipped the two horses to move forward. The wheels began to turn, and with it, our long journey finally started. ¡°Miss! Be healthy! And most of all, be happy!¡± I heard Mary yell as she waved her arm. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy with John! So please, you have to be happy as well!¡± I smiled wryly. Be happy? Can I even do that anymore? ...Perhaps¡­ perhaps if I can get Hugo to come back¡­ then I can start being happy once again. But now¡­ I don¡¯t feel anything, other than a desire for revenge, for those who have wronged me and my family. And Erika has shared that feeling as well. Don¡¯t worry, Erika. I¡¯ll make sure I¡¯ll get your share of revenge as well. One day¡­ one day¡­ once I¡¯m stronger... Vol 2 Chapter 6: Onward Hugo It was the morning of my departure, and I had this large map I just purchased yesterday from the local bookstore opened on my bed. To my surprise, it was actually more expensive than I had expected. And it¡¯s much less detailed than the maps back in my old world too. I wonder if it¡¯s just the natural limitation of the age or it¡¯s intentionally made that way. I think I remember reading how back in the old days, they don¡¯t have detailed maps of countries (or at least, the detailed ones wouldn¡¯t be available to the public for purchase) for the sake of national defense, which makes sense really, seeing how knowing whether everything is in the enemy country is an invaluable information if you¡¯re going to invade it. I had purchased two maps; one was the map of the Holy Empire and one was the map of the Holy Continent as a whole. ¡°Now let¡¯s see here¡­¡± My eyes and fingers began to traverse the drawings. My first goal was to reach the Ronia Mountain Passage. According to the map of the Holy Empire I just bought, and the map of the Holy Continent in general, the fastest route to reach the Demon Continent was to head to the east from there and then north, all the way up to the one and only port town in the continent that could take me there. It would be a long journey through multiple countries, but if Sherry could do it, then I should be able to as well. With the route of my trip being decided, I wrapped the maps back up before putting them inside my bag. Another convenient thing about this Bag of Holding was that it had automatic compartmentalization, so you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about your maps or books being dirtied if you also stored a monster part you just got for a quest inside. Hmm, let''s visit the Guild one last time. Just in case if there''s a quest I can take on the way. Sometimes there would be quests that you could complete by just reporting it to the Guild without needing for you to go to the one posting the job directly. They called it Guild Quests and the convenient part about them was that you could usually take the quest in one branch while reporting it in a different branch. If there was one that I could finish on my trip to Cecca, the next town where a Guild branch existed, why not take it? I could use the extra money. ¡°Charles-Senpai!¡± As I walked from the front door to the quest board however, a familiar voice called out to me. It was Lily, and she was waving her hand in the air with a big smile on her face. And of course, beside her were her two friends, umm, what''s their names again? Ah, that''s right! Byron and Felt! Sorry, if it''s not a cute girl, I¡­ tend to forget people''s names, hehe. With a smile, I walked over to them. "Oh hey, it''s you guys! Still on the hustle?" "Of course, Senpai! In fact, we''re now E-ranked adventurers now!" The violet-haired girl grinned, patting herself on her flat chest. "How about you, Senpai?" Byron (the blonde knight boy) then asked. "Have you ranked up yet?" "W-well, no, unfortunately¡­" I nervously scratched my chin. "Eeh? Why not, Senpai?" Lily huffed. God, this girl is too cute. "Oh, leave Senpai alone, Lily." The cool-looking black haired fighter named Felt interrupted. "You know that it''s only harder and harder to rank up the higher you go, right? To go from C to B in just a month is wholly unrealistic." "O-oh, really? I''m so sorry, Senpai! I didn''t mean to offend you at all!" She bowed her head as deeply as she could. "E-eh, it''s fine. I''m not mad at all really. I''m not even bothered. It''s true that I''ve been slacking off a little lately." I put my hand on her shoulder. Hngggghh, this girl is so adorable I almost want to take her with me! But I won''t, because I have a hunch that her two friends might actually have some feelings for her themselves. They probably haven''t actually realized it though, being kids and all. It''s not my style to NTR another guy. And besides, I already got a cute girl waiting for me. Right, Sherry? Please tell me you still like me after all these years¡­ ¡°Senpai is being too nice!¡± Byron interrupted with own huff. ¡°Lily here has been getting too uppity lately you know!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± She quickly replied back. ¡°Yes, you are! You¡¯re always saying Senpai this, Senpai that, and you keep bossing us around like you¡¯re our older sister or something.¡± ¡°But I am older than you two! I¡¯m twelve already this month! And you two are still eleven!¡± ¡°And next month, I¡¯ll be twelve as well! And Felt the next month after that! So we¡¯re practically the same age!¡± I smiled looking at them bicker. They really are good friends, aren¡¯t they? ¡°Oh, by the way, Senpai.¡± Felt suddenly spoke up. ¡°We¡¯ve decided on moving on to Cecca from today. We¡¯re kinda bored already of this town, unfortunately, so we want to go there.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Byron interrupted with a grin. ¡°Our goal is to travel the world, you know, so we can¡¯t just stay around in one town for long!¡± ¡°Senpai, do you still have business here? If not, then it would be great if you can join us!¡± Lily added with a smile, grabbing my hand. ...Dammit, I can¡¯t resist that smile, can I? ¡°Well, what a coincidence! I was going there as well!¡± I replied with my own smile. And now, I have consigned myself to a babysitter role for these three kids. I just hope I won¡¯t regret this later. ¡°Wow, really?¡± Lily grabbed my hands even tighter with her two hands, her bright eyes sparkling like the stars themselves. ¡°Then, you have to come with us! W-we promise we wouldn¡¯t be a bother!¡± And with that, my future for the next 18 days was decided. Because that¡¯s how long it would take for us to get there if we walked all the way. ------ In the end, I didn¡¯t find any quests that fulfilled my criteria, so my trip to the Guild was, in retrospect, a complete waste of time. I didn¡¯t even get to ogle Miss Receptionist one last time before I left, because Lily and co. were there. And I certainly didn¡¯t want to get outed as a pervert to them! All I got were these three kids that I, want it or not, had to watch over. Oh, by the way, I now knew why Miss Receptionist wasn¡¯t as popular as I expected her to be. It¡¯s simple, really. It turned out that she got this brute of an older sister that told all the other adventurers to stay away from her. She was this giant musclebound of a fighter, wielding a giant axe with her. She was an A-rank too, which made her pretty much the most powerful adventurer around. How did I find that, you may ask? Why, I met her myself, of course! She loomed behind me as I was having a happy conversation with Miss Receptionist one fine morning. Thankfully, it seemed the fact that I was just a kid saved me from whatever she was going to do to those who got all too friendly with her little sister. Well, at the very least, Lily here is cute. And you know what they say¡ªcuteness heals the soul. We departed after lunch, once we made our preparations, making sure that we had carried around all the equipment that we needed. Since they didn¡¯t have a Bag of Holding like I did, they had to lug around these large backpacker-like bags with them. Man, I really am playing in Easy Mode, aren¡¯t I, having this bag and being this strong so early on? All thanks to her, of course¡­ ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the matter, Senpai? Why the long face?¡± Lily asked curiously. ¡°O-oh, nothing! J-just¡­ thinking about stuff, really..¡± I forced a smile as I replied to her. Once her attention switched to her friends, I let out a sigh. Dammit, every time. Every single time I think about her or anyone else back home, I get all depressed. And there¡¯s no escaping her. I owe her so much after all, from this bag to my magic training since I was little. I want to forget, but I guess I can¡¯t. It¡¯s only been, what, a month? But eventually, my self-centered self will forget. There¡¯s no doubt about it. And I¡¯ll stop feeling sad completely. I¡¯ll move on to my own, new life. Sorry Marina, but your little brother is not only a coward, but a selfish one as well. ------------- We took our time getting to Cecca. Certainly, I could do the trip far faster if it was just me on my own using my Wind Step spell, but they certainly couldn¡¯t. There was no point in rushing anyways. A journey is supposed to be enjoyed, no? On the way, we passed by a couple of villages, and we tried to stay the night there if we could. When we couldn¡¯t, we had to camp in the wilderness, in which I had to give them a few pointers on how to set up their tents or how to gather firewood. Once again, I immediately thanked Father for his teachings, only to be reminded of his death and feel all depressed for a good few hours after that. As I feared, they ended up asking me to take them up as my ¡°adventurer students¡±, whatever that meant. Especially Lily, who really wanted to be a better mage. It turned out that she only learned magic because of a magic book a trader had mistakenly left behind when he passed by her village. Byron and Felt however learned swordsmanship from their fathers, who were the village guards of the place. I taught her as best as I could, remembering Marina¡¯s lessons when she taught me back in those happier days (which, once again, sent me into momentary depression). It led to her being able to cast faster, which was certainly a really important thing for a mage to learn. I also taught her positioning in combat, remembering Marina¡¯s golden words about how time is everything for a mage since you need time to cast your spells. I also taught Byron and Felt, though I couldn¡¯t really teach them much about swordsmanship. I just became their sparring partner, and honestly, compared to Sherry, who was much younger than them, they were nothing. I could read all their moves like a book and dodge them with ease. Our sparring always ended up with them chasing after me desperately while I moved around with my Wind Step spell. Really, I don¡¯t think this is effective training at all. Maybe it¡¯s good to raise their movement speed, but that¡¯s that. No techniques or anything. I also taught them the general formation of combat, on how they should protect Lily who was their backline. How to fight when attacked from the front, side, and back, and how to retreat from an unwinnable fight, which was the most important thing. I wouldn¡¯t say that I was a master at any of this stuff, seeing how I had been going solo all this time, but Father had taught me how to fight in a party before we fought against Vera. Sure, they didn¡¯t have a cleric, which I really suggested for them to have, but the basics remained the same. As a result of all that, the monsters that we met on the road¡ªones that originally caused them trouble, they could take care of them handily on their own without me helping when we were nearing our destination. Well, those were just D-rank monsters. They would still have major trouble fighting the boar from before, I believe. --------- Cecca was another town located near the coastline, but it was nowhere near as busy as Frastelleren. It was mostly a fishing town, with only a small ship taking goods back and forth from Frastelleren. No passenger ship, since the two towns were so close to each other, at least according to this world¡¯s travel standards. I went to the Guild there and saw that there really weren''t any worthwhile quests around. My guess was right. The quests were better back at the larger port town after all. The trio however decided to take a D-rank quest of being a fisherman¡¯s escort. D-rank, huh? They should be alright. I already saw them fighting D-ranked monsters just to be fine. Unless¡­ I remembered what that fisherman did¡ªthe one that took me to fight against a C-rank monster, lying in his quest posting. ...Yep. I should give this fisherman a good talking beforehand. See if he¡¯s a lying bastard like that guy or not. I can¡¯t help it. Even though they were complete strangers, and they were older than me, I had grown fond of them from traveling all these days with them. And I certainly won¡¯t want them to fall to danger, especially when I can do something about it. And so I followed them when they went to meet the fisherman. After asking permission from them of course. Don¡¯t want to be a stalker after all. -------- The ship they were going to board on was a small one, as expected. Rich people probably would hire higher ranked adventurers guarding their ships, meaning rich fishermen could go into deeper waters to catch more expensive fishes. I allowed them to take the lead. It was their quest after all. After speaking with several of the crewmen working around the small port, they were led to the boat they were supposed to guard. Thankfully, the captain was there, directing his crew to prepare for their upcoming trip. My first expression of the man was that he was old, but not so old to be feeble. If I had to guess, he was around fifty years of age or so. He was a portly man, with a visible beer belly but also with well-toned muscles on his upper body¡ªcertainly an interesting contradiction. He had a brown mustache and beard, and judging by the way he interacted with his subordinates, he was a stern yet well-beloved captain, as he happily joked with them, while at the same time remaining in charge of the whole thing. On the deck however was another man that stood out over the others, as he wasn¡¯t garbed in the same sailor-esque outfit as the others. It was clear as day that he was an adventurer, as he was a tall and imposing figure, wearing leather armor and trousers with a large sword on his back. He had short, spiky black hair and he towered over the other men present. He was casually looking at the sea with his hands folded, turning his back at our direction. What¡¯s he doing here? I asked myself. Don¡¯t tell me the old man already got another adventurer before them! ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this? Three kids embarking on my ship?¡± The captain said when the trio approached him. ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Melron, right?¡± Lily took the lead with a smile. ¡°Good afternoon! I¡¯m Lily and these two are Byron and Felt! And we¡¯re here to take your escort quest!¡± ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± The Captain replied with a sigh, before he stroked his beard. ¡°I¡¯ve posted that quest, haven¡¯t I? Oh, I¡¯ve totally forgotten¡­¡± ¡°W-wait, what d''ya mean, old man?¡± Byron interrupted. ¡°I mean, I should have taken down that quest today, since Volk here has decided to be my escort instead. Hey, Volk! Come over here!¡± He shouted towards the intimidating-looking man. He gave a glance towards the captain, before walking towards the trio. I could tell just by how they took a few steps backwards that they must be scared of him. Me? Ha. It takes more than just a scary face and figure to intimidate me! Sherry¡¯s expression when she goes all out is scarier than this! ¡°Volt here is my son, you see. And he¡¯s an adventurer. A C-rank one in fact. He just came back this morning and he offered to help guard the ship from monsters. So truth be told, I don¡¯t really need you three anymore¡­¡± He sheepishly admitted, scratching the side of his stache. ¡°Whaat? But we¡¯ve accepted your quest!¡± Lily replied. ¡°What are we supposed to do now?¡± ¡°W-well, I suppose I can ask for a cancellation at the guild. I¡¯m truly sorry for wasting your time.¡± He bowed at them. ¡°Or, you can just bring us along anyway,¡± Felt smartly suggested with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ve gone all the way here, you know. And we certainly need the money.¡± ¡°Hmm, I reckon¡¯ I could¡­ oh, whatever. I can spare a few silvers. Especially to kids like you three.¡± He suddenly burst out to a laugh. ¡°Yay!¡± Lily raised her hands on the air in celebration. ¡°Thank you soo much, Mr. Melron!¡± ¡°You three. How old are you?¡± Their celebration was cut short when the man named Volk suddenly decided to speak out. ¡°Umm, I¡¯m twelve and these two are eleven. Why do you ask?¡± Lily replied. ¡°Go home to whatever village you three come from and stop playing adventurers.¡± This declaration, naturally, immediately took the trio by surprise. ¡°What?! Hey, Mister! Just so you know, we¡¯re not some newbie adventurers! We¡¯re already E-rank, you know!¡± Byron was the first one to speak. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± Lily followed with a spirited reply. ¡°You can¡¯t just think of us as just some kids!¡± ¡°Go home,¡± he said it again, this time with a glare. ¡°The Guild might accept kids as their adventurers but I won¡¯t.¡± He folded his arms again. ¡°Just because you¡¯re a C-rank doesn¡¯t mean you can get all uppity over us!¡± Byron pointed his finger. ¡°We have our own C-rank mentor, you know! Right, Senpai?¡± And with that, I was inadvertently dragged into a conversation. I walked forward, staring back at the tall man without flinching. He¡¯s just a mere C-rank. I am way above his level. ¡°Another kid. And what age are you? Ten?¡± ¡°None of your business,¡± I replied coldly, folding my arms as well. His guess was right though. ¡°Look. These three¡ªI can vouch for their strength. Hey, old man, you¡¯re not going too far out, are you? You¡¯re just taking the boat into the nearby sea where there are only D-rank monsters around, right?¡± ¡°Y-yes, o-of course!¡± The captain flustered for a little bit. ¡°I don¡¯t dare going out that far! I¡¯ll need a bigger boat than this to be safe! And I would certainly categorize my quest as a C-rank or even a B, not a D like I did.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not lying, right?¡± ¡°Of course not! Who do you think I am? Why, I¡¯m the most honest sailor in all of Cecca!¡± he replied in anger. I must have insulted his personal honor or something. I gave a good look at him. Hmm, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s the type to lie. The guy that deceived me before was shady from the get go. And he didn¡¯t get along with his crew as well, ordering them around like a slave driver, not being a father figure like this old man did. ¡°Then, there should be no problem,¡± I replied with a triumphant smile, looking back at the tall man. ¡°I can vouch for their ability to fight against D-rank monsters. I trained them myself even.¡± ¡°Oh? And what rank are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m C-rank. Just like you.¡± sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Interesting. A kid like you, already a C-rank. I find it hard to believe.¡± And then something unexpected happened. In a flash, he reached to his back, drew his greatsword, and brought the tip right in front of my face. Or, that was what he would do if I hadn¡¯t jumped out of the way. ¡°Well done.¡± Suddenly, a small smile blossomed on his face. ¡°You really aren¡¯t lying after all. That speed. You¡¯re no amateur to be sure.¡± ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re quite the brave one, to be doing that to another adventurer,¡± I replied with a smug smile of my own. ¡°That sword swing was slow by the way. I¡¯ve fought a swordsman stronger than you.¡± And by that, I meant Sherry. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s faster than this guy. He sheathed his greatsword back. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll take your word on them. They can go with us.¡± ¡°R-really? Yay! Oh, thank you so much, Senpai!¡± Before I knew it, Lily already gave me a hug from behind. Uurgh, she¡¯s so soft! And she smells so good too! Too bad on the chest part though¡­ She didn¡¯t linger long though as she immediately released me afterwards. ¡°You¡¯re really cool there, Senpai! You moved so fast my eyes can¡¯t keep up!¡± She clasped her hands together. Wow, really? Did I really move that fast? I never knew. Sherry certainly can keep up with my movements just fine. ¡°O-of course I did! That¡¯s the power of a C-rank after all!¡± I pat my chest with a grin. --------- Afterwards, I returned to the inn with the three. They would depart on the night and return before dusk the next day. It would just be a simple one day job. And with that guy around, there really was nothing to fear. I¡¯m not really sure why, but after our little meeting, I just feel he¡¯s someone to be trusted. We had our late lunch together there, but we retired to our own chambers. I felt sleepy so I decided to just take a nap until it was time for them to depart. Eh, they can do it on their own. Why should I be seeing them off like I¡¯m their dad or something? Vol 2 Chapter 7: Despair Once More When I woke up, it was already late in the evening. I could hear the rain pouring outside. Aw crap, I actually overslept, didn¡¯t I? Oh well, they¡¯re old enough to be on their own. I went downstairs, intending to go to the tavern to get some dinner. Only for me to realize that the rain outside wasn¡¯t just an ordinary rain. It was a storm. The wind was roaring, so much so that the whole building was creaking from the force. I could see a couple of leaks here and there¡ªrainwater seeping in through the not-so-well-maintained roof. Now that I thought about it, it¡¯s pretty odd that a rainstorm like this could occur in the middle of winter. Then again, this region had been pretty warm, with not a single snow falling down, unlike back in the Marjoram Province. Not to mention that it was already pretty close to spring. The tavern downstairs was mostly empty, with just a couple travelers seeping hot coffee silently on their own tables. I went to the bartender, and asked for the same hot fish soup that I got for lunch, as well as the same cup of coffee like the others. As I brought the cup to my lips however, I realized something. The boat! They¡¯re in it and there¡¯s a storm outside! I nearly bolted out of the room and ran outside. Thankfully, I managed to regain my composure and stopped myself. ¡°Sir, how long does a storm like this usually last around here?¡± I asked the bartender. ¡°Hmm? Well, it lasts from the entire night, boy,¡± he replied. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. This building is pretty tough, even if it doesn¡¯t look like it.¡± He gave a little conspiratory wink. Damn, a whole night? Can they survive that long? There¡¯s nothing I can do, is there? It¡¯s not like I can stop a storm with my magic. I can only pray that that old man is skilled enough with his little fishing boat to get through this storm safe and sound. In the end, the thought made my dinner taste far less pleasant than lunch, and I didn¡¯t manage to return to sleep until even later in the night, as I kept thinking back to those kids. Heh, guess I really have grown a soft spot for them. I never cared about anyone else in my old life, especially complete strangers like them. But now¡­ ------ I woke up the second time the next morning. And, just like the bartender said, the storm had stopped in its entirety. I promptly headed out to the port, hoping to see the ship back. If they were wise, they should¡¯ve decided to cut their losses and return early, since after a storm like that, their ship would probably be in dire need of repairs. There it is! I recognized the ship right away once I entered the small port. I rushed there right away. As I got closer, I found just how terribly damaged the ship looked. There were holes all over the sail and half of the deckhouse was exposed to the elements, as if something heavy had crashed into it, pulverizing the entire left side of the structure. I saw ropes being tied to the mast that weren¡¯t there before. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the whole thing was on the verge of snapping into two, with the tied ropes being the only thing that kept it together. Shit, it¡¯s that bad, huh? When I boarded, there were only two people aboard¡ªthe captain and his son. The son had his entire upper body exposed¡ªhis leather armor being replaced by bandages. The father on the hand was covering his head with his arms, shaking uncontrollably as if he was having a terrible fever. The two of them were sitting side by side on the ship¡¯s deck. Wait, where are those three? ¡°O-oh, it¡¯s you¡­¡± The father was the first to notice me. ¡°Aah, it¡¯s terrible! It¡¯s so terrible! What did we deserve to suffer this calamity?¡± The son then stood up, still as intimidating as ever, even in his wounded state. I noticed the shade of red on those white bandages, telling me that those wounds he received were still fresh. ¡°W-what happened?¡± I asked, a clear tinge of terror tainting my voice. ¡°W-where are all the others?¡± ¡°A monster,¡± he replied. ¡°A Sea Lion. It attacked us during the storm.¡± ¡°A Sea Lion? Wait, that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s a B-rank monster, isn¡¯t it?¡± I remembered what I¡¯d read in the monster encyclopedia for the region. Sea lions were basically that, lions that lived on the seas. It could swim swiftly like a fish, yet attack like a ferocious lion. It¡¯s an amphibious creature, capable of fighting both on land and at sea. ¡°Only the two of us survived, and just barely. The rest of the crew, as well as those three¡ªthey didn¡¯t make it.¡± ¡­ What? What did he just say? ¡°They fought bravely. They insisted on fighting even though they knew they were completely outmatched. Only thanks to them that we managed to return at all.¡± I looked at him. And then the father. And then back at him again. Before I looked around the empty deck and the half-destroyed deckhouse in a frantic manner. ¡°One by one they were dragged into the sea by the monster, as well as the rest of the crew. So there is nothing left of them to bury.¡± "H-hey¡­" I croaked, my throat turning dry all of a sudden. "T-this isn''t funny, you know." "These things¡­ they happen to adventurers all the time. You can''t be sure that everything will always go as you expect to. In this line of work, death is always lurking in the next corner." I flew. I punched him straight on the face. "DON''T SCREW WITH ME, YOU BASTARD!" He didn''t even dodge. He took it like it was nothing, barely even flinching from the blow. "YOU''RE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THEM! YOU¡¯RE A C-RANK, ARE YOU NOT? THEN WHY ARE YOU ALIVE AND THEY¡¯RE DEAD?" I sent another fist, only for him to catch it mid-air. "You''re naive, kid," he replied, putting down my shaking hand with force. "That''s what they signed up for the moment they became an adventurer. Grow up and see that being an adventurer is nothing like in your fantasy books." There was not a single look of sympathy in those cold eyes of his. ¡°If there¡¯s anyone to blame, it¡¯s them. They took the quest. They should¡¯ve known the risk. When a storm happens, there¡¯s always a chance that a strong monster would appear, wandering off from the deep sea. That¡¯s the risk any adventurer must take whenever they do an escort quest to the seas like this.¡± "Shut up¡­" "If they were true adventurers, then they would be able to face death without flinching, no matter how young they might be." "Shut. Up." "And they did. They fought proudly to the end." "SHUT UP, YOU BASTARD! WHAT DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT THEM?" ¡°Or perhaps you would rather be blamed instead. You were the one who convinced me on taking them along after all.¡± I couldn¡¯t stop myself any longer. I blasted him with my Wind spell right on the abdomen, sending him flying backwards, crashing onto the edge of the ship. ¡°Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!¡± I screamed, before I fell down to my knees. Not again! Not. Again! I punched the wooden floor with both my fists. Tears streamed down my face, making more and more wet spots on said floor. I must have remained like that for many minutes, punching the floor over and over again until my fists started to bleed. My head didn¡¯t escape injury either as I slammed it down to the floor multiple times as well. The pain didn¡¯t bother me in the slightest. The pain in my chest was much, much greater. My mind couldn''t take it.Or perhaps it was the concussion I was giving myself. Whatever it was, it made me lose my consciousness soon after. --------- "Yay, I did it, Senpai! I can cast Fireball without chanting now!" "Yes, yes, great job, Lily! I know you can do it!" ... "I did it! I finally landed a hit!" "Heh, don''t get cocky, Byron! I''m not even using 5% of my full strength, you know!" ¡­ "Hey, Felt. What''s going on? You''re staring, you know~" "S-Senpai? H-how long have you been there?" "Hehe. You have a crush on Lily, don''t you? Just admit it! You can''t hide anything from your Senpai, you know!" "I-is it that obvious? P-please don''t tell her!" "Don''t worry! Your secret''s safe with me!" ¡­ You can''t save anyone, Big Brother. You''re a failure after all. "Aaahhh!" I jumped, panting with sweat all over my face. It was a dream. I was dreaming. H-Hanako¡­ It was her. I saw her right before I woke up. My little sister in my previous life. Her cold, disgusted look¡­ her cruel frown¡­ it was all her. "Ha¡­ ahahahaha!" I started to laugh. She was right. I am a failure. Not just once, or twice, but thrice as well. Only after I calmed down that I realized I was no longer in the ship. It was somebody''s room, inside somebody''s house, and I had been sleeping on their bed. "Oh you poor child¡­ you poor child!" An old woman suddenly barged into the room in a rush, slamming the door open in the process. She was most likely in her fifties, with grey hair here and there accompanying the black and light wrinkles decorating her face. She wore a black dress with an apron, a common attire for housewives in this world. She had a terribly pained expression on her face, especially when she looked at me. "You haven''t lost your mind, have you? I heard the laughter and I thought¡ª" "I''m fine, Ma''am." I forced a smile. "I¡­ just had a nightmare, that''s all." "You poor thing! So young yet you have to lose your friends like that¡­" She then explained that she was the wife of the good captain and that he had brought me here after I passed out. As she did, I noticed that both my hands were bandaged. And my forehead as well. "Oh, Volk was the one who did that by the way," she said with a smile. "Ah, that boy has such a good heart in him." "Don¡¯t lie to me!" Before I could stop myself, I yelled those words right at the old lady''s face. "He¡­ he doesn''t¡­ he doesn''t care at all about¡­" "Oh, poor child! Poor child!" She leaned forward and gave me a hug. "My son Volk¡­ he suffers as well, even if he might not show it." She then released me and returned back to her seat beside the bed. "That boy¡­ he used to have a little brother. Andy was his name. He would just be around your age¡­ if he''s still alive¡­" The look of sadness on her face¡­ she wasn''t lying. "He succumbed to illness, you see." She looked up to me¡ªher eyes started to water. "Or rather, he was poisoned by a monster when he got caught in a monster attack at sea when he sailed away with his father. The local priest could heal his wound, but he wasn''t skilled enough to draw the poison out of him. We were ready to sell everything we had if we could restore him, but we were too late. The poison claimed him in just a single night. He died in a terrible fever, convulsing in pain until he lost his consciousness entirely. Oh my poor son! He had to see his own little brother die in his arms at such a young age! Why must Providence make him suffer so?" I looked away. I couldn''t say anything. "Since then, he changed entirely. He became far more stoic. He trained himself day and night just so he could slay monsters. To him, every single one of them is responsible for Andy''s death." "T-then, why didn''t he¡ª" "Because he had promised Andy on his deathbed that he would never shed tears again. So he hardened his heart, and took the world for what it is¡ªa cruel and merciless place." ... She''s right. This world is indeed that¡ªa cruel and merciless place where the strong preys on the weak. A fantasy world is really just a world like that. We only see it as an exciting place because we can be the hero there¡ªpowerful and unbeatable by no other. And those three¡­ they''re just another addition to the long list of victims it had claimed. Just like Father and Mother. ---------- I left the house soon after. The captain and his son weren''t around, as they had gone to the Guild to report the incident. The old lady asked me where the trio came from, and I answered. The village was in the region, so they could thankfully afford to send a letter of the bad news there. Nonetheless, I told her that I would pay for the expenses. I also gave her ten silver coins to be delivered inside the letter, as consolation for their families. Heh, what a joke. Three kids just lost their lives and I could only muster that much. Is that how cheap the price of a human life is in this world? I was considering going there myself to deliver the letter personally, but I decided against it immediately. I was still a coward, and I couldn¡¯t imagine facing the grief and anger of their fathers and mothers. What would I say to them? Even if I groveled on the ground begging for their forgiveness, it still would nowhere near be enough. I left the small town soon after, once again with a heavy heart. I simply let my feet take me, as there was now a dark cloud inside my head that wasn¡¯t going away anytime soon. The old lady told me not to blame myself. But how couldn¡¯t I? I was the one who convinced Volk to take them along. He was already against it from the start. I suddenly remembered what Sherry said to me many years ago. ¡°You don¡¯t have to take all the burden yourself, Hugo. I¡¯ll share it with you. You¡¯ll protect me and I¡¯ll protect you, alright?¡± Would those three say the same thing now? Would their spirits watch over me with annoyance as I blamed myself for everything? Would they prefer me to return to my usual self? Or would they be happy instead, seeing the one who sent them to their deaths suffer like this? But now, I realized something. It would be better for me to not be involved with anyone¡¯s affairs ever again. I seemed to be dragging misfortune with me, and sharing it with anyone that got close to me. I don¡¯t need anyone after all. I¡¯m already strong enough on my own. Strong enough indeed. ----------- The road to Ronia took me another eighteen days to traverse. And I barely remembered the trip there, as I was trudging along like a zombie, not thinking about anything. I walked without thinking, killed monsters without thinking, cooked them without thinking, and slept outside without thinking. I got no money to get an inn, so I had to camp outside. I gave pretty much everything I got with those twenty silver coins. In retrospect, I now learned that I could live just fine without doing quests for the Guild. I knew which monsters and wild animals were good enough to be food and I also knew which herbs and mushrooms I could pick. But, it isn¡¯t really truly living, was it? Being a human isn¡¯t just about surviving until the day you die. You have to have more than that to be happy. I didn¡¯t care though. I felt as if I¡¯d given up entirely to be happy. A trash like me doesn¡¯t deserve to be happy anyways. In that state of mind, I reached the city just before the mountain passage. ------ It was a walled city, situated right beside the twin cliffs that led to the passage that would take you through the mountain range. Oh, by the way, the mountain range was named Blooming Rose, since apparently it was shaped like so if you looked at it on the map. I suppose I could see it, though I felt it¡¯s quite a bit forced to be honest. The mountain range went all the way from the south, dividing the Holy Empire into two halves, and then it circled around the capital, separating said region from the rest of the Empire. Said region was named the Central Region, and apparently, it¡¯s the richest region in the entire empire, or perhaps even the entire continent. If I were to go there, I would head northwest in the opposite direction, abandoning the mountain passage entirely. As I entered, I saw a line of stagecoaches and merchant wagons waiting for the guards at the gate to give permission to entry. Like any walled city, it had a large gate that you had to enter if you were going into the city. Unlike the gate at Mira though, this one was a portcullis made out of steel. And of course, the wall itself was just made out of ordinary stone, unlike Mira¡¯s obsidian wall. I showed my Adventurer Card to the guard, and he let me through immediately. Didn¡¯t even ask for my business or anything. The city was a busy one, but if I were to compare it to Frastelleren, I suppose it was still less busy than it. According to the book I had bought, the town mainly profited from trade and the mining done in the mountains nearby. Makes sense. It¡¯s a gate to the eastern part of the Empire after all. Oh right, I need to get some money. I asked for direction from one of the city guards. He quickly pointed me to where the Guild was. He was young and all smiles, and he seemed to be better suited as a tourist guide than a guard. ¡°Oh! I almost forgot! Don¡¯t take the east road straight away. Circle around to the central road instead! East road will take you through the slums! It¡¯s dangerous there!¡± He warned me as I was about to leave. I did it anyway. If a bunch of guys tried to kidnap or mug me, I¡¯m strong enough to take them on just fine. Or so I thought. Even though more than two weeks had passed since their death, my mind was still in a haze. In retrospect, there was really no good reason for me to take this route. As expected, the slums were a depressing place, with small, rundown houses messily built with no sense of art or architecture, almost as if they were mushrooms that just popped out of their own, in stark contrast of the rest of the town which were laid down nicely that it was pleasant to the eye. And of course, seeing how it was the slums, the paved roads were in terrible condition, with many cracked or outright missing stones. I could imagine how difficult it would be for a carriage to traverse it, which was why not a single one of them could be seen taking this route. And that¡¯s ignoring the fact that they could get robbed in the process as well. As I walked through it, I could see people laying down on the sides of the street, watching me as I passed through them. They were all dressed in what could only be described as rags¡ªdirty clothes with holes all over them. They also had unkempt hair and dead-looking stares that would creep me up, if not for my cloudy mind. Then, I saw her. It was a girl, around fifteen or so, being surrounded by a bunch of grown adults wearing rags, with most of them being men. She was blonde; hair tied into two thick braids that went down halfway her torso. She was wearing a black dress that looked like a nun¡¯s outfit, only without the veil. The skirt went down to her knees, followed by a pair of boots and stockings. Combined with the staff she wielded in her hands, it was all too obvious that she must be a cleric of some sort. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ...She¡¯s in trouble, isn¡¯t she? Well, not my problem. I continued my walk, heading away from where she was. But in the end, my curiosity won over, and I couldn¡¯t help but to keep glancing at her. ...Oh fine, I¡¯ll help her out. I¡¯ll just knock those bunch away with my wind spell. It wouldn¡¯t take even a second. ??? Vol 2 Chapter 8: The Angel Descends Wait, hold on... To my surprise, as I walked closer, my prejudiced thought was proven completely wrong. She¡¯s¡­ not being mugged by them? She¡¯s healing them instead? There was no doubt about it. One by one, the crowd surrounding her walked forward. Then, after a few moments of conversation, she raised her hand and cast a healing spell on them. I was familiar with it, since it was how Mother did it as well. As I got even closer, I could hear their conversation. ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much! My fever¡ªthey¡¯ve disappeared completely!¡± The one she was speaking to was a young woman, perhaps around the age of eighteen to twenty. She might be beautiful, if not for her bone-thin figure, dirty skin, and tattered dress. The cleric girl just responded with a nod and smile, giving her a couple copper coins into her hands, and the young woman, after thanking her once again, quickly left the crowd, only to be replaced by another. It went on like this for a while, and for some reason I wasn¡¯t really sure myself, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to just move on and continue with my trip. Instead, I ended up staying there, watching as she healed them and gave them money one by one. After several minutes of doing so however, I think I know why. This girl¡­ I wouldn''t be surprised if she''s an angel in disguise. I know, I know, it¡¯s a seriously cheesy thing to say. But that¡¯s what my impression of her is. The way she carried herself, the way she smiled, the way she spoke with her soft voice, and the fact that she was curing these poor folks from their illnesses without pay¡ªaren¡¯t all that something an angel would do? Then again, she might not be doing this out of her own volition. Maybe it was simply a task she had to do as a member of her church. I knew how Christians would send their missionaries to Africa and other impoverished places to improve the lives of the people there, as well as spreading their religion, of course. No, this girl¡­ she''s nothing like that. Her smile is completely genuine, with not a single hint of falsehood, and her nose never wrinkles a single time, even though I can smell the unpleasant scent emanating from these unwashed beggars all the way here. I wonder if this is how those Milicis followers view their Saint. Honestly, if she was actually like this all those years ago, I might actually convert to their religion. "Please, move! Move out of the way!" Suddenly, a man came out from the nearby house, carrying what looked like a child around eight, though she might actually be older, considering how terribly malnourished she looked. I could see her ribs and bones as clear as day. Me, who was never near true poverty before, flinched at the harrowing sight. How could things be this bad for a person? "Miss, please! My daughter¡ªyou gotta heal her! She''s been like this since a week ago!" The man pleaded, tears falling down his sunken cheeks. The girl''s smile vanished as she began to examine the child closer. She cast a healing spell. And another. And another¡ªher face turning more and more grim every single time. And then, she stopped. "I''m sorry. There''s nothing I can do." She shook her head. The look on the man''s face¡­ it was haunting. At first, denial¡ªhis eyes widening in clear disbelief. And then, anger¡ªhim gritting his teeth as his hands shook. Bargaining¡ªhim pleading to the cleric to try again, only for her to shake her head once more as she averted her gaze. Then, despair¡ªhis knees giving way as he hugged his daughter. And then, acceptance, him standing up once more, thanking the cleric for her service. "...I have eased her pain," she replied, still looking away. "And I shall pray to the Saint so her soul will reach Andalucia when she departs." She took her limp body from him, dropping her staff to the ground. Now I know why she looked away. She had been weeping as well, and now her tears dripped down one by one to the little girl''s face. She put one hand on the girl''s forehead, and she began to pray. "O Great Saint, please guide her soul to¡ª" "Wait, hold on! I''ll try healing her as well!" I blurted out those words without thinking. I couldn''t do it. I couldn''t just stand by and watch a young girl die of illness. Not when I could do something about it. The crowd''s attention was now all focused to me, as well the man''s and the cleric''s. "Come out, my Great Fairy! Heal this girl from whatever ailment possesses her!" She immediately appeared, to the awe and fright of everyone watching. The man fell down while the crowds dispersed, as if I just summoned a monster (well, to be honest, to these people who probably had never seen a fairy before, she might as well be one). Only the cleric stood, giving me a confused yet wary look. "Yes, Master!" She cheerfully answered. She hovered over the little girl, only for the cleric to take a few steps back, away from her. "Please, don''t run!" I told her. "I''m not a bad guy! I just want to help! I¡¯m a mage and she¡¯s my summon! She can use healing magic as well so I thought she can help the kid!¡± The cleric didn¡¯t respond immediately. She gave me a suspicious look up and down, followed by the same look towards Great Fairy. ¡°Very well. Please, cure her if you could.¡± The fairy flew closer to the cleric once again, letting her hold the girl as she reached both of her hands forward towards her. I moved closer as well, wanting to see the patient in close range. She was still alive, but barely. I could hear her heavy and laboured breathing, as her chest rose slightly up and down. I had no idea what illness she might be having, but seeing how thin she was, it could be anything. No one could live long like that. The fairy made her drink her water as gently as possible. However, even with that intense care, the girl still ended up choking on the water, making her have to withdraw immediately. "Hey, can you open her mouth?" I asked the cleric. "My fairy needs to have her drink her water if she''s going to heal her." "No, that won''t work," she replied, shaking her head. "She doesn''t have the strength to swallow anymore. She can no longer eat nor drink and she''s exerting every strength she has just to breathe." Damn it, if this were my old world, we can have her be hooked on IV. But this world doesn''t even have the concept of intravenous feeding. How am I supposed to save her at this rate? "Master¡­ I''m sorry, but I don''t think¡­ I don''t think I can heal her either¡­" She looked away. I froze. "Thank you," the cleric said to the fairy, giving her a bitter smile. "But don''t blame yourself for not being able to heal her. I am already a Master-level priestess and I too am unable to do so. With her in that state, perhaps only the Saint herself that could cure her." S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I heard the sound of something hitting the ground. It was the father, and for the third time, his knees gave out, and his face was filled with renewed despair. I paled. What have I done? Not only I have failed to heal his daughter, I have given him hope, only to shatter it just moments after. Great Fairy disappeared in shame. For the first time, she had failed in her task. "O Great Saint, please, guide her soul to Andalucia where there''s neither hunger nor thirst, if it is her fate to depart to the next world. But if she still has a role to play in this world, then grant her your miracle and free her from the shadow of death that haunts her." She kissed her on the head, before returning her to her father, who received her with a smile, even if his tears continued to pour. "Thank you, for blessing her," he said, almost with a whisper. "It can''t be helped, can it, Yuna?" The weeping he did afterwards¡­ I would never forget it for the rest of my life. ---------- I didn''t go anywhere else after that. I sat on the dirt, resting my back on the wall behind me. I watched as she continued her charity work. I saw her shaking her head a couple more times, signifying other cases of illnesses that she couldn''t heal. Once she was done, she came to me with her staff. ¡°May I take a seat here?¡± I nodded, looking away. She then sat beside me, with her legs raised just like me. She didn¡¯t seem to care that she was soiling her dress by sitting on a filthy place like this. "Your name?¡± ¡°Charles. Charles Pendleton.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Nicole. Nicole Blanchimont. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Charles.¡± She offered her hand for a shake. I took it gingerly, still avoiding her gaze. She returned a smile. ¡°Thank you. For trying to save that child.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t save her.¡± ¡°But you tried. And that¡¯s what counts.¡± I gave a peek towards her and saw that she was still smiling. ¡°Is this your first time, seeing someone like that?¡± I nodded. Somehow, that smile convinced me that I should stay around and converse with her. ¡°I see,¡± she replied, pausing for a few moments before resuming, looking away from me. ¡°It¡¯s not my first. Nor it will be my last.¡± I gave a curious glance, which, I suppose, was enough for her to continue her story. ¡°I came from Silipha, to the northwest from here. I was a graduate from the Milicis Academy there. And as part of our curriculum, we would go around to the poor and help them with their ailments." ¡°And of course, we weren''t able to heal every single one of them.¡± I took another look at her. And now, she had this melancholic expression that made me seriously want to just wrap my arm around her shoulder and comfort her. But I resisted. I will not be involved with a stranger again. I will only bring misfortune to her. "Even our headmistress, Lady Miriam, couldn¡¯t heal every single illness out there. So what chance do I have? I¡¯m not even a High Priestess yet, when she¡¯s already a Grand Priestess.¡± ¡°But you see,¡± She suddenly looked at me, making me blush a little as I had been staring at her. ¡°She taught me something important. To accept the existence of death¡­ it¡¯s something a priestess of Milicis should be able to do.¡± She then sighed for a bit before continuing. ¡°It is impossible, especially for just a single person, to be able to save everyone. Even our Great Saint couldn¡¯t save every single person she met when she still walked this earth. Are you familiar with the Catechism of the Three Disciples?¡± I shook my head. ¡°There¡¯s a story there¡ªabout a blind man who asked the Great Saint to heal his blindness. She, in her infinite mercy, tried to heal him, only to find that her healing spell wasn¡¯t effective in the slightest. She then prayed to the Heavenly Dragon, asking him why she couldn¡¯t heal him. And he replied, ¡®It was his fate to be blind. And so he shall remain thus.¡¯¡± Fate? ¡°We are each appointed our fates by the Heavenly Dragon even before we were born, when we were still souls slumbering up above. Whether we are born noble or common, whether we become rich or poor, whether we receive a blessed life, or a miserable one¡ªall that were decided for us. We may struggle to change our fate, and we may just be able to, by the grace of the Heavenly Dragon, but there would be always some part of our Fate that is immutable and unchangeable. And we have to accept and bear that fate, good or bad." At first, I remained silent, as I tried to process what she just spoke. But soon after, I realized what she was going at. And that brought a bile of anger right out of my mouth. "So you''re saying, that man should just accept his daughter''s death?! That his daughter deserves to die?!" I yelled, right in front of her face. She remained unfazed however, still keeping the same smile from before. "Her soul would be in a better place. As for him, he indeed should. To move on with life, no matter how painful it might be, it''s what the Great Saint wants us to do." My hands flew. I grabbed her collar with my right, and I held my left on the air, intending to hit her. "You''ve suffered too, aren''t you? I can see it in your own eyes. But you are still unable to accept and bear your fate." My hands shook. My eyes watered. I released her, before I bolted. Or I would, if she hadn''t grabbed my arm and stopped me. "Charles." She took my hand and embraced it with her own two hands. It was so warm and pleasant that my thought of running completely disappeared. "If it''s alright with you, you can tell me everything. As a priestess of the Holy Saint, I promise that I will not speak of your troubles to anyone." I couldn''t stop myself. I threw myself at her and hugged her, before weeping silently that she was the only one who could hear it. She didn''t say anything. She simply hugged me back and patted me gently on the back of my head. Only after my crying died down that she whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else, shall we? I think I have an idea for a place where we can chat privately." I followed her without complaint. ----------- What am I doing? I was now back on the busy streets. We had left the slums a while ago, and now we had returned to the "proper" part of the city. And now, I was walking side by side with this girl I knew nothing about, with her left hand holding my right. Am I really going with this girl to some place I don''t know about just so I can talk about my problems? Have I lost my mind entirely? ..Yeah, pretty much. I just hugged and cried on her shoulder after all. What in the world am I doing, seriously? I started to wonder if she was using some sort of charm spell at me. I always hid my problems from strangers, acting like there was nothing wrong even though there clearly was. But after what I had witnessed of her, and the touch of her hands and the warmth of her smile, it¡¯s as if I was compelled to tell every single one of my troubles to her. Is this it? Is this what Hugo Greenwood has become, crying in the most pathetic way to a girl he just met? Just because she reminds him a little of his big sister that he has run away from? ...Goddamnit. Yep, I¡¯ll admit it. The way she comforted me like that¡ªit really reminded me of Marina. It didn¡¯t help that she seemed to be around the same age and was just as gentle as her. I always said that Marina was a brocon but I think I might have become a siscon as well. I can¡¯t help it. She had showered me with so much of her love after all. And now I¡¯m outright replacing her with a complete stranger, just because I can never see her again. You truly are one pathetic man, Hugo Greenwood. I gave a glance towards her and she promptly smiled back. Damn it, that smile¡ªI''ve been completely charmed by it. If she''s actually a succubus in disguise, I''m pretty much screwed. I won''t be able to do anything as she sucks my life force out as long as she smiles like that while doing it. Well, might not be a bad way to go out, I suppose. ...Nah, she can''t be one. She doesn''t have that sexy body all succubi have. Her breasts and butt were only noticeable slightly from her conservative clothes. If she were a succubus, then she would have far more of a bombshell of a body like that receptionist from Frastelleren. Her charm is really far away from the sexual kind. Using a religious comparison, she isn¡¯t the sexy nun you can often find in fantasy worlds taking inspiration from Western religion. She¡¯s the warm and kind nun that devotes herself to feeding the orphans and taking care of the sick and all that. And that charm is enough to win me over. I now genuinely want to tell her everything. ...It¡¯s probably fine. The Church is opposed to the Magocracy, right? So they won¡¯t rat me out. We soon arrived at what clearly looked like a church, only that there were no cross imageries like the ones you would find on Western churches back in my old world. Instead, there were dragon imageries instead. That, and stained glasses portraying what could only be the Great Saint in a stylized manner. I then noticed it¡ªthe brooch she wore under her collar. It was colored in gold, and it was shaped similarly to the dragon the church had all over. ¡°We¡¯ll use the consultation room inside,¡± she said to me, still with that same smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s completely soundproof, so no one else would be able to hear what you have to say.¡± She didn¡¯t release my hand even as we went inside. The place was empty, except for one dark-haired young woman in a nun dress who¡¯s cleaning the floor with her mop. ¡°Excuse me.¡± She called out to her. ¡°Might we be allowed to use your consultation room?¡± The young woman yelped, nearly kicking the bucket of water she had nearby. Wow, she¡¯s pretty clumsy for her age. ¡°I¡¯m Nicole Blanchimont, a Master-level Priestess and an aspirant for the title of High Priestess. I am in the middle of my pilgrimage and I would like to invoke my right for refuge in this church.¡± She spoke about a bunch of things I didn¡¯t understand. One thing however caught my attention. Nicole? Have I heard of that name before? ¡°A-an aspirant?¡± The young woman hurriedly ran over to her. ¡°Truly?" "Yes, truly." She smiled. "Will this brooch suffice as proof?¡± She took off said golden brooch and gave it to the nun. ¡°This is¡­¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°O-oh, forgive me, Priestess Blanchimont! You really are an aspirant high priestess!¡± She bowed her head deeply as she hurriedly returned the brooch. ¡°Please, the room is just in the back! A-and here¡¯s the key!¡± Wow, is she some bigwig cleric or something? It¡¯s really awkward seeing a young woman in her twenties bow to a girl of her age. ¡°Thank you,¡± she replied, putting the brooch back in its original place. ¡°Now come, Charles. We can have our respite in there.¡± I followed, with her still grasping my hand. She really must think of me as a child if she¡¯s not bothered at all with our hands touching like this. Well, can¡¯t say I blame her. After what I did, everyone will view me as a simple crybaby, nothing more, I thought bitterly. We soon reached the furthest end of the chapel, behind the pulpit. Just like the nun said, there was indeed a room there. Using the key, she unlocked the wooden door and pulled me inside. It was a small room, just slightly larger than the size of your typical stagecoach interior. There were two long wooden seats, placed face to face, with only a small round wooden table placed in-between them. She took one of the chairs, and gestured at me to take the other across. The seat was hard, as it was just polished wood, with no cushion whatsoever. I couldn¡¯t rest my back either as there was no backrest on either chairs. Clearly, whoever sat on these was supposed to be seated straight for the entire time. ¡°Apologies for the uncomfortable arrangements. But I couldn¡¯t take you to my room at the inn without angering my party. Let¡¯s just say that I wasn¡¯t supposed to be doing this with a boy I just met.¡± She smiled weakly. Well, so much for my idea of inviting her to travel with me. ¡°But I believe in you, Charles. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a bad person. Your eyes showed that to me.¡± Before our conversation could continue, the nun from before knocked on the door. She brought with her a tray of tea and bread, which she promptly put on the small table, before pouring two cups; one for me and one for the priestess. She then bowed once more before leaving us. Wow, it¡¯s almost as if she has become her maid or something. ¡°So, tell me. What ails a young boy like you? To be able to summon a Great Fairy like that, you¡¯re not just your average mage, are you?¡± She let out a knowing smile. ...This might be a bad idea after all. --------- Symbol of the Heavenly Dragon: And a little bonus image of Nicole, from the same book I stole her original picture from. Vol 2 Chapter 9: The Angel Gives A Much Needed Therapy ¡°Well, I¡­¡± Shit, how should I start this? ¡°I¡¯m a mage, just like you have guessed.¡± I gave her a nervous smile. ¡°Also, I¡¯m a summoner. That¡¯s frowned upon by your people, right?¡± I asked, remembering what Marina told me way back then. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t be so nervous,¡± she replied, once again with that calming smile. ¡°I don¡¯t share that particular belief. I think summoning spells are just fine, though I certainly wouldn¡¯t suggest to anyone to start summoning demons, especially intelligent ones that could deceive them. And also, you just cried on my shoulder, so I know you¡¯re not a bad person that means harm. Even if you say that you¡¯re an elite mage of the Magocracy, I wouldn¡¯t report you to the Church. I don¡¯t believe that the people there are all bad, you know, even if they¡¯re our mortal enemies.¡± That¡¯s right. The Church of Milicis is a mortal enemy of the Magocracy. I still remember that picture book portraying their Great Saint in such a humiliating manner. ¡°They¡¯re my enemy as well,¡± I answered firmly. There was no point in hiding it. ¡°One of them¡ª Vera was her name¡ªshe kidnapped my sister, just because she wanted to forcefully make her marry her grandson. I managed to save her, but Father and Mother...¡± I trailed off, my shaking hands forming into fists. ¡°...I see,¡± she whispered, patting my head with a sympathetic look. ¡°You¡¯ve suffered much in her hands, haven¡¯t you?¡± I didn¡¯t answer. I was too busy trying to hold back my tears. God, I am so pathetic. "Where is your sister now, if I might ask? Is she with you? You two must have run away from their land, correct?" "I¡­" My throat suddenly dried up. "I ran away. I can''t face her anymore. Father and Mother¡­ they died because of me." "Because of you?" She tilted her head. "They protected me instead of themselves. I should''ve been the one to die that day.¡± I averted my gaze, looking down at my knees instead. Only for me to see their mutilated body and decapitated heads, half-frozen in the snow. Drip Drip drip Ah, it¡¯s coming out again¡­ and with the snot too¡­ Why can¡¯t you be cool for once, Hugo? Then, I heard it¡ªa rustle of fabric, followed by a few light steps. And then, the sound of someone sitting beside me. ¡°You have done nothing wrong, Charles,¡± she whispered, putting one hand on my shoulder. "We are all weak, bound by the fate that Heaven has decreed for us. To accept that weakness¡­ I believe that¡¯s the only way a human can become truly strong.¡± "But¡­ if only I had¡ª" "There is no point in ruminating about the past," she interrupted. "We must live for the future, as we can still choose to change the course of fate for its sake. But the past is a road you already took. And it is foolish to look back towards it." "I¡­" I was about to say that I had no future to look forward to. But then, I remembered. Sherry. Sherry is my future. "I am glad." She smiled, noticing my brightening expression. "You do have a future after all." Wait, Sherry¡­ Nicole¡­ wasn''t that the name of¡­ My eyes widened. "Hmm, what''s the matter?" "Sherry. Did you know anyone with that name?" This time, it was her eyes'' turn to bulge. "How¡­ but¡­" "My family had adopted her. And she spoke of a friend she held dear when she was still in her orphanage. Was that you, Nicole?" "I-is she¡­ is she a short girl with long jet black hair?" I nodded. "A-and does she possess an abnormal amount of strength?" I nodded again. "Then it can only be her!" Without warning, she took my hands and clasped them together, smiling so brightly that it nearly blinded me. "This must be Providence. To think that I would find her again, after all these years¡­" ------- I then told her everything¡ªfrom how I met her to how I had the whole rivalry with her until when she departed for the Demon Continent. It happened so long ago that I felt it wasn''t even real, as if it was just a dream. A dream of my better days. "To think that she would really be a demon¡­" She said with a troubled look. "It must have really troubled her, when she learned the truth." ¡°So, do you¡­ hate her now?¡± I asked gingerly. I remembered how those of the Milicis faith abhorred demons of all kinds. ¡°Hate?¡± She looked up with a confused expression. ¡°Ah. Perhaps you¡¯re talking about how we are supposed to distrust demons in general as those who served the Great Saint. No. I don¡¯t hate her. It doesn¡¯t matter whether she¡¯s a human or a demon. In fact, she¡¯s a perfect example why I should not share that belief, no?¡± She smiled. Wow, she¡¯s¡­ surprisingly broad-minded for one so religious. ¡°So, how did she react? When she found out that she was an Izurd?¡± ¡°She¡­ took it quite badly at first. But don''t worry!" I proudly pat my chest with a grin. "I talked her out of it, and now, she''s completely proud of her heritage." I hid the details from her. I felt Sherry wouldn¡¯t want her to know that she had gone on a rampage slaughtering monsters to the point of bathing in their blood. "I see." Her smile returned. "Thank you, for being her friend." She took my hand, grasping it with her own as she stared at me. BA-DUMP I just realized it¡­ but she''s¡­ quite pretty, actually¡­ There¡¯s nothing that really makes her beautiful, but I guess she has that ¡°girl next door¡± charm to her. Aah, I can just imagine her being the perfect housewife if she ever gets married. ¡°Welcome home, dear. Would you like dinner? A bath? Or perhaps¡­ me?" "I see you''re fond of her very much." She released my hand. "You were all grinning and smiling when you talked about her, you know. And even now, you''re the happiest I''ve ever seen you. Is she, perhaps, the future you had in mind?" I did? Though my grin just now definitely came from my fantasies of her. I sighed, giving her a wry smile. "You''re right. She''s all I have now. That''s why I''m going to the Demon Continent. I want to meet her once again." "I don''t believe so." She shook her head. "I think your two sisters are still waiting for you. They would never blame you for your parents'' death." My smile turned even more bitter. "Even so, I''ve run away like a coward from them. I can''t face them. Not like this. I¡­ I think I want to become a better man first before I go back to them." "A better man?" She tilted her head. "Well, I¡­ I want to mature first. To be someone I can be proud of. And I think¡­ I think I''m going to let Sherry be the judge of that. If she accepts me, then I''ll go home with her. If not, then I''ll better myself until she does." Her smile suddenly brightened. She was now practically beaming. "Oh, Sherry! I''m so happy for you! To think that not only you have found a family, but you have found a lover as well." What? How did she¡ª "Don''t look so surprised. It''s all too obvious. You were all mopey back there but once we started talking about her, you brightened up immediately. And what you just said was practically a declaration of love!" She clasped her hands together. In a flash, she had transformed from a calm and wise cleric to a starry-eyed romantic. I sighed with a smile. "You''re right. I do love her. And I want to start a family with her in the future. She saved me, you know. I¡­ nearly took my own life when Father and Mother died. It was my thought of her that stopped me from casting a Fireball right at my own skill." I don''t know where and when I truly fell in love with her. Before I knew it, it seems my heart had been stolen by her. She was so pure and honest that my cynical, distrustful heart was won over by her. And her being so cute certainly helped. Heh, to think that a fully-grown adult like me could actually fall in love with a little girl. Just another one to the list of my pathetic traits. "That is the miracle of love," she replied, still with her large smile. "Two fates become intertwined into one, tied with the string of matrimony. It is a sacred bond, to be cherished till the day you die. Though, I have to ask, have you told your feelings for her yet?" "She was the one who confessed first actually," I admitted with a little blush. Gloom soon returned to my expression however. "I''m not sure if I''m even worthy of her though," I continued, looking away from her clear eyes. "I am a wreck. Not only I got my parents killed, I made three young adventurers perish as well. Haah, maybe she has grown up from liking me too." "I doubt that," she replied with a comforting smile, before looking away. "Sherry... is a fiercely loyal and stubborn person. It''s hard to change her mind once she has decided on something. I always feel she''s the type of girl whose love will be passionate. Or even mad. That girl always thirsts for love, you know. So once she receives some, she will give it back ten fold. That''s why she tried so hard to keep up with you in a fight. She wanted to be useful to you." "I knew that." I sighed. "Which is why it makes it feel even worse that I ended up like this." She didn''t respond. Instead, she looked up to me and said, "If you can''t love yourself for your own sake, then do it for her. And I hope you will be the best husband that you could for her. Do not hesitate and pour every single drop of your love, for she will surely return in kind. I can vouch for that." "And besides," she added with a little mischievous smile. "I doubt you''ll be able to keep your hands off her once she becomes older. I can just tell she will grow up to be an absolute beauty. That silky jet black hair of hers¡­ it''s enough to make any girl jealous." I couldn''t help but smile. I did like playing with that hair after all. "Oh, by the way, what was it about the three adventurers? If you don''t mind, I would like to hear about that as well. With a sigh, I promptly explained to her how I got them killed. "I see. So that''s how it is." She lowered her head. "Once again, I have to say, their death wasn''t your fault in the slightest." "But if I hadn''t¡ª" "Please stop with the ifs." She interrupted, almost in a scolding manner. "You cannot foresee the future. You did the best thing you could and that is perfectly enough. So please, stop being so harsh on yourself." "Still, I¡ª" In a flash, she put her right arm around my body and pulled me towards her, making my head rest on her chest. "Shh¡­ that''s enough. I don''t want to hear anymore of you cursing yourself. You are a better person than you think. Even I could see that. And I just met you today." Soft. I could feel the softness of her breasts in this position. They weren''t big but they were definitely there. "You know, I really shouldn''t be doing this to you. Sherry will probably be jealous if she sees us like this," she admitted with a little impish smile. ¡°But this is how I usually comfort people. I did it with Sherry too all those years ago, hugging her as we slept together.¡± She then released me and made me sit up right once more. ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± ¡°I do.¡± I smiled. ¡°Thank you for that. Now I know why Sherry spoke so highly of you.¡± ¡°She did?¡± she replied with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that.¡± ¡°You know¡­¡± Argh, might as well say it. ¡°I was actually thinking of asking you to accompany me on my journey to the Demon Continent. But you already have your own party, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she answered, a tinge of disappointment in her voice. ¡°Though if I were to be honest, you can probably tag along if you want. We will eventually travel to the far north so you can travel with us until then.¡± ¡°Then, can I¡ª¡± ¡°I apologize. But joining us is out of the question.¡± She averted her gaze. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± ¡°Too dangerous? What do you mean?¡± ¡°We¡­ ah, no. I cannot speak of it. Not with her permission first.¡± She suddenly sat up, all with a melancholic look on her face. ¡°Although, perhaps, if I asked her to¡­ No. I can¡¯t drag you into the matter.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Not even if you¡¯ve fought and killed one of the Magocracy¡¯s leaders. No, that¡¯s all the more reason why you shouldn¡¯t be involved.¡± What is she talking about? Something fishy is going on here! I stood up as well. ¡°Look, if you¡¯re in trouble, then I wanna help you. I can¡¯t let anything happen to Sherry¡¯s closest friend. She¡¯ll be heartbroken if anything happens to you, you know.¡± The cleric paused for a short moment, before returning a smile. ¡°You really are a good person, aren¡¯t you, Charles? Or rather, Hugo? Too good even. You take others¡¯ suffering and make it your own. But no. Unless you want to be involved with this country deeply, then you shouldn¡¯t follow me.¡± ¡°This country? You mean the Holy Empire?¡± ¡°...Ah, what am I doing, running my mouth like this? She¡¯ll be angry now for sure.¡± ¡°She? Who is this¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I have to leave now. It¡¯s already this late.¡± She took out a small watch from her pocket. ¡°I really regret it that we can¡¯t chat for long, but for whatever it''s worth, I do hope I have been a small comfort to you. And please send my greetings to Sherry when you met her.¡± ¡°Wait, hold on, Nicole!¡± Before I could say anything, she already dashed out of the room, earning a confused look from the nun still cleaning outside. I followed her outside and was immediately given the evil eye from her. ¡°Hey, if you did anything to her, then I¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! She just ran off on her own.¡± That¡¯s it. I have to follow her. I really want to know what she¡¯s involved it, because that doesn¡¯t like something good in the slightest. Something that will deeply involve me with this country? That can only mean one thing. She¡¯s being involved with the ruling class of this place. My thoughts immediately returned to Vera. Yeah, I don¡¯t trust her to handle it on her own. I ran, ignoring the nun entirely. To think that I would meet Sherry¡¯s old friend here, it really was like a miracle. I never believed in fated meetings, but this really felt like one. Though not the romantic kind, I hope, since I wasn¡¯t going to cheat on Sherry with her best friend. No way. I¡¯m not that much of an asshole. I just hoped that she hadn¡¯t involved herself in something bad. Luckily, I managed to find her before she disappeared entirely. Thanks to my Wind Step, my running speed greatly outclassed her. And after running for a while, she stopped, and began walking normally. But not without giving a glance backward, which I dodged just in the nick of time. I followed her after, tailing her like a hunter would tail his prey. Or rather, if you prefer using the much less cooler metaphor, like a stalker stalking a popular idol. Thanks to the busy city, it wasn¡¯t that hard for me to blend in with the crowd as I followed her. The day was really nearly over, with the red sun lazily climbing down on the western sky. So she probably wasn¡¯t lying when she said she was out of time. Eventually, I saw her entering an inn. It was an average-looking establishment, something that I would stay in as well. She was entering the tavern part, however. So the people she¡¯s forming a party with should be there¡­ I followed in as well. Inside, the place was already starting to get crowded with customers, mostly adventurers, by the looks of them. Carefully, I looked around for her presence, while at the same time, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. There she is! I quickly found her at one of the corner tables. She was sitting with another person¡ªanother girl to be exact. So she must be that person she mentioned. I moved in a little closer, allowing a good look on just whom she was conversing with. Oh wow, is that¡­ a real life tsundere I¡¯m seeing? I thought that because of the sharp, piercing brown eyes that she had. Not to mention the twintails she fashioned her also brown hair in. She was not far from my age, probably a little older. She was wearing a white dress with a white button-up shirt underneath, along with a pair of brown boots. They seemed to be in the middle of a discussion, so I decided to do a little eavesdropping. I stood near them with my back turned, pretending that I was paying attention to the painting put up on a wall nearby. "...depart tomorrow. As usual, Helen already prepared everything so we can leave before the sun rises." "Hey, Fiora. Do you think they''ll send more of them after us?" "Hmm? Possibly. But for now, we''re probably safe. We didn''t let a single one of them escape after all so their superior wouldn''t know they have failed that quickly. What''s the matter? Having second thoughts? You can still walk away if you want. You''re not my servant or bodyguard." "No, it''s just that¡­ I still can''t believe they would be doing this to you. They''re your family. Why would they¡ª" "Ha! Look at the orphan talking about family!" That girl¡ªshe''s a complete brat, isn''t she? You just don''t bring up someone being an orphan¡ª "Don''t move.¡± Wha¡ª Steel pressed into my throat as one arm wrapped around me from behind. A small knife was now being brought mere millimeters from my throat. ¡°Don¡¯t speak, don¡¯t reach for your pocket and do as I say. Or else I will slit your throat in an instant.¡± I also felt the familiar sensation of boobs pressing into the back of my head, but it was no time to appreciate such softness. I am definitely in the shit right now. ¡°So, we have a little rat here.¡± I glanced to the side and saw Nicole and the girl now standing nearby, looking at me. ¡°Fiora, that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Helen, bring him outside.¡± She interrupted Nicole. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°As you wish. You hear her. Walk outside.¡± Her voice was firm and clear, as if she was already used on ordering people around herself. I was considering freeing myself using Wind Step, but somehow, I could tell that the moment I made my move, this big-boobed lady behind me would really slit my throat. And that would be the end of it. I also had a feeling that she¡¯ll be fast enough to do so before my Wind Step or any other of my quickest spells could activate. She was pressing the blade at my skin to the point that it was bleeding, but not so deep that I suffered from an actual serious wound. It was the mark of a complete professional, someone who was absolutely used to using a knife in this manner. I could summon my two fairies, but would I gamble for my Great Fairy to heal my throat before I die for real? And besides, Nicole was there. And she wouldn¡¯t associate herself with bad people, right? We headed outside. Somehow, no one really noticed that I had a knife pressed into my throat. I¡¯m starting to think that this lady was some professional assassin or something. ¡°Head to the back alley.¡± Bratty girl gave her order once again the moment we stepped outside. The sun already sank completely, giving way to the night. ¡°Alright. Now turn him around.¡± The lady did as she was told. And now, I was face to face with twintails. ¡°Fiora, he¡¯s a friend! He¡¯s not an assassin! I can vouch for that!¡± Nicole spoke first with a worried look. ¡°Hoo, really?¡± She lifted my chin with her fingers. Now that she stood right in front of me like this, I could see that she was taller than me. That, and she actually had a sword attached to her waist. "Tell me about him then." She withdrew her fingers, turning around so swiftly one of her twintails hit my nose. "What is a friend of Nicole Blanchimont doing here, eavesdropping on her conversation?" ¡°He must have followed me because he worries about me. I¡­ have said a little too much to him when we met.¡± Nicole held down her head. The brat sighed, and she put her arms together under her chest. ¡°So, tell me. What did you say to him?¡± ¡°I just said that he can¡¯t be with me because I don¡¯t want him getting involved in our situation.¡± ¡°What, is he your lover or something?¡± ¡°N-no, not at all!¡± Nicole waved her arms around with a blush. ¡°He¡¯s my best friend¡¯s lover, actually.¡± ¡°Your best friend? From back at the Academy?¡± ¡°No. Much further back. I guess I haven¡¯t spoken to you about her yet, have I?¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t really care about such things in the first place. Just tell me in a short and succinct manner why he¡¯s someone I can trust and not an assassin that¡¯s after my life.¡± An assassin? Hey, whoever¡¯s holding me like this is more like an assassin than me! Nicole then looked at me before asking, ¡°Charles, is it alright if I tell her everything we have discussed?¡± I sighed. With a sarcastic tone, I replied, ¡°Do I have a choice?¡± Oww! ¡°I said don¡¯t speak, haven¡¯t I?¡± The knife¡ªit hurts! ¡°Then, I shall start from the very beginning.¡± Vol 2 Chapter 10: The Haughty Princess Makes Her Entrance Nicole told her everything. From where I came from, to how I ended up here. She even told her how much I was crushed by my parents¡¯ death, and how I had cried to her about the matter. Does she really have to say that? I could feel my face reddening just by hearing her recite it to her. She probably thought it could gain me sympathy points with the brat, which, at this point, I guess was some sort of noble or something, just from the way she ordered around both Nicole and the lady who was still pressing her knife onto my neck. ¡°Hoo, so you say he actually managed to fight The Ice Snake Witch and won? And you actually believed him?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see any lies on his face,¡± she replied, firm in her conviction that I was speaking the truth. ¡°And besides, he didn¡¯t do it on his own. He had his father and mother with him, and they perished in the fight.¡± The noble girl then turned towards me, her hands still folded under her chest. ¡°Boy, are you really telling the truth?¡± ¡°Of course I do! Even though I don¡¯t look like it, I¡¯m a Master-level mage, you know!¡± I replied. I know perfectly well how bizarre it was for a 10-year old boy to be a mage of that caliber. ¡°Hmph, Master-level. That¡¯s not Grandmaster-level, which is the class of mage Vera Marjoram should belong in. Do you know just how much of a difference between a Master-level mage and a Grandmaster-level one is, boy?¡± ¡°Of course I know! I saw it first hand! She was taking it easy on us throughout the fight! And when she got serious, my father and mother died! I only won because I took her off-guard!¡± I shouted. She then walked up to me and held up my chin once again. ¡°Boy, are you crying?¡± she said with the most insulting smirk you could imagine. ¡°I¡¯m not crying!¡± I stuttered. ¡°Then why are your eyes watering?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not!¡± I stuttered again. Oh, they totally are, aren¡¯t they? They always did everytime I replayed that scene in my mind. God, would you stop embarrassing yourself, Hugo Greenwood? ¡°Hmph.¡± She released my chin before turning her back to me, walking away. ¡°To think a crybaby like you could kill a top class mage such as her, it¡¯s truly inconceivable. Helen, have you heard any news of Vera¡¯s death?¡± she asked her maid. ¡°Nothing of the sort, Your Royal Highness,¡± she answered with a slight nod. ¡°This boy is clearly lying.¡± ¡°Or perhaps they¡¯re hiding her death from the public. I can easily imagine them doing that, at least for a while. They wouldn¡¯t want to cause panic and unrest amongst their citizens, or to invite foreign powers to attack them.¡± ¡°You mean the Holy Empire?¡± I blurted out. ¡°Ha, we¡¯re not invading anything soon. Not in the state we¡¯re currently in. However, the Holy Land could start thinking about sending in spies to prod weaknesses, just in case they decide to declare another crusade against the Magocracy. Really, boy, if you truly took out Vera, you just disturbed the order of the world. But don¡¯t blame yourself if another war were to happen. Wars, rebellions, and conflicts in general happen all the time, especially up north with those Feuding States.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She turned again, facing me once more. ¡°Let¡¯s say you really killed Vera. If so, then perhaps you can be of use. Boy, what do you think about becoming my personal bodyguard and trainer?¡± What. ¡°Milady, you can¡¯t be¡ª¡± ¡°Silence, Helen.¡± She interrupted the lady in a flash. ¡°You just stand there like a good maid and keep that knife tight on his neck.¡± In one swift move, she drew her sword from the sheath. It glinted beautifully under the moonlight, as if it was made out of pure silver. The way she unsheathed it, and then held it afterwards, I could tell that she was a skilled swordswoman. Or rather, swordgirl, I suppose, considering her age. There was one major difference between her and Sherry however. If I had to say, it was elegance. She was far more elegant in her stance than Sherry. Sherry never had any elegance whatsoever. She just swung her sword really fast and hard and that¡¯s it, same as Father. So her stance was basic and unrefined. She, however, really gave the aura that of a skilled swordswoman, to the point that I nearly forgot she was just a few years older than me at most, and not a full-grown adult woman. ¡°It¡¯s not polite to stare, boy,¡± she said with a haughty smile. ¡°I¡¯m not staring!¡± I stuttered. I totally did. Speaking of haughtiness, this girl was definitely full of it, to the point that I could honestly compare her to Vera. Both women were brimming with confidence, and they weren¡¯t afraid to display or even flaunt it in the slightest. ¡°Boy!¡± The tip of her sword was suddenly right at my face. ¡°You would protect me with your life from now on. You would also spar with me everyday, to train me in the way of the sword. As payment, I shall grace you with a thousand gold coins once we reach our destination. And of course, the pleasure of serving a person of my stature." Oh wow, this girl really is acting like the stereotypical noble brat, isn''t she? "Hey, shouldn''t you say ''please'' with that? Don''t your parents ever tell you some manners?" I said with a mock lecturing tone. I couldn''t help myself. These kinds of characters need to be put down, or else their ego would just balloon even more. "How dare you speak to¡ª" "It''s fine, Helen." She withdrew her sword. "Boy." She then looked at me with a smile. "You have no idea who you are speaking with, do you?" "Milady, you can''t tell¡ª" "I said silence, Helen. Do you need me to cut off one of your ears in order for you to understand?" "A-apologies, Milady¡­" And not only is she a brat, she''s a psycho as well. "Boy. Rejoice. For you are in the presence of Fiora Guinevere Pendragon, the Second Imperial Princess of the Holy Milicis Empire." I blinked. "What? You don''t believe me? Can''t you see the imperial visage bursting forth from my personage?" "You don''t really look like an imperial princess though. Or a princess at all, for that matter. You just look like a noble brat, that''s all." The lady behind me trembled in anger, making her tighten her grip on me. It really was a contradictory feeling, with both the sharpness of her knife and the softness of her boobs pressing on me from both directions. She probably would¡¯ve spoken out, if not for the brat ordering her to stay silent. To my surprise however, instead of getting upset and demanding me to recognize her as an Imperial Princess, if she really was one, she instead started to laugh. ¡°Boy! You really are a piece of work, aren¡¯t you? Helen. Release him at once.¡± ¡°But Your Royal Highness¡ª¡± At a speed that my eyes couldn¡¯t follow, she swung her sword. A tuft of black hair fell off to the ground. ¡°...Very well. I apologize for my insolence.¡± At last, the lady released me from her grip. I turned around immediately, finally getting a good look on her. What? She¡¯s a maid? Indeed she was. She was a woman in her late twenties, possibly even early thirties. She had short black hair and green eyes, adorned by a pair of glasses. She wore a pitch black long-sleeved maid dress that went down to her ankles. On top of that, she wore a long white apron. After her face, my eyes immediately looked down to her breasts. And, just like I had expected, they were really sizable indeed, threatening to burst out of both the dress itself and the apron above them. Could it be? Have I found someone that actually rivals Mother in the bust department? "Helen. Why don''t you explain to him why we''re on this journey." The maid hesitated, giving a piercing glance right towards me. "If that is your wish, Your Royal Highness¡­" She bowed, making her breasts bounce a little. ¡°Simply put, we are on the run from assassins right now. They are after Your Highness¡¯ life, as she was one of the three possible candidates for the throne.¡± What. I''m sorry but what? ¡°Nicole. Tell this boy that I am not lying.¡± The brat sighed, clearly annoyed that I was still in disbelief of her words. ¡°It¡¯s true, Hugo.¡± The cleric finally spoke, after remaining silent for so long. ¡°Fiora is really the Second Imperial Princess, the third and youngest daughter of Emperor Sigmund Freya Pendragon, the current ruler of the Holy Milicis Empire." "Seriously?" I turned to face her in pure disbelief. "This brat is really the royal princess?" "You''re quite the brave one, aren''t you, boy? Calling the Imperial Princess herself a brat? I can get you decapitated for that, you know," the brat spoke with a smirk as she sheathed back her sword. ¡°But that is fine. That just means I¡¯m well-suited to blend in with the crowd. Especially after all my servants had died except for Helen here.¡± ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t want to involve you, Hugo.¡± Nicole continued with a regretful look. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. The assassins they sent at us, they were really strong. Like Fiora said, all of her servants fell in an attack when we were heading there. We beat them, but just barely. And we didn¡¯t know if and when the next group of assassins would appear.¡± ¡°If you take my offer, boy, you will face the strongest mercenaries and warriors my elder sister and brother could afford to send my way.¡± The brat interrupted. ¡°But then again, you¡¯re someone who actually managed to kill a Grandmaster-level mage. You¡¯ll probably be just fine facing against them. Though doing so would mean you would make an enemy out of the other imperial prince and princess, and both of them were far closer to the throne than me. My elder brother had the backings of the highest and most influential nobles, while my elder sister had her powerful company and all the resources and influence it had. Surely you have heard of the Rinea Corporation?¡± I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s her. Rinea is her given name.¡± Wait, did she just say that the ones sending the assassins are her own brother and sister? What kind of a messed up family she¡¯s in?! Then again, a lot of royal families are like that huh, full of betrayals and backstabbings and what not? I couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for her. Just a little though. I gulped, giving a nervous glance towards Nicole. So this is the kind of mess she has gotten herself into, huh? Oh yeah, this is bad. Really bad. If she¡¯s just involved in some noble¡¯s business then I can understand. But how in the hell did she end up being a bodyguard of a princess of the most powerful country in the Holy Continent? And one that¡¯s being gunned for assassinations no less! ¡°Before you say anything, Hugo, I¡¯ll just say it upfront. I won¡¯t abandon Fiora,¡± she said with a firm look. ¡°What? Why not? You¡¯re not even from here! You¡¯re from Marchen! You have no business staking your life in some noble¡¯s power struggle like this!¡± ¡°Fiora is not just some noble. She¡¯s my friend. And I don¡¯t abandon my friends.¡± ¡°Friend? How can you be friends with someone¡ª¡± ¡°And I also want her to be the ruler of this country in the future, over the other candidates.¡± There was no doubt in her eyes. She looked straight at me as she parried my objections. Just what in the world happened here, from when she was sent away from her orphanage to now with her being a devout follower of the little brat? ¡°I don¡¯t ask for you to be my retainer, boy,¡± The brat interrupted my thoughts. ¡°All I ask is for you to be my bodyguard and my sparring partner. I don¡¯t care if you dislike me, as long as you do your job properly.¡± That dismissive, mocking look she always has¡­ it¡¯s seriously starting to piss me off. ¡°You¡¯re going to the Demon Continent, right? Then you can just leave once we reach the northeastern region of the continent. We¡¯ll make a stop there. So really, there¡¯s barely anything negative about my arrangement.¡± ¡°Yeah, if you don¡¯t count the ¡®fighting assassins¡¯ part, that is,¡± I snarked back. ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t you want to protect Nicole? You don¡¯t want your beau¡¯s best friend to die, right?¡± She smirked. ¡°Wow, you really are a shameless brat.¡± ¡°If being a ¡®brat¡¯ is what I have to do to survive, then I¡¯ll happily be one.¡± I looked away from her with a huff. She¡¯s totally just using me, isn¡¯t she? And I¡¯m not into smug, haughty tsunderes either. I¡¯m not a masochistic sub, thank you very much. ¡°Oh, how about this? I¡¯ll throw you a sweetener to our deal. That sword¡­ you¡¯re a swordsman, too? I thought you¡¯re supposed to be a mage.¡± ¡°I¡¯m mainly a mage.¡± I turned back and answered her. ¡°I just had a little training on the sword but I¡¯m never really any good at it, unlike Sherry.¡± ¡°Then, if you want, I can train you at it.¡± ¡°Huh? You? Can you even¡ª¡± SWISH My heart skipped a beat. The sound of something sharp had just sailed right in front of my face. Then, I saw it¡ªa couple of my hair falling down softly through the air. ¡°You can¡¯t see it, can you? Can your father or your little demon beau swing their sword that fast? In just that millisecond, I unsheath my sword, cut your hair, and then sheath it back.¡± She was right. Her movement¡­ that was much faster than Sherry¡¯s or even Father¡¯s swings. This girl¡­ she was a legit swordswoman, alright. She could kill me at any time before I could cast a single spell all this time. No wonder she told her maid to release me so nonchalantly. I was never a threat. Not when I stood so close to her where her sword could reach me. ¡°Nicole said you felt really sad that you weren''t strong enough to protect your father and mother against the ice witch, to the point that you were crying about it. I suggest that you put all that melodrama into a drive to grow stronger instead." ¡°Fiora! You can¡¯t say that! He¡¯s still grieving, you know!¡± Nicole protested. ¡°Oh please, you can¡¯t spoil a little crybaby brat like him. He¡¯ll never grow up as a decent person when he¡¯s older. He¡¯ll always be a coward, haunted by his own failure until the day he dies.¡± ¡°But still!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Nicole.¡± I finally decided to speak up. Putting on a dry smile, I replied, ¡°She¡¯s right. I am a crybaby and a coward. These past three months¡­ I¡¯ve completely ignored my training. I no longer strived for anything. I simply moved along, thinking that Sherry would just accept me as I am right now. I did say I wanted to be a better person before I returned to Marina and Erika, but in the end, I didn¡¯t really do anything to reach that goal. I let myself get drunk on my ego by going along with those three adventurers, and I thought of leaving everything to Sherry to transform me into a better version of myself. I no longer put any serious effort into anything.¡± ¡°Oh, the boy knows," Fiora replied with a smirk, putting one hand on her waist. "So, what are you going to do about it, boy?" "I don''t know, really." I sighed. "I guess I could learn more magic on my own. I doubt I could ever reach the level Vera was in. It took me what, a year and a half, just to learn one Master-level spell? I might be talented, but I¡¯m not talented enough to¡ª¡± SLAP ¡°What an unsightly display. You really are a failure, boy.¡± Before I even noticed her movement, her palm already landed right onto my right cheek. The force was so powerful it actually staggered me. ¡°Nicole. I suggest you convince your friend not to marry this guy. He¡¯s a loser, through and through.¡± And once again, just like with Sophie back then, I went into a childish rage. I ran right after her with my fist, fully intending to punch her in the face. Only for her to dodge it by simply moving her head to the side like it was nothing. Before countering with a kick right between my legs. I whimpered in the most pathetic way, falling down backwards as unimaginable pain assaulted my brain. My hands immediately went down there, trying to salvage whatever¡¯s left from her assault. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s cheating¡­¡± I grunted, coughing in the process. ¡°Cheating? Ha! There¡¯s no such thing in real combat! We¡¯re not in the middle of some gentlemanly duel here. And besides, you tried to punch me from behind. That was truly pathetic.¡± She walked over towards me. ¡°And look at that. You¡¯re crying again.¡± She stood over me with the most punchable face imaginable. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± I heard a series of steps, followed by a familiar face looking at me with worry. It was Nicole. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Oh, don''t give me that look." She turned to face her. "Heal him. Make sure he¡¯s ready for our journey tomorrow.¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± I croaked. ¡°I haven¡¯t¡­ agreed yet, you know¡­¡± ¡°Oh, but you do. After you calm down and realize just how worthless you are right now, then you¡¯ll see that accepting a lesson in the art of the sword isn¡¯t so bad after all. After all, it¡¯s a well-known fact that a swordsman is generally stronger than mage. Just have to close that distance, then it¡¯s all over. Especially with the style I¡¯ve learned. I can deflect even magic with ease. Who knows? Perhaps if you were as well-trained as me in using that thing on your hip, you might be able to deflect the spell that killed your father and mother.¡± And with that, she left me and Nicole alone in the alleyway, returning back to the inn with Helen in tow. Nicole quickly healed me. I just hoped she didn¡¯t break something down there. That was a serious kick she just did. Once I sat up, I looked at her and said, ¡°How can you like someone like her? She¡¯s so arrogant and proud and just an unpleasant person in general that I can¡¯t imagine someone as gentle as you to ever grow liking her.¡± ¡°I am not that gentle, Hugo,¡± she replied with a small blush. ¡°I still get angry at some things. I am not as patient as I might look.¡± ¡°As for your question, because I know, deep inside, she has a gentle heart,¡± she replied with a smile as she stood up, dusting her skirt. ¡°I think she wants to help you, Hugo, in her own way. She wants to get you out of your rut. And she believes some harsh love is what it would take.¡± Harsh love? Sure, the harsh was there but where¡¯s the love? ¡°She doesn¡¯t tolerate weakness in others. Because she doesn¡¯t tolerate it in herself. To be born in her position¡­ I don¡¯t envy her in the slightest.¡± Once again, she spoke with that same melancholic look¡ªthe same expression she displayed when she was at the church with me. ¡°Now come.¡± She offered her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll get you a room at the inn for the night.¡± GROOWWWLLL ¡°Ah, I see you haven¡¯t had dinner either.¡± She giggled, hearing the protest coming from my stomach. ¡°Don¡¯t fret. I¡¯ll get you some food as well.¡± In the end, I relented. I followed her back into the inn. What am I getting myself into? Vol 2 Chapter 11: A Pleasant Chat Over Dinner With The Angel ¡°I still don¡¯t get it. How did you end up with someone like her?¡± We were now back inside the tavern, eating together on the very same corner table Nicole and Fiora used a while ago. Fiora and her maid weren¡¯t around however. They had retired back to their own room, perhaps taking their own meal there. After making sure that no one was eavesdropping, we began our conversation. ¡°I suppose I can tell you a little, on how we first met,¡± Nicole replied, as she cut a small portion of the beef jerky on her plate with a knife and fork and put it inside her mouth. ¡°Please do,¡± I replied, taking in my own beef jerky but using my hand instead. ¡°This whole thing really confuses me, you know.¡± ¡°I have told you before that I was a graduate from the Milicis Academy to the northwest of here, right? Well, it was there that I met her.¡± Nicole began her tale. ¡°So she went into the same school as you? That¡¯s odd. If she¡¯s really an Imperial Princess, shouldn¡¯t she be educated in a more¡ªI dunno¡ªexclusive and sophisticated place that someone like you, no offense, shouldn¡¯t be able to even come to let alone enroll in?¡± She replied with a small smile. ¡°That¡¯s quite observant of you, Hugo. And indeed, there is something odd going on. The academy I went in was indeed a mixed facility where children of nobles as well as those training to become knights would attend, not just a training facility for us priests and priestesses. However, for an Imperial Princess to enroll in such a place is indeed an oddity. There is already the Royal Academy at the Capital, where the sons and daughters of the most powerful and influential aristocrats would enroll in, and that¡¯s where her elder brother and sister enrolled. But she alone was sent to my academy, far away from the Central Region. Can you guess why, Hugo?¡± she asked me. ¡°Hmm,¡± I folded my hands. ¡°If I have to guess, then it¡¯s because for some reason, she¡¯s deemed more lower ranked than her brother and sister. Or perhaps it can also be because it would be dangerous for her to study so close to the capital. How long has this whole assasination thing been going on anyways?¡± ¡°Very good. I¡¯m surprised, Hugo. It¡¯s like you already knew a thing or two about court intrigues and the like.¡± Ha, I only learned them from all the novels I¡¯ve read. ¡°Your second assessment is correct. There has been a number of attempts on her life, ever since she was little.¡± ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s horrible!¡± ¡°Indeed it is. It¡¯s one of the main reasons why her personality ends up that way, and why she took up the sword in the first place. Knowing that there are people after her own life, instead of cowering, she decided to face them head on with her own strength, which was why she trained herself hard everyday in the way of the sword.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the Emperor do something about it?¡± ¡°Ah yes, the Emperor.¡± Her smile turned bitter. ¡°...No, I don¡¯t think I should be the one telling you this.¡± ¡°Aw, come on! You can¡¯t just leave me with a cliffhanger like this!¡± I protested. ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s a highly guarded secret and I believe you should ask Fiora herself if you really want to know.¡± ¡°As if she would ever tell me.¡± I huffed, before drinking the coffee in front of me. "...Hold on. Isn''t that odd though?" "Hm?" "I mean, she''s the youngest princess, right? She shouldn''t have any claim to the throne in the first place. If it were really her elder siblings who wanted her gone, then their motives wouldn''t add up." "Ah, that." She took a sip of her coffee. "That''s yet another secret I am not at liberty to discuss." Gah, this is seriously starting to get aggravating. She didn¡¯t say anything to my upset expression. She simply returned to her usual smile before continuing her story. ¡°So, we were both enrolled there, which her enrolling later than I was. It didn¡¯t take long until the story spread, that the Second Imperial Princess had enrolled in the academy. She, of course, got the most royal treatment imaginable. She had a number of butlers and maids with her, even though you were only allowed to bring one servant with you if you were a noble, and she got a room far bigger than any of the other students.¡± "Heh, I can just imagine that," I replied, envisioning her sitting in a large, fancy room, ordering her maids to dress her up and her butlers to do her homework like a true bratty ojou-sama. "So how did you meet her? You can''t be in the same class right since she enrolled later than you?" "That''s right. I could only see her from afar, being surrounded by other nobles who wanted to be acquainted to her. It would be extremely useful in the game of aristocracy, to have an Imperial Princess as your ally after all." Politics¡­ nothing good ever comes out from it. "But then, after a certain incident, it all changed." "A certain incident?" "It was, sadly, yet another attempt on her life. Poisoning, to be exact. After participating in a tea party, she suddenly got sick. It was soon clear that it wasn''t a simple fever, and that she was going to die very soon if left untreated." "Let me guess." I interrupted her. "You cured her, didn''t you?" "Correct." She smiled. "I had to thank the Heavenly Dragon to align our fates so perfectly that I was already able to perform Master-level Detoxification magic when it happened. Lady Miriam was out doing her Grand Priestess duties so no one else could do it." "No one?" I raised my eyebrows. "Not even the teachers? And doesn''t she have her own healer?" "Some of our teachers are indeed High Priests and Priestesses, but the only Master-level Holy Magic they knew was either the usual healing spell or attack spells. No one knew the detoxification magic needed. It''s the same with her servants." "And so, she recruited you to be her servant," I replied, folding my hand as I leaned back on my chair. "Makes sense. A cleric of your caliber would certainly be very useful to her." Haah, she''s totally being used by her, isn''t she? Well, I just hope she pays her well. "I still don''t understand though," I continued. "Why are you so loyal to her? It''s fine if you just healed her but to be roped into becoming her bodyguard against assassins sent by the other imperial heirs?" "I haven''t finished yet." She took another sip of her coffee. "Afterwards, it was discovered who the culprit of the incident was. It was a daughter of a count, who was there with her at the tea party. And do you know what Fiora did to her afterwards?" "Execute her in the most gruesome manner?" I gave a little smile. She frowned in response. Guess she didn''t appreciate my joke. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "She forgave her and her entire family. Saved them from the chopping block by hiding the result of the investigation. You see, the poor girl was only doing it because her father told her to. He wanted to curry favor with the Imperial Prince." I sighed. Just what you would expect from your usual power-hungry noble, I suppose. It¡¯s not enough that they have to force their children into political marriages as a power grab move. They actually turn them into assassins now. "So you believe she''s a merciful ruler just because of that?¡± I continued. ¡°I can easily imagine her forgiving them to gain more advantage for herself. They must be indebted forever to her now, and if the count has something he can offer her, like influence or so, then her forgiving them was the wiser thing to do," I argued. Sorry, but in politics, nothing is ever free. "Not just from that," she replied with a smile. "But I can''t tell you the other reason. She has promised me not to tell anyone, you see." I sighed. "Again with the secrets." She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "A girl has to have her secrets. I have my secrets as well. You too, right?" Welp, can¡¯t argue with that. My secret? All those raunchy books I got in my bag. That, and me being a pervert in general. "So? Do you think of her more kindly now?" "Nope. I''m still not buying that she''s anything other than a spoiled princess. She might have a horrible childhood, but that doesn''t excuse her attitude." I crossed my arms with a huff. "You know, it''s not fair. You told her everything about me, even the embarrassing part, but now you refuse to tell me everything about her." "Is it about the crying part?" "Yes, about that." Oh great, now my face is starting to warm up. ¡°Do you even need to tell her that part?¡± "I don''t think there''s anything embarrassing about it though." She kept her smile without any hints of a laugh. "Maybe not to you but she certainly thought otherwise." I grumbled. Look, I don''t want to be called a crybaby by a twelve or thirteen-year old brat like her. It just reminds me of all those times my little sister in my old life would mock and throw insults at me. Respect your seniors, goddamnit. And now Miss Cleric here is all smiling. She must be holding back her giggle or something. "You know, I have to tell her that so she would trust you, Hugo,¡± she answered my question. ¡°What better way to convince her of your innocence than to tell her how you have had a heart-to-heart conversation with me to the point that you cried in the middle of it?¡± ¡°Does she trust you that much?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°I mean, you can just be lying to protect me.¡± ¡°The last time I lied to her, she saw right through it in an instant. And so she made me promise never to lie to her ever again. And it¡¯s a promise I have kept to this day,¡± she answered, staring away to the distance as if she was reminiscing about something. ¡°You know, she sympathizes with you, Hugo. It''s not the crying that she dislikes. Well, maybe a bit, since she thinks it¡¯s a sign of weakness. But what she hates even more is your defeatist attitude." "Defeatist? What do you mean?" My voice rose. I couldn''t help but be offended, even if just a little. "If she were in your position, she wouldn''t have stopped training and polishing her skill. She would want to get back to those that had wronged her and her family." "I already got back at her. I killed her, remember?" "Then how about the rest of the Council? You believe they have no part in it?" "That''s¡­" She''s right. I never thought about that. ...Wait, that letter! Could it be that it¡ª "You''ve realized it, haven''t you?" "...We were used as assassins. To kill Vera without getting their own hands dirty." I clenched my fists. ¡°I figured it was something like that.¡± Nicole spoke with a pensive look as she took another sip from her cup. ¡°If the Council weren¡¯t in it as well, then you and your family wouldn¡¯t have survived.¡± In my panic, I didn¡¯t consider the possibility in the slightest. ¡°Dammit!¡± I slammed my fists to the table, earning a few looks from the other patrons. They quickly returned to their own business soon after, thankfully enough. ¡°So, now that you know, what are you going to do about it?¡± she asked, still with that same smile. ¡°I want to make them pay, of course!¡± I replied. ¡°Do you even need to ask that?¡± ¡°Revenge, huh?¡± Her smile turned melancholic all of a sudden. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t suggest that.¡± ¡°So why did you even bring it up in the first place?!¡± ¡°My intention wasn¡¯t to make you go after them. My intention was to enlighten you, that there would be a possibility for you to clash with them again in the future.¡± ¡°I know that! They probably would send their actual assassins after me soon enough.¡± I certainly remembered the tale of the necromancer who was chased by the Magocracy all the way to this continent. And that was just because she murdered the granddaughter of a Council member (and practicing forbidden magic too, I guess). For someone who actually killed a member, the retribution would no doubt be harsher. ¡°That¡¯s another good reason why I shouldn¡¯t follow you guys. Do you really want two groups of assassins going after you at the same time?¡± ¡°Hmm, true enough,¡± she replied, taking another small bite of her meal. "If you''re not traveling with an Imperial Princess, that is," she added with a smile. "What does she have to do about it?" "They wouldn''t risk killing her. Not if they wanted war." "But she''s already being attacked by her own people! By her own siblings too!" "Oh no, you don''t understand. There''s a major difference between death from internal politics and death from an assasination by foreign powers. The former is acceptable while the latter is an insult to the sovereignty of the empire itself. So you wouldn''t be touched by them as long as Fiora is protecting you." "Wait, I thought I''m the bodyguard here." "Hehe. She''s quite the amazing swordswoman you know. So I really do think you should accept her offer of tutelage. You have nothing to lose." "Hey, weren''t you just saying back at the church that I shouldn''t be involved?" I protested. "I changed my mind," she replied, unflinching. "After seeing the way Fiora spoke to you, I choose to believe in you¡ªthe same way she does." "And besides," She took my right hand that hadn''t been gripping anything for the past minute and wrapped it around her own two hands. "Aren''t you tired of running away?" I looked down to my near empty plate. With a sigh, I replied, "I am. I want to get stronger, both in combat and as a person. I want to be able to face anything life throws at me head on." "Then, you know what to do, don¡¯t you?" She smiled. There was a pause in our conversation for a while afterwards as we finished our meals. I sat silent, unable to really respond to her. Of course, I knew the answer of my conundrum if I saw it in a purely logical manner. But I really, really don¡¯t want to get stuck babysitting that brat for God knows how long. ¡°Where is she going anyways?¡± I started the conversation again. ¡°Some faraway country where she can take refuge?¡± ¡°Mmm, something like that,¡± she replied. ¡°But before that, she wants to visit the Grand Priests and Priestesses in the continent. Well, some of them anyways. She wants their support, you see, as the Church really hasn¡¯t supported one candidate to the throne over the other. Another fortunate turn of fate, as I too need to visit them for my pilgrimage, if I am to become a High Priestess.¡± ¡°High Priestess? Is that like an organisational rank in the Church?¡± I asked, purely out of curiosity. ¡°Yes. I am now already a Priestess of the Milicis Church. After that is the title of High Priestess, which is only given to a few. Since I have reached Master-level in Holy Magic, and I have earned a recommendation from Lady Miriam, I can take the pilgrimage as an aspirant for the position. And after that, Grand Priestess, which is even more stringent in classification as you would first need to reach Grandmaster-level in Holy Magic, something very few ever managed to accomplish. Only a very small number of Grand Priest and Priestesses exist¡ªeach having their own territory that they have to guard and lead to the faith as part of their profession.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I replied. I never learned about this kind of stuff, mainly because there were no books explaining it to me back home. ¡°Why do you want to take it anyways?¡± I asked again. ¡°You get higher pay or something?¡± I imagined, thinking back to the office promotions back in my old world. ¡°Well¡­¡± She smiled bashfully. ¡°Lady Miriam told me to take it. So I would. I am indebted heavily to her.¡± ¡°Who is this Lady Miriam anyways? You¡¯ve mentioned her a lot yet I don¡¯t think you ever explained who she is.¡± ¡°Her Grace Miriam Blanchimont, the Grand Priestess of Silipha. And the headmistress of the academy where I graduated.¡± ¡°...Wait, Blanchimont? Isn¡¯t that your¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my last name. She adopted me, you see, so I carried her name now.¡± She smiled so brightly from that statement, there was no doubt she was very happy from it. On that happy note, our conversation ended. Soon after, after wiping her mouth with a napkin, she excused herself, as she had finished her meal earlier than me, leaving me alone with my own thoughts. She didn¡¯t need to say anything. Just her look was enough to convey her wish for me to think about Fiora¡¯s offer carefully, and consequently, my future as well. Soon after, I left the table as well, heading to the room she had purchased for me. Once there, I threw myself to the bed, not even bothering to take off my boots and socks. I put my two hands behind my head and started to think. Aah, what should I do? Should I really be the bodyguard of that snotty brat who''s apparently an imperial princess? I really don''t want to be involved in some country''s politics that I don''t care about. But on the other hand, Nicole is with her. And knowing just how much she meant for Sherry, I don''t want anything bad happening to her. And she seems like a really nice girl too¡­ Sword training huh? Maybe I should focus on that for a while. This sword on my belt barely does anything in a fight. She definitely is a skilled swordswoman¡ªeven I can tell by how fast and precise her sword swing was. But can she really teach me? Do I even have the talent? Shouldn''t I just go pure mage instead of multiclassing? Argh, this is too hard! Maybe I should sleep first before using my tired brain like this... It didn¡¯t happen though. The thoughts kept swimming inside my mind, I couldn¡¯t fall asleep. I turned around back and forth, after kicking my boots off lazily, leaving only the socks on. I only managed to fall asleep after quite some time had passed, once I settled on the decision I was going to take¡ªa decision that I was still not sure I should take. Even so, I resolved myself. That I wouldn¡¯t regret that decision. I am done living with regrets. I will walk forward, no matter what kind of misfortune I will encounter on the way. And that decision was... Vol 2 Chapter 12: To Be Waken Up By A Princess ¡°-oy!¡± ¡°Boy!¡± ¡°Wake up, boy!¡± The next morning, I was woken up rudely by none other than the Imperial Princess herself, yelling as if she was an angry mother waking up her child for school. ¡°Urghh¡­¡± My eyes fluttered open, glancing to the side to see her all too familiar face glaring at me as if I had made a grave offense towards her. ¡°We¡¯re leaving, boy!¡± She yelled again. The ray of sunshine coming in from the window beside me nearly blinded me, making me close my eyes instinctively. Groggily, I sat up, yawning as I stretched my arms. ¡°You know, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s rude for a girl to enter a boy¡¯s room like this? What if I¡¯m sleeping without any clothes on?¡± I gave a little smirk. The truth is, I never sleep like that. I do sometimes sleep with just my undershirt and briefs however. ¡°Ha, do you think I care?¡± she replied with her own smirk. Huh. She¡¯s not reacting like the usual tsundere would. "Nice try," I tried to out-smirk her. "You''re just a pervert who wants to peek at half-dressed boys. To think that the second Imperial Princess is this degenerate, what would the people say if they know?" I shook my head in a mocking manner. Heh, did I just get a blackmail material here? Serves her right! To my astonishment however, once again, she didn''t react the way I wanted her to. Instead of blushing and begging for me to keep her secret, she laughed instead. "And here we have a prime example of somebody who doesn''t know anything about how high society in this empire works! Go ahead! Spread around the oh-so-scandalous news of me barging into my bodyguard''s room while he''s asleep! See if anyone cares!" ...I don''t get it. Why isn''t she bothered at all by it? It''s the Holy Milicis Empire so it should be all religious and chaste and stuff, right? "If you want to talk about degeneracy, then my elder brother and sister are far more perverted than I am. The former sleeps around with young noble ladies all over, while the latter is fond of women, to the point of charming the maids in the imperial palace to sleep with her.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± I exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the Church frown on that kind of stuff? You guys are the Holy Empire of Milicis, so you should be pretty close with them, right?¡± If we¡¯re following real life medieval church, they would no doubt frown heavily on promiscuity and homosexuality. To add to my embarrassment, she laughed again, to the point that there were tears on her eyes that she had to wipe with her index finger. ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything, do you, boy?¡± ¡°Of course not! I just came to this country two months ago! How am I supposed to have any idea how its culture is supposed to work?¡± I protested. So the Holy Milicis part is a lie then? This empire doesn¡¯t actually follow the rules of the Church? I¡¯m pretty sure with them seemingly being a knockoff of the Catholic Church back on Earth, they wouldn¡¯t tolerate that kind of stuff. Or maybe it¡¯s just the high nobles that can bend the rules. Yeah. That probably is the most reasonable answer. So me blackmailing her with such an innocuous thing wouldn¡¯t work in the slightest. In fact, now that I think about it, I¡¯ve read some fantasy stories where servants aren¡¯t viewed as people by their noble masters, so they¡¯re not ashamed at all if they were to stand nude in front of them. That¡¯s why they can have a bunch of maids or butlers dressing them up or helping them in their bath. I dunno if that applies in this world though. ¡°Then I suggest you shut your mouth about things you have no idea about.¡± Her haughty look returned. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s say the bigwigs at your imperial castle tolerates their shenanigans because of their position. But the citizens of this empire certainly wouldn¡¯t.¡± I rejected her advice. Dammit, I¡¯m not going to be outwitted by some twelve year old brat! ¡°If you spread the rumors around, surely it would hurt them in some way or form. If you¡¯re lucky, maybe you can get an army running, made out of the people faithful to the Milicis faith that wouldn¡¯t want a bunch of degenerates like them running the empire.¡± I suggested with a confident smile. I know history or two and I have read a bunch of fantasy novels with medieval politics in them. Maybe she¡¯s born to court intrigue right from the day she¡¯s born, I have my own adult knowledge too, you know. ¡°So, you¡¯re suggesting that I start a civil war then?¡± To my absolute surprise, her smile was a grim one this time around. ¡°Well, if you want the throne that badly, that¡¯s certainly an option.¡± I shrugged. ¡°You seem to be the kind of person that wouldn¡¯t mind doing something like that.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but to add. ¡°...Hmph, I might have to do something like that after all.¡± Huh, not going to rebuke that? I just called you a ruthless person that wouldn¡¯t mind starting a war, just to gain power. ¡°What are your plans on getting the throne after all?¡± I folded my arms. ¡°Nicole said you¡¯re going around the continent, gartering support from the Grand Priests and Priestesses of the continent. Can they really help you get to the throne? Shouldn¡¯t you just assassinate your other siblings instead? Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re being soft on them.¡± I gave a taunting smile. ¡°I would, if it was possible,¡± she replied, looking away as she played with her hair. ¡°They¡¯re always surrounded by powerful people day and night. I don¡¯t even know if there are assassins good enough that could penetrate their defenses. Unlike me, who only had a group of imperial servants protecting me. Sure, they can fight but they¡¯re not that strong. I¡¯m skilled on the sword but I¡¯m not that strong either. Not enough to be able to repel a group of highly skilled assassins on my own.¡± So that explains why Helen is like that. A real life battle maid, huh? I suppose it would make sense to have servants that could fight. Especially since assassinations seem to be commonplace on the upper echelons of the Empire. Though now I couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Just what kind of monsters are guarding her siblings? Surely, they can¡¯t be as strong as Vera. If I have to guess, they¡¯re probably around my level. Or Father¡¯s. And since there¡¯s a whole group of them, they would be much more deadlier than on their own. ¡°You don¡¯t have any knights to guard you?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Ha, they either have pledged loyalty to my elder brother or they have been charmed by my elder sister. All I have are my personal servants.¡± Hmm? Is that¡­ a hint of bitterness I hear in her voice? Don¡¯t tell me that she¡¯s feeling lonely all of a sudden. ...I guess you would, if you¡¯re in her position. No allies, not even your father, and enemies everywhere, including your elder siblings. Suddenly, I felt a tinge of sympathy for her¡ªthe first one ever since I was unfortunate enough to meet her. That quickly vanished right in the next second. ¡°Well, enough chat. Get up! We¡¯re departing right away!¡± She suddenly returned back to yelling mode, putting her hands on her waist. ¡°I still haven¡¯t said I was going with you, you know,¡± I responded, still reeling from the embarrassment she just put me through. ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re not going then?¡± She smirked again. ¡°Fine. Go back to sleep then..¡± She promptly turned around, walking towards the door to my room. How did she get in anyway? ¡°...Fine. I¡¯m coming with you.¡± I begrudgingly said. There. That was my answer. After thinking about it for what felt like hours, I decided to take her up on her offer. Not because she won over me or anything¡ªshe¡¯s still a smug brat that I dislike¡ªbut because she can offer me what I lack. Strength. I need more strength to survive in this world. And to protect those that I care about. It¡¯s fine if I had to endure for God knows how long of her rotten attitude, as long as she makes me a swordsman just as good as her. What I lack now isn¡¯t in offensive power. I need defensive capabilities instead. And if you can really deflect magic with her style of swordplay, then I would definitely have to learn from her. Not to mention the fact that being a swordsman is much more convenient than being a mage, seeing how you can attack much faster than a mage could. I still remember how I had to rely on my summons to take the enemy blow for me, and how my main weakness is fast attacks that took me by surprise. I remember what Father told me, that the best swordsman could feel an attack coming and respond to it without needing to see or even think about it. She stopped. ¡°What¡¯s that, boy? I can¡¯t hear you!¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m coming with you! I accept your offer!¡± I shouted. God, she¡¯s enjoying making me squirm like this, isn¡¯t she? ¡°Look, you¡¯re a Galahad-style sword user, right? That precise movement and the ability to deflect spells like you said. I want to learn that.¡± She turned around with a prideful look. ¡°Hoo, so you already know your sword styles, don¡¯t you, boy? You are right. I am a Galahad-style sword user.¡± Just as I expected. Father said that his style was closer to the Lancelot school instead, who preferred offensive power over defense and precision. Sherry was the same as well. Maybe that¡¯s why their sword speed was less than her. She could swing her sword really fast, but not with as much power as them. She probably wouldn¡¯t be able to pierce the tough scale of that ice snake we fought. Well, no matter. I didn¡¯t really need it for offensive purposes. I already got magic for that. I just need it to defend myself. So that the next time I was in the firing range of a powerful Grandmaster-level spell, I could defend against it on my own. ¡°Then, in five minutes, go to the stable at the back of the inn.¡± Still with that triumphant look, she turned around once again. I couldn¡¯t resist. I threw my pillow right towards her head. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Only for her to dodge it without even looking, just by tilting her head to the side. ¡°Too slow, boy. Too slow.¡± I didn¡¯t even need to see her face to know that her grin had just gotten bigger. Not a single useless movement. Just a slight tilt of her head, I said to myself once she closed the door behind her. I think I might have just found my teacher after all. Even though she¡¯s a royal pain in the ass. --------- I arrived at the stable soon after. As expected, Nicole and Helen were already there as well, standing near the carriage I would assume belong to them. It was a large close-roofed carriage, so it had four horses pulling it on the front. It was nicer-looking than the usual variant, but it wasn¡¯t so nice that it would attract much attention. Nicole gave me her usual kind smile, while the royal brat had her usual haughty look as usual. Only the maid had a neutral expression on her face, though her suspicion of me was still there on her face. ¡°You know, I expect you to keep your promise on training me,¡± I declared, just to remind her to keep her side of the bargain. ¡°Of course,¡± she replied. ¡°And in exchange, you will help me train.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll die if I go all out with my spells, you know,¡± I replied back, really wanting to wipe that smug look of her face. ¡°My Master-level Wind spell obliterates everything on its path. A puny sword like yours wouldn¡¯t be able to block it, let alone parry it.¡± ¡°Puny sword?¡± She suddenly laughed, covering her mouth in the process. ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything, do you boy? Fine. The next time we take a rest, I¡¯ll show you just how strong I am. Then maybe you¡¯ll start calling me ¡®Master¡¯ like you should.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not calling you that! That ain¡¯t on the deal!¡± I objected. Like hell I would kowtow around her like that! ¡°Hmph, fine! That just means I¡¯m going to train you even harsher. Prepare yourself, boy.¡± After our little banter, the brat, Nicole, and I all entered the carriage, while Helen took the driver seat. Inside, the two seats were far away enough that I could stretch my legs, unlike the usual carriage. The brat sat on one seat while Nicole and I took the other. Well, this is a pretty nice carriage. Unlike the usual carriage with their hard, solid wood, this one had soft red couches as its seat. The back rest was cushioned as well so it¡¯s far less harsh on your back. Perfect for long trips. The two windows to the left and right were unique as well. Their glass was the one-sided type, pitch black from the outside while you could perfectly see through it from the inside. You could decide whether to open and close it as well, if you wanted to let some wind inside. Each of them was also accompanied by a red curtain if you wanted to open the window while at the same time keeping your privacy. And to my surprise, on the ceiling, there was a miniature chandelier attached. Whew, this really is quite the lavish¡ª Ouch! My thought was rudely interrupted by a book right to my face. ¡°If you¡¯re done gawking, then go read that book. It¡¯s about the basics of swordsmanship. I won¡¯t tell you every detail so make sure to commit everything in it to memory.¡± It was Fiora, of course. Who else could be so bold as to throw a book right onto somebody¡¯s face? She knocked on the glass window separating our section from the driver¡¯s, signalling to her maid that it was time to depart. As the carriage slowly moved forward, I gave a short glare before moving my attention to the book. Now that I think about it, couldn¡¯t Father just give me one of these back home? The book was not ornate in the slightest. It was just like any of those leather bound books you could find just about anywhere. Let''s see here¡­ the title is¡­ An Introductory to Galahad School Sword Style. What is this? Is this like some beginner¡¯s training manual or something? "Hey, Fiora. I already got some sword training myself, you know. So a beginner book like this isn¡¯t really suited for¡ª " "You have quite the nerve there, boy, calling me by my first name like that,¡± she rudely interrupted. "You let Nicole call you like that though," I protested. "Ha! That¡¯s only because I gave her permission to do so, which you haven¡¯t earned,¡± she replied, her gesture pretty much screaming ¡°Come here and hit me! I dare you!¡±. Gah, if only she isn¡¯t some sword prodigy with superhuman reflexes, I am seriously considering throwing this book back right on her face. ¡°You may call me Miss Fiora. I am already gracious enough to allow you to use my first name like that,¡± she continued her spiel. ¡°I¡¯m not your butler or your knight. I¡¯m not going to bow around you and call you like that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my bodyguard. So you¡¯re my servant, no? Shouldn¡¯t you give some respect to your client, especially if she¡¯s an Imperial Princess?¡± She smirked. Argh, how could her maid stand her with this attitude? In fact, how could maids and butlers and servants in general stand it when they have to always be all polite and submissive towards their masters, especially one as annoying as she is? I never signed up for the servant life! "If you hate it so much, then how about this? You can drop the honorific once you can land a blow on me with your sword." She said it so casually, ignoring the fact that she could probably block every single one of my sword slashes and thrusts even with her eyes closed. No, it''s not that she ignores it. It''s exactly the opposite. She knows I''ll never be able to do it, which is why she proposes it in the first place, just to taunt me. "Hmph, that''s unfair, don''t you think?" I crossed my arm after putting the book on my lap. "I''m more of a mage than a swordsman. I''ll definitely be able to land a blow to you with my magic." "I know that. You''ve beaten Vera after all, if you weren''t lying about it, that is.¡± She smirked, playing with her twintail. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to learn from you as well. Though of course, in the end, you¡¯ll learn more from me than I learn from you.¡± "You know, if you stop being so smug, you might actually have more allies you can rely upon." I couldn''t stop myself. I went straight for the slight insecurity I had sensed from her before. "Well, that''s curious. Are you saying that you''re not my ally, boy?" she replied, seemingly unfazed by my words. "Barely. This is just an alliance of convenience. Nothing more.¡± I gave her a frown. ¡°And that would be enough. I only need you to perform your duties. Don¡¯t flatter yourself by thinking that I need your undying loyalty.¡± I sighed. I really can¡¯t win against her, can I? What a hard headed girl. Well, so much for my big-boobed innocent princess fantasy. I¡¯m now stuck with a brat instead. At the very least, I still have Nicole beside me. Right, Nico¡ªoh, she¡¯s reading a book. So that¡¯s why she¡¯s been silent all this time while we were having our argument. Vol 2 Chapter 13: Marina’s Side — A Visit to The Baron Marina ¡°That idiot! He should¡¯ve asked me for help or something! Aren¡¯t we friends anymore?¡± The man currently in front of me slammed his fist to the table, causing the entire thing to shake. A mixture of grief and anger were displayed on his face. He was none other than Baron Eriol. I had decided to give him a visit in the end. We were sitting in his study¡ªme and Erika. She refused to leave my side, so I had to bring her along to this conversation. She was currently sitting right beside me, with a glum look on her face. She had been like that ever since we left our home back at Karla. And I couldn¡¯t really fault her for that. I imagine my face is pretty glum as well. ¡°I swear, if I could make those stuck-up sloths on the capital move from their high and mighty thrones and listen to me at once, I¡¯d tell them to send Glinda along with him.¡± ¡°Glinda?¡± ¡°Our court mage back at the capital. She¡¯s a Master-level mage, so she would no doubt be useful for your rescue mission.¡± ¡°That would be seen as an act of aggression on Marchen¡¯s part though.¡± ¡°...Yeah, you¡¯re right. Argh, politics! Damn it all to hell!¡± If a stranger was to listen to this conversation without seeing them, and without taking notice of the difference between their voices, they would probably think Marina was the adult and the Lord being the naive, hotheaded youth. ¡°That¡¯s why Father hadn¡¯t informed you. He wouldn¡¯t want to trouble you.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why he¡¯s a damn idiot! What are friends for if not to be troubles to each other? He¡¯s a trouble when he first got here, you know. He got a beautiful, pregnant wife out of nowhere and he begged me for a job that wouldn¡¯t require him to leave her. And so I gave him his knight status and assigned him to the most backwater and peaceful village in my territory that I could find.¡± Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He took a swig of frustration of his wine cup before continuing. ¡°So, you really are going all the way to the northwest? Just the two of you?¡± He scratched his chin with a concerned look. ¡°Yes. I know very well that Marchen wouldn¡¯t be able shelter us if the Magocracy demands our heads.¡± He chuckled dryly. ¡°You¡¯re right. I was about to offer you a job to be my personal mage but I guess that offer is out of the window now.¡± He gave a sour grin, before taking a deep sigh. ¡°Our military capability is just no match for them. All this time, we could only keep our autonomy simply because they didn¡¯t see that it¡¯s worth their time and effort to conquer us.¡± I stared down at my own cup of wine. Now that I think about it, I never drank alcohol before. I never like drunkards, and I would never want to end up like them. It was night time, so I guess he found it fine to serve wine for both of us. "I apologize¡­ for not being more of a service," he spoke again with a more subdued tone, interlocking his fingers together as he sighed once more. ¡°Oh, I know! Why don¡¯t you take one or two of my maids? I¡¯d hate to be separated from them of course, but¡ª¡± ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be necessary. I wouldn¡¯t want to drag them into my problem. They would become fugitives as well. And they already seem to be happy with you.¡± Judging by the genuinely happy smiles they seem to always have in their faces when they received me, I could tell that he had treated them right. No need to ruin their happiness. ¡°Then, how about money? You surely will need some for the road.¡± ¡°I already stole a bunch of valuable jewels and other objects from the Ice Witch¡¯s mansion. So money wouldn¡¯t be an issue either.¡± If I were to be frank, I never liked receiving help from others like this without me giving anything in return. It made me feel like a beggar. And I suppose my proud soul couldn¡¯t stand that. ¡°Heh, glad to hear that you¡¯re clever enough to do that,¡± he replied with a grin. ¡°But have you sold them yet though?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t. I was planning to tomorrow.¡± ¡°Then, at the very least, let me help by recommending the jeweler that would give you the best price for them.¡± I nodded. This kind of help though¡ªI didn¡¯t mind it so much. "Oh, Alan told me that you''re a Master-level mage already, right? Then you should really seek the position of a court mage. You''re talented enough for it, even with your young age. It pays really well, and you¡¯ll get your own mansion complete with maids that would obey your every command. Well, usually anyways. If the king is a penny pincher, you''d probably only get one of his castle''s towers as your home." He gave a chuckle at his own joke. "No, I don''t think I will,¡± I answered straight to the point with a firm look. ¡°Eh? Why not?¡± ¡°Because I would get involved in court politics. And I had enough of that¡ªof ruling figures trying to control and manipulate me to do what they want. I just want to live a peaceful life with Erika away from those miserableness.¡± ¡°...Heh. You¡¯re just like Glinda, aren¡¯t you?¡± He leaned back on his seat. ¡°You know, she too hates court politics. In that sense, she¡¯s my only ally in the capital. Doesn¡¯t approve of my taste though, so we don¡¯t get along that well.¡± His taste? I believe I know what he meant by that, judging by how there were only hobbit maids working here. ¡°Ah, here¡¯s an idea. Why don¡¯t you pay her a visit while you¡¯re at the capital? You¡¯re going through Duskglow Plains, right?¡± ¡°Yes, we are,¡± I replied. ¡°It¡¯s either that or circling around to the west and south, which would add many unnecessary days to our journey.¡± Duskglow Plains was located in between two mountain ranges, The Gordillis Peaks and the Ligurita Range. If I don¡¯t go through it, then I would have to circle around the Ligurita Range all the way to the southwest. Oh, and by the way, Karha Mountains back home were technically part of the Gordillis Peaks, but the locals preferred to call it with their own name instead. ¡°Be careful.¡± He warned me with a grim look. ¡°I heard that place had been overrun by strong monsters for a good while now. Merchants who couldn¡¯t afford hiring high-ranking adventurers would just take the southern route instead.¡± ¡°We would be fine,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m a Master-level mage, remember?¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re anything like Glinda, then you shouldn¡¯t have any problem dealing with them. They¡¯re around C to B ranks, although rarely, an A rank could appear as well.¡± ¡°A rank?¡± I paused, my mind reminiscing back to that mountain lion I failed to win against. ¡°I have to be careful then.¡± I then decided to ask a question I had been having in my mind for a while. ¡°You seem to know a lot about this Glinda.¡± ¡°Well, of course! She¡¯s my little sister after all!¡± He patted his chest with a gleam of pride in his eyes. Well, that was a surprise. I thought she was his old lover or something. ¡°And that¡¯s why I can get you to meet her if you want. I¡¯ll write you a letter that can get you inside her mansion. With my name and seal on it, she would grant you an audience without a doubt.¡± ¡°I apologize, but I have to refuse. We don¡¯t have any time to waste. And we risk of getting arrested by her guards if we arrive after the news of my deed reaches her ears." "Oh, you don''t have to worry about that." He smiled. "She''s not that kind of person. She''s not like the other cowards in the capital who kowtow to the Magocracy as if we''re their vassal kingdom. She dislikes the Magocracy, you see, even though she''s a graduate of their academy. So that''s another point the two of you share." "We wouldn''t gain anything by visiting her." "And that''s where you''re wrong." His smile got wider. "She''s a dual-casting mage. And she learned it all on her own too. Aah, my cute little sister is really amazing, isn''t she?" He now grinned. He really is proud of his sister. But Dual Casting¡­ I want that. No, I need that if one day I''m going to fight against the Magocracy once again. ¡°...Then, I¡¯ll take up on your offer.¡± "Excellent! Tomorrow morning, I''ll hand you the introductory letter. But tonight¡­" Suddenly, he clapped his hands twice. Immediately a hobbit maid entered into the room, standing near the doorway. It was the same hobbit that he told to leave when we arrived. "Janet, why don''t you lead our guests here to one of our guest rooms? Give them the best one¡ªthe one right next to the gardens. And tell the chef to cook them a full course meal." "Certainly, Milord." She bowed. "Apologies, but you two arrived on such a late hour that we already had our dinner. So the food would have to be delivered to your room instead." "We would prefer that." And with that, it was decided that we would stay here for the night. ------ I grabbed Erika''s little hand and guided her forward, following the hobbit maid in front of me. It didn''t take long until we reached our room. It was indeed a luxurious one, fit for a Marquis or a Duke. The bed was large, and there was more than enough space for us to sleep together on it. Our dinner was a complete five star dinner in every aspect, from presentation to taste. Even Erika in her current condition couldn''t resist finishing her plate. I too ate a lot that night, to the point that I shamefully burped at the end. Erika finally mustered a smile from that though. And I would be perfectly willing to burp a thousand times if it could make her return to her cheerful self. We slept together, naturally. Unfortunately, once again, nightmares assaulted her in her sleep, resulting in her wetting the bed once again. Thankfully, the maid that came to invite us to breakfast didn''t seem to mind at all. She even offered us to take a bath to clean, which we took, of course. And, as if we were royal guests, they also helped cleaning us in the baths. I couldn''t help but blush, as I had to bare my naked body to a group of strangers I knew nothing about. Erika, however, was more averse to being touched by people she didn''t know, so I had to be the one washing her. We then went straight to breakfast afterwards, after the maids dressed us up in the clothes given by the Baron. At first, I said no, as we really had no need for fancy dresses like these, but the head maid won us over, saying that it would help getting a higher price for the objects we were about to sell. "Miss, it helps being thought of as one of the higher class if you go to fancy stores like that. And looking at how beautiful you two are, you definitely can pull off the "noble lady" look just fine!" She smiled as she put on my gloves. I sighed once I looked at myself in the mirror. I really am not suited for this kind of clothing. Erika though, it perfectly suits her. If only she would smile with it¡­ We were then escorted to the dining room by the maid, where the Baron already waited. Well, him, and who I assume to be his wife and daughter. The moment I sat, the daughter gave me a glare. ...Oh no. It was clear as day that the Baron wasn''t getting along with his wife and daughter in the slightest. They barely talked with each other, and the latter two kept sending me dirty looks. They probably think I''m his mistress or something. I didn''t bother correcting this misunderstanding though. I knew better than to shove myself into the crossfire. He did introduce us, as the daughters of a friend, but they didn''t seem to buy it. After we finished, he told me to visit him back at his study, which we promptly did. "Here. The letter." I took it from his hand and stored it inside my dimensional storage right away. "Ah, how convenient." He commented. "Much better than lugging a bag around." He then told me the address of his little sister''s mansion. Thankfully, it was right at the capital city, so there was no need for us to take a long detour. ¡°You could go there right away the moment you arrive at the city. There would be no need for you to pretty yourself up first in an inn. That letter says you are my honored guest, and you have an urgent need to meet with the court magician as promptly as possible. They would receive you kindly and you would be able to rest there until she returns from her duties,¡± he explained. "Also, the address of the jeweler that would give a good price for your *ahem* goods. Or should I accompany you instead?¡± ¡°There would be no need for that.¡± I replied. ¡°You¡¯ve already done too much for us, Lord Eriol.¡± I gave a little curtsy. After all the hospitality he had displayed, I couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for not addressing him in the proper manner. ¡°Oh please, I despite formalities like that.¡± He made a sweeping motion with his hand. ¡°I might be a ruling baron, but deep down, I¡¯m still just a vulgar adventurer that loves women too much.¡± He grinned. I can already guess why his family despised him so. ¡°At the very least, let my driver take the reins of your stagecoach so you would arrive with style to the jewelry shop. It wouldn¡¯t do to let a young lady like you to be the one directing the horses now, would it?¡± Once again, I reluctantly agreed. ------ Like we were daughters of a noble, or a rich merchant with servants, Erika and I sat together inside the carriage while the baron¡¯s man drove us to the jeweler. It didn¡¯t take long for us to arrive, and, like a true aristocrat, our door was opened by him and he offered his hand to help us descend. ¡°Oh, welcome! Welcome! What can this humble personage help you with today, Miss?¡± The shopkeeper immediately greeted us with a bow. He was an elderly man, but I could tell just from how his eyes sharpened the moment we came in, he was a shrewd and cunning merchant. ¡°I would like to sell for a fair price,¡± I answered, reciting the cover story the baron had suggested to me. ¡°Father believed it was time for me to start learning how to manage our household¡¯s finances so he sent me to sell the jewelries, plates, and cups that we no longer need.¡± Like the baron suggested, I was to keep eye contact with him at all times. Even if I might be a mere 15 year old girl, I must be as imposing and regal as a 25-year old adult. ¡°Very well,¡± he replied. ¡°Then please, if you would, Miss¡­¡± The transaction went smoothly. I took out all the goods I was to sell on his long table, earning a clear awe on his face. After letting him examine them all for several minutes, I then asked, ¡°How much?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­ they are certainly quite ornate, and I could confirm that the gems were real¡­ I would take them off your hands for 100 gold coins, Miss.¡± And there he goes. Lying on the price. I had shown the goods to the baron, and he said that I should at least get 200 gold coins for them. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s regrettable. My father wouldn¡¯t be happy in the slightest if I sold them for a mere 100 gold coins.¡± I returned with a smile. ¡°Always keep smiling as you bargain¡±, the baron has told me. ¡°Then, I would have to take my business elsewhere.¡± ¡°O-oh, a-apologies. It seems my eyes have gotten bad lately. These should be 150 coins instead, Miss.¡± ¡°150? I believe I can sell them for 300, if I was in a bigger, more respectable establishment. Alas, Aarom is a small city. It¡¯s nowhere near as prosperous as the capital.¡± And there I said it, a slight, indirect insult. That¡¯s how you¡¯re supposed to badmouth the people you don¡¯t like in the world of nobles. ¡°200! I¡¯ll take them for 200!¡± ¡°Very well.¡± I decided, still maintaining my dispassionate smile. ¡°I have decided to be generous. This shop certainly could use some renovations and I would love if you would use the profits you earn when you resell those trifles towards such design.¡± And that¡¯s how you do it. ------- Afterwards, with the fresh pouch of 200 gold coins safely stored in my pocket dimension, I returned back outside and climbed back into the carriage with Erika on tow. I was thankful that she remained silent throughout the whole exchange. The deal was for the driver to take us outside of town, before we resumed our journey on our own. So, after making sure that all the curtains were closed, we began to change back out of these stuffy dresses into our loose dresses more suited for the long trip we were about to endure. After I undressed myself, with only my green panties and bra remaining, I helped Erika change out of her clothes as she naturally struggled with it. Only after she was well-dressed again that I wore my white one-piece and green light jacket again. It wasn¡¯t easy, changing in the middle of a moving carriage like this. ¡°Here we are, Miss,¡± the driver announced, before climbing down from his seat and opening the door. ¡°Good luck and may the Saint be with you two.¡± He gave a deep bow after he took off his hat. And just like that, we were alone on our own once more. ¡°Well, Erika?¡± I smiled at the blonde girl. ¡°Ready for a journey to the capital?¡± Vol 2 Chapter 14: Marina’s Side — To Be Treated Like An Aristrocrat Our trip to the capital, Ortessa, took us just under a month or so. The road there wasn¡¯t easy. Multiple times we were assaulted by bandits or monsters. Unlike the Magocracy, Marchen¡¯s roads didn¡¯t seem to be as well-maintained as it could be. I dispatched them easily however, by just summoning my owlbear. I didn¡¯t even need to cast any spells. Poor Erika, however, was so terrified of them that I was afraid it would turn into a trauma. I had to calm her down, saying that she had nothing to fear as her big sister was here, protecting her. Eventually though, she started to grow used to it, hearing the roars of monsters or the jeers of bandits and the screams they would let out once I unleashed my owlbear at them. For a three year old to be used by them though, I couldn¡¯t help but feel something was lost in the process. This trip¡­ it might just ruin her childhood innocence. Another thing she was getting used to was our parents¡¯ deaths. She no longer had nightmares of them, resulting in dry bedsheets once again. However, instead of being happy and proud that she no longer needed her nighttime diapers, she remained silent. She was like that through most of the trip, staring to the distance with a melancholic look on her face. It broke my heart seeing her like that. I tried to cheer her up many times, resulting in the occasional smiles and even laughs, but she quickly returned to her somber self. I couldn¡¯t blame her. Even I, who was already an adult, felt this constant hollowness in my heart that erased whatever smiles I might make. I only smiled at Erika these days, and some of it was forced, just to cheer her up. And on top of all that, there was still something else that made me worry about her. And that was the fact that she seemed to grow hateful towards Hugo. She would compare me to him, saying how I was here protecting her while Hugo ran away. She even started to call him a coward. And a pervert as well. To my horror, she somehow knew of the fact that he kept my panties and Sherry¡¯s in a box. ¡°Erika, it¡¯s not like that. Sherry and I gave our panties willingly to him. He didn¡¯t steal them from us. And he might have run away but it¡¯s just because his kind heart blamed himself for Father and Mother¡¯s death.¡± I tried to persuade her. ¡°He promised¡­ he promised he would keep them safe¡­¡± Her voice shook. ¡°And yet¡­ and yet after he failed, instead of apologizing to me, he ran away instead. Mother always said to keep your promises, and Father always said to apologize immediately if you¡¯ve done something wrong. And he doesn¡¯t do any of them!¡± She ended with a shout. ¡°Erika, you have to understand, Hugo is¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re just defending him because you love him!¡± she continued, unabated. ¡°That¡¯s why you gave him your panties! And that¡¯s why Sherry gave hers as well!¡± ¡°Of course I love him!¡± I shouted back. ¡°I love him just like I love you! He¡¯s my dear little brother and you¡¯re my dear little sister! I don¡¯t want to hear you badmouthing him like this!¡± ¡°You¡¯re blind, Sis! Mother said that when I got older, I shouldn¡¯t be blinded by love like the heroine from The Fall of Princess Lilum! And that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing right now! You don¡¯t see his glaring flaws like I do!¡± The Fall of Princess Lilum was a book about a stubborn princess who falls in love with a bard that serenaded her with love letters and poems. She ignored every single advice she got, from her father, her tutor, her maid, and even her stable boy, that the bard wasn¡¯t to be trusted. She eloped with said bard, only to end up being murdered by him as he was revealed to be an assassin from a neighboring, conflicting country. It was yet another moralistic tale that scared children to listen to their elders. I didn¡¯t know why Mother decided to read it to her. Or maybe she read it by herself and then went to Mother to ask about it afterwards? But to compare Hugo to a man that played with a young girl¡¯s heart like that, I couldn¡¯t just take it lying down. ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡± Before I realized it, I started to shout back. ¡°Hugo has worked hard to save me! If not for him, then I wouldn¡¯t be here with you! I would still be there, up on that cold mountain back at the Magocracy! He might have his flaws but we all do!¡± ¡°Then admit that he¡¯s a pervert and a coward!¡± she responded with passion. ¡°I won¡¯t! He¡¯s a brave little gentleman! He¡¯s just too kindhearted for his own good, that¡¯s all!¡± I shouted back, giving my own passionate reply. In the end, the argument never got resolved, with each of us staying stubborn to our own versions of him. It led to a silent strike by her for a few days. And after that, I decided never to bring up the subject again. Erika is a stubborn girl, just like me and Mother. The only way she¡¯s going to love her brother back if he actually appears right in front of her and begs her for forgiveness. I have no doubt her hardening heart would melt once he does. You really are an idiot, Hugo, by running away like that... --------- Ortessa was located right beside a large lake called by the same name. It pooled water from the Gordillis Peaks and then sent it down towards the southern coast. The locals would use it mostly as a recreational spot, with wealthy people building villas and summer houses there. Ortessa itself was a walled city, and a heavily populated one. Although compared to Mira, I think it''s still smaller in size. Erika insisted to sit beside me once we approached the city. I couldn''t blame her. The city, the lake, and the surrounding plains¡ªall made for a really good scenery. "Look, Sis! It''s a lake!" She pointed while laughing, her blonde hair swaying on the wind. Oh Erika. I smiled, patting her on the head. You really are like an adorable little angel when you are cheerful like this. We entered the city without a hitch, and we headed straight to the address the Baron had given to me. I decided to trust him in the end. After all, he was Father¡¯s friend, and I could tell that he was genuinely upset by his death. And the way his maids talked about him, even if he might have an odd hobby of collecting hobbit maids like that, he was a kind person. And besides, I also wished to meet with this Glinda. If she truly disliked the Magocracy like the baron said, then I believe the baron wanted me to make an alliance of sorts with her. One day, I would clash with the Magocracy once more. And when that day came, if I could obtain her support, it would be a great boon to me. Especially if she could mobilize Marchen as a whole to stand against that nation. A relationship built on fear couldn¡¯t last for long. And the way the Magocracy had operated, with how they destroyed Ledo, I have no doubt there are elements in Marchen that would want to see the Magocracy weakened. The mansion was located right outside the castle. A nifty arrangement for the court mage, I suppose, allowing her to go home whenever she wanted. A pair of guards stood before the closed gate, halting the carriage. "Greetings." I gave them a salute. "I have business with Lady Glinda Fernwood. And I already have an introduction letter from her older brother, Baron Eriol Fernwood.¡± I handed them the letter. At first, they didn''t believe me. But the moment they saw the seal and read its content, their attitude changed 180 degrees. They immediately apologized for stopping us before opening the gate, allowing us to enter. One of them also ran inside in a rush, no doubt to send a message to the other servants that we were coming. After passing through the gate, which were quickly closed behind us, we were greeted by the sight of a garden. Not too large but definitely well-kept. I guided the horses on the paved road, taking care that they didn''t munch on any of the hedge fences. I stopped the carriage near the front door before a valet took it to be parked in the stables. We were greeted by a dark-haired man with a goatee. If I had to guess, he was in his thirties. He introduced himself as Alec, the head butler of the establishment. "Welcome, Miss." He bowed with his right hand placed on his left chest. "Please, follow me.¡± He led us inside the mansion. As usual, Erika kept her hand interlocked with mine. We first entered the vestibule, a small room with well-furnished sofas placed to the left and right, no doubt intended to be used by visitors as they waited for the receiving servant to call them in. Just from the existence of this room, I could sense the difference between the baron and his little sister. The baron welcomed visitors, while the court mage seemed to be more of the reserved type, preferring visitors to not enter her domain unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary. Or maybe I was just overthinking it, and this was just how the mansion was when the king gave it to her. We didn¡¯t stop here though. We continued inside into the main hall, where there was a large and elegant spiral staircase going upwards. It nearly reminded me of Vera¡¯s mansion, only that the stairs there were straight. ¡°I have read the letter,¡± the butler said as we walked. ¡°And so you might use one of our guest rooms to rest. No doubt it had been a long and tiring trip, all the way from Lord Eriol¡¯s place.¡± I nodded. ¡°Then, please don¡¯t hesitate to employ the maids I have assigned there. Ask them anything you wish if it would make your stay more comfortable. The mistress would most likely join you in the evening, after she finished her duties at the castle. Do not fret. I have sent a messenger to her.¡± I guess we¡¯re going to get pampered like nobles once more. How funny. It¡¯s as if we go back and forth from being rich to being poor and then being rich again. ¡°Oh, I would have to ask for Miss to not traverse anywhere on the second and third floor. Mistress Glinda is very particular that no one should ever go there unless they have obtained expressed permission from her first.¡± He bowed again. Second and third floor? I guess as a mage, she might have an alchemy laboratory there. Or a library filled with her personal research. And naturally, her bedroom would be there too. I wouldn¡¯t want any stranger to just waltz into my personal rooms like that as well. He then led me to the east wing of the mansion, to where the guest rooms were located. They didn¡¯t seem to be vacated. I always wondered why aristocrats and wealthy people in general would have so many empty rooms like this. Feels like a waste to me. The moment we entered however, we saw a sight that completely took us off-guard. A butt. There was a butt hanging on mid-air. A small yet ample butt, clad in yellow and white stripes. I looked away and saw that it belonged to a girl dressed in a maid uniform. She was busy cleaning the back of the sofa, to the point that she had to bend over extremely like that, so that she could reach the very bottom with her duster. But the fact that she was standing on the sofa, thankfully with her white socks, leaving her black shoes on the carpet, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this girl wasn¡¯t that bright in the head. ¡°Uwawawawa, it¡¯s so far¡­ I can¡¯t reach it¡­¡± S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thanks to her skirt being uncharastically short, she was flashing her panties at us. And she didn¡¯t seem to notice our presence either. ¡°Heydel!¡± ¡°Kyaahh!¡± The girl yelped, and it led to her actually falling down headfirst into the gap between the wall and the sofa in the most comical manner. ¡°H-help! I-I can¡¯t get out!¡± Her legs were now flying up and down, back and forth, as she tried to free herself. ¡°Merkel! Fantina! Where in the blazes are you two?¡± He yelled again. ¡°Yeess, coming~¡± A melodious feminine voice replied inside the door on the other end of the room. Even though he said this was a guest room, this was pretty much a small suite as it had a living room, the one we were currently in, and the bedroom, which should be just beyond that door. ¡°C-coming!¡± This time around, the voice sounded much more timid than the other two. In the meantime, the butler rescued the stuck maid from her precarious position by pulling her legs. He didn''t seem to care in the slightest that the maid was flashing her undergarments to him. A mature adult like him probably already has a lover or even a wife. A young girl like her wouldn''t excite him in the slightest. Soon enough, two other maids popped out from the inner room. Leading the charge was a black-haired girl, all happy and smiling. Behind her was a brown-haired girl, looking as if she was about to be executed. In many ways they were opposite of each other, including even their bodies. The black-haired one was a slim, well-endowed young lady, while the brown-haired one was short and pudgy. ¡°Why did you two leave Heydel alone? She just embarrassed all of us in front of our visitor!¡± The head butler resumed his yelling. Gone was his calm demeanor from just a few moments ago, vanishing to the wind. "P-please don''t scold them! I-it''s my fault, Mr. Alec!" The clumsy maid bowed as far as she could. She had short brown hair similar to her pudgy friend, only hers was lighter. Unlike the other two, her maid skirt only reached down to her upper knees, which led to the unfortunate display from before. Accompanying that was a pair of white socks that reached up her thighs. If I had to say, clumsy girl here was about 12 or so, while her two friends were around my age, with the slim one slightly older. Noticing me, she let out a small ¡°Eek!¡± before bowing towards me as well. ¡°P-please forgive me for my unsightly display, Miss!¡± I sighed, before replying with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Accidents happen after all.¡± I really wasn¡¯t insulted in the slightest by her showing her unmentionables like that. I wasn¡¯t a prude after all. When a girl wore skirts, she would no doubt show her panties from time to time. Even long skirts could still be blown up in the wind if it¡¯s strong enough. As a fellow skirt wearer, I would be a liar if I hadn¡¯t caught short once in a while. In her case though, it was not the wind to blame but her own clumsiness. Seeing my indifferent reaction seemed to have calmed down the head butler as well. However, it didn¡¯t stop him from asking me to give him some time to discipline the three before letting them serve me, so I let him ¡°borrow¡± them for a short while. I hoped he wouldn¡¯t be too harsh on them. Tired after a long trip, I didn¡¯t hesitate to rest my body on the soft and fluffy bed, with Erika beside me. ¡°Sis¡­ we¡¯re going to have those three around when we¡¯re here?¡± she asked with a look that said she would rather have them stand outside instead. I smiled as I patted her head, playing with her hair that had grown longer ever since we departed from home. ¡°You don¡¯t like maids, Erika?¡± ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t wanna be dressed and bathed. I can do it by myself¡­¡± Of course, I already knew that was the case. It was the same with the maids back at the baron¡¯s house. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t like it much either. But just like before, we¡¯ll only be staying here for a short while. I¡¯ll meet the mistress of this mansion and then we¡¯ll be back on our way. Just think of this as a luxury inn we¡¯re staying in, alright?¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± She nodded reluctantly. We stayed like that for a while, with Erika snuggling to me, until a knock sounded on the door. ¡°Miss!¡° It was the voice of the clumsy maid. She was both yelling and whispering at the same time. ¡°May we come in?¡± I imagined if I said nothing, they would just leave us on our own, probably in the belief that we were resting. You would be a bad maid if you interrupt your master¡¯s rest after all. "Yes, please come," I replied, sitting up, to Erika''s dismay. She was starting to get sleepy, and was just about to slumber to dreamland when this rude interruption happened. The three maids entered, and they immediately bowed in unison, apologizing for the incident from before. "Haven''t I told you that it''s fine?" I replied. "Please, lift your heads. I''m just a passerby. I would leave quite soon enough." The three then proceeded to introduce themselves. "And I''m¡ª" I stopped myself. I don''t think it''s wise for me to use my real name. "You can call me Clarisse. And this little one is Sharon." "But I''m not¡ª" "Shh¡­" I immediately stopped Erika from correcting me with a whisper. "We''re playing pretend now." Thankfully, the three maids didn¡¯t sense that there was anything amiss. After giving their introductions, they then asked whether we needed anything. I replied with a no, and told them that we wished to rest and not to be disturbed. And with that, the three of them retreated, leaving Erika and I to our comfortable solitude once more. Vol 2 Chapter 15: Marina’s Side — A Dinner With A Court Mage We ended up sleeping through the afternoon, only waking up when it was time for our dinner, thanks to our maids. Just like Alec told us, Glinda had already arrived from the castle, and she was willing to talk with us over dinner. Or, to be exact, we were woken up one hour before dinner, as they wanted to bathe us first. Just like at the mansion of the baron, this place also had its own bathing house. And we were immediately escorted there. Or rather, ¡°herded¡± there as they seemed to be so terribly excited to give us a good cleaning, to the point that I couldn¡¯t help to smell myself a little, just to check whether we actually had an unpleasant smell all this time. Nope. I smell perfectly fine. I¡¯m not like one of those bad-odored adventurers we met on the road. I always insist on taking a bath at least once every day. Thankfully, it¡¯s really easy to do so when you can cast water magic. Though I have to say, taking baths in rivers or just pouring myself with water in the bushes was certainly something I had to get used to. But that¡¯s the sacrifice I have to make in order to keep myself clean. And Erika¡¯s as well, naturally. I used my dryad and fairy to watch the surroundings, making sure that there aren¡¯t any peeping toms around. A mundane use for summons, I imagine, but they seem glad doing the role. Throughout the process, in which we were thoroughly cleaned by them, I took note that the three were clearly good friends with each other. Heydel, the clumsy one, was the most chatty of them all, followed closely by Merkel, who loved to throw a banter back and forth with her. I could sense that the latter seemed to consider the former as her little sister, and so she teased her a lot. Fantina was the quietest one, too timid to be really joining in with their banter. But from the way she smiled watching them, I could tell that she was perfectly happy that way. Heydel bombarded me with questions about the eastern frontier where I came from. I answered as much as I could to her satisfaction, without disclosing any information that could divine my real identity. I didn¡¯t opt to ask about her however. Instead, I asked about Glinda instead. I wished to know as much as I could about my host before I met her. ¡°Lady Glinda is the best! She''s so nice and kind and pretty and thanks to her, I can wear this cute dress all day!" She gestured proudly at her maid uniform. Oh, by the way, the reason why she''s the only one wearing a short skirt was because she kept tripping with the long version worn by the other two. She actually ended up knocking over an expensive vase thanks to that and since then, she was allowed to wear a shorter skirt over the others. Didn''t really stop the clumsy girl from tripping on our way to the bathhouse though, showing off her striped underwear once again. After staying in the heated, perfumed water for a while, it was time for us to be scrubbed. To my surprise, Erika actually let somebody else do it to her other than me. It was Fantina, and she somehow managed to convince her to let her do it. I, on the other hand, was scrubbed by both Heydel and Merkel. The former had my back while the latter had my front. "Woow, Miss Clarisse¡ªYou have such beautiful and smooth skin. I can''t help but be jealous a little!" Merkel spoke with a smile as she lifted my left arm before scrubbing it with her wet towel. "What''s your secret, Miss? Some magical skincare product from the Magocracy?" After realizing that I was willing to engage in a conversation with Heydel, it seemed she was now brave enough to start one as well. "Nothing," I replied. "I just take a bath every day, that''s all." I answered frankly. "See, Heydel? This is why you shouldn''t be lazy in taking baths, you know. Lady Glinda is already nice enough to allow her maids to have our own bathing house." "Oh, she does?" I asked. That took me by surprise. "Yes!" She smiled with excitement in her eyes. "She told us that she wants us to clean up after a long day of work, so she built us our own bathhouse near our dormitory. It wasn''t there before, and she paid workers to build it with her own money! Isn''t she amazing?" "I see¡­" I gave a little smile. Yet more reason to think that she''s not a bad person. Merkel and Heydel continued to clean me up, with Heydel moving to my hair while Merkel left my arms for my chest. And to my embarrassment, I nearly let out a moan as she pressed my breasts in the process. They had only gotten bigger and more sensitive as I got older. I just hope that they wouldn''t end up being as big and heavy as Mother''s. No loose dress could hide their size anymore then. I really don''t understand how some women are bold enough to wear outfits that made their chest noticeable. My gaze wandered over to Merkel''s chest. I could notice her ample breasts swaying ever so slightly under her uniform as she moved. I sighed. That is exactly what I don''t want to do. Mother had the same problem as well. I know she said I should be proud of my breasts, but I really don¡¯t have any plans to impress a man with them. After what Vera did, I had lost my desire completely. I no longer felt the need to touch myself down there. I suppose this is what you would call trauma, but it¡¯s the kind of trauma that I¡¯m perfectly fine with. It just means I no longer have unnecessary distractions. Especially not when I have to sleep with Erika every night. I used to have a desire to fall in love with someone as well, but that too had disappeared. Once we finished, we returned back to our rooms wearing bathrobes, while our clothes would be washed by the maids. Back in our rooms, I took out the dresses that were given to us by the baron. I thought for dinner with an important personage like a court mage, we should dress more respectably. And of course, the trio helped us on the difficult trial that was putting them on. As the maids put on the final touches, we heard a knock on the door. It was Alec, coming here to inform us that her lady was ready to receive us. ------------ The dining room was a lavish one. It was a large and long rectangular room, filled with suits of armor to the left and right. Swords and spears were hung on the wall, a display more than a weapon. There were also paintings of flowers and birds and nature in general, juxtapositioned against the warlike nature of the other decorations. A group of maids and butlers stood on the sides, ready to pull out our chairs and refill our glasses. They would also place our food on our plates from the wide selection available on the long table, so we wouldn¡¯t have to reach forward. And I was pretty sure if we asked, they would even wipe our mouths. And in the middle of all that was our host, Glinda Fernwood. She sat on the tall chair on the end of the long table, signifying her position as the head of the house. My first impression of her was that she was a beautiful, if a little outrageously dressed, woman, with long light brown hair that went down to her waist and probably even more (I couldn¡¯t really be sure since she was sitting). She wore a long and flowing deep blue dress that changed color to light green at the edges. The dress was bold, showing off her left leg all the way to her upper thigh. And accompanying that was a sizable bosom, with nearly half of it not covered in the slightest. Her eyes were violet, a rare color that only few had if you were a human. And then, sitting beside her, there was another woman. She was dressed less flashy, with dark shirt and brown tight-fitting trousers, with what looked to be a rapier attached to her hip. Wait, who is she? I didn¡¯t voice my concern of the presence of this other woman here however. At least, not immediately. Instead, I opted to take the seat across her, with Erika sitting to the left of me. Of course, considering her height, she was given a booster so she could eat comfortably with the rest of us. ¡°Greetings,¡± the court mage first spoke with a smile, placing her chin on her hands while her elbows rested on the table. ¡°Should we begin with some formalities or would you rather get straight to the point?¡± ¡°I would like the latter, if you would,¡± I replied. ¡°Very well. Leave us.¡± With that one command, all the maids and butlers who were standing immediately evacuated the room. Once there were only us and us alone in the room, she began. ¡°So, that letter,¡± she spoke, as she looked towards my direction with extreme interest. ¡°My brother said you have something interesting to say to me. Would you mind telling me all about it?" "I would, but I''d rather do it in private, if you don''t mind," I replied, giving a look towards the other woman. "Oh, don''t mind her," the court mage replied. "She''s a co-worker of mine. And she''s also interested in what you have to say. And don''t worry. She dislikes them as well." The woman herself didn''t say anything. She merely took a sip of her tea. "...Very well. I will decide to trust you on the matter." And so I told them everything. My true identity, how I ended up being a victim of the Magocracy, how my family took down Vera, and how I was now a fugitive. I hid the part where I was drugged. It''s unnecessary information that I didn''t want to talk about. I did tell them that Vera wanted me to marry her grandson, which was the whole reason for the kidnapping. I also told her that I was frozen and unconscious when the fight happened, so I didn''t know anything on the matter. I am not going to tell them of Hugo''s genius. There''s no good reason why I should. When I finished, the court mage was in complete disbelief. The other woman was as well. And she was the first one to break the silence. "So the information I got was true¡­ Vera Marjoram is dead¡­" "And to think her end would be met not by an army, but by just one single family¡­" the court mage followed. "I know Alan Greenwood. He and his wife, Renee, were ex S-rank adventurers, along with Myrilla Nerthusia, a Nerthus demoness. Myrilla wasn''t with them, correct?" The other woman asked. "Yes," I replied. "She had already returned to the Demon Continent years ago." "I know nothing about your little brother though. You said he was part of the rescue. And he was just ten years old? And where is he now? Shouldn''t he be with you?" ¡°Calm down, Arya. You¡¯re being too pushy,¡± Glinda interrupted, giving her a warning look. So her name is Arya... I should take note of that. ¡°A-ah, apologies.¡± She looked back towards me after glancing momentarily to her co-worker. ¡°I believe I should introduce myself first. I am Arya Cordova, the spymaster of the Marchen Kingdom. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Marina Greenwood.¡± She put her hand in the middle of her small breasts. ¡°Spymaster?¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°I am the one in charge of gathering information of anything and everything that might be a threat to this kingdom,¡± she explained, as if I didn¡¯t know what the word meant. ¡°And that includes the Magocracy, naturally. In fact, I would say that it¡¯s the biggest threat to our kingdom right now. Which is why I¡¯m here. I wish for you to tell everything you know. It¡¯s been a really long time since a Council member actually got assassinated, you know. The Ledo Kingdom tried all those years ago and look at where they¡¯re at now. Ha! How ironic that it was Vera¡¯s own folly that led to her downfall.¡± ¡°Is Marchen not getting along well with the Magocracy?¡± I asked. From what she just said, it¡¯s as if it would just be a matter of time before the Magocracy came and destroyed this country as well.¡± ¡°Hmm, I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± she replied, folding her arms. ¡°We get along well for now. Or rather, we wish to get along well with them. Because we know the consequences of not doing so. We¡¯re not like the Holy Empire who can face them head on." "So you stood no chance whatsoever against them." "Nope. Nilch. Nada." She shrugged. "Too many unbelievably strong mages. Which is why I''m surprised your family actually managed to kill one of them. Do you have any idea how they did it? I mean, I knew your parents were strong, but not that strong. And they actually brought a young boy to the fight too." Suddenly, her eyes lit up for a moment, before giving me a suspicious look. "Your little brother¡­ is he possibly some kind of prodigy, either in swordsmanship or magic? Is that why your parents brought him along?¡± Tch, she¡¯s sharp. But that¡¯s just to be expected from a spymaster, I suppose. ¡°Apologies, but I would rather not talk about him. I''m only here to talk with Glinda about the Magocracy," I replied as politely as possible. "I see." She smiled. "You''re protecting him, aren''t you? How wonderful. That''s how a big sister should be. Honestly, even if he''s somehow miraculously equal in strength to Vera¡ªa ten year old equal to that old hag, imagine that!¡ªit still wouldn''t be enough to survive an invasion from the Magocracy. Just one person wouldn''t be enough. We need more." Suddenly, she stood up. "I''ll leave you two alone for now. You''d prefer that, wouldn''t you?" "Yes, if you would," I answered in complete frankness. "Good." She yawned. "I''m tired. Got so much work to do today. Glinda, I''ll take the usual room." And so, she nonchalantly left, leaving only us two and Glinda. "Sorry about that," the court mage spoke once her friend vanished. "She can be too blunt at times." "I don''t mind," I replied. "It''s her job after all." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "So," She poured tea to her now empty cup. "What do you wish to accomplish by meeting me? Or are you just doing it because my brother told you to?" "Mostly the latter," I answered her honestly. "I am interested to hear what you say about the Magocracy. I heard that you dislike them and I wish to know the reason why. Also, if you have any information on them, I would like to hear it as well." "Dislike, huh?" She chuckled. "You know, I used to attend their academy, just like you. Aah, I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was sent all the way there by my overbearing parents. After my dear big brother¡ª" I noticed the sarcasm in her words. "¡ªfound it a good idea to run away from home and become an adventurer, the expectations of the Fernwood Family all crashed down onto me. Knowing that I was talented at magic, they sent me there, hoping that I could be where I am now, a royal mage." "And that experience led you to dislike them?" I asked. "I guess you can say that," she replied with a wry grin. "I used to have a friend there. Or rather, who I thought was a friend. Selendia was her name." "Selendia?" My eyes widened with shock. "You mean that Selendia?" "Yes, the one and only." Her gaze drifted away. "She was already being called a genius back in the day. Reached Master-level before even graduating. And then inventing the improved Rainstorm spell that was now commonly used all over. And of course, she was popular as well. How couldn¡¯t she be? She was beautiful in every sense of the word. The boys swooned over her while the girls admired her.¡± Beautiful? I think I remember Hugo, who has met her, describing her as such. Beautiful but terrifying at the same time. And she had used Vera¡¯s death as an opportunity to steal whatever magic knowledge she might have. And leaving me with a ¡°generous¡± headstart so I could escape before the rest of the Magocracy knew what my family just did. Most likely, she¡¯s the person who sent that letter. It wasn¡¯t done out of good will, but to use my family in the off chance that they could kill Vera. Perhaps they didn¡¯t get along in the Council. Power struggles like that are commonplace, after all. But she also let me go. Is it truly an act of kindness from her part, or is it just another one of her schemes? ¡°And you?¡± I asked, deciding to put my thoughts on her for a later date. ¡°Me? Why, I am just a foreign noble. I am not that smart or skilled in magic, especially compared to her. But somehow, she became a good friend of mine. She let me into her inner circle, filled with her other admirers and retainers, of other, less powerful mage families in the Magocracy. She even taught me magic from time to time. Perhaps thanks to that, I managed to graduate with a Master-level spell in my belt. Just before that, right in the final months, she asked me to be part of her household once I graduated, just like the other members of her clique.¡± ¡°Which is where all of it fell apart, if I had to guess.¡± I spoke up. With a grim smile, she nodded. ¡°Yes. She asked me once. I told her that I preferred being back at Marchen. She then asked me again. I told her that I didn¡¯t want to betray my country and family. She then asked her again. And I told her the real, true reason why I couldn¡¯t go with her.¡± ¡°And that reason was¡­?¡± To my surprise, her face immediately turned crimson as she looked away. ...Oh dear, I think I can already guess what it might be. Vol 2 Chapter 16: Marina’s Side — A Discussion With A Court Mage ¡°I-I can¡¯t tell you that,¡± Glinda replied, still all red from my question. ¡°It¡¯s all stories of the past anyways.¡± ¡°...Is it something relating to love?¡± I only made such a brazen hypothesis because of her blush. I knew very well what that blush was. It was the blush of a girl in love, even if she was far too old to be called a girl. I had seen it multiple times back at the academy, when my classmates talked about the boys they liked (I never joined in such conversations, naturally). To think that I would find it again on a woman in her thirties like her, it took me completely off guard. ¡°Y-you know, if I¡¯m going to tell you this, you have to promise not to tell anyone,¡± she said, still blushing. ¡°Of course,¡± I replied with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be gone the next morning anyway.¡± I didn¡¯t know why but I was suddenly fascinated by her little secret. Perhaps it¡¯s true that girls always fancy any topics relating to love. ¡°Fine.¡± She sighed. ¡°I used to¡­ I used to have a crush on the crown prince.¡± What. ¡°You see, I met Prince Albert a few times before I was sent to the academy. And I was immediately charmed by his gallantry, even though he was younger than me. In my heart, I promised that I would learn to be the best court mage that I could be. And perhaps, even make myself worthy enough to be his wife.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Ah, what a silly childhood romance that was. When I returned, he was already happily engaged with another noble girl. And both of them loved each other so much, to the point that I decided to just bury my feelings altogether. And today, they were both happily married in a blissful relationship that I wouldn¡¯t dare to tread upon. The prince is a good man. He wouldn¡¯t betray the love of his life for some other women. A lot of people in his position would sleep around with maids and the like, you know. And that¡¯s why I¡¯m perfectly content serving him and his father. They were always kind to me, both him and his wife.¡± The expression of sadness was clear on her face. There was no doubt that it was genuine love she was experiencing towards him. But I, not being a foolish romantic, decided not to tell her to confess. What would it gain, other than causing unnecessary suffering? The prince¡¯s wife would never look at her the same way again if she realizes that she¡¯s after her beloved husband. And the good prince would suffer, knowing that he inadvertently had abandoned a girl that liked him to the cold. And Glinda herself could be entrapped in a scandal that led her to being demoted off her position. Unrequited love happens. It¡¯s the way of the world. There¡¯s no Goddess of Love that makes sure each of us has our own romantic pair with no overlapping. ¡°Do you have a husband yourself?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Ha, I sure hope I do,¡± she replied in a surprisingly bitter manner. ¡°But I¡¯m getting too old for marriage anyway. All the ones interested are perverts and degenerates, wanting me just for my body or for my position. Or both.¡± So she doesn¡¯t have a man to replace him. I now genuinely feel bad for her. ¡°Anyway, enough about me. Let¡¯s return to Selendia. After I told her about it, she turned terribly cold, mocking me for being a fool, clinging into that reason when he didn¡¯t even know about my feelings. She was right, of course, like she always was.¡± She paused for another dry smile. ¡°And then, she turned cruel. She banished me off her inner circle, and told me to my face that I was an ungrateful little whelp and that she regretted doing all the nice things she had done towards me.¡± ¡°If I have to guess, she was just getting close to you only to use your talent.¡± I interjected. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she replied. ¡°We became friends right around when I was starting to get the top of the class in all of my subjects. She was the one to approach me.¡± She sighed. ¡°I was blind back then. I cried instead, begging her to take me back as her friend. But she refused, slapping and kicking me in the process. And every time I tried to get close to her, her clique, under her orders, would attack and humiliate me in retaliation.¡± Just like what Merinda did to me¡­ ¡°And so I woke up from the dream. I realized she cared nothing about me in the slightest. And that she was just using me from the start.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you dislike the Magocracy?¡± I asked, just as a confirmation. ¡°Such is the way of their kind. The ruling mage families are obsessed with power, one way or another. And I was to be part of their power, if I had joined them.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°On the outside, they might project themselves as an enlightened country, ruled by wise mages instead of corrupt nobles who had no real power and only sponged off the backs of their people. They could manipulate nature itself and improve the lives of their subjects. They would be benevolent rulers that truly cared about the weak.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s no bigger lie than that.¡± I finished her monologue. ---------- Afterwards, she called in the maids and butlers by ringing the bell she had in her possession. She told me that we should continue our discussion on her study later on, and that we should have our dinner, or else the food her servants had so painstakingly cooked would go cold. Her friend didn¡¯t return in the end. So she really was tired and it wasn¡¯t just an excuse to leave the two of us alone. Glinda ordered one of the serving maids to bring some of the food to her room later on. It was delicious, far different from the meals we had on the road. I decided to be thrift and ate in ordinary restaurants, not high-class ones that were much more expensive. We might have a lot of money right now but who knew the problems we would encounter on our road to Ferus. I ate quite a bit more than usual, and Erika was the same. She especially loved the noodles, asking the maid serving her for seconds a few times. And eating such delicious food clearly improved her mood, as she began to smile as she ate, which made me smile as well. If only Hugo could be here right now¡­ Erika finished with a burp, which earned a giggle from the court mage. ¡°Bring your little sister to bed first,¡± she told me after she cleaned her lips with a handkerchief. ¡°You then go to the second floor and to my study. Ask one of those three to take you there.¡± And by ¡°those three¡±, she could only mean the trio of maids assigned to me. ¡°Sis, you¡¯re not going to sleep with me tonight?¡± she asked, giving me that puppy-eyed look that was always so hard to resist. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Erika.¡± I patted her head. ¡°I¡¯ll join you before you know it. I just need to chat with Miss Glinda there a bit more.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± she agreed, though with a downcast expression.. ¡°Don¡¯t take too long, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back before you know it. I promise.¡± It would be good for her if she starts being able to sleep on her own again. In the end, she didn''t need me to accompany her back to our room. Heydel, who had been waiting just outside the room with her friends, was the one who received that honor. She and the others promised they would take care of her, and from what I had seen of them, I believe I could trust them. "Alright." Glinda smiled at me. "Follow me." And so I did, walking behind her as we went to the main hall and climbed the spiral staircase, going straight to said study on the second floor. We went down a dimly lit hallway, as there were only candles giving the much needed light, unlike the first floor which was bright and well-lit, thanks to the generous usage of shine stones. "Sorry about the dimness." She chuckled. "I prefer this part of the house to be like this at night. It always calms me down, being alone in half-darkness like this." We soon arrived at said study. It was both a study and a library, with rows and rows of bookcases filling the place up. And just like the hallway, it was dimly lit as well. "Here." She took her seat behind a table, filled with parchments and books, gesturing to me to sit on the other chair across. I sat on said chair, resting my hands on the armrests, surprised by how comfortable the cushion actually was. "So, resuming our discussion from before, if I might ask, where are you going now after this? Like we just had discussed, you and I both know that Marchen couldn¡¯t provide asylum for the two of you. At least, not a permanent one. I could arrange you a modest mansion on the boonies to the south for you to live in as a knight, just like your father. I¡¯m a noble, just like my brother after all. Thanks to my current position, I was also granted the title of Countess, though really, people just refer to me as the court mage. It¡¯s a more exclusive position after all.¡± She smiled. ¡°Do I have to answer that question?¡± I replied, perhaps more rudely than I wanted. ¡°I believe I have given you enough information already.¡± I didn¡¯t wish to give her more information than necessary, in case of her being coerced by the Magocracy¡¯s agents to spill the beans.¡± ¡°Hehe, clever girl.¡± She smiled instead of taking offense. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell them anything. Or rather, I would just concoct a lie of you going south instead. You¡¯re going through Duskglow Plains, right, since you¡¯re going to the northwest? If I have to guess¡­ Ferus. Your grandfather is there and it¡¯s so far away from the Magocracy that they couldn¡¯t really immediately be invaded, even if those mages wanted to. Not to mention that it¡¯s so close to the Holy Land and those guys would just love to have a good fight against them.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re right. We are going there.¡± There¡¯s no point in denying it anymore, I suppose. ¡°And do you already know who my grandfather is as well?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± She continued to smile. ¡°Lord Philip Archimond, the Earl of Grandfort." She''s right. That''s the name of Grandfather. Greenwood is a surname that Father made up himself when he ran away from home. "You know my brother already knew who your father really is, right? He made him tell everything when your father begged him for a job. So yes, technically you''re a noble, Marina." "Father was disowned by his family. I have no claim to nobility, and neither does he," I replied matter-of-factly. "Oh, but you''re going to meet him, right?" She smiled. "You know, if your grandfather takes you in, you will become a noble." "I don''t plan on asking him to make me his granddaughter. I only wish for refuge and protection from the Magocracy, nothing more. I shall earn my living on my own." I never fancied on becoming a noble, being attended by servants all day without having to work for a living. In fact, I couldn''t help but feel I would lose myself if I became accostumed to such a lifestyle. I would become lazy and complacent, enjoying life''s pleasures without a care in the world. Not to mention that it really is embarrassing, having to be seen naked by other people like that. "Impressive. I see now that you really have your father''s blood in you." The court mage grinned. "But if you really want protection, I suggest getting close to the throne. Make yourself be an important person there. Make the king himself be behind your back. Tell me, how skilled are you in magic?" "I am Master-level at Earth," I replied honestly. The Magocracy already knew what I was capable of so there was no point in hiding it. "Wow, seriously?'' She clapped her hands. "That''s wonderful! You''re a genius then! Just like Selendia!" "I would prefer if you don''t compare me to her," I replied with a cold tone. ¡°A-ah, sorry about that.¡± She chuckled nervously for a bit. ¡°Anyway, back to my point, with that level of skill, any kingdom should want you as part of their fighting force. Master-level mages are rare in general, and having even one more would make a fine addition to any country¡¯s strength.¡± ¡°Not as rare as Grandmaster-level ones though,¡± I retorted. ¡°Haha, of course not.¡± She chuckled again. ¡°But you don¡¯t really need to be one to be a court mage. Look at me for example.¡± ¡°Ferus already has a court mage, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yep, of course she does,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯m not saying you should be a court mage there. I¡¯m saying that you could easily become part of its magic corps. And as an elite-ranking member at that. That¡¯s quite the prestigious job, you know. And with your connection with your grandfather, it should be even easier for you to enter. The king might even grant you your own title and land, you know.¡± She smiled. I paused. For a split second, I actually considered her words. I could provide for both myself and Erika easily if I went that route. However, that would also mean I wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the country to look for Hugo. I would be tethered there, as part of that kingdom¡¯s military. And I don¡¯t think I can enjoy such a life, being stifled by the rules and codes of a soldier. I put the thought aside for now. It would still be quite the long journey until I actually got to Ferus. I would have all the time in the world to think about it on route. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± was my answer to her. ¡°Great! I believe it is the best way for you and your little sister to be safe.¡± Our conversation then moved onto a different topic entirely after a few minutes of us just sitting in silence, with only the clock in the room making any sound. ¡°There¡¯s another thing you came here for, isn¡¯t it? My brother¡¯s letter said that you want to become stronger as well. Are you perhaps, aiming to reach Grandmaster-level, correct? Honestly, when you¡¯re already a Master at this age, reaching Grandmaster shouldn¡¯t be impossible, as long as you keep up your magic training. Me though, I don¡¯t really have time for that anymore.¡± She grinned sheepishly. ¡°...No. If I¡¯m going to take on the Magocracy one day, I would need to reach the level beyond that. I would need to be an Archmage.¡± ¡°A-an Archmage?¡± She started to laugh. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, but no one has ever reached that level in ages! The only mage I know that had reached that peak was Mira herself! Aren¡¯t you aiming a little too high there?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± I replied. ¡°But how else am I supposed to take on multiple Grandmaster-level mages all by myself?¡± I know I was being conceited, to even dream of one day reaching that height no one has even dared to dream about. But if it is what¡¯s necessary to accomplish my goal, then I would reach it, even if it takes me my entire life to do it. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it on your own, you know.¡± She put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Many others want the Magocracy to fall as well. You can form an alliance with them. If I were in your shoes, and I want to seek revenge against them, I would train myself until I reach Grandmaster-level, and then, I¡¯ll offer myself to be part of their force.¡± ¡°You mean like the Church of Milicis or the Holy Empire over at the Holy Continent?¡± ¡°Yes. Though, if I were to be honest, I wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want another war to happen after all. And you wouldn¡¯t as well, right? You¡¯re a good girl. You wouldn¡¯t want to drag innocents into your crusade.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Which is why I want to do it on my own.¡± The court mage sighed, before returning back to her normal smile as she drew her hand away from me. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll give you my notes. This is top level secret, you understand? I said I no longer train myself but that¡¯s not entirely true. I still train from time to time, whenever I feel like it. As a result, I was now able to Dual Cast. Can you do that?¡± Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. My eyes brightened. ¡°I-I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Good. Then my notes should prove very useful to you.¡± Afterwards, she sat up from her chair and walked up to the bookshelves. After looking around for quite some time (it seemed she had actually misplaced it), she finally found the book. It was a journal-sized book, filled with handwritten texts, no doubt hers. ¡°Here. Sorry for the chicken scratch by the way. My writing¡¯s never that great to be honest.¡± She blushed. I opened the book and saw that it was indeed filled with barely legible words. However, after reading and skimming it for a short while, I could indeed confirm this was her personal notes on magic research. ¡°No books ever taught Dual Casting. They say it¡¯s just something you eventually would be able to do on your own once you¡¯re good enough and talented enough at being a mage. But I disagree. I think it¡¯s a propaganda piece, set by the Magocracy so people wouldn¡¯t train themselves to Dual Cast. Because a mage would be much more dangerous if they can cast two spells at once. They don¡¯t want that knowledge to spread around, threatening their dominance. I believe all the good spells they got were kept as secrets inside their own families. Hah, stingy, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I looked up to her with a bright, almost childlike smile. ¡°This would be useful. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± Vol 2 Chapter 17: Fiora’s Lesson Hugo When I finished reading the book, it was already a few hours into our travels. And what a book it was. It pretty much taught me about swordsmanship in this world far more than Father. Even though it was just an introduction, intended for beginners, it was so detailed about everything, from the history of the school, the beginner techniques, and, most importantly, the existence of this concept named Aura. If I have to summarize it, it''s basically the swordsman version of Mana that mages utilize. It allows swordsmen to perform superhuman feats, far beyond the limits of a normal human. It is a secret concept however, with only a few understanding it even exists. Most swordsmen would go their entire lives using it without even realizing it exists. Father, Sherry, and even the Legendary Hero back then didn''t know the concept of Aura. They just swing their sword hard and fast enough that their aura automatically comes out. So technically, you don''t really need to know about it to be strong. The concept of Aura itself was only formed in the last hundreds of years, thanks to the fact that for so many years before that, all the way to the era of the Legendary Hero and perhaps even beyond that, swordsmen could just train to swing their sword in a normal manner to achieve the usage of Aura anyways.Or at least, that¡¯s what the book said. Now I¡¯m reminded of all those phony martial arts schools that also talked about aura and chakra and all that mumbo jumbo in my old world. Well, this is a fantasy world so it must be real, right? I like it better as an explanation for the superhuman feats swordsmen can do in this world. Not just because ¡°he swung his sword really, really hard to the point that the air pressure caused by his swing alone can shatter a rock ten meters away¡±. Though I wonder. How does aura really interact with mana? Are they actually the same thing? I don¡¯t think so. If they are, then I should already be an amazing swordsman already. I can¡¯t help but feel it¡¯s a shame whoever wrote this book didn¡¯t want the knowledge to spread around. Though I understand their mindset. This book was written by a member of the Order of Galahad, and it seems to be this semi-secretive organization dedicated to training swordsmen and swordswomen in the Galahad-style. The book treats swordplay more than just martial art. It¡¯s almost like religion and philosophy rolled into one. There are a lot of musings in the book about how one should wield their sword in the way of righteousness and justice and all that fancy stuff. So, if I have to guess, they probably don¡¯t want their exalted knowledge, including the knowledge of aura, to spread to the unworthy public. Haah, if only I''ve learned about it sooner, then I might have been able to get stronger at the sword. Unlike Sherry or Father, I''m the methodical type. I can''t swing my sword just by instinct. Hmm, I wonder what type she is. Knowing how violent she is though, she''s probably the instinct type. "Boy, you just thought something bad about me, didn''t you?" To my surprise, the brat actually noticed me looking at her. She had been staring outside the window all this time, her twintails fluttering in the wind. And, as much as I hated it, she actually looked like a princess during it. Her sharp and dignified look exuded elegance and the blowing wind only enhanced that effect. The illusion was immediately dispelled however once she opened her mouth. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "No, just wondering what type of swordswoman you are," I replied. "What type? What are you talking about?" She raised her eyebrows. "Are you the methodical type, calculating every movement beforehand with extreme precision? Or are you more instinct-oriented, moving in a way that just feels right to you?" ?¡± To my irk, she responded with a laugh. ¡°Hah, you really don¡¯t know anything about swordsmanship, do you? Was your father really an S-rank swordsman? Didn¡¯t he teach you anything, boy?¡± ¡°Just the basics,¡± I admitted honestly with a slight sigh. ¡°He gave up teaching me beyond that. Said his type of swordsmanship wasn¡¯t suited for me.¡± ¡°Oh? And what type of swordsmanship is that?¡± Her eyes lit up with curiosity. ¡°Raw strength. He carried around this huge greatsword with him that he wielded two-handed. He could send off powerful waves just by swinging it around.¡± ¡°I see. So it¡¯s the offensive Lancelot-style. They¡¯re big on sending off shockwaves like that. You can cut a thousand men in a single swing if you¡¯re good enough, or so they say. It¡¯s strong, but barbaric at the same time. It doesn¡¯t have any elegance, like my Galahad-style. They just attack and attack and attack, hoping to overwhelm their enemies before they get overwhelmed themselves. That¡¯s why they¡¯re so vulnerable to surprise attacks.¡± My heart suddenly ached. That was how Father and Mother had died. From a surprise attack by Vera. ¡°Well, my own style has its own weaknesses, mainly it doesn¡¯t really have powerful ranged attacks. The way my style fights is to approach the enemy calmly in a calculated manner, waiting until the exact moment they enter my radius. And then, I swing my sword in a flash, killing them in an instant.¡± That¡¯s a surprise. I thought she would just dismiss Father¡¯s style while praising her own. ¡°But, since you¡¯re apparently a mage as well, powerful ranged attacks are already your forte, no?¡± She smirked, folding her hands under her chest. ¡°Thus, learning my style would be the best for you.¡± ¡°So, your style is the methodical type then?¡± I asked again. ¡°You make it sound that this Galahad-style of yours is all about being calculating and stuff.¡± ¡°Hmph. Instinctual movement and methodical, deliberate movement are not opposites of each other, boy. All swordsmen should train their sword arm and muscles so they could move on their own and perform the correct movement without thinking. That is instinct. You repeat enough deliberate, thinking moves, and eventually, you can do it without thinking.¡± ¡°Funny you should say that,¡± I replied with a slight smile. ¡°My father used to teach me that I should just swing my sword the way it feels the most natural to me. Your book, on the other hand, has lots of forms and movements and such that a student is supposed to remember, so the complete opposite of his teaching.¡± ¡°Then he¡¯s not a good teacher,¡± she answered without skipping a beat. As usual, no holds barred in the insult department. ¡°He¡¯s probably the gifted type who just learns on his own naturally, without any teachers to guide him. That kind of person will never be suited to become a sword teacher. Your girlfriend is probably the same, since she actually got strong from his lessons. While you, on the other hand, you¡¯re just like me, needing a good teacher to actually learn how to swing a sword.¡± Her calling Sherry my girlfriend brought a little embarrassed blush and a smile. You have no idea how much I want to bring home a girl with me and declare her to be my girlfriend to my family back in my old life. And now, to have people around me that acknowledge the fact that I do have a girlfriend, it makes me feel happy. Most likely because I feel less like a loser that way. ¡°So you got a teacher, Fiora?¡± I asked. Immediately her expression turned sour. Ah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m supposed to call her Miss Fiora instead. ¡°Alright, fine. Please enlighten me about your teacher, Miss Fiora.¡± I made sure to put on that extra emphasis on the ¡°Miss¡±, just so it would be all too obvious that I was saying it in a sarcastic manner. ¡°Very well.¡± Her smug smile returned. What, didn¡¯t she catch my sarcasm there? Or was she already satisfied by me just saying the word? ¡°Yes, I do have a teacher back at the palace. And she''s an excellent teacher at her job. I owed much to her." For the very first time, I saw it¡ªher genuine, non-sarcastic, honest, and pure smile. As she smiled, she looked away from me, back to the window, reminiscing about this teacher that she held in high esteem. ...Damnit! If she¡¯s like this, she¡¯s actually cute. Grr, why can¡¯t she be uglier? I¡¯m weak to pretty girls, you know, even girls of her age! As much as I hate myself for thinking it, she¡¯s indeed what you would call in all objective sense a pretty girl. Perhaps not in the more conventional princess-like manner, but she¡¯s still a beauty nonetheless. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Awed by your master¡¯s beauty?¡± Before I could cease my staring and look away, she gave me a slight glance and said those words with her usual smirk. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll admit it. You¡¯re pretty. But that¡¯s nothing unusual for a princess, really. Princesses are supposed to be beautiful and pretty and all that fancy stuff.¡± I replied, folding my hands with a huff. ¡°Pfttt¡­¡± Wait, was that¡ª I gave a glance towards Nicole. That smile¡­ she just laughed, didn¡¯t she? I looked back at Fiora and saw her doing the same thing, though compared to her friend, she didn''t try to hide it in the slightest. And then, I realized it. The words I just said¡­ that sounded exactly like what something a tsundere would say. ...Oh God, I¡¯m not supposed to be the tsundere here! That brat is! I¡¯m the main character! Main character! And Nicole, why are you listening in, huh? You¡¯re supposed to be reading your book, not eavesdropping on our conversation! ¡°E-ehem.¡± I did a fake cough to stifle my embarrassment. ¡°Anyways, if you have a sword tutor back there, why isn¡¯t she with you right now? If she taught you, then she must be pretty strong, right? And you seem to have a good student-mentor relationship going on, judging by that smile you just had.¡± She paused for a second, turning away to the window once more. ¡°I can¡¯t. She belongs there in the palace. Hmph. I suppose there¡¯s no harm in telling you who she is.¡± She paused once again. Just spell it out already, goddamnit! ¡°Gloria Fitzgerald. One of the Seven Imperial Knights of the Holy Empire.¡± My eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You do know who the Imperial Knights are, right?¡± she asked with a look of annoyance, seemingly ready to pounce on me if I declared ignorance. ¡°Of course I do. They¡¯re the vanguard of the Holy Empire¡¯s military strength. Each of them possesses incredible strength. As long as they¡¯re still around, no other countries would dare to invade the Empire. And they¡¯re the check against the Magocracy¡¯s mages as well.¡± Of course, I learned all of this from the geography book I read way back a long time ago. The book would give short explanations of the various countries in the world, including the Holy Empire, naturally. ¡°And that¡¯s why they can¡¯t take sides in this whole mess. They¡¯re beholden to the Emperor alone. Not his children or wife or anybody else. They can only leave the Imperial Palace if the Emperor himself gave them permission.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t want to drag her into your problem that would make her lose her position,¡± I gave my best guess. ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t expect you to be such a softie, Fiora.¡± I grinned. ¡°Ho? Is that a challenge I just hear? Fine. This is my first command to you as your sword teacher. Go outside and stand on the roof. We¡¯ll start practicing there, now that you¡¯ve learned the basics from that book.¡± ¡°The roof? You mean the roof of this carriage?¡± ¡°Of course. What other roofs are there?¡± ----------- Climbing to the roof of a moving stagecoach might seem outrageous, but with my Wind Step, it¡¯s a feat I can accomplish easily. To my surprise however, Fiora managed to climb up with ease as well, jumping from the now opened door of the carriage and vaulting herself up with one graceful move. We were still in the mountain passage, of course, and we were pretty high up, with a cliff to the right and a ravine to the left. ¡°W-whoa!¡± For a split second, I nearly lost my balance. Now that we were outside like this, the vibrations of the carriage felt more palpable, to the point of disturbing my footing. The rough road didn¡¯t help matters either, as every time the wheels hit a rock, I would jump a little from my current position. Not to mention the wind, battering me from the front. And there was no positive side of giving me delicious pantyshots either, as Fiora wore a long skirt that fluttered safely below her knees. She stood facing me, after telling her maid that we were going to start our training session now. ¡°Alright. Perform the basic one-handed slashing maneuver with your sword over and over until lunch. The one you just read from the book.¡± ¡°Wait, right here?¡± ¡°Yes, right here. This is a good place to train, you know.¡± She gave that classic haughty smile of hers. ¡°This way, you¡¯ll learn to keep yourself from being unbalanced in combat, as that is the quickest way for you to lose your head. Just a split second of weakened stance can lead to your head being detached from your body in a fight between two highly skilled swordsmen. Oh, and don¡¯t you dare using any spells to glue yourself to the roof. Perform your swing with the hand you¡¯re going to use for your sword. I don¡¯t care whether it¡¯s your right or your left.¡± After giving those series of orders, she sat cross-legged in front of me, just like if she was a teacher at a sword dojo and I was her student. I did as she told me to, using my right hand since I figured I could cast spells with my wand on the left just fine. I was indeed ambidextrous, but I think my right hand is just a bit better than my left. It didn¡¯t take long until she started barking again. ¡°Your stance is wrong. Spread your legs further apart. It makes your posture more balanced.¡± ¡°Your grip is wrong. I can easily knock off your sword if you hold it like that.¡± ¡°Your arm movement is wrong. You raise too far up. And now you¡¯re raising it too far down. Don¡¯t you remember anything from the book?¡± And so on and so forth. And she didn¡¯t even bother standing up in the process. ¡°You know, it would be better if you come here and actually show me how it¡¯s done.¡± I said it out of frustration and also because I realized it was the perfect opportunity for the good ol¡¯ ¡°skinship through mentoring¡± moment. You know, the one where the girl got close to a guy as she moved his arms to the proper pose, and vice versa. Let¡¯s see if this little brat would get all embarrassed while doing it. ¡°Hmph, I suppose I can¡¯t be helped.¡± She stood up. ¡°Here. Let me show you how it¡¯s done.¡± She walked up to me, completely unperturbed by the rocking of the carriage, and grabbed both of my hands as she positioned herself right beside me. "Here. Remember this position¡ªthe height of your arm, and the angle of your strike." BA-DUMP! Dammit, she isn''t blushing at all! I''m the one who''s reddening! Gahh, why am I so weak to girls like this? Of course, I already knew the answer. I was a turbo virgin in my old life, with no experience with women whatsoever. Grr, her pleasant scent¡­ I didn''t even notice she''s wearing perfume. And this softness brushing occasionally to my arm and elbow¡­ her loose dress hid quite the good job hiding her ample breasts. And looking at her face up close like this¡­ she really is cute¡­ "Oh my, not only you''re a crybaby, you''re a pervert as well." "Huh, what?" She smirked, pointing downwards. I followed and saw¡ª Oh God! My one free hand immediately went there, covering the tent I was pitching. "Boy, you''re having lecherous thoughts about me, aren''t you? How brave, to have that towards an Imperial princess. I could lop off your head for that." I gulped. She looked right towards my erection while she said that, making me think she was referring to my other head instead. No, I refuse to let her take me along for the ride! She must have known I''ll be aroused from our close proximity! Heck, she even purposefully allows my arm to rub her breasts in the process! If I''m a pervert, then she''s a pervert as well! "Look here." I sheath my sword and folded my arms, not caring that my tent was still there. "I know you purposefully did that. You''re not some innocent princess who doesn''t know her own charms." "Hoo? But you''re the one who asked me to correct you up close." "Heh, at the very least, you should be able to avoid your chest touching with my elbow and arm." I grinned. "I would, if your stance wasn¡¯t so wrong that I had to reach all over to correct it properly.¡± ¡°Hah, admit it! You want to see me pitching a tent, don¡¯t you?¡± My grin only grew wider. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t hate perverted girls.¡± It¡¯s true. It wasn¡¯t just me taunting her. As a pervert myself, I would be a hypocrite if I hate them. She didn¡¯t reply. Have I done it? Have I just earned my first victory against her verbally? She instead sat down, gave a shrug and sigh, and said, ¡°Think whatever you want, boy. But from now on, you¡¯re on your own. Clearly, you don¡¯t want my help.¡± And then, she looked away. If I were to be honest, I think she wasn¡¯t lying. She wasn¡¯t flustered, nor she gave any of those predatory looks while she was fixing my form. She did it completely professionally. But hey, this is my first win, just because she can¡¯t think up on a comeback. And I intend to savor it as much as I can. ...Wait, did I just deny myself the chance to be that close to her ever again? Vol 2 Chapter 18: An Encounter With A Slave Beastgirl We remained on top of the carriage like that for several more hours, with me performing the same basic slashing moves over and over again. Like she said, she didn¡¯t offer to correct my posture directly anymore. Instead, she just barked it at me. And what a harsh mistress she was. Any single diversion from the form the book described, no matter how slight, she would correct it right away. Her sharp eyes weren¡¯t just for show. They really were sharp. I didn¡¯t complain though. I realize she¡¯s drilling the basics into my brain and my muscle memory, so that I wouldn¡¯t form bad habits that would impede me on learning the more advanced techniques later on. We only stopped once the sun was high up on the sky, with she deciding that it was time for us to have our lunch break. We stopped at a grassy clearing of sorts, perfect for us to have our little picnic. It wasn¡¯t that large, though conveniently, there were a series of trees nearby that we could use to, ahem, do our business. Thankfully, any awkwardness in the matter was prevented by no one bringing the matter up. We just took our turns without saying anything. Being a traveler or adventurer in a group, you had to be used to this sort of thing. I already did thanks to the family trip I had back then. I sighed. That sure felt like eons ago. ...Hmm, that¡¯s odd. The sense of despair that usually popped up whenever I thought about those days didn¡¯t seem to be as strong as it used to be. Maybe it¡¯s because I now finally have a goal, or at least, something to aspire to. To train under the bratty princess and become a better swordsman. ...Aah, this is bad. I¡¯m starting to think more and more positively about her. I don¡¯t want to be like one of those harem MCs who just take the abuse of the tsundere and never fight back. Then again, she¡¯s not like your typical tsundere either, is she? There¡¯s no shyness or embarrassment in the slightest. Hmph, it just makes her less cute though. Call me a chauvinist if you want, but blushing, embarrassed girls are my thing. ¡°Ow! What was that?¡± I scratched the back of my head. Something hard just hit me there! ¡°Stop spacing around! Get over here and eat!¡± Of course, it was Fiora. She probably just threw a small rock at me or something. ¡°Alright, alright, no need to throw rocks at me.¡± If I try throwing my own rock at her, she¡¯ll probably be able to parry it without even looking. Hmph, is this yet another way she¡¯s training me? Or am I giving her too much credit? Helen had set up a blanket above the grassy field for us to sit on. Nicole and Fiora were already there, while the maid herself was still busy serving food and tea to them both. Where did she store all that stuff anyways? Boing~? Boing~? And wow, they really are big¡­ In the process, the maid had to bend over multiple times, resulting in her heavyweight breasts bouncing multiple times, fascinating my young (only in appearance), virgin (true enough) 10-year old eyes. They really are about as big as Mother¡¯s. Breasts that size are rare but I guess they¡¯re not that rare. ¡°Ouch, again?¡± I frowned towards Fiora¡¯s direction, as this time, her rock hit my forehead. To my surprise, she didn¡¯t yell, ¡°Stop looking at my maid¡¯s chest, you pervert!¡± or something like that. I have a feeling she has noticed it. Instead, she just pointed at the grass near the tarp. ¡°What, am I supposed to stand here?¡± I spoke as I walked over to her. ¡°You can sit there if you want,¡± she replied with her usual smug smile. ¡°But you¡¯re not getting on the blanket. Servants don¡¯t eat on the same table as their masters.¡± ¡°Nicole isn¡¯t your servant?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my friend.¡± I gave a ¡°please help me out here¡± look towards the priestess. "Fiora, why don''t we eat together on the blanket, with Helen as well?" She gently asked the princess. "There''s enough space, isn''t it?" Fiora gave her a look for a few moments before sighing. "Fine. Suit yourself. It would be a tight fit though." I gave a little thumbs up towards Nicole, before sitting cross-legged in front of her. The maid however gave me a glare that pretty much said, "How dare you act like that to Milady?" I ignored her and grabbed one of the bread that she had put on the blanket. Right when I was about to take a bite however¡ª ROAAAARRRRRR Immediately both Fiora and Helen stood up, drawing their sword and dual knife. Nicole immediately followed, grabbing her staff she had put behind her. Of course, I quickly did the same, drawing my wand. And then, I heard it. A high-pitched scream coming from the same direction of the roar. I didn''t wait. I bolted straight towards it, using Wind Step to augment my speed. I might have heard Fiora yelling at me to stop but who cares about her? I soon arrived at the top of a hill overlooking a clearing. Unlike the one I just came from, there was no grass on it, just rocks and barren dirt. That, and there was a big monster right in the middle of it. A wyvern. An A-rank monster that was said to be lesser dragons. You could distinguish between them right away by noticing how a wyvern only has wings as its hands while a dragon will have a separate pair of claws with its wings attached to its back instead. That, and its more snake-like appearance in general. Still, even though it was not an S-rank monster like its superior brother, it¡¯s still a dangerous foe. It can move really fast considering its size, dodging swords, arrows, and even spells with ease. And in front of it were a pair of adventurers, male and female. There were about the same age, around sixteen, if I had to guess. The male one was a dark-haired human while the female one was a beastkin with dog ears. Judging by their weapons and clothes, they both seemed to be the frontline warrior type. I could tell immediately that they were way out of their depths. Instead of standing their ground, they instead slowly backed away, no doubt wishing they could escape from the monster. And the scream I just heard, it must have come from the girl. I didn¡¯t hesitate. I immediately cast my Boom Cannon and fired it right at the wyvern. If I waited any further, the monster could decide to strike and it would be the death of them. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. BAM It landed right at the wyvern¡¯s head, obliterating the section into chunks of gore that thankfully didn¡¯t land on the two. The beast fell, its blood pouring out of its decapitated neck. Wyverns are fast, but they trade that speed with durability. Their dragon cousins are much tougher. I saw it react to my spell for a split second though, just like Vera did¡ªa testament to its amazing senses. But even its speed wasn¡¯t fast enough to dodge a projectile with the speed of sound. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. I remember when I fought off that mountain lion. That was another A-rank monster. I didn¡¯t have Boom Cannon back then, but if I did, I think I probably could¡¯ve one-shotted it in the same manner. I went down the hill and approached them as casually as I could. ¡°Yo.¡± I gave them a smile, raising my hand for a short wave. ¡°You alright there? You were in trouble, weren¡¯t you, with that wyvern? You looked like you wanted to run so I decided to just kill the beast for you. Really, you won¡¯t be able to easily run against a monster of that caliber.¡± The two of them were completely aghast with their jaws wide open on what just happened. Ha! Once again, I impressed the ordinary folk with my magic. ¡°T-thank you so much!¡± The moment the beastkin snapped out of it, she promptly bowed as deeply as she could. ¡°I-if you weren¡¯t there, Master and I would¡¯ve been done for sure!¡± ¡°Y-yeah, please accept my thanks as well!¡± The human followed. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no big deal, really. A wyvern like that is nothing against me.¡± I gave a grin, putting my hands in my pockets. To be honest, if it actually noticed me, it could probably have dodged in time and then it would be a much harder fight. But why explain something that doesn¡¯t need to be explained? ¡°The name''s Elliot Cudgel. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Mr. Hobbit.¡± The young man gave his hand. ¡°Uhh, I¡¯m not a hobbit though¡­¡± I replied. ¡°See?¡± I turned my head to the side to show off my ears. ¡°Normal ears.¡± ¡°Wait, really?¡± His mouth opened again. ¡°So you¡¯re just an ordinary human? But there¡¯s no way you can be such a strong mage when you¡¯re still this young! N-no offense intended, of course!¡± He quickly corrected himself. ¡°Hehe.¡± My grin only grew bigger. ¡°You see,¡± I put my hands on my waist. ¡°I¡¯m kind of a mage prodigy. My family¡ªthe Pendletons¡ªthey¡¯re a powerful mage family. I just so happened to be born into them so it really was no big deal that I could cast a powerful spell like that when I¡¯m still at this age.¡± I couldn¡¯t help myself. I have said it before and I have said it again. One of my weaknesses is being praised. ¡°Pendleton?¡± This time, it was the girl who spoke. ¡°That sounds like a noble¡¯s family name, doesn¡¯t it?¡± She brought her index finger to her lips. ¡°Could you perhaps be a noble, Sir Human?¡± I let out a fake sigh. ¡°Ah, how unfortunate. I would like to hide my status from you two, but it seems you¡¯re too sharp for me to fool. I¡¯m Charles Pendleton. Pleased to meet you two.¡± Yep, I can get used to pretending to be a noble alright. I mean, if we ignore the whole disowned thing, I¡¯m the grandson of a noble, thus making me also a noble. So I¡¯m not lying! Well, except for the name anyways. ¡°Then, allow me to thank you again for saving me and my master. I am Chelsea, and it¡¯s also a pleasure to meet you, Sir Pendleton.¡± She bowed again, this time more like a professional maid. ...Oh man, what a cutie! And she has a hot body as well, with those large boobs and tight pants! And those ears! I really want to touch them! This wasn¡¯t my first time seeing a beastkin, since I had encountered a couple in my travels already, from both genders. And every time, I couldn¡¯t help but feel enamoured with their beastly parts. If a sheep girl appeared, I wanted to run over my fingers all over her wool. If it was a cat girl, then I wanted to grab her tail. And now, faced with a dog girl like this, I wanted to play with her ears. I resisted of course. I''m not going to do such a perverted thing and ruin their impression of me. And then, I noticed it¡ªthe collar she wore on her neck. Wait, that collar¡­ and she called him Master before¡­ is she his slave? Slavery exists in this world, with no country really banning its practice. Some countries have more bustling slave trades over others. The Magocracy practically has no slave traders around for example. Not because it¡¯s forbidden, but because there is little demand for them. From what I¡¯ve read and what Marina told me, thanks to the proliferation of magic, you have farmer mages who use earth magic to help with their farms, fishermen mages who use water magic to help with fishing, and so on and so forth. So the requirements for manual labor are quite low, and whenever it¡¯s needed, you have the non-mage populace that they can employ. Though knowing how the Magocracy works, they probably get paid very little. It¡¯s in their culture to look down on non-mages. Ironic, considering they¡¯re one of the rare nations who welcome nonhumans, even demons, to the point that they could own their own property and land. I guess to them, it¡¯s all about being magical. They¡¯re so far away from the Demon Continent though that demons are still rare overall. "Impressive. You managed to beat a wyvern on your own. And with ease as well." Urgh, must she come so soon? I looked behind me and saw Fiora and the others approaching. They had unsheathed their weapons, or in Nicole''s case, slung it over her shoulder. "Your companions, Sir Pendleton?" Chelsea asked with a smile. "Sir Pendleton?" Fiora raised her eyebrows. "Ah, of course. So you''ve introduced yourself to these two. The people you just saved from the beast, I presume?" As expected from her sharp mind, she caught on quick. "Yes, milady." The beastkin bowed once more. ¡°Sir Pendleton here had just saved us from the monster. We owe our lives to him.¡± ¡°Hmph, that collar. You¡¯re a slave, girl?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m Master Elliot¡¯s slave.¡± Never before I imagined someone to declare themselves being someone¡¯s slave with that bright of a smile plastered on their face. So she really is his slave¡­ Why is she so happy about it though? Oh, I know! This is the usual ¡°I fall in love with the kind master that purchases me!¡± trope you can find everywhere in the fantasy books I used to read! You can even find it in fancy literature books, like Haydee in Monte Cristo. Ah, I suppose it is every man¡¯s dream to own a beautiful slave girl that¡¯s completely loyal to you. Of course, I know very well that slavery is very bad thing indeed in real life. But since this is a fantasy world, can you even apply the logic of real life here? Fiora gave a glance towards Elliot, who was also smiling proudly in the background. I know that expression. That¡¯s the expression of a man who¡¯s proud that he has such a beautiful girl as his girlfriend. Or in this case, as his slave. Damn it, you lucky bastard! I want a cute and hot slave like her too! ¡°How much?¡± Fiora suddenly asked Elliot. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°How much did you pay her for?¡± ¡°L-let¡¯s see¡­ 35 gold coins, wasn¡¯t it, Chelsea?¡± He gave a glance towards his slave. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± She nodded. ¡°I still remember that day so clearly. You spent all your savings to purchase me, just because you saw me that one time when you turned in that quest. I¡¯m eternally grateful to that, Master.¡± She smiled again. "Truly, I am not worthy of your care and affection, especially since I had doubts in my heart that you would purchase me in the end." "No no no you''re completely worthy, Chelsea!" He grabbed both of her hands. "You''ve been so useful to me all this time, you know! You''re the best purchase I''ve ever made! And of course you¡¯ll doubt me! I was just a poor adventurer after all!" "Master¡­ ooohhh, Master¡­" She started to cry. Oh my God this is too sweet! So sickeningly sweet and sappy that I can feel the diabetes coming! Fiora seemed to agree as a look of annoyance had arrived on her face. Helen reacted the same way, with only Nicole smiling as her eyes sparkled. ¡°So, she¡¯s a High Slave, isn¡¯t she?¡± Fiora continued, now putting one hand on her waist. Ah, I remember that term. High slaves are generally used for slaves who have some rights, as opposed to normal slaves who have none. Said rights mostly involve protection from abuse from their masters. Whether the system actually works is another matter entirely however. ¡°Where did you purchase her, boy?¡± Fiora then asked. ¡°Eh?" He released his slave''s hands. "I purchased her in Lestad. I stayed there for a while taking on dungeon quests while grouping up with other parties. Thanks to that, I can muster enough gold to purchase her.¡± He grinned. ¡°Hmph, the Sky Tower, is it? Boy!¡± She suddenly turned to me. ¡°Do you know what that is?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I was caught off-guard. ¡°Sky Tower? That¡¯s one of the World Dungeons, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°And do you know what World Dungeons are?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Please stop underestimating my intelligence for once. ¡°They¡¯re abnormally large dungeons, to the point that it feels like a completely different world inside. And the layout constantly changes day by day so you can¡¯t make a map of it.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± She smirked. ¡°Well, that¡¯s all I need to know. Let¡¯s go.¡± And just like that, she decided the conversation was over, walking away from the two like they weren¡¯t even there. You know, you haven¡¯t even introduced yourself yet¡­ So much for being polite¡­ Helen gave one last suspicion-filled look (at this point, I¡¯m starting to think part of her job is to be suspicious to anyone and everyone), before following behind Fiora. Nicole on the other hand gave a short bow and a smile before leaving as well. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± I gave them an apologetic smile. ¡°Must be hard to have such a demanding older sister, isn¡¯t it, Sir?¡± Elliot replied with an awkward grin. ¡°Well, the other one seems to be pretty nice though. Makes me feel a bit jealous. I ain¡¯t got any siblings, you see.¡± ¡°Uuu¡­¡± Judging by the sudden shift of expression on Chelsea¡¯s face, I think he shouldn¡¯t have said that. ¡°Thank you again, Sir!¡± He bowed again. ¡°This is the first time I met a noble as nice as you! The last noble I met, he wasn¡¯t very nice at all¡­ quite arrogant actually¡­¡± He awkwardly scratched his chin with his index finger. ¡°Yeah, I can imagine that¡­¡± I gave my own nervous laugh. A lot of nobles probably are Fiora-level arrogant, so her acting like that isn¡¯t odd in the first place. ¡°You can make it back home on your own, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± He patted his chest. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure we¡¯ll get back to town in one piece. We weren¡¯t actually planning to fight a wyvern, just so you know. We¡¯re up here as simple travelers. But suddenly, that creature just showed up out of nowhere, taking us by surprise. And I thought wyverns are supposed to only be around on the higher parts of the mountains¡­¡± He looked warily at the far cliff where the mountains went even further upwards. ¡°But if it¡¯s just B-rank monsters, we can take it on. We¡¯re B-rank ourselves after all. Well, I¡¯m B-rank but Chelsea just started so she¡¯s still D-rank unfortunately. But I assure you, she¡¯s as strong as I am already!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, Master.¡± She smiled, adorably blushing again. ¡°I still need your guidance on many things, including combat.¡± Aaahhh, what an adorable puppy this girl is! ¡°Where are you two going anyways?¡± I asked, simply out of curiosity. ¡°If you made such good money doing quests in that dungeon, then why are you all the way here to the south?¡± ¡°We¡¯re thinking of moving on to a different World Dungeon to the west. We¡­ kinda reached our limit in that dungeon to be honest.¡± He sighed. ¡°Any further and it would be too dangerous to press on. And to be honest, we¡¯re already bored of the place as well.¡± He sheepishly grinned. ¡°Ah, I get it.¡± I smiled back. ¡°Being an adventurer is about exploring new places after all. Who would want to get stuck grinding the same dungeon over and over again?¡± Even I hated grinding in RPGs back in my old life. I would just bypass that tedium with cheat codes and the like. ¡°Well, good luck.¡± I put my hand on his shoulder. Quite awkward since he¡¯s taller than me. ¡°Descend as much as you could right away, just in case there''s another wyvern around. Oh, and one more thing.¡± I stood on my toes and whispered, ¡°Take care of her, alright? That girl¡¯s a keeper.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The beastkin tilted her head. ¡°Heh, of course! I swore to that!¡± After thanking me one last time, the two left. Since they were going to the west, we wouldn¡¯t be able to travel together. Which my perverted mind found quite the shame, since that Chelsea girl really had a hot body. Even now, as they walked away, I ogled her voluptuous butt¡ªthat her tight green pants and her moving tail only highlighted. Damn it Hugo, you can¡¯t be doing this to somebody else¡¯s girlfriend. What would you do if you have other guys ogle Sherry? ...Yep, I would be upset for sure, to the point that I might just punch them right on their faces. Thankfully(?), I have a feeling she isn¡¯t the type who would grow up to be a sexy bombshell like that girl. She¡¯ll probably have average butt and lower than average breasts. I don¡¯t care though. Beauty isn¡¯t just about butts and boobs. Every part of a girl¡¯s body can be beautiful. Realizing that is what distinguishes an ultra pervert from an ordinary one. Or maybe I¡¯ve just been smitten by her. Quite sad, and creepy if you think about it, to have a young girl as your first love. And unexpected, since even though I did have a folder of cute loli pictures on my computer back in my old life (that I would look at just to be cured by their cuteness), I only have sexual fantasies towards girls with big boobs and butts. Oh well, it doesn¡¯t matter anyways. When I met her again, she would already hit puberty and grow into a beautiful girl. And then, we can finally¡ª ¡°Ouch!¡± Yep, it was Fiora again. Vol 2 Chapter 19: In Which Hugo Considers Purchasing A Slave Harem Oh, my poor bread¡­ just left on its own without me even getting a bite¡­ We promptly returned to our picnic spot where, thankfully, none of the food we left there had been touched by any wild animals. Once we all sat down, Fiora, as I had expected, started her scolding. ¡°You really are a piece of work, aren¡¯t you?¡± She began with crossed legs and arms. ¡°Just running like that like a complete buffoon.¡± ¡°Look, they would¡¯ve died if I didn¡¯t arrive earlier.¡± I retorted. ¡°I might be your bodyguard, but I¡¯m not just going to ignore someone in trouble if I can help it.¡± ¡°What are you, some sort of a knight in shining armor? Going around saving damsels in distresses? Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice you checking her out.¡± ¡°Ha, said the damsel herself.¡± I munched a huge chunk of my bread before swallowing it immediately like it was nothing. ¡°You need me to be your guard so you pretty much fit the definition.¡± ¡°Hoo~¡± She smirked. ¡°Is that a challenge? Are you throwing the gauntlet for a duel? A commoner like you couldn¡¯t do that though. I could simply dismiss your challenge with the reason of your low social stature, and no one would care.¡± Dueling. That concept exists in this world as well. You can find it numerous times in the fictions of this world, but it actually is still being practiced. It¡¯s similar to how it works in my old world (or at least, I think it is), in how you can use it to settle differences between two nobles. Usually it¡¯s done when someone insults your honor or if two noblemen are competing for the same lady in marriage. And, just like she said, high society wouldn¡¯t frown on someone who rejects a duel if the challenger is of a lower social stature than him. If the standing is equal however, it¡¯s another matter entirely. You would get mocked for being a coward. Might even end up besmirching the name of your family in the process. ¡°I¡¯m not a commoner, alright?¡± I replied, now visibly riled up. It always ends up like this whenever I speak to her for longer than a second, I swear. ¡°You see, my grandfather is a nobleman of Ferus.¡± ¡°Then what are your family doing all the way in Marchen? Your father probably ran away or got disowned or something. Which meant he would lose his title. So yes, you are a commoner, boy.¡± She ended her sentence by taking a sip of her tea. Of course she figured it out right away. Though that¡¯s to be expected. As she¡¯s a noble, and one embroiled in politics from such a young age, she would know everything there is to know about the world of nobles and aristocrats. I¡¯m tempted to say that Mother is a noble of Marchen that Father married so he moved to the kingdom, but she probably would just figure I¡¯m lying anyways. ¡°Anyway, as long as you¡¯re not some prince from some country, you can¡¯t challenge me. I know I won¡¯t be able to win if you go all out.¡± Then why do you still have that damn smirk on your face?! ¡°Then again, I¡¯m neither a gentleman nor a knight. For a lady, let alone a princess, to partake in dueling, that would be quite the unconventional thing. ¡°Everything about you is unconventional.¡± I retorted. ¡°What kind of princess carries around a sword like that? And to be so good at it too?¡± ¡°Why, thank you for the compliment, Sir Pendleton.¡± She smiled. ...Goddamnit. --------- After we finished our lunch, Helen immediately packed our things so we could resume our journey right away. We took in the pleasant sights and air around us once more before we would be forced to sit for hours inside the carriage once again. Well, Fiora and I would just resume our training on top of the carriage though. ¡°Hugo?¡± Nicole walked up to me from behind. ¡°Hm? Oh, Nicole. What¡¯s the matter?¡± I noticed the worried look on her face so this must be something important. ¡°Did you really ogle that slave girl?" "Buh-what?" If I was drinking anything, I would''ve spitted it out for sure. "Please be honest." She pleaded, grabbing my hands and gathering them together. "I won''t be angry. I just want to know the truth." I sighed. "Yes, I did. I can''t help it. I know it''s bad, but whenever I saw an attractive girl, I couldn''t stop doing it." There''s no point lying about it, is there? I really didn''t want her or Fiora to know that I''m a pervert but that cat''s out of the bag now. Might as well admit it. I put on a sorry expression though, since I already knew where this conversation would go. She replied with a sigh, releasing my hands and looking away from me. ¡°I¡¯m worried about you, Hugo.¡± She continued. ¡°You, and Sherry.¡± I knew it. ¡°You know she would be sad, if she saw you acting like that." "Look, Nicole." I put my right hand on her shoulder, staring at her right at the eyes. "I admit it. I am a pervert. Even at this age, I already like ogling attractive girls. It probably will only get worse as I grow older. But know this. The only girl I truly like is her." I took off my hand. "You already know how much she meant to me." "But still¡­" "This is just one perverted boy''s opinion, but I think there''s a difference between lust and love. You can feel lust towards any good-looking girl you meet, but you only feel love towards that special person. Love is beyond physical attraction. It''s about sharing your very soul with another¡ªyour joy, your insecurities, your sorrows, even your dreams. You bare your very being with her. And I, being the shy person that I am, would never be able to do that with somebody else." She paused, seemingly trying to process what I just said. ------ Nicole I was gravely mistaken. I had feared that Hugo was the kind of lecherous man, or boy, considering his age, that would be unfaithful with their partner¡ªthat one day, he would betray Sherry''s love and break her poor heart. But now, I know that he wouldn''t grow up to be that kind of a person. The look and speech he just gave me¡ªthere was no lie in it. He was speaking the truth. And the way he admitted his vice¡­ it was truly admirable. He knew it was his flaw and he didn''t try to excuse himself out of it. I have misjudged him. Behind that emotional weakness he possessed, there is a certain maturity and bravery that he possesses. He is extraordinary, not just because of his magic prowess but also because of his adult-like gentlemanly mind. And today, I learned something from him, even though I was the older one. You truly are in good hands, Sherry. "I apologize." I gave a bow. "I have thought ill of you, Hugo." Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Eh, it''s alright." He smiled. "I am really a pervert. Milicis doesn''t take kindly to my kind, does she?" "I suppose not." I giggled. "But you are an exception, I feel. You have your sinful urges but you remain a loyal gentleman despite them. I think that''s a praiseworthy act." "Hehe." He grinned. "I''m glad to hear that." "But still, can''t you do anything about it? Your ogling, I mean. Even if it''s just that, I feel Sherry will still feel jealous that you''re eyeing other girls instead of her." "Hmm, it would be hard, I think," he replied. "It''s not like I''m doing it consciously. My eyes just wander on their own." "I see¡­" I let out a sigh, before returning a smile. "Well, please try anyway. I don''t want to see Sherry sad." Soon after, Fiora called on to us, as we were ready to depart. And as I watched Hugo from behind, a certain, truly shameful feeling blossomed inside my heart. I was jealous. I too wished I could have someone as mature and gentlemanly as Hugo as a lover. With the exception of his perversion, he truly resembled the princes in the books I read. Oh please, forgive me o Great Saint. I should only feel happiness for my friend yet my impure heart feels envy as well.I truly am still unworthy to be your priestess. ----------- Hugo Whew, that went well. I was afraid she would go all preachy on me, saying that my action is sinful and that I should repent right away. But she is surprisingly reasonable. I guess I really should stop seeing heavily religious folks in a negative manner like that. Or maybe she¡¯s just the exception. Whatever it is, I¡¯m glad she didn¡¯t decide to hate me after knowing of my perverted nature. I wouldn¡¯t want her to start telling me to leave Sherry because I¡¯m unworthy of her, even if I might be. And besides, it wouldn¡¯t suit her saintly look. I still remember how I was awed by that the first time I met her. Still, to stop ogling other girls, huh? That really would be hard¡­ if I see any large, bouncing boobs, my eyes immediately locked on to them. I really can¡¯t help it. And really, are there any healthy males out there that can resist doing it? It¡¯s literally programmed to our very nature, thanks to millions of years of evolution. Or so I heard. Though this is a fantasy world so evolution probably isn¡¯t a thing. Maybe the God Nicole worshipped, what¡¯s his name again, Heavenly Dragon? He might be the one responsible for creating humanity in the first place. So really, she should be blaming him for my perversion. ...Ah, that really doesn¡¯t apply to me though, since I¡¯m a reincarnator. So my soul came from my old world, not created by the Dragon. Hmm, wonder why I got reincarnated here in the first place, and not on Earth? I didn¡¯t meet any gods or goddesses. I just woke up as a baby without any explanation. Oh well, who cares, really? What¡¯s important is that I am now here and this is my life now. I might have messed it up, but I can still make a comeback. ------------ As expected, we resumed our training right away. This time, she told me to perform the horizontal slash movement instead. And just like before, she demanded me to do it for hours, with her barking up instructions if she detected any wrong movements on my part. When I managed to get it right constantly however, she remained silent, looking at the distant mountains instead. Until she broke the silence however. ¡°Boy, that slave girl you ogled¡­ you want her, don''t you?" "Buh-what?! Where did that come from?!" "With the money I''ll give you at the end of this trip, you can buy as many High Slaves as you want. Even the most expensive ones. They would be beautiful, they would be capable, and most importantly, they would all love you, their master." My mind immediately went wild. I imagined myself on a large bed, surrounded by four beautiful and voluptuous girls. Two girls hugged me from both sides, placing my arms between their soft naked breasts. The other two, on the other hand, attended to my little one, with one gently sucking on it and the other massaging it with her hands. My brain promptly gave their looks. Two were a pair of ordinary elf and dark elf. One was a beastkin, just like the slave girl. And the last one was a human, a blonde princess to be exact. I don¡¯t know why there¡¯s a princess there since they were supposed to be all slaves, but that¡¯s just what said brain told me. "Impressive. You really have an active imagination, don''t you, boy? Or perhaps it''s only regarding perverted matters? Whatever it is, I do hope you would stop making that unsightly expression whenever you do it." "Look, you''re the one who brought it up in the first place." I protested, trying to hide my embarrassment. "Ha." She crossed her arms with a grin. "I really would recommend buying High Slaves instead of ordinary slaves if you want to use them for that purpose. They''re conditioned to love their master from birth, and they are highly trained in combat, housework, and yes, even lovemaking." "Wait, conditioned?" My eyebrows furrowed. "Yes. You don''t know?" Her grin grew. "Most of them are of the beastkin race, either kidnapped as babies or born to one of their slave farms. Like domesticated animals, they were raised to love their eventual owners. Such was the trait of some species of beastkin. They could be tamed in such a manner." This information naturally took me by surprise. What in the¡ª kidnapped? Slave farms? What is she talking about? "Ah, that look. I like that horrified, disgusted look. You may be an unrepentant pervert but you''re still a moral person." She stood up with a smile, her twintails and skirt billowing in the wind. "But you''re also naive. How do you think a slave can love her Master that much? If you think it''s because of true love, then you''re even dumber than I thought." Of course. Kidnapping people to sell them¡ªthat still exists back in my old world. But slave farms? I find it hard to believe. "Slave farms? You mean places where they raise slaves?" "Not just that. They''re born there as well. They would have pairs of older slaves producing infants to be raised as new slaves. The law allows it, since children of slaves are considered slaves as well." I fell silent. This truly was the first time I''ve heard of such a thing existing. This world is a more messed up place than I thought¡­ "So, still want to buy them? They will pamper you for sure. In fact, it would be their greatest happiness. Isn''t it a win-win scenario? You get to satisfy those urges while they get to be happy." The tone of her voice¡ªit was clear that she too was disgusted by the practice. As for me, well, that revelation just killed any boners I might have for the idea. Maybe it''s because of my stubborn pride, like how I refused to pay for prostitution if I really wanted to have sex that badly with a girl in my old life. Or maybe it''s because of my modern Japanese mindset, that found such a thing to be quite horrifying, to say the least. I certainly could just ignore them both, and partake in the practice since I¡¯m a citizen of this world now. ...No, even so, I still can¡¯t. Then I will be a cheating scum for real, because there¡¯s no way Sherry would approve. Ah, for me to even consider it¡­ it makes me wonder yet again if I even deserve her in the first place¡­ ¡°How do you know so much about it anyways? Aren¡¯t princesses usually sheltered from that sort of thing?¡± ¡°Ha, you can¡¯t survive as a naive little girl if you¡¯re the imperial princess,¡± she retorted. ¡°Of course I know all about it. It¡¯s a major part of my older sister¡¯s business enterprise after all. Selling those high-class loyal slaves to nobles and rich merchants, she makes good money doing it.¡± ¡°And I guess you disapprove?¡± ¡°Hmph, you''re surprisingly sharp for once." "It''s kinda obvious, the way your expression looks and your tone. And I have to say," I gave a smile. "You''re a nicer person than you let on, aren''t you?" "And what makes you think that?" "Nobles, let alone an imperial princess, don''t usually care about slaves. But you do. Which means you''re nicer than them." My smile turned to a grin. "Really, you should stop acting so tough for once. You''ll be cuter if you smile more, you know~" Her response? A kick to the shin, so fast that I couldn''t react. "Stop wasting time and continue your training,¡± she ordered, before sitting back down. Ah, she really is a tsundere... --------------- We managed to cross the pass in its entirety right when the sun was going down, arriving at the town of Aurand at the other side. We immediately went to the inn and rested for the night there, conveniently taking our dinner in the tavern there as well. I slept in my own room while the other three shared another. Hmm, I wonder if the bed wouldn¡¯t be too small. The next morning, after breakfast, Fiora gathered us in her room for a meeting, to decide on what route we would take next. ¡°So, our next destination is the city of Sigil, where a Grand Priest currently resides.¡± She pointed at the dot on the map. ¡°We can go straight southeast from here to get there quickly. However, that means we would have to cross through the heart of Zamba Swamps, which would mean fending off a lot of monsters, and strong ones at that. Another alternative is to follow the normal road where we would head east first before south, though naturally that meant we would have to take a longer road.¡± Her index finger nimbly traveled through the parchment. ¡°Wait, can our carriage even travel through swamp lands in the first place?¡± I protested. ¡°The wheels could sink and that would only delay our journey even more.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Fiora returned with a groan. ¡°You do know you¡¯re a mage, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°...Oh¡­ right¡­¡± I completely forgot that I could just use an Earth spell to handle that problem with ease. ¡°And seeing how you managed to take care of that wyvern so handily, I say we shouldn¡¯t have any problem taking the shortcut,¡± she continued. ¡°Helen, there¡¯s no S-rank monsters there, is there?¡± ¡°None to my knowledge,¡± she replied. ¡°Only A-rank at best and even those are a rarity.¡± ¡°How much days would taking that shortcut save?¡± I asked. ¡°My estimation puts it around two or three days,¡± the maid answered. ¡°Hmm,¡± I paused. ¡°Is it really worth it to take that route if we only saved that much?¡± ¡°We have to consider as well the fact that taking the route might throw off any pursuers that would be coming after us,¡± the maid continued. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that they would expect us to take the normal route instead.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°There really is no guarantee, unfortunately. Your Royal Highness is already well-known in the palace for being the sort of girl who might just decide to take the riskier route if it will make her arrive faster.¡± ¡°Then, maybe we shouldn''t take that route after all." "No, we''re taking that route," Fiora interrupted. Oh boy, here we go. "It would be a good opportunity for you to train.¡± ¡°But I just started training today!¡± I objected in disbelief. ¡°I can¡¯t be fighting against monsters right away!¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be a coward. I can tell that you already have a good foundation under you. Your stance and your form¡ªthey¡¯re still crude but they¡¯re functional. Your father taught you well after all.¡± She smirked. ¡°And besides, if anything happens, you can just blast them with your magic, no?¡± In the end, Your Imperial Majesty¡¯s selfishness won over. She was the person in charge after all, so she had the final say. We were going to go through the swamp to reach Sigil, and hopefully, not terribly dying in the process. Vol 2 Chapter 20: The Two Monks ??? Ronia Mountain Passage¡ªthe mountainous road our protagonist had just traversed. Many travelers went through it back and fro, as it was the main connecting route between the west and east region of the southern Holy Empire. Most travelers would either walk by foot or travel on board of carriages and stagecoaches, with a few riding horses, mostly couriers and the like. But then, that day, any traveler who went through the passage might have had a wondrous encounter with them¡ªtwo men, running so fast that they even beat the speed of horses at full gallop. They certainly would beat the speed of mere carriages. They were a pair of middle-aged men, bald and dark-skinned, wearing what looked to be monk¡¯s robes dyed in black. One of them had a scar near his eye, which was the only distinguishing factor between them. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The men rushed through the passage, not stopping for any breaks in the slightest. They jumped over cliffs and ravines like they were nothing, GROAAARRRR A wyvern, the very same species that attacked the beastgirl from before, sensed their presence. They had trespassed into its territory, and so it decided to attack them. With its high speed, it chased after them, keeping up with their speed. With its wings, it launched whirlwinds towards them, while simultaneously barraging them with fireballs it shot out from its mouth. The two however dodged out of all its projectiles with ease. Knowing that it couldn¡¯t harm them from afar, it decided to close the distance between them. Or so it thought, before it was sent crashing down from the skies, spinning furiously in a spiral downwards to the ground below. A powerful force had hit it, and it made it lose control of its flight entirely. With a simple ranged punch, one of the men had defeated it in a single move. He didn¡¯t even need to touch the creature. His twin brother stopped, telling him to get a move on. After all, they had a very important prey to chase and put down. ------------------ Hugo The road through the swamps was¡­ miserable, to say the least. The dirt road we took was serviceable enough, and it took us through the damp and hot place as fast as it reasonably could. The trees around us seemed to come straight out of a tropical rainforest, and accompanying it, so were the tropical monsters. Like Rabid Monkeys, C-rank monsters who gleefully laid ambushes to us over and over again from the treetops. Or the Bloatflies, another C-rank monster with a disgusting smell whose bloated bellies would explode into a swarm of Predator Flies if we were to kill them. The Predator Flies themselves were considered C-rank as well, even though they were extremely weak individually. Only that they would swarm you like bees, biting off little chunks of your meat while dodging every sword swing you launched on them. Well, not Fiora¡¯s though. With extreme precision, she cut them down in an instant. Then there were the Mud Hippos who would fire off streams of mud from their mouth in an effort to bury us with it. They were actually B-rank monsters, and they attacked from a distance. Fiora said that one of the weaknesses of her style was the inability of striking faraway opponents, so she told me to just blast them away with my spell. ¡°It¡¯s too early for you to learn how to close the distance towards faraway opponents, boy,¡± she said. I didn¡¯t see her doing it though. Instead, she simply blocked the mud from reaching her by simply holding her sword up and somehow slicing it into two separate streams using her sword. That¡¯s gotta be her aura at work, isn¡¯t it? Suffice to say that it wasn¡¯t an easy trip, especially since Fiora ordered me not to use my magic to fight them unless I absolutely had to. So I had to kill them with just my sword. Thankfully, Fiora herself was there fighting with me. And, just like I expected, they were no match against her in the slightest. Anytime they got to a certain radius near her, she would cut them down without fail, even though that radius was certainly larger than what the length of her sword should be able to reach. As for me, well, just fighting a single monkey proved to be too much for me at first. He would dodge out of my slashes and thrusts every time, with me barely dodging his blows using my Wind Step. Fiora said I could use that spell and that spell only, and so I did. But sometimes, when I was facing multiple of them, I would be overwhelmed, and that¡¯s where Nicole would come in, erecting a barrier to protect me from their blows. Helen was also there, holding her own with her daggers and throwing knives. Her main job was to protect the horses and to ensure that the monsters wouldn¡¯t hurt them. The monkeys and flies didn¡¯t really give any worthwhile enough parts for us to gather and sell later (at least, not compared to the time we would waste). The rarer hippos on the other hand¡ªtheir heart fetched quite nicely in the shops. I persuaded Fiora to let me collect them. ¡°Fine. But the money you got from selling them all goes to Helen, alright? She¡¯s the one managing our group¡¯s funds,¡± she replied. So yeah, I was pretty much only doing it out of the kindness of my heart. For our first night, we camped on a clearing with solid land beneath it. Nicole cast a warding spell to shoo off any monsters that might decide to attack us in the night (giving me a painful nostalgic memory of Mother doing the same when we had our mountain trip). Even so, we still took turns taking watch. Helen offered to do Fiora¡¯s turn as well, but the princess refused, saying that she needed her to be well-rested. Wow, I didn¡¯t expect that, knowing how selfish she usually is. As for the one who gathered firewood, it was all Helen. We didn¡¯t hunt however since there really were no edible monsters around. So we only ate the dried mead and hard bread that the maid had prepared before we took on the trip here. They weren¡¯t delicious in the slightest, but they were filling. After we finished eating, Fiora came up to me and gave her evaluation of my fighting prowess throughout the day. ¡°Hugo, you really are a coward, aren¡¯t you?¡± she said as she stood in front of me. I was sitting near the campfire then. ¡°Huh? Where did that come from?¡± I replied, raising my eyebrows. ¡°Your fighting. It¡¯s all about running away.¡± ¡°Running away? What are you talking about? I stood my grounds against those monsters you know, even though I was clearly outmatched by them,¡± I protested. ¡°You dodge their blows like a mage would. But you¡¯re a swordsman now. You don¡¯t dodge like that. As a Galahad-style swordsman, you only dodge using the bare necessary movement, and then counter right away once the enemy let themselves open.¡± ¡°Easy for you to say,¡± I retorted. ¡°I¡¯ve been fighting like a mage would all these years.¡± ¡°Then stop whining and kick that habit off you, or else you¡¯ll never improve on your swordsmanship. You might as well just give up now, boy.¡± With those words, she left me to my own thoughts, entering her tent. You know what? Maybe she¡¯s right. Maybe I should change my mindset in combat. If I got injured, I have Nicole to heal me up after all. ----------------- The second day, I decided to do just that, moving around less and standing my ground more. The result? Several painful scratches on my two hands and a chunk of my hair gone when one of the monkeys yanked it off. One of them would have gouged my eyes out if not for Fiora cutting it in half. "Boy, never break your stance, no matter what happens!" was her only words to me when that happened. What, not even an "are you okay?" or something like that? Tch, how cold. But she was right. After being forced to fight in this manner, I realized that you could dodge and parry much easier if you don''t move unnecessarily. You simply need to move your head or your body to the side a bit, and then strike back without pause. As a result, once the tenth day of travelling through the swamp was over, I could already handle the monkeys on my own, at least somewhat. I could dodge most of their blows, but it took me really long to wait until I could find an opponent for a counter-attack. Fiora though, any monkeys that came near her would be cut into pieces in an instant. Heh, now I know how it feels to be those two when I rescued them from the wyvern. Or those three when I took care of the boar. A flash of pain came into my chest as I remembered them and their deaths. However, I already accepted it¡ªthat death was a commonplace occurrence in this world. On our trip through the swamp, we already saw a couple of corpses. Adventurers, most likely. Or travelers foolish enough to take this dangerous route. I was not a religious person in the slightest, but when Nicole implored me to pray with her for their souls to enter Paradise, as well as the souls of Father and Mother, I followed. This is a fantasy world, so gods might actually exist after all. And then came the last day of our swampy voyage. If all went well, we should arrive at Sigil right when the sun is about to go down. ------------- For the last day, just like the other days, I still had my training on top of the carriage with Fiora if there were no monsters attacking us. Now, our exercises had moved on to her attacking me with basic blows with her sword, commanding me to dodge while keeping up my stance. She also told me to counterattack whenever I could, but every time I did, she would rapidly counter said counterattack and give me a stinging slap on my arms with her wooden sword. Oh yeah, when she taught me, she used said sword instead of her real one, while she told me that I could use my real sword. Clearly, she was saying that even if I were to accidentally attack her with a real blade, she could protect herself just fine even with a dull piece of wood. ¡°Where did you get that wooden sword anyways?¡± I asked. ¡°Helen bought it in Aurand,¡± she replied. ¡°I could smack you with it, unlike if I use my real sword.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± You know, I¡¯m starting to feel that she¡¯s really a genuine sadist who enjoys hitting people, and me being her pupil allows her to use me as her personal punching bag. I looked upwards, towards the sun. If I had to guess, it was already around three in the afternoon. I should consider looking around for a pocket watch sometime, though I really don¡¯t want to return to my old life where I have to keep looking at the clock at all times. There¡¯s a certain beauty to just living life as it is, without any thoughts on the passing¡ª CRASH A force, so powerful that it nearly sent me off flying from the roof of the carriage, was blocked by Fiora¡¯s sword¡ªthe real one. She stood there, groaning, as what looked like a giant fist made out of energy pushed towards her. And then, I felt it¡ªanother powerful energy getting closer right behind me. My reflex, honed by all the training we had been doing for nearly two weeks, responded by grabbing her while using Wind Step to evacuate the roof of the carriage. Just in time before the two fists collided. In a split second, Nicole escaped the carriage and erected a Barrier around us. Helen, on the other hand, threw a series of knives towards the two directions where the fists came from. The horses themselves went into a panic and tried to run away, only for them to crash into the forcefield Nicole had erected. ¡°Your Highness!¡± The maid ran immediately towards us, before kneeling down in front of her. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Her worried expression however turned into an angry one, the moment she saw where my hands were grabbing her princess. Yep, I grabbed her right on her breasts. Before I could even enjoy the surprising fullness and softness that lied underneath her modest dress, she yanked herself free from me. ¡°There are two of them. Monks, most likely. Helen, did you see anyone from the two directions the fists came from?¡± ¡°Apologies, Your Highness.¡± She bowed her head. ¡°But I was caught off-guard by their surprise attack. They must have hidden themselves using the trees around us.¡± I gave a look around at our surroundings. True enough, we were currently in the part of the swamp with lots of thick trees and greenery in general. Perfect for someone to hide in. ¡°Hold on.¡± I spoke up. ¡°I can help.¡± All around us is mud. Which means this would be the perfect environment for her. ¡°Earth Sprite! Come on out!¡± The fairy responded promptly, appearing from the nearby muddy ground, to the surprise of everyone present. ¡°There should be two people around us. Search for them, and point us towards where they are.¡± I commanded her. ¡°Nnn.¡± As usual, she replied in a quiet manner. She disappeared under the muddy ground promptly, no doubt to conduct her search. ¡°Hoo? So you can use summoning magic as well.¡± Fiora smirked. Nicole on the other hand had a worried expression on her face. Oh, right, the Church forbids summoning magic in its entirety. After just a few seconds, the sprite returned. ¡°Don¡¯t sense any human standing in the mud nearby.¡± was her report. ¡°They could still be hiding on top of the trees,¡± I argued. ¡°We have to flush them out. Hold on. I think I can utilize my magic for that.¡± I moved away from the crowd, taking out my wand while still being inside the barrier Nicole had erected. ¡°Air Sunder!¡± Using my magic, I created a cyclone that would shake and tear the leaves out of the trees, leaving no camouflage for them to hide. I could use my Boom Cannon for that purpose, but I¡¯d rather not spend my mana firing off multiple of them just to bring down some trees. And besides, I would rather surprise them with it. If they didn¡¯t know how fast I could fire it, they could fall the same way Vera did. To my surprise however, after clearing out our nearby surroundings, nothing. There weren¡¯t anybody around. ¡°Tch, they¡¯ve run away.¡± I announced to the group. ¡°They probably would strike again once we let our guard down. ¡°Not bad.¡± Fiora continued her smirk. ¡°You¡¯re quite the capable bodyguard after all.¡± ¡°What should we do now?¡± Nicole spoke up, biting her lip. ¡°Should we just try to get to the city?¡± ¡°We should,¡± Fiora replied, turning to face her with a grim look on her face. Come to think of it, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen her this nervous. ¡°If night falls, they would have an advantage. We shall make for the Grand Priest¡¯s temple and seek abode there. They should not try anything as long as we were on temple grounds. Not with the Grand Priest here. The information you told me is correct, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°Lady Lunarya is a well-known combatant. She would be more than a match for them.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. We¡¯ll rush there as fast as we can. Nicole, could you keep up your barrier all the way?¡± She looked away. ¡°I¡­ I do not know¡­¡± She looked back. ¡°But I¡¯ll try.¡± And so we hurriedly departed, with Helen whipping the horses so they would gallop as fast as they could towards Sigil. I gave a hug to my sprite before banishing her. All three of us now sat on the carriage roof, with Nicole concentrating to keep her barrier up while Fiora and I looked around us for any suspicious movements that might signal another attack. To our pleasant surprise, nothing happened. We were able to reach the city safe and sound. Nicole took down her barrier, panting as she finally succumbed to her fatigue at last. Naturally, our arrival drew the attention of the guards posted on the gate, which numbered more than the usual number posted on the towns I had gone through before. Perhaps it¡¯s because they were on the side of the city wall that faced the swamps, just in case if any monsters dared enough to try to attack the city. They took notice of the barrier Nicole erected, and the fact that there were three people standing on top of the carriage, looking terribly on edge. ¡°H-hey, what¡¯s the matter?¡± One of them walked forward towards Helen. ¡°Were you guys attacked or something? ¡°We were,¡± the maid replied calmly. ¡°That¡¯s why we have to hurry to the Grand Priest¡¯s place. Church business.¡± ¡°R-right. T-then let me guide you there.¡± The soldier gulped. ¡°L-let me speak to the captain first.¡± It seemed Helen¡¯s grave expression was enough to convince him that she was speaking the truth. Or maybe he was just the gullible sort, easily charmed by the maid¡¯s beauty. The youthful-looking soldier ran towards his superior, which was the mustachioed middle-aged man behind him. After a short talk, he went back and said, ¡°A-alright. I¡¯ve gotten permission. Let¡¯s go.¡± After the guards moved over to the sides, Helen whipped the horses and made them gallop once more. ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down.¡± Fiora whispered. ¡°Just because we¡¯re inside the city doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re safe. Remember, the only one that can protect us is the Grand Priest. Not these guards that I could easily cut down myself if I wanted to.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think they would care for collateral damage? If we fought, a whole block of the city could be destroyed,¡± I replied. I was pretty sure that my Boom Cannon could make a hole through several houses in one fell swoop, knowing the power it possessed. ¡°Hmph. That depends,¡± Fiora answered. ¡°I do not know what the attitude of our attackers are. Maybe they¡¯re the kind of assassins that only wish to kill their targets. Or maybe they would perfectly be willing to burn an entire city to the ground if it means their targets would die with it.¡± With those foreboding words, courtesy of our dear imperial princess, we entered the gate. Vol 2 Chapter 21: The High Priestess As we entered through the gate, one of the soldiers was sent off ahead to warn the temple of our arrival. Nicole showed off her emblem to the captain guard, and he immediately understood that she was an official aspirant for the High Priestess position, adding credence to our claim. We didn¡¯t say anything about Fiora being the imperial princess however. All we said that she was an imperial noble of high renown, and that we were her bodyguards, protecting her from a pair of assassins that were targeting her. Thankfully, he bought our story without asking any further questions, to the point that he assigned his soldiers to escort us. We refused to slow down our carriage speed however, so only the horse riders could keep up. They also helped us carve the path ahead, shooing any bystanders off the main road. I kept my vigilance, looking around for any suspicious movements amongst the crowd. The day was passing, so there weren¡¯t that many people around, making it easier for me to do so. And then, I saw it¡ªrapid movement from one of the alleyways we passed by. ¡°There he is!¡± I yelled, before immediately charging up my Boom Cannon spell. The man didn¡¯t hesitate. He wallkicked off the two buildings as if he was the main character of a platformer game, before doing a somersault kick in midair. I didn¡¯t know how he did it, but the force of said kick manifested into what looked like a blade made out of energy, heading straight towards us. Heh! Nice try, but you¡¯re not going to beat my Boom Cannon with that! I launched my spell right towards him, and to his surprise, my spell pierced through his energy attack. Once again, people didn¡¯t expect me to be able to launch such a powerful spell in such a short time. Using his hands, he guarded himself. Naturally, he was sent flying right to the faraway building behind him, crashing as he made a crater. Damn, he didn''t get obliterated by that. Did he even die? That Aura thing¡­ it really is real after all¡­ The book had explained that you could use aura defensively, granting you toughness that could repel even a sword strike. My spell certainly landed on him head on, but he managed to protect himself so that it didn¡¯t end up as a killing blow. Such was the difference between magicians like Vera who couldn¡¯t use aura to protect herself. To her, it¡¯s guaranteed death if my spell actually reached her. So me eventually learning aura would be a big boost to my defensive capabilities for sure. SCREECH The thunderous noise of two blades clashing with each other alerted me that the attack wasn''t over. There was the other guy, and he sent the same projectile at Fiora, who blocked and parried it upwards to the skies. Unlike me, however, she had no option to counter attack, so the man who attacked managed to escape unscratched. "Did you take out your side?" she asked. "My spell landed but I can''t be sure if he''s dead yet," I answered. "But he must be wounded at the very least." "Tch, what a persistent bunch." She cursed under her breath. "Oi, don''t just stand there! Search the city and capture those two!" The guard captain yelled, mobilizing the other, currently paralyzed from awe guards to spread. As expected, the attack stopped once more. Like a good assassin, they wouldn''t attack unless they had an advantage, and for now, that advantage seemed to have vanished. I am concerned though, since now they knew my true capability as a mage. "Should I go after the wounded one?" I asked. "No, stay here," Fiora replied with a stern look. "The last thing we need is for us to be separated and getting picked off one by one." S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And so we continued our rush towards the temple. As I predicted, there were no further attacks. They must have retreated, especially since one of them was injured by my spell. The temple was located at the center of the city, located in its own separate complex away from the hustle and bustle of the small metropolis. It really reminded me of the tower back in Mira, although this one only had a little grassy greenery inside of its fence instead of a whole forest. A series of buildings stood inside, and its architectural structure really reminded me of Greek temples back in my old world. What an odd combination, I thought to myself. Thanks to the guard who was sent ahead, the gate was already opened, allowing us access to the inside immediately. We were hurried inside, and they immediately closed them behind us. I doubt a mere gate and fence would keep those guys out in the slightest though. A young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes waited for us at the center field, right in front of the largest building, which, I assume would be where the Grand Priestess lives. She wore what looked to be a cleric attire, although far different than the one Nicole wore. Unlike Nicole¡¯s plain black dress, she wore something with a little bit more flourish to it. Her dress was mostly white and pink, with a design that showed off quite a lot of her legs. Behind her was a squad of knights, wearing long white capes showing off the symbol of the Heavenly Dragon. If I had to guess, they¡¯re some sort of temple knights or something, underlings of the young woman. My first thought was that this young woman must be the Grand Priestess. But that assumption was quickly dispelled when she introduced herself after we jumped back down to the ground. ¡°Greetings. My name is Michaela Everthorn, and welcome to the Holy Temple of Sigil.¡± She put her left hand (the one not grasping her staff) to her right chest before giving a short bow. ¡°I have heard your plight. You seek asylum from your pursuers, correct?¡± She spoke towards Fiora, who had taken the initiative to act as our representative. ¡°Unfortunately, Lady Lunarya is not currently in the premises, so if you wish to speak to her, you would have to wait. However, rest assured that we would be willing to protect you from those who are after your life.¡± And then, she walked forward and leaned over to Fiora, whispering, ¡°Do not worry, Your Highness. As a High Priestess serving Lady Lunarya, I shall make sure your life is protected until she returns.¡± Welp, the cat was out of the bag immediately. I wonder how she figured it out this quickly though. I took note of her being a High Priestess though. So she¡¯s how Nicole would look like when she finished her pilgrimage. She probably aimed to become a servant of her adoptive mother¡ªthat Lady Miriam person. Helen and Nicole were shocked but Fiora seemed unfazed. The young woman named Michaela then turned her gaze towards Nicole. ¡°And you are an aspirant to become a High Priestess, correct?¡± ¡°Y-yes,¡± she nervously squeaked. ¡°Then, you have to wait as well for Lady Lunarya to return. Only she can give you the recommendation you need.¡± I exchanged looks with Fiora. It seemed she was fine by the arrangements given, but I could tell that she was nervous not having the Grand Priest on-site. So there''s a chance they might attack again. Afterwards, we were escorted to our rooms by her and her temple knights. I got my own room, Nicole got hers, and then Fiora and Helen shared a room. It was a comfortable room, though not too lavish. It had its own fireplace, with a small bookcase filled with what seemed to be religious books. There¡¯s a basket to put dirty clothes in, and a chamberpot under the bed to do one¡¯s business. They even gave me a couple robes I could wear, I assume as they washed my clothes. Dinner would be served soon, so I promptly changed out of my dirty, smelly clothes (hey, the swamp was a dirty and humid place that made you all sweaty) and put it into the basket. Then, I put on the robe I was given. It was a simple black robe, probably the type worn by acolytes. It was a tad loose, but I could wear it just fine. Hmm, feels weird¡­ wearing a robe like this. It¡¯s almost like wearing a dress. Before we had our dinner, we were told to clean ourselves in the baths first by our attendant, after the high priestess left. There were two baths in the temple complex, one for males and one for females. However, due to our extenuating circumstances, she told us that we would all use the female bath, even me who was a guy. She told us that she would just put up a bamboo curtain that separates the bath into two halves, where I could take a bath in one half while the girls took their bath in another. Yep, if that doesn¡¯t sound like a setup for an ecchi moment, then I don¡¯t know what it is. After changing, I waited inside my room until Helen knocked in my door, telling me that the bath was ready to receive us. Once I exited the room, I saw that Fiora, Nicole, and Helen, were wearing similar robes to mine. Huh, I guess this can act like bathrobes as well. Or at least, light robes that would be easily removed once we got there, and then we would just dry ourselves with towels before wearing the robes once again, since I don¡¯t think the material of this robe is that absorbent. To my delight however, Helen¡¯s robe was clearly at least two sizes too small for her. I could see the outline of her buttocks from behind. No pantyline though, which meant she was wearing a thong? Oh my, how scandalous. And from behind, her twin mountains bounced every step she took. Even more than usual. Don¡¯t tell me that she isn¡¯t wearing a bra? Could it even be that she¡¯s completely naked underneath, thinking that there wouldn¡¯t be a need to wear undergarments when she¡¯s just going to the baths? I nearly cast a wind spell just to blow up her robes, but I stopped myself. There was no way Fiora wouldn¡¯t know I was the one who did it. And if I actively caused perversion like that, Nicole wouldn¡¯t let me off so easily. She would lecture me for sure, and I would completely deserve it. We departed there, led by four all-female temple knights, still wearing their white armors and capes. I assume they wouldn¡¯t be joining, which was naturally, a shame. Still, it felt weird, being guarded all the time like this. Fiora and Helen looked completely used to it, but I could see Nicole being more nervous than usual. I also kept my eyes around, not wanting to be taken by surprise if the assassins decided to attack now. I sighed. Now I¡¯m starting to feel how tired it could be being a bodyguard. However, the only thing I found was just how beautiful the four female knights assigned to escort us. Two of them had blonde hair, one had black, and the remaining one had red. And they all had ample breasts to the point that their chestplate had to jut out noticeably so it could fit. And if only their capes weren¡¯t in the way, they probably would have amazing buttocks as well. Oh, I¡¯m not against having a female knight type character in my fictional, fantasy harem. I love those types of girls who are all serious on the outside but are easily embarrassed by the main character. That¡¯s how female knight characters usually are, right? As my mind slowly shifted from vigilance towards perversion, before I realized it, we already arrived at the bathhouse. Uwoooohhh! I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. It¡¯s an open air bathhouse! Sure enough, it wasn¡¯t inside a closed building like the other bathhouses I had been into. Sure, there was a ceiling and a floor, but the sides were completely open, allowing the gentle breeze of night air to come in. Seriously? I thought this is some uptight religious place. Why does it have a bathhouse that promotes promiscuity like this? I¡¯m not complaining though. The knights not joining us was indeed a shame, but I would be perfectly satisfied if I could have a peek on Helen naked. I really want to see just how big those two mountains really were. Fiora? She might be a nice extra. Her breasts are already there after all. I confirmed them myself when I grabbed her from behind back at the swamp (completely in accident, mind you). Nicole? ...Nah. I¡¯m not that perverted to go after an innocent girl like her. And besides, Sherry would give me hell if I did anything perverted to her good friend¡­. Not that she would approve of me peeking at other girls¡¯ bathing in the first place either. There was already a bamboo curtain put to split the pool in half. And seeing how there were nobody else bathing, it seemed the high priestess already told her subordinates and disciples not to take their bath tonight. Or at least, the female ones. Two knights stationed themselves on my side of the bath, while the other two stood on the other side across the bamboo curtain. They then turned their backs towards me, clearly intending to give me privacy. I wouldn¡¯t mind at all if they look though~ I undressed myself, leaving nothing on in the slightest before entering the warm water. Aaah, how pleasant. After going through the swamp all those days, this is like heaven, pretty much. I then gave a glance towards the bamboo curtain. Oh wow, I can make out their silhouettes from here! Sure enough, thanks to the lighting, and the thinness of the curtain itself, I could make out the shadows of their bodies. Boing~? My eyes nearly popped out from their sockets. Even merely from the silhouette, I could see Helen''s chest bouncing wildly as she took off her robe. Damn it, I really want to poke a hole on this curtain. But I just know Fiora will notice. In the end, I held myself back, only looking at the blurry silhouettes and using my imagination for the rest. Afterwards, after we dried ourselves with the towels provided, we wore out robes again and we headed straight to the dining room, with the knights on tow of course. Oh, by the way, the knights were using their light spells to light up the dark surroundings. They conjured these tiny little light orbs that circled around them. Illuminate¡ªI believe was the name of the spell. It¡¯s a Beginner-level Holy spell. There were only candles on the walls, without any of those light gems that emitted a much stronger light, almost to the point of light bulbs back home. So the lighting without their spells was quite limited. To prevent any ambushes from the dark, it only made sense for them to constantly have that spell activated. The dining hall was a large one, and it was just as dimly lit as the corridors we just went through. There were only candles placed on the series of long tables, as well as at the walls of the gargantuan room. There were a lot of people there, all wearing robes similar to the ones we were wearing. Even so, the atmosphere was somber, as they talked only in whispers. Wow, this is kinda creepy actually. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve stumbled into a cult or something. The knights delivered us to the table where the high priestess sat, which was located separate from the others at the top of the room. She wasn¡¯t alone there, as there were also two other men, middle-aged and balding, and two other women, also middle-aged. Just like the high priestess we met, they didn¡¯t wear the ordinary robes that the others wore. Each had their own styles and such. Hmm, seems like these people also have the rank of high priests and priestesses, I thought to myself. So does that mean the young woman from before is their de facto leader or something? ¡°Please, take a seat.¡± She gestured to us once we arrived at her table. After we did, she continued by introducing her colleagues, which were also high priests and priestesses as I had guessed correctly. ¡°First of all, the assassins that attacked you¡­ we still haven¡¯t managed to locate them unfortunately.¡± Just like I predicted. Being assassins, they should be skillful enough to avoid detection. ¡°But rest assured. You would be safe in our temple grounds. We have increased the patrol of our temple knights by two-fold. And if an attack were to happen, my colleagues and I would come to your aid as well.¡± She gave a little nod to the others. I dunno. They look pretty weak if you ask me. Can they really hold their own in combat? "I would rather have our discussion in private, if you don''t mind." Fiora suddenly spoke up. Wow, that''s kinda rude, isn''t it? You''re basically telling the other guys to leave right on their faces. "...Very well," the priestess replied, seemingly offended by Fiora¡¯s lack of manners. "Then, if you would¡­" She looked at the others and they immediately left, leaving us on our own. The knights who were guarding us also put some distance away so they wouldn''t overhear our conversation. "So, if you wouldn''t mind, Your Highness. Please, tell me why you have visited all the way out here to the south. Surely, you have some reason in mind,¡± the high priestess opened. ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Fiora replied. ¡°I wish to meet with your Grand Priestess, so that I might secure her support in me taking the throne once Father relinquishes his throne.¡± And straight to the point, aren¡¯t we? Guess she never is the kind of person that likes small talks. Vol 2 Chapter 22: The Princess’ Sob Story ¡°I see,¡± the high priestess replied. ¡°I figure it is something like that. The rumours have reached my ears, that your father is growing weaker and more senile at each passing day.¡± So that¡¯s why they have been so gung-ho at sending assassins over her! The grand priestess¡¯ eyes then narrowed. ¡°You know we of the Church aren''t supposed to be involved in your empire¡¯s politics, correct?¡± ¡°I know,¡± Fiora replied, still with her confident look. ¡°But your Saint could. If she personally endorses me, then I would have the right to rule over the Empire over my siblings, even though I was the youngest. And to do that, I would need to earn permission to meet her personally, meaning, I would need to be vouched for a meeting with her by the Grand Priests, including yours.¡± ¡°Such arrogance,¡± the high priestess replied, taking a sip from her cup. Here I noticed Helen sending a glare towards her, that she promptly ignored. ¡°You think the Saint would endorse you over your siblings? I have heard the tales, you know. You¡¯re called the Wild Princess at the capital, due to you being unable to curry favor with the nobles there. Once, you kicked a son of a duke right between his legs. And many other rudeness that puts you at odds with them.¡± Ha, seriously? So it¡¯s not just me then who is victim to her brattiness. But to think that she would dare saying such things to an imperial princess. Is she not afraid of the possible ramifications? Maybe if anything were to happen to her, it would be taken the same as the Empire declaring war against the Church. So I guess this functions also like an embassy of some sort, as the Church¡¯s base of power is at the Holy Land, to the far west of this continent. ¡°He deserved it,¡± Fiora responded without pause. ¡°He¡¯s an arrogant, annoying brat that kept asking me for a dance even though I was not interested in the slightest. And when he yanked my arm, I gave him what he deserved.¡± Yeah, I could easily imagine her doing that. ¡°And that¡¯s why you are not suited to be a leader. You don¡¯t know how to solve things in a diplomatic way, unlike your older sisters. You only resolve your problems through violence, and that is not the way of the Church.¡± ¡°Hoo?¡± Fiora smirked. ¡°Are you saying that you would rather support them than me?¡± ¡°Yes. And I shall speak frankly in the matter towards Lady Lunarya once she returns.¡± Oh wow, this is the first time I saw someone standing up against Fiora like this. You know, she got a point. If Fiora is the type that can only solve things through strength, then the Empire might just end up doing another invasion against the Magocracy if she took the throne. The country would turn all militaristic and war-loving, and the citizens would suffer. Not that I¡¯m going to tell her that though. ¡°Very well then.¡± Fiora stood up. ¡°I suppose our conversation is over. Come, Helen. We shall return to our quarters. And Nicole.¡± She glanced at her. ¡°Feel free to continue your talk with her.¡± And thus, for the very first time, I saw her retreat in defeat. Helen gave the high priestess an absolutely murderous gaze, but once again, she ignored her entirely. Two of the knights followed them, while the other two remained here. Hey, how about your dinner? Argh, what a handful she is. I¡¯m not going to be the one carrying your food to you, you hear me?! I was thinking of stopping her, since we shouldn¡¯t be separating ourselves like this when those assassins were still on the prowl, but looking at her face, I just knew that she wasn¡¯t going to listen. ¡°So,¡± the high priestess turned to Nicole. ¡°You are an aspirant to become a high priestess, correct?¡± ¡°Y-yes,¡± Nicole replied, taken aback by the sudden attention. ¡°What do you desire from the title?¡± she asked. ¡°I wish to serve Lady Miriam as her high priestess,¡± she replied. ¡°She had been good to me, and I would like to repay that kindness by devoting my life to her.¡± ¡°Lady Miriam? You mean Lady Miriam Blanchimont? I see. So you hail from Silipha. Are you perhaps the talented priest that she had adopted?¡± sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Y-yes! That¡¯s me!¡± Nicole replied. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I am talented though¡­¡± ¡°Humility. Something your princess friend could certainly learn from you.¡± She smiled. ¡°But to be able to reach Master-level at Holy Magic at such a young age, you really have a gift in the art. Do not worry. I¡¯ll talk to Lady Lunarya and give her a good impression of you once she returns.¡± ¡°T-thank you very much!¡± She gave a bow. ¡°Though please, don¡¯t have the wrong impression of Fiora. She¡¯s a good person beneath her rough exterior. And I believe she would make a good empress for this country in the future.¡± ¡°Hmm? How curious. You call her by her first name.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°That means you¡¯re a good friend of hers. Perhaps you might think so, and perhaps that might be the truth. However, if she couldn¡¯t project herself as a fitting ruler for the empire, she wouldn¡¯t be able to be a good empress, no matter how flawless her inner character might be, which I doubted as well.¡± Once again, she had a point. You need the people¡¯s support to be a good ruler, even in an absolute monarchy like what I assume the Empire is. The rest of our dinner was spent in mostly silence. It seemed what the high priestess said made Nicole realize the weakness of her dear friend, as she didn¡¯t really have a retort for what she had said. I couldn¡¯t help but feel sad for her though, especially with that expression on her face. Afterwards, we were escorted back to our rooms, with me wondering if I should do something about this situation. --------------- The next morning, I was woken up by none other than Fiora, who demanded that we started our training the first thing in the morning, even before breakfast. And once again, she barged into my room, not caring about the impropriety of it all. "Alright, alright, I''ll go." I yawned as I sat up. "You know we have assassins after our heads, right? Don''t you think it''s a little bit dangerous to do training in this kind of situation?" "Oh, don''t be a wuss, boy," she replied, playing with the ends of her left twintail. "Remember, one day without training and your skill will atrophy back one week." "Wait, hold on. I have something I want to talk to you about." I raised my hand. "Hoo? This should be interesting." She took a seat on the dressing chair with folded hands. "Fire away, boy." "It''s about what that high priestess said last night. I think she has a point, if I were to be honest with you.¡± There. I said it right to her face. Last night, I had decided to do something about it after all, even though it really wasn¡¯t my job, and that Fiora hadn¡¯t really been a likeable person in general. I dunno. As someone who had some life experience before, however little, I felt the need to teach her that the way she acted was wrong, and that it would only bring her ruin in the future, especially if she was really aiming on becoming the Empress. Not that I have any experience being a leader or anything, let alone a good one, but I had experienced two kinds of leaders in my old life, with my old boss being the good one and the new boss¡ªthe one who fired me¡ªbeing the bad one. The new boss was the epitome of a distant and cold leader, who only cared about using his authority to order people around. My old boss on the other hand was a warm and caring leader, who even old cynical me couldn''t help but like at least a little. "I don''t think it''s a good idea to always act tough all the time," I continued. "A leader needs grrace and charisma as well¡ªthat thing that inspires her subordinates to work hard for her sake.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± she replied with an amused look. ¡°So you say I have no grace or charisma?¡± ¡°You certainly haven¡¯t persuaded me to believe in you¡ªthe same way Nicole does. To be honest, I still view you as a royal pain in the ass, no pun intended.¡± Once again, I had decided not to hold my punches back. ¡°If you treat your future knights and subordinates like me, I don¡¯t think they would be very loyal to you.¡± ¡°So. Are you saying you aren¡¯t loyal to me?¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m only helping you because you¡¯re traveling together with Nicole. I didn¡¯t want anything to befall her, seeing how she¡¯s the only friend Sherry had before she met me.¡± She paused, looking away for a moment with an uncharacteristically distant stare. ¡°Hmph, I suppose I should tell you. My little sob story, that is. You seem to be the kind of guy that is easily taken by such things, am I right boy?¡± She glanced back at me, still with that smirk. As usual, she figured me out far too easily. ¡°Boy, do you know why I want to take the throne so badly, to the point that I would risk my life and my servants¡¯ lives on it?¡± ¡°Because you don¡¯t want to lose to your older brother and sister?¡± ¡°Ha, that¡¯s part of it, to be sure.¡± She grinned, before looking away from me once again. ¡°A promise. I have made a promise to myself that I would take the throne and change this rotten empire to my whim.¡± ¡°A promise?¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Fiora Guinevere Pendragon. Do you know the meaning of my middle name, ¡®Guinevere¡¯?¡± ¡°Guinevere¡­ Isn¡¯t that the name of the princess the Legendary Hero married after he slew the Demon God? Together, they ended up founding the Holy Empire as we know it.¡± ¡°I see you¡¯ve read our empire¡¯s history. Very good.¡± She smirked, glancing back at me. ¡°However, there¡¯s a deeper meaning on why I was given that name, as my older brother and sister didn¡¯t have that middle name. They have Rhea instead, which is the name of their mother¡ªthe queen consort of the emperor.¡± A certain understanding dawned on my face. ¡°Indeed. I am an illegitimate child, born out of pure accident. You see, my dear father isn¡¯t satisfied with just his wife. For a powerful and influential man like him, it isn¡¯t odd at all for him to have other relationships on the side. In fact, a lot of noble women would throw themselves at him, as they would be able to gain favor with him if they did. And his imperial maids, consisting mostly of low-ranking nobles and well-off daughters of the middle class, were no exception.¡± ¡°...And he actually bore a child with one of them.¡± I finished her sentence. ¡°That child being you.¡± ¡°Which would not be so scandalous of a move if it hadn¡¯t happened with the only one whose background is a slave.¡± ...And now I know why she has such a distaste towards slavery. She paused for a few moments, looking away from me once again. ¡°Ha, what a joke. Father loves women so much that he would do it with every attractive maid that serves him. Of course, using a contraceptive drug, there should be no worry of conceiving an illegitimate child. But Fate just loves to throw a twist on things, and somehow, my mother became pregnant with me.¡± At this point, there was a clear tone of bitterness to her voice. ¡°Of course, she always said that she had drunk the drug before doing the deed every single time. But who could trust her words, especially that of a slave? The other maids accused her of intentionally skipping the drug, just so she could bear his child. They had always been jealous of her, you see, as apparently, out of all his personal harem, he liked my mother the most.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°And then she died. Executed in the most gruesome fashion, pulled apart by a pair of horses going on opposite directions. Her crime was officially conspiring to assassinate the emperor, though naturally, it was a lie. She was framed by the jealous maids, and the queen consort, who¡¯s also jealous of his affections towards her. And I was there, witnessing her execution with my own eyes as she screamed in pain, begging for Father to save her, only for him to watch coldly, with not a single expression on his face. He might have been affectionate to her before, but he had lost his interest in her, just like he lost interest towards his wife.¡± ¡°And thus, since that day, I have decided. I would take the throne and become this rotten country¡¯s empress, just so I would wipe the wretched smile off that woman¡¯s face¡ªher and his son and daughter, who were also complicit in the act. I don¡¯t care how many corpses I have to stand on top of my dream. I would get the throne, or die trying.¡± ¡°In fact,¡± She turned her head to look at me. ¡°I¡¯ll even kill Father if I have to, though with his declining condition, in just a few years, he would surely kick the bucket on his own. So there would be no need for that.¡± ...It¡¯s strange¡ªthe way her expression is right now. She had a scary smile on her face, one of that of a killer. But at the same time, her eyes were watering, and I could see a drop of tear traveling down her right cheeks. Suddenly, I felt the urge to come over to her and hug her. ¡°I haven¡¯t told the revenge and murdering part to Nicole by the way.¡± She continued. ¡°She thought I wanted the throne to honor the wish of my dead mother. That wasn¡¯t a lie though. She told me how hard her life was when she was still a slave. She was sold as a young age by her poor parents, and she ended up in the hands of a deviant who took her virtue even before she bled for the first time. It was only by sheer luck that she was rescued from that hell when she met Father. He purchased her and sent her to the maid academy at the capital in order for her to be trained as an imperial maid. She gave it all every day, just so she could repay his kindness. Of course, if she had known how it would all end, perhaps she wouldn¡¯t have tried so far for his sake. Or perhaps she would. She was always madly in love with him after all.¡± ¡°And to think he would betray her in the end¡­ Scum like him¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be better for them to disappear?¡± Chills suddenly appeared all over my body as she gave another terrifying smile towards me. Her killing intent¡ªit emanated from her, suffocating me who was sitting just a few meters away from her. ¡°Now you know why my half-siblings wanted me dead. They know one day I would seek revenge and destroy everything they hold dear. So really, I wouldn¡¯t blame them for going on the offensive right away.¡± Silence fell, with neither of us speaking a word for a good few minutes. Realizing she was tearing up, Fiora used her sleeve to wipe her face. I am now speechless. Really, what the hell are you supposed to say to that? ¡°So, now that you know.¡± Her usual smirk returned as she looked at me once again. ¡°Do you still wish to act as my bodyguard? Perhaps you should tell Nicole the truth and persuade her to leave me. Then you two can go on your own, without any worries of assassins and the like.¡± ¡°...Heh, I told you before¡ªyou really should stop acting so tough all the time, Your Highness.¡± It was now my turn to grin. She tilted her head, seemingly genuinely surprised. ¡°I sympathize with you. I really do. For a man to abandon his lover like that, especially after she gave birth to his child, I would never be able to forgive such scum. I have to ask though. Do you have any further goals beyond simple revenge?¡± She laughed shortly, before smiling a little. ¡°What I told Nicole, that I want to eradicate both poverty and slavery, that isn¡¯t a lie. After my revenge, with my power as an empress, I shall strive to reach that utopia. No matter how many bodies I have to cut down in the process, for you see, slavery is a well-ingrained practice, with many powerful backers, from rich merchants, powerful nobles, and even my older sister who is profiting greatly from the business. If I want to eradicate it, then I would need to cut them all down. It would be bloody, but I would be willing to bathe in that blood if it means I can bring a world where no woman would ever end up like Mother again. Some poor countries up north even rely on it, having nothing else to offer to other nations with their limited territory and resources. I would have to destroy them as well as a result.¡± She chuckled. ¡°If I succeed, history books would name me as a wise empress and a great liberator. But if I fail, I would become a villied tyrant. ¡®In this chapter, we learn about Fiora Guinevere Pendragon, the vile woman who massacred anyone who stood in her path to power¡¯.¡± She mimicked the tone of a history teacher. ¡°I ask again. Would you still be willing to follow me all the way through that bloody future?¡± Vol 2 Chapter 23: Fiora’s Seduction ¡°No,¡± I answered, folding my hands with a serious look on my face. For a split second, Fiora paused, a clear look of disappointment drawn on her face. Only to turn back into her usual proud expression, as she answered with, ¡°Good. That is really for the best.¡± ¡°However,¡± I interrupted her, still keeping up my serious expression. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I am going to abandon you. I¡¯ll be your bodyguard until we have to separate up north, with you going to the west and me going to the east, crossing over to the Demon Continent. And then, as promised, you¡¯ll pay me a thousand gold coins, just like you said you would.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She replied, looking genuinely surprised. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t seem to approve of my goal.¡± ¡°Approve? It¡¯s not about that. I just have no interest in politics, especially helping a princess ascend to the throne. I just want to meet Sherry, and then go to where my sister is with her. Afterwards, we¡¯ll just become ordinary adventurers. Nothing more. Nothing less. That is the life I¡¯ve decided to want to do.¡± And then, she laughed. ¡°Ha! Ordinary adventurer? With that level of strength, you can be so much more than that! A ten year old boy with the ability to cast that level of spell at such speed, nearly every country in the world will want you as part of their military force, boy! You can be a court mage, given a lofty place in social standing with your own land and servants! You like women? Then women would throw themselves to you as well!¡± I sighed. "Sure, being famous and powerful and all that would be nice. But honestly, as you already know, I''m a big pervert. Ultimately, what I want is just to have a pretty girl by my side. We''ll get married, have lots of fun time together, and then raise some kids. I''ll buy us a nice home in the countryside, and then work as a humble knight. Yeah, just like my father." I smiled. "Having that kind of life is already good enough for me. I am not a big dreamer like you are, and I certainly don''t want to get involved in the game those high nobles play. And that''s why I''ll have to say no to your offer." Once again, Fiora seemed to be taken aback by my statement. Another look of disappointment flashed on her face. "...Sherry¡­ was her name, was it not?" "Uh, yeah?" S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, she stood up, walked right up to me, and pushed me back onto the bed. Before I could react, she climbed up the bed as well, placed her hands to the left and right of my head, and hovered above me with a smirk on her face. "So, which one is cuter, hmm? Me or her?" To even more of my surprise, she took my left hand with her right and put it right on her left breast. "You like this, don''t you boy? Does your Sherry have the same size as mine? Have you even felt her up like this?" There was no questioning it. She was outright seducing me right now. "You know, I was actually considering taking you as prince consort once I became empress. At first, I thought you were just a crybaby. But I see now that you have the qualities I want for a partner. You''re honest and you''re not afraid to talk back to me if you don''t like what I do. You''re strong and you''re a faithful lover as well. You see, I need someone to set me straight if I ever go astray. I don''t need any more blindly obeying servants. I want intelligent equals like you, someone I could have an entertaining banter with. As much as I like Nicole, she''s not good for such a thing, unfortunately." "Of course, you can have your Sherry on the side as well, as a concubine. I wouldn''t mind her sharing the bed with you. You can even never touch me as a woman if you want to keep your faithfulness to her to that extent." "But, since by doing merely this, you''re already all excited." She released her grip on my hand and circled her thumb right on the tip of my bulging member. ¡°I expect sooner or later, you would want my body as well. So I suppose if you really want to be that faithful to her, you have to reject my offer.¡± She then retreated, lifting her body upwards and climbing down the bed like nothing had happened. ¡°I shall let you consider my offer, boy.¡± She gave a haughty glance towards me as she put her hands on her waist. ¡°Do not rush. The fight for me to ascend the throne would not occur until years later, I imagine. I am still lacking the strength necessary to do so. Once it¡¯s about to start, I¡¯ll come to you and ask for your answer then.¡± And with that, she left, saying that she would be waiting for me on the fields for us to have our morning training. Leaving me with a painfully throbbing erection that I need to take care of. --------------- And that is how I had my very first ejaculation in this body of mine, signifying that at last, I was starting to have my puberty. The event that just happened was so shocking to me but I half-felt I was only dreaming it, a wet dream to be exact. But it indeed just happened. Fiora just told me that she wanted me to become her husband, offering her body in the process, if I were to help her in her future efforts on taking the throne. I really did not know how I should react. Should I be happy? I believe I should. Another girl actually showed her interest to me, not just Sherry. And Fiora was certainly a beautiful girl. And dare I say, sensual as well, the way she boldly did that to me. I am certainly into being the seduced party instead of being the seducer in bed. Her boobs¡ªI now got to examine just how soft they were. And they were indeed soft, so the sensation I received for a split second back at the swamp wasn¡¯t just one of my perverted delusions. My member hardened as a result, and she took advantage of it by actually touching the tip and smothering it with her thumb. The briefs and the thin robe I wore didn¡¯t protect myself from the powerful sensation that sent shudders all over my body. As a result, for the first time in my new life, I felt that familiar, strong desire to masturbate. Which I did, resulting in me putting said robe and briefs to the laundry basket (I just hope that whoever poor sod is on laundry duty today doesn¡¯t notice the jizz stains on them). Thankfully, I was given more than just one robe, and of course, I had spare underpants ready inside my trusty bag. I didn''t want to make it a habit though. Masturbating too much on your own really made you feel like a loser. I mean, if you''re a successful human being, you''d have a girlfriend to do it with, right? I wonder if Sherry would be willing to do it everyday with me¡­ Unlike in porn, women can get sore down there after doing it, especially if you do it too much. Not to mention a woman''s sex drive is in average lower than a man, or so I heard. What Fiora did back there, that was a clear display of manipulation by her. She''s using her charms to seduce me to become her permanent bodyguard. Ha, to think such a prideful princess would stoop to such lows. Still, she nearly got me. I was just about to retaliate and attack her back. Maybe kiss her and grope her breasts for real. Thankfully, she stopped her seduction before I crossed that line, though honestly, knowing her, she would just kick me in the nuts again if I had done that. Hmph, in the end, she was just an inexperienced young girl (not that I was any better, of course). I doubt her promise of making me her prince consort is actually true. At best, she¡¯ll just make me her knight¡ªanother one of her servants. She never saw me as an equal. Not with that attitude of hers. And besides, I¡¯m not interested in her type. I¡¯m not a masochist who liked being ordered and abused by a pretty girl. I¡¯m a wholesome pervert who just wants a wholesome relationship with a gentle and kind girl. What? You say Sherry doesn¡¯t fit that description? Nonsense! She¡¯s perfectly cute and lovely under that stubborn expression and super strength! I know she¡¯s the kind of girl who would just melt if I lovingly give her a hug and a kiss. And she¡¯ll be perfectly willing to be an adorable housewife as well, judging by how she was willing to clean my room while wearing that maid outfit of hers. Fiora would never want to do that! I sighed. Nicole was right. My perversion really could lead to me becoming unfaithful towards Sherry. She certainly would not be happy if she knew what had transpired this morning. Afterwards, I went to the field like she had instructed, with my assigned knights following. I just hope they hadn''t overheard our conversation. Fiora and her own assigned knights were already there, with the former greeting me with a smirk. "What took you so long?" Yep, that smirk told me she probably knew what I just did. "You like it, don''t you?" I replied with my own smirk. "Doing that to me?" I figure outright saying that she was seducing me was a no-no, not with the knights present. "Hmph, what are you talking about, boy?" She twirled her hair, not fazed in the slightest. Oh, so she''s just going to pretend that it never happened. Alright. Fine. But once we''re back in private, I''ll always remind you that you''re a pervert that likes teasing innocent young boys such as me. We sparred for a while until it was time for breakfast, then we resumed doing it afterwards. We got nothing better to do as we waited for the Grand Priestess to return. Nicole on the other hand seemed to already have plans with the High Priestess on her own. Probably talking about their priestly stuff. There was no sign at all of the Fiora that just asked whether she was cute to me or the Fiora who teased the tip of my member with her thumb. It was the usual Fiora, proud and unhesitant in teaching me in the physical manner, hitting me with her wooden sword if I gave her an opening, which, naturally, I did multiple times. It almost made me think what happened this morning was just a perverted dream I had¡ªthe key word being ¡°almost¡±, as there¡¯s no way I could forget how it led to my very first ejaculation. As this was my second life, I knew exactly what my member shot out. Not like in my first life where my parents never taught me about that kind of stuff. I didn¡¯t know what the white stuff was until I looked it up online. So yeah. This doesn¡¯t count as her taking my first time, I hope. As a romantic person, I want to give that to Sherry, with her giving her first time to me. I quickly put those thoughts in the back of my mind. If I don¡¯t focus on Fiora¡¯s sword movements, I¡¯ll get hit over and over again. --------------- ??? Meanwhile, in a small, seedy bar on the corner of the town, three men were having a private conversation in a small underground room, away from prying eyes and ears. From the outside, the bar was just an ordinary, low class bar, existing to serve the poor with their cheap beer and even cheaper food. However, the truth was, it was controlled by the Assassins¡¯ Guild, an underground organization that only a few knew to exist. And of course, said Guild had been hired to send its assassins after the second imperial princess. Of course, most of the patrons there didn¡¯t know of the true nature of the place. Any assassins that came were told to blend themselves with the crowd. And if they couldn¡¯t, then they had to enter through the secret back entrance, which the monks did. The two monks had fled to this place after their second failed attempt at assassinating the princess. With one of them wounded, with broken ribs thanks to Hugo¡¯s spell, they had to. Thanks to his harsh training, he could bear the pain to flee the scene, but he certainly couldn¡¯t fight in his current condition. And even if they were back at their best, they realized they were outclassed in strength, with Hugo being there. He wasn¡¯t part of the information they had received. How could there be such a strong mage with her all of a sudden? And since when a hobbit could be that strong in magic? (they wouldn¡¯t assume that Hugo was a normal 10-year old human child, of course). Using an underground currency only shared between those in the business, they seeked shelter in the building, as well as purchasing the service of a healer, who quickly fixed one of the twin brothers¡¯ wounds. And then, they decided that they had to recruit another member to their cause before making another attempt, before the Grand Priestess returned. They praised the Heavenly Dragon, as it just so happened that a certain infamous assassin was there. ¡°Eh? What d''ya guys want?¡± He was a man around his twenties. Or rather, he was a catfolk, with two cat ears on his head and a cat tail jutting out from his trousers. They were black in color. As for his attire, he wore what could only be described as a tattered white shirt and a tattered brown pants. If not for the lack of collar, and the twin scimitars attached to said trousers, he would look like your ordinary, run-of-the-mill beastkin slave. "We seek your help.¡± One of the brothers spoke first. ¡°You should already know about the contract for the second imperial princess.¡± The other spoke as well. ¡°Eh, the princess?¡± The man spoke. His blue bangs were covering his eyes, so the only thing they could see was his grin. He was leaning back on his wooden chair, with his feet up on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t take boring jobs like that. Killing demure little princesses isn¡¯t my thing.¡± ¡°She herself is a powerful swordswoman,¡± the first brother spoke. ¡°And she also has a strong mage accompanying her,¡± the other one followed. ¡°Good enough to give you two trouble?¡± ¡°As much as it shames us to admit.¡± ¡°We would train our bodies in the mountains once this job is over.¡± The young man¡¯s grin only grew bigger, and, as a display of his incredible litheness, from that position, he somersaulted backwards, landing on his feet in a perfect manner, with his chair being the only one that fell. ¡°80%.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°80% of the contract price. I want that.¡± The two brothers looked at each other. And then, they begrudgingly nodded in agreement. As assassins, they held a certain code that they would never abandon the mission they had accepted. And besides, the pay was good enough that they would still receive a large sum of money, even if the majority of it was given to the cat man, which they respected as they knew very well his ability surpassed even theirs, who had trained for so many years as monk-warriors. ¡°Oh, and give me some advance payment as well. 10%.¡± They could only bow their heads. -------------------- Hugo Our training lasted until dusk, resulting in aches and bruises all over my body, courtesy of Fiora¡¯s wooden sword. Thankfully, one of the knights guarding us offered to heal my ailments away, so I could rest in perfect comfort and health. Training your body in this world really is convenient, as long as you have a cleric nearby. Still no sign of the Grand Priestess. Guess we¡¯ll have to wait for tomorrow then. As we returned, we met with NIcole, and immediately my brain started to consider whether I should tell her what happened with me and Fiora this morning¡ªthe murdering part especially. Maybe I could leave out the seducing part. I gave a knowing glance towards Fiora, but she didn¡¯t respond. Either she didn¡¯t notice or she didn¡¯t care, most likely the latter. Hmph, maybe I should tell Nicole after all. See if she likes being a friend of someone who¡¯s willing to kill her own family members for her goal. I would have to get an opportunity to talk to her alone first though. ¡°Hey, Nicole?¡± I stopped her before she could end the conversation. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can I talk with you for a sec? In private?¡± I whispered. I gave another look towards Fiora. Nope, still doesn¡¯t care. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I just want to talk to you about something,¡± I replied. ¡°If you could, maybe you could come to my room later?¡± ¡°Your room?¡± She raised her eyebrows. ¡°Alright.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what could be so private that you don¡¯t want Fiora and Helen to hear though.¡± ¡°Be careful, Nicole.¡± Fiora finally chimed in. ¡°You know this boy is quite the pervert.¡± I gave her a smirk. Finally, she¡¯s squirming in her boots. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t do anything improper towards me.¡± She turned to face her friend. ¡°He might have the¡­ inclinations towards pretty girls, but I am not pretty at all, you see. I am plain, so he would have no interest in me,¡± she explained. That¡¯s not true though. She has her own charm in her own way. And as weird as it might sound, she¡¯s starting to remind me of Marina, in a way. Without the teasing and proudful part however. And so I returned to my room, waiting to reveal to Nicole the true nature of her dear friend. Vol 2 Chapter 24: Another Assault Knock. Knock. ¡°May I come in?¡± After just a few minutes of waiting, Nicole knocked on my door. I sighed. It was time for me to break the news to her. You know, come to think of it, this is the first time I''ve ever invited a girl into my room. Now I can''t help but feel nervous a little. "Come in!" I replied, waiting for her as I sat on my bed. Only now I was self-conscious enough to realize that my feet weren''t really touching the ground properly as I did. Well, I should have a growth spurt soon, knowing I''m going into puberty right now. Once Nicole entered, I welcomed her to sit on the same chair Fiora sat on. She then looked at me with a neutral expression, waiting for me to begin. ¡°You see, it¡¯s about Fiora.¡± I sighed. ¡°We had a chat this morning and she told me about her family.¡± ¡°She did?¡± Her expression turned into surprise, before transforming into a pleasant smile. ¡°That¡¯s good news! That means she is beginning to trust you more, Hugo.¡± ¡°That might be true, but she told me something she said she hadn''t even told you yet¡ªsomething you might not like. And I think I should tell you." Her eyebrows perked up in curiosity. But then it went down again as she stopped her own excitement, saying, "You know, it''s not nice to tell other people''s secrets like this. If she doesn''t want me to know, then I won''t peer into it." Oh Nicole. You''re such a nice girl, you know that? Too nice perhaps. Fiora could certainly learn some things from you. "I think this is something you really should hear, Nicole." I continued to pressure her with a determined look. "Because it''s something you might not approve." Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I then told her everything, about how Fiora despised her siblings and father enough that she wouldn''t care if she had to slaughter them all on her way to the throne. That also included anyone else who stood against her, like the high-ranking nobles who supported her siblings over her. It would be a purge of anyone who dared to oppose her. I also told her that she offered me a position by her side once the time came for her to enact her plan a few years down the road. When I finished, Nicole''s smile had disappeared, replaced by a melancholic look as she stared at a distance. "I suspected as much. That girl¡­ I sense a lot of anger inside her." She turned her head towards me, now smiling bitterly. "She asked me the same thing, you know¡ªto be her permanent retainer. But I refused, saying I would like to devote myself in the path of priesthood as an aide to Lady Miriam. That is the future the Heavenly Dragon has chosen for me." "Chosen?" I asked, unsure of the meaning of her words. "It is my calling. It is not my fate to be close to an empress. I only wish to help the people¡ªto guide them towards the light. I wouldn''t wish for power, the thing she wished for." "But then, why are you with her?!" "Because I wish to prevent her from going down the wrong path," she continued, now with a brighter smile. "She is a good person. And I believe she can be a just and honest ruler in the future. However, she still needs to learn of kindness and mercy, and I hope, by the end of our journey together, I would be able to teach her that¡ªthat it''s alright to be weak. We mortals are all weak in the eyes of Heaven. Our fates are ultimately not for us to decide. Like the Great Saint Milicis once said, "Struggle and Heaven may decide to alter Fate to your favor." The room became silent for a while before I resumed our talk. ¡°So, when the time comes, where she would make her move to take the throne, would you be there by her side?¡± Nicole looked away once more, pausing for a good amount of time before she answered. ¡°I believe I would. I wouldn''t abandon a friend." ...Welp. That''s just as I feared. I sighed, before standing up from the bed, walking up to her. "I guess there''s no changing your mind, huh?" I gave a wry smile. "Wouldn''t you put your trust in her as well?" she replied with a small smile. "It''s not for me¡ªthat kind of life. I just want to make a happy family with Sherry. That''s all. Glory and fame might be nice, I admit, but if I have to drag her into danger in the process, I think I''ll sit it out." I smiled back. "Then, how about if the reason is to do good?" "Hmm?" I raised my eyebrows. "So you believe that helping Fiora to ascend the throne is to do good?" She looked down at her interlocked fingers. "I believe she is the only person who is willing to transform this country, no, this whole continent, into a better place. Even if it would lead to instability and chaos in the short term." Well, that''s a surprise. I didn''t expect those words to come out from her mouth. That''s almost like a speech of a well-intentioned extremist. "She hates poverty and slavery. And I share that sentiment. But many believe that it is simply the nature of the world, for some men and women to be bound in chains or starve to death. They believe that it is their fate, as decreed by the Heavenly Dragon." She then gave a thin smile at me. "Do you think I should subscribe to that belief as well?" I didn''t answer. I don''t know how to answer. In fact, I took a few steps backwards as she suddenly stood up. "When you have nobles gorging themselves in feasts and parties while their citizens go hungry, do you believe it to be justice? Do you believe the Great Saint would approve of such a fact?" She continued, a subtly angry look on her face that honestly terrified me a little, as this was the very first time she went this much out-of-character. ¡°I might not look like it, but I am willing to smite those that pervert the justice of Milicis.¡± I see it now. I have underestimated her. She''s not just the typical nice female cleric. She''s also a crusader, willing to fight for what she believes is right. I like it. I respect that attitude. Though I just hope she doesn''t turn into a zealot somewhere down the line. "Is that why you healed and gave money to those poor folks when we first met?" "Yes," she replied, sitting back down. "I can''t just ignore them if I could help them, can I?" She smiled. I sat back down, smiling as well. "You really are amazing, Nicole. When I first saw those people, I didn''t think on helping them in the slightest. I was just wary of them, and even a little scared." She shook her head with a little blush. "I''m simply doing what I have to do as a priestess of Milicis. Providing for the weak and hungry is a virtue most beloved by her." Another curtain of silence fell under us, until she deigned to continue speaking. "Hugo, would you not be willing to use your strength for the good of the people?¡± She clasped her hands together near her chest. I sighed. It¡¯s only a matter of time until she asked me something like this, I suppose. ¡°I dunno. I¡¯m only good at killing stuff. I¡¯m not a healer like you. And giving alms like that isn¡¯t my style. I do have a dream of having a lavish lifestyle, you know, unlike you who seem to be content with giving almost every coin that you got to the poor and living a humble life.¡± ¡°I am fine with that.¡± She smiled in return. ¡°You need to make Sherry happy after all. That girl has suffered so much and I only wish happiness in her life in the future.¡± ¡°Then, what are you talking about? Wait, don¡¯t tell me that you want me to support Fiora as well? Do you really trust her that much? You heard what the High Priestess said about her. I have to agree with her. Those flaws wouldn¡¯t make her be a good ruler.¡± I folded my hands. She avoided my eyes. ¡°Perhaps she wouldn¡¯t be the perfect and ideal leader.¡± Only to return back to look at me unflinchingly. ¡°However, I still believe she would keep her promise, of creating a Holy Empire, no, the whole Holy Continent, free of poverty and slavery. She would reduce the corrupt lavishness of the nobles and redistribute those taxes into the welfare of the people. She would also forbid the practice of slavery altogether, and hunt down anyone who still insists on continuing in the act.¡± ¡°And that means she would make enemies out of so many powerful people,¡± I replied with a grim look. ¡°But hey,¡± I gave a grim grin. ¡°Fiora doesn¡¯t care, does she? She¡¯ll be willing to cut down all those people. How about you, Nicole? Do you agree with her methods?¡± She paused. I could sense that she was unsure on how to reply to my challenge. ¡°...I do. Like I said, I would be willing to bring divine justice to all the wrong doers of this world, no matter who they are.¡± At that moment, the determined look on her face told me everything I knew about her resolve. I chuckled to myself. This girl¡­ is just as stubborn as Fiora. ------------------- We ended our little chat soon after, with me realizing that there really was no winning over Nicole to my side. She had decided on her resolve, and so had Fiora. Me? The only resolve I had was to make Sherry happy. That, and one day returning to Marina and Erika, asking for their forgiveness for running away, once I was ready to do so. I would also improve myself in strength, both physically and mentally. No longer I would be a crybaby, like Fiora said. I would be a real man that I could be proud of. It truly was a selfish resolve, now that I think about it. I don¡¯t care the slightest about my surroundings, unlike Fiora and Nicole. Well, I¡¯m just a nobody. I¡¯m not a prince, and I¡¯m not a priest sworn to do good by a religion. So I can get away with it. Haah, you certainly have one troublesome friend, Sherry. I rested on the bed with my hands behind my head. It was still a little bit more until the bath was ready, so I could still relax like this for a good¡ª KLANG KLANG KLANG Hmm? That noise¡­ that sounds like¡ª KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG Bells! They''re ringing the bells! Why are they¡ª A chill suddenly crept into my spine as I remembered what the high priestess said when we first arrived. "Oh, and if you hear the sound of the bells, that means there''s an intruder in the temple grounds. We have a life detector magic set up in the perimeter, so we can sense people coming in from somewhere else other than the main gate." Shit, we''re under¡ª CRASH A loud noise filled my ears as I coughed, closing my eyes at the dust that suddenly filled my sight. ¡°Come out, Great Fairy!¡± I yelled. She manifested just in time to block the swing of two scimitars aiming right towards my neck. Not with her sword, but with her body, as she was nowhere near fast enough to react with her own sword. ¡°Kyaaah! Master!¡± She yelled in pain before dispersing into a burst of water, as the two scimitar switched into a slashing motion and cut her in two. Dammit! I¡¯m sorry! I apologized to her in my head for a split second before returning my focus back to my assaulters. That yell certainly sounded painful. Once again, I used my summon as a meatbag to absorb a blow from the enemy. This is exactly why I¡¯m training my swordsmanship! The two swords retreated to the dust cloud, but I know very well that the attack wasn¡¯t over. If I hadn¡¯t stored my wand in my pocket and retaliated by firing a Boom Cannon as fast as I could to the ceiling (for they had broken through it), I would¡¯ve been dead meat. It gave me time to grab the sword I placed beside my bed and ran as fast as I could towards the door using my Wind Step. Or I would, if a hole hadn¡¯t appeared behind me, courtesy of Fiora, who had slashed the wall into pieces using her sword. In a split second, I sense one arm dragging me behind. Judging by the two mounds of softness pressing into my back, I could tell that it was Helen. Just in time for me to enter the safety of Nicole¡¯s barrier, who blocked a fist heading straight towards me. Yep, it was one of the monks from before. So that means there should be¡ª CRASH The barrier! It shattered! The second monk had launched his own fist, aiming right at the same spot where his brother landed his. The combined pressure was too much and Nicole¡¯s Barrier was overwhelmed. I heard a yelp from her as she no doubt suffered from the backlash. Fiora swung forward at a speed that surpassed my eyes. And it clearly also surpassed what the brothers could react to, as she managed to cut off one of their arms before they could retreat. If I had to guess, they had no time to redirect their aura from offense to defense since they had just attacked. Only for her to immediately be pressed into the defensive, as the scimitar user moved forward, aiming right at her head with lightning speed. If not for her impressive reflexes that allowed her to block the twin sword, her head would¡¯ve been separated from her torso for sure. ¡°Hee, not bad, little princess¡­¡± He grinned. And now, we got a good look at who our attackers were. Now there were three of them, with the scimitar wielder being the new addition to their new group. The two were a pair of dark-skinned bald twins, at least forty in age. Their robes were identically brown, to the point that the only distinguishing feature they had was one of the brothers having a scar across his face. Well, that, and the arm that Fiora had cut off. That¡¯s a¡­ cat man? His ears and his tail told it all. I had no time to look at him more carefully however, as the monks were still not out of commission yet. ¡°Boom Cannon!¡± I fired off another one of my spells towards the healthy one. And just like before, he immediately responded by covering his head with his arms, no doubt putting his aura there to lessen the blow. To my surprise however, the other monk, the one with the bleeding stump of an arm, instead of being immobilized by the pain, he supported his brother by standing right in front of him and putting the same pose as he did. The spell hit dead on, and even through their combined efforts, they were still sent flying away, creating a hole on the wall behind them on their way out of the room. Good! This means the knights outside would be able to take them on! Now we just have to deal with catguy here! Helen was the first one to move against him, leaping forward with her dual daggers drawn. She recognized that her mistress was in danger and wasted no time protecting her. Recognizing that he was outnumbered, the assassin kicked his bare feet to the ground and dashed away, climbing up the rubble and into the ceiling hole that he or the monks had produced. He didn¡¯t turn his back however, preventing Fiora from attempting a slash from behind. Looking at her panicked expression, I knew that she was surprised he could keep up with her speed. Shit, I mustn''t let him go! I decided to chase him, knowing that if we let him go now, he would surely strike again in the future. And knowing just how close he nearly got to lop my head off¡­ Brr, he''s a dangerous opponent! And I had enough of assassins hounding us like this! Using my Wind Step, I flew upwards, following him through the hole. Or I almost did, if I hadn¡¯t stopped myself. That¡¯s exactly what he wants. He¡¯ll ambush me the moment I come out from that hole. And so I decided to do something else. ¡°Earthen Break!¡± The ceiling of the room was made out of stone, so I could cast this spell that made it explode into pieces. The room was pretty much destroyed anyways, so who cares if I do a bit more property damage? The entire ceiling now collapsed, shattering into multiple pieces of sharp stones flowing upwards towards where the assassin should be. With a little modification, you could manipulate the direction where the rocks exploded towards. There he is! I saw a glimpse of him amongst the flying rocks. To my amazement, he managed to deflect every single one of the rocks flying towards him using his two scimitars. He really is at Fiora¡¯s caliber. I promptly started my Boom Cannon and fired it while he was still in mid-air. However, as my wand was pointed towards him, he realized what I was doing. He already saw the spell in action after all. Ha, you can¡¯t escape! You¡¯re in mid-air! You can only defend! Or so I thought, before he did something I thought to be impossible. Without actually touching anything, his legs kicked off air itself, allowing him to just barely dodge my spell in time. What the hell was that? Was that Geppo? ¡°Air Sunder!¡± Using the wind spell, I blew away all the rubble dust that blocked my view. But it was too late. When the view cleared, the assassin was no longer there. Damn it! I¡¯m too slow! ¡°Guwaahhhh!¡± A scream came from a different direction. It was the two monks. They were still battling the knights as they too attempted to escape. Hilariously enough, it seemed they had become unwilling decoys to the other guy. I doubt this was part of their plan. There were now even more wounded than before, with large red gashes and torn robes giving proof that the knights were too much for them. Perhaps not individually, but they were powerful enough to overwhelm them through numbers. Although this led to quite a number of them laying down on the dirt unmoving. And of course, the high priestess being there didn¡¯t help matters either, as she was firing off what could only be described as golden chains in an attempt to bind and immobilize them. One of them raised their legs high upwards before stomped it down, sending an energy projection of a giant foot bearing down towards the high priestess. She, however, managed to block it with her barrier, though not without a clear exertion on her part. And it gave an opening to one of the remaining temple knights to perform a slicing motion that hit him right on the side, creating a large open wound on the side of his stomach. It slowed him enough for another knight to land a Holy Bolt on his left leg, blowing it up completely while heavily injuring the other. ¡°Graahhh!¡± The other brother, the one with the dismembered arm from Fiora¡¯s attack, tried to drag him along. But it only slowed him down even more, allowing the high priestess to finally land her chain spell. ¡°Surrender! And I won¡¯t have to send you to the afterlife!¡± The high priestess shouted as the brothers tried to yank the chains off them. And then, something I didn¡¯t see coming occurred. The two monks, knowing that they no longer had any chance for escaping, decapitated themselves using a chopping motion into their necks. Of course! Professional assasins would rather commit suicide than to betray their client''s identity! That''s a common trope in the books I''ve read! The two bodies fell to the ground with a thump, and with it, the attack was over. Vol 2 Chapter 25: In Which Hugo Finds A Pair of Holy Panties "Four of our knights were killed and eight were injured. What a terrifying opponent,¡± the high priestess reported. We were now outside on the field talking to Michaela, who was overseeing the clean up from the assault. After the two assassins killed themselves, and the other one ran away, she immediately ordered her subordinates to search for the latter, while she and a couple other priests and priestesses went around healing the wounded. Despite their best efforts however, four of them had fallen in combat, as they had died before they could treat their wounds. There¡¯s no such thing as a Revive spell in this world, I suppose¡­ Nicole went to each of them, giving them a prayer for their souls to enter Valhalla. Yep, like you may have guessed judging by the name, it¡¯s the paradise intended for brave warriors who devoted their lives in the path of righteousness. I felt bad for them as well, as they technically had died to protect us from the assassins. But, after what Nicole said to me back then, I wouldn¡¯t blame myself for it. People die in this world. It¡¯s an inescapable fact. There¡¯s no use in believing that you can save every single person you meet from it. One of Michaela¡¯s knights then came over to report, and apparently, the other assassin had escaped. The high priestess sighed, shaking her head. ¡°Fortunately, the Grand Priestess should return tomorrow, and with her present, that man, if he had any common sense, shouldn¡¯t attempt this again. Lady Lunarya, unlike myself, is a very competent combatant. If she were present tonight, that vile man shouldn¡¯t have escaped.¡± We were then given a different room entirely to sleep for the night. To be exact, we were lent the room of the high priestess, as together with the room of her superior, it was located in the most secure building of the premises, just in case if that cat assassin was to strike again. Michaela doubted that though, saying, "Those murderers are a cowardly bunch. They would only strike when they have an advantage." Thankfully, she was kind enough to place an extra bed in the room, so I would be able to sleep properly and not on the floor. ...Yeah, there''s no way Fiora would allow me to sleep together with her. Michaela personally took us to said room after we had our dinner (it''s too risky to go to the baths at this time) and told us to consider it our own. Guess a holy person like her had nothing to hide. I would never let strangers into my room myself. When we entered, we were greeted by a cozy and somewhat large room. A tiny study was there, with a number of bookshelves filled with religious texts that I had no interest in reading whatsoever. The bed was large enough for multiple people, so there would be no issue for Fiora, Nicole, and Helen to fit comfortably on it. The extra bed was smaller, only designed for one person. Hmm? What''s that? I saw what looked like a pink fabric peeking out from under the bed. I bent over to pick it up. This is¡­ panties?! Quickly, I hid it inside my shorts pocket, just in time before Fiora and the others entered the room. They had remained outside for a bit, conversing with Michaela. "What?" "N-nothing!" Her sharp eyes only grew even sharper. But she quickly dropped the matter, to my relief. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Don''t tell me¡­ these are Michaela''s panties?! A thought occurred to me that I should go out there and hand it over to her before she got too far. But on the other hand¡­ Hehe, panties¡­ Yep, I can''t stop myself. "Hey, Fiora." I called out to her. "I''m leaving for a bit. Gotta go to the privy." With that excuse, I could get the privacy I needed to check out this holy fabric I just received from the heavens. I exited the room. To my surprise, Michaela was still there, along with a squad of knights. "Is something the matter?" she asked. "Nothing! Just¡­ need to go to the privy, that''s all!" I gave a nervous grin. "Then let me and my knights accompany you. For tonight, I shall be part of your security." She then told the majority of her subordinates to stay, only taking two other knights with her. I can''t say no, can I? -------------- The walk there was awkward, to say the least. I kept stealing glances at her and my right hand rubbed my pocket where her panties were stored. It didn''t help that the knights she took were females as well. My eyes wandered down to her graceful hips, imagining a pair of tightly fitting pink panties hugging them. Damn it, why do they fit so well? Thanks to that dirty thought and others (she had quite the nice body after all), a tent formed on my robe, making me have to put my hands in the front to hide it as I tried to calm myself down. "Do not worry. The privy isn''t far from here." Ah, she probably thinks I need to go pretty badly. Well, this is embarrassing. But it''s less embarrassing than being found out that you got a boner, I suppose. We soon arrived there¡ªa humble wooden shack in the inner garden. The three stood outside while I did my business¡ªthat is, checking out Miss High Priestess''s underwear. Thankfully, the place was clean with no stinky smell that would ruin the atmosphere. ...Oh wow, these are cuter than I had expected. They had these frills to them and a ribbon on the front and¡ªhold on, that''s... My thought was cut short as I noticed something quite scandalous¡ªhow the crotch part was darkened and dampened. ...No freaking way¡­ Yep. I wasn¡¯t mistaken. Just one slight sniff, and I could immediately know the high priestess had come while wearing this pair. The scent of her juices were unmistakable. Don¡¯t tell me that she had been masturbating before the attack happened? She must be in a rush to leave so she just left them there, and then she forgot about them entirely! Ooh, what luck! Immediately, my robes tented again. Oh my, to think that a lady of her stature could be so naughty¡­ My mouth formed a naughty grin. For a split second, I was reminded of those porn books I used to read back home. Blackmail was inside quite a number of them, and I could imagine blackmailing her using these soiled panties of her. But I quickly dismissed the thought. I am not a bastard like those guys (as a matter of fact, I dislike that genre), and, as a fellow stealth pervert, I have to support her you know. I also thought of keeping them in my possession. I do enjoy the delightful mature woman scent that they gave off. I can just imagine her pleasuring herself in her room, away from the watchful, prying eyes of her subordinates who believed her to be the perfect high priestess. But, I decided against it. I had sworn to be a better man, and that also meant to stop being a pervert, at least on the level that I was in my old life. At the very least I need to turn it down a notch. I want to be a gentleman after all, and no gentleman would steal other women¡¯s panties without their permission. If I go through with this, I would disappoint Marina, Sherry, and Nicole; all in one fell swoop. Fiora? Ha, she¡¯ll probably just grin and say, ¡°You really are a pervert, aren¡¯t you?¡± If the woman gave her panties voluntarily though, that¡¯s another matter entirely. I sighed as I suddenly remembered the two pairs of panties I got inside the box back home. I just hope they will remain hidden forever. Erika would hate me even more if she knew I was hoarding girls¡¯ panties like that. I just know it. And so, after giving the pink panties another hearty sniff, I left it behind in the privy, balled up in the corner of the small shack. I went outside after my boner went down, telling Michaela that I was finished doing my business. Little did I know that I would end up creating a scandal in the near future, as a disciplinary investigation would be launched on the owner of said panties. Michaela would have to shamefully order her subordinates to find said person, knowing very well that it was her. She didn¡¯t know how her dirty panties had ended up in said privy, only that it did, and it took all her acting skills to pretend she didn¡¯t recognize them. Didn¡¯t stop her little naughty habit though. Back at our new room, I managed to get a decent sleep, though after what I just went through, it was a miracle I didn''t become too nervous to sleep. Like Helen, who said that she was going to stay up all night to protect her princess. Dammit. No looking at Fiora''s sleeping face then. -------------- ??? Under the dim moonlight, a certain beastman was jumping rapidly on the rooftops of the city, heading straight towards the outside of the walls. He was, of course, the assassin that had escaped. With his speed, there was no chance for the knights to catch up to him. And now, he was grinning like a madman. Ha¡­ ahahahahahaha! Ahahahahahaha! That was fun! Really fun, little princess! To think that a royal brat could be that strong! And that kid¡ªhe¡¯s strong as well! Amazing! This is exactly what I want! At last, a worthy hunt¡ªgood enough for the whole crew to partake in! Now, I have to do the bothersome work to gather them all. Would take months to do so, under my estimate. O Great Saint! Please, hear my plea! Protect them until the day comes that we could hunt them all! With a jump, and another on mid-air, he leaped right above the stone wall. The guard stationed on the rampart didn¡¯t even notice, as he was dozing off at his work. -------------- Hugo Oh no... When I woke up in the morning, to my horror, my briefs felt clammy and damp. I just had a wet dream. And yes, it was about the high priestess. I saw her grinding her womanhood on the corner of the pulpit she used for her sermons, making all sorts of lewd expressions in the process. I really am hitting that puberty process all over again, aren''t I? I gave a glance towards the other bed. Good. None of them had woken up. Even Helen had surrendered to her drowsiness, as she slept sitting on the foot of Fiora''s bed. A naughty thought came up to me as I glanced at the maid''s hefty chest, but I shook my head. This is no time to fool around, Hugo! I gave a glance towards Fiora and Nicole. Well, that''s cute. Fiora is snuggling up to Nicole and she''s hugging her back. They really are good friends, huh? Or don''t tell me that this is a hidden yuri development? I put those thoughts away as well. I need to change my clothes ASAP. I took out my spare clothes and underwear from my bag. Giving another glance towards the three of them, making sure that they were still asleep, I began to undress myself. I did it quickly, thanks to my clothes being easy to put on, being a simple shirt and shorts combo. When I finished, I threw my dirty clothes in the laundry basket, before turning around. Only to find Fiora sitting on the bed, smiling as she stared straight towards my direction. What the¡ª Since when she¡¯s¡ª ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look so surprised. I didn¡¯t see anything. Well, anything worthwhile at the very least.¡± W-was that¡­ was that her insulting my size? Shaken, I immediately tried to perform a retort. Putting up the smuggest grin I could muster, I replied, ¡°You really are a pervert, aren¡¯t you, Your Highness? Peeking on a boy while he¡¯s changing? Tsk tsk tsk. That¡¯s not very ladylike of you, is it?¡± I put my hands on my waist. ¡°Oh, really? You¡¯re an even bigger pervert then, exposing yourself like this while in a room with three girls?¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not my fault you suddenly decide to wake up.¡± I shrugged. ¡°And the fact that instead of telling me to stop and cover myself, you instead just watch in silence¡ªthat proves you¡¯re a pervert who enjoys looking at naked young boys like me.¡± I grinned again. ¡°You really should just admit it, you know. I¡¯m not mad. I¡¯m not a prude after all.¡± ¡°Of course you¡¯re not. You¡¯re too lecherous for that.¡± Suddenly, our conversation was interrupted by Nicole, who groaned as she sat up as well, rubbing her right eye. ¡°Oh, you two are already awake?¡± She smiled. ¡°Good morning.¡± Fiora and I exchanged looks. Who would make the first move to tell her what just happened? Would it be me saying that Fiora was peeking at me while changing? Or would it be her saying that I was a perverted flasher who intentionally changed in a room with three girls? In the end, neither of us made a move. Fiora gave a signal with her eyes, saying that "if you don''t tell, then I won''t tell either." And I agreed. Heh, for now at least. I''ll tell Nicole once we''re alone without you butting in. I''m glad she didn''t notice that I had a wet dream though. She could get the upper hand from that. --------------- ¡°Her Holiness Lady Lunarya has returned!¡± Those words were yelled all over the temple complex the next morning, right after we had our breakfast. Finally! Took her long enough! We rushed outside, seeing others doing the same to the point that a crowd was formed on the temple courtyard. And then, we finally got a good look on her. And she was nothing like I imagined her to be. Oh wow, she¡¯s a beastkin? Sure enough, with those pair of white wolf ears adoring her silver hair, and a similar-colored white tail coming out from behind her, she was a beastkin for sure. Her hair reached down over her waist, complimenting her visible muscles to give that wild beast look. Her eyes were crimson, with one covered by a black eyepatch. Hmm? An eyepatch? Couldn¡¯t she heal her eye with her magic? Her clothes gave an inkling that she was a priestess, but the way she was built gave more of an impression that she was a warrior. She didn''t wear any footwear, though her feet were certainly not hairy like a hobbit''s. She carried with her a massive staff on one hand. It was made out of steel and pointed at the end, making me believe that she could very well kill a large monster just by swinging that thing around. The other end of the staff was shaped like a key, oddly enough. I guess it¡¯s used if she preferred a blunt attack instead of a piercing one? Really, there was nothing there that was remotely similar to how Michaela or Nicole looked. I gulped. This person¡­ since she¡¯s also a Grandmaster-level mage, albeit in Holy magic, she should be as strong as Vera, right? She arrived on top of her steed, and she gracefully leaped down from it, before letting one of the priests take it to the stables. Michaela immediately came up to her and gave a bow. ¡°Hey, why the long face?¡± The grand priestess spoke with a grin. ¡°I told you to smile more, didn¡¯t I?¡± Michaela responded with a whisper, making the grand priestess glance towards our direction. She then walked over to us, her grin vanishing, replaced by a serious look. ¡°Greetings. I am Lunarya Silvermoon, the Grand Priestess of Sigil. You came here to talk with me, correct? Then, let¡¯s do that right away.¡± With those short words, she ended the conversation, gesturing to us with her hand without even bothering to look back to follow her. Now this one doesn¡¯t seem to care about mannerisms, unlike her subordinate. Ha, Fiora might have a chance after all. ---------------- Wag wag Left¡­ right¡­ left¡­ right¡­ left and right again. Man, they really aren¡¯t exaggerating when they say watching a beastgirl¡¯s tail can be hypnotic. Such was the thought in my mind as we walked behind her. Her white wolf tail was moving back and forth as she walked, only adding to the sensuality of her moving hips and butt, as their shape was quite visible on her black robe. And no sign of pantyline either, which means she might actually be going commando under that. Aah, how nice¡­ I had to hold myself back from feeling up that tail, since I was pretty sure she could kill me using that giant staff of hers with a single swing. She had that proud look to her, which meant she would most likely not take kindly to sexual harassment, even if the one doing it was a young boy like me. Also, I just realized that none of the knights or the high priestess were following us. I guess they are really that confident of her strength? Or maybe she had told them expressly that she wouldn¡¯t want to be followed. She led us to what looked like a private meeting room, filled only with a large round table and a couple of chairs for us to sit on. She took the chair in the 12 o¡¯clock direction, with me and Nicole sitting on one side while Fiora and Helen sat on the other side. She rested her chin on her hands that were placed on the table. ¡°So,¡± She turned her gaze towards Fiora. ¡°Let¡¯s begin with you, Fiora Guinevere Pendragon, second princess of the Holy Empire. You ask for my support in you taking the throne, correct? Then,¡± She suddenly smirked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you regale my ears with the kind of country you would shape this land into if you were to become empress?¡± Looking at Fiora¡¯s reaction, I was surprised. The way she talked to her didn¡¯t show any sign of respect whatsoever. She called her by her full name and challenged her to make her case. And yet, Fiora didn¡¯t look upset in the slightest. I guess she really does only demand respect for those she deems to be lower than her in the social stature. And I reckon a Grand Priestess is taken as equals to her? I really don¡¯t get how this kind of thing works. Vol 2 Chapter 26: The Grand Priestess "I know who you are, Grand Priestess," Fiora began with a smile. "And your past." "Heh," Lunarya replied with a grin. "Everyone already knows that." She then leaned back on her chair, putting her hands at the back of her head. ¡°Go on. I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Then, I shall cut the chit chat and go straight to the point,¡± Fiora continued, her smile disappearing. ¡°Slavery. We both detest that, don¡¯t we? After all, you are a former slave yourself.¡± Looking at the expressions of both Helen and Nicole, the two seemed unfazed in the slightest, meaning they already knew about it beforehand. Me though? I was quite surprised. I mean, how did a slave end up holding such a high-ranking job? ¡°Hmph. Correct.¡± She now folded her hands under her chest. ¡°I vow never to forget those days. That¡¯s why I never heal this right eye of mine, even though I am very much able to, with my magic.¡± So that¡¯s why she wore an eyepatch like that. ¡°That cruelty¡ªthe way that demon gouged my eyes out, I could never forget it.¡± Wait, gouged her eyes? Seriously? ¡°You killed your master, and then you ran away.¡± Nicole suddenly spoke up. ¡°And by Fate¡¯s blessing, you ended up being taken in by the former Grand Priest of this region. Despite your background, you persevered through your trials, and proved yourself enough that the Saint herself acknowledged your devotion to our faith. Thus she gave you this position, after the person who took you in passed away from old age.¡± The beastwoman chuckled. ¡°Who told you all that?¡± she asked Nicole. ¡°Lady Miriam spoke highly of you,¡± she replied with a smile. ¡°She believed you to be the paragon of how a grand priest should be.¡± ¡°Ha! Me? A paragon? Don¡¯t make me laugh.¡± ¡°You¡¯re strong.¡± Nicole continued, undeterred. ¡°And you actively defend this place from any strong monsters that might appear. You left because you were off monster hunting again, didn¡¯t you? I know how you would go to the peaks of the Blooming Rose Mountains occasionally, seeing to it that no dangerous monsters would come down and destroy the villages nearby.¡± ¡°That just makes me at the same level as those adventurers, no?¡± ¡°Not only that, but you also use all the money you get from selling those rare and valuable monster parts to feed the poor and clothe the needy. And you would also open free clinics all through the city, employing your subordinates to man them. And you ran your own orphanage as well. All that combined¡ªI have to agree with Lady Miriam that you are a person I have to look up to, Milady.¡± Nicole gave a little bow with her head. Wow, so she¡¯s that nice of a person? Is she the type of woman that¡¯s tough on the outside but soft on the inside? I have to admit¡ªI do have a liking for that type of girl. That¡¯s why female knights are one of my favorite archetypes. Hmm? Fiora? Ha! That girl doesn¡¯t have enough softness on the inside to count! How old does that make her though? Looking at her now, she¡¯s probably in her mid or early thirties or so, but she could very well be older than that. "Well well well, you certainly know how to flatter someone, little girl." She gave a light grin towards Nicole. "You''re the aspirant for the high priestess position, aren''t you? You think saying those words would make me go easy on you? Think again!" "I do not wish for something like that," Nicole replied, shaking her head. "Please, give me the same trial as you would give the others." She lowered her head once again. Lunarya pursed her lips, seemingly examining Nicole closely for a brief second before returning her attention back towards Fiora. ¡°So, you think you can get my support just because of that?¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°Of course, I would also create a prosperous empire that is free from hunger and want,¡± Fiora continued, unabated. ¡°I would lower the taxes and reduce the lavishness of the nobles. And most importantly, stop their petty squabbles for power. In my empire, only the loyal and capable would be granted influential governing positions.¡± And then, the beastwoman laughed. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Ahahahaha, how naive!¡± She hit the table with her fist. ¡°You really think you would be able to do all that? You know how many enemies you would make by doing such a thing? The entire nobility and the powerful slave merchants would be all against you, little girl! Even if you became empress, they would never obey you. They would only conspire to backstab you one day and put on their favored puppet instead.¡± She shook her head. "No, as much as I want to punch those nobles and merchants in the face, your method wouldn''t work in the slightest. You would only end up causing chaos, and as a grand priestess, I can''t allow that. I am also here to promote stability, as if the empire shows weakness, those magical folks to the south would surely start another war with us." Of course, she was referring to the Magocracy by that. Fiora didn''t reply immediately. She instead looked away from the grand priestess, to the picture behind her. It was a picture of a female cleric, seemingly leading the way for the line of ragged people behind her through a field of thorns. That''s supposed to be the Saint, isn''t it? "Very well." She finally spoke, a hint of bitterness in her voice. "I suppose I should tell you this secret. As much as I loathe it to use his name, my father, Emperor Sigmund Freya Pendragon, has spoken to me of his desire to see me become empress. Indeed, I was his favorite candidate for the throne.¡± Lunarya¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. She did not see that statement coming in the slightest. ¡°Hoo? That¡¯s a nice lie you just told there,¡± she replied. ¡°You expect me to believe that with just your word?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying,¡± Fiora continued, glaring at her. ¡°I do not understand it either. One day, he fetched for me¡ªcalled me into his room. He then told all his servants and guards to leave us together. And then, with that stupid grin of his, he told me that he wished for me to be the next empress after him.¡± At this point, she was looking away. I think, judging by the slight softness on her expression, she still has some love towards her father, even after what he did to his mom. ¡°And so,¡± she continued, looking up back towards Lunayra. ¡°Even if the nobles and the wealthy merchants aren¡¯t on my side, I would have the Imperial Knights with me.¡± She looked back down again with a bitter smile. ¡°Or so I hope, seeing how my siblings are making their moves to win them over to their sides.¡± Silence. Even the grand priestess needed a few seconds to process this new revelation. ¡°Even so,¡± She finally spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m still doubting your ability to lead, little girl. The knights are the sword of the Empire. The only influence they have is in prestige and strength. But to have a functioning government, you would need your subordinates to actually transmit your orders to their own subordinates, and the dukes and marquesses are the ones with that power, as rulers of their own respective territories. They, along with the merchants, are a linchpin of this Empire¡¯s prosperity. If they were to be annihilated, who would step in to fill the void? Unless you have an answer to that question, then no, I can¡¯t lend my support to you.¡± Suddenly, she smirked. ¡°Really, if you don¡¯t realize that already, then you really aren¡¯t suited to be a ruler. Truly, the rumors were true, that the third princess was nothing like her older siblings. You have no charm nor charisma, and you don¡¯t have their ability to navigate the world of court intrigue either. No. You¡¯d be better off abandoning your dream entirely and becoming a swordswoman instead, since you seem to be already pretty suited for that role, seeing how you¡¯re all about strength, while lacking the brains to¡ª¡± CLANG Her sword unsheathed in a flash, heading straight towards the grand priestess¡¯ neck before the older woman blocked it with her barrier. ¡°Your Highness!¡± Helena shouted. Nicole¡¯s mouth was wide open and I was paralyzed with surprise as well. D-did she¡­ did she just attack her? ¡°Abandoning my dream? Over my dead body,¡± she said with a murderous glare. ¡°Then it shall be your grave.¡± She smiled in return. That was just bluffing, right? You know, the kind of stuff you often see swordsmen do in manga and stuff, putting their sword right at the opponent¡¯s neck but not actually cutting through? Looking at her expression, it was the first time I saw her this angry. She was always calm and collected, and at the very most, she would only look annoyed. But now, it was a genuine and cold anger, filling her expression entirely. No, she can¡¯t actually mean to kill her. That would be so terribly stupid and out of character for her. But then again, this is already entering stupid territory on its own. Really, provoking the person you need to obtain approval from? And then, she stood up, still with the cold and angry look, withdrawing her sword but not sheathing it back. ¡°Very well. I suppose the path of asking nicely for the Church¡¯s backings is off limits as well. That only leaves me with one option.¡± At this moment, she gave a look towards me, before facing back towards the high priestess. ¡°I will have to take the throne by force.¡± At that moment, she swung her sword to the side. She wasn¡¯t hitting anything but air, but she did it so fast and sharply that I could feel it cutting the air even from all the way here. At the same moment, for some inexplicable reason, I felt chills crawling all throughout my body. Fear. That was what I felt. I felt as if she was going to chop me into pieces with that sword at any second. ¡°The Legendary Hero founded this Empire with strength, as he cut through the hordes of demons that plagued the world and built a nation where humans can live in peace. And so I shall do the same. After all,¡± She gave a bone-chilling smirk. ¡°I am his descendant.¡± With that speech, she walked away from the table towards the door, sheathing her sword in the process. ¡°Your Highness!¡± Helen quickly rose up and followed her as well. ¡°Girl, you would cut down the soldiers of the Empire? Kill all the Seven Imperial Knights?¡± The grand priestess half-shouted. To my surprise, instead of an angry expression, she had an amused smile instead. ¡°You know what that means, don¡¯t you?¡± Fiora stopped, Turning back slightly, she said to her, ¡°I know.¡± She smiled. ¡°I might just decide to destroy the Empire altogether.¡± And with those ominous words, the two left the room, leaving both Nicole and I completely speechless. ¡°What an amusing girl,¡± the beastwoman spoke, resting her chin on her hands. ¡°If she actually ends up making this thousand-year old Empire collapse, well, I say it¡¯s about time. Nothing in this world lasts forever. Even the long-lived high elves would die one day. That is Providence.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± Nicole protested. ¡°You just said that you don¡¯t want chaos to happen under her rule.¡± She would¡¯ve apologized profusely for her friend, if not for the fact that the grand priestess now had a cheerful expression on her face, which she honestly didn¡¯t know how to react to. ¡°True,¡± she replied, giving a slight smile towards the priestess. ¡°As a grand priestess, I wouldn¡¯t want that to occur. However, as my old self, who despises the order of the world¡­ Well, let¡¯s just say that I was quite similar to her at that age.¡± She sighed. ¡°''Rebirth through destruction''. The words of our Great Saint Milicis herself. Perhaps if the Empire was to be destroyed, something better could arise from its ashes." Her smile was tinged with bitterness. Oi oi that kind of talk is usually reserved for a bad guy, you know? Did the Saint seriously say that? "Is the Empire really that bad?" I spoke up. Slavery and poverty are bad things for sure but they don''t warrant complete destruction, do they? Especially when other countries also have them. "That bad?" The grand priestess smirked towards me. "A lot of things are bad in this world. And the Empire certainly has a fair share of them. Really, I wouldn''t call it Holy by any means." She raised one leg under the table, crossing it over the other one. "However, I have to say that it''s gotten worse over the years. The upper nobles only cared about their own petty squabbles, to the point of sending assassins against each other. If the Imperial Knights were to abandon their neutrality, then it would be a full blown civil war. The vassal kingdoms would be dragged into the conflict as well. The Magocracy would also see it as an opportunity to invade, as well as other nations who never had a good relationship with it in the first place. In short, the whole continent would be thrown into chaos." "Wait, so Fiora wants to¡ª" "She wants to fix that corruption," Nicole interjected. "By any means necessary." ¡°So if she wanting to fix it would cause chaos, but no one fixing it will also cause chaos as well, what¡¯s the difference then?¡± ¡°Exactly my point.¡± The grand priestess flashed a wry grin towards my direction. ¡°My main problem with her is really just the way she would do it. By the sword. Not to mention that disrupting the slave market would definitely cause ripples of chaos as well, since many of the prominent merchant companies that exist right now would be on her list as well. If they were to close doors all of a sudden, that would be quite a blow to the Empire¡¯s economy.¡± Another curtain of silence fell in the room before Nicole decided to speak. ¡°¡®Thou who walk on the path of justice, forfeit thy comfort if it would only weigh thee down.¡¯ Saint Milicis also uttered those words. And I believe it applies to our current discussion.¡± ¡°Hoo, interesting!¡± The grand priestess spoke. ¡°So you say the people of the Empire should just accept their decline if it means walking on the path of justice and righteousness.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± She nodded, with a forlorn smile. ¡°¡®Thy love for power and gold shall lead to ruin¡¯ was another sentence our Great Saint uttered. So I¡¯m fine with the Empire weakening if it means justice is served.¡± ¡°Well well well, it seems we have a model high priestess here already!¡± Lunarya grinned. ¡°Although, let me tell you that your opinion on slavery isn¡¯t shared by the majority of Church folks. Only a few, such as you and me, believe that keeping it around is not just. The concept of high slaves was born out of our camp compromising with the majority, vying for a better treatment of slaves instead. Although naturally, judging by your expression, I assume it is not enough. Fiora told you of the slave farms they have, didn¡¯t she? That isn¡¯t exactly common knowledge, you know. Most of the people who bought them don¡¯t know, or don¡¯t care. All they want are capable servants, both in daytime and in bed.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Ah, the perverseness of society. Sometimes I wonder if humans are any better than orcs or incubuses in that category.¡± My eyes linked towards hers for a brief second, and I immediately averted them with what possibly could be a guilty expression. Yeah, I certainly have imagined buying slaves for nighttime purposes, I admit that. But I decided against it in the end, you know, so don¡¯t lump me in with those folks! Although, if Sherry doesn¡¯t exist, I might end up buying one after all, just because qt slave girls are just something you gotta have if you¡¯re in a fantasy world. So yeah. I think I belong in those ¡°perverse folks¡± category that she talked about. "Anyway, let''s just finish this boring meeting." Lunarya spoke. "Nicole, if you want my approval for your pilgrimage, then all I ask is one thing." She smirked. "Make your princess friend apologize to me." "Apologize?" She replied with surprise. "Yes. I want her to swallow her pride and apologize. Humility is an important character for a leader to have, and if you can make her apologize, in a genuine fashion, then I would both approve of her bid of power and of you becoming a high priestess. Guiding a hardheaded and prideful person like that to the right path¡ªthat''s a skill a high priestess should have as well." "But that''s unfair, isn''t it?" I spoke up. "I know her. She''s not going to apologize to anyone. Ever." Really, making her bow her head down and beg for forgiveness is just plain impossible. Might as well try to ask a mountain to lower its peak. "Then, you help her as well, boy." Her smirk still remained. "And that maid as well if you want. As her retainers, you are part of her strength as well, so I don¡¯t mind you helping to soften that girl up a little.¡± She then stood up from her chair. ¡°Oh, and I¡¯ll give you a time limit. One week from now. After that,¡± She looked back towards Nicole. ¡°You have to decide whether to continue attending to her or to continue your pilgrimage, as I wouldn¡¯t give my letter of recommendation if you are still with her.¡± And with that, she left the room, leaving the two of us looking at each other, speechless. Vol 2 Chapter 27: Fiora’s Feelings En route back to our room, I decided to have a little chat with Nicole beforehand¡ªabout Fiora naturally. ¡°Nicole, one sec.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She stopped, turning around to face me. ¡°About Fiora. Can you let me handle it?¡± ¡°Handle it?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°You mean you¡¯re going to try to convince her to apologize?¡± ¡°Yeah, that. No offense, but I don¡¯t think your approach would work, Nicole. You¡¯re just too kind, you see. That girl¡ªshe would be better off with a friend that would talk back to her. Like me.¡± She paused, before sighing with a smile. ¡°I suspected that. You know, she¡¯s been happier ever since you¡¯re around, Hugo. I think your presence entertains her.¡± ¡°Entertains her, huh?¡± I gave a light grin. ¡°What am I, a clown?¡± ¡°She enjoys going back and forth with you. Talking with you like that, I feel she can finally have a true friend that can be her equal.¡± She clasped her hands together. ¡°How about you, Nicole? Aren¡¯t you her friend?¡± ¡°I am.¡± She averted her gaze, a sad expression drawn on her face. ¡°But I am not her equal. I am not as smart or bold as her. But you are, Hugo.¡± She looked at me. ¡°You are her equal. I¡¯m even sure that her treating you like a servant is just her wanting to rile you up.¡± ¡°Rile me up? What, she enjoys making me angry?¡± I frowned, folding my arms. ¡°Teehee.¡± She giggled a little. ¡°She doesn¡¯t mean any harm with it. She really just wants an interaction that is not just people bowing down to her and doing her orders. I believe if you were more like a proper bodyguard, she would lose interest in you quickly and ignore you entirely. But instead, she showers you with it. She wants to be with you, Hugo.¡± ¡°In fact,¡± She sighed again. ¡°If you weren¡¯t already engaged with Sherry, I might ask you to become her lifelong companion. You know, when we were still in the academy, she once said she wanted a lover that is her equal in every way. And I believe you fit that description. But of course, I couldn¡¯t ask you to do that now. It would only hurt Sherry terribly if you abandon her for another girl.¡± She looked away once more as silence fell between us. We were thankfully in the middle of a secluded corridor so there was no one else coming back and forth to interrupt our talk. So her seduction back then¡­ that was real? She seriously wants me to become her lover? My imagination immediately went wild, as I remembered her thumb caressing the tip of my member. I envisioned her laying down on a bed, wearing only a skimpy nightgown that showed off her lacy royal panties (I imagine they were white). With an inviting look, a smirk, and a blush, she said to me, ¡°Come Hugo. Prove to me that you are truly a man by pleasuring me until I climax. If you can¡¯t make me scream your name, then you don¡¯t deserve to be my prince.¡± She then would move her panties to the side, exposing her sacred spot to me. Of course, she would already be wet down there, as she was merely pretending to be tough, even though her entire girlhood was already aching for my member. And then, with my own smirk, I would take out my weapon and plunge it right into her¡ª ¡°Umm, Hugo? You¡¯re drooling.¡± ¡°...O-oh, r-right, sorry about that.¡± I quickly wiped it off. ¡°Hugo, were you fantasizing about Fiora just now?¡± Her eyes narrowed. "U-uh, well, I¡ª" "You did, didn''t you? Look, the front of your robe is renting." Sure enough, she was right. It was all too obvious. Nicole gave a short glance at my boner before blushing and looking away, only to steal another glance shortly after, repeating the cycle altogether. Oh wow, I never thought she could be this cute. You know, it¡¯s okay if you want to peek~?. Or so I want to say, before I stop myself. I would only anger her further if I start teasing her. ¡°Really, Hugo. You really should start reigning your desire.¡± Oh boy, is she going full lecture mode now? ¡°I¡¯m starting to get worried again that you¡¯ll one day cheat on Sherry with another girl, just because you find her pretty.¡± ¡°Look, I don¡¯t even like Fiora,¡± I interrupted her. ¡°I find her to be arrogant and an annoyance¡ªnot the type I like at all. But as a healthy young man, I also recognize her beauty. So it¡¯s not odd at all that I would fantasize about her, especially after you suggested that I should become her lover.¡± It¡¯s true. Fiora certainly had her charms and I would love to have my way with her in bed, but it only applies if I can make her break down in pleasure with my technique though, which, naturally, has never been tested before. But if our fun session just ends up with her mocking me for my incompetence, well, that wouldn¡¯t be nice at all for my low self-esteem. But other than that, I really wouldn¡¯t want her to be my girlfriend, or God help, wife. Imagine having to live the rest of my life with her nagging personality. I would not have the ideal household life that I always dreamed, with a loving and gentle wife that wouldn¡¯t order me around at every minute. I suppose you can call her the type of girl who¡¯s only good for one-night stands, as horrible as that sounds. Really though, if she would just fix that personality of hers, and become more princess-like, then I would like her far more. "...I suppose you''re right," Nicole replied. "But please, try not to¡­ show that indecent thing like that." "Yeah, sorry about that." I smiled, putting both of my hands on the front of my robe to cover it. Call me an exhibitionist, but I don''t mind showing my boner like this. As long as I don''t get called a pervert for it anyway. Even in my old life, I was satisfied with my size. Probably thanks to my hormones that I have in an abundance. And now, thankfully enough, it seemed I was going to end up with the same size. Well, since I was still young, it was still small. But I¡¯m sure it will grow bigger in no time! ¡°Anyway.¡± She coughed in an attempt to dispel the awkwardness. ¡°Back to our conversation from before, if you want to persuade Fiora, then I won¡¯t stop you. I too would try to persuade her later, but for now, I¡¯ll leave it to you first.¡± She smiled. ¡°I truly believe she would listen to you better than she would to me.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s just hope you¡¯re right. That girl is both really stubborn and prideful¡ªa deadly combo if you ask me.¡± I gave a little chuckle. When we reached our room, Fiora and Helen were already there. The princess sat on the bed while the maid stood in front of her to the side. They were in the middle of a conversation when we entered, and they immediately stopped once they noticed our presence. ¡°Welcome back.¡± Fiora turned her body to face us, putting on her usual smug grin, as if nothing had happened. ¡°So, how did it go? Nicole, did she give you her recommendation letter?¡± Nicole averted her gaze, answering with, ¡°She would, if I could do this one task for her.¡± ¡°And that task would be?¡± ¡°To make you apologize to her for your outburst. In a genuine manner.¡± Fiora paused, her grin disappearing into an annoyed expression, before returning once more. ¡°Ha! I see what that woman is trying to do! Probably something along the line of ¡®teaching me humility¡¯ or something! You Church folks are big on that after all!¡± "Fiora, I agree with her." I stepped in with a firm look. "I do think you should apologize. She was right and you were in the wrong. You were being childish, acting like that." She immediately sent a glare towards me. Yep, she''s pissed all right. "Fine." She folded her arms under her chest. "I''ll apologize." "That wouldn''t work. You have to be genuine about it." "Genuine?" She smirked. "I can fake that." "No, you don''t understand." I shook my head, giving her a concerned gaze. "Look, I''ve said before that I don''t care for your plan. I''m just here as your bodyguard. But now, I feel I have to tell you that the way you''re doing things wouldn''t work. You''d just end up ruining the Empire, and I''m pretty sure that''s not what your mother wanted." Nicole gave a surprised look towards me. I guess Fiora didn''t tell her about our little conversation on that morning. Her glare insentified. "You¡­ How dare you tell me what my mother wants or not?" She then stood up and said to Helen and Nicole, "Leave us. I have to teach this foolish boy a lesson." Helen gave me a "You''re gonna get it now look" while Nicole gave a worried one before they left, leaving only us two in the room. I stood unflinching. To teach this brat a lesson she desperately needed, I have to stand up to her without fear. "I had a mother as well you know," I continued with a calm stare. "And she wouldn''t want me to be embroiled in revenge like you are." Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Easy for you to say. You already killed Vera. My enemy is the entire court. I wouldn''t be satisfied until they''re brought low." "The rest of the Magocracy was in it as well. Just like your father, they allowed it to happen, which made them complicit in the act." I frowned. "So, what are you going to do about it?" She asked me back with a smirk. "Get strong enough to take them out one by one? Rule over the Magocracy as the strongest mage? If I were you, that''s what I would do." I paused. I wouldn''t say that the thought of revenge had never crossed my mind. However¡­ "I would not." I shook my head. "Not because I don''t hate them, but because I would rather live my life happily and to the fullest instead of wasting it for revenge. I want to travel the world and see everything there is to see." "With Sherry?" "Yes, with her. And Marina as well." I smiled. "Ah, your big sister¡­" She trailed off, averting her gaze for a few moments before looking back at me. "Isn''t it nice? To still have your family like that?" A smile formed on her lips¡ªa bitter one. "The only family I have left is Helen. Bill, Lancaster, Hector, and all my other servants were murdered in their efforts to protect me.¡± ¡°Nicole?¡± ¡°She had made her choice to be with her adoptive mother instead. So she would leave me when the time came. As would you.¡± ...Damn it, is this her attempt on guilt-tripping me to join her for real? ...No, I think¡ªI think this is her genuine feeling she¡¯s showing right now. ¡°Here¡¯s my offer to you.¡± She continued. ¡°If you would become my loyal knight, then I would listen to your advice. Otherwise, I do not wish to hear anything from a mercenary who¡¯s not going to share my ambition and dream.¡± With that said, she walked past me and left the room. She didn¡¯t have her smirk as she said that. She was completely serious. ¡°Hold it.¡± I placed my hand on her shoulder, stopping her. ¡°I¡¯m not standing here as a mere hired bodyguard. I¡¯m speaking to you as a friend.¡± ¡°Hoo? A friend?¡± She turned around, her smug look returning. ¡°Since when you¡¯re a friend of mine?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie. I already heard from Nicole how you are happier since I was around. If that¡¯s not what a friend does, then I don¡¯t know what else.¡± She paused, moving my hand away from her with the back of her hand while her sharp eyes seemingly drilled inside my head. ¡°Oh, I could think of one other role that would fit.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°This.¡± And then, she grabbed the back of my head, yanked it upwards (as I was shorter than her), and forced my lips to touch hers. ¡°!!!¡± ...Yep, she just forced me into a kiss. I was so surprised that I didn¡¯t do anything until it was all over. I didn¡¯t know how long it lasted. It could be just a second or two or it could be an eternity, to be all poetic about it. It was a chaste kiss, but it was a ravenous one nonetheless, as she pressed her lips strongly into mine. ¡°There. Your answer.¡± And with those three words, she left the room, leaving me completely stunned. A-ah¡­ My right fingers immediately went to caress my lips. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? -------------- For the rest of the day, I was somewhat in a light daze. Not just from the kiss, mind you, but from what she said as well. I wasn¡¯t dense. I knew perfectly well what she meant. She likes me. In a romantic, man-with-woman manner. That was the only conclusion that I could reach. I was ready to dismiss it as just her manipulating me once again, like I originally thought when she did that to me. But after what Nicole said, I could no longer ignore the possibility that she might actually have a genuine interest in me. And cursing myself, deep down, I realize that I might be attracted to her as well, even if just a little. Damn it, I''m supposed to be faithful to Sherry! I''m not like those cheating riajuu bastards who would two-time their girlfriends! Calm down, Hugo. That''s just your little guy speaking, isn''t it? Think about it! Do you really want a girlfriend with that bad of an attitude? ...Oh goddamnit. I just broke my promise to Sherry not to kiss other girls when she was away, didn¡¯t I? Welp, that¡¯s another thing I have to tell and apologize to her when we meet again. Swimming with those thoughts, I walked around the temple complex on my own, as Fiora opted to rest in our room instead, most likely having a chat with Nicole. Guess she wasn''t in the mood to teach me. I ended up spending a couple hours training on my own though, just so I wouldn¡¯t get rusty. I also spent a little bit of time in the temple library. Not that I was particularly interested in the religious books that should be abundant there, but just simply out of pure curiosity. And I was grateful for that decision, as I did find a book that interested me. It was a story about the journey of the Legendary Hero to defeat the Evil God. It reminded me immediately of that book I read way back then with the same topic. Only that one was from the Magocracy, which made this book quite a lot different from that one. For starters, Milicis was actually portrayed as a wise and kind saint in this book, instead of the incompetent high-strung cleric that she was in the Magocracy¡¯s version. Mira on the other hand was, actually not that bad. I mean, she is portrayed as kind of a shady witch, if you get what I mean, but she¡¯s also a competent member of the party. The interesting part however came after the Evil God was defeated. According to the book, Mira, who ended up founding the Magocracy, ended up becoming a full blown dark mage in the end, delving into the forbidden arts like necromancy, blood magic, curses, demon summoning and the like. It led to a rift between her and Milicis, who was obviously against it. Well, it made sense. The Magocracy used to allow all study of magic after all. They only banned necromancy after the whole Necromancer King thing happened. But of course, this book put it in a way to sound that Mira went insane with her power at the later stages of her life. Still, much better book than the Magocracy one. It helps that it¡¯s intended for an older audience, judging by the complexity of the language. Before I knew it, the day was already over, and it was time for dinner. I purposefully had a late lunch to avoid meeting with Fiora (the temple cafeteria was nice enough to still serve me even though I came when there was no one else there). But I couldn¡¯t dodge out of dinner. Or so I thought, until she decided not to come altogether, opting to have it delivered to our room instead. So that¡¯s another bullet dodged. Or delayed, as I had to meet with her anyways afterwards. When I returned to our room however¡­ ¡°Boy, you¡¯re late. Where have you been?¡± She was back to her usual self like nothing had happened. She already wore her nightdress, which, I had to regretfully admit, actually looked quite good on her. It was white with a pinkish hue, frilly yet elegant at the same time. It seemed even though she was (technically) a tomboy, she wasn¡¯t afraid of wearing feminine things like that. "I was at the library," I answered. "Hoo? I never thought you''re the kind of boy who likes to read books, let alone religious ones." I shrugged. "You didn''t want to teach me today so I figured I would use my free time for something else." "Well, prepare yourself, for tomorrow, I''ll work you twice as hard." She smirked, folding her hands under her chest. This girl¡­ she''s not going to talk about it, is she? Yeah, I''ll have to confront her tomorrow, before we have our training. If you really like me, then stop pussyfooting around it and tell me straight on. That night, I had an erotic dream about her. Vol 2 Chapter 28: Staccato ¡°...ke up.¡± ¡°Wake up, boy!¡± My eyelids slowly fluttered open, as a voice called out to me, pulling me away from the pleasant dream that I had. Ah, I feel this has happened before already. When my sight focused, I saw Fiora standing beside me with a displeased expression. She probably had been trying to wake me up for a while now. Oh right, didn¡¯t I just have a dream with her? I can¡¯t remember¡­ ¡°We¡¯re going to train. Wash your face and get ready.¡± I gave a glance towards the grandfather clock in the room. Still five o¡¯clock in the morning. And sure enough, both Nicole and Helen were still well asleep on their bed. ¡°Oh, and take care of that thing as well.¡± I followed her gaze, straight towards my morning wood. Well, I wouldn¡¯t say I was embarrassed. This is just how it is for us guys. --------------- Since we woke up so early, there was barely anyone around. There were the knights assigned to guard us, of course, and two of them followed us to the courtyard while the rest remained to guard the still sleeping Helen and Nicole. However, when we actually got to the courtyard, we found out that we weren''t alone after all, as a group of what could only be the temple squires were in the middle of their sword training, led by a female instructor. Judging by the armor she wore, she was probably a full-fledged knight already. Although she didn¡¯t have the cloak with her. Ah, this is probably like the military back home. Wake up really early, fall asleep really late with your joints aching all over. Or so I heard. I would have killed myself earlier if I got into the military, I imagine. "Oh, here''s a fun idea," Fiora suddenly declared with a grin. "Hey, Miss Knight!" She called over to their instructor. "My guard here wants to show a thing or two to your students! Through a spar!" Wait, what? And thus, before I knew it, I ended up in a series of spars with those guys. My first opponent was this cocky redheaded guy. Taller than me, older than me, more muscled than me. I can see where he got that cockiness from. His hand pretty much shot up once the instructor knight asked who would like to volunteer. Why do I have the feeling that he''s the bully of the class? He stepped up with a grin, looking down at me, both figuratively and literally. Alright. He probably thought I was easy prey, just because of the way I looked. Doesn''t this kid know that I just repelled an assasination attempt on Fiora? Oh right, her identity is supposed to be a secret. So I guess the incident would just be about thieves breaking in or something. Usually, in this kind of strict organization, you can¡¯t really demand answers from your superiors, so these young folks wouldn¡¯t know anything. "Merton here is the best fencer in our class," the instructor explained. ¡°So please, feel free not to go easy on him.¡± We would be using wooden swords naturally. However, they were weighted by some metal, so the heaviness wasn''t that much different from a real sword. And of course, that also meant you would land a much more painful blow if your strike landed. With that said, after we each gave our respectful bows, the match began, with him taking the initiative to attack. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This is¡ª! An overhead swing. So easy and predictable that I could block it with ease. However, I flinched as the impact hit. His blow was heavy. It''s clear he was putting all his strength into it. Right, in this situation, I should use¡­ this move! I pushed his sword to the side. And in one quick move, I thrusted right on his stomach. "Gaah!" He staggered back before falling down on his behind. I immediately used the opportunity to rest my sword at his neck. And just like that, I won. That was so easy, I can''t believe it! Compared to Fiora''s lightning blows, he''s nothing! He just has the advantage of strength and that''s it! Similar results happened when I took on the other squires one by one. None of them posed any challenge whatsoever. Even when I got distracted by some of the more¡­ ahem, voluptuous female squires, I still beat them in the end. So this is the result of my training? "Well done, my servant," Fiora spoke with a proud look. "Now, to your final challenge. Miss." She turned to the instructor. "¡°What rank are you with the sword?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The instructor replied with a surprised look. ¡°I''m an Apprentice at Lancelot-style." Sword ranks. They were the way to classify your skill with a sword, at least according to the two main sword schools, that being Lancelot and Galahad. By the way, even though they mainly do indeed teach sword-wielding, it doesn¡¯t mean that you can¡¯t use other weapons with it. It¡¯s just that the official weapon is the sword, seeing how it was the weapon of choice of the Legendary Hero and all. An Apprentice was the second classification from the bottom, so in absolute terms, she was nowhere near the top tiers of the practitioners. I guess you could say it¡¯s similar to how magic works with its levels, but since the number of ranks and levels don¡¯t match, I wouldn¡¯t know how they would compare with each other. And besides, it¡¯s stupid if you think that just because you have a higher rank or level that you would automatically win. Like how I am confident that I can beat Fiora, but as long as when the fight starts, I am nowhere near her range where she could cut me with her sword in an instant. "Then, I would like you to spar with him as well." Fiora smirked. Wait, seriously? I gave a protesting look towards her, but before I could say anything, she already interrupted me, saying, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be able to fight quite well with you. I taught him personally myself after all.¡± I looked back and saw the squires looking with me all bright-eyed, expecting me to put up a good show. Goddamnit, if I back out now, I¡¯ll look really uncool, wouldn¡¯t I? I looked at the teacher. She was young, probably around eighteen or so. So she was still young, probably just earned a place as a temple knight. That¡¯s also probably why she didn¡¯t wear the cape like our guards wore. Still, I wouldn¡¯t know how well I would fare against her. After all, I¡¯ve only been trained by Fiora for two weeks or so. Sure, she said that the basics I learned from Father were good enough that I was certainly nowhere near a beginner, but to be up against a teacher like her? In the end, I took on the challenge, bowing before readying my stance once more, waiting for Fiora to signal the start of the fight. As expected, as a practitioner of an offensive style, she took the initiative. However, instead of going into melee range, she instead opted to use that ranged slash move right away. Fiora never used this kind of move against me. However, I know well enough how to counter it. Like this! With a precise horizontal slice, I hit the energy blast right in the middle, parrying it away, sending it to the sky above. I read it in the book Fiora gave me. It said you could redirect a sword slash like that if you hit it at just the right angle and spot. And even though this was my first time doing it, I was confident that I could do it. Why? Because Fiora had drilled into me the importance of precision, right to the millimeters. Thanks to her training, I can swing my sword much more accurately now. And I could stand my ground as well, unafraid of an incoming attack that I know very well I could handle. Now''s my chance! A look of surprise came to the instructor''s face, and she immediately followed with a barrage of sword swings that managed to keep me away. She was relentless, just like how the practitioner of the Lancelot style should. However, that left her open, and after parrying and blocking a couple of her attacks, I did a quick strike straight to her abdomen. To my surprise however, instead of flinching, she resumed her attack, allowing a blow to land on my wrist, nearly knocking my sword out of my hand. I was the one who ended up flinching. But I quickly put a distance between us, stabilizing as I resumed my defensive posture once more. ¡°Boy! You¡¯re doing it again!¡± Fiora shouted. And by that, I mean me falling into the same trap that Fiora likes to use against me. She would fein an opening, allowing me to come in before retaliating with a harsh counter attack. She says that the way to counter that is for me to keep an eye on not just the spot I am about to attack, but also the rest of her body¡¯s movements. ¡°As a practitioner of the Galahad-style, we only counterattack if it doesn¡¯t leave an opening for us. Worse comes to worse, we would outlast our opponent through stamina, as our style is much more efficient than the brutish, aggressive style of the Lancelots,¡± so she explained. I have to focus. And not get greedy with my attacks. It¡¯s like those action RPGs where you only attack when the boss gives you a clear opening. I returned back on the defensive, parrying her blows one after the other. I waited for my chance once again, while she prodded and poked my iron-steel defenses. Sure, I could use my magic here to gain a clear advantage, but this is supposed to be my sword training session. So I would only use my sword and sword alone. And then, I saw it again. Another opening, This time, I could possibly knock the sword out of her hand, guaranteeing my victory if I could make it happen. In a split second, I made my decision to attack. However, this time around, I saw in my peripheral vision her body movement, intending to swing a fist right at me. Hey hey hey, isn''t that cheating? But then again, like Fiora said, in real combat, your opponent could use their entire body as a weapon, not just their swords. I saw through the trap and switched my posture. I allowed her fist to come forward and then¡ª "Hyaah!" I moved my body to the right sharply, just enough to dodge her fist. And fast enough as well to strike at her other hand, sending her wooden sword flying, guaranteeing my victory. "Wooah, that was awesome!" "Did you see that? His movement was so fast I could barely keep up!" Such excited whispers spread like wildfire amongst the trainees, making me inadvertently grin. I was, naturally, enjoying the praises showered towards me after all. And I was impressed by myself as well. Since when I got this good in the sword? Fiora stood there with a satisfied look. She really was proud of my progress after all. -------- ¡°Alright, boy! It¡¯s time for us to start moving on to the difficult stuff,¡± she declared once we were back on our own, away from the squires. ¡°Conjure a big rock with your magic. You can do that, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Huh? A big rock?¡± I replied, raising my eyebrows. Oh, I get it! She¡¯s going to tell me to cut through it, isn¡¯t she? Finally! I would be able to do what Sherry was already capable of doing when she¡¯s just six years old! ...Wait, that doesn¡¯t sound very nice. I did as she told, using Rock Cannon to conjure a boulder without actually firing it. ¡°Now, let me demonstrate first.¡± She walked over to the front of said boulder, placed her hand on the handle of her sheathed sword, and then¡­ ¡°Staccato!¡± A flash appeared in the air for a split second, before the boulder was cleanly split into two. ¡°This is Staccato, one of the basic special techniques of the Galahad-school of swordsmanship. Using your aura, you sharpen your sword into an impossible level, to the point that you can cut through rock like butter,¡± she explained. ¡°Now, conjure another boulder.¡± I nodded, still taken aback by her display. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve read about the technique in the book she gave me, which meant we¡¯re already going into the more advanced territory, like she said. That book was just an introductory book after all. Though I am curious about the name. That¡¯s a musical term, right? Why are they using something like that for a sword technique? Is there a deeper meaning to it or is it just a coincidence? It fits though. Staccato means something like a sharp spike, right? Makes sense that it would be used for an offensive technique like this. I cast the same spell, producing a similar sized boulder just beside the one she just split into two. ¡°For today, you shall attempt to do the same thing I just did. Use your real sword for this one.¡± After she said that, to my surprise, she started to walk away. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not going to be instructing me on how to do it?¡± I yelled. ¡°Oh, you won¡¯t need me to tell you how to do it. Just focus and think of the boulder as the enemy you want to cut.¡± She didn¡¯t even bother turning back as she said that. And thus, I was left to train on my own. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder though, if this was a ploy from her to avoid me or something. I thought of chasing her to talk to her about the Grand Priestess, but I decided against it. If she acted strangely like this, she probably still needed more time to calm down, and I was going to give her that. After all, we still got a week to do it. I spent the remaining day hitting the rock with my sword, trying to mimic what she did to it, to little success. I tried imagining transferring my aura to the sword the same way I would do it with my mana, but it didn¡¯t work. Neither the book nor Fiora had any explicit method on how to draw out your aura. No wonder most swordsmen out there didn¡¯t even know that the concept existed. I was making progress though. Slowly but surely, I was able to actually make a dent on the boulder. However, it was still far from what Fiora instructed¡ªa clean slash that cut the boulder in half with little effort. The training made my hands sore and raw, thanks to all the return force they suffered every time the iron sword hit the hard rock. I started to consider wearing gloves, though I never liked wearing accessories like that. I would¡¯ve healed it using my fairy, but I remember how the Church frowns on summoning magic in general, so I hold off from it. I¡¯ll just wait until the day is over for Nicole to heal it for me. The tip of my poor sword was starting to chip as well from the constant blow it received as I tried to cut the boulder. It wasn¡¯t any special sword after all. It was just a simple iron sword Father brought me as proof that I was trustworthy enough to handle an actual sword. It wasn¡¯t like Fiora¡¯s fancy sword, with its thin blade and slight curve at the end. Galahad-style practitioners usually preferred thin, light swords as they preferred precision and speed over power, unlike Lancelot-style practitioners who preferred thick, sturdy swords that could withstand their raw strength. Maybe I should buy a better sword when I get the chance. That gold Fiora promised would come useful for sure. Yeah, a magic sword would be really cool to have¡­ With those thoughts in my mind, I retired for the day. Fiora didn¡¯t even bother visiting me back afterwards. What was she doing all day anyways? ¡°Training hard, eh? I like that.¡± I turned around and saw the Grand Priestess standing behind me with one hand on her waist and a grin on her face. ¡°Come. Accompany me for a walk.¡± It wasn¡¯t a request as much as an order. She placed her hand on my shoulder casually, before pushing me forward. To my surprise, we actually left the temple complex. None of the knights seemed to mind however. They trusted her strength that much. ----------------- She took me to the outskirts of the city, where there were a little bit of farmlands scattered around. The land here was swampy, so it wasn¡¯t really suited to ordinary crops like wheat and such. Hmm, I wonder where this city gets its income from then. ¡°I want to talk to you about your little mistress.¡± She began. Ah, I already expected this, to be honest, which was why I went along with her without a single complaint. ¡°How about it? Making any progress with Your Royal Stubbornness?¡± She chuckled. ¡°No, unfortunately.¡± I decided to be honest with her. ¡°Well, don¡¯t give up. You¡¯ll reach her sooner or later,¡± she replied, patting my shoulder. ¡°You know, today, she challenged me for a fight.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously?!¡± I yanked my head towards her. ¡°Yep. She told me not to involve her subordinates, especially Nicole and her promotion. And that she would be willing to face me in combat to show both her strength and determination. What an outrageous girl!¡± She laughed. "Did you accept?" "I did. And naturally, I came out victorious. She didn''t give up though. She said she would try again tomorrow. I even lent her a private room so she could train on her own for our rematch." I fell silent. Fiora¡ªshe''s taking it all on her own. Heh, she really is a softie underneath all that toughness. "Can you take me to her?" I asked. "Of course." She smiled. "Feel free to chat all you want with her. I''ll make sure no one interrupts you two." She winked. What? She thinks we''ll get all lovey dovey there? Ha, fat chance! Even if she tries to tempt me with her body, I will resist! I¡¯m loyal to Sherry after all! ¡°Also, one more thing.¡± She suddenly stopped, turning around to face me. Wait, is it just me or her expression suddenly gets a lot scarier? ¡°You¡¯re Hugo Greenwood, aren¡¯t you? The son of the family responsible for Vera Marjoram¡¯s assasination?¡± ...Oh crapbaskets. Vol 2 Chapter 29: The Princess Grows To Be Less Stubborn ¡°The Greenwood Family¡­ the people responsible for Vera¡¯s death¡­ I have heard all about it, you know,¡± the Grand Priestess smirked. ¡°We of the Church kept quite the close eye on the Magocracy¡¯s activities after all. One day, they appeared out of nowhere, climbing the icy mountain where Vera resided, and then killed her in cold blood. Two of them fell in her hands, but the remaining two still survived, and now had become fugitives. We didn¡¯t know where they went though, but we knew that one of them was a young boy, just like you. And thanks to the report of one of the merchant ships being used by a stowaway, who brazenly tore open a hole on its side and close it back with magic, we knew that it could only be the work of a skilled mage. I gulped. I instinctively started to reach out from my wand and sword. ¡°And now you¡¯re here¡ªanother boy with an amazing talent in magic. Could it be just a coincidence, I wonder?¡± She smirked. ¡°Y-yeah, it totally is. I have no idea who this Hugo Greenwood is. I¡¯m Charles Pendleton, son of a noble in Frastelleren. I am just this talented with magic, you see, which is why I got recruited by Your Imperial Highness.¡± I faked a sheepish grin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there are no noble houses named Pendleton in Frastelleren.¡± Her smirk grew wider. ¡°Come on, just admit it. It¡¯s not like I will eat you for it or anything. The Magocracy is the enemy of the Church after all.¡± I sighed. There really is no wiggling my way out of this situation, I suppose. ¡°Fine. I admit it. I am Hugo Greenwood,¡± I replied. ¡°There we go! Now we can have a proper talk. That¡¯s why I brought you all the way out here by the way. Just so no one could eavesdrop on our little conversation.¡± ¡°So, what do you want?¡± I put my hands inside my pocket, putting on a frown (I was just acting cool here). ¡°If you think I¡¯m going to work for you, then you¡¯re mistaken. I have somewhere I need to go, and me being a bodyguard to the Imperial Princess like this is just a side gig I took in since we are heading in the same direction.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Her smirk didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°Well, certainly, you would be an asset to the Church if we could get you to join. But honestly, free spirits like you shouldn¡¯t bother. Too many rules and all that.¡± Huh, so she¡¯s not going to threaten me to be the Church¡¯s lackey or anything? Well, I guess it¡¯s not so surprising, considering her easy going personality so far. "So, where are you heading to?" She continued to smirk. "If you''re getting as far away from the Magocracy as possible, then I guess you''d be heading north. Or perhaps you''d even decide to go to the Demon Continent. With how strong you are, you''d probably be alright there." "Do I have to tell you that?" I replied defiantly, crossing my arms. "I would really rather not tell my business to anyone I just met." I say that yet her guess is pretty much correct. Not going to tell her about Sherry though. "Not really. Just curious, that''s all," she replied nonchalantly. "Though I have to say, for a young boy, you''re certainly more mature than you look." I couldn''t help but puff my chest a little from this comment. "Are you sure you''re not a dwarf or a hobbit or just a really youthful-looking and short adult?" Now that, I took offense from. "Feel free to think about me anyway you want," I huffed. "I''m not telling you anything else. I''m a fugitive, remember? I''d rather throw my old identity away if I could." "Alright, alright." She chuckled. "But let me give you one advice." She raised one finger. "If in the future, you become even stronger, and I suspect that you would, seeing how diligently you train every day, then sooner or later, trouble would surely find you again. I wouldn''t ask how or why your family decided to kill Vera, but if I had to guess, she probably bothered you first. And people like her are many in this world. They would want to use your strength for their own purposes, and if you don''t comply, they would eliminate you as a threat." "Then I would just have to get even stronger," I replied with a grim look. "Hmm, you would have to be really, really strong for that to work though. Stronger than me for starters. So strong that you''re like a force of nature, with no one being able to stop you, making you able to do anything you wish, even to impose your will on the world itself." She looked away from me, staring at the setting sun on the horizon. "I am nowhere near that level. That''s why I am unable to change this world the way I want it to be. And if I am not strong enough, then that little girl isn''t strong enough either. And I want her to recognize that fact." "Another reason to put some humility into her, huh?" I commented with a smile, looking at the same scenery as her. It was surprisingly beautiful, with it''s golden reddish tint as it dyed the clouds around in. "That way of thinking is kinda for demons though. To rule over everything with strength. That''s why their Demon Lords are so strong. They have to be, unlike human kings and queens who could afford to be weak." I raised my eyebrows. I''ve read about them. They were the de facto rulers of the Demon Continent. They were quite different from human rulers though in how they ruled. They say demons barely had any government, even though they still had cities and towns and the like. I wouldn''t know how that would work. Maybe like an anarchist society, where if you want to rule, you just beat up the current ruler? Might makes right and all that? "And what do you think us humans should think?¡± I asked, out of curiosity. She didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she just smiled and patted my head. ¡°Well, now that''s all cleared up, let''s go back, shall we?" And with that non-answer, she decided to end our conversation. ------------- S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As promised, she took me to where Fiora was doing her training. It turned out to be the small shack located at the corner of the temple complex. It was so small and insignificant that I didn¡¯t even notice it being there until she took me to it. ¡°She¡¯s inside.¡± She told me when we stood in front of its door. ¡°This was actually my private training chamber and I decided to lend it to her. Now, don¡¯t get carried away, you hear me?¡± She grinned before pushing me forward. Hey, like I said, I have no plans to do that kind of stuff with her! I opened the door and entered, realizing that it was pitch black inside. She¡¯s seriously training in a place like this? "Who is that?" A sharp voice spoke from the darkness. "Ah, it''s you, Hugo." "Wait, how could you tell?" "Your presence." My presence?! What is this, a shonen manga? Oh, right, this is a fantasy world with superhuman abilities. It wouldn''t be odd in the slightest. "How did you know I''m here?" She spoke again. "The Grand Priestess told me." "Hmph, so she sent you to have a talk with me. Fine. Let''s talk." I then heard a light movement downwards. She must have sat down. "Oh, don''t light up the place. Let''s talk in the dark like this." I raised my eyebrows. But I decided to just let her have her way. I sat down as well, cross-legged. "Why are you training in the dark like this?" I began the conversation. "Sharpening my senses. I need to be able to see an attack coming without actually seeing it," was her answer. "How about your training? Cut that boulder yet?" "Nope. I chipped my sword though," I chuckled. "That''s because you don''t put enough aura into it. You have to strike without hesitation¡ªfull strength from the start. Slash like you''re going to take your enemy''s life." "I know that," I pouted. "I''ll try again tomorrow." "Good. It''s the first step for you to reach the next level of your training." Sniff Sniff sniff "Hey," I grinned. "It smells like sweat here. Your sweat, I presume?" "If you don''t sweat when you train, then you haven''t been training at all," was her deadpan reply. Heh, I wonder if she''s embarrassed being all sweaty right now, which is why she wants to keep the room dark. She might be a full-blown tomboy, but she''s still a girl and a princess at that. Of course, using my magic, I had cleaned myself off my own sweat. "So," I decided to stop beating around the bush and started right away. "I heard you challenged the Grand Priestess to a fight." "She told you about it, huh? I won''t deny it. I did indeed challenge her to a fight. Didn''t win, as you should have known already. She''s just too strong for me." "Ha, I guess even the invincible princess has her limits," I replied with a grin. "Hmph, maybe you should challenge her to a fight next." "I''ll pass. I don''t fight people for no reason." Silence fell between us for a few moments before I continued. "You know, you really should learn to rely on others more." "Hmm? Explain," she replied. "You challenged the Grand Priestess because you don''t want Nicole to be involved with your problem, didn''t you? And yet you kept it all from me and her and probably even Helen." "It was something only I could do," she answered. "I have to make that woman give me the respect that I deserve." "Then apologize to her. She''ll respect you more if you start being more humble, you know." "Ha! I won''t! Not after she insulted my dream like that." I sighed. Her immaturity really is showing right now. "You know, I share your dream as well. I do prefer slavery to be forbidden and for the citizens to prosper and be more equal. I''ve seen them, you know. The poor. A little girl died in my embrace when Nicole and I tried to heal her. But there was nothing we could do. She was just too weak from her malnourishment. Her ribcage was showing. She must have starved for many days." Fiora didn''t reply immediately. Perhaps she was taken aback by my statement. ¡°How did Nicole react?¡± she finally spoke. ¡°She gave her prayers, hoping that the little girl would enter Andalucia once she departed for the next life.¡± ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s just like her. She accepts the misfortune of this world so readily, that girl. I suppose that¡¯s also why she doesn¡¯t want to join me either. But how about you? Since you seem to think alike with me, why did you refuse to join me as well?¡± ¡°I already told you. All I want is a peaceful life. I''ve had enough being involved with big problems like yours. Do you know how hard it is to do your plan?" I sighed. "And besides, I can''t repricrocate your feelings either. You like me, but I already have Sherry." "Hoo? You think I''m fond of you in that way?" "Oh stop denying it. You kissed me and you touched me down there as well. If you don''t actually like me, then you must be merely seducing me for my strength. And I don''t think your pride will allow you to stoop that low." And then, she giggled. "Fine. I admit it. I am fond of you, boy. I want someone like you by my side. I am fond of our interactions together. I don''t know if I would call it love however. I don''t know what love is like, other than madness that infects your brain and makes you lose all reason. My mother loved my father, and look where that got her. Straight to her death. No, I have no need for love." Her tone was so full of bitterness that I couldn''t help but feel sorry for her. I myself am a foolish romantic that still believes, or at least wants to believe, that true love exists. At the very least, I know it exists in this world. I have Sherry after all. "And that''s why I am completely 100% faithful to Sherry," I replied. "Because I know she loves me genuinely, and I want to love her back. I won''t abandon her, no matter how much you might tempt me to do so. And that''s what you want from a man, don''t you? Loyalty?" I smiled. "Hmph, don''t flatter yourself," she retorted harshly. "You''re the kind of guy that would attract many girls to him in the future. I doubt you''ll be able to stay loyal to your first love. Especially since you''re just a pair of brats when you declared your supposedly undying love with each other." My smile turned into a grin. "Is that jealously I hear? Are you perhaps including yourself in the list of girls that would be attracted to me? Well, just so you know," I put on my teasing tone here. "I much prefer girls who are more graceful and less haughty. Sherry is somewhat of a tomboy, like you, but she''s also sweet and caring. If you budge a little towards that direction, perhaps I would consider being your ally.¡± ¡°Then I suggest you become my older sister¡¯s knight instead.¡± Whoa, that¡¯s even more bitter than before! ¡°If you want a beautiful and graceful princess, then she fits the bill perfectly. They say she¡¯s the most beautiful woman in the capital, or even in the entire Holy Empire. And since you¡¯re also a pervert, you¡¯ll get along perfectly with her.¡± Yep, she¡¯s jealous alright. ¡°No need to get mad. I''m just telling the truth," I continued my teasing voice. "And besides, I think it would be good for you to be less tough, you know, if you''re going to be an empress some day. Charisma. Every leader needs that to be good at their role. I want you to be an empress that would be loved by your people, not feared by them," I spoke with a smile. Silence. Was she out of words for a retort? "Then, perhaps it would be better if my older siblings took the throne instead." ¡­ "That''s it. I have enough of you being all mopey. You knocked me out of my stupidity and now I''m going to knock you out of yours too." I stood up with a frown on my face. "I''ll tell it straight away. The way you are right now, you''ll never be the empress that you want. Transform yourself. Be a better person. Like I''m doing right now. I want to stop being a crybaby and be a real man that can protect those I care about. That''s my dream and I''m doing everything I can to achieve it. That''s why I tolerate your attitude all this time, because I want to be stronger under your tutelage.¡± I took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°And yet, you can¡¯t lower down your ego for a bit? I know you¡¯re smart enough to realize that without any detailed plans for what to do after you take the throne, you would only end up destroying the Empire. And I know that it¡¯s not what your mother would want. She wants you to be a good empress that would make your people happy and prosperous, just like you say you want to. So stop being so haughty and realize your own weakness. Start from that annoying grin of yours.¡± I finished my rant, waiting for her response from the dark. "...Hugo Greenwood. You are already this wise even though you''re still so young. You really are a unique existence, suited to become the life partner of the future Holy Empress." Wait, did she just call me with my¡ª "Oof!" Suddenly, I felt two hands pushing me to the ground, before wrapping their arms all around my waist. Once again, Fiora was on top of me¡ªher sweaty scent permeating my nostrils ¡°It¡¯s truly a shame... for you to be taken already..¡± Oh God, she¡¯s starting to rub me again down there! ¡°But that is fine, for I shall prove to you that I am worthy of your aid once the time comes.¡± And her breath! She¡¯s whispering so lewdly in my right ear! ¡°I shall polish and transform myself to become a worthy empress, and a woman deserving of your affection. Tell that Sherry of yours to be careful, for if she doesn¡¯t treat you right, she might just find her lover being stolen away from her.¡± And then, she stood up. The last words I heard from her were ¡°I shall apologize tomorrow to the Grand Priestess. But for tonight, let me be on my own here. Please return to our room, Hugo.¡± T-this girl¡­ she¡¯s too good at her seduction moves for one supposedly so arrogant and prideful! I did as she ordered, leaving with a fresh new tent on my robe, making me awkwardly walk back with two hands on the front. We had our dinner without Fiora, with Helen saying that she would take her food to her, as usual. The two didn¡¯t return until Nicole and I already fell asleep. They probably took a private bath together, knowing how sweaty Fiora was. ------------ The next morning, the Grand Priestess summoned us to the meeting room once again. And without hesitation, Fiora stepped forward, curtsied while bowing her head, and said, ¡°Please forgive me, Lady Silvermoon. I had acted terribly the other day. Instead of heeding your wisdom, I instead threw a tantrum unbefitting of my position as the Second Imperial Princess.¡± She said it with such elegance that it didn¡¯t make her look pathetic in the slightest. Instead, she only shone, as I saw a new side of her that I had never seen before¡ªthe elegant, truly princess-like side. ¡°Good,¡± the Grand Priestess smiled. ¡°I see your retainers finally got through you. And to think they didn¡¯t need a whole week to do it too. Impressive. Who managed to pierce your hard heart, if I might ask?¡± She gave a glance towards me, but said, ¡°It was Nicole Blanchimont, Your Holiness.¡± ¡°What? That¡¯s not true, Your Holiness!¡± The cleric immediately protested. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve tried myself to talk to her, but I wasn¡¯t the one who turned her around. It was all¡ª¡± ¡°Shh, that¡¯s fine, Nicole. That¡¯s fine,¡± the Grand Priestess interrupted her. ¡°I am satisfied by your performance as well. And your honesty. Fiora already told me everything, about how you pleaded with her all teary-eyed to not be consumed by her desire for vengeance. It is all I ask from you. The words of the Saint couldn¡¯t possibly reach everyone. What¡¯s important is a pure and honest heart to transmit them to the people. And I believe you possess both.¡± She smiled, patting her on the shoulder. ¡°So congratulations. You are one step closer in becoming a High Priestess.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes opened and brightened, going as wide and sparkly as much as they possibly could. ¡°Oh thank you so much, Your Holiness! I swear I will not disappoint your expectations!¡± The Grand Priestess then turned back to Fiora and said, ¡°As for you, Imperial Princess, I shall lend you my support as well. The way you are now, I trust you have the capability to grow to be a wise ruler, one that doesn¡¯t just rule by the sword.¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Your Holiness.¡± She bowed and curtsied again. Unlike Nicole, her expression remained completely neutral. But I know deep inside, she must be happy as well. I smiled as well, seeing that everything was finally settled, and that we could resume our journey at last. Vol 2 Chapter 30: Marina’s Side — Duskglow Plains Marina We departed Glinda¡¯s residence in the morning, leaving Ortessa promptly from the northwestern gate. The maids had already prepared our supplies, so there was no need for us to make a trip to the shops in town. My discussion with the court mage was more fruitful than I imagined. She gave me her personal notes on magic, knowledge she had to research herself, as the Academy didn¡¯t teach it to her. Of course, she asked for something in exchange, and that is, the grimoires I stole off Vera¡¯s library. I gave them readily, as I had taken care to copy them word by word every time I got the chance to do so. Like true mages, we exchanged knowledge for knowledge. My first goal? To be able to perform Dual Casting, just like Vera did. Unlike what they taught you in the Academy, you could learn how to Dual Cast. You didn¡¯t necessarily need to be born a special genius to do it. However, it wasn¡¯t easy, as Glinda warned. It took her years to be able to do it. It made sense that the Academy would cover that fact up. You essentially would double the power of a mage if he or she learned Double Casting, the ability to cast two spells at once. Skimming through her notes on the subject, it seemed the core of being able to do so was the ability to split your thoughts into two, which, naturally, was a really difficult thing to do. You would need to maintain equal focus on both spells, while at the same time, paying attention to the battlefield as well. It was a herculean feat. No wonder so little mages were able to reach that level of expertise. I have no doubt the rest of the Council is already able to do it though, which is all the more reason why I should learn it as well. We first went through the northwestern provinces of Marchen, before crossing over to the border into the so-called Duskglow Plains. It was mostly an easy journey, with only the occasional monsters and bandits trying to attack us, thinking we were easy prey. Well, we weren¡¯t. Not in the slightest. In fact, they proved to be good training practice for me who was trying out new things with my spell. I needed to innovate if I were to be better at a fight. After around three weeks on the road, we finally reached the border. There was a fortress there, along with a wall that prevented travelers from just going around it if they wished to reach the other side. I showed them the papers Glinda made for me, and they let me through without any problem. She was nice enough to make me a fake identity, along with Erika. Going through said fortress, stumbling out on the other side, we were finally at the Plains at last¡ªa no civilization zone between Marchen and Tolany, the kingdom on the other side. Starting from here, I had to be vigilant. The monsters would be much stronger and if I were to be ambushed, Erika and I could very well die at their hands. And I couldn¡¯t let that happen. I had promised myself that we would reunite with Hugo, no matter how long it would take. The way the Plains worked was simple. At night, the unique grasses and small plants there would glow, and that glow would attract monsters. That means the wisest way to travel was to stop at night and prepare for monsters to attack. I could burn the glowing plants to be sure but I doubt it would do anything other than attract even more monsters. The creatures here seemed to be attracted to light instead of being afraid of it, like most nocturnal monsters. Since I couldn¡¯t have Erika in watch duty, given how young she was, that meant I would have to remain awake for the entire night, taking my sleep in the morning instead. And I had to do that for who knows how many days it would take to traverse this place. Taking the southern route would still be longer though¡­ I¡¯ll just have to brave it. ¡°Uwaaaa, such a huge plains! I can¡¯t see the end at all!¡± Erika shouted as we left the border fortress. She was currently sitting on my lap¡ªher eyes sparkling with joy as she took in the sight of her surroundings. I smiled. She had been so much more cheerful lately, that I felt the old Erika already returned. It had been around two months since I brought the bad news after all. Erika¡¯s a strong child. She wouldn¡¯t mope around forever. I know that for a fact. Oh, by the way, there wouldn¡¯t be any villages we could stop by while we were in the middle of the plains. It¡¯s a non-habitable zone after all. There are many like it in the world¡ªwilderness where human habitation hadn¡¯t really reached. The strong monsters and the sheer amount of them were a big part for sure. We rode like that through the plains, and soon enough, Erika¡¯s joy was replaced by boredom, as she realized the scenery wasn¡¯t changing in the slightest. There really was nothing out here, not even monsters. I suppose they would only come out in the night. She went back inside to sleep, while I continued driving the carriage. And after she had her afternoon nap, she would read one of the many story books Glinda had generously given to her. I didn¡¯t know where she got them though. Maybe she bought them, or maybe she just had them lying around in her library. When the sun fell, it was time for us to set up camp¡ªfor our first night here in the Plains. ¡°Sis! Look! The flowers are glowing!¡± Erika shouted. Sure enough, the moment the sun vanished behind the mountains, the plains immediately lit up. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± Her jaw was pretty much wide open, as the sight completely took her by surprise. I smiled, as I too appreciated the sight. It really would make a good camping site, if not for the dangerous monsters. There weren¡¯t any trees around to make firewood. Thankfully, I am skilled in Earth magic, so producing a couple of logs to burn was not a problem for me in the slightest. "O power that lay hidden beneath the Earth! Hear my plea! Grant me the blessings and bounties of nature, so that I might shake this very world with your manifestation! Yggdrasil!¡± I cast my Master-level Earth spell, conjuring a giant tree that stood tall in the middle of our campsite. Thanks to my training, I now managed to cast it with a truncated version of the original chant. Not quite chantless yet, but it¡¯s getting there. I wasn¡¯t creating it just to create wooden logs however. It was an autonomous spell, and it could last for the entire night. I could set it so it acted like a sentry, warning me when there were monsters approaching. I had our humble dinner with Erika, eating the salted meat we had purchased before we got here. There should be enough to last until we reach the next city, but if push came to shove, I could just hunt some monsters here and cook their meat for food. Thankfully, Erika no longer complained about the bland-tasting journey food we had. I knew it wasn¡¯t the best¡ªfar from Mother¡¯s cookings, but that¡¯s just how travelers would eat. They wouldn¡¯t be able to eat delicious food every day, even if they had the coins to spare. After dinner, I sent Erika to sleep quickly. And then¡­ ¡°Transformation Magic! Dryad!¡± A bright green light shone, enveloping my body. When the light dimmed, I was no longer the human girl I once was before. I was a dryad girl, green-haired and completely naked, with wooden skin. At this state, my magic capability was severely limited, as I would only be able to use the magic a dryad could use as well. However, it fit well enough for my purpose, that is, to become a watchman for the night. Facing my back towards the giant tree, I grew a pair of long roots from my back, attaching it to the massive trunk. I then lifted myself backwards, letting myself join with the giant tree. This is my combination ability that I developed. Using this method, I could gain full control of the giant tree, and I could stay on my dryad form indefinitely, as Ygdrassil would absorb mana from the soil and feed it into me. I suppose one could call this my ¡°Mother Tree¡± form. This way, I could remain in a state of half-sleep like a plant. I would still recover my strength, but at the same time, I would keep my alertness. It¡¯s unfortunate that this technique could only be used in fertile lands with wide open spaces however. I remained in this state for a good while, maybe for about a few hours, before I sensed them¡ªmonsters approaching towards our location. Using Yggdrasil, combined with my natural ability granted by my dryad transformation, I could utilize the shining plants and grasses nearby as part of my senses. There are forty of them. Judging by their steps, they seem to be a pack of wolves of some sort. I knew they would not be ordinary wolves however. I already researched this place beforehand by the encyclopedia given to me by Glinda, and I knew that these wolf-like creatures were actually a pack of Werewolves¡ªB-rank monsters that were much more powerful than ordinary wolves. They would assume wolf form at first, only to turn into their humanoid form once the prey let their guard down. Ygdrassil, protect the tent and the carriage. The tree immediately obeyed, covering the two objects entirely using its thick and sturdy roots, guaranteeing that no harm would ever come to them. The horse naturally panicked, but the roots also ensured that it stayed still, by wrapping themselves around its body and the wheels of the carriage. Now, it is time for me to fight. I reverted the transformation spell and released myself from the tree. It would be easier for me to fight in my human form than in my dryad form, as I had yet to reach the so-called ¡°hybrid¡± transformation where you could both get attributes from the creature you were transforming and to be able to cast magic as well. And then, I summoned them all¡ªmy three summons. (High) Flower Fairy, Dryad, and Owlbear. "All of you. Prepare yourselves. We''re going to fight a pack of werewolves." "Aye aye, Miss!" The fairy and dryad replied simultaneously, while the owlbear simply roared. And then, they came. "Yggdrasil! Assume defensive posture!" The tree obeyed, and it created a wall of thorns from the ground that surrounded us in a circle. Some of the wolves were caught in them, but others managed to leap over them, transforming into their humanoid forms in mid-air. "O spirits of ice! Grant me your strength!¡± I started my chant¡ªthe spell I learned from Vera¡¯s grimoires. The werewolves immediately went towards me, but thanks to the work of my summons as well as the tree, they couldn¡¯t get close to me. Not in the slightest. ¡°Envelop my enemies with your cold embrace! Wrap them in ice and snow and deliver to them a freezing grave! Shatter them and break them like the foolish beings they are! Cold Nova!" And then, I blasted it, the Master-level Ice spell. In groups I froze them all with my spell, as it was a channeling-type. No need for me to turn it off as long as I still had enough mana and as long as I was still out of their melee range. Using that spell, all forty of them were frozen solid, leaving the cleanup by the tree branches smashing them one by one extremely easy. I guess I¡¯m finally branching out to other elements. After the battle was over, I thanked my summons, gave them their payment, and sent them away. But not before telling them about something that I already had in mind for quite some time, ever since my meeting with Glinda. ¡°All three of you.¡± I spoke to them with a serious look. ¡°I have a request to make.¡± ¡°Ooh, a request?¡± The dryad smiled with joy and curiosity. ¡°What else can I possibly do for you, mistress?¡± The fairy spoke next. ¡°I wish to turn our relationship to a permanent one. That is to say, I wish to make you all three be my familiars.¡± ¡°...Eh?¡± It took the dryad by surprise. ¡°F-familiar?¡± The fairy spoke next. ¡°Roaaarrr!¡± Even the owlbear was obligated to comment. ¡°I need to obtain greater power as a mage.¡± I continued. ¡°And one way to do that is to bind you three with my own soul. You would be able to manifest fully, reaching greater heights as my summons. I know I am asking a lot, as you would be stuck with me until the day I die, but it is what I want.¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The three looked at each other, unsure and confused. Even the owlbear whimpered. ¡°That is fine.¡± I smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer right now. I simply would like to tell you what my selfish desire is upfront. You are dismissed.¡± The three then disappeared, leaving me on my own once more. This is the first part of reaching the next heights of summoning magic¡ªto be upfront with it with your summons. Glinda¡¯s notes taught me this as well. Using this method, we journeyed across the plains day by day, with me fighting a horde of monsters every night with Ygdrrasil and my summons. And it wasn¡¯t just one wave of monsters every night. The average was around three, going up to five at one night. Thankfully, my Ygdrassil also allowed me to recharge my mana, so there was no fear of me running out of spells before dawn came. The monsters I fought off weren''t just werewolves. There were also carnivorous flowers, masquerading themselves as ordinary ones that would uproot once we got close. There were also giant ants, complete with their even bigger queen. Since an encounter with them meant we would have to fight off an entire colony, not just one or two ants, the rank given to them as a collective was A-rank. They were still no match for my Frost Nova after all. I''m glad I decided to learn it, even though I would be doing so using Vera''s books. In the end, it took us only six days to traverse the whole place, before we reached the border fortress at the other end. And my dryad actually evolved into a Lady Dryad in the process. Only the owlbear remained unevolved, but it''s already strong enough at it is, at least for now. We were entering the kingdom of Tolany at last. I showed my papers once again, and we were let through without a hitch. --------------- From what I had read of Tolany, it was just another small kingdom in the continent, even smaller than Marchen. We would only be going through it, stopping at its capital, Mosa, as it was located near its northern borders. Not all kingdoms necessarily had their capitals right in the middle of their territory. It all depended on how strategic the location where said capital was located. Mosa was built right in the four way intersection that led to the west, east, north, and south. So it was a really good location to build a merchant city. In total, it took us a month and a week to get there from Ortessa. A satisfactory rate, if I do say so myself. Mosa was another walled city, located in the middle of a rocky terrain that didn¡¯t really allow farming and the like. So it thrived only from the trades that went through it. We were immediately greeted by what looked like a bazaar the moment we entered the city. I had to carefully drive our carriage through the crowd, taking care not to trample anyone in our path. ¡°Woah, there¡¯s so many people around, Sis!¡± Erika smiled. She was now sitting beside me on the driver seat, as she liked to do everytime we moved into a different area. I smiled, but at the same time, I had to warm her as well. "Listen, Erika. Never leave my side while we''re in this city, alright? If you get lost, then it would be hard for Big Sis to find you." "Don''t worry, Sis!" She returned with her own smile. "I''ll make sure to stay close with you all the time!" She hugged me and giggled, making me giggle as well. That joyous moment however, soon vanished into the wind, as an unpleasant sight was displayed to our very eyes. "Come! Come! Take a look at our merchandise! We got a tiger beastman here, perfect for your manual labor needs! And we also have a rabbit beastwoman. With her fluffy ears and tails, she would surely be a good sleeping companion for any gentlemen out there. And last but not least, a young dwarf girl, fresh from the mountains! She nobly gave herself to us to save her poor parents from hunger and need! Isn''t it just wonderful? Doesn''t her plight touch your hearts? But if her sad story isn''t enough, let me tell you that this dwarf is very skilled with her fingers¡ªcarpentry, stonemasonry, even crafting jewelry¡ªshe could do it all!" It was a slave auction. Three people were placed on display on a podium, with chains and collars on their bodies. A pair of adult beastkin, and a dwarven little girl. They were all topless, even the latter, with their skin oiled to make them look more attractive. I knew however from just the way they looked how miserable they must have been. Their traders weren¡¯t the kind to treat their slaves well, it seemed. The man who was speaking was also a nonhuman, a foxkin to be exact. I would say it¡¯s ironic that he¡¯s selling his own kind, but we all know that humans also sell other humans as slaves. Around him were a number of scary-looking men, no doubt acting as the auction¡¯s guards. Even if the slaves still had any wills to escape, they would be cut down immediately the moment they tried doing so. ¡°Sis, that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look, Erika. Don¡¯t look.¡± I brought her closer to me and covered her eyes with one hand, while I kept trudging on the carriage through the crowd. If there was one thing I could praise the Magocracy for, was that you couldn¡¯t find a sight like these in their cities. The carriage slowly moved as the auction began. The two beastkin slaves were quickly sold off¡ª5 gold coins for the man and 10 gold coins for the woman, but it seemed no one was interested in the dwarf girl. As I left the scene, I could only hope that someone kind would purchase her. To think that a parent would sell their own child like that... If I had been in their position, I would rather starve to death than doing something unthinkably cruel. With those grim thoughts, we moved on into the residential district, looking for an inn to stay. Vol 2 Chapter 31: Marina’s Side — The Bazaar We rested in the modest-sized inn that we had chosen. As long as the place looked respectable and clean enough, I wouldn¡¯t bother seeking for a better one. We still had a decent chunk of our money left, but it didn¡¯t mean we could just splurge on useless expenditures. After we had our lunch, we decided to return back to the bazaar from before, as we did need to restock our supplies. Well, originally, I was planning to go on my own, but Erika insisted that she wanted to go to the bazaar as well. "No, Sis, I wanna go! I wanna go see the bazaar!" "Erika, it''s too dangerous for a small child like you to be there in the crowd," I responded, bending my knees to be more of an eye level with her. "Nooo! I wanna gooo!" I sighed. She now started to yell and cry. "All right, we can go together." I smiled, patting her head. "But in one condition." I put on my serious expression back. "Never let go of my hand, alright?" "Yaay! Alright, Sis!" She smiled as she hugged my right arm. Well, it might be safer for her to be with me than to be left alone at the inn. ------ Returning back to the bazaar, I took care not to be separated, holding her hand firmly at all times. I also made sure to be wary of thieves and pickpockets that would surely populate such a place. Of course, I steered well away from the clearing where that slave auction was before. I didn''t know whether it already ended or not, so I wouldn''t take my chances. "Sis! Sis! Look! What are those?" Erika shouted as she pointed towards our left. Hmm? I followed her direction and saw a stall, selling what looked like a row of oddly shaped figures made out of clay. Hmm, that''s¡­ those are actually figures of monsters, aren''t they? "Sis! I wanna see it closer!!" She pulled my hand. "Alright, alright, calm down." I smiled. When she''s cheerful like this, my heart lightens up immediately. We approached the stall closer, and we were greeted by who looked like a middle-aged gnome. To be honest, I didn''t really get the best impression of him. The way he grinned with his two missing yellow teeth, one above and another below at different spots, it really made me be wary of him. "Oh? What''s this? Young lady is interested in my miniature statues?" He continued to grin. "I wanna this one!" She pointed towards the clay doll shaped like a dragon. Huh. I thought she would prefer cuter things. "How much?" I asked the shopkeeper right away. "Oh, a mere 1 gold, miss," he replied. "That''s far too expensive, don''t you think?" I narrowed my eyes. "Oh, don''t mistake my statues to mere ordinary clay figures, miss. They are enchanted, you see¡ªto move on their own as if they were the real thing. Watch!" He then took one of the figurines¡ªa bat one¡ªand tapped it on the head three times in a row. "Screech!" Immediately it came to life, just like he had told. It flew around him, almost like a real bat, before landing back on top of his hand. True enough. I could sense the presence of mana inside each and every one of them. So they''re definitely not fake. However¡­ "5 silver coins." I narrowed my eyes again. "Sure, these miniature statues could move, but if I have to guess, they could only move for around half an hour at best." "N-no, Miss! You got it all wrong! I assure you! These dolls could move for a long time!" The shopkeeper now visibly sweated. He certainly didn''t expect me to hit the jackpot right away. "I am not a fool." I continued. "I could tell that the mana stored inside wouldn''t last for long. So five silver coins. Take it or leave it." The shopkeeper bit his lip, looked away, tapped his fingers on the counter, before replying, "Fine. You got a deal." I smirked. "Thank you very much." ---- Her dragon statue in hand, Erika and I moved on to the other stalls. I immediately told her not to play with it while we were walking, and that she should conserve playing with it as much as she could since it would only come alive for a short time, which, naturally, she was displeased to hear. "Sis, couldn''t you do anything to put more Mana into it?" "Hmm, it would be difficult," I replied. "I am not good at all in magic crafting, you see. And I don''t even know if the core inside the statue is the rechargeable type." "Core?" She tilted her head in confusion. "Ah, right, it''s still too hard for you, isn''t it?" I ruffled her hair. "Hmm, tell you what. If we got the opportunity, I''ll buy you a book about magic crafting. Maybe after reading it, you''ll be able to charge it yourself." "Really, Sis?" She brightened. "Then I''ll study hard and do it myself! I can''t let you do everything all the time after all!" I chuckled. Oh Erika. You really are too precious. I doubt even if I buy you the simplest magic crafting book, you''d be able to do it right now though. Maybe a few years down the road when you''re older. And seeing you like this, it really reminds me of Hugo when he''s about your age. You really are his little sister after all. If only I can make you forgive him¡­ Indeed. Even after all this time, if I brought up his name, her expression would promptly sour and she would immediately badmouth him. If I tried to correct her, she would get angry with me as well. I really shouldn¡¯t have teased him with my panties back then. Really, what was I thinking? Of course it would make him look like a pervert. Maybe Erika would be willing to forgive him more readily if she doesn¡¯t think of him as one. I was such an impulsive fool¡­ ------ Before we knew it, our visit, which was supposed to be just an expedition to stock up on supplies, turned into a full-blown trek through the bazaar. There were just so many interesting things around that we couldn¡¯t resist. Well, mostly Erika, but even I was starting to enjoy it as well. It¡¯s a nice change from the constant traveling we had done on the road, just looking at the lonely road ahead of us. I ended up purchasing a couple more things for Erika, and even some for me as well. For her, it''s just more magical toys, but for me, I bought some books, mostly related to plants. Their knowledge could aid me in enhancing my Yggdrasil. We eventually moved into the agriculture section of the bazaar, where various farmers and gardeners were selling their produce to the public. Ah, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s spring already, isn¡¯t it? For them to hold a bazaar at the beginning of spring wouldn¡¯t be odd in the slightest. Winter leaving is always a reason to celebrate after all. ¡°Sis, let¡¯s go somewhere else¡­ it¡¯s boring here¡­¡± Erika complained once she realized that the only thing she would be looking at here were plants, plants, and more plants. Like a normal kid, she never liked her vegetables. Unlike Hugo, who readily ate whatever vegetable Mother served on his plate. With Mother gone, it was now up to me to make sure that she had the healthy and balanced diet she desperately needed as a growing girl. The key to that was simply one word¡ªbalance. She needed to have a balanced amount on all categories of food in her meals. Too much meat would make her fat, while too little meat would make her weak. Vegetables were the same way. Thankfully, I had enough money in my wallet to ensure that. Well, as long as we aren¡¯t in some wilderness like back in the Plains, that is. ¡°Sorry, Erika.¡± I smiled. ¡°Your Big Sis needs to buy something here first.¡± That something was plant seeds. Not because I wanted to plant them or anything, but because I could analyze them so I could use the plants they were from as part of my magic arsenal. If I could know the structure of the seeds, I could replicate it using my magic. So I wouldn¡¯t just be stuck with growing simple vines or roots or thorns. I could move on to more complicated plants. I could grow them in conjunction with Yggdrasil as well. Eventually, I found the stall that I wanted¡ªa stall that displayed strange and exotic plants. It was noticeably more spacious than the other stalls, to the point that a crowd could gather in front of it. The owner was apparently doing an auction on a series of rare seeds that she had. Yep, just as I expected. She''s an elf. Elves tend to be the race that cultivated unconventional plants humans would never dream of growing themselves. Most human farmers weren''t mages, but, with their innate talent and affinity with magic, most elven farmers were mages as well, and they would use their magic to plant and grow wondrous magic plants. And now I know why she attracts so many people. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with long and flowing green locks and emerald eyes that drew you in with their depths. Her body was no slouch either, and whether or not she was conscious in her attire decision, her dress flattered her assets a lot, particularly the pair of mountains on her chest. Elves¡­ the beautiful, long-lived race. The latter is especially true for the pure-blooded amongst them. High Elves, they were called. Supposedly those folks can live for a thousand years and even more. Beside her were a pair of two muscled men with swords sheathed on their hips. Bodyguards. A wise choice, in case of any perverts who would try to assail her. With such beauty, there¡¯s no way there weren¡¯t any men who were interested in doing such things to her. ¡°For our next seed, let me introduce you all to the wonderful world of Blessed Shrubs! If you plant it in your fields, it would increase the fertility of your soil by two-fold, guaranteed! Just make sure you water them regularly or else they''ll poison the land instead!" The farmers who gathered all grumbled to themselves, unsure whether they should take the risk or not. Others just stared at her like deers in the headlight, clearly more interested in her looks than the goods she had to sell. "Alright! We''ll begin from the low low price of 1 gold coin per one dharm of seeds!" One gold coin for one dharm? That''s pretty expensive. For seeds, you should only get around a small pouch worth of them. Just as I feared, no one raised their hand. For these folks who certainly didn''t look rich in the slightest, the price was too much for them. In the end, they''re probably only here to ogle her. "No one? No one is interested once again?" The elf looked around with an exasperated look. "It''s too expensive, Missy!" One of the farmers yelled with a grin. "Drop it to one silver then we''ll talk!" "Or, I''ll give you one gold if you''re also willing to plant my seed in you, gyahahaha!" Another spoke up with his crude joke. Hearing her sad expression almost made me raise my hand. But I stopped myself. I had no need for that kind of seed for fighting. "W-well, since no one seems interested, let''s move on to the next item on the list, shall we?" "Sell me your body, Miss Elf!" I sighed. Why can''t there be more gentlemen in this world? I won''t even mind if they''re a little perverted like Hugo. Just don¡¯t shamelessly yell your perversion in public like this. Erika suddenly tugged at my hand. ¡°Sis, what did he just yell? I don¡¯t understand. Why are they all cheering at her?¡± ¡°Oh, i-it¡¯s nothing,¡± I quickly replied with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it.¡± Erika¡¯s too young and too innocent for me to explain that kind of stuff. ...Now that I think about it, should she even be here amongst this rowdy crowd? I really want to buy any interesting seeds that she has to offer, but if that means Erika has to stand around here for a long time... ¡°Sis, are you interested in the stuff she¡¯s selling?¡± she asked. ¡°Hmm? Well,¡± I smiled again, bending down to look at her in the eye. ¡°I suppose I am. I¡¯m an Earth mage that specializes in plant-based spells, so naturally I¡¯m interested in all sorts of magic plants as well.¡± ¡°Then, don¡¯t mind me, Sis! Buy whatever you want!¡± She returned my smile with an even brighter one. ¡°You¡¯ve bought me so many things already! It¡¯s only fair you buy some for yourself too!¡± Oh, Erika¡­ ¡°Alright then.¡± I ruffled her head. ¡°Big Sis is going to stay here for a while. If you¡¯re bored, you may play with your toys, but remember. Stay close to me at all times, alright?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sis!¡± She grinned. ¡°I¡¯m a big girl already, you know! You don¡¯t have to worry about me that much!¡± With that settled, I returned my attention back to the auction, where the elf had moved on to the next item¡ªtomatoes that doubled the size of ordinary tomatoes. I sighed again. Would I actually find something use¡ª ¡°Be careful! If you don¡¯t harvest them in time and they grow too large, they would explode, throwing their razor-sharp seeds everywhere!¡± That¡¯s it! I can use that! I didn''t hesitate. I immediately raised my hand. ----- Erika Hehe, Big Sis¡¯ eyes are all shiny all of a sudden! The stuff that elf lady sells must be really interesting to her! And she starts yelling as well while raising her hand! I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on but it seems she¡¯s really enjoying it, so I¡¯m happy for her! I took out the dragon from before from my dress pocket. Tapping on its head, it immediately came to life and started walking on my palm. Aah, so cute! But it¡¯s so cool as well! Dragons are cool after all! It then roared, but since it was so small, the roar was cute as well! ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I shall name you, Coco! You¡¯re brown like chocolate and the Co part comes from Draco as well!¡± It roared again. ¡°Teehee, that¡¯s a yes, isn¡¯t it? Alright then, Coco! I¡¯ll adopt you as my pet!¡± Flap flap "Ooh, you wanna fly, Coco? Do you need my help? Alrighty then! I''ll launch you up to the sky and then you can start flying right away! On three... two¡­ one¡­ go! I threw him upwards, giggling as I did. Only for my legs to suddenly give as my vision turned pitch black. ------ Marina "Congratulations to the young lady over there! Come up here and take your seeds!" I smiled. It ended up costing me 5 gold since there was actually someone else fighting against me in the auction, but I was ultimately satisfied in the purchase, for this would definitely provide me with better fighting capabilities once I could accommodate it into my spell. ¡°Alright, Erika. Let¡¯s go to the front and get¡ª¡± She wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Erika?¡± S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I looked around. She wasn¡¯t anywhere that I could see with my immediate sight. My heart trembled. A chill crept behind me onto my neck. ¡°Erika?! Erika!¡± I started yelling, ignoring completely the elven woman¡¯s plea that I came up to her and received the pouch of seed as promised. ¡°Sir! Did you see a blonde little girl anywhere around? She wore a white dress and she was around three to four years old in age.¡± ¡°Huh? Ain¡¯t see any girl like that around.¡± ¡°Nope. Did she come here with you, Missy?¡± "I saw her sure. But she was with you. How should I know where she went?" No one¡ªnot a single one knew where she currently was, or where she went. "Erika! Erika!!! If you hear my voice, please shout back!" No good. My voice is being drowned by the general loudness of the bazaar. And then, I saw it¡ªthe dragon toy she had with her, flying around in a circle weakly, hovering just inches above the ground. It soon fell, as it ran out of its stored mana. "Gyahahahahaha!" I looked behind me and saw the same old man who made those perverted comments from before "Give it up, Missy! Your little sister is gone! Once again, the phantom of the bazaar has claimed it''s victim!" "The phantom of the bazaar? What are you talking about?" "Young girls spirited away! Disappeared into the wind! Don''t tell me you haven''t heard of it! They say it''s a vengeful ghost, sucking the souls out of young girls, jealous of their beauty and youth!" "A ghost? At daytime out in the open like this? Don''t make me laugh!" I yelled. "Exactly! You''re a smart one, Missy!" He took a swig out of his pocket-sized canteen. "Your little girl wasn''t eaten by some ghost! She''s going to suffer an even worse fate! Just like my daughter when I sold her to them! Gyahahahaha!" My eyes widened. Slavers. Erika had been kidnapped by slavers to make her be their merchandise. "It''s too late, Missy. When they got ya, they got ya. By now, they were probably already back in their hideout, wherever that is in this big city. Oh, and don''t even bother with the town guards. Those guys are under their thumb. You''d know that if you''re not some foreign traveler or adventurer or whatever." He took another swig of his canteen. Meanwhile, my entire body was shaking as cold sweat permeated every inch of my skin. W-what should I¡ª What should I do? My legs gave. I fell to the ground, tears pooling in my eyes. "Hey, hey, what''s going on here?" Two men and a woman walked up to me, dressed in armor and wielding swords, signifying that they were most likely part of the town guard that old man just talked about. The woman was the one on the lead. She was a brunette, around middle age with a beauty mark just under her left lip. ¡°Oh please, Erika! My younger sister! She¡¯s disappeared! She was just here before but after I looked away for a few moments, she had disappeared entirely!¡± I didn¡¯t hesitate. I threw my pride to the wind and crawled up to her, placing my hands on her belt as I begged her for her help. ¡°Another missing person case, huh?¡± She scratched the back of her head. ¡°Then go to our office and make a report there. We¡¯re just a patrol here, making sure that the bazaar went smoothly. And please don¡¯t pull down my belt.¡± ¡°No, please! She was just here! She can¡¯t be that far! If we search right away, then we can catch up to her!¡± ¡°Sure! Sure! Everyone says that! Even with the same tears you have! But really, we¡¯re underfunded and undermanned as it is. So get in line with the others and wait until we can handle your case.¡± She slapped my hands away before turning to leave, ordering her subordinates to continue onward. ¡°I beg of you! She¡¯s the only family I have now!¡± ¡°Aah, noisy brat!¡± A heavy object hit me right on my face, drawing blood out of my nose. It was her thick boot. She had kicked me in order to make me release her. ¡°If you can¡¯t keep just a single little sister safe, then it¡¯s your own damn fault. Don¡¯t drag us into your mess.¡± I could only see them leave, as if my plight meant nothing to them whatsoever. The rest of the crowds returned to their activities as well. Even the elven auctioneer continued her business like nothing had happened. ¡°Gyahahahahahaha! Told ya they didn¡¯t care!¡± Another swig and he quickly returned to his former holy task¡ªogling the elf from a distance. Erika... why, why must this happen? Why am I so foolish, to let my guard down like that, just because of some seeds? That guard was right. It was my own fault that she got kidnapped. ...No. What am I doing? Why am I crying and wailing around in despair like this? If no one is willing to help, then I just have to do it myself, don¡¯t I? That¡¯s what Hugo would do. He would save Erika right away, no matter the consequences. I¡¯ll do it. There¡¯s a way to find out where she is¡ªthis city be damned. I stood up, wiped my tears, and steeled my resolve. And then, I began my chant. Vol 2 Chapter 32: Marina’s Side — The Dryad’s Wrath ??? ¡°Let me go! Let me go, you meanie!¡± Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Heh, this brat surely is a lively one¡­ A cloaked man stood in an abandoned alleyway, at the part of the town that no normal person would ever deign to visit on their own. To enhance the defensive capabilities of the city, in case of it being attacked or occupied by foreign forces, it was designed to be almost labyrinth-like in its structure, to confuse invaders who wouldn¡¯t be familiar with the layout of the streets and buildings. It allowed the kingdom¡¯s locals to mount a more effective resistance, perhaps even utilizing guerilla warfare, attacking one second and vanishing the next. And that was exactly what this man had just performed. He was an employer of a certain slave trading company with ties to the underworld. Or rather, the company itself rose from it. They used to be mere ordinary bandits and robbers, before they became black agents of said company, kidnapping people to be made as slaves. Sure, kidnapping is a crime in this country, and anywhere else for that matter, but slavery is not. And the moment you become a slave, no matter what or who you are before you become one, you will forever be a slave, meaning the kingdom would not care in the slightest that you are being sold and bought against your will. He was a mage attuned to the dark element, with one special expertise, that is, using a certain spell as nimbly and in the most stealthy way possible. Shadow Merge. It was a spell that allowed the caster to generate a special shadow that he or she could submerge into. And not only that, the caster could also move with the shadow. The caster is also able to grab someone else and bring them inside their shadow if they so choose. Utilizing this spell, he would sneak up on his targets, line his shadow right under their feet, then drag them right under. Done well, which is perfectly in his capability as he had experience doing this for a long time indeed, the victim wouldn¡¯t even have a chance to scream. After the victim was swallowed by his shadow, he would immediately retreat. With how busy the bazaar was and how everyone¡¯s eyes were certainly not staring down towards the ground, no one noticed the strange, silent shadow that could move on its own. And that was what he just did to his newest target, Erika. It wasn¡¯t because she belonged to the Greenwood Family¡ªthe people who were responsible for the assasination of one of the Magocracy¡¯s Council. Oh no, he wasn¡¯t aware of that in the slightest, as the news had yet to reach. Erika was simply unfortunate enough to be born with bright blue eyes and beautiful fluffy golden hair. Not to mention her unblemished skin as well. One of their customers was a certain duke who took a liking to cute little girls like her so he would always pay a generous sum if they would bring any lovely young females to his doorstep. He knew perfectly well of course what said duke was doing with them inside his estate, away from prying eyes. But he was never the moralistic, hero type. He was perfectly fine with the life of a scoundrel. It¡¯s just a fact of life that bad things happen to good people. In the alleyway there were already four other men, waiting for him to come. They were his subordinates, ready to help him with the up and coming slave if she decided to be too feisty for her own good. Not that he really needed their help though, since the victim was just a weak young girl that wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back, even if she was brave enough to do so. ¡°You meanie! Big Sis will get you for sure!¡± She shouted as she struggled with the black ropes that tied her hands and legs. Shadow Bind. Another one of the man¡¯s dark magic. ¡°Your big sister?¡± One of the other men came to her, grinning in a mocking manner. ¡°Heh, ahahahahahaha! Forget about her, young missy! You''ll never see her again.¡± ¡°You lie! Big Sis will come for me for sure!¡± ¡°Oh, really? Then I suggest she¡¯d better come soon before we sold you off to our client!¡± ¡°Gaspard, enough. Put the collar on her and let¡¯s be on our way,¡± the cloaked man interrupted. ¡°Sure boss,¡± the burly man shrugged. ¡°Alright little Missy, be a good girl and stay still while I put on your¡ªouch! You little brat!¡± SMACK Erika had responded by biting into his hand while he attempted to put on the collar he got in his hand. And he retaliated by smacking her in the face, making her fall to the ground from the sheer force coming out of his large hand. ¡°Gaspard! What are you doing? You know very well our client doesn¡¯t appreciate it if we ruin his merchandise,¡± the cloaked man warned. ¡°Aw, boss, surely we can have some fun with her first? We can just patch her up with some healing magic before we send her off to him!¡± ¡°U-uwaaaaaaa!¡± ¡°Oh great, now the little brat is crying. Right after she¡¯s acting so tough too. And God, why is she so loud?¡± ¡°...Fine. Knock her unconscious.¡± ¡°Aye aye, Sire!¡± With the cloaked man¡¯s permission, the big man kicked Erika right on her head, knocking her out in one move. The cloaked man shook his head. Sometimes he disapproved of the brutishness of his comrade. After knocking her out, the man called Gaspard undressed her completely, even down to her panties. As the cloaked man burned her old clothing with a fire spell, he put on what could only be called slave rags on her, before finishing the makeover with a collar, along with chaining her hands together. ¡°Dye her hair. Just in case,¡± the cloaked man ordered. Using a dye they had obtained from an alchemist, they turned her hair black. It wasn¡¯t a permanent dye of course. It was really another precaution to prevent whoever her big sister was from recognizing her, at least from afar. It was quite the ingenious method, really. Since slavery was accepted here, no one would bat an eye on a little girl asking for help, as long as she¡¯s dressed like a slave. Even the town guards would be obligated to return any runaway slaves to them. When a decent chunk of your economy is made out of the slave trade, you better treat the slave merchants with the same rights as you would with any other types of merchants. Slaves are not people. They are merely goods, to be bought and sold. ¡°We''ll make her more docile first in our headquarters," the cloaked man ordered. "The customer wants his goods to be all nice and dolled up when they enter his doors. A week of whipping and beating should break her spirit. Then she''ll think of our customer as her savior." It was basic psychology, especially effective to kids like her. Make her suffer as much as possible, then hand her over to the customer who would treat her well. It''s fine for them to be hated, but the best slaves are the ones who love their masters. The cloaked man and his subordinates then departed back to the populated streets, with Gaspard slinging Erika''s body over his shoulder. They merged with the crowd as much as they could, with the cloaked man taking off his hood, revealing that he was actually a black-haired man around his twenties. Unlike Gaspard and his other subordinates, he was actually pretty good-looking, with a cold gaze that some females would find very attractive indeed. As expected, only a few people even gave them a glance. Runaway slaves happened somewhat frequently, and they just thought the little girl must be another runaway, and that they were agents of the slave company, sent to fetch her back. Not everyone was heartless however. Some did sympathize with Erika¡¯s plight. But they knew better to involve themselves. It wasn¡¯t like they had any obligation to save her. And if they did indeed decide to save her, then what about the other slaves? Should they save them too? They would be hypocrites if they only save one while ignoring the others, right? So no one bothered, with their concern being forgotten not even a minute later when they returned back to their own tasks. And that is why, when a certain girl disrupted their normal daily lives, they shouldn¡¯t complain either. ----------- It first started with an earthquake¡ªa tremor whose epicenter was where the bazaar was held. ¡°A-an earthquake?¡± ¡°Why is there an earthquake here? We have never had any earthquakes before!¡± ¡°Everyone, get out! Don¡¯t stay inside!¡± And then, just a few seconds after that, a tree burst forth from the grounds, piercing through the stone pavement like it was nothing. It grew and grew and grew until it towered its surroundings. There weren¡¯t many tall buildings in the city, so the tree stuck out even more like a sore thumb. ¡°W-what? What is that?¡± ¡°A-a tree? Why is a tree there?¡± ¡°Did the earthquake bring it out or something?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s a spell! That mage girl raised her staff to the air and then the earthquake and the tree appeared!¡± It didn¡¯t take long until Marina¡¯s surroundings realized what she just did. She didn¡¯t try to hide it in the slightest. She now had her wand changed into its staff form, and she was looking at the tree with a determined expression on her face. ¡°A-a spell? Is there a fight going on?¡± ¡°Gwahahahaha! The young lady has lost it! She¡¯s now going to¡ª hrrmmmmmgggpppphhtt!¡± A vine shot out from the ground underneath the old man, wrapping itself around his mouth. It was Marina¡¯s work of course. It seemed she had enough of his speech. The elf, seeing what was transpired, wisely decided to flee. Unlike the others there, who barely knew anything about magic, she knew that Marina was at least a Master-level Earth mage, just from the giant tree she had brought forth into being. Any ordinary guards or soldiers wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against her. And speaking of them, the town guards immediately converged to the location, including the trio from before. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± The female guard drew her sword. ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way,¡± Marina replied with an emotionless voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to find Erika, even if I have to turn this whole city upside down in the process.¡± She raised her staff once again, and three creatures appeared out of thin air¡ªa fairy, a dryad, and an owlbear. ¡°M-monsters! She¡¯s summoning monsters!¡± ¡°Everyone! Attack n¡ªgwaaahhh!¡± Roots burst forth from the ground beneath the soldiers, immobilizing them in an instant as they wrapped themselves tightly around them. The female guard managed to cut one of them, but she wasn¡¯t fast enough to prevent the others from throwing her sword away while yanking her hair backwards. ¡°Stand still,¡± Marina spoke again. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t take long.¡± She turned back to face the tree, raised her staff, and yelled, ¡°Yggdrasil! Ent form!¡± In quite the bizarre and horrifying sight, one by one humanlike figures started to peel off and fall from the wood of the tree. They were ents, humanoid tree monsters that could walk and attack adventurers who dared to get near them, thinking they were just ordinary trees. They were a smaller version of them however, with only being the size of a normal human. After around a hundred of them came out of the big tree, they scattered to all directions, leaving the great tree itself quite smaller and thinner than before, Cue the screams as the crowd finally got the idea that their life might be in danger. They all ran away. Even the stall owners all abandoned their shops. ¡°Ents! Scour the city and look for Erika! And you, owlbear, you remember her scent, right?¡± ¡°Roarrrr!¡± It replied. ¡°Good. Track her down. And if you find her captors, you can attack them. But the priority must be Erika¡¯s safety.¡± It roared once again before charging away, running at a surprisingly high speed using its four legs. ¡°Y-you¡¯re doing this just because of your sister?¡± The lady guard yelled. ¡°Are you mad? You¡¯ve just basically earned yourself a one way ticket to the gallows! The royal soldiers would be here soon and it would be the end of you!¡± Marina didn¡¯t humor her with a response. Instead, she simply moved on to her next method of searching. ¡°Lady Dryad. I¡¯m going to aid with the search with Yggdrasil as well. I¡¯ll need your help to extend the range. Flower Fairy, you''re the only one capable of flight. Search for my sister from the skies." "Of course, my lady," The dryad replied, doing a curtsy in the process. "Leave it to me!" The fairy answered. The dryad had transformed quite severely after her evolution. She was no longer naked for starters. She wore a fancy-looking dress, signifying her status as a lady. Her personality had changed as well, being quite a bit more polite now. The fairy flew away, while the mage activated her transformation spell, turning herself into a dryad. She then let herself be absorbed by the great tree, with her dryad summon doing the same as well. Of course, all this made her even more terrifying to the captured guards, who started to think she wasn¡¯t just a mage but a tree demon as well. Even more guards started to stream in, only for Ygdrassil¡¯s roots to capture them effortlessly one by one. Just who is this girl? The guard lady wandered. --------------- Marina All the pieces are now in place. Now I just have to focus on my search. And I have to do it quickly, as doing this would no doubt urge her kidnappers to leave town immediately. Not to mention the adventurers and the soldiers from the castle all coming after me. I have no faith in being able to handle all of them at once. I focused my mind to my dryad senses. In this state, I could ¡°communicate¡± with the great tree itself, accepting all the information it experienced at a rate far higher than what a human would be used to do. That¡¯s also why I need my dryad to help as I can¡¯t handle the information all by my own. Imagine having hundreds of eyes all sending images into your brain at once. It is similar to that. Using this ability of manipulation and sense-sharing, I spread the roots of Yggdrasil as wide as I could, popping out from every floor and crevice like tendrils who searched for the presence of Erika. Or, to be more exact, her life force. In this form, I am more attuned to the life force of all living things, and each creature that walks on this world has their own unique life force. And I know very well how Erika¡¯s life force feels. Of course, in the process, I would no doubt cause quite the serious property damages, with the roots ruining people¡¯s floors and what not. But I vowed not to harm anyone. It doesn¡¯t matter though. They are all screaming in terror every time one of my roots popped up. I guess it really is terrifying to their perspective¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ...No, where is she?! Why is she nowhere near here?! I can¡¯t go on much further! My Ygdrassil¡¯s range cannot reach the entire city! My ents can¡¯t travel far as well before losing its magic connection to their mother tree, turning them back into ordinary trees! And the owlbear can¡¯t follow Erika¡¯s scent. It¡¯s as if she had been swallowed by the earth itself! I thought I could avoid this. I didn¡¯t hesitate to unleash all I had on Erika¡¯s search, just so I could catch the culprit before they ran away far enough that I would lose her forever. I could certainly make less of a commotion by only using the flower fairy or my owlbear, but I chose to go all out like this, precisely to prevent a scenario like this coming to fruition. I¡­ I was too late! Erika¡­ ooh, Erika¡­ I shouldn¡¯t¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have¡ª Miss¡­ I¡¯m going to¡­ I¡¯m going to lose her too¡­ Father¡­ Mother¡­ Hugo¡­ and now, Erika as well¡­ Miss, listen to me! I gasped. I felt a pair of hands hugging me from behind. Or rather, I felt the sensation of someone hugging me from behind. I wasn¡¯t actually being hugged physically, as I was currently inside the tree after all. It was my Lady Dryad. She had come to my rescue to calm me down. There¡¯s still a way! My name¡­ you must say my true name and call upon my real self, Miss! You¡­ you agree with my proposition? Yes, Miss! I want to become your strength, Miss! You have gone through so much and I am ashamed of myself for not being able to help more! You called upon me when that ice witch attacked you but I could not even slow her down one bit for your escape. And now you¡¯re in another crisis like this and I refuse to let you fall down into despair once again! So please! Form a familiar contract with me! Say my true name! ¡­ ¡°Nysa Eucalyphis! Heed my call!¡± A bright green light shone from the giant tree, blinding anyone nearby. Yes, this is it! This surge of power! I can now extend the range of the tree even further! The dryad immediately overrode my control of the tree, extending the roots even further, beyond the radius thought to be the limit. More people screamed in terror, fleeing their houses as small roots popped out in their houses and on the streets. I found her! There! Carried on the back of some man! They¡¯re running away! ------------- ??? What in the world is going on? After the earthquake, a giant tree suddenly appears in the middle of the bazaar and now people are running away, saying how a horde of ents appear from it? Is this city under attack by some powerful mage or something? For once, the leader of the band of kidnappers was sweating. He might be skilled at using shadow magic to kidnap people, but at direct fights, he¡¯s pretty bad at it. ¡°Oi, ¡®guv, what should we do?¡± The man named Gaspard spoke. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Just run away as fast as we could. If the duke gets murdered because of this, then we can still sell her to another buyer later on. We just have to run away and survive for now,¡± he replied. He certainly could move faster by using his shadow magic, but he¡¯s not the type to abandon his comrades, especially in a dire situation like this. They¡¯ve been through many perilous situations before, back when they were still common bandits. Like hell he¡¯s going to abandon them just because of some crazy Earth mage going on a rampage. ¡°If we have to split up, then we¡¯ll split up. We¡¯ll meet up again at our hideout outside near the¡ª¡± CRASH One second, a series of giant roots popped out of the ground, surrounding them from all four directions. The next second, they wrapped themselves around their legs and arms, forcing them to drop their weapons and to fall down to the dirt as they lost their balance. No one was fast enough to dodge. Even their leader, the shadow mage, was captured by the roots. However, only he had the means to escape. If he could chant his Shadow Merge spell, he could sink down to the ground, escaping from the roots¡¯ grip entirely. Only for the roots to take out his wand from his pocket and snap it into two, shattering his dreams of escape into pieces. Another rumble came from the ground¡ªhis ear who touched the dirt being more sensitive to it than the other. And then, two other large things appeared from it. This time however, it wasn¡¯t just tree roots. It was a pair of dryads. ¡°So, you are the people that kidnapped Erika.¡± One of them spoke, her pitch black eyes showing what could only be described as cold anger. ¡°Now what should I do with you?¡± Vol 2 Chapter 33: Marina’s Side — The General of Tolany Marina The moment Nysa told me where they were, we immediately utilized another ability the great tree had. As we were dryads in this form, we were able to move through its roots all the way to where the kidnappers were. Or, to be more exact, we could transfer our consciousness to the end of the roots, shaping our new wooden bodies there while letting the old ones be completely absorbed by the tree. Naturally, sending our consciousness took basically nothing, and the forming of our new, identical bodies were done really quickly as well, leading to a prompt response like this. Screams of terrors echoed around me as bystanders were no doubt horrified that two dryads just popped out of the ground like that. They were right to immediately assume that we were responsible for the roots that were attacking their town. And they were also right to keep their distance away from us as far as they could. I wouldn¡¯t want them to be hurt after all. ¡°M-monsters! W-why are monsters here?¡± ¡°R-run! Run for your lives! This city is done for!¡± So they shouted. However, my attention was completely towards the group of people immobilized in front of me. Or rather, the girl one of them was carrying on his shoulder. Of course, the roots had left her alone, turning extremely gently as they handed her over to me. ...Whatever mercy I might have in mind disappeared once I saw the state she was in. ¡°Nysa, take care of her.¡± I handed her over to the dryad, who received her with the utmost care with her wooden hands. I turned my attention back to these¡­ filth. ¡°A-a mage? Y-you¡¯re her older sister?¡± The one who spoke was the youngest of them all, and the only one with a wand. He was a mage, and immediately I knew how Erika could disappear like that without me noticing. I could think a couple of methods one could do so on top of my head. ¡°L-look, we¡¯re sorry, alright? We¡¯re just grunts here, w-we¡¯re only doing what we¡¯re told! So if you have someone to blame, you should blame our boss! And his boss after that! This whole country is on it! You might think you¡¯re playing the hero destroying half the city like this just to save your little sister but the truth is that you¡¯re¡ª CRACK He never finished his sentence. His neck was snapped like a twig by the roots. I had enough of his drivel. ¡°G-guv! You witch! Demon! Monster!¡± The one who yelled was the big burly man named Gaspard. Seeing his comrade murdered in front of his eyes seemed to have elicited anger that surpassed even his fear against this dryad in front of him. "Do you hate me? For taking his life?" I smiled. "Of course I do, you goddamn psychopath! I don''t care what kind of a mage or a demon you are, but your days are numbered. You''ll be hunted down by this entire kingdom! A price would be placed for your head, and droves of bounty hunters would come after you! Your life, and your little sister''s life, are over!" My smile vanished, replaced only by a cold, merciless glare. "Then perhaps you two should''ve reconsidered being a kidnapper in the first place." CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK I snapped the necks of all the remaining kidnappers. If they had begged for forgiveness with tears in their eyes, it might invite mercy back in my heart. Oh, who am I kidding? After seeing Erika in that state, I no longer see them as human beings, only monsters to be dispatched. I thought of ending their lives in a more excruciating manner, but I decided against it. I had enough, seeing their disgusting faces and being in their general presence. So I opted to finish them off quickly. Thinking about it, this is the first time I¡¯ve killed another human like this, huh? And in cold blood, too. I know I should feel horrified, but the only feeling I have is satisfaction. And relief, as I manage to rescue Erika from them. ¡°Nysa." I turned around to face the dryad. "Now that I know your true name, you can stay around permanently, right?" "Yes, if Master wants to," she replied with a smile. "Then, I''ll be counting on you even more then." I returned her smile. "For the journey from now on would be even more difficult." With those words, we two promptly prepared for our immediate departure, out of the city, running away from the soldiers and adventurers that should be sent after us. I dispelled Ygdrassil, turning the ents back into normal, unmoving trees along with the roots and the main tree itself. I could expend Mana withdrawing them back into the ground, but why bother, when they can buy time for us to escape? I also banished owlbear and flower fairy, promising to double their payment the next time I utilized their service. I then rushed back to the inn to fetch our carriage in human form. Sooner or later my human looks would spread around, but for now, they should be looking mainly for my dryad form. Nysa on the other hand was to leave the city immediately, and to wait for us there. Somehow or someway, I managed to escape without a hitch. The guards were panicking as well, so there wasn''t a blockade put in order to prevent people from skipping town. Not that they could, since so many of the civilians had the same idea. I rendezvoused with Nysa on the outside, and then, we were on our way. -------- A few hours later... ¡°What is the meaning of this?! You let the culprit leave? What have you and your guards been doing?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m terribly sorry, Your Majesty! We were so overwhelmed by it all that we had our hands full repelling the ents and the roots, and escorting the citizens to safety. We had no opportunity to establish checkpoints, especially since everyone wants to leave the city once they learned an attack was happening.¡± After the chaos was over, the king of Tolany held an impromptu meeting inside the Mosa Castle. It was attended by pretty much every single member of his staff, including the commander knight in charge of the town guards. He was kneeling in his full uniform, sweating as he apologized profusely to his Lord. He was an older man with a slightly whitening black hair and mustache, while the king was a slightly pudgy man with a thin ginger beard that matched his hair. ¡°B-but not to worry, Your Majesty! We have information that she had escaped from the northwestern gate. Most likely, she was going north, towards Aja. W-we can send our forces after her and catch up with her in no time!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that, Sir Kreig. My men and I will handle it by ourselves.¡± An entirely new person entered the throne room. He was a man in his early thirties, wearing a full plate steel armor and a cape behind him. Only his face was not armoured, revealing his confident¡ªand dare I say it¡ªslightly smug expression. Clanks of metal echoed across the room every step he took. ¡°General Targoff. I¡¯ve been expecting you." "Well met, Your Majesty." He gave a bow towards the king, choosing not to kneel like the commander. His status could afford him such a luxury. After all, not only that he was a Duke, but he was also a Champion of the Order of Lancelot. His skill with the sword is unmatched in the entire kingdom, all thanks to his talent and hard work all those years ago training with them. "You know what to do, yes?" The king stroked his beard. "Indeed, Your Majesty. Arrest the culprit, and if she resists, kill her on the spot." ¡°If I might interrupt for a moment, Your Majesty.¡± The man standing beside him suddenly decided to speak. He was Duke Fassad, the Chancellor to the king. He was even older than the commander knight, to the point of having a full white beard and hair. ¡°There¡¯s a chance she might actually be associated with the Magocracy. If we were to harm her, it might incur their wrath, and I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s a wise course of action to take.¡± ¡°Hmph, those mages again.¡± The king grumbled. ¡°They think they could just destroy my city without any consequences? Just because they¡¯re so powerful?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I am sure I do not need to remind you what happened to the last kingdom that tried to defy them.¡± ¡°But there is no proof that she indeed is one of their agents.¡± This time, it was the general that interrupted them. ¡°And they always preferred to work in the shadows, never making a public uproar like this.¡± ¡°A-apologies, Your Majesty, but I too have to interrupt.¡± The commander knight deigned to speak as well. ¡°We have gathered information about her and we have been able to ascertain the motive of her actions today. It was simply because her little sister was kidnapped, and she used her magic to find said kidnappers and murder them.¡± ¡°Her little sister¡ª¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°¡ªis kidnapped?!¡± ¡°What is the meaning of this? Explain yourself better, Sir Kreig!¡± The king¡¯s voice boomed through the room. The general and the chancellor were as baffled as he was as well. ¡°I-it is as I said, Your Majesty. She came into town riding a simple carriage. She then visited the bazaar with her little sister, in which she was taken away by the kidnappers, most likely to be turned into a slave. As Your Majesty is already aware, we have quite the problem with them recently, with many girls and boys, particularly young ones, disappearing in the crowds, never to be seen again. She became yet another victim of them, or would have become one of them, if not for the fact that her big sister was a powerful Earth-mage that could track down her kidnappers and rescue her. If I have to presume, then she would be at least a Master-level one. Even though she looks young, she is not an opponent to be underestimated.¡± ¡°Ha! A Master-level mage, eh? Fascinating!¡± The general spoke with a glint in his eye. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a good opponent to fight in years!¡± ¡°A-anyway, back to my point.¡± The knight commander coughed in order to wrestle back the attention of the room to him. ¡°If she is truly an agent of the Magocracy, then she wouldn¡¯t be walking around in the bazaar with her extremely vulnerable little sister. Thus, I have to assume that she¡¯s not associated with them in the slightest. She was simply a rogue powerful mage, and nothing more.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± the chancellor interrupted. ¡°A rogue mage, you say? I have heard some whispers of a certain rumor, that one of the Magocracy¡¯s Council has been murdered by a rogue mage.¡± ¡°What?!¡± The king snapped. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you informed me of this, Fassad?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s an unconfirmed rumor, Milord. I can¡¯t let every strange and unbelievable rumors reach your ears, now can I?¡± ¡°It is not for you to decide which rumors are unbelievable and which ones are not.¡± ¡°Oh, but this one certainly is. Many have attempted to assassinate the Council over the years yet none have succeeded. But this rogue mage managed to do it. Though I also heard that it was an entire family who did it, but she was only with her little sister, which meant she might not be one of the assassins after all.¡± ¡°Enough!¡± The general interrupted once again. ¡°Let me handle her. What she showed today with her plants were certainly impressive but it was nothing that I could not handle. If this was the full extent of her power, then she would fall by my hands without a doubt. As a Champion-rank swordsman of the Order of Lancelot, I would end her life before she could cast any of her fancy spells.¡± ¡°Do not be hasty, Lord Targoff.¡± The chancellor warned with furrowed brows. ¡°And certainly do not underestimate her. Mages can be quite the tricky opponent. And if you can capture her alive, then please do so.¡± ¡°Please, give me the order, milord.¡± This time, he actually knelt down and bowed to the king. ¡°...Hmph. Very well. You may go. There¡¯s a slim chance she might be an agent of the Magocracy while there¡¯s a high chance she might be involved in this supposed ¡®assasination¡¯. If we can offer her head to those stuck-up mages, we¡¯ll be able to have a better trading relationship with them. I¡¯d say it¡¯s worth the risk. And besides, I have a face to keep. If we don¡¯t execute anyone for the destruction caused by today, the citizens wouldn¡¯t be happy.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± He gave one last bow before rising up and departing¡ªonce again with that glint in his eyes. Once he exited the room, the chancellor gave a big sigh. ¡°Ever since he was humiliated by that wandering mage, he has itched to prove to the kingdom that he¡¯s better than them, I suppose.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t blame him. I would feel the same if I was made a plaything by someone in a fight. Can¡¯t even land a single fight on her. Right in front of his subordinates too. It didn¡¯t help that she looked like a young girl.¡± ¡°Elves are a youthful race. It wouldn¡¯t be odd to have one that looks like a young girl but is actually a hundred years old,¡± the chancellor returned. ¡°True. But his subordinates certainly didn¡¯t care when they mock him behind his back.¡± The king chuckled. ---------- Marina ¡°U-uwaaah!" The moment Erika woke up, she exploded into tears, hugging me as tightly as she could. We were currently inside our carriage, galloping at full speed towards the northern border. Thankfully, Nysa was fully capable of replacing me as the driver. Using her ability as a dryad, she grew a tree branch from her hand that had succulent, juicy leaves on it that the horse wanted. So it would continuously run forward, hoping to get a bite on the hanging leaves. "I was so scared, Sis! I thought I''ll never see you again!" "Shh, it''s alright now. The bad guys are gone. They won''t hurt you anymore." I hugged her tightly back. To think that they could do such a thing to her, it still made my blood boil. I had to be the one to heal Erika''s wounds¡ªall the bruises and bumps she received from their filthy hands. It was a slow process, as I was not as expedient in healing magic as I wanted to be. I was lucky she didn''t seem to suffer from any internal injuries. I changed her out of her slave garment and carefully removed the collar from her neck with Nysa''s help. I also cleaned her up and dressed her back into a normal, proper dress. She didn''t stop crying for a good while, and when she did, she fell asleep once again, burying her face in my bosom as she did. Erika¡­ I smiled as I patted her shoulder. You are my precious little sister. I''ll protect you, even if it means making an enemy of the world itself. That determination of mine was soon tested just two days later, when a platoon of cavalry chased after us from the south. It could only be one thing. This kingdom¡¯s army. ¡°Erika, stay inside." "Sis, a-are you going to fight?" "It seems that way. But don''t worry. I will win. Your Big Sis is an amazing mage after all." After reassuring Erika, I opened the door and climbed out of the carriage, aided by Nysa who was already standing on top of the roof. The horse was moving by itself, still going after those juicy leaves like carrot on a stick. Since we were in flat plains, the carriage could move forward relatively safely. The wind blew harshly, flipping up my dress with reckless abandon. Ah, my panties might be showing right now. What pair did I wear today again? Right, the black one. Wait, it''s no time to be thinking about such a thing right now. I have to take care of these people first. "Hey, witch! Stop that carriage at once!" The man leading the charge yelled. I didn''t respond. I instead said to my familiar, "Nysa, don''t stop the carriage. And just slow them down. I don''t want any unnecessary deaths." "Alright, Miss!" She began by conjuring a long and durable tripvine, Thanks to the tall grass, they were quite well-hidden. As a result, quite a number of the cavalry were taken out instantaneously, as they and their horses fell. Some of them might actually become paralyzed or even die from that, as hitting your head while falling, while wearing heavy armor, while on a horseback, is absolutely a recipe for disaster. I just hope they got some cleric with them. The remaining horsemen ran their horses even faster, with the ones wielding bows firing their weapons against me. Of course, wood weapons were widely ineffective against Nysa, who stopped the arrows in mid-air by making heavy roots grow on them. But then, the real attack began, as the knight leading the charge raised his greatsword up to the air and sliced it down, sending a huge wave of energy towards me and the carriage. "Nysa! Erect a wooden shield right now!" The dryad didn''t wait. Using all her power, she instantly grew a tree between us and the attack. That¡¯s not going to be enough! Without even thinking, I turned around and raised a small bush of fire at the path we were taking, just enough so the horse would turn to the left a little. And my prediction was correct. The tree Nysa conjured was sliced into two by the energy wave. It considerably weakened it, but it wasn¡¯t enough to dissipate it completely. If I hadn¡¯t changed the direction of the carriage, we, Erika, and the carriage itself would¡¯ve been split into two as well. The man grinned. And he raised his greatsword once again for the next slash. That fighting style¡­ he¡¯s just like Father! Tch! I underestimated them! This is going to be harder than I thought! Vol 2 Chapter 34: Marina’s Side — Colossal Dryad Quickly, I turned around my brain, formulating a plan on how I should fight this man that chased after me. First of all, I have to find a way to protect myself from his slashes. Their power is extraordinary, and the range is long, so even though I should have the advantage from our distance, I really do not. If he was the same level as Sherry, then I could just block his slashes via Nysa¡¯s fortified wood, but clearly, that wasn¡¯t enough. How about this? If I can¡¯t block his attacks, then maybe I can prevent him from attacking in the first place. That, or to somehow grant the ability to our carriage to dodge his blows. ¡°Nysa! Can you manipulate the wood of the carriage? Make it grow legs that can make it jump around!¡± ¡°Jump around?¡± The dryad looked at me as if I had gone mad. ¡°R-right! I¡¯ll try my best!¡± ¡°And wrap Erika inside with your vines so she won¡¯t get thrown around as well! My legs as well, so I won¡¯t fall off!¡± ¡°Alright, Miss!¡± Another vertical slash went flying towards us. ¡°Left!¡± I yelled. The carriage immediately grew spider-like legs that pushed it just in time out of the way of the attack. ¡°Neiiighhhh!¡± The horse! Can it handle the burden of the jumping carriage on its own!¡± ¡°Owlbear, come out! Pull the carriage forward together with the horse! Nysa! Link the carriage with the owlbear using your vines!¡± ¡°Roaarrrr!¡± To think I would ever be using my owlbear as a beast of burden like this¡­ Our poor horse, completely shocked by the sudden appearance of the owlbear in front of him, tried to stop, only to end up being dragged forward as my owlbear forced both it and the carriage forward. "Nysa! Cut the harness to the horse!" I ordered. The moment she did, the horse hurriedly freed itself from the formation, running off to a different direction entirely. I couldn''t help but feel a pang of sadness as I saw it going further and further away. We had been together for quite some time after all. This is better. It would just be a dead weight in this combat. Another slash came flying towards us. This time however, to my horror, it was a horizontal slice. "Nysa! Up!" The carriage jolted as I felt a sudden sensation of weightlessness, before crashing back down once gravity took in. "Well well well, you''re pretty good, aren''t you, witch?" The swordsman shouted, still with a grin on his face. ¡°Leave us alone! We don¡¯t have any desire to fight with your kingdom!¡± I shouted in response. ¡°Then why did you make a mess out of our capital city? That is a crime punishable by death. If we let you go, how would we answer to our angry citizens, huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your fault for letting child kidnappers roam free on your streets,¡± I fired back. ¡°I would do anything to protect my little sister. Even destroying half a city.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a feisty one! I like you, witch! So how about you stop running and fight me one by one like a man!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a man!¡± ¡°Ha! I can certainly see that! Really though, you remind me of the missus back home! Same taste in undergarments too!" "What!" I instinctively pressed my dress down, blushing as I did. What is this man saying, comparing me and my panties to his wife all of a sudden? "Well, if you''re not gonna stop, then I''ll just have to make you stop." He began twirling his greatsword above his head. He didn''t even need to keep his hands on his reins, showing how much of an expert he was at riding his horse. That is¡ª! "Thunder Strike!" Conjuring a thunder cloud above him, I sent off a powerful blast of lightning right at him. I need to stop that attack, even if I end up killing him in the process. "Greatsword Style¡ªTempest Strike!" The spell struck, but the technique went off nonetheless. Just as I predicted, he sent a whirlwind made out his blade slashes right towards us. Due to the much larger radius, there was no dodging out of it. Me, Erika, and the entire carriage would be shredded into pieces. I have no choice! I have to use that spell now! My trump card! Now that Nysa has become my familiar, it should work! Nysa Eucalyphis! By the power of our contract, I beseech you! Call upon my power and evolve to a higher level! Rank up magic! A blindingly bright green light enveloped the area, emitting out of Nysa¡¯s body. And then, what manifested out of it was¡­ ¡°You will not harm Master!¡± The voice echoed across the battlefield. It belonged no longer to a human-sized dryad, but a gigantic one, easily dwarfing the carriage she had been protecting and even her own master. And she wasn¡¯t even standing, kneeling on all fours, leering towards the cavalry. Her dress disappeared, replaced by the combination of her long green hair that reached all the way down to her feet and the leaves and moss stuck onto her wooden body. A giant flower grew on top of her head. She was beautiful, but in a terrifying, monstrous sort of way. Colossal Dryad. This was the next stage of her evolution. ¡°Aaaaargghhhh!¡± With a monstrous roar, she covered her head with her arms, blocking the Tempest Strike completely. But not without any damage, as bits and pieces of her skin fell off in the process. ¡°W-what the hell is that?¡± ¡°A-a giant! I-it¡¯s a she-giant!¡± "She blocked the General''s special technique, just like that?" The normally well-disciplined soldiers were starting to take a blow to their morale, as they questioned whether or not they could even win against such a creature. The general, having struck by my lightning spell, was still recovering. His horse on the other hand had fallen dead, the poor thing. And what he saw terrified him to his core. "M-men! Do not falter! Fire your flame arrows and spells! This monster shall never best us!" At this point, the chase had stopped. I had ordered the owlbear to stop. As for myself, Nysa carried me to the top of her shoulder using her vines. "T-the witch! The witch is up there!" "So this is the extent of her true power?" "Aargh, we''re all going to die!" My hair billowed in the wind as I stood there with my staff in her right hand. Perhaps I looked impressive to them down there, but honestly, I was still concerned with the fact that my panties remained visible, thanks to the very same wind. I don''t believe you can look heroic or terrifying if you''re showing your undergarments at the same time. It reminded me of a certain statue of Mira back at the Magocracy. The statue wore such a short skirt that you could actually look up underneath it. Of course, there wasn''t anything up there, only darkness, but it didn''t stop curious, slightly perverted people from doing it. I wonder if Mira actually wore that short of a skirt when she was still alive. Ah, look at my mind wandering. Let''s finish off this battle, shall we?" "It''s over! Go home! I don''t want to hurt you if I don''t have to!" I yelled. I truly wished they would just turn back and leave, especially since I couldn''t keep Nysa''s ranked-up form for long. Even now, my Mana is being drained rapidly to feed her. If I take too long, I will fall unconscious and that will be the end of it. "M-men! What are you doing? Fire everything at her pet giant! Or even better, fire at the witch herself!" The general yelled, his desperate tone being all too obvious. "R-right! Everyone! Fire at will!" His aide yelled. Well, I''ve asked nicely. "Insolent humans! Your presence dirties the soil my mistress walks on!" With that uncharacteristically angry yell, Nysa slammed both of her palms to the ground. And then, what could only be described as a miniature forest popped up, swallowing the entire cavalry before they could run or do anything. Whatever fire arrows or spells that might hit her, they didn''t have any effects on her. They and their horses were lifted off the ground, wrapped by the tree branches. Their heavy armors only served to hinder them, instead of aiding them in the fight. "You! I thought we would be able to have an honorable battle. But now that you''ve brought out a monster like this, you are no better than that cheating elven scum who humiliated me all those years ago!" Cheating elven scum? What is he talking about? Has he gone mad? "I had enough of you mage scums! I''ll bring your head back to the capital and regain the honor I had lost!" And then, he did something unthinkable. He jumped up onto Nysa''s hand and began climbing upwards. Thanks to how rough and jagged Nysa''s body was in this form, he was able to do consecutive jumps using the bumps on her skin. To think that he could do it while wearing heavy armor as well¡­ ¡°Nysa! Shake him off!¡± Her hair immediately went after him for a grab. Now that I got a better look at it, her long green hair was actually vines so that¡¯s another body part she could freely manipulate. The swordsman didn¡¯t surrender however, as he protected himself by swinging his greatsword in an arc, cutting the vines before it could get to him. I wasn¡¯t idle while Nysa did her assault though. "O spirits of ice! Grant me your strength!¡± I didn¡¯t need to tell her anything. She already knew that she had to buy me time for my chant to finish. ¡°Envelop my enemies with your cold embrace!¡± He was now already on her upper arm. He too made his offense, as he used his greatsword to cut through Nysa¡¯s skin, earning even more groans of pain from her. However, she didn¡¯t break that easily. She retaliated by firing off wood splinters the size of stakes towards him from her skin. Some managed to hit, but his heavy armor did a pretty good job protecting him. ¡°Wrap them in ice and snow and deliver to them a freezing grave!¡± With one final jump, he was now on top of Nysa¡¯s shoulder. Grinning, he could see me in the middle of my chanting on the other shoulder. So he¡¯s going to attack me from there. With his range, there¡¯s no doubt he would be able to do it. Nysa, sensing my thoughts, reacted by turning her head to face him with an almost sickening crack. Opening her mouth, she fired off what could only be described as a beam of growth, as when the general blocked it with his greatsword, small plants started to grow out of it. I imagine if the beam actually hit his skin, plants would grow on it as well. I heard there are certain types of molds that could grow on human skin. Perhaps this is based on that. Hmm, I wonder if I could make it so that the plants would grow inside as well. That would be a sneaky and devastating way to defeat your enemies. ¡°Shatter them and break them like the foolish beings they are! Cold Nova!" The fool had chosen not to retreat, and this was the price he had to pay. My Master-level Ice spell enveloped his entire body, freezing him to the bone. Combined with the nature beam, even he couldn¡¯t withstand the onslaught. His greatsword shattered, weakened by the plants growing on it. And then, he fell. ...No, I can¡¯t let you die. Not when you have a family waiting for you back home. You are simply doing your job. I will not take your life and bring misery to your wife and children just because of that. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And so I ordered Nysa to grab him before he hit the ground, softening his landing by growing a bed of mushrooms on her hands. It doesn¡¯t necessarily mean he would stay alive though. It is up to Fate, I suppose. If his subordinates can thaw him out of my spell in a good way, then his life would be saved. But I certainly wouldn¡¯t stick around to find out. --------- When the general woke up, the battle was already over. It was a total and complete defeat. He could only stare into the dusk sky as he let his cleric subordinates heal him, wondering what went wrong with his life. He left the Order in his youth as a Champion-rank swordsman. Only a little ever reached that level. Returning home, he quickly found out that he was completely indomitable. Undefeated. No other swordsman or mage ever hoped to match his strength. He quickly became the nation¡¯s hero, married the love of his life, and even had a pair of twins of that. He was on the top of the world. But then, that fateful day, he met her. He was in the middle of a monster subjugation campaign, going after a dragon that had descended from Gordillis Peaks. He and his battalion received a hero¡¯s send off, almost as if he was the Legendary Hero himself. He already dreamed of returning with the dragon¡¯s carcass, parading it all around the capital. Only to find out that an elf, a single elven mage had killed it when they arrived. That was already enough of a blow to his ego, but when the elf boldly said that she would be taking the spoils, carcass and all, it hit him even more badly. This knife-eared little shit! She¡¯s underestimating me! With a confident grin, he challenged her to a duel, intentionally setting it up so the distance between them would be short, giving a swordsman like him a massive advantage. As a disciple of the Lancelot Order, he was taught over and over that to defeat a mage, a swordsman simply had to strike first and fast. And he fully intended to do that. Only for him to end up humbled and humiliated¡ªall in front of his men. He couldn¡¯t do it. He couldn¡¯t land even a single blow. He didn¡¯t even know how she managed to be so agile. She¡¯s a mage, goddamnit! It shouldn¡¯t be like this! The battle ended with her standing on the tip of his sword, before hitting his face with her staff. And just like that, he was knocked out cold. And now it happened all over again. Some no-name, random mage came out of nowhere and bested him in combat. He chuckled. At the very least, it ended in a dramatic fashion. So it wasn¡¯t as humiliating as his first defeat. He suddenly remembered the words of his old master. ¡°Never become satisfied. Never grow complacent. Once you do, you will truly become weak.¡± He grinned bitterly. He had indeed become just that. He remembered when he left the Order, how some of his peers were still yearning for more power¡ªto reach even further to the skies. He used to think of them as fools who were drunk and greedy with power, but now, they must have surpassed him a long time. I apologize, Master. I really am not cut out to be a real swordsman like you. I am a failure as your disciple. ¡°...Ah, to think she gave me mercy as well. Just who was that girl anyway?¡± ----------- Marina We escaped the battlefield using the owlbear as a replacement for our horse. He couldn¡¯t be pulling our carriage forever of course, but for now, we just had to leave behind this place and lose those people. Though after what I just showed them, if they had any common sense, they should decide to turn back and stop chasing after us. Once the owlbear couldn¡¯t go any further, I dismissed him, and gave him a healthy treat of meat. Thankfully, I had restocked in the bazaar before the incident happened. For the rest of the way, we decided to walk. Nysa could probably use her power to move the carriage, but it would be a waste of her mana. Both she and I were extremely tired from what I just did, to the point that I nearly collapsed once the fight was over. Erika was crying terribly when we reunited, first from fright but then from relief that I was safe. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I?¡± I smiled at her, hugging her at the same time. ¡°Your Big Sis is a really strong mage. No matter who the enemy is, she¡¯ll be able to fight them and win!¡± We walked onward, constantly looking behind our back for any signs of the cavalry from before. Fortunately, it seemed they had learned their lesson indeed. Our next destination was the Kingdom of Aja, which would be located just beyond this forest we were about to enter. Hopefully, once we were on the other side, we would be able to find a village where we could buy a new horse. The carriage? With Nysa on our side, we didn¡¯t need to buy one. She could create it herself. Or so she said. I worry that she won¡¯t be able to get how human engineering works, resulting in a carriage that would fall apart easily or even not move at all. We¡¯ll see. I took a deep sigh. We¡¯re still nowhere near Ferus and yet we¡¯re already involved in an incident like this. There¡¯s no doubt the Magocracy would soon catch wind of it, and they would know where I decided to flee. Another reason why I should train myself to become even stronger. So if we meet their agents, and I have a hunch that sooner or later, it will occur, I will be ready for them. Hmm, so many things I could work on though. Which one should I focus on first? Vol 2 Chapter 35: Legato Hugo ¡°Staccato!¡± SCHIIING CRASH ¡°I-I did it! I did it!!!¡± I let out a jump of joy as I witnessed the now split-into-two boulder in front of me. Finally! After many days of training, and chipping my poor sword, I can finally pull it off! Staccato, the technique to sharpen the blade to supernatural level. I can finally do it at last! ¡°Well, congratulations, Hugo. See, you can do it if you try hard enough.¡± I heard a sound of clapping from behind. It was Fiora, standing there with a small smirk on her face. She wasn¡¯t wearing her usual white dress however. She was instead wearing what could only be described as a pair of black sports bra and bike shorts. It was such an outrageous outfit, especially to be worn by a princess, that I was completely taken aback when she first wore it in our training. She said it was her training outfit, as if she wore her usual dress, she would just ruin it with her sweat. And yes, it gave me quite the pleasant eye-candy to look at as we trained. For starters, it exposed her stomach and belly button. Not a single fat was there, only slim and well-toned muscle. On the chest department, it showed just how big her breasts were. And they were indeed quite sizable, to the point that I could notice their slight bounce whenever Fiora performed a move. As for her shorts, it nicely showed off her firm buttocks and cameltoe. Nice pantyline as well. To think that she''s only 13 and she''s already this good-looking. Just how much of a beauty she will grow to become in the future? Noticing the perverted leering I often sent as we trained, she naturally teased me for it, even squeezing my hardening member that one time. Goddamn, she''s really trying to seduce me, isn''t she? Ever since our little talk back at the temple, she had been nicer to me, or so I felt. She started calling me by my name as well, instead of just ¡°boy¡± all the time. I guess that means she really has thought of me as her friend. Or rather, a potential future husband/knight. I''m flattered really. I might just take her up on her offer, if not for a fact that I already have Sherry waiting for me. I''m not a scumbag who would leave his old girlfriend just because a new, hotter girl takes an interest in me. ...Oops, did I just say Fiora is more attractive than Sherry? That isn''t quite right. Fiora is like that seductive girlfriend who just knows how to excite a man, while Sherry is the cute and loyal type that you just want to coddle and get pampered by. Ah, if only I''m a harem protagonist. I can have both of them, sleeping with me side by side at night. Fiora might be willing, but Sherry certainly wouldn''t. But this is just my perverted, greedy mind talking, isn''t it? A real life harem would just end up in cutthroat competition between the wives. That sounds like hell to me, not the peaceful, loving family that I want. ¡°Now that you''ve been able to perform one of the special techniques,¡± Fiora continued. ¡°You are now officially an Adept-rank swordsman in Galahad-style. Or so my teacher said to me when I first successfully performed the technique all those years ago.¡± ¡°Adept-rank?" Ah, that''s right. I''ve read it in the book Fiora had given me. There are seven ranks of mastery in the sword schools of Lancelot and Galahad. Maestro, the strongest one.VirtuosoChampionExpertAdeptApprenticeInitiate, the weakest one. "You''re not a member of either Order, are you? So you can''t really say I''m an Adept-rank." "Psshaw, formalities, who cares about them? If I say you''re Adept-rank, then you''re Adept-rank, got it?" The Orders I was talking about were of course, the Order of Lancelot and the Order of Galahad. Their founders, their first generation Maestros, were disciples of the Legendary Hero himself, so suffice to say that they¡¯re an organization with a long history behind them. It''s kinda hard to explain what they are, since they''re like a mixture of sword school and a monastic order. They each hold their own small territory in the Holy Continent, ruling them independently from any other countries, even the Holy Empire. They don¡¯t really dabble in politics, preferring to spend their time honing their art of the blade, so the common folks who live there usually just rule themselves. Or so Fiora told me anyway. There are other, similar organizations in the world, like the Order of The Righteous Fist, which, by the way, was the school those monk assassins most likely belonged to. Instead of the sword, they would use their own fists to fight. Technically, to be called a swordsman of rank such and such of a certain style, you have to pass their qualifications first. ¡°Just one more rank and you¡¯ll be able to open your own sword school,¡± Fiora continued, still with the same smile on her face. ¡°I doubt you¡¯d be interested in such a thing though.¡± ...Yeah, not going to spend my second life as a sword teacher, thank you very much. We left Sigil and the Grand Priestess a while ago. We were currently on route to our next destination, the Kingdom of Fenesia, where we would visit the next Grand Priest. Fenesia was one of the vassal kingdoms of the Empire, located to its east, or to put it in a larger perspective, it was located on the southeastern end of the Holy Continent itself. We weren¡¯t rushing to get there however, as Fiora demanded we devote more time on training, which now couldn¡¯t be done on a carriage. The reason? Because of the cat assassin from before. Helen told us about him. Apparently, he was the top assassin of the underground world. No one knew his real name, but his alias was the Hunter of Death (wow, quite the chuuni name there). If he had settled on a target, then that target would be already considered dead, as no one ever escaped from his blade. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t the kind of assassin that would accept a contract merely for money. He lived for the thrill of the hunt, yearned for it. That¡¯s why he would only accept targets that personally interested him. He wasn¡¯t alone either, as he had a number of companions with them. For particularly tough jobs, he would call upon their help. Their last ¡°hunt¡± was a business tycoon that had S-ranked adventurers as his bodyguard. Yet he perished anyways. In short, he was a terrifying foe, and since he had declared he would come after us with his whole merry band, Fiora decided it would be wiser for us to train to be stronger. Yes, us. As in, her as well. That¡¯s why she put on her training outfit. Because she would also do her own training, instead of just watching me doing it. After she lost to the Grand Priestess, she probably realized the limits of her strength. Not to mention how she couldn¡¯t gain a clear advantage against the assassin as well. Personally, I would be fine slowing down to train like this¡­ if I don¡¯t have Sherry in my mind. It¡¯s still so far away until I can even get to the Demon Continent, and I kept wondering if Sherry¡¯s doing alright there. If only there¡¯s some magic item or something that I can use to communicate with her, or at the very least, send a message. Only now I realize just how convenient having a global network of communication is. And I¡¯m afraid the more I spend time with Fiora and being teased by her, she¡¯ll eventually weaken my willpower enough and make me break my promise with Sherry. ¡°What¡¯s with the glum face? You¡¯re not happy you just mastered a technique you worked so hard on?¡± Fiora asked with her hands folded under her chest, making those two mounds even more noticeable. "Just thinking that I want to send a letter to Sherry. And my sister as well." I sighed. "But I don''t know where the latter currently is, while Sherry''s village at the Demon Continent is completely isolated from the outside world." "Hmm." She tilted her head slightly away. "I think I know a magic tool you can use for that purpose." "Wait, really?" My eyes shone. "Don''t get too excited though. It''s a really rare item. No magic craftsman ever managed to replicate it. You can only find it inside World Dungeons, at their depths. Well, at your level, you''d probably be able to go that far." I started to consider whether I should pay a visit to the nearest World Dungeon. I should check my map. And besides, if you''re reborn in a fantasy world yet you never try to conquer a dungeon, what are you doing with your life? "I know what you''re thinking." Fiora smirked. "You''re seriously considering going dungeon crawling, don''t you? Well, do it after you finish escorting me then." Making sure where my priorities are, eh? Yeah, I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m in no rush. Our promise said that she would return once Marina finished her education, which meant around one year and a couple months from now, since I was already eleven right now. Yep, happy birthday me. And I already started going through the process of puberty as well. Hopefully, that means I¡¯ll be able to grow taller soon. ¡°The next technique I will teach you is Legato, a parrying technique you can use to repel projectiles heading towards your direction. And yes, that includes magic as well.¡± Well, that sounds useful. Finally, a defensive technique. I don¡¯t really need offensive techniques like Staccato since I have my magic. But defensive? That¡¯s definitely important. ¡°To introduce it to you, why don¡¯t you try it yourself? Come. Fire at me with your spells.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± ¡°Hmm, is that a look that says ¡®I don¡¯t want to hurt you Fiora!¡¯? Who do you think I am? My master says I¡¯m already an Expert-rank at Galahad-style. You, who is only an Adept, shouldn¡¯t talk back to me. Instead, worry whether or not you¡¯d be able to even land a hit.¡± Ah, there it is. Her smug grin has returned. ¡°Alright. Fine. I¡¯ll take on your challenge.¡± I returned with my own smug grin. ¡°Just so you know I¡¯ll be going easy from you early on. Just to see the extent of your ability.¡± ¡°Hmph, suit yourself.¡± She readied her sword, while I took out my staff. I sheathed back my sword on the other hand. This would be a test of pure magic, nothing more. "Fireball!" I started from my Beginner-lever spell. Of course, I wasn''t just casting one or two of them, but a whole barrage, while using my Wind Step to circle around her swiftly. As expected, not a single one of them landed, no matter what element it was. She either deftly dodged it or parried it back at me. "Come on now! This is too easy!" She taunted. Fine! Time to rev it up to Intermediate-level spells! With a smile, I continued barraging her from all directions. She still remained unschated, but I did notice how she now had to put more effort in deflecting my attacks. "Not enough! Too slow and too weak!" "Alright! Advanced-level it is!" I began by creating a Flame Wall around her to limit her movement. And then, I cast Water Spout as it''s a spell she won''t be able to deflect, seeing how it conjures water to pop out from the earth. However... "Legato! Half Moon!" Moving her sword in a 180 degrees slashing motion, she dispelled part og my Flame Wall, allowing her to run from the follow-up Water spell. "Earthen Break!" The ground beneath her shattered, but she parried all the rocks that flew towards her. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Rock Cannon!" She cut the rock into two like it was nothing. "Thunder Strike!" Lightning struck from above, but she blocked it with her sword. "Cold Blast!" "Legato! Full Moon!" She twirled her sword in a circle, forbidding even a single ice or snow to reach her. "Air Sunder!" "Legato! New Moon!" Using a single thrust, she pierced through the cyclone, dispersing it immediately. I was speechless. So this is the true extent of her power. "That was good." She smirked, while panting. "I like that. But I''m still not satisfied. Come. You still got more, don''t you? Show it all! Give it all you got!" I gulped. The way she looked right now, I had to say, it was quite erotic. The sweat made her skin glisten and the fabric of her clothes clung even tighter to her shape. I shook my head. Now''s not the time to think such thoughts. "Well, I certainly could use my strongest spell, but I really don''t think you''d be able to handle it." I put my hands on my waist, puffing my chest. "Try me." She readied her stance once more. I could only sigh. "Alright." I put on my serious face. "This is a Wind spell. It will come to you really, really fast. Faster than sound fast. And if it hits you full force, there would be nothing left of that part of the body." "Shut your yapping and just do it." "Look, I don''t want to accidentally blow your head off. You still haven''t paid me yet after all." I chuckled, trying to make a joke. "If you kill me, then I''ll absolve you of any responsibilities." "How about my conscience?" "I already saw you using it against that assassin. It''s nothing impressive." Nothing impressive? Is this girl serious? Or is she just bluffing? "Helen will murder me if I end up killing you." "She''s weaker than me. You''d have no problem with her." I took a long, deep breath. "Very well. One Boom Cannon, coming up." I gathered my mana, aimed my wand at her, and waited to fire it until she gave the signal. "Go!" "Boom Cannon!" The spell launched, and immediately it crashed into Fiora''s blade. "T-this is¡­ so powerful¡­ I-I can''t¡ª" Oh shit! "Fiora!" I yelled. Shit shit shit I can''t dispel the spell I''ve already fired! "Hyaaahh!" She yelled as she brought down her sword. She cut the spell into two, creating two small craters behind her. However, she was also sent flying, landing a few meters away from where she once stood. She did it! She overcame my spell! Barely but still¡­ I ran to her at once. Only to find her with her back on the ground, panting heavily from the exertion she just performed. And then¡­ RIIIPPPPPP Her training clothes shattered into pieces, leaving her only in her panties. W-whoa! Is this seriously one of those cliched wardrobe failure situations? Like when the heroine gets her clothes ripped apart due to an attack? I guess my Boom Cannon did this to her, huh? My perverted eyes immediately went towards her naked boobs. I had my suspicions but only now it was proven true. She wasn''t wearing anything under her sports bra-like shirt! My eyes then moved down to her panties. Ha, frilly, lacy white! Just like I guessed! Pretty low cut and skimpy too. "Enjoying the view, Hugo?" She said with a smirk, covering her breasts with one of her arms. "Haah, that really was more powerful than I had expected." She stood up like nothing had happened. I expected her to go all red, demanding me not to look. But I suppose to a girl who had intentionally been teasing me all this time, this was nothing to her. Tch, no fun. "Well, I gotta say, you don''t look half-bad without clothes on." I grinned, eyeing her all over. "Nice perky breasts and cute frilly panties. Love the little bow at the front as well." "Hmm hmm. I see." Her smirk grew wider. "I can certainly see that, judging by this thing." SQUEEZE "A-ah!" "Hmm, nice moan. Pretty cute." And just like that, she returned back to our carriage, with Helen rushing to her, no doubt asking what happened to her clothes. Afterwards, the maid gave me constant glares and huffs for a good week or so. I even sensed Nicole somewhat avoiding me as well. This didn¡¯t make Fiora give up however. Instead, she demanded me to use my Boom Cannon on her over and over. It was obvious what her goal was¡ªto surpass her own limits and to get stronger. And yes, that led to even more clothing accidents. However, each time, she would be able to defend herself against the spell more and more. Honestly, it was almost terrifying, seeing how a spell I worked for so long and hard on my own slowly being overtaken by her talent in the sword. I started to wonder if she was actually more talented in swordsmanship than me in magic. Oh, Nicole was also training as well by the way, in her holy magic. Or rather, as she told me, she had some pointers given to her by the High and Grand Priestess on how to use holy magic in a more efficient manner. Something about her barriers. Helen was the one helping her train. She was a warrior/ninja/battle maid after all. When I asked why she did it, she simply replied with a smile, ¡°If I would become a high priestess, then it would be prudent for me to learn how to fight better. A priestess of Milicis¡¯ duty isn¡¯t just limited to healing the sick. If she can exterminate the monsters that terrorize the land, then it would be even better. After all, our Great Saint herself was like that when she was still alive.¡± Huh, I guess she got inspired by how Lunayra is revered as this really strong cleric. She wasn¡¯t around because she was exterminating dangerous monsters in her territory after all. After a month traveling this way, to the north and east using the main road (no swampy detours this time around), we finally reached the border city between the Holy Empire and Fenesia. Vol 2 Chapter 36: A Date with Fiora Lumen Mountain Passage. Just like the Ronia Mountain Passage before it, it was another trek between two mountains that allowed travelers to leave the Empire and migrated towards the Kingdom of Fenesia. Unlike Ronia, which cut through the Blooming Rose Mountain Range, Lumen¡¯s passage cut through the Eastern Dragon Mountain Range. Of course, we wouldn¡¯t go through the passage straight away. Having to restock and resupply and everything, not to mention resting, we decided to stay a single day in the border town before the passage, also named Lumen. We arrived at nighttime, so we immediately made a beeline to an inn. We had our humble dinner there as well, as we were tired enough as it was. However, when I had just entered my room, preparing to retire for the night, I heard a knock from the door. "May I come in, Lord Hugo?" Huh. What does she want? It was Helen''s voice. Ever since Fiora started calling me with my name, she started addressing me as if I was her mistress''s equal, thus the Lord honorific. And I have to say, it feels pretty good being addressed that way. Reminds me of Mary back home. Hmm, wonder how she¡¯s doing. Last I heard of her, she was getting married. I sure hope she had a happy family back at the village. "Yeah, come on in!" The door creaked open and the maid slipped in. As usual, she had that hostile look on her face. Even after all this time, she was still suspicious of me, I guess. "I would like to speak about Fiora," she started. "Huh?" I raised my eyebrows. "Your Royal Highness is fond of you. I can clearly see that, and she herself has admitted it when I asked her." Well, that came out of nowhere. "So I came here to ask you, Master Hugo. Are you truly going to reciprocate her feelings? Or are you just leading her along with no intention of actually committing to her? If it¡¯s the latter...¡± Sheesh, that glare. Send me chills every single time. And straight to the point, huh? Just like her usual, fine-combed self. I sighed. ¡°Look. I¡¯ve told her this and I¡¯m going to tell you as well. I have no interest in becoming her lover or her knight or whatever. I already got a girl waiting for me, I have no intention of cheating on her. I might lend her a hand later, when she made her move for the throne, but as a friend, and nothing more.¡± She didn¡¯t respond immediately. Instead, her gaze only worsened, as she seemingly tried to drill to get a look on what¡¯s inside my head. ¡°And yet, you continue to partake in lascivious, perverse glare at her.¡± ¡°Well, I do that to every attractive girl and woman I see,¡± I casually admitted. There¡¯s no point in pretending that I¡¯m not a pervert to her. She no doubt would already know, either by her own observation or from Fiora or Nicole. ¡°Really? But you never gaze lecherously towards Lady Nicole.¡± "Hmm, I guess because her charm doesn''t lie in her body. It''s in her heart and mannerism," I replied, still maintaining my casual smile. "Don''t worry though. I do keep some of my perverted sight towards you," I said as I smirked, staring right at her twin mountains that always threatened to pop out of her button-up maid outfit. I decided to tease her a little, just to see how she would react. "Y-you, you really are one perverted little kid, aren''t you?" She quickly covered her large chest with her arms, blushing adorably at the same time. Well, that''s cuter than I had expected. "H-how did you get so perverted when you''re still so young? How did your parents raise you anyways?" "Well, Father is even more perverted than me, especially towards big-boobed ladies." I made sure to look right at her as I spoke. "And Mother? Hmm, I still remember her moans every night as she¡ª" "That''s¡­ that''s quite enough!" Unable to take it anymore, she quickly left the room, heading straight towards Fiora''s. She didn''t even bother closing the door behind her. Heh, so she has that side too, huh? "Hugo, what did you do to her?" Oh shit! To my surprise, Nicole was outside as well. Since she was already in her nightdress, she probably had just returned from the privy or something before she went to sleep, and just so happened to walk near my room when Helen bolted out of the room. She had a displeased frown on her face, with her hands folded near her stomach. Yep, she obviously didn''t appreciate my teasing. "N-nothing. Just a little joke, that''s all," I put up a nervous grin. "A joke isn''t a joke if the recipient doesn''t laugh with you," she replied. Goddamn, she really is the honor student type, isn''t it? She entered my room and closed the door behind her. "You two were talking about Fiora, weren''t you?" She began. I sighed again. "Yeah, we were." "So you''re already know that she might have some feelings for you." She averted her gaze. "I am already aware of that as well. I''m not dense, you know." He smiled. "And your answer?" "You already know what my answer is. I''m not going to leave Sherry, so don''t you worry, alright?" I patted her shoulder. She was currently sitting beside me on my bed. She smiled back, but it was not a fully happy smile. It was a melancholic, regretful one. "What''s the matter?" I couldn''t help but ask. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It''s just¡­ well, I feel bad for Fiora. I do believe she likes you truly. But since you already have Sherry, that means she won''t be able to have you as well." She smiled bitterly. "Well, it can''t be helped, can it? I can''t very well marry them both." I chuckled. "...Yes, I suppose you couldn''t." She then sat up and apologized for intruding on me, before leaving the room. Huh, what was that all about? ------ "Hugo, why don''t you take this opportunity to dress up?" Fiora spoke after we had our breakfast the next morning. "Dress¡­ up?" I raised my eyebrows. "You''re pretending to be some young noble, right? Then you should dress better. Your current clothes might fool a commoner, but you won''t gain the respect of an aristocrat." "You do know I don''t have much money with me, right? Especially since you haven''t paid me even a copper for my service yet." "...Fine. I''ll come with you then. I''ll pick out your clothes and pay for them as well." She smiled. "That''s alright with you, right?" Wait, did she just turn me into her personal dress-up doll? ---- We headed towards the affluent section of the town, where all the wealthy merchants and nobles would have their homes. Nicole, as usual, was on her personal mission to give aid and healing in the poor part of the town. I wonder where she got her money from though. As for Helen, Fiora had made it clear that she wanted to go with me on our own, without her attendance. So she probably went to accompany Nicole. ¡°So, I guess this is a date now?¡± I said with a little smirk. ¡°Ha, I suppose it is,¡± she replied, with her own small smile. We headed towards a boutique located in said part of the town, or rather, she led me to it. I wasn¡¯t sure how she already knew the place beforehand. She probably ordered Helen last night to go look for it. Well, that¡¯s peculiar. The signboard above the shop spelled out ¡°Ms. Valentine¡¯s Adventurer Boutique. Only well-off adventurers are welcome¡±. Wow, that¡¯s pretty rude, isn¡¯¡¯t it? ¡°What are you gawking at? Don¡¯t just stand there.¡± Fiora looked back once she noticed me stopping. ¡°Sorry, just, admiring the sign,¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°Hmm?¡± She looked up as well, reading the sign before looking back down and smirking. ¡°What, you¡¯re afraid you¡¯re not a rich adventurer? You¡¯re rich enough as long as you¡¯re with me. Also¡­" SWEEP "You''ll go inside as my fiance, got it?" She smirked even wider. She had yanked my right arm, interlocking it with her left. Of course, this also made me brush with her softness as well, which, knowing her, I''m sure was intentional. "You know, I still remember when you treated me like your servant all the time," I gave a small grin. "Well, let''s just say you have graduated from that," she replied with her own grin. The moment we entered, we were greeted by a middle-aged man wearing a formal suit. He gave us a bow and asked what he could possibly be a service for. "Charles here is my fiance, you see, and I want him to be as well-dressed as possible. Dress him up like a mage, if you would," Fiora explained with her usual smug smile. "Very well, Miss." He bowed again. "Then please, follow me, Sir Charles." What ensued afterwards was probably one of the most awkward shopping experiences I had to suffer through. There were no other customers around, so the servant''s attention was only towards me and me alone. "Sir, I believe this shirt would look the best on you." "U-uh, right, sure¡­" "And these pairs of shorts are the most durable and comfortable trousers we have here. Are you fond on how they look, Sir?" "T-that''s fine." "Ah, here''s a good coat for you, Sir. It looks stylish and it gives good protection from the elements." "Y-yeah, that could work." In the end, I let him make all the choices. Fiora approved as well, and I suppose the clothes he picked look decent enough that I didn¡¯t bother making any complaints. After he picked out all the clothes, he told us that I could wear it right away in the changing room available. Well, let¡¯s see how they would look on me, shall we? ¡­ Oh wow, this actually looks great! From the top, I wore a dark green jacket over a white shirt, accompanied by a red cravat (to think that I would actually ever wear a cravat in real life!). Downwards, I wore a pair of brown shorts that reached down to my upper knee, and then a pair of red socks and brown boots. As for the coat itself, it was mostly white with green trimmings, reaching down to my lower legs. It also had a tall collar, adding to the aristocratic look, I guess. My old self could never have pulled this look. But with how I look right now, well, let''s just say I do have that noble prince look on me, if only just a little. When I came back out, Fiora eyed me from top to bottom with a satisfied look on her face. "Alright. We''ll go with that." She turned to the shopkeeper with a smirk. "Here. This should be enough, right?" She placed two gold coind on the cashier counter. "Ah, yes, of course, milady." Two gold coins for all of this. Yeah, pretty expensive alright. When we were back outside, I remarked, "Two gold coins? Are these clothes really worth that much? It''s not like we''re buying a full plate mail. None of them are magically enchanted either." "Perhaps not," she replied. "But this is how the world of aristocracy is. We can spend lavishly, in a way commoners never could." Makes sense. It''s like those rich celebrities who would buy famous, brand-name clothes and bags whose prices would make your eyes pop. "Do you know who Ms. Valentine is, Hugo? You probably don''t, seeing how you''re just some kid from the boonies across the sea." She smirked. "Hmm, back at it again with the insults, I see," I smirked back. "I almost missed that part of you." "Oh? Never knew you''re a masochist, Hugo. Are you insinuating I should insult you more?" "Nah, I''m good, thank you very much." Our banters had gotten more pleasant as well, or so I felt. Perhaps it was because of her seeing me as her equal, so she had stopped being as annoying and bratty towards me. "Anyway, back to my point," Fiora continued. "Ms. Valentine is the most famous clothing designer in the entire Empire. She has boutiques everywhere, catered to rich adventurers, mostly those that came from noble backgrounds. There¡¯s a tradition in the Holy Empire for nobles to be taught either swordplay or magic as a kid, and sometimes, that led to the child wanting to become an adventurer when they grow up. Or rather, they try the life of an adventurer for a while, and then return back home, get married to their arranged partners, and then become a proper noble.¡± ¡°I thought adventurers are usually looked down upon by the upper class,¡± I replied. ¡°Oh, they are indeed.¡± Her smirk appeared again. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean they won¡¯t try their hands on some adventuring on their own. Not the kind of wild and dangerous adventuring, mind you, but the safe and secure kind, usually with bodyguards acting as their party members. So if you ever find a snotty and smug adventurer one day, he might just be a noble.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I see¡­¡± I suppose it¡¯s a form of romanticizing adventurers, without actually wanting to face the harsh reality of becoming one. So they would think they¡¯re living the life of a storybook hero. Heh, I had that phase once when I was still so naive. Now I know perfectly well just how dangerous being an adventurer can be, after meeting with those three¡­ ¡°Now come. We¡¯ll head to the next place.¡± Welp, guess our date isn¡¯t over yet. -------- We moved on to our next destination, still in the rich part of town. It looked to be a patisserie or some sort, judging by the giant drawing of a cake on its signboard. Without hesitation, Fiora entered, with me following behind her with a slightly confused look. A delicious scent of freshly baked cake entered my nostrils as I entered, making me salivate in an instant. Unlike the boutique from before, it had other customers inside it. Naturally, they were all of the wealthy folk. To my chagrin, they were all couples as well. Oh wow, this is an actual date spot she''s taking me to. We took our seats in the corner of the room, away from the rest of the establishment. It was a well-furnished table, with a flowerpot in the middle, containing roses. The seats were cushy as well, with hand and back rests that was extremely comfy. A waitress dressed like a maid came over to us, curtsied in quite the elegant manner, and asked for our order, after handing the menu, made out of scented and decorated parchment. "I would like your chocolate fondue and mint chocolate cake," Fiora spoke first, just a mere 30 seconds after she received her menu. ¡°Oh, and the strawberry parfait as well.¡± "Heh, never knew you''re a sweet tooth, Guinny," I grinned. Guinny, or Guinevere, was the fake name she had chosen for herself. It was a common name, so it wouldn''t draw suspicion, even if it was her actual middle name. "You''re not a real girl if you don''t like sweet things, you know," she replied with her own cheeky grin. "Not afraid of getting fat, are we?" "How rude! That''s what exercising is for!" The waitress smiled as she watched our interaction. Oh great, she probably thought we are a real couple. "I''ll take the orange cake instead," I declared. "And the drinks, Sir? Miss?" "We''ll take the grape wine, if you would," Fiora answered. The waitress curtsied once before she left. In a medieval-ish world like this, you had to memorize everything. No taking notes. "Hugo," Fiora started once the waitress left. "I''d like to talk to you about Helen." Oh shit, suddenly her expression turns serious. "I would appreciate it if you would not tease her, especially in sexual matters like that." I sighed. "It''s about last night, isn''t it? Yeah, I might have gotten too carried away to be honest¡­ Wait, how do you know about it anyways?" "Because she suddenly insisted for me to dump you as you''re a ''unrepentant lecher that would pose a threat to my purity'', or something like that." She smirked. "Unrepentant lecher, huh? You know, she might have a point." I chuckled. But then, I paused, as Fiora¡¯s expression switched gears entirely, turning into an entirely serious, melancholic one. ¡°That Helen¡­ she was a good friend of my mother.¡± Whoa, seriously? ¡°They were both slaves, in case you didn¡¯t know.¡± She smiled bitterly. ¡°And Helen¡­ she only followed in Mother¡¯s footsteps out of concern for her wellbeing. She didn¡¯t really want to become an imperial maid herself.¡± ...I see. So Helen¡­ does Fiora view her as a replacement for her mother? ¡°She was always the logical, rational one. Unlike my mother, who was blinded by that thing they call love, she knew just how dangerous it could be for a mere slave and maid to be so favored by the emperor himself. She warned her many times¡ªthat she should distance herself¡ªand yet she never listened.¡± Fiora sighed before continuing. "That is also why she doesn''t appreciate people giving lecherous looks towards her. Do you know how many fellow perverts like yourself that work and live in the palace? She had men leering over that bouncing breasts of hers all the time." ...Dammit, now I feel bad. "I understand," I replied with a determined look. "I apologize to her right away once I have the chance." "Good." Her smirk returned. "Though personally, I wouldn''t mind perverts that much if they''re all like you." "Heh, was that a praise I just heard?" I returned with my own smirk. "I suppose you can indeed call me a gentleman pervert." "Here we are, Sir. Miss." Our chat was interrupted by the return of the waitress, bringing us our cakes and drinks. "Thank you." I gave her a smile. "You''re welcome, Sir," she replied, curtsying again with a slight blush. before leaving once again. "Well, look at that. You''re quite the womanizer, aren''t you?" Fiora commented. "What?" She didn''t answer. Instead, she started cutting her cake with her knife before bringing a piece into her mouth. And in one single bite, she swallowed the entire thing. Vol 2 Chapter 37: Fiora’s Goal Helen ¡°Mass Heal!¡± A pleasant light enveloped the area, expanding in a circle with Lady Nicole as the center. The faces of the people surrounding her immediately brightened, as they no doubt felt the effect of her healing spell. Even my body felt a little lighter as well. Mass Heal. It was a Master-level healing spell that Lady Nicole had just managed to cast recently, allowing a cleric to heal everyone present in a certain radius around the caster. She told me that it was all thanks to the pointers given by Lady Michaela that she was able to perform the spell. Perhaps all those hours with her were on how to learn this spell? With this spell, her task of giving free healing to the poor could be done at a much faster rate. After healing them, she would also give them some copper coins as well. They weren¡¯t much, but it was part of her vow as a priestess not to live lavishly. She was given a generous sum of gold at the start of our journey by Lady Miriam, but instead of using it to buy fancy clothes or equipment, she instead rationed it to give to the poor. That¡¯s why she always wore that black, plain dress of hers. Of course, Her Highness offered to pay her money for her services towards her, but she refused, saying that she helped her as a friend, not as her servant. Really, this child is too good for this world. I just hope she wouldn¡¯t lose that goodness once she climbed up in the ranks of priesthood. ¡°Haaahh¡­¡± I sighed, as my mind wandered towards Her Highness. Is she really safe on her own with that boy? And I¡¯m not just talking about assassins going after her life. Really, for a 11-year old boy, he¡¯s too lecherous. It reminds me of those brats that were already taught to treat their woman servants like they are slaves, so they would gleefully grab their butt or lift their skirts without a care in the world. But I suppose he¡¯s not like them. He never actually acts on his perversion. Even stripping Her Highness naked was just an accident occurring thanks to their training. But still, to think that he likes to leer at my breasts as well¡­ I looked down to the two mounds attached to my chest. I never asked for them. In fact, they were a nuisance, hindering my mobility in combat. I gave them a quick squeeze. Why do men love them so much, really? ------- After Lady Nicole finished her healing duty, we decided to go look for Her Highness and Lord Hugo at once. I was starting to worry about them. And not just because of possible assassins. "Lady Nicole." I spoke as we walked. "What do you think about Lord Hugo?" "Hmm?" She raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean, Helen?" "It''s just that¡­ I''m not sure what to make of him. On one hand, he''s a well-mannered and intelligent boy, and a good influence for Her Highness. But on the other hand¡­" "He''s a pervert. That''s what you want to say, isn''t it, Helen?" Lady Nicole smiled as she said those words. As usual, she could read people very well. "I fear he''s only pretending to be a gentleman, while secretly hiding the fact that he''s a monstrous lecher until the girl he targets falls for him." "Do you truly believe that? Of Hugo?" Her smile. She already knows my answer, doesn¡¯t she? ¡°...No. I suppose I don¡¯t. I know that he¡¯s different from all those perverted nobles I had the misfortune of encountering over the years. And their perverted kids as well.¡± ¡°Then, you shouldn¡¯t think like that, Helen,¡± Nicole continued. ¡°I believe in him myself. I know he¡¯s an earnest boy. His perversion is simply his vice, and we all have our own vices, don¡¯t we? The important part is that despite said vice, he¡¯s still able to be a good person. And I do believe he is indeed good, from the bottom of his heart.¡± As I stole a glance towards her, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. And just like that, she already made my useless worry disappear. Oh Lady Nicole. You truly are suited to become a high priestess with her own flock to guide. ¡°You¡¯re right. I was worrying about nothing. His perverted comment towards me last night was simply him making a joke, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Hmm? Perverted comments?¡± Nicole tilted her head. ¡°He said to me that he had always been staring at my chest.¡± ¡°...Ah. Yes, certainly. I can imagine him doing that.¡± Lady Nicole¡¯s smile became slightly more bitter. ¡°He was truthful enough to admit his vice, even to the person herself. I have to commend him for that. Not for the staring, but for telling the truth.¡± ¡°...Is my chest really that attractive, Lady Nicole?¡± ¡°...Well, some men do indeed like them larger.¡± She sighed. ¡°I do wish more men would be able to look more beyond a woman¡¯s physical appearance. Even Hugo was charmed by Sherry¡¯s cuteness.¡± ...Oh, right. Lady Nicole always believes herself to be a plain young woman. And knowing all the romantic tales and books she loves to read, she may be yearning for some romance of her own as well. I suppose that is her vice. I myself have given up on romance completely. Men aren¡¯t to be trusted. I shall devote my life only to Her Highness until the day I die. --------- Hugo Welp, I feel I''ve witnessed an entirely new side of the princess. We left the cafe/patisserie quite some time after, once Fiora finished stuffing her stomach with her desserts. I never thought she would be able to eat that much, but I suppose I was wrong. Well, she should be fine. She trains hard every day with the sword after all. She won¡¯t get chubby anytime soon. Or ever, if she keeps up her training. When we returned back to our meeting point, which was our inn, Nicole and Helen were already there, ready to continue our journey right away, as Helen had purchased all the necessary supplies we needed to continue onward. In the end, we didn¡¯t need to stay in the border city for a full day after all. We departed on our carriage after lunch, near the afternoon. ¡°Our next destination would be the capital of Fenesia, Valmo,¡± Fiora explained once we were inside. ¡°Fenesia is one of the Empire¡¯s vassal kingdoms, right?¡± I spoke up. ¡°So would you be speaking with the Fenesian King there? You know, to persuade him to your cause?¡± I figured it would make sense for her to try gaining the support of the vassal kings as well, not just the Church. ¡°...No, not yet. I have nothing that I could use to convince him. If he wasn¡¯t a fool, which he shouldn¡¯t be, he wouldn¡¯t want to ally with me, the most disadvantaged candidate to the throne.¡± ¡°So, how would you convince him then? And the other vassal kingdoms for that matter?¡± Fiora paused, averting her gaze away from me, looking at the window to her right instead. ¡°...Hugo, do you know how Fenesia became a vassal kingdom of the Empire? And the other vassal kingdoms for that matter?¡± This time, it was my turn to pause. I haven¡¯t really read any history books regarding the Empire, but if I have to guess, judging by the Empire moniker itself¡­ ¡°...Through conquest, isn¡¯t it? The Empire made them become their vassals through their military might,¡± I answered. ¡°Correct,¡± Fiora smiled, turning back to face me. ¡°It was a story from a long time ago, where this continent was less peaceful and more chaotic. Back then, our reigning monarch, the Hero-Emperor Galdin Matreya Pendagron, decided that it was his destiny, and the Empire¡¯s destiny as well, to rule over the entire Holy Continent.¡± ¡°Hero-Emperor?¡± I raised my eyebrow. ¡°Where did he get the Hero part? I thought that¡¯s only reserved for Arthur.¡± ¡°Because before he started conquering the continent, he already conquered a number of Demon Lords¡ªthe most infamous one being Tiamat, the Draconic Demon Lord. The nickname for her was the Black Wings of Death, as anyone who saw her spreading her wings would never live to tell the tale,¡± Fiora replied with an expression that could only be described as adoration. "Using that power, he nearly united the whole continent,¡± she continued. "One by one the kingdoms fell as no one was able to challenge his strength. Even the various beast races and the Westernese Barbarians all bent to his strength.¡± To the northwest of the Holy Empire, as the name suggested, beyond the Kingdom of Sumia and Aubibaria, was a region they named the Great Plains. Miles and miles of endless plains, populated by nomadic warrior tribes dubbed the Westernese. There was a period in history where they would raid and pillage and even conquer their neighbors, but today, that golden age of their history had pretty much disappeared. The beast races on the other hand were located to the immediate north of the Holy Empire. Each of the races had their own rulers, but after constant mingling between them, not to mention the necessity to protect themselves from their neighbours, they had formed the so-called Beast Confederacy. "However, that ambition ended in the far north, where he declared war against the High Elves." Nicole spoke again. "With their terrifying magic, they crushed his forces, and he had to run with his tail between his legs. He knew that even he was no match for their affinity for magic." The High Elves on the other hand dwelled in the Forbidden Land, at the utmost north of the continent. It gained that name because simply, other races that weren¡¯t high elves were forbidden by them to enter. It was an isolationist nation, without any trades or even contact with the outside world. Oh, by the way, the term ¡°high elf¡± itself didn¡¯t imply a wholly separate race from ordinary elves. High elves are simply put¡ªelves with untainted blood. If a non-elf marries an elf, and has a child with them, the child will be elves. However, their ears would shorten, as well as their lifespan. Thus, high elves are elves with the longest ears and the longest lifespan. They are even believed to be pretty much immortal, unable to die from old age. So, the high elves of the Forbidden Land even forbid other, ¡°impure¡± elves to enter. Yep, sounds like the typical arrogant elves to me. But learning this history though. That means they must possess really powerful mages with them. Well, when you get to live that long, you¡¯ll accumulate so much skill and knowledge that it would be weird for you not to be that strong. ¡°Okay, let me process this information one by one, alright?¡± I finally decided to talk once again. ¡°First of all, weren''t all the Demon Lords slain by the Legendary Hero a millenia ago?" I still remember my books saying how he triumphed over every single Demon Lord before fighting against the Demon God. "The majority of them were indeed slain by him and his companions," the cleric answered. "However, a millenia was enough time for new Demon Lords to appear. Thankfully, the Demon God is a unique existence. Another being such as he wouldn''t just appear out of nowhere. Or at least, I hope so.¡± Well, that ain¡¯t too reassuring, isn¡¯t it? Then again, if another Demon God appears, then another Hero should appear as well, knowing how the trope usually goes. So we¡¯d be fine. Probably. If we can just run away from the demons, that is, until he took care of the problem. ¡°Oh yeah, Nicole.¡± I spoke again. ¡°If you were to compare the current Demon Lords to the Council members of the Magocracy, who do you think is stronger?¡± ¡°The Demon Lords.¡± It was Fiora who answered. ¡°There¡¯s no doubt about it. If they were to band together in one single force, well, the entire human world would have to band together as well." I gulped. So they really are strong. "So, this Galdin guy must be really strong to be able to beat the strongest of them in combat." I replied. "He was," Fiora answered. "And that''s the level I have to reach, if I want to inherit the throne." "Fiora! You''re still thinking of defeating a Demon Lord?!" Nicole suddenly spoke in a tone I never heard her speak in before. There was a combination of disbelief drawn on her face. I was surprised as well. What is this about her defeating a Demon Lord? sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Heh, thanks to you, Hugo, I now realize just how important it is for a ruler to be adored by her subjects,¡± she replied, but towards me instead of Nicole. ¡°And so, to gain the heart of the masses, I shall take down a Demon Lord or two.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too reckless!¡± Nicole interrupted her, now half-yelling. ¡°Do you know how powerful even the weakest of them are?! And if you do that, you¡¯d also risk provoking them to attack the human world!¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. You belong to the coexistence faction of the Church, don¡¯t you, Nicole?¡± She was now full on smirking towards the priestess. ¡°You and your Lady Miriam.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just about that!¡± Nicole fired back. ¡° I worry about you, Fiora!¡± The coexistence faction? I guess it¡¯s the faction that wants to get along with the demons? I suppose it makes sense that Nicole would belong to them, knowing how she reacted when she learned how Sherry was actually a demon. So I guess the opposing faction would be the guys who just want to kill them. "Then don''t. You already know I don''t intend to do my heroic quest right away. After fighting against that Grand Priestess, I very well know how weak I still am." Suddenly, she looked back at me. "And that''s why I have decided. I would go all the way to the east, to where the Order of Galahad is. I will take refuge there and polish myself in the way of the sword. I will be untouchable by any assassin, as I would be surrounded by people far stronger than I am, and I will become much stronger than I currently am. Killing two birds with one stone, no?" She smiled. "So you''re suspending your visit to the other Grand Priests?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes. Speaking with that Grand Priestess also makes me realize I won¡¯t be able to persuade them that easily. So there would be no point in me going straight to them right away either, just like with the kings of the vassal states.¡± "But the Order¡­ they''re supposed to be neutral, no? Would they just take you in like that?¡± ¡°Of course they would.¡± Her smile became wider. ¡°Because they only care about one¡¯s sword prowess and nothing more. You can be a no-name commoner straight from the slums or an imperial princess. They would accept you if you show promise, talent, and dedication in the way of the sword.¡± ¡°But they would know you¡¯re just using them to gain power for your selfish reasons,¡± I continued pointing out the flaws I see in her plan. ¡°That is fine with them. They know most of the trainees from abroad don¡¯t really come for pure, unselfish reasons.¡± I paused. I no longer could see any more flaws in her reasoning. Well, other than the ¡°killing the Demon Lord¡± part. I still believe it¡¯s a risky, foolhardy plan. How strong do you have to be to take on one of them anyways? ¡°So, how long are you going to stay there?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this? Are you saying you¡¯re going to wait until I finished my training?¡± She smirked. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t care, Hugo.¡± ¡°Heh, just making sure I won¡¯t be caught off-guard if you suddenly appear in my footsteps years later,¡± I returned. ¡°...I don¡¯t know. It all depends on how fast I could reach the rank I want. Yes, I believe my goal shall be Virtuoso-rank, just one step under the Meister herself.¡± Virtuoso, huh? That¡¯s certainly one lofty goal. So very few ever reached that rank, at least according to the book she gave me. She¡¯s already strong enough as she is. How much stronger she will be if she reaches that rank? I can¡¯t help but be excited to anticipate her growth. Sherry is training in the sword as well, though she won¡¯t have any ranks attached to her name, seeing how she would be only trained by her people. I wonder how strong she is compared to her as well. I have a feeling she might already be a sword monster by the now. ¡°So, once we reach Valmo, it would be goodbye, as you need to go to the north while I would go to the south. You have your darling Sherry to meet right? So you shouldn¡¯t waste your time accompanying me.¡± ¡°Hmph, try not to miss me too much, alright?¡± I chuckled, teasing her a little. Inside however, I¡¯m not sure whether I should really abandon her like that. What if the assassins came after her when I was already gone? Can she make it to the Order before they get to her? ¡°Hey, Fiora, how long does it take from Valmo to the Order anyways?¡± I decided to ask. ¡°What, you want to accompany me all the way there? Are you sure you¡¯re not the one who¡¯s going to miss me?¡± She sneered, as she held up her index and middle finger. ¡°One month. So you would waste two months of not being with your dear Sherry. Oh, and Nicole is coming with me. There¡¯s a Grand Priest in the region. So you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± I turned silent. I really don¡¯t know what to say. Should I insist on accompanying them? Or should I just leave and be on my way? Well, I still have some time before I have to decide. No need to rush thinking about it right now. Vol 2 Chapter 38: Fortissimo and Boom Rifle ¡°Holy Bolt!¡± Here it is! It¡¯s coming right towards me! ¡°Legato!¡± With a firm swing of my sword, I parried the spell away to the skies. ¡°Congratulations, Hugo! You finally did it!¡± Nicole smiled, clasping her hands together. I let out a sigh of relief. That¡¯s one more special technique down. We were currently on route to Valmo, the capital of the Fenesia Kingdom. Just like how he had been traveling so far, we made time for training, even though it would slow the pace of our travels down. As a result, I managed to successfully master the basic form of Legato, while Fiora finally managed to learn how to parry my Boom Cannon. Well, barely anyway, still with both hands on her sword and a staggered pose afterwards. She was, of course, not satisfied. It wasn¡¯t the only thing that we trained together though. She asked both me and Nicole to bombard her with spells from all directions. It was a test of her senses and endurance, as even one split up would lead to a dangerous blow. She didn¡¯t care though. Even if she suffered injuries from our training, Nicole was there to fix her up right away. No fixing her ruined clothes though. ¡°Ha, took you long enough,¡± Fiora exclaimed. She had been watching on the sidelines all this time. ¡°Now, we can move on to the next special technique.¡± She held up her hand. It was holding what looked like a branch she just picked up from a tree nearby. ¡°Attack me with your sword, Hugo,¡± she exclaimed, holding the branch in a horizontal blocking position. I raised my eyebrows. She¡¯s going to block my sword with a thin piece of wood like that? ..Ah, nevermind. I think I know where this is going. I walked up to her, drew my sword, and swung in a downward manner. ¡°Fortissimo!¡± She yelled. CLACK W-whoa! I was still taken aback, even though I already saw it coming. The branch completely absorbed my blow, without a single scratch on its wooden surface. ¡°This is a pure defensive ability, hardening your equipment to absorb the blows of your opponent better,¡± she explained with a smirk. ¡°Not just limited to physical attacks either. A more difficult version of Fortissimo would allow you to block magic as well.¡± Yep, it¡¯s a defense-enhancing ability alright. She then parried my sword to the side before throwing the branch to the ground. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t rely on it much however. You and I¡ªwe are both used to dodging attacks instead of receiving them. We are not like those full-armored knights who would benefit the most with this technique.¡± Yeah, I don¡¯t think I can stand wearing full plate armor all the time. It¡¯s probably really hot inside it. Not to mention heavy. ¡°However, we can still use Fortissimo to block an opponent¡¯s blow with our sword. Imagine a giant, swinging his gigantic club towards you. With Fortissimo, you can block the blow with a single hand without even flinching.¡± I can just imagine how cool one would look doing that. ¡°Of course, you can also use it with ordinary clothes. And even your own skin. But naturally, it would be less effective than steel armor. Or a durable skin of a demon. We¡¯ve talked about the Demon Lords before, right? Some of them have the ability to coat themselves with aura to such an extent that they could walk through a rain of arrows and spells without even receiving a single scratch.¡± So I guess it¡¯s like when you¡¯re suddenly forced to fight a boss with extremely high defense values. Urgh, it¡¯s always a pain in the ass, fighting guys like that. ¡°To overcome that, you just have to surpass it with a stronger Staccato. Or, if you¡¯re a mage, a spell powerful enough to break through their defenses.¡± I suddenly remember how my Boom Cannon couldn¡¯t injure Vera¡¯s snake. A Demon Lord would be even more durable than that. Yeah, I really need to figure out how to improve that spell. Its power, penetration ability, and even speed could still be improved. Fiora had said that her teacher considered her to be on par with an Expert-rank Galahad swordswoman. So there are even stronger swordsmen than her out there. And I would be stupid if I don''t prepare for them. Aaah, all I want is just to have fun and easy adventures with cute girls by my side. And so, I started developing a new version of Boom Cannon. I wouldn''t say it''s necessarily stronger, but it would be faster with more piercing power to it. I need to miniaturize the mana image and flow though, and that is easier said than done. It requires me to have an even more precise Mana control after all. But once I''m done, heh, I can''t wait to show Fiora how I''ve surpassed her once again. ---- *stare* Aah, I''m curious. *staaaaareee* Aaarghh, I really am curious! After our training, we were currently back onboard our carriage, resuming our journey. We were all tired and tuckered out, understandably enough, and as a result, both Fiora and Nicole were sleeping on their seats. I too felt pretty sleepy, but not enough to fall asleep right away. What was I curious about, you might ask? Well, it was the book Nicole''s hands were currently holding. She had always been reading throughout our journey, and when I asked what she was reading, she would either answer that it was her religious text or she would evade the question, blushing as she put the book away. Normally, I wouldn''t care about other people''s hobbies, but after sitting so close to her all this time, I really want to know what she''s reading. It can''t all be religious texts, can it? And this is exactly the time to do it. "Slowly and gently¡­" I reached my hand forward, as she was sitting across me. I grabbed the book and pulled it as methodically as I could from her hands. Urgh. Her grip is surprisingly strong. Only after I increased my pull that the book was freed from her clutch. With a grin on my face, I immediately opened the leather-bound book. "Ahn, n-no, Sir Stanford! You can''t be doing this! What if everyone finds out?" "I don''t care, Villene. I love you. And I want you and you only as my wife. Abandon your priestess duties and become the Duchess of Stanford." ...What in the world? This is¡­ this is a trashy romance novel! It was indeed exactly that. Even the title was already provocative. "The Clumsy Priestess Is Punished By The Grand Duke." Skimming through the book, it was a story about the titular clumsy priestess slowly falling for a young bachelor Duke. Problem is, the Duke was openly forward his affections towards her. Too forward. He would grope her from behind, caress her butt, kiss her neck, and doing all sorts of perverted stuff to the inexperienced, virgin priestess. Of course, like any other heroine of a lurid romance book, she was only against it at the start, before realizing that she enjoyed being touched like him in that manner. Tsk tsk tsk, to think that a supposed holy woman is reading a lewd book like this. Though I guess no matter what world, the taste of some girls remained the same. They want rich, powerful, and domineering men to sweep them off their feet and treat them like princesses. Hah, you can even be a pervert as long as you meet that criteria. Kinda disappointed that she likes those kinds of men to be honest. Or maybe this is just her kink. Knowing how level-headed she is, she won''t be so stupid to not realize you can''t really find a guy like him in real life, without attracting actual creeps and perverts. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yeah, as you can guess, I never liked those handsome and rich womanizer types. Probably mostly out of jealousy, I admit, though I like to think it¡¯s because of my morals as well. Never agreed with the whole ¡°conquering women¡± concept. Not that I would be able to pull it off anyways. I put the book on her lap. Thankfully, she still remained in her slumber, sparing us from the awkwardness that might ensue if she realized that I knew she had been reading lascivious books. Soon after, I fell asleep as well. ---- Finally. Took us long enough. Valmo, the capital of the Ferensia Kingdom. There really wasn¡¯t anything particularly special about it, unfortunately. It was just another walled city, like the many others I had visited in my journey. I guess in a fantasy world where monsters roam about, it¡¯s common sense to only build cities inside tall walls. Not to mention how useful it would be in a state of war as well. Probably. If the opponent just doesn¡¯t blast through it with magic. I¡¯m pretty sure I can already break through stone walls easily with Boom Cannon, though it depends on its thickness. At least the Magocracy had the sense to build Mira¡¯s walls out of obsidian. Combined with the magic runes inscribed on them, I have a hunch that even my Boom Cannon wouldn¡¯t leave a dent on it. It was located right on the crossroad between the path to the north and the path to the southeast though, where the Order of Galahad was located. It took us another month to get from the border to here, giving me ample time to decide whether or not I want to accompany Fiora to the south or to go onward to the north towards my destination, the Demon Continent. Although, knowing the existence of an orb that can allow me to speak with Sherry, I¡¯m considering making a beeline to the nearest World Dungeon instead and try my hands on getting the extremely rare item in it. Urgh, rare drops. Never like hunting for those in my games. ¡°So, we¡¯re finally here at last. Our separation point,¡± Fiora spoke with a smirk on her face. We were still sitting inside our carriage currently, as Helen drove us inside the city. ¡°Well, you still haven¡¯t mastered Fortissimo fully, but it would have to do, I guess.¡± "You know, I''ve been thinking,¡± I spoke up. ¡°Since I haven¡¯t really finished my training with you, you still haven¡¯t held up the end of your bargain. So why don¡¯t I come along with you to the south as well?¡± For a split second, I noticed Fiora¡¯s expression brightening up considerably. Heh, so she really is happy with me being around. She quickly returned back to her usual smug look however. ¡°Oh? That¡¯s a surprise. I thought you¡¯re really itching to meet up with that Sherry girl. Or don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve fallen for me instead?¡± "Hmph, I still got my new spell to show you as well. The new and improved Boom Cannon! You won''t be able to block or parry it for sure!" "So that''s what you''ve been working on all those nights you stayed awake on your own. Very well. I''ll show you that my sword skills have improved as well," she returned in full confidence. And so I ended up sticking with her for just a while longer. ----- ¡°Fortissimo!¡± I yelled. CLACK Fiora¡¯s blade swung down towards my wooden branch. However, it was not cut into two. Instead, it perfectly received the sword¡¯s sharp edge, as if it was made out of steel as well. "And there you have it. The third technique you''ve mastered," Fiora said with a grin. "But of course¡ª" SLASH The branch split into two. "If I actually use Staccato, my blade will go through nonetheless." I sat down on the grass, tired from the training we had been doing, stretching my hands upwards. I sighed in relief. As usual, I trained with her for a couple of hours everyday and she wouldn¡¯t go easy at me at the slightest. ¡°Nicole, patch him up. We¡¯ll depart soon after.¡± She ordered the cleric. Oh right, I wanted to show her that! ¡°Wait, Fiora, I still got something I want to show you.¡± I held out my hand in a stopping motion. ¡®Hmm? And what might that be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my new iteration of the Boom Cannon, of course.¡± I smiled. ¡°Just finished it last night and I thought I¡¯d show it to you right away.¡± ¡°Hoo¡­ about time. Come then. Show me this fancy new magic of yours.¡± After Nicole healed me, I stood up, fresh as new. Fiora readied her stance while I drew my wand. ¡°I¡¯ll aim at your right shoulder. Try to block it if you can.¡± I smirked, aiming my wand towards said direction. ¡°How brave of you, telling your enemy where you¡¯re going to hit,¡± she replied. ¡°Fine. It¡¯ll just make it easier for me to block it.¡± Taking a deep breath, I concentrated. Conjure the image of the mana circuit of the Boom Cannon, then compress it into a miniscule size, while making sure to maintain the integrity of the flow. Any leaks would severely compromise the spell. Shaping it this and that way, forming it in the exact shape without any additions or subtractions¡­ There! The miniature cannon is finished! Now to increase the difference of air pressure between the inside and the outside, and steadily aiming it towards her right shoulder¡­ ¡°Boom Rifle!¡± A tiny air cannon the size of a finger, more accurate to be described as a bullet, fired from the tip of my wand. And it connected, earning a yelp of pain from the imperial princess as a hole formed in her right shoulder, a chunk of flesh and blood being pushed out near instantaneously as the bullet flew ever onward behind her. She looked in a mixture of horror and surprise. It was too fast. She couldn¡¯t react to it at all. ¡°Fiora!¡± Nicole quickly rushed into her aid, closing the wound I just made. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what was that? I¡­ I didn¡¯t even notice it until it landed.¡± Her voice shook. ¡°Ha¡­ ahahahahahaha!¡± She suddenly burst into a laugh. ¡°You really are one genius mage, Hugo! Once again, you surpassed me!¡± I grinned. ¡°See! Told ya!¡± Boom Rifle. Sacrificing surface area of the impact. I turned my Wind Spell into a precise shot, increasing its speed and penetration power by a lot. It¡¯s like exchanging a cannon with a sniper rifle. I wouldn¡¯t be able to make holes in walls or squish people¡¯s heads with this spell, but I could penetrate their thick hide or armor. And if I just aim at their brain, well, this spell would be the perfect, one-hit-kill spell. Its weakness however is quite obvious. The aiming. If the opponent moves a lot, and at a faraway enough distance, I will never be able to hit them. I am no marksman. Even gripping the wand to stabilize the firing line is already a difficult task for me. So this spell is designed more for large monsters or those who, in their overconfidence, stupidly think they can parry/block every single long range attack that comes at them. Thank God it doesn¡¯t have the recoil that comes with an actual sniper rifle. Naturally, Fiora quickly insisted that I fired the spell at her again. And again. And again. Until she would be able to keep up with the speed. This girl¡¯s competitive spirit really is something else. Kinda reminds me of Sherry¡¯s actually. As a result, our travel time that day decreased severely. -------- Severing Mountains. It was where our destination laid hidden. Tucked in the southeasternmost corner of the continent, away from the hustle and bustle of the world, it was the perfect place for aspiring swordsmen and women to train themselves. Beyond the mountains were the small land ruled by the Order of Galahad. However, to get there, we need to cross what was known as the Great Chasm, a long stretch of nothingness between two tall cliffs. We had to cross it using what was known by the locals as the Bridge of Faith. Because it wasn¡¯t some solidly built stone bridge. Oh no. That would make too much sense. Instead, it¡¯s a giant rope bridge, swaying around in the most threatening manner as one suffered to cross it. We reached the village at Windburgh at the foot of the mountains after 19 days of travel. And on the way, after I mastered Fortissimo, I moved on to the final technique Fiora would teach me. ¡°Chasse, or Graceful Steps if you use the literal meaning. It is a technique that allows sudden and sharp movements with inhuman speed. I leave this for the last as you already have your Wind Step, which is similar in nature," she explained. I learned it anyways, knowing that if I can use it instead of Wind Step, it would allow me to cast a spell while still moving around fast. She also explained the move that assassin used to "kick air" was an advanced form of it, named Chasse Pluma, or Feather Step. Or at the very least, something similar to it. We arrived at the village when the sun was already going down, so we decided to stay there for the night. "Hugo, you''re sure you really want to go with us all the way?" Fiora spoke as we were having dinner. "We already got this far without any other assassins chasing after us. They probably don''t expect us to go here to be honest." "We cannot let our guard now, Miss." Helen interrupted. "We still haven''t entered the territory of the Order itself. And even then, we would only be safe if we can reach their head dojo where Lady Solis resides." The Galahad Sword Meister Esther Solis, and the current Head of the Galahad Order. She was called the Blind Sword Goddess, a straightforward title born out of her prowess in the sword and her lack of eyesight. A character straight from the fantasy books. "Helen''s right." I said with a grim expression. "The bridge we''re going to cross tomorrow¡ªthat would be the perfect place to ambush somebody." ¡°I see,¡± Fiora placed down the cup of tea she just took a sip from. ¡°So you believe there would be assassins waiting for us there.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a good chance for that to occur,¡± I returned. ¡°And I have a feeling it would be that beastkin assassin again. And the rest of his crew.¡± ¡°Well, we should be fine,¡± Fiora smirked. ¡°You and I and even Nicole¡ªwe all have grown stronger these past two months. I believe we can take them on with confidence now.¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just hope so.¡± ¡°Hugo, you¡¯ve killed people before, right? So just aim your Boom Rifle right at their heads. If I still can¡¯t react to it, then they wouldn¡¯t be able to, not even that catboy.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the plan. Let¡¯s just hope I can aim the spell properly,¡± I responded with a bitter smile. I¡¯ve wholly accepted the fact that I would have to kill other people to survive in this world. If they actually pose a threat, and if they really aren¡¯t any chances to talk them down, then I would take them down, hopefully with no hesitation. If I go easy on enemies I can¡¯t afford to go easy against, I would just court death¡ªto me and those that I care about. With those thoughts in my mind, I retreated back to my room after dinner and immediately fell asleep on the soft bed. Just in case, we would take turns staying watch for the night, with my turn being the last. After all, if there would be assassins nearby, they might just decide to end us while we slept instead of waiting to ambush us up there on the mountains. Nothing happened though. The night went by and dawn came without any incident. It was time for us to head up to the mountains. Vol 2 Chapter 39: A Fight In Mid-Air The climb up the mountains was harsh. The path was steep and not well-paved in the slightest. Only a few actually went all the way out here, as the Order was mostly self-sufficient. Haah, I wonder if there really is going to be any assassins to ambush. I was currently sitting on the top of the carriage, along with Fiora. We were keeping a close eye on our surroundings for any possible ambushes, but so far, nothing had occurred. Well, other than a couple of mountain lions who decided it was a good idea to attack us. Needless to say, we dispatched them with ease. She told me not to use my Boom Rifle in the process however. "Just in case there are any assassins watching. It''s your new trump card after all," so she said. "Oh, by the way, I''ve been wondering¡­ you''ve met with a dwarf before, Hugo?" "Huh?" "The name of your new spell. Boom Rifle. A rifle is one of those exotic weapons they just recently invented, right?" Wait, really? This world already has guns? Probably nowhere near as advanced as the ones back home though. Not that I would know anything about guns. "Dwarves have guns." Duly noted. Hmm, maybe I''ll visit their land someday. "N-not really. I just heard the name, that''s all," I replied. Can''t tell her about my old world after all. "Hmph, I see. What a shame. I never met a dwarf before myself." Fiora''s mood decreased slightly. It seemed she really had some curiosity towards the race. At noon, we finally reached it, the so-called Great Chasm. We stopped on the front of the large bridge. We weren''t stupid enough to cross that thing without surveying our surroundings first. Hmm, nothing seems to be out of place. Currently, I was floating on the air, utilizing my Wind Step. My magic made me the best person for lookout duty, so I volunteered to do it. I squinted my eyes, making sure that I didn¡¯t overlook anything. It would be really bad if we actually got ambushed while in the middle of the bridge. Why, they could just cut it and we would be screwed. ...Yep. I don¡¯t think anybody else other than us is around. Not even a single monster or animal either. It¡¯s kinda eerie actually. I floated downward, jumping down once I was close enough to the ground. ¡°All clear. I don¡¯t see anything out of place,¡± I told Fiora and the others. And thus, we decided to cross. Just like before, Fiora and I would stand on top of the carriage, still keeping watch of our surroundings. And just in case, we had Nicole cast a barrier over our carriage. The bridge was approximately half a kilometer long, give or take. As for the width, it was around seven to eight meters, ample enough for our carriage to pass. Naturally, we wouldn¡¯t take the risk of the horses being frightened and just dragging our carriage into the void down below (seriously, I can¡¯t see the bottom), so Helen and Nicole had to walk beside the horses. The bridge¡¯s condition itself was fairly decent, although it had bits and pieces missing here and there. Probably because of the fairy windy weather around here, since I don¡¯t think there are a lot of travelers going all the way out here. A cold breeze flew by right after we began, swaying the bridge to the left and right lightly. Damn, this bridge really is scary if you think about it. The best way to cross something like this would be just to run and not look back, but we can¡¯t afford that since we have to lead the carriage as well. ¡°Hey, Hugo.¡± Fiora suddenly spoke up with a smirk. "Do you think that you''ll be able to fly us all with your wind magic if this bridge suddenly snaps?" "Hey, don''t jinx it!" I replied. "Oh, I''m not jinxing anything. Just wondering, that''s all. You''re a great Wind mage after all. Surely you can conjure a cyclone that will just send up upwards and across." I didn''t respond. I just gave her a glare before looking away. ...You know, if she''s going to be this carefree, maybe I shouldn''t come¡ª BOOM My heart stopped. I looked behind me in a split second and saw how one end of the bridge had snapped. B-but, I''ve checked and there''s no one around! And there weren''t any explosives or any other shady objects placed on the bridge either! Immediately the part of the bridge we were standing on fell off as well. I promptly reacted by activating Wind Step, securing my footing. And then I grabbed the nearest person to me, which was Nicole. She yelped in terror and quickly clung towards me, inadvertently pressing her breasts into my chest. My hand who grabbed her also landed on her butt, giving it a nice squeeze in the process. Wait, this is no time to think perverted thoughts! I saw Fiora below us, using what could only be Feather Step. She grabbed Helen, securing her from falling down into the abyss as well. Only the carriage remained unsalvaged. Those poor horses. ¡°Hugo, look up!¡± Fiora yelled. I did and what I saw nearly made me have a heart attack. A gigantic, massively-sized boulder was rapidly descending down towards us. I had no idea where it came from, because it certainly wasn¡¯t there before. However, it was definitely here now, and it would hit us in just a few seconds. And there was no dodging out of it either, due to the sheer size of the thing. This is Earth magic, isn¡¯t it? This has to be at least a Master-level spell for sure! So we are definitely under attack! ¡°Nicole! Use your barrier to protect us from the rock! I¡¯ll make sure we remain afloat using my Wind magic!¡± I dispelled my Wind Step, causing us both to fall down. Fiora and Helen followed, as they knew we had to buy time away from the boulder for now. Using more Feather Step, Fiora steered their trajectory to be closer with us. ¡°Air Sunder!¡± ¡°Barrier! Ceiling Mode!¡± I conjured a cyclone underneath all of us, forming it to focus all its strength to blow us upwards. It worked, perfectly in sync when Nicole finished her barrier spell. Like the name said, it only formed above us, no doubt allowing her to fortify it better than if she were to conjure it as a full sphere. CRASH The cleric flinched in pain the moment the boulder hit the barrier. Cracks formed but the integrity of the barrier remained intact. Wooaahh! The moment temporary respite came, my perverted mind acted up again, as I took in the lovely sights surrounding me. White! Pink! Black! The skirts of Nicole, Fiora, and Helen all flew upwards due to my spell, revealing just what kind of underwear they were wearing for the day. Fiora''s was lacy white, the same pair I had seen many times when she had her clothing accidents from trying to parry my Boom Cannon. Nicole on the other hand wore a lovely soft pink. They were plain, sure, but they were still tight enough to display a nice figure of her cameltoe. And Helen''s. Oh wow, Helen''s. She wore a skimpy black lace along with a garterbelt. A full adult woman''s charm. Her butt was easily the biggest, followed by Nicole''s which was slightly bigger than Fiora''s. ¡°Staccato: Storm!" Fiora leaped upwards and performed a series of rapid slashing motions that cut the big boulder into chunks of smaller rocks, sending them flying away to the sides. With the rocks gone, we could finally see just where our attackers laid hidden. Or rather, the fact that they weren''t hidden in the slightest. Up there! That giant eagle! There are people riding on top of it! I can''t see them clearly from this distance but they''re definitely there! There wasn¡¯t any giant eagle before when I scouted the area so why is there one now? It doesn¡¯t make sense! As I tried to figure out what the hell was going on, Nicole reformed her barrier into a half-sphere, allowing us to finally have a firm footing. Of course, it also freed me from having to maintain my cyclone spell, allowing me to perform my counterattack right away. ¡°Boom Cannon!¡± It flew straight upwards towards the giant eagle at great speed. However¡­ Tch, a barrier! So they got a cleric with them as well! My suspicions were now confirmed. They must have a whole party with them up there. The mage conjured the giant rock, and another mage probably turned into that giant eagle. A cleric protected them with a barrier, all pre-casted since they must have waited for us to perform their ambush. Fine! You can protect yourself from my Boom Cannon! But how about my Boom Rifle, huh? First, I would aim at the giant eagle¡¯s head. If I can hit its brain, it should fall over right away, probably taking out the transformed mage as well. Or so I would, if they hadn¡¯t decided to continue their assault once more. Arrows! A rain of arrows is heading down towards us! It turned out that they also had an archer with them, and somehow, the one arrow they fired split apart into dozens of arrows mid-air. Is it a magic bow or something? Or is it the arrow that¡¯s magical? Oh, who the hell cares? It should be fine though, right? Nicole¡¯s barrier will not be pierced by mere arrows, right? ¡°Hugo! Aim for that eagle! Helen and I would help Nicole protect us from the arrows!¡± Fiora yelled. ¡°R-right!¡± I returned to my aim, trying to ignore the arrows. Fiora leaped upwards, using her sword to cut the arrows in mid-air with great speed. Helen on the other hand used her throwing knives against the arrows, which returned to her hands after they pierced their target. Enchanted knives. I had seen her use it many times before, against the monsters we encountered. Some of them still managed to strike the barrier however, and immediately I knew I shouldn¡¯t have underestimated those arrows. None of them actually went through the barrier, but it was obvious that they were damaging it every time they landed. So they must be no ordinary arrows to be sure. Hmm, maybe they¡¯re augmented by the archer¡¯s aura? Can you do that? ¡­ Dammit, I can''t aim properly! The giant eagle keeps moving around! If I don''t hurry, their mage will finish their chant and another troublesome spell will activate! I decided to just bombard them with Boom Cannon instead. I didn''t want to reveal my Boom Rifle this early into the fight, when I wasn''t sure I could get a clean kill from it. Even if it''s blocked by their barrier, if I just kept firing and hitting, it would weaken overtime and eventually shatter. "Boom Cannon!" "Boom Cannon!" "Boom Cannon!" After the fourth hit, I noticed a change in their behavior. Instead of circling above us, they instead made a beeline away from us. They''re fleeing! My spell must have damaged their barrier! Of course, I had no intention to let them get away. "Wind Step!" I flew upwards, chasing after them. I intended to bring out Great Fairy to keep me afloat once I got close, since I couldn''t fly while casting my offensive spells as well. Her flight was slower than mine, so I didn''t use her right away. And then, I saw her¡ªthe archer responsible for the arrows. Whoa, that¡¯s a dark elf, isn¡¯t it? First time I ever see one! Dark elves. Technically they counted as elves but after 1000 years ago, where they betrayed their kin to join forces with the Demon God, they had been living separately with each other ever since. Supposedly they were given the power of darkness by the Demon God himself, thus turning their skin dark. She aimed her bow right at me without hesitation, while her long silver hair fluttered in the wind. Oh, and her skirt was also fluttering as well, giving me a nice view of her black panties. Aah, if only I wasn¡¯t so far away... I called upon my Great Fairy, ordering her to hug me from behind and carry me with her wings. Munyu~? Mmm, this familiar softness¡­ Her breasts had gone bigger since she evolved into a Great Fairy, now that I think about it. She let her arrow loose, but it was too late. My Boom Cannon launched first, and it obliterated her single arrow before it could split, before slamming right into the barrier. CRACK Yep. It¡¯s pretty badly damaged alright. Just one more hit and it should¡ª Bzzzzzzzzzz-BAM!!! My heart jumped as I barely missed a lightning strike from above. This is¡ª! Bzzzzz-BAM!BAM!BAM! A rapid succession of thunder rained from the skies, as I realized that their mage had activated their next Master-level spell. This is Thunderstorm! No doubt about it! Unfortunately, There were two staff wielders in the group¡ªone was a purple-haired bunny girl and the other was a green-scaled lizardman. Both of their staves lit up, so I couldn¡¯t know which one was casting which spell. And of course, there was that familiar face. The catkin assassin from two months back. When he noticed me staring at him, he grinned, seemingly taunting me to catch him. ¡°Master, this is too dangerous! We can¡¯t fly in the middle of a thunderstorm like this!¡± My fairy protested. She raised a good point. However, like hell I¡¯m going to retreat now. And besides, there¡¯s a way to protect myself from the thunder using a simple fact of physics. ¡°Great Fairy, create a puddle of water above us. Then make said puddle connect with the ground with a constant stream of water going downwards, like a waterfall.¡± I told her. Electricity always travels on the easiest route. And air is more of an isolator than water. If we can just make a route from the air to the ground where the Earth would absorb all the electric charge, then we should be perfectly safe. ¡°M-Master! I don¡¯t think that would work!¡± ¡°Just do it! Trust me! I know it will work! I¡¯m your cool master after all!¡± I said with a grin. ¡°R-right. I trust you, Master,¡± she replied. She did as she was told, conjuring what was basically a lightning rod made out of water. BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM! S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Master, it works! The lightning can¡¯t reach us at all!¡± The fairy chirped. On the other hand, assassin catboy was visibly taken aback, along with his comrades who thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to chase them through this storm. Well, there¡¯s only one thing to do left. ¡°Boom Cannon!¡± My spell flew and it shattered their barrier completely. The lizardman fell. Guess he was the cleric after all. The dark elf drew her bow for another round, and the bunny girl mage turned off the Thunderstorm spell, accepting that I had rendered it completely ineffective, opting to start chanting a whole different spell entirely. The arrow flew and unlike before, because I just cast my Boom Cannon, the single arrow managed to split into multiple arrows before I could stop it. However¡­ ¡°Hyaaah!¡± Great Fairy conjured her own water arrows, completely nullifying her attack as they crashed into one another. And then¡­ ¡°Boom Cannon!¡± My spell launched and it hit the giant eagle right on its abdomen. It let out a screech as it fell from the skies. Its defensive capabilities were clearly not designed to handle such a powerful attack. There you go! No more flying for you! I told the fairy to release me, before I descended after them using Wind Step. Thankfully for them, they were flying over landmass, and not the great chasm we nearly fell into. The giant eagle changed back into its true form, revealing that it was a mousekin who had transformed into it. A huge bleeding hole was visible on his stomach and the lizard-priest frantically tried to heal him. Catboy readied his sword, while miss bunny mage fired a boulder right towards me. ¡°Boom Cannon!¡± The boulder was obliterated by my spell. Catboy moved in, blocking it from reaching his comrade. He was soon sent flying as he couldn¡¯t withstand the sheer impact of the attack. Of course, the bunny mage behind him was sent flying along with him as well. Ha! Take that! Fiora is stronger than you now! The dark elf fired another shot. Ha, this close, I can just cut it mid-air with my sword! I drew my sword with my left hand, swing it upwards in a sweeping motion, and¡ª KABOOM The arrow exploded. Right in front of my face. ¡°Gwaaahhhh!¡± I was sent flying backwards from the force, right over the cliff overlooking the great chasm. I fell. My body¡­ it refuses to move¡­ It hurts... Every inch of my body hurts¡­ I can feel it¡­ blood pouring out of my wounds¡­ Heh, she got me good. I underestimated her. I didn¡¯t know how she made her arrow explode like a bomb like that. And thanks to that, it caught me completely by surprise. She was just like me, holding off on using her trump card until the very last second. Aah, speaking of that, I didn¡¯t even get to use my Boom Rifle. And I trained so hard on it too... ¡°...asteeeerrrrr!¡± I heard the yell of my fairy from a distance. She must be flying right towards me at this moment. Too bad she can¡¯t fly fast enough. ...Oh, right, I can just recall her and resummon her near me. Luckily, I wasn¡¯t so wounded that I lost my consciousness, or else it would have been the end of me for sure. I did just that, and I immediately felt her warm hug, as she simultaneously healed me while carrying me upwards. Vol 2 Chapter 40: The Second Imperial Princess Fiora Guinevere Pendragon Ha¡­ ahahahahahaha! So strong! To think he can take on all of us like this on his own! Escaping our trap was already impressive enough. We certainly thought it would be enough to take them out. It was basically a perfect plan. Fralton would transform into his giant chameleon form, covering us from any prying eyes as we waited in ambush. And then, once they were in the middle of the bridge, Olva would fire her explosive arrow, severing the bridge immediately. And then, Fralton would turn into his giant eagle and Mrutu would begin chanting her Mountain Drop spell to finish them off. But of course, they were skilled enough to survive even after all that. And to think he was brave enough to chase after us like that. Not to mention his spell being able to tax Graton¡¯s barrier. Never saw a spell like that before. So powerful yet he casts it so fast. Heh, Hugo Greenwood. So you really are one of the kids responsible for the assasination of the Magocracy¡¯s Ice Witch. I wonder where your big sister is though. Is she even stronger than you? I would love to meet her too~ The catkin youth only stopped flying once he hit a cliff. But once he did, he quickly recovered, as if nothing had happened, before running forward, back into action straight away. He didn¡¯t even care of the rabbit mage that he had used as a cushion between him and the cliff wall, which, by the way, had turned unconscious from the impact. Ha, he might be powerful, but he still fell for Olva¡¯s trick. How many people she had killed the same way, I wonder? And there¡¯s the princess, charging right at us. I gotta be the one to fight her, of course. Fiora, lagging behind compared to Hugo as she had to dodge the thunder strikes in a normal way, landed on firm ground with a shudder of pain. She had used too much of her Feather Step, and now, her feet had to pay the price. It¡¯s an ability that supercharged your leg muscles, so even her being able to use it consecutively like that without going into cramps right away was a display of her skillfulness. She was never good at Fortissimo like her master, so she had to compensate by dodging attacks that she couldn¡¯t block or parry instead. The dark elf named Olva fired another one of her arrows. Fiora already knew however not to attempt to slash it like Hugo did. That idiot. He got overconfident. Thank the Saint he got that fairy of his. She dodged to the side immediately with another Feather Step, feeling another sharp pain assaulting her lower legs. !!! CLANG From behind, a slash of a scimitar nearly bisected her, if not for her blocking it with her sword. The arrow indeed exploded, but it wasn¡¯t her main concern now, as the catkin assassin was right beside her. ¡°Hello, Your Imperial Highness. Long time no see.¡± ¡°Hmph, the Hunter of Death himself. I see my siblings don¡¯t pull any punches on trying to take my life,¡± Fiora responded with a smirk. Using Graceful Step, she dashed backwards, putting a distance between her and the assassin. Or so she feinted. In fact, it was an offensive move, as she intended to attack the elf behind her. SWOOSH The sharp noise of a blade cutting air resounded through her ears, as she barely dodged in time with an inch of her life. The catfolk decided to use the opportunity to send a barrage of slashes towards her, but she deftly parried every single one of them, even sending some back to him, drawing first wound in their combat. "Too slow! Too slow!" She mocked. "Hugo''s spell is so much faster! And stronger!" For the first time in his life, the assassin realized that he might just have picked a target that was too much for him. Still can''t win even with my full crew, huh? Heh, always knew one day I''d take the wrong job. "Hey, catboy.¡± Fiora spoke, still with her smirk. ¡°If you tell me who sent you and your gang, I might just let you all live. You know very well that your little assassin party isn¡¯t strong enough to take me down, right? Your plan has failed. Quite the ingenious plan, I have to admit, but not ingenious enough.¡± ¡°Heh, who knows? They never tell us anything. We¡¯re just mere grunts in the guild. A bounty appears for someone and we take it, no questions asked,¡± he replied, still grinning. ¡°Then tell me where the headquarters of your so-called ¡®Guild¡¯ is,¡± Fiora continued. ¡°I¡¯d like to pay them a visit myself.¡± ¡°Wanna put a hit on your siblings, eh?¡± ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ll kill them myself if they get in my way. However, I can certainly use your bunch to clean up the other corrupt nobles. It would be too much of a bother for me to kill them personally one by one.¡± Another arrow flew towards her. Or rather, three arrows, as the elf had opted to fire three at once from her bow. They were moving all separately from each other. It was clear that she intended to blow up a wider area so Fiora couldn¡¯t escape. Fiora didn¡¯t even need to look behind her to notice or even dodge them though. She moved forward and launched herself towards the catkin, knowing very well his underling would never shoot towards him. And then, she began her relentless assault. ¡°Staccato: Storm!¡± With a speed impossible to decipher by the naked eye, she barraged the beastkin with slashes and thrusts. He managed to keep up at first, but he soon found out that even with double the sword amount, he was outmatched by her ever increasing speed. And thus, with a sickening meat-slashing sound, and a sound of metal hitting the dirt, Fiora took his left hand. Blood spurted out of the stump as the catkin slowly backed away¡ªhis other hand dropping the sword as he needed it to press the wound. ¡°See?¡± Fiora continued, completely unfazed by the sight of blood. ¡°You can¡¯t fight me anymore. I¡¯ve grown these past two months, all thanks to Hugo and Nicole. They have trained me well, and made me grow even further as a swordswoman. You might be a match for me back at the temple, but now, you¡¯re nothing but trash. So fess up. Tell me everything. From the assassin guild to which of my siblings sent the order.¡± She pointed at him. ¡°Nevan! You bitch!¡± The dark elf fired even more arrows towards Fiora, but once again, she dodged it all with ease without even needing to look. The speed of an arrow is so much slower than the speed of Hugo¡¯s Boom Cannon. Not to mention the speed of his Boom Rifle, which is even faster. And there was no serenity in the elf¡¯s attacks. It was all so obvious. The elf tried to jump back away from her, but Fiora¡¯s speed was simply unmatched. She zigzagged through her arrows, dodging all the explosions flawlessly. And then, when she was close enough¡­ SLASH She sliced her bow into two. The elf fell to the ground on her bottom¡ªfear and anger filling her face. Her hand grabbed the dagger on her belt, but before she could even unsheathe it, Fiora already placed the tip of her sword on her throat. "Hey, Nevan!" She yelled towards the catkin. "You care about her, don''t you? Then spill it. Tell me everything." Olva didn''t dare to move even an inch. She knew that making any sort of movement would be the end of her. The catfolk named Nevan still continued to grin, even as he had to bear the incredibly painful experience of having your hand being cut off. But then, he did something completely unexpected. He knelt down and placed his temple on the ground, prostrating completely towards Fiora. "You win, Fiora Guinevere Pendragon. I, Nevan Renado, admit my complete and utter defeat." Fiora raised her eyebrows, a skeptical look drawn across her face. No way he was suddenly going to surrender this easily, right? She walked forward, sheathing back her sword though still keeping her right hand on the handle. The elf was no longer a threat. Even if she would run at her with her dagger, she would be able to counter her attack with extreme ease. ¡°Hoo¡­ are you speaking the truth? Or are you just lying to catch me off guard?¡± She stood in front of him, looking down towards the groveling man. "You are no prey, Fiora Guinevere Pendragon. You are a predator. I acknowledge you as my superior." He spoke again. "Nevan!" A growly voice shouted. It was the lizardman priest, along with the mousekin, who was leaning at him. The hole on his stomach was gone, but he clearly was still too weak to fight. There was a bright light at the tip of his steel staff however. He was clearly readying a spell to attack her. However, he hadn¡¯t launched it yet. Most likely because he saw his leader kneeling in front of their opponent like that. ¡°Is this a beastman thing? I know you folks are big on honor and all that. Settling fights through one-on-one duels. Even your courtship ritual includes a fight against your rivals,¡± Fiora continued. ¡°You are a bunch of assassins though. You have no honor. The moment you decide to be lapdogs of corrupt humans, you have lost your right to call yourself true beastmen. Well, except the dark elf and the lizardman. They aren¡¯t really beastmen after all.¡± Lizardmen were usually considered of the Demon Race instead, as their homeland was on the Demon Continent. The lizardman, hearing what his leader had said, decided to kneel down and prostrate as well, followed by the mousekin beside him. His spell was, of course, dispelled. ¡°Y-you can¡¯t just bow to her, can you?¡± The elf yelled. ¡°She¡¯s exactly the kind of scum we all aspire to exterminate! Don¡¯t you remember our oath back then? That we would kill every one of those noble filth that put us in that hell?¡± She was now in tears, which made Fiora raise her eyebrows. ¡°I pledge my allegiance to you, Your imperial Highness. For I too share your dream. To free every single one of my brethren in captivity and bondage.¡± At this point, Nicole and Helen had arrived at the location Fiora was currently in. Even Hugo had returned as well, carried by his fairy. And what they saw naturally took them by surprise. ------- Hugo What the hell has just happened? I was only gone for a bit and when I come back, the assassins are bowing to Fiora? Except for dark elf-oneesan though. She''s yelling something with tears in her eyes. "Hoo? Did you just say you wish to support me in my goal to forbid slavery? And how do you know about that exactly?" "I''ve researched you after our first meeting." Well, that''s a nice way to say "attempt to assassinate". "And I learned of your noble goal and how you were isolated from the royal court because of it. Your older sister, Rinea Rhea Pendragon, is against it because her company profits greatly from it. And your older brother, Alphonse Rhea Pendragon¡ªhe''s against it because he''s with the nobles that desire to keep the status quo. I''ve heard how they talk of you at the capital. "The Barbarian Princess. The Accursed Sibling. The Delusional Little Girl. And many others." "So you''ve picked up on the rumors. So what? You think you can help me achieve my goal? You''re a skilled assassin. You can just kill all those slave traders and the nobles that support them without my help." "If I do that, I know they would send one of the Imperial Knights after me. And then it would be all over. I am not so naive to think that I can win against any of them. And seeing how badly I dare against you know, I know my assessment was correct." The catboy¡­ he''s¡­ swearing fealty at Fiora? Fiora paused for a moment, walking around him one full circle before replying, "So, how did you learn I was going here?" "It was an info given to me from the higher-ups of the Guild. They didn''t say where it came from." "And who is the head of the Guild?" "An old man we only call by the title ''Guildmaster''. No one knows his real name. But I do know the biggest backer of the Guild is the current Earl of Holden, Lord Julius Holden. I¡¯m sure you already know where to find your dear Earl, but you can find the Guildmaster in the Capital. Our headquarters, like you ask, is there, inside the Catacombs.¡± ¡°Hmph, so my suspicion was correct after all.¡± Fiora¡¯s interrogating him. And he¡¯s spilling everything. This is exactly what she wants. And the Capital? He must mean the capital city of the Holy Empire, Arthurstaad. No idea about the Catacombs though. Is it like the Paris Catacombs? I stood on the sidelines, watching in silence, making sure that none of the assassins would try to ambush Fiora. I knew I shouldn¡¯t interrupt the proceedings, as Fiora was now showing just how capable she was as a leader. She was ordering him around without hesitation, while still having her right hand on the handle of her sword, ready to strike at a moment¡¯s notice if he made any sudden movements. Helen was doing the same, while Nicole was biting her lip and gripping her staff tightly, looking terribly nervous. I put one hand on her shoulder, whispering, ¡°It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s got this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t trust her lie!¡± The elf suddenly shouted. ¡°You and I know that human nobles cannot be trusted! I don¡¯t care if she¡¯s an exiled princess or whatever but you know very well how humans treat us demons and nonhumans! She¡¯ll just use you as a tool for her political game!¡± Fiora turned to face the elf with a neutral, almost bored-looking expression on her face. ¡°Who are you, dark elf? What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°As if I would ever tell my name to you!¡± ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll just call you ¡®Miss Dark Elf¡¯ instead.¡± She smirked. ¡°Hear me, Miss Dark Elf.¡± At this point, she started to slowly walk towards her. ¡°You might think that all of us humans are bad or evil or whatever. Perhaps you¡¯re right. Perhaps I¡¯m just doing this out of my selfish greed to obtain the throne over my siblings. You certainly don¡¯t have any reason to trust me at this point, especially after I sliced off your lover¡¯s hand.¡± ¡°L-lover?¡± The dark elf immediately reddened. ¡°W-we and I.. we¡¯re not like¡ª¡± ¡°Oh please. I¡¯m only thirteen and it¡¯s all too obvious that you care greatly about him. That¡¯s why you are both filled with anger while crying at the same time. You hate me yet you¡¯re worried about him. And that hate actually overcomes your fear. Thankfully, for your own sake, you didn¡¯t try attacking me with that dagger of yours, or else I would have sliced off your hand as well.¡± Well, she¡¯s surprisingly cute in that state. Heh, I guess all girls or women would turn cute once they¡¯re all blushing like that. But to think that Mr. Cat over there has such a pretty elf girlfriend. Damn it, now I¡¯m jealous! I want an elf girlfriend too! Normal elves or dark elves¡ªboth are fine! Though I don¡¯t think they¡¯re official yet though. I don¡¯t think that guy is the romantic type in the slightest. Now, Fiora was standing right in front of her. The dark elf was taller yet Fiora¡¯s presence still managed to be much more intimidating than hers. ¡°How old are you, dark elf? From the way you spoke, you must be a mere youngling, compared to your brethren. The length of your ears tells me that you have a lot of non-elf blood inside you, so you¡¯re far different from those pureblooded ones who were present one thousand years ago when you betrayed us for the Demon God." Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "W-what does that have to do with anything?" "I''m saying that you have nothing to do with the betrayal. So there''s no reason for even me, a descendant of the legendary hero, to see you as an enemy." She smiled. "So you''re the one who''s close-minded, thinking I''m the same as those wretched nobles." She drew her sword out, but not as an offensive more. Instead, she held it up so the thin blade perfectly lined up horizontally with the bridge of her nose. "I am Fiora Guinevere Pendragon, descendant of the legendary hero Arthur Pendragon himself. I shall cut through the chains of injustice and tyranny, just like my ancestor did. I promise you this, in my name and the name of the Pendragon dynasty." Her smile disappeared as she recited her oath. She was completely serious¡ªwith a dignified and dare I say it, regal countenance. And for the very first time, I can finally see her as a real, honest-to-goodness royal princess. The dark elf was made speechless. I can guess what¡¯s most likely going through her head right now, just by looking at her expression. It was confusion. She was confused between her preconceptions of what nobles are and what Fiora was displaying to her. Fiora said nothing more towards her. She returned back to the catkin and said, ¡°Raise your head.¡± He did it promptly, almost as if he was her knight. ¡°Perhaps you can prove useful to me. Fine. If you truly wish to fight alongside me, then leave this place with your little band. Gather all the information you can about the nobility, the merchants, and their connections with the royal family. And determine any factions that might support my cause. I wish to know everything, anything at all, even meaningless things like the favorite dessert of some no-name baron.¡± He nodded. ¡°This doesn¡¯t just include the Holy Empire and its vassals. I require information on the entire Holy Continent, as there¡¯s a high chance my little competition for the throne will plunge this whole continent into chaos.¡± He nodded again. ¡°And of course, you will work behind the shadows spreading good rumors of me while besmirching the names of my older brother and sister. Portray them as unworthy of the throne, with me being the only one who should reign as an empress.¡± He nodded once more. ¡°You shall do this work for a couple of years, as I stay here doing my training. Every year you will come to this place and give me your report.¡± He nodded for the last time. ¡°And of course, dispose of any other assassins that might go after my life. Or not. They can¡¯t be that bright if they think it¡¯s a good idea to chase me all the way to the place where so many powerful swordmasters gather. Might make a good distraction from my training.¡± There, he actually chuckled a little. ¡°Good. I trust you will do your task well. If you¡¯re truly at my side now. If you betray me and decide to run away, I will not mind. However, if you try another attempt at my life¡­¡± She slashed the very top of his head, causing a chunk of hair to disperse. ¡°I shall show no mercy.¡± Vol 2 Chapter 41: The Next Step "You sure you''re just going to let them go?" "Of course. I don''t go back on my word." "That cat guy is shady as hell, you know. He''s still grinning even with his hand chopped off like that. And I don''t like how his bangs cover his eyes like that." We watched as the assassin party left the way we came. They were walking on foot, since their ride, the transformation specialist mage, was still too weak to attempt any more transformation after I gravely wounded him. Before they left, the elf decided to prostrate as well, signifying that she too surrendered to Fiora. It was a complete victory. Afterwards, Fiora told them that they could stand up. After they did, they introduced themselves one by one. The catkin, still grinning, mind you, was named Nevan. The dark elf was named Olva, the lizardman Graton, the mousekin Fralton, and the still unconscious rabbitkin Mrutu. I just realized that there wasn¡¯t a single human about them. Now I think I could reckon a guess on how this group came to be, why they would support Fiora¡¯s goal, and why their leader was dressed like a slave with his rags. They didn¡¯t tell us their life story though. And Fiora certainly didn¡¯t ask. They simply left after thanking FIora once more for her clemency, promising that they would return here one year from now to report their findings. "I''m worried about you, you know. What if they return with an even bigger force?" I spoke to Fiora once they were out of sight. "Then it would be a pleasant challenge. Also, you''re in no position to lecture me on anything, after that pathetic display of yours." "Oh¡­ you''re talking about the explosive arrow, aren''t you?" I grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. "Yeah, didn''t see that coming in the slight¡ªoow, what was that for?" She kicked me in the nuts! "You could''ve died there if not for your fairy, you buffoon." She glared, folding her hands under her chest. "And your face would have been gone if your body isn''t already used on automatically putting a layer of aura to respond to an incoming attack. And that''s thanks to me hitting you over and over while we trained. Why did you think it''s a bright idea to charge in like that? You''re a mage. You''re not suited for close combat." "J-just thought I could finish them off, that''s all¡­ Got too excited and thought ''there''s no way I can lose!'' and all that¡­" I looked down, away from her gaze. She was right. That was really stupid of me. "H-hey, don''t scold Master like that!" My fairy suddenly spoke with a pout, making Fiora turn her attention towards her. She eyed her up and down. "Uuu¡­ why are you staring at me like that?" She complained. "Master, this girl is bullying me!" She pointed with tears in her eyes. I sighed. "Alright, you can return now." I told her. "Good job, little fairy." I patted her in the head. She giggled in delight before disappearing soon after. "A great fairy summon, huh?" Fiora commented. "Pretty decent. Have you learned her name yet?" She gave a glance at my direction. "N-no¡­" I replied. "I''m not sure if I want to anchor her permanently with me to be honest." "Oh, why not?" She smirked. "I mean¡­ it''s a heavy thing, you know. That means I''ll have to take care of her for the rest of my life. I''m not sure if I''m ready for that kind of a commitment. And knowing how childish and naive she is, I don''t think she''ll understand the meaning of becoming my familiar as well." In short, I don''t want to be a bastard that takes advantage of a young girl. And besides, if she stays with me for the rest of my life, doesn''t that sound like marriage? Sherry won''t be happy for sure¡­ "I see," Fiora replied, still smirking. ¡°You really are a nice guy, aren¡¯t you?¡± She didn¡¯t say anything else on the matter afterwards. We then turned back our attention to the bridge, having barely any wounds to talk about. My own wounds had been completely healed by my fairy, while Fiora¡¯s tired legs were quickly fixed up by Nicole. The bridge itself on the other hand was not as lucky. It was now hanging downwards on the other side, as it lost its tether on this side. Now that I think of it, that explosion before we fell¡­ that¡¯s from the elf¡¯s exploding arrow, isn¡¯t it? I thought it¡¯s just a fire spell. Now that it¡¯s out, I suppose we don¡¯t have any other way to cross. Guess we¡¯ll just have to turn back the way we come and have Fiora learn swordsmanship somewhere else. ...Oh, who am I kidding? Of course not. ¡°Not to worry.¡± Nicole declared with a confident smile. ¡°I can conjure a bridge for us to go across.¡± ¡°Do you still have enough mana, Lady Nicole?¡± Helen asked with a concerned look. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± She nodded. ¡°I can still keep going.¡± And so it was decided. We were going to use her barrier spell as a floor for us to cross. I sighed again. Now that our carriage is gone, we have to actually walk and our progress will be severely delayed, until we can get a new one. ----------- As I had predicted, we didn''t make it all the way down the mountain before the sun had set. And so, we had to set up camp. Only that all the camping equipment was on the carriage, except for mine, which I stored inside my all too handy Bag of Holding. And so we had to share one tent. All four of us. Yeah, you can just imagine how overjoyed I was of the prospect. Me, surrounded by these lovely girls (and woman) in a cramped space like that¡­ my perverted mind immediately went into overdrive. Only for Fiora to ruin it by telling me to just make a makeshift on the nearby cliff wall. And judging by her I-know-what-you''re-thinking-you-perv smile, she clearly knew that she just ruined my perverted dream. Dammit, we''re separating soon, right? At least give me a chance to get a squeeze on Helen''s mounds. We had a deer I sniped with my Boom Rifle for dinner, since we lost our food supplies as well. Helen cooked it and it was delicious. She simply knew how to cook the meat well, making it tender. Even without seasoning, it still had its own flavor. I then fell asleep first. My watch turn would be just before morning. -------- ...ugo... ...Hugo.. ...is Sherry¡­ sending you¡­ message¡­ through dream¡­ using orb... ... can''t go¡­ I can''t go back home¡­ ...Not strong enough¡­ can''t leave¡­ ...Sorry¡­ you and Marina¡­ go without me¡­ ¡­Don''t worry¡­ I''m fine¡­ met my family here¡­ ...Catch up¡­ Find you¡­ as soon as I¡¯m stronger¡­ -------- I leaped out of my slumber. Almost literally, as I immediately sat up from my slouched-to-the-cavern-wall position. I was sweating profusely and my pupils were wide open. It was as if I had just woken up from a nightmare. That¡¯s¡­ that was Sherry, wasn¡¯t it?! There¡¯s no doubt about it! That was Sherry, sending me a message through my dream! She can¡¯t leave?! Not strong enough? What does that mean? So she¡¯s not going to leave her village anytime soon? Argh, this isn¡¯t just a dream, is it? No, the atmosphere was too different from one. She said it herself. It was a message. Somehow, she had sent me a message of her tardiness using my dream as a medium. I stood up, legs still a bit wobbly. I need some fresh air. I walked outside the cave and saw Fiora, standing there on the open field, gazing upon the black sky. Or rather, she was looking at the full moon adorning it. It was so bright that it swallowed the light of the stars. In this world, without any electricity, you can always see stars clearly as long as the sky isn¡¯t cloudy. ¡°Hmm?¡± She quickly noticed my presence. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, Hugo. Still a bit too early for your shift, I think.¡± ¡°...What¡¯s with that grim look? Something happened, didn¡¯t it? You got a nightmare perhaps?¡± She let out a small smirk. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Sherry. I think she just sent me a message through my dream,¡± I answered, as ridiculous as that might sound. Hearing this, her attention perked up. She raised her eyebrows and walked over closer to me. ¡°And what¡¯s this message might be?¡± she asked. ¡°She can¡¯t return as promised. She¡¯s not strong enough so she can¡¯t leave,¡± I replied. Fiora didn¡¯t respond right away. She turned around, walking away from me. The sound of her footsteps pressing onto the dead leaves and branches were swallowed by the cacophony of crickets that were all around us. ¡°You¡¯re worried then?¡± she asked again. ¡°Of course I am,¡± I replied with a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t understand her message at all. If it¡¯s even her message, that is, and not just some dream I imagined in myself.¡± ¡°...There¡¯s a magic item in this world called the Dream Orb. With it, you can send messages to people through their dreams, no matter how far you are from them. It is an extremely rare item, only found in dangerous places like dungeons and such. It is something the dungeon itself creates. Not even the most skilled gnome can replicate its properties.¡± ¡°So you think Sherry used that to contact me like this?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± she replied, still looking away from me. Another veil of silence fell between us. I already know what I am going to say next, and I know Fiora knows it as well. But somehow, I can¡¯t bring myself to say it right away. ¡°You¡¯re leaving, I take it?¡± ¡°...Yes.¡± ¡°I see.¡± And then, before I could respond, she turned around, grabbed the back of my head, and forced me into a kiss. It was not just a chaste kiss. It was a passionate one, as her tongue invaded my mouth voraciously like a hungry dog. Even if I wanted to escape, I wouldn¡¯t be able to, as her hands firmly locked me in place. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally released me, with a trail of saliva still connecting our mouths. She grinned, and for the very first time, she was as red as a tomato. Not that I was one to talk. I was pretty sure I was just as red as her. ¡°You haven¡¯t done that with Sherry, have you, Hugo? Well, tell her then. That if she doesn¡¯t treat you right, I¡¯ll snatch you right away from her grasp.¡± She then patted on my shoulder as she walked past me like nothing had happened. ¡°Well, let¡¯s wake up the others, shall we? Or would you prefer to leave after breakfast?¡± ------- We woke up Nicole and Helen early. After I resolved myself to leave, and how Fiora had just french kissed me like that, it would be too awkward for me to linger around for long. We didn¡¯t tell them anything after we had our breakfast. Fiora seemingly was content to let me be the one to decide when I should drop the news. Thankfully, both Nicole and Helen decided not to bother changing out of their nightgowns. Maybe they knew from the expression of my face and Fiora¡¯s that I got something important to tell them. And then, once our breakfast was over, eating the remains of the deer meat from last night, I decided to not dally any further and just went with it. ¡°Everyone. I have an announcement to make.¡± I told them, after I took a big sigh. I promptly explained to them about my dream and how I was worried about her. Nicole and Helen both exchanged confused and bewildered looks with each other, before Nicole spoke, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s really a message from her and not just a normal dream?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure of it,¡± I replied. ¡°It just doesn¡¯t feel like a dream, you know. And she told it herself that it¡¯s a message from her.¡± Still, now that I speak to them like this, I realize just how absurd this whole thing is. ¡°Oh, Sherry, I wonder if she¡¯s alright¡­¡± Nicole said, looking away with a pained expression. She was still wearing her nightgown, along with Helen. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She also told me that she found her family there,¡± I replied with a calming smile. ¡°So I¡¯m sure she¡¯s alright.¡± Hopefully. ¡°I see.¡± Her lovely smile slowly crept into her face. ¡°I am glad to hear that.¡± ¡°Lord Hugo, if you¡¯re going to leave at once, then please allow me to express my gratitude for everything you have done for us and Her Imperial Highness.¡± She bowed. ¡°And please, forgive any rudeness I have displayed to you through this journey. I was wrong to ever doubt you. We wouldn¡¯t have made it this far with your help.¡± As she bowed, her large breasts jiggled in the most impressive manner, and I could see her black bra peeking out of the loose neckline of her nightgown. Aah, I¡¯ll miss the sight of those two mountains for sure. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I replied with a smile. ¡°When I first met up with you all, I was quite in the awful state of mind, remember? You guys helped me as much as I helped you.¡± I turned to face Nicole. ¡°You comforted me when I needed it the most.¡± And then I looked towards Fiora. ¡°And you pulled me out of my self-pity and trained me in the art of the sword. Quite harshly, I might add,¡± I chuckled. And you, Helen, you gave so many nice views of your boobs. Not that I can say that to her face, of course. ¡°You¡¯re the one who pulled yourself out of despair, Hugo,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°I merely light a lantern to guide you out of it, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Ha, that¡¯s right! You owe me more than I owe you!¡± Fiora replied with a grin, putting one hand on her waist. ¡°So you better not run away when I go after you after I finish my training, got it?¡± ¡°Oh, speaking of owing things, you haven¡¯t paid me for my service yet,¡± I replied. ¡°Alright. Cough it up. The thousand gold coins you promised.¡± I gave a mock frown as I folded my arms under my chest. ¡°Hmph, I see you haven¡¯t forgot.¡± What happened next was a complete surprise however. She began unbuckling her sword from her waist, before offering the whole thing to me. ¡°Here. This is your payment. My sword.¡± I gave her a confused look. ¡°All of our gold are inside that carriage, so I cannot pay you any other way. This sword is made out of Mithril, in case you don¡¯t know. It would easily fetch a thousand gold coins in the market. So sell it and get the gold you deserve.¡± ¡°W-what! I can¡¯t just take your sword and sell it!¡± ¡°Then carry it with you then. Use it as a replacement for that brittle sword of yours.¡± ¡°But, if you don¡¯t have a sword, then how would you¡ª¡± ¡°What, you think I won¡¯t be able to find a new sword? Are you an idiot? This is a land of swords. I¡¯ll easily be able to meet a blacksmith that will sell me a new one.¡± ¡°But it won¡¯t be Mithril, won¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need Mithril. With my skill, a normal sword is good enough.¡± She gave me her usual smug smile, but I know she was just trying to convince me to take the sword. I sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll accept this as payment.¡± I stored my current sword in my bag before attaching her sword onto my waist. ¡°Try to think about me every time you swing it, alright?¡± "Nah. Since you don''t seem to need it, I''ll just sell it. I''m more of a mage than a swordsman after all." I said with a grin. It was just me teasing her of course. Frankly, I don''t know if I''m going to use this sword or not. Helen then walked forward, before suddenly, she gave me a hug. Mmmmmphh, boobs! Boobs! "Stay well, Lord Hugo. And may the Saint be with you. And thank you once again, for all you¡¯ve done for Her Imperial Highness." Her womanly scent entered my nostrils, and immediately my little guy woke up. It was so soft and so warm, that it reminded me of Renee''s own boobful embrace. She released me with a smile. Huh? Is that a blush I see on her face? The next one to hug me was Nicole. Slightly teary eyed, she said, "Promise me never to lose your way again, Hugo. It''s okay if you blunder. What''s important is for you to correct yourself and try to walk on that narrow straight path once again." Of course, in the process, her boobs were pressing onto my chest, while my little guy was being pressed into her lower stomach. Thankfully, she didn''t seem to notice. The last one to give me a goodbye hug was Fiora. And she didn''t hesitate. She immediately went for the squeeze down there while hugging me with her other hand. "Hey, never go back being your crybaby self, alright? You get punched, you punch back. You''re a man, aren''t you? One with a lover as well. If you really like that girl that much, then you''ll train and fight and even die for her. And stop being too much of a perv. You''ll easily get taken advantage by women that way. If you cross the line with some whore on the road while having resisted all my flirtations, then I''ll be really quite insulted as a woman." She whispered all those words while practically giving me a clothed handjob. She released me with a grin. I noticed the little tears pooling at the edge of her eyes, but I said nothing. At this emotional moment, I would be a terrible person to tease her. Even her handjob might be just her way to remember me better. Heh, you really are gonna miss me that much, huh? Haah, if only I''m a charming harem protag with a maxed charisma stat. I can make both Sherry and Fiora get along and I''ll have a harem. But I''m just an introvert who''s not good with women. They''ll just fight against each other. Sherry might even decide to leave me right away. And she''d be right to do so. Imagine if I meet her and she''s all lovey-dovey with another guy. ...Yeah, I''ll most likely spiral into depression once again. With everyone having said their parting words, I wore my bag, gave one final bow of goodbye, and then took my first step on the next part of my journey. And this time, I¡¯m doing it with a smile. Vol 2 Interlude — The Growth of The Flame Witch Durcesa, The City of Water. It was one of the big cities of the Magocracy. Or rather, it was only second to Mira itself. Compared to it''s neighbor to the west, the gloomy and cold city of Rau Uvarsa, it was positively brimming with life and warmth. Many of the Magocracy citizens from other regions would go there for their holiday. After all, it was the center of culture and art, promoted by none other than it''s mistress, the Lady herself, Selendia Brine. She put so much funds into the many theaters and dancing halls of the city. She was a well-known lover of the arts and it showed right on her city itself. Not only that, but she also kept the canals flowing through the city completely clean, which harsh punishment for anyone who dared littering in it. Slums were not allowed to exist either. Every single building must exude beauty. As a result, there were no poor people living in the city. Or rather, if you''re poor, you''re not allowed to live or even step into its gates. Such was the way of the Lady. She loved beautiful things and detested ugliness in all its forms. To the north of the city was a massive lake, easily dwarfing the city itself. It was called by the locals with the title, "The Lady''s Lake", for it was where the Tower of The Lady was built, right in the middle of it. From land, you wouldn''t be able to make out any of its features, for there was a constant cloud of mist surrounding it. It was said to be of the magical kind, only allowing those invited by the Lady while repelling others, making them lose their bearings while sailing there, thus never being able to reach the tower itself. And not only that. There were also rumors of sea monsters on patrol, dragging any Intruders to the cold depths below. Indeed, the lake itself was a saltwater lake. It was as if a chunk of the ocean had been teleported into land. They said it was the work of the Brine Family, far back hundreds of years ago when they decided to construct the lake. After all, that family was nearly as old as the Salamander family¡ªtheir illustrious line stretching all the way to the Founding Era itself. And of course, the Lady was doing a perfect job holding up to that prestigious name. And her daughter, Elunmidis Brine, was already seen by her citizens as the perfect replacement for her once the Lady decided to retire. Both were indeed popular personages, from the lake city itself all the way to the most remote fishing villages of the region. They were beloved by their citizens, with many of the lesser noble houses of the region, and of other regions of the Magocracy, vouching for the daughter¡¯s hand in marriage. The Lady however gave her daughter all the authority to choose her own partner. And so far, none of them had been chosen by her. The daughter was smart. Knowing perfectly well the value of herself in the court of marriage, she only opted for the best of the best. Lacking in magic talent? You¡¯re out. Having a plain face? You¡¯re out. Having an annoying personality? You¡¯re out as well. And thus, to this day, she remained without a single fiancee. Not that she cared. She was never really interested in romance in the first place. Back to the Tower, currently, there were two certain guests of honor that the Lady entertained. They had arrived in style from the skies, one transformed into a giant phoenix that sent awe to the entire city and anyone else that saw them. And the other riding on a flying sword nimbly beside him, as if the height and wind didn¡¯t bother her in the slightest. The people knew who they were immediately. After all, there was only one phoenix mage in the entire Magocracy. --------- ¡°Where is he?! Tell me at once, you old hag!¡± A fiery voice yelled the moment she met face to face with the Lady in her throne room. She had barged into the place by blowing the door wide open with her fire magic, unable to be bothered to wait for the servants to open it for her. The Lady however was unperturbed. She simply sat lazily on her chair, with one hand holding her leaning head as she gave a smile towards the rude visitor. ¡°How dare you speak to Milady like that?! Kneel to her at once! Just because you¡¯re the granddaughter of Lord Merlinus doesn¡¯t mean you are equal to her in status!¡± The maid standing beside her seemed to think otherwise however. The throne room was beautiful, if one were to describe it in a simple word. It was mostly teal and white colored, made out of smooth white stones that had not a single gap between them. A gentle scent of the salt and the breeze of the ocean seemed to permeate every room, no doubt the work of magic as well. And the floor seemed to have a layer of water on them, even though your feet would never get wet in the slightest. The carpet of honor was not red as they usually were, but dark blue instead. Beside the Lady herself and the maid, there were also a number of guards standing to the left and right. They were part of the Aquus Corps, the personal army of the Lady herself. Most of them were of the local folk, sons and daughters of minor magic families that swore fealty to the House of Brine. Others however were former adventurers, paid extremely well and given their own lands. Essentially, they were promoted to being minor nobles themselves, if the Magocracy was a normal kingdom. None of them showed any overt reaction to the girl''s outbursts, although some of them exchanged looks with each other. They quickly returned to full attention however when the next person entered the room. "Hahahahaha!" The laugh of an old man filled the room. "You don''t need to rush, my dear Alincia. Selendia will not go back on her word." He was the Phoenix Sage himself, Merlinus Salamander. Dressed in a dark red robe with a bright red beard that reached down to his waist, he was a personage that you immediately drew attention to himself. He was rarely seen without his grin, revealing his slightly yellowed teeth. The Lady stirred, sitting upright on her throne at last. ¡°The boy you want is currently in the waiting room,¡± she finally spoke. ¡°He is unaware of your presence. So you do what you want with him.¡± The young mage named Alincia didn¡¯t hesitate. She bolted out of the room, not even giving a thank you towards the older mage. ¡°You¡¯re not going to watch, Merlinus?¡± The Lady¡¯s smile turned mischievous, as she turned her gaze towards the old man. ¡°Hmm, good idea. Her expression after she did it¡­ it would be a wonderful thing to see.¡± Still with a grin, he left the room, with the guards all bowing to him once again. ------- Someone who wants to meet me? I wonder who it is... The hobbit had his legs swinging back and forth as he sat on the chair that was too tall for him. His name was Thomas Marjoram, the sole grandson of Vera Marjoram. After her assassination, he had been taken in by the Lady and hidden here, away from those that might wish him harm. After all, even after his grandmother fell, he was still an important personage to the Magocracy. Someone might just decide to kidnap and ransom him after all. ...Or so the thought. The truth was, he really was no one important. He was not a powerful mage, and his house had crumbled into ruin, thus he was a nobody. A commoner. The Council would not care about his well-being, even if he were to be kidnapped or even murdered. However, thanks to Merlinus, who made a personal request to the Lady, he was now here, blissfully unaware of what his role was going to be. He was, simply put, a bait, for Alincia to reach even greater heights in her magic. Merlinus knew she would be after his blood after what he did to her friend. Thus he asked Selendia to hide him from her. And he told her he would only give his location if she could surpass the strongest mage under his employ. And she did. After many months of harsh, non-stop training, she managed to do exactly that. It gave him unimaginable joy, to see how the fruit he planted grew so beautifully. He used to believe that she was the failure, resting all his hopes to his older sister instead. However, after Merinda was killed by that accursed necromancer, he had to rest all his hope for a successor to her. He had to thank her friend as well, for teaching her and being her motivation. The door opened and he looked up with a smile. Only to find out that it was exactly someone he didn¡¯t want to meet. ¡°A-A-Alincia?!¡± He quickly stood up and hid behind the sofa. ¡°W-what are you doing here?¡± ¡°You know why I am here,¡± she spoke. For a fire mage, she sure could speak without any warmth. ¡°Now choose. My flame or my sword?¡± The sword she spoke of was not an actual sword, but rather, an autonomous Fire spell that shaped itself to a sword. It was another secret spell that her grandfather taught. ¡°W-wait, it wasn¡¯t my fault that Marina was kidnapped! It¡¯s all my Grandmother¡¯s fault! She¡¯s the one who insists I marry her!¡± A burst of flame enveloped Alincia¡¯s right hand. At this point, the hobbit was naturally panicking. His head worked overtime, trying to think the words that could dissuade the mage from just roasting him in the most literal way right then and there. R-right! I can use that! ¡°A-Alincia, listen to me! I didn¡¯t violate Marina in any way! I honestly, genuinely loved her, you know! So I wanted to win her over the correct way! Grandmother said I should just take her virtue right away but I refused!¡± The burst of flame disappeared. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± ¡°Y-yes, that¡¯s right! So I¡¯m not that bad of a guy! I admit it! I¡¯m a coward that doesn¡¯t deserve her! I just obey everything Grandmother tells me to do, no matter how bad it is. I thought of her as this absolute power that would never be defeated, but she got defeated anyways. And by her little brother nonetheless, the guy she kept comparing me to. I know now just how worthless a person I am..¡± He trailed off, looking down to the floor like a child who had just been scolded. ¡°So you know you¡¯re worthless. Tell me then.¡± Another blaze appeared on her right hand. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I kill a worthless person like you?¡± ¡°N-no, please don¡¯t!¡± He immediately prostrated in front of her. ¡° I-I still want to live! I-I haven¡¯t even gotten married and have children yet!¡± Alincia didn¡¯t answer. She instead slowly walked forward. One by one, every step deliberate, as if she was waiting for his reaction. And then, when she was close enough, the hobbit drew his wand and aimed a Water Blade spell right towards her throat. ¡°Guwaaahhhh!¡± Or so he would, if she hadn¡¯t decapitated his head with her Fire Cutter spell beforehand. The body fell to the carpet separate from the head. However, not a single blood poured out. Her spell had cauterized the wound perfectly. ¡°If only you have accepted your death like a man, then I would have let you live. Even after all this time given to you to reflect on your sins, you still do not understand¡ªwhy Marina disliked you so.¡± She left the room soon afterwards, gritting her teeth immediately when she noticed her grandfather standing nearby. ¡°Did you do it, my dear granddaughter?¡± He spoke, with a joyed, almost crazed-looking grin. ¡°I did,¡± she answered coldly. ¡°But I won¡¯t thank you for it.¡± As she walked away, she could hear his laugh. It never stopped haunting her. ----------- Tottima Volcano. Located in the middle of the Tottima Mountains, it was where Alincia¡¯s home was located. It was the very opposite of the place she just traveled to. There was nothing beautiful there, as the ground was blackened by soot and ash while the trees were all brittle and charcoal-like. The scent of sulfur filled the air while the dizzying heat would sap on your strength. It was a place where only the strong could live. And that¡¯s exactly how its ruler, Merlinus Salamander, wanted it. ¡°Welcome back, Lord Salamander! Lady Alincia!¡± When they landed on the top of the fortress overlooking the volcano, they were greeted by an entire platoon of mages. Some of them wore mage-like clothes, while others wore maids and butlers¡¯ uniforms. In the middle of them, distinguished by their own style of clothing, were two women. One wore what seemed to be a customized maid outfit. Unlike the others who wore dark red long dresses with white aprons, she instead wore a blue dress with a yellow apron. The skirt was knee-length, instead of the ankle-length it should be. And the top was opened from her neck, revealing a generous amount of cleavage from the well-endowed young woman. Her hair was crimson, cut short to her shoulder and adorned by a white maid headdress. She was Freilen Genovious, the vice-commander of the Phoenix Force. Beside her was another young woman, looking quite a bit more delicate than her. She had beautiful, long silver hair that extended down to her waist, though currently, it was hidden inside her long cloak. Said hair was braided gracefully down both of her ears, only adding to her delicateness. Her slightly angled eyes would reveal a hint of the girl''s pride, though currently, she was bowing towards the grandfather-daughter pair with her eyes closed. She was also quite busty, with the shape of her breasts firmly outlined in the front of her robe. Not as much as the maid however. She, on the other hand, was Freyja Luminous, the commander of the Phoenix Force. The Phoenix Force, as the name suggested, was a group of soldier-mage working under the Phoenix Sage. Just like the Aquus Corps, they were also made of not just the "magic nobles" of the Magocracy, but also ex-adventurers and mercenaries that pledged their loyalty to the Sage. Freilen was the first to lift her head. And she immediately flashed a smile. "Was the journey pleasant, Milord?" "Gahahaha! It is wonderful! We bonded perfectly well, the two of us." The old man put one hand on Alincia''s shoulder, making her visibly flinch. "She is now no longer a little girl! She''s a young woman, just like the two of you!" The hand was large and hairy, contrasting somewhat disturbingly to Alincia¡¯s small shoulder. "That''s pleasant news, Milord!" The maid clasped her hands, still smiling. "Miss Alincia truly is growing beautifully, like a fire rose who blooms in the desert!" "I''m counting on you, Freilen, to continue raising and serving her, just like you have done all this time!¡± He then put his other hand on the maid¡¯s head. She blushed, enjoying the headpast he was giving to her. ¡°Of course, Milord!¡± Freilen wasn¡¯t just the vice-commander of the Phoenix Force. She was also Alincia¡¯s personal maid. She used to be her big sister¡¯s maid instead, but after she passed away, she was handed over to her. The old man then returned both of his hands before walking forward towards the entrance without waiting to check whether or not Alincia followed. As they had arrived through the air, they didn¡¯t land on the front gate. Instead, they landed on the fortress¡¯ designated landing area for aerial travelers. The same applied to the Tower they had visited. Suddenly, Freyja blurted out, ¡°Milord! Excuse my impudence, but about the matter I brought up to you the other day¡­¡± He didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he transformed into a fire bat, and flew into the entrance in that form. Freyja gritted her teeth for a short moment, before returning back to her stoic self as she raised her head. Giving a glare towards Alincia, she said, ¡°I still expect our rematch sometime soon, Lady Alincia. Your victory back then was just a fluke, nothing more.¡± Indeed, she had lost to her in a magic duel. It was what earned Alincia the permission to visit Thomas. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t take her defeat as gracefully as she could¡¯ve been, even though she had defeated her many times before that. And it was all due to her pride. She belonged to the Luminous family, whose knowledge and prowess in fire magic was only second to the Salamander family. She was the only child of said family, as she possessed every bit of talent that she could inherit from it. When Merinda was still around, she was never able to eke out a win from her. The prideful girl was fortunate that Freyja¡¯s parents opted to teach her magic at her home instead of sending her to the Academy, or Merinda might have not been the star student there. They did that for one thing and one thing only¡ªto guard the secret of their White Flame spell. The Luminous family was well-known for their White Flame spell, in which they conjured a white-colored flame so much hotter than your normal garden variation of fire spells. They even claimed that there was nothing that it couldn¡¯t melt. She trained in her home secretly for years, mastering said spell. And now, thanks to that, she now held the esteemed position of being the first-in-command of the Phoenix Force, bowing only to the Great Phoenix Sage himself. But then, Alincia suddenly came out of nowhere and challenged her to a duel. She knew who the girl was. The Sage¡¯s second granddaughter. Compared to her sister, she was much dimmer in the magical arts. If her sister could never beat her, then there should be nothing to fear. Her assessment was correct. She triumphed over her again and again and again and again until she lost count entirely. Every time Alincia would receive terrible burn injuries from it, and she probably would¡¯ve died for it if not for her grandfather healing her every time using his flames. She didn¡¯t understand how one could use fire for healing, but it was what he did. But then, on their very last fight, she actually lost to her. Her flame was superior. There was no doubt about that. It consumed Alincia¡¯s own flames. However, that sneaky mage decided not to fight fire to fire like a proper mage and instead danced around using that new sword spell of hers. If her flames couldn¡¯t even touch her, then it couldn¡¯t burn her. Using her superior mobility, she sneaked through her wall of flames, not caring in the slightest of any injuries she might get from it, and pressed her sword into her neck, signifying her victory. It was completely humiliating. Many of the members of the Phoenix Force were present to watch the fight. Not to mention that her Lord, the Great Sage himself, was present there. Of course, Alincia was horribly burned from her foolish maneuver, needing another healing from her grandfather. But instead of being scolded by him, he instead praised her! Why?! That was a completely stupid move from her part! She was holding back, you know! She didn¡¯t want to end up accidentally killing her! Accidents like that happened all the time in magic duels, especially unsupervised ones. And then, to add even more salt to her injury, he announced there and then that Alincia would be the commander of the Phoenix Force once she finished her school, meaning, she would be demoted from her position. I have to prove my worth to Lord Merlinus! And that¡¯s why she desired a rematch with her. But the girl wasn¡¯t even interested in her anymore. She only said that the only opponent she wanted to beat was her own grandfather! How more rude and foolish could one girl be?! As she feared, she didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she walked to the side of the tower and jumped down, relying on her sword for a safe descent. If she doesn¡¯t want to accept my challenge anymore, then the only option I have is to hunt those two. Marina Greenwood. Hugo Greenwood. Those responsible for the death of Lady Vera. Either one would do. If I bring back any of their heads, then Lord Merlinus will surely acknowledge my superiority once more. But why? Why doesn¡¯t he give me permission to do so? S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That¡¯s it. He must think I¡¯m not strong enough to win over them. Sure, I know they¡¯re strong. But they¡¯re not the real force of the Greenwood Family who took down Vera. That would be their parents, who are former S-rank adventurers. I¡¯ve investigated Marina and I know she¡¯s a Master-level spellcaster specializing in Earth, especially tree-related spells. It would be oh-so-easy to burn mere trees with my White Flame. Hugo, on the other hand, I know nothing about. He¡¯s apparently the youngest, so he should be the weakest, logically speaking. Both of them should stand no chance against my flames, for no shield or armor can protect you from it. Not even if they conjure a wall of water or earth to defend against it, as my flames would just boil and melt it like it¡¯s nothing. She gritted her teeth again¡ªher fists clenched. She was not going to let herself fall from grace! Vol 2 Chapter 42: Marina’s Side — Grandfather The Grandfort Region of Ferus Kingdom. If one were to describe it, it was a region past its prime. Located at the northern part of the kingdom, It used to be a more prosperous place, but after years of bad harvests and monster raids, it had fallen quite a way behind from its neighbours, turning into a poor and impoverished region. It used to prosper for the mines it once had, but they all had dried up, leaving only places for monsters to breed and flourish. It¡¯s difficult to farm in such a cold region, and traders preferred not to use the region as part of their trading route thanks to said monsters raids and bandits being unfortunately common. Certainly, its current Lord had tried to turn things around, just like his father and his father before that did, but alas, every one of his efforts had failed terribly, simply due to the fact that he didn¡¯t have enough resources to turn things around. Ferus was a cold country from the start, and his region was easily the coldest. He didn¡¯t have enough funds to hire high-level adventurers to fend off the ferocious monsters constantly and he certainly didn¡¯t have enough funds to hire mages capable of ensuring the crops in his territory would grow abundantly. In a cold region like his where you could barely see the sun, and where the winter was long and the summer was short, there really wasn¡¯t much that he could do to make the place more prosperous. All the funds in his coffers went to soldiers employed to repel said bandits and general highwaymen, which, in an impoverished region such as this, were many. Not to mention that it was a border region, which meant it was required for him as part of his duties to the king to spend a set amount of money to fund the soldiers guarding said border. A certain traveler was leading her humble passenger carriage through this barren land. It was summer so the snow wasn''t falling, but the terrain remained dreary and the air remained cold nonetheless. She was currently wearing a green furcoat, worn with her normal dress underneath. She had purchased it and two others with the last of her money. Since she didn''t stop to take quests or do odd jobs, she didn''t have any additional income to replenish her once abundant coffer. It didn''t help that she had to replace her carriage and horse with it after a certain incident she was involved in. No matter. Her destination was already very near after all. So this is the region Grandfather lives in¡­ It really is as cold and wretched as those people have described. To think that his territory would be so similar to that person¡¯s territory... Marina Greenwood. The daughter of Alan and Renee Greenwood who hailed all the way from the south. Her journey had taken her months, and it wasn¡¯t an easy one, especially when she had a little kid with her. When people saw her, they didn¡¯t think much of her at first, believing her to be simply just a run-of-the-mill adventurer that they could find everywhere. However, once they took notice of the fact that she was traveling with a young girl, some would grow more sympathetic towards her, thinking that they had to be some family that had fallen on hard times. No one would take a young girl with her if she was really just an adventurer. Little did they know that she was the very same person that the rumors had spoken of. ¡°The Witch of Verdant Death". That was what the adventurers who spread the rumors called her. She was a powerful Earth mage who had made a mess out of Mosa, conjuring a giant tree and an army of treants and woodland creatures to destroy the city. And not only that, she defeated their general as well, a powerful Champion-rank swordsman of the Lancelot Order in a decisive battle, summoning a monstrous dryad in the process. His army was entirely obliterated, and only he was left alive to set an example. Of course, rumors were never completely accurate. People would just add and exaggerate things as they transmitted them to others, until eventually, the truth became lost in the void. They said that the witch had massacred the residents of the city and its soldiers, but that was far from the truth. The creatures that she had summoned didn¡¯t harm anyone innocent. Even she spared the army that was chasing after her, immobilizing them instead of taking their lives. It didn¡¯t help that the official statement released by the kingdom itself exaggerated her supposedly evil deeds. After the defeat of their hero general, the kingdom was gravely humiliated, and so they put on a bounty for her head. And of course, no one said anything about the part where she begged the town guards to save her kidnapped little sister, which was the impetus for the whole incident to begin with. The masses wanted their big, scary villainous witch. And so they made up one. Thankfully, none of them suspected that it would be a young 16-year old girl travelling with a five-year old. Even if they would know it was her and started to chase after her as if she was this awful criminal, she wouldn¡¯t have any regrets. She would do it all over again, if it meant saving her little sister from her terrible fate. But this region¡­ it¡¯s quite in a bad state, isn¡¯t it? Marina thought so as she looked over their surroundings. She was currently riding on her carriage, taking the driver seat. So she had the perfect place to notice just how barren the land surrounding her was. If the soil is like this, I don''t think they would be able to grow anything¡­ Maybe this region''s income comes from something else? Mining or logging perhaps? Well, I''ll just have to ask Grandfather when we arrive. --------- The town of Lochestat was pretty much the center of the Grandfort Region. It wasn''t that big of a town, and it was built in better times where the region was more prosperous, back when the mines were still up and running. Sadly, those times vanished the moment the mines dried up. Now, those mines only became abandoned monster nests, just another place for the local adventurers to earn their keep. Or so Marina learned from the receptionist of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in the city. This is worse than I thought¡­ I never knew just how much a warmer climate could mean for the prosperity of a region, like back at Marchen. She made a stop on the Guild as she had her lunch, just so she could gain more information on the region. From the receptionist, she also learned where the mansion of her grandfather, the Earl, was located. With both hope and apprehension in her heart, she led her carriage there, to where the one and only Earl of Grandfort lived. Before that though, she and her Entourage would need a costume change first. --------- Marina "Halt! What business do you have with the Earl?!" As expected, I would be greeted by his guards like this. Using the tip given to me by Glinda, I pretended to be of noble heritage as much as I could. That meant I would let Nysa take the reign as my carriage driver, dressed in a cheap maid outfit I had bought for her, which she seemed to be quite fond of by the way. I suppose there is a certain charm in them. Even I have some interest in wearing them myself, though I don''t believe I will look good in it in the slightest. The dryad also had taken her human form, so that the guards and any other humans who saw her wouldn''t be alarmed. As a familiar, she had gained said ability as well. "I brought with me the granddaughter of Lord Archimonde himself. Let us pass," she spoke. I had instructed her to act as a proud servant, one who wouldn''t be pushed around by mere gate guards. "Ha! Do you think you''re the first to try that? Go away or we''ll make you leave!" One of the guards spoke. "Or would you rather warm our bed for the night?" Another guard spoke with a lecherous expression. "The Earl doesn''t care in the slightest of impostors like you and your ''granddaughter''. They''ll put you two in jail and then we''ll get to have our way with you." "Is something the matter, Nysa?" "Miss Greenwood! These obstinate guards¡­ they''re being awfully rude! They even dare making lewd comments about you!" It was time for me to make my appearance. I stepped out of the carriage, putting on my most pleasant and elegant smile. "Greetings. I am Marina Greenwood, the daughter of the Earl''s runaway son, Alan Greenwood. Or to be more accurate, Alancourt Archimond." That was Father''s real name. When I first heard it from Mother, I laughed. It really didn''t suit him in the slightest. "And here is Erika Greenwood, my little sister." I told her to come out with me as well, even though she didn''t want to. It wouldn''t do if we made them suspicious by hiding a person inside the carriage. She shyly hid behind me. She too wore a fur coat, though hers was colored white. "And of course, I have a letter of introduction that would prove my identity." I took out said letter from my pocket, written and signed by Glinda and stamped by the Royal Seal. Of course, it was possible that I simply forged it, but would they take the risk, offending the granddaughter of an Earl? I gave the letter to Nysa, and Nysa gave it to them. A noble wouldn''t want to be in contact with commoners after all. The moment they saw the royal seal, they gulped. They looked back at me and then the letter and then back at me again. "P-please forgive us for our rudeness, Lady Marina!" They promptly bowed at me. "No problem," I replied, still keeping my elegant smile. "You are simply doing your job, that''s all." And with that simple trick, I got in the building with no problem whatsoever. --------- "Please, wait here. The Earl will be seeing you shortly." We were brought into the drawing room inside the mansion and told to wait there as one of our receiving maids fetched Grandfather. Oh, by the way, we were greeted by a group of maids and butlers when we first entered the building, saying in a harmonious unison, ¡°Welcome back, Miss Archimond!¡±, which naturally made me feel uncomfortable. How could they say ¡°Welcome back¡± when I was never here in the first place? Not to mention the fact that I still thought of myself as a Greenwood, and not the Granddaughter of an Earl. One of the guards had no doubt panickedly ran inside, spreading the word to the servants there that the Earl¡¯s granddaughter had arrived. I don¡¯t believe it is such a wise thing to do though. It¡¯s not like they have confirmed my identity. But I suppose the sight of the royal seal was enough for them to accept the truth of my words. If I had to say my first impression of the place, then it would be that the place had certainly seen better days. It was clear that it was not as well-kept as the mansions I had been in, from the Baron¡¯s place to Glinda¡¯s place. Just like how the region used to prosper, I could tell that this house used to have its better times as well. I sat down on one of the couches along with Erika, who looked around nervously around the room while taking a hold of my right hand. Nysa on the other hand remained standing behind the couch. I felt bad for telling her to do so, but it was how a maid was supposed to act, thus she had to play the role, at least for now. Then again, she¡¯s a dryad. She should be used to standing all the time, as a tree spirit. Hopefully. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Another maid stood near the door. I suppose she was to attend to us as we waited. Remembering what Glinda said, a noble was supposed to always have a servant to attend to her at all times, except from when she was asleep. I tried not to pay attention to her, as I sensed she was eyeing me from top to bottom. We waited like that for what felt like an eternity, until suddenly, the maid standing beside the door announced that the Earl had arrived. A man wearing a crimson robe entered the room, moving with the help of his walking stick. The hair on his head was white, as well as his beard. He stood with a slump, seemingly unable to stand perfectly straight. The maid tried to help him but he shooed her off. He then sat at the couch opposite of mine, and immediately I took note of his piercing gaze. This is¡­ Grandfather? "So¡­ you believe you are my granddaughter¡ªthe daughter of that fool of a boy who abandoned his duties to play adventurer." "Yes," I firmly replied, locking my eyes with his. "I am his daughter, Marina. And she is Erika, my little sister. There''s also my little brother, Hugo, but unfortunately he can''t be here right now," I averted my gaze for a moment. "We came here to seek refuge, Grandfather, for he and Mother have been murdered by the Magocracy, and they might be after us as well." At the word "murdered", his eyes widened terribly, to the point that it felt like they were going to pop out from their sockets at any minute. His entire body shook before a fit of coughing assaulted him. "Milord!" The maid yelped as she came to his side. "Silence!" He hit her with his stick, causing her to retreat. He then returned his glare right back at me. "You wretched girl! How dare you spew those vile lies right to my face?" "I do not lie, Grandfather. It is the truth. They were murdered because they tried to save me from them." His stick flew in a rage, straight towards my face. However, I caught it mid-air before it could make an impact. It was terribly easy. It was simply an angry flail of an old man. ¡°Grandfather, if you must hit me, then please do so for my blunder. It was my weakness that led to me being kidnapped by one of their Council mages. But please, do not hit me for bringing you this truth. For I do not lie. I suffer from his death as much as you do.¡± The room seemingly froze. I returned his glare with my own. Now that I saw his eyes closely like this, I could see how much he resembled Father in a certain way. And I hoped he would be able to see my resemblance to Father as well. And then, his coughing fit returned, prompting the maid to once again come to his aid. ¡°Please, if you¡¯re truly his granddaughter, then leave him be for now,¡± she said to me with a pleading look. ¡°You may stay in one of the guest rooms. The other maids outside would show you to the place.¡± I nodded, agreeing with her suggestion. Any parents would need some time on their own to grieve after hearing that their child was dead. Even if he himself might believe he hated Father, I knew for the fact that deep down, he still cared deeply for him. To think that I would have to bring such bad news to him while he was in such a state¡­ Grandfather is sick. There¡¯s no doubt about it. For a second, I had a thought to come to him and comfort him, telling him that everything was going to be fine as I was now here. However, I refrained from the idea. He still hadn¡¯t trusted me yet. And the way he refused help, he was clearly a very prideful man, which might be the reason why Father left him in the first place. Both men were too stubborn to surrender to the other. ¡°Come, Erika. Nysa.¡± They didn¡¯t voice any objections. --------- We were given a large room of our own. Or rather, it was a series of rooms, with a big one for me and Erika, and a small side room for Nysa as my personal maid. For now, she would assume that identity until I was accepted by Grandfather. Then, I could tell everyone that she was actually my familiar instead. It would be too much if I exposed the fact that she wasn¡¯t actually human right away. ¡°Sis, that was Grandpa, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Erika suddenly spoke up. We were currently sitting on our bed, which was a major improvement over all the not-so-fluffy beds we had to sleep with through our journey. ¡°Why is he so scary? And angry?¡± she said as she hugged my arm, looking reluctantly away. ¡°Does he hate us?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, Erika.¡± I smiled, bringing her closer to my embrace. ¡°He¡¯s simply saddened by the news of Father¡¯s death. He¡¯ll come around.¡± ¡°He looks sick too. Is he going to be alright?¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just the cold, that¡¯s all. It¡¯s easy to catch that when the wind is so chilly after all.¡± I gave her a comforting smile. Erika was no stranger to colds and fevers and the like. Several times in our journey she suffered those maladies¡ªthe first was after the whole kidnapping incident. She was shaken greatly by it, and that made her body weaker. Thankfully, I could produce the necessary medicinal herbs to assuage and cure her ailment, using my magic. I was never that good at alchemy, but creating basic remedies like that was certainly in my repertoire. Of course, I was no fool. I knew that wasn¡¯t just some normal cough. But she didn¡¯t need to know that, did she? When Erika fell asleep, as she often did in the afternoon hours, I decided to make my move. I have to comfort Grandfather after all. Vol 2 Chapter 43: Marina’s Side — Alan’s Past "Imbecile! How dare you hit your fiance like that? Apologize! Right now!" "I''m not gonna! She''s the one in the wrong! She bullied Myrna!" "Myrna?! That scullery maid girl? I told you to stop playing with her already, didn''t I? She''s not fit to be your playmate, especially when you have Luna around!" "Luna is a big meanie! I don''t wanna play with her! I wanna play with Myrna!" "For Milicis'' sake, when will you start to grow up?! You''re already ten years old! You should already know your duties as the heir of the House of Archimond! You can¡¯t be fooling around with a girl not of your stature like that! If your marriage is going to go through, then you have to make Luna happy! I already told you how important it is for our house and hers to be united, especially after all the crop failures we suffered over the years.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to marry Luna! I wanna marry Myrna instead!¡± ¡°You stupid child!¡± With his large and strong hand, the earl slapped the boy on his left cheek, causing him to fall down to the floor. ¡°Philip! You can¡¯t do that to him!¡± A woman quickly rushed over to the boy, cradling him in her arms. She was the boy¡¯s mother, and the wife of the man that had hit him. Philip and Ariel Archimond. They were indeed the parents of this boy, Alancourt Archimond. The father and the boy were quite alike in their features. Both had light brown hair and brown eyes. The father had a sharp, handsome look and it was expected for the son to have a similar attractive look once he grew older. However, for now, the boy was more cute than handsome. Some of his mother''s beauty must have rubbed off on her. Speaking of the mother, she was indeed a very gorgeous woman. Wearing a dark green dress, she had long, flowing golden hair that reached down her waist. Her eyes were crimson red, but instead of being a slight to her beauty, they only enhanced it. "You''re spoiling him, Ariel. That boy needs to learn his place." "But you don''t have to hit him that hard, do you?!" "It''s what he deserves for hitting a girl. No son of mine would be as unchivalrous to do such a thing." The wife looked at the husband with an exasperated and angry look, but ultimately she decided to drop the issue, knowing just how stubborn he could be. "Are you alright, dearie?" She asked her son. "I-I''m fine, mother. A slap like that¡­ I didn''t even feel a thing." It was all too obvious for the mother''s eyes that he was merely bluffing. Tears were pooling in his eyes and his legs were shaking as he stood back up. "I will protect Myrna! I don''t care if it''s from Luna or you!" He pointed his finger towards the father. "I will make her happy, no matter what!" After saying those words, he stormed out of the room, ignoring the plea from his mother to stop. This, and many similar incidents before and after, would lead to the tragedy that pretty much destroyed the noble family of Archimond. ------- "Hmm¡­ hmm¡­ hmm¡­ wiping the floor¡­ wiping the floor¡­ make it clean and spotless so no dust or dirt is around¡­" The girl who was currently singing to herself as she mopped the floor was none other than Myrna, the scullery maid Alan was so fascinated by. It would be fair to say that she was his first love. Myrna was the type of girl that didn''t hope or think much for the future, like many other commoners of her stature. She was happy enough to be able to feed herself and her family with her job here. The Lord was even generous enough to give her a week of holiday every year for her to return to her village and visit her family there. And so, when she suddenly received the affection of the manor''s noble son, she just thought it was a simple boyhood fancy. It wasn''t that odd. Her own little brother back at the village had his own girl he was obsessed with. "Hey, Myrna! Stop working so hard and play with me!" It was Alan. With a grin on his face, he ran up to her as if she was his friend and not his servant. "Young Master Alan, apologies but I still am not finished with this corridor yet," she answered him as politely as possible. "Aww, really?" He scratched the back of his head. "That''s a bummer¡­ Oh, I know! Why don''t I help you, Myrna? That way, you''ll finish up faster, right?" "Young Master! I can''t possibly¡ª" Before the maid could say anything, he snatched the mop from her hands and started moving it back and forth on the floor. "Young Master! I''ll get scolded by the head maid if she saw me giving my work to you!" "That old hag again, huh? Don''t worry. I''ll go talk to her if that happens." "Young Master! A future Earl like you can''t be doing this kind of thing! It''s our job as your servants to¡ª" "Sheesh, Myrna. You''re kinda noisy today, aren''t you? You started to talk like Father." He chuckled. "I don''t think it''s a bad thing though. I can bear a nagging woman if she''s as cute as you." "Y-Young Master!" The maid turned crimson. Indeed. Alan was already a womanizer even at this age. "Hey?! What''s going on here?!" Alan groaned. He perfectly knew that shrill, high-pitched voice. "Tch, it''s you, Luna." His grin disappeared instantly, replaced by a frown." "Is that any way to talk with your fiance? Especially after she goes all the way out here just to see her darling~?" Luna Fentyr. The girl Alan was stuck in an arranged marriage in. She was pretty much the embodiment of a snobby, arrogant young noble, especially towards those of lower social status than her. Ironically, her father was only a Viscount, so Alan outranked her as the son of an Earl. She was married off to him so her family could gain more influence in court. On the other hand, the reason why Alan was forced into said marriage was because of her family''s wealth, as the Earl needed the funds he would get if Luna became Alan''s wife for his struggling region. Unlike Myrna''s dull maid outfit, she wore a glamorous crimson red fur coat that matched beautifully with her black curls and purple eyes. Just by one look you could tell that she was a noble''s daughter. "Why are you holding a mop? Don''t tell me that maid made you do it!" "Myrna doesn''t make me do it! I chose to do it on my own! So go away! You still haven''t apologized for all the things you did to her so I don''t want to see your face around!" Alan yelled. The noble girl had indeed done some terrible things to the maid. First, it was merely insults and threats. She told her not to go anywhere near her darling Alan or else she''ll get her fired. Then, when she still saw her being around him, it quickly escalated. She would put frogs and bugs under her dress, kick her bucket as she cleaned, and even slap her as she pleased. The maid could only beg for forgiveness, saying over and over that she didn''t want to steal her fiance, but she didn''t listen. After all, Alan kept preferring the maid over her. So the maid must have been seducing him when she wasn''t looking. Yes. Even though she was still 10 years old, she was already madly in love with Alan. Ever since he saved her from those things that tried to kidnap her on their date, she was convinced he was her chosen one. Her soulmate. Her knight in shining armor. So for this whore to even attempt to seduce her darling (a word she learned from her mother), it was unacceptable to her. Her last bullying was her actually casting a Fireball at her hair. She thought it would be funny to turn the maid bald. Only to end up receiving a slap from Alan for it. It made her leave the mansion immediately, telling her maids that she didn''t want to be here anymore. All the while crying non-stop. The incident happened months ago. And now, she was back for another stay. Only for Alan to yell at her like this, right after she caught him flirting with the maid yet again. Her fists clenched. Why?! Why does he only care about her?! Am I not pretty enough? Papa always says that I''m the prettiest girl in the whole world. ... It''s because of those two lascivious mounds, isn''t it? I remember Mama yelling at Papa for staring at a maid''s chest. Boys like them big, don''t they? Indeed. The maid, even though she was just a few years older than the little lady, was already quite well-stacked in that department. But then, to Alan¡¯s surprise, the young lady¡¯s angry frown suddenly turned into a smile. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll leave you two on your own then for now.¡± And just like that, she left. If Alan had been smarter, he might have realized that there was something off about her. Alas, when he did, it was already too late. Too late indeed. ------ The first time someone noticed that the necklace had gone missing was when Alan¡¯s mother was about to wear it for a party she was going to attend. At first, the maids that attended to her simply believed that they must have misplaced the jewelry. However, after searching high and low inside her room in a panic, they realized with pure dread that the necklace was indeed missing. It wasn¡¯t just any necklace. It was an outrageously expensive one, decorated by polished high-grade diamonds that sparkled in the most beautiful manner. It was an heirloom, handed over down the generations from her family. Not only it was precious, it also had a high sentimental value to her as a result. It was all too obvious that if one were to steal it and sell it in the black market, they would be set for life. And thus, the entire mansion went into an uproar. A massive search was immediately ordered by the Earl. No men or women could enter or leave as every single servant and guard were dispatched to scour the estate for its whereabouts. And then, it was discovered, hidden inside the wardrobe of a certain scullery maid. Myrna¡¯s wardrobe. Without mercy, the guards dragged her to the Earl, all the while she was crying, begging to them that she didn¡¯t know anything about the necklace, and that she would never steal from the family that had treated her so well ever since she worked as their servant. Alan of course vouched for her innocence, insisting to his father that she could never do such a heinous, filthy thing as being a thief. However, the proof was stacked against her. Especially since Luna gave her testimony that she had seen her walking near Ariel''s room. As a low-class maid, that area of the floor was off-limits to her. There were other, more experienced maids who would clean the place there. "Are you sure you saw her there, Luna?" Philip asked, his brows furrowing. "Yes, I''m sure of it, Father." She already called him that as if she was already married to Alan. "I saw her wandering there just a few hours ago." "No, I didn''t! I swear I didn''t go there!" The maid protested. "Y-you must be mistaken!" ¡°Father, please be lenient to her. She was just a child after all.¡± She put up her puppy eyes and sweet voice as she tugged on the Earl¡¯s sleeves. Alan wasn¡¯t fooled however. He saw the small, almost imperceptible smile on her face, and immediately he connected the dots. She was the one who had stolen the necklace and put it in the maid¡¯s wardrobe. This was yet again one of her harassment antics. This time however, she had truly crossed the line. Alan immediately flew into a rage, grabbing her on the collar (he was taller than her by a good few inches). ¡°You! You were the one who put the necklace into her wardrobe, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°W-wha¡ª I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, darling!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me! You did it, didn¡¯t you? You always tormented her every time you came to our house!¡± ¡°F-Father, please help! A-Alan is hurting me!¡± ¡°Alan! Put her down right now!¡± The earl yelled. ¡°But Father, she¡¯s the one who¡ª¡± ¡°I SAID PUT HER DOWN! RIGHT NOW!¡± Still with righteous fury, he threw the noble girl to the floor. ¡°U-uwaaaaahhhh!¡± Luna immediately broke into tears. But Alan¡¯s heart didn¡¯t budge. He knew it was just her faking it to gain sympathy from her surroundings. And it worked, as his mother promptly came to her and lifted her up to comfort her. ¡°Alan!¡± It was her turn to scold him. ¡°How can you treat her like that? I am disappointed in you!¡± Alan flinched. He was already used with the scolding of his father. But when it was his kind and angelic mother who did it, it really felt as if he had done something truly awful and horrible. ¡°B-but Mother, Mryna is being set up by¡ª¡± ¡°Alan! Look at you! You¡¯re being used by her! She knows you are fond of her so she decides to use that trust, thinking you¡¯ll cover her for her! I always told you, didn¡¯t I, to be always on-guard from any girls and women that show their interest in you? As the son of an earl, you are a powerful and wealthy person, and they might only get close to you just to gain that power and wealth for themselves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Luna! She¡¯s the manipulative and scheming one! Myrna would never¡ª¡± ¡°SILEEEENCE!¡± The room immediately went as quiet as it could be. It was the Earl. And he had just shouted like he had never shouted before. Alan flinched once more. He never saw his father being this angry before. ¡°Guards, take this little thieving maid away. As a display of mercy, I shall not hang her in the gallows. Instead, I shall banish her from this mansion and its city in its entirety. Never again shall she step foot here.¡± ¡°Father, you can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°And you, Alan. Get back to your room.¡± Her father¡¯s glare terrified him to his very core. It was no longer the anger of a parent who was disciplining his child. It was true anger, something he had never been exposed to before. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Young Master.¡± Suddenly, the maid spoke. ¡°I will leave.¡± ¡°Myrna, you can¡¯t say that! I won¡¯t allow it! You have done nothing wrong so you can¡¯t just¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Her eyes were brimming with tears at this point. ¡°These past five years¡­ it¡¯s been fun.¡± She then turned to the Earl and said, ¡°Thank you very much for everything you have done for me all this time, Milord. Please, forgive my ungrateful, thieving self.¡± She bowed as deeply as she could, before letting the guards take her away. ¡°Myrna! Myryna!¡± Alan tried to chase after her, but the Earl, in a surprising display of strength, gripped the boy¡¯s arm so tightly that he couldn¡¯t release himself from it. And that, was the tragedy that befell the Archimond house. ---------- Alan later on confronted Luna on his own. And true enough, with a smug smile on her face, she admitted that it was indeed her who concocted the scheme to accuse the maid of being a thief. She did it all for the sake of her love, so that the whore would finally stop seducing him once and for all. She had come up with the plan for months, and she had executed it with the help of the servants that arrived with her. Alan didn¡¯t even hit her for it. However, the glare that he gave her¡ªeven her thick skull realized that she had crossed a line she should have never crossed. It made her decide to leave early, hoping that after a few more months down the line, he would have forgotten all about that maid. She never confessed the truth, of course. She was too much of a spoiled brat for that. Later on, it was discovered that Myrna, who was sent away right in the middle of winter night, had returned on foot towards her village. However, she was caught in a snowstorm who suddenly occurred (an all too common occurrence in the area) and was mauled to a pack of snow wolves who would appear en masse in such weather. When Alan learned of the news, it broke him. But not in a way that made him break down crying. He cried, of course, but he cried in private, away from anyone¡¯s prying eyes and ears. He then decided. He would no longer want anything to do with this life as a son of an earl. If this is what it means to be a noble, then screw it all to hell! I don¡¯t need any of this! I can just live as an adventurer! I¡¯m quite good with the sword after all! Luna, Father, Mother, they¡¯re all the same. They see Myrna as a mere servant. They didn¡¯t mourn in the slightest when they heard of her death. And they still believed Luna¡¯s lies as well. He wrote down his parting letter, packed his things, and sneaked out of the estate in the middle of the night. It was the end of Alancourt Archimond, and the start of Alan Greenwood. There was nothing special about his made-up last name. He simply thought it up on the spot. When his parents realized his disappearance, and found his letter, he was already far away from the city. The Earl told every single one of his guards to search for him. He even paid a handsome sum to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild to put up a missing person quest. But Alan was smart. He knew how to avoid capture from even all those adventurers. He quickly headed to the border, to leave the kingdom in its entirety. When it dawned on his mother that Alan was never going to return, it broke her as well. She would wail around crying, begging to every servant she met to search for her son. Slowly but surely, her beauty and intellect wasted away. Her figure turned thin and the bright glimmer in her eyes disappeared. Eventually, the servants and even the citizens outside started to call her the ¡°Mad Beauty¡± or the ¡°Wilting Rose¡±. And every time the Earl heard that mocking title, he would order a flogging for the perpetrator, not caring in the slightest that it would make him look like a tyrant in the eyes of his subjects. He knew however that there was truly no saving her, without her son being present. There was no spell or potion that could cure madness in this world. In her last days, she would hallucinate that her son was there. She would hug her servants at random, sobbing with joy that her son had finally returned to her. She would even start to have a dialogue with said imagination, giggling as she did. When the Saint finally saw it fit to deliver her poor soul away from this mortal realm, the Earl, as much as he hated it, admitted that it was for the best. Thus, without realizing it, Alan Greenwood had killed his very own mother with grief. And he never knew of said truth even after he died, as he never once returned to his home after he left. He traveled the world as an adventurer, growing as a swordsman using his own raw talent. The only times he sent any letters back home was when he married Renee, and when she gave birth to Marina, Hugo, and Erika. And he always did it through an untraceable route, absolutely making sure that his father would never be able to find where he lived. If only he had known that his mother had perished because of him leaving, perhaps he would go back immediately and beg for his father¡¯s apology. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But that opportunity had vanished now. Just like how his first love perished in the cold, so did he. He was born in the middle of a cold winter, and he died in the middle of one as well. Vol 2 Chapter 44: Marina’s Side — Grandfather’s Lament Marina When I told the maid standing outside my room that I wanted to meet Grandfather, she obliged, offering to lead the way to the third floor where his room was located. We were greeted by another maid standing in the front of his door. My maid asked her how he had fared, and she replied that he had calmed down and that he should be ready to receive visitors. The two exchanged glances before looking towards me. They didn¡¯t need to say anything for me to know that they wanted me to comfort him. ¡°Please, Miss, if you would.¡± The one attending to Grandfather spoke with a pleading smile. ¡°I saw him reading the letter you had brought, and I never saw him that happy for years. You¡¯re the only one that could cheer him up.¡± ¡°Are you alright with just leaving me alone with him?¡± I asked. I was about to enter when I realized neither of them was going to follow. ¡°Do you really believe I am truly his granddaughter, and not just a stranger that¡¯s after his life?¡± ¡°I believe you, Miss.¡± The one attending to me smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be a bad person. And the concerned look you have in your face when he had his coughing fit¡ªI believe that was genuine.¡± Ah, that¡¯s right. She was present back downstairs at the drawing room. ¡°And besides,¡± the other maid spoke with a smile also. ¡°I¡¯ve read your letter, Miss. And I don¡¯t sense any forgery from it. To think that you would be able to have the royal mage of Marchen to write you a letter like that, you must be an amazing person, don¡¯t you, Miss? Master would be glad to hear all about your accomplishments, I¡¯m sure, so please, tell him everything.¡± ¡°You¡¯re mistaken,¡± I replied. ¡°I merely gave her a visit, that¡¯s all. I didn¡¯t work under her or anything like that.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s odd. The letter says you¡¯re a highly accomplished mage. A young genius even!¡± The maid returned with sparkling eyes. Oh dear. I seem to remember her saying that she will write the letter as a work recommendation letter as well. But to think she will praise me this much¡­ I smiled, trying to hide the redness that crept onto my cheeks. ¡°Thank you for the kind words.¡± After that small chit-chat, I entered the room at last. I walked as gently as I could inside, taking care not to make a noise on the carpet. The room was dim, with the largest source of light behind the fireplace located near the large bed. In a cold kingdom like this, it wasn¡¯t odd to constantly have the fireplace running, even in summer. I took a seat on the chair near it, facing towards Grandfather who seemed to be asleep, as his eyes were closed. Slowly, I placed my hands on his. ¡°Grandfather, it¡¯s me, your granddaughter. If it¡¯s alright, I would like to speak to you,¡± I half-whispered. He promptly stirred, opening his eyes but not looking at my direction, opting to gaze at the ceiling instead. ¡°You are truly¡­ Alan¡¯s daughter?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The first?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Heh, he didn¡¯t even bother saying your name in his letter. Only said that she was the most beautiful baby he ever held in his arms. And now, seeing you in person like this, I can see that he wasn''t exaggerating." I blushed a little at his remark, and I blushed even more as his left hand slowly caressed my cheek. "I can see both Alan and Ariel in you, my dear. That fierce look of yours¡­ that belongs to Alan for sure. But the tenderness¡­ that comes from Ariel. Or perhaps it''s from your mother? Renee, was it? Alan kept bragging how beautiful she was in his letter." He smiled, pausing for a bit before continuing, his smile vanishing. "To think that idiot would lose his life in such a manner. Those damn mages of the Magocracy! If only I have more pull in the court, I''ll send the Sky Knights after them!¡± The Sky Knights. They are the pride and strength of the Ferus Kingdom. Riding on monsters called Snow Griffins only found in the cold regions that the nation possesses in abundance, they are a formidable army to fight with. There aren¡¯t that many of them, but they are essentially the kingdom¡¯s elite force, only answering to the king and the king only, similar to how the Imperial Knights of the Holy Empire are. I wouldn¡¯t say that they can rival the military strength of the Magocracy, but perhaps, just perhaps, an entire flock of them can win against a single Council member. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Grandfather,¡± I replied. ¡°Even if you can help, it will be too late anyways. The Magocracy is so far down south from here.¡± Suddenly, the old man turned as pale as a sheet. He sat up, looking at me with an extremely worried expression. ¡°D-did they do anything to you, my dear? When they took you away?¡± I shook my head. ¡°They didn¡¯t get to. Father, Mother, and my little brother came to my rescue before they could do it to me. If they had been just a little slower, then I would have been¡­¡± I didn¡¯t need to finish my sentence. Grandfather already knew what I meant. ¡°Oh, praise the Saint!¡± He gave me a surprisingly strong hug. I didn¡¯t resist, even if it felt a little more than just a bit awkward. I wouldn¡¯t say it wasn¡¯t nice however. Releasing me, though keeping his hands on my shoulders, he then said, ¡°That Alan¡­ I know he would sacrifice himself if it means saving his daughter. So please, don¡¯t feel that you have to blame yourself. If anyone needs to earn a spanking from my cane, then it would be that Vera person.¡± He chuckled, before his expression turned serious once again. ¡°Has he ever told you? The reason why he left?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Then,¡± He took a big sigh. ¡°I suppose it falls for me to tell you everything. You¡¯re old enough already to hear about that tragedy. The terrible mistake I made that made him leave." And with that, he started his story. ----- When Grandfather finished his tale, I was speechless. To think that such a tragedy was what led him on becoming an adventurer in the first place. As his granddaughter, I didn''t know how I should react. "Luna¡­ what happened to her?" I asked. "And with her noble house. Since the marriage was not going to happen, I assume they withdrew their financial aid for the region?" He nodded. "That girl¡­" He smiled wryly. "When she heard the news of Alan running away, she immediately came to us and begged for forgiveness, confessing to everything she had done, crying in the process. She truly was fond of Alan and she realized her actions had hurt him terribly." He then took a long sigh. "Of course, that didn''t stop her family to cut ties with ours completely. She is now married off to some other noble. I just hope she doesn''t still harbor some feelings towards him." "...I was a fool. I didn''t catch on to a 10-year old girl''s plan before it was already too late. I let my anger and greed blind me from the truth. I broke Alan''s heart by sending his love to her death. Thus he broke mine as well by leaving.'' "...And yet¡­ why?! Why must he break Ariel''s heart as well? She never deserved it! Not even in the slightest! It was all me, Alan, it was all me! Spare her from your vengeance!" As he flew into a passion, his coughs returned. ¡°Grandfather, please! Don¡¯t overexert yourself!¡± I begged. Quickly, I took out my wand from my pocket and created a flower on its tip. The flower then showered him with a pollen that immediately calmed his cough down. It was a simple Serenity Flower. Like its name suggested, its pollen had the effect of inducing calmness and tranquility to a person if inhaled. He immediately fell asleep afterwards. I folded his hands on his abdomen, before covering his body with his blanket. ...Hugo, with your grandfather like this¡­ Perhaps I cannot chase you after all. I can''t possibly leave him like this, can I? ------ A week has passed since then. We were received well by the servants in the mansion, who seemed to be overjoyed that they had new people to attend to. I didn''t understand why though. We should be complete strangers to them yet they received us as if we were already part of the Archimond family. Both Erika and I were assigned personal maids to attend to our every needs. They were actually sisters, with the older attending to me and the younger attending to Erika. To my relief, they treated us in quite the casual manner. Never rude, but not stiff either. Perhaps it was because of their youth. The elder sister was around my age while the younger one was just a few years older than Erika. Apparently, according to them, their entire family had been serving the Archimond House for generations. Their mother was the head maid while their father was the head guard. I quickly learned and remembered their names, The mother was Annelise, the father was John, the elder sister was Henrietta, and the younger sister was Lorry. That explains why they¡¯re chosen to be our personal maids. Supposedly, it¡¯s the highest honor for a maid to be chosen for such a position. Of course, I already told everything to Grandfather. He demanded it himself, asking me to regale him of the tale of our long journey here. Knowing that there would be no point in lying, I told him how it wasn¡¯t an easy journey, especially when the whole incident with Erika happened. As I spoke of that, his brows furrowed, and once again, that murderous look I saw when I told him in detail about my kidnapping by Vera resurfaced. I did it when we had one of our private chats in the garden that he asked me to join. We sat in one of the gazebos there, accompanied by our respective attendants before he dismissed them so we could chat in private. This was one of such occasions. ¡°Oh, to think that my granddaughter could be such a great mage." He smiled. "Alan raised you well." "...You''re not going to scold me for what I did?" "Scold you? Hah! The only thing I would scold you for is you letting your little sister out of your sight. But all the other things you did? You''re well within your right to do it." I couldn''t help but smile a little. Grandfather isn''t that different from Father and Mother after all. "I get called the Verdant Witch of Death for that, you know." "All the better!" His smile grew wider. "That means people will now fear and respect you. Our kingdom''s Sky Knights are revered the same way. And our kingdom barely has any diplomatic relationship with them so you won''t have to worry about souring that." "I don''t know¡­ I didn''t do any massacring like the rumors said¡­" I sighed. I''m not that kind of a scary person, you know¡­ "You know," he continued after taking a sip of his coffee. "If we spread the news that the Verdant Witch of Death is here, and that she''s none other than the granddaughter of the Earl himself, it might actually help in driving away bandits from this region. They would be too afraid to try anything with you around. Of course, I would only do it if you agree." "...The bandits. How bad is it?" He returned with a sigh. "It''s quite bad. We don''t have the funds to have constant patrols inside our territory, especially at the faraway villages near the wilderness. The king required me to keep a certain number of soldiers at the northern border, and raising taxes is certainly out of the question, with how most of our people are already struggling as it is. I paused, looking down at my cup of tea before taking a sip of it. "I''ll think about it." was the only answer I could give right now. "That is fine. I understand why you might not want such a moniker. Not to mention how it might attract unwanted attention to you, positively and negatively. Fame isn''t for everyone. Though, as my granddaughter, you''ll have some fame, whether you want it or not." That is true. I am now, for all intents and purposes, the granddaughter of an Earl with his own territory. I am a noble, and not a low-rank one at that. "Oh, one more thing." I raised my eyebrows. ¡°If you can, please. Help our people with their crops. If with your magic you can at the very least make every year¡¯s harvest be a successful one, then we would be able to start turning things around here. We will earn more in taxes and we can use that funds to increase the security of our land.¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll look into it.¡± was my answer to his plea. I remembered those Mundane Magic classes I used to take at the Academy. They were all about how mages could use their spells to help with ordinary daily lives. They weren¡¯t that popular compared to the more combat-oriented classes, but knowing how steeped the culture of Magocracy was in magic usage, it wasn¡¯t that odd that such classes would be mandatory. The Council would see no threat in people learning magic to grow crops better or to catch fishes more efficiently. In fact, it would be a boon to their nation. Thanks to said mass usage of magic, they were able to remain mostly independent from any other nations. ¡°If you¡¯re going to go outside, I suggest taking Reinhard with you. He¡¯ll be able to show you around.¡± Reinhard Archimond. He was a personage I met a few days later after I had arrived here. He had been out with his wives on an outing to inspect surrounding villages, so I didn¡¯t stumble upon him right away. After Father left, with Grandfather not wanting to remarry and make another child to be his successor, he instead settled on adopting a local commoner as his son. Apparently, he was chosen because he was somewhat of a hero, as he had been taking out bandits and monsters all on his own over the years. He was an expert ranger who excelled both in the sword and the bow. He then married him off to the daughter of a baron, allowing him to get access to some funds he wouldn¡¯t be able to get otherwise. And then, to my surprise, Grandfather actually allowed him to take another wife. This time, it was his actual sweetheart, the woman he had taken a liking to ever since they were little. The classic ¡°childhood crush¡± scenario. I thought just how mad the daughter of the baron would be from it, but somehow, she seemed to be completely fine with it, sharing her husband with another woman. She even reassured me that she had convinced her parents that it was alright as well. To take a commoner as a second wife, it¡¯s like you¡¯re insulting the first as you¡¯re equalizing her noble stature with a commoner. And yet, they seem to be completely fine with it. Not to mention the thought of sharing the man you love with another. I could never understand how someone would be willing to do that. ¡°I suppose I would,¡± I replied. I just hope that I won¡¯t gain the ire of his wives by doing so. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t expect you to help me do all of this without a reward,¡± he continued. ¡°Like you have requested, I would try to my utmost to help you obtain that Dream Orb you wanted to contact your brother.¡± I had told him about how Hugo ran away after defeating Vera. At first, he was angry that he would do such a foolish thing, but he quickly understood afterwards. ¡°Your little brother¡­ he might be similar to Ariel. Too pure for the harshness of this world.¡± That certainly wasn¡¯t something pleasant to hear, as that implied he might actually go mad from it as well, just like his grandmother. So I replied, ¡°No, my Hugo is stronger than that. He will bounce back. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± However, even after saying such a confident thing, my worry towards him increased exponentially, which led to me bringing the matter to Grandfather, telling him how there was an extremely rare magic tool that one could use to communicate to another person, no matter where they were in the world. ¡°I have sent letters to all my colleagues. Hopefully, one of them will reply soon with some good news.¡± Unfortunately, there weren¡¯t any nearby World Dungeons that I could use to seek out the orb myself. So I had to just hope that somehow, I would find someone who would be willing to sell it to me, and for a reasonable price. Grandfather didn¡¯t have much money in his coffers after all. With the conversation being over, I departed, to the nearest struggling farmland with Reinhard accompanying me. And the result? This soil¡­ it¡¯s barely suited for this type of crop at all. It¡¯s too hard and dry. Not to mention the temperature itself. ...No. Even with my capabilities, I can¡¯t fertilize every single farmland in this region. It¡¯s simply too impractical. The only solution is for them to grow something different. A type of crop that would flourish, even in the middle of a harsh winter. And I think I know just the kind of crop it is. All thanks to one of Vera¡¯s books that I had pillaged from her mansion. With that plan in my mind, I returned back to the mansion. First step: to reproduce the seed for the crop using my magic. Sorry, Hugo. It seems your big sister will be staying here for some time after all. Vol 3 Chapter 1: Flaming Arrows (Start of the Necromancer Arc) A series of carriages were travelling down a dusty valley, with a series of tall cliffs surrounding them to the left and right. Five of them to be exact, with three carrying goods and two carrying passengers. This was what the locals referred to as the Whispering Valley, named after the whispers you would hear from the wind blowing through the many holed rocks that jutted out the two cliffs, creating flute-like sounds. Some even said that they were the whispers of the dead or the whispers of wind spirits, though there really was no basis for such rumors. There weren¡¯t any undead monsters around and the place was certainly not a Fey Domain, or else it couldn¡¯t have been used as an alternate route to cross into the Kingdom of Fiania. The Fey would never tolerate their land being used as a public road after all. Even so, it was still a treacherous route. Most travelers would opt to take the route to the west instead, where it was safer and closer to civilization. Unfortunately, the one responsible for the caravan had no choice in the matter. His superior demanded that the goods were to be delivered on time, and thanks to some mix-up, they only arrived in his hands far later than what he had scheduled. And so, he had to brave himself and take this route instead of the other one, as that route was definitely longer. This was the direct route to his destination after all. And thus, he had to spend extra cash recruiting adventurers to act as their escort. At the very least, he could recoup some of said cost by including a passenger carriage with their convoy, charging the people inside extra as they would get to their destination faster. His name was Norton, an up-and-coming trader employed by the Rinea Corporation, or, to be more exact, one of its many branches, which was the Rinea Trading Company. He used to fly on his own, but after realizing that he would profit off more by joining what basically amounted to a trader confederation/guild of sorts, he pulled the trigger on the matter. It¡¯s hard to compete with them after all, so it¡¯s wiser to join them instead. Sure, he lost his freedom, but in exchange, he could sleep more soundly, knowing that his business was more well-protected. Losing this shipment however, would mean the loss of his comfortable position, and even his life, if he lost it due to bandits or monsters, which was why he readily posted a B-ranked quest for the necessary escort. Back in the old days, when he still had only one carriage filled with his sole merchandise, he could get by with himself acting as the guard. He was decently skilled at the sword and bow, and he knew only to take the safest routes. Bandits wouldn¡¯t bother targeting a small merchant like him either. They would prefer planning ambushes on large shipments, like the one he was handling right now. His guards were a party of B-rank adventurers. Their name was Flaming Arrows, apparently named after the fact that they had a fire mage and an archer within their ranks. There was one other member, but he was the type that just blended in with his surroundings. Fitting since he was their support, filling the role of their defensive front-line fighter and their healer. All the impressive stuff that actually killed the monsters were done by the archer and the mage. There was another with them however, as Norton felt three people wouldn¡¯t be enough for the job. He was the youngest of them, and Norton only took him aboard because there really wasn¡¯t any other adventurer available. He was C-rank too, which meant he should be considerably weaker than the other three. However, his quest was B-rank, so technically, there would be no problem in him partaking in it. Another reason for his reluctance was how he was apparently some noble kid from the south. Sure, the fire mage was a noble herself, but unlike him, he actually could pull some records of her completing B-rank quests before with her party. Apparently, he had just arrived when Norton recruited him, and he was only doing the quest because it allowed him to get a free ride to the north. It was a well-known fact that noble adventurers tend to be somewhat less reliable than commoner adventurers, thanks to how they were rarely suited with the life-or-death situations adventurers were often thrown into. They would run away at any sign of trouble, back to their rich mommy and daddy as if being an adventurer was just a game to them. So far though, he performed better than he had expected. They had encountered several monsters on the road before, and they even fought off a band of bandits once, and he had made himself more than just useful there. To his surprise, the boy actually could use both his sword and his wand properly. It wasn¡¯t just some fancy thinking of him wanting to be both a swordsman and a mage. Sword mages did certainly exist, but they were quite rare and they tend to be less effective than an actual swordsman and an actual mage. Higher-level adventurers all had their parties, and there was rarely a need for a member that wasn¡¯t really specialized to a certain role in said party. Ah, there they go again. He smiled as he heard the commotion behind him. As usual, the boy was caught up between an argument between the mage and the archer. -------- Hugo "What?! How can you say that?! Coffee is definitely better!" "Hmph, this is why a commoner like you should learn to be more refined! Tea is definitely better!" "Hah, that''s just your childish taste speaking! You don''t like bitter stuff after all!" "Hey, Charles! Tell this ignoramus that tea is better!" "Don''t indulge the spoiled brat, Charles! You like drinking coffee better, don¡¯t you, Charles? I¡¯ve seen you chug that thing like there¡¯s no tomorrow!" I sighed inwardly. How many times have I been dragged into this mess? Currently, I was sitting on a roofless carriage. Unlike the paying passengers, we didn¡¯t have the luxury to be seated in a roofed one. Though I suppose for us, who were paid to be guards for the caravan, it would make more sense for us to have a clear and direct sight to our surroundings at all times, thus necessitating the need for an open carriage. With me, there were three other people. Adventurers, just like me. One guy and two girls. The guy was the healer and the tank of the group, while the girls were the damage dealer¡ªone wielding a bow and one wielding a wand. And now, said girls were arguing against each other. Yet again. For what seemed to be the hundredth time. And it¡¯s always something stupid and inconsenquential. The girl who was sitting beside me was the mage. Her name was Amelie Von Victoria¡ªa blonde haired girl around the age of fifteen. She had her long hair curled up and tied to a series of buns on each side, and she wore a fancy-looking short dress with a robe over it. It was clear just from her appearance that she was either a fashion-loving mage who spent many gold on her outfit or she was a blue-blooded noble. The latter was the correct one by the way. Apparently, she was what you would call a runaway noble. She came all the way from Arthurstaad¡ªa fact that she would never let you forget, as so many times she held it up as the forefront of culture and civilization and how you have to see it at least once before you die. And yes, it¡¯s as annoying as it sounds. She never mentioned the rank of her parents though, which made me suspect it wasn¡¯t actually that high. Funny how much she bragged at being a noble lady when her parents were of the low echelons of the aristocracy. Heh, I wonder how she would react if I told her that I was a good acquaintance with the second Imperial Princess herself. Of course, I couldn¡¯t do that. It would just draw unneeded attention to myself. They might end up being dragged into Fiora¡¯s throne struggle in the future too, if they knew too much about what¡¯s going on with her. I doubt a lot of people knew where Fiora had gone to. The other girl, the one sitting across me, was the archer. She, on the other hand, wore a simple white sleeveless shirt and black miniskirt (with tight fitting bike shorts-like pants underneath), along with a red cloak that complemented her bright pink short hair. Her name was Anne. Unlike the mage, she didn¡¯t announce her family name every other second, so I wouldn¡¯t know what her family name was. She was probably around sixteen years old, just a year older than the mage. The remaining guy wore a medium iron armor with gauntlets, not a full steel one since he probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to afford it. He had a sword sheathed on his hip. He had black hair and eyes, and he was simply smiling towards our direction as the argument ensued. His name was Anton, and he was pretty much the ¡°big brother¡± of the group, both in age and mannerism. I was pretty sure he was already in his twenties. I gave him a ¡°Hey, help me out here!¡± look. He didn¡¯t respond however. Once again, he must think that our quarrels were amusing to watch. Munyu~? ¡°Charles! I know your taste is more refined than hers! You''re a noble gentleman after all! You''re not like this commoner girl! Hey, tell her that tea is better!" Amelie, who was sitting beside me (she wouldn''t sit with Anne), grabbed my left arm and pulled it towards her, causing it to press against her chest. And oh boy, it was a soft and voluptuous one. The two mounds were bursting out of her white shirt, contrasting with the redness of her dress. She might just be on track to be as busty as Renee when she grew older. ¡°Charles! You¡¯re not like that snob, right? You know that coffee is definitely the superior beverage!¡± Anne fired back. ¡°Uhh, yeah, I think both are just fine, actually,¡± was my diplomatic and non-confrontational answer. Of course, this only made them even madder, and the argument continued. I sighed. Starting to feel that my decision on temporarily joining a party like this might be a bad idea. ---------- Let¡¯s roll back the clock several months ago, shall we? After I left Fiora and her entourage, I immediately headed north once I crossed the Great Chasm using my Wind Step. Oh, by the way, the assassin group that we spared was nowhere to be seen back in the village at the foot of the Severing Mountains, where said chasm was located. They must have left immediately. I just hope they won¡¯t betray Fiora later on. But eh, she¡¯ll be fine. That girl¡¯s really strong after all. Continuing away from that tangent, I headed northwest, alternating between walking and running with my Wind Step. I thought it would be a good idea to train both my physical and magical stamina. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t exhaust all my magic. That would be dangerous if monsters were to attack me. And they sure did. Nothing I couldn¡¯t handle on my own though. B-rank ones were basically nothing to me. A-rank ones¡ªstill have to be a bit more careful, but my Boom Cannon can one-shot them, just like how I killed the wyvern back then. I didn¡¯t give up on my training as well. I would spend a good chunk of my time every single day swinging around the sword Fiora had given to me. To my surprise, the more I used it, the more I felt comfortable using it. It was extremely light, lighter than ordinary metal. However, it was really sturdy as well. I could hit a hard rock with it over and over without Staccato and not a single nick could be found on its surface. I also trained my Graceful Step technique as well. If I could master it, then I could replace Wind Step with it. At least, for fights that wouldn¡¯t necessitate me going airborne. I kept up my magic spell development as well. My next aim was to somehow make a Boom Cannon with a controllable trajectory, meaning, it wouldn¡¯t need to only fly off on a straight line anymore. It was harder than I thought however, as the insane speed it possessed really didn¡¯t lend it well for doing turns. Though, thanks to my refined control, I could actually cast Thunderstorm now. Yay. All those months learning the spell didn¡¯t go to waste after all. All I needed was better control over my mana. With that, as well as taking up quests on the various small towns I dropped by to fund my trip, I made my way north towards the border. If I had to say, during my experience travelling alone mostly on the wilderness like that (I didn¡¯t take the main route that most merchants and travelers would take), it¡¯s true what Fiora said, that the further away you got from the center of the Holy Empire, the less affluent the people would be and the more dangerous the land would be to travel. This world was far from reaching anywhere near the level of population that my old world had. As a result, a lot of the land remained undeveloped, simply becoming places for adventurers to have their adventures. In places like that, the monsters tend to be stronger as well. Now I know why Father took his job so seriously. He made sure that the monsters would not overbreed, as that tended to make them antsy in searching for new territories, which meant attacking human dwellings. Father was strong enough to take care of the entire region basically by himself, but in the villages and small towns I had passed, they would rely on the soldiers and knights that their local lord had (well, Father himself was a knight). Calling adventurers for monster extermination meant extra funds would be required, and it¡¯s either the lord who paid or the villagers. Unfortunately, it seemed that a lot of the time, it would be the latter. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When I reached said border, I was already a C-rank adventurer. Took quite a good while unfortunately. Two months and a half, give or take, from when I left Fiora. As much as I might want to rush to Sherry, if I were to keep up my training and get money for my expenditures, I couldn¡¯t really rush onward that fast. The border town was named Grayden, and like the name suggested, it was a town in-between the kingdom of Fenesia, where I was at, and the kingdom of Udomia, my next destination. Most of the border was nature-made using the Northeastern Dragon Mountain Range as the marker. However, there was a length of wall made between the gaps in-between said mountain range. It was only a relic of the past though, constructed when the two kingdoms were still feuding, before the Empire assimilated them both. They didn¡¯t even bother renovating it, causing the whole thing to basically fall apart on its own due to nature doing her work. Now, you could only see mossy, dilapidated stone bricks with many, many holes on it. Thanks to both kingdoms being vassal states to the Holy Empire, border checks were minimal. Even though the wall was barely even there, both kingdoms saw no problem in leaving it as it was. I was tempted to try blowing the whole thing over using my wind spell, but of course, I was not crazy enough to do so. When I arrived at the town¡¯s Adventurer Guild however, I realized something that had been gnawing inside my heart all this time. I was lonely. These past two months and a half, the only human contact I got was the occasional adventurers that I worked with. Not as part of their party, but simply as a temporary guest or even just because we were doing the same job or going the same direction. And they seemed to all have so much fun with each other, leaving me alone on the sidelines. I missed it. I missed all the banter I had with Fiora, Nicole¡¯s calming and serene smile, and even Helen¡¯s scowling. Solo adventuring might sound cool on paper, but for me, who actually yearned for companionship, it was quite terrible. And so, when I spied with my eye a long term job offer to be a guard for a merchant caravan that headed north, I took it immediately, knowing that it would mean I would have other people to travel and talk to in my journey. Thanks to that, I had been stuck with this bunch for the last month and a half or so days. Oh no, it¡¯s not like they were bad people. In fact, our journey together had been, in most part, pleasurable. Even if they originally doubted my ability, thanks to my young age and the fact that I was just a C-rank adventurer. After I fought together with them, defending the carriage from monsters and bandits, I now pretty much had gotten their validation, even if I never really showed my true abilities to them. I pretended to be only a mage who could only cast Advanced-level spells with shortened chants, and I never used my special sword techniques either. I didn¡¯t want to attract any attention, as if they really knew how strong I really was, they would surely ask all sorts of troublesome questions. Something else that was troublesome ended up happening though. Now, after I proved myself to them, two girls constantly wanted to involve me in their arguments, which I really did not want to. And if I didn¡¯t take their side, they would send a scowl to my direction. I sighed again. It¡¯s not bad though, being popular with two girls like this. But just like back at elementary school, I know very well how vicious girls can be when they fight against each other. Another reason why my perverted dream of having a harem should just remain that, a dream. Vol 3 Chapter 2: The Commoner and The Aristocrat Anne And there he goes again, being his usual indecisive self. Really, why can¡¯t he man up and tell her off for once? Hmph, he probably enjoys the attention she¡¯s giving to him! Does he think I never noticed all the times he stole glances at that royal brat¡¯s large chest? The rumors are true after all, that the nobles of the Holy Empire are all perverts behind their fancy curtains! I hailed from that place down south, or to be more accurate, from the Holden Earldom which is the northeastern part of the Empire. I was born to a hunter and his wife, thus I picked the bow ever since I could walk. It wasn¡¯t an easy life by any means. Father would risk his life every day going into the nearby monster-infested forest and mountain to feed our family. He always told us that one day, he might just lose his life there, and when that happened, he hoped that our family would be able to go continue on living without him. That was why Mother took up the skill of embroidery, so that she too could earn money for our family if anything were to happen to Father. I too, as their only daughter, swore that I would help our family as best as I could. In the end though, it didn¡¯t matter, as a sudden pour of monsters coming out from the forest killed both of them when I was still just a ten year old girl, thanks to our house actually built away from the village and near the forest instead. Father preferred solitude, and that, unfortunately, led to his and Mother¡¯s death. Adventurers were dispatched to deal with the situation as they fortified the village. There, I met up with Anton, who back then, still had his old party with him. As you might have guessed, the monster horde wiped all of them out except for him, and in the end, we stuck together, forming an entirely new party just by the two of us. Years passed, and we would join and leave other parties temporarily, never really sticking around much for one reason or another. We climbed up in the ranks, until we became B-rank adventurers. Then, we ended up meeting with the royal brat, who became our party mage, as we were desperately in need of one. To my shame, my arrows weren¡¯t enough to handle the monsters at our current level, especially as we now frequently fought off B-rank monsters and even the occasional highly dangerous A-rank. The royal brat had gotten into an argument with her former party and got kicked out as a result. I suppose Anton took pity on her, as she was crying in the most pitiful, pathetic way when we first met her. It didn¡¯t take long until she took us for granted however, and she returned back to her haughty self. Yet another reason to the list on why I hate nobles. Back then, the local lord of our region never sent out his knights to fight off the monsters. That¡¯s why so many adventurers and villagers died to the monsters back then. The villagers, including myself, had to pool every single coin we had to post a quest to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild for help. Even so, we didn¡¯t have enough money to attract enough adventurers to come. I was extremely grateful to those who had chosen to come, even though to them, the risk must outweigh the payment. It was another reason why I went with Anton, to repay his kindness and the sacrifice of his party. They never care about us the common folk. They only care to take our well-earned money in taxes, just to fund their lavish lifestyle. Which was why when I realized we were going to travel for a length of time with yet another noble, I displayed my opposition. ¡°He¡¯s just some kid, isn¡¯t he? He¡¯ll just be dragging us down. And that expensive outfit¡­ he doesn¡¯t even try to hide the fact that he¡¯s a noble.¡± I voiced my complaint to our questgiver. In the end however, he still insisted on bringing him along. And now, near the end of our trip, I had to retract everything I said back then. He was strong. Far stronger than he looked. Twice he had saved our bums from certain danger. Once, when we were ambushed by a colony of Fire Ants. Our wonderful noble brat¡¯s fire magic was naturally heavily resisted by them and their numbers were so many that I couldn¡¯t hold them off no matter how fast I shot them. Before I knew it, I already ran out of arrows. As they started swarming around the passenger carriage, with the helpless men and women inside, I decided to do something reckless. I jumped off the top of said carriage and used myself as bait for them, just so I could get them away from the innocents that would get hurt if they were to burn the wooden carriage. I knew it was suicidal, as I could be surrounded by them in no time with no route to escape. Yet I did it anyway, as I couldn¡¯t bear to let anyone die on my watch. And of course, that¡¯s exactly what happened. Just when I thought it was all over however, a series of waterspouts suddenly came out from the ground, annihilating the ants one by one until there wasn¡¯t a single one left. It was Charles. He, who throughout the fight, had been mostly acting as a front-line fighter along with Anton, suddenly was able to cast such powerful magic. It didn¡¯t make sense. He was in no position to do that. To cast that level of magic, a mage would need around a minute in order to concentrate his mana and finish the long chant. And yet, it was as if he did it in an instant, with no chants whatsoever. When the battle was over, my feelings were thrown into disorder. I felt extremely grateful to him, as he pretty much had just saved my life. After one of the ants bit me in the leg, I fell down to the ground, bleeding from my injury. I was completely surrounded by the ants, with no chance to escape. I was already resigned to my fate, thinking that finally, I would join Father and Mother in the afterlife. And then, like a knight (or rather, a mage) in shining armor, he swooped in and saved me. And yet, I was angry as well. Why did he hide that level of strength from us? Afterwards, I questioned him in the matter, but he simply dodged the question, telling how he simply had been chanting while using his sword at the same time, which was a complete lie of an excuse. I felt hurt. I felt deceived. It¡¯s as if he was saying that he didn¡¯t really trust us. We had traveled together for two weeks then, and I thought we were already friends. Apparently not. And that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t really like him, even if I wanted to. Maybe if he told off that noble brat more, then my view of him would be more favorable. But knowing how he was a pervert who preferred girls with big chests, fat chance that would ever happen. He didn¡¯t even scold the noble brat when she broke down crying just from taking her very first human life. I suppose I can talk about that as well. That was the second incident, a month after we departed from Grayden. We were ambushed by a band of bandits, who clearly had known we were coming beforehand. It was perfectly planned. It took place in a valley, a smaller one than this, and they sent down giant boulders from the cliffs to the left and right of us, blocking the road on both sides. Then, their cocky leader shouted from above, telling us to surrender, or else he would rain us with their arrows. He even showed us all the archers he got under his disposal. There must be at least 50 of them. It was clear that this was a professional job. They could even be deserters from the Udomia Kingdom¡¯s army. It wasn¡¯t unheard off for well-trained soldiers just abandoning their posts, taking up banditry instead. Usually, it happened when they weren¡¯t paid enough, thus banditry offered a more lucrative, yet less morally-sound offer. It was a completely disadvantageous situation. If I moved to fire at them, or if the royal brat started to chant her spell, they would attack, and there was no way we would be able to survive a barrage of arrows from that amount of archers. Our employer was ready to surrender, until Charles suddenly called upon a thunderstorm that shattered their formation into pieces. It gave us the opportunity to strike back, as the bandits, panicking of the series of thunders that blasted them up above, descended down to our place with the intention of killing whoever was casting the spell. There, the royal brat was forced to take a life for the very first time, burning a number of bandits with her spell, leaving only horrid-smelling charred remains behind. She broke down, and started crying in the most annoying, high-pitched voice possible. And Charles¡ªthat kid immediately came to her and comforted her. Like, come on, she barely did anything in the fight. I killed most of the remaining bandits. And yet she decided to be a drama queen and clung to him so tightly, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t notice the two lumps of fat pressing into his chest. With those thoughts, I gave him an angry stare, before giving a huff and looking away, not wanting to see anymore of his face or the noble brat who¡¯s sitting beside him. At least, until I heard a screech from the skies. --------- Hugo ¡°Monsters!¡± I shouted. I immediately got up along with the others. In case of a monster attack, we already had prepared a strategy beforehand. The caravan would immediately reorganize itself into a circle formation instead of a line, to minimize the area where us as its guards had to defend. I looked up to the skies and sure enough, there were three, no, four Steel Rocs circling our position. They were a common monster in this valley. Similar to the Hell Condors we had back home, they were also B-ranked giant bird monsters. They would attack by firing their razor sharp feathers like a rain of knives on their victims. Which meant we would have to draw their attention away from the caravan before the carriages were destroyed by their attacks. "Everyone! Scatter formation!" Anton yelled as he readied his shield. "Anne! Draw their attention to us! Amelie! Move away and start chanting your spell! Charles! Guard her if any of the rocs decide to go for her!" Like a true adventuring party leader, he immediately gave out the correct orders in an instant. He might be nowhere as strong as me, but I respected him for that. Compared to his party, the way Fiora and I fought were basically just us doing our own things with barely any cooperation, since the monsters we fought were so weak compared to us. However, for most adventurers, this is necessary to survive most monster encounters. I ran away with Amelie, jumping off the carriage we were in, and as she drew her wand and started chanting her spell, I readied my sword to parry any incoming feathers. Thanks to Anne''s arrows, three of the rocs flew after her. As expected, they bombarded her with feathers in return, but Anton blocked them all with his shield. The remaining one came after us, but I managed to parry each and every single feather. It was so easy. They were nothing compared to the speed of Fiora''s attacks. ¡°Flame Strike!¡± Amelie launched a fireball at high speed into the air. It hit one of the rocs, before exploding in a swathe of flames, spreading the heat in a circle around the creature. It fell down from the skies, as its steel wings melted. ¡°Yay! One down!¡± Amelie celebrated. Too early! I yelled in my mind. The battle isn¡¯t over yet! And indeed it wasn¡¯t, as the other rocs, noticing what had just happened to their comrade, immediately moved in to attack the mage instead. Yep, it¡¯s just like how in MMORPGs, dealing damage will get you aggro. She noticed it as well, and immediately repositioned herself to be closer towards Anton. Anton himself responded the same way, running towards our direction with Anne following from behind¡ªthe archer desperately trying to either draw back aggro or take out at least one of them with her arrows. If she can land one in one of their weakspots, like their eyes, then that¡¯s something she can do. The rest of their bodies however were made out of steel, which, as you no doubt already guessed, were resistant to normal arrows. ¡°Krraaaahhhh!¡± Bullseye! One of the arrows indeed landed in one of the monsters¡¯ eyes, taking it out from the skies as well. I would be surprised, if I hadn¡¯t already known what an amazing archer she was, from all the time we had spent traveling together. Two, however, still managed to launch their steel feathers towards us. ¡°Eeekkk!¡± Amelie screamed as she realized what was coming at her direction. However, I stood in front of her and parried every single one of the feathers as well. Even two of them didn¡¯t really make me break a sweat. And then, the final blow was landed by Anne, as she pierced one bird on its throat, and another in what could only be described as its exposed buttocks. Poor thing¡­ ¡°T-thank you!¡± Amelie said to me as the fight was over. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, then I would¡¯ve¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, it was nothing,¡± I replied with a smile, turning to face towards her. ¡°I¡¯m just glad I could parry all those feathers, you know. I swear I must have missed a few.¡± There¡¯s no need to brag. Like I¡¯ve said, I¡¯m keeping a low profile here. "You idiot!" Suddenly, Anne''s loud voice entered my ears. "That was reckless of you! I told you before to use less powerful spells so the monsters won''t go after you!" Oh, it wasn''t me she was scolding. It was Amelie. Putting her hands on her waist, she came up to the girl and began ranting at her. "What would you do if Charles can''t parry all the feathers, huh? Your stupidity is risking not only yourself, but the entire party as well!" She now pointed her finger at her. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh, shut it! Charles here is perfectly capable of blocking all those arrows! You just don''t trust him, which makes you the problem here!" She fired back, while flashing a smile towards me. "You know he''s only a kid, right? You can''t rely on a kid to protect you! Have you no shame?" "He''s not a kid anymore! He''s already a perfect adult and a gentleman! Right, Charles?" Once again, she gave the same smile while fluttering her eyelids. "You''re delusional! Just yesterday, he forgot to zip his pants after taking a leak! Can you say that¡¯s something a fully grown adult will do? "Whaaat? You pervert! You peeked at his underpants, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What?! How dare you even insinuate that?! I have you know that I immediately told him of his blunder while never even taking a single look!¡± And so, once again, they returned to their arguments. I could only sigh, with Anton beside me doing the same. ...Oh, and I did actually forget to zip my pants back yesterday after my relief break. That was embarrassing. Pretty sure Anne stole multiple glances down there before she told me about it though. We soon departed once more. We didn¡¯t have time to loot the birds as our employer insisted that we hurried onwards. No doubt he was scared of any more monster attacks. It¡¯s fine though. We were paid handsomely for this job after all. ------- Amelie Sheesh, what''s wrong with her?! Why can''t she stop being grumpy and be nice for once?! With a huff, I cut short my argument with the peasant girl as we climbed back up the carriage. I sat beside Charles once more, making sure that I smoothed down my skirt first and not to sit with my legs open like that peasant girl liked to do. Hmph, just because she wore those shorts under her skirt doesn''t mean she should sit like that! Well, it¡¯s just what you would expect from an unmannered, uncouth peasant like her. Unlike my dear Charles, who¡¯s the perfect gentleman in every sense of the word! Oh yes, he is simply wonderful. At first, I thought he was just another snot-nosed noble brat who couldn¡¯t take care of himself, but he had proven himself well above all those other kids I was unfortunate enough to be forced to mingle with back at the capital. He never cried or whined or complained when our journey got tough, and he even comforted me when I had to do that abhorrent, horrifying thing of defeating those bandits with my fire spells. It was the very first time I had to kill another human being, and the sight of their charred corpses¡­ urgh, even now, it still disgusted me to remember that. Like a true gentleman, he accepted my weakness as a lady, unlike that awful peasant girl who just mocked me for it. He even allowed me to sleep with him (n-not in that way, mind you!) for a few nights afterwards just so I could sleep without being bothered by nightmares from that terrible event. If only Papa gave me a boy like him to be my fiance, then I wouldn¡¯t have to run away from home¡­ As a daughter of a noble from the capital, I knew from a young age that I would be married off to a boy from another noble house when I got old enough. But I expected them to be as refined and genteel as I am. Instead, the boy Papa chose, that despicable, no-good Richard, was an awful, awful boy! For starters, he was nowhere near as good looking as Charles. And he was not gentlemanly in the slightest! He would lift up my dress and peek at my panties, thinking it was in his right to do so just because he was my fiancee! How dare he! But Charles¡­ Charles is different. Charles is nice and gentle and handsome. And he''s really strong and reliable as well! And since he''s a noble as well, maybe we can¡­ Oh, nononono! Papa will never approve of me marrying with some random, no-name noble! But if he became a famous adventurer, then maybe even Papa would¡­ Ehe¡­ ehehehehehehehe! Vol 3 Chapter 3: Guild and Bank Hugo And there she goes again¡­ grinning on her own while having this starstruck look on her face. I never quite know what that girl is thinking, really. I can certainly see why Anne gets annoyed by her so often. Well, I¡¯m just glad that she¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s really suited to be an adventurer, but she¡¯s a pretty good mage and thanks to Anton¡¯s leadership, she has been able to perform well in said role. I have a feeling that she won¡¯t be able to survive well at all if she has to go solo like me though. --------- Anne And there he goes again, bragging about how strong he is to her. Hmph! Does he think he''s fooling anyone, pretending to be all humble like that? He knows very well how strong he is. Those feathers were never a problem for him from the start. And yet, he played it all coy, pretending that he only barely managed to parry them all. Annoying. It''s really annoying. It''s like he''s looking down on us! He''s probably doing it to impress that noble brat. He''s a noble too after all. Nobles like that kind of stuff, right? Playing the knight in shining armor to woo the ladies? That brat might be fooled, but I sure am not! Even if he saved me that one time! --------- Hugo To my pleasant surprise (and our entire caravan, naturally), we went through the rest of the valley safety. No other monsters popped up and before we knew it, we were already out on the plains and back on safe roads. And finally, in ten more days, we arrived at our destination. The town of Keirnes. It was a small town, all things considered. It wasn¡¯t located in the main route traders and merchants would take to move around their merchandise. Even so, at least according to our employer, it was important enough to the Rinea Corporation, or rather, its trading subsidiary, to set up shop here. Apparently, it was the center of trade for the eastern part of the kingdom, so they would lose out if they merely abandoned the place to other merchants. And it was also a town where adventurers liked to use as their base of operations. The region was still mostly wild, filled with monsters that needed to be taken care of. And a lot of them were quite strong too, to the point that high-ranked adventurers would come here in search for the high-ranked quests that they wanted. ¡°In short, you¡¯re selling to adventurers?¡± I asked him. ¡°Well, some of the goods here are indeed for them,¡± he replied with a smile. ¡°Not just weapons and armors, mind you, but magical items as well.¡± I asked him about the Dream Orb afterwards. He had heard of it, but he had never gotten his hands on it. ¡°That thing is so rare, you can buy a whole house and land with it! Or maybe even more!¡± he exclaimed. I gulped. So buying it is pretty much not an option. I have to get it myself. Once we arrived, our employer thanked us for our service with a bright smile on his face. He gave us the completion notice that we could take to the Guild afterwards to report our quest and then get our payment there. This was done so that the adventurers would have no incentive to just kill the quest owner and rob him of his money. You don¡¯t necessarily have to do it though, as you¡¯re perfectly welcome to pay them on your own. Although, in his case, I¡¯m pretty sure we can get a huge sum of money if we take all of his merchandise. If we can sell it, that is. I have a suspicion that no merchants will be crazy enough to buy goods stolen from the No.1 trading company in the continent. He mentioned it by the way, how if we tried to rob him, there would be no merchants in the Holy Continent that would buy his merchandise off our hands and we would be fugitives for the rest of our lives. Yeah, he didn¡¯t trust us when we first met. But now, I think his attitude already flips 180 degrees, to the point that he actually offered us to be his permanent bodyguard, as part of the Rinea Trading Company. We refused. The Flaming Arrow trio didn¡¯t want to be tied down and I obviously had my own goal in mind. And thus, we entered the town¡¯s Adventurer Guild with proud smiles on our faces for a job well done. And the knowledge that we would be paid a lot of gold very soon. Yeah. That must contribute to our good mood well enough. The Adventurer Guild located in the town was surprisingly pretty big for a small town like this. Perhaps it was thanks to how many adventurers frequented the region. The receptionist lobby was big enough that it could hold fifty or more adventurers at once, which was the exact situation that we encountered as we stepped into the building. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with all the commotion?¡± I asked the nearest adventurer once we entered. ¡°Oh, newcomers? Haven¡¯t seen your bunch around here before,¡± he replied with a smile. He was a lanky middle-aged man with a barely noticeable stubble on his chin. ¡°As for your question, those guys are currently gathering up their members for they¡¯re going to depart on a big S-rank quest." S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. My eyes traveled to where "those guys" were located. Sure enough, they seemed to be celebrating about something¡ªregaling the tale of their adventure with some dramatic reenaction to the other adventurers there. "Those folks are the Quiet Slayers, a famous S-rank party in the region. Not only that, but they''re the leader of the Emerald Exodus, a clan consisting of their party and several other A-ranked adventuring parties. This time around, they¡¯re going to utilize the power of the entire clan to do the quest.¡± Whoa, S-rank? Does that mean they''re as strong as Father and Mother? The Quiet Slayers though¡­ they''re not really being quiet at all¡­ ¡°What kind of quest takes that much manpower?¡± I asked him, out of pure curiosity. ¡°Heh, you wanna know, kiddo?¡± He grinned. ¡°Dragon slaying, kiddo. Dragon slaying. A frost dragon has been spotted on the peak of a mountain in the region, and this town¡¯s mayor has put a really lucrative quest to take care of it. Precautions, you know. Why wait until it descends down the mountain and starts killing people before putting it down?¡± ¡°Ah, I see,¡± I replied. Dragon slaying, huh? Certainly, dragons are S-rank monsters. And not only that, they¡¯re said to be the strongest monster in the entire Holy Continent. Makes sense why they would want so many people. Strength in numbers and all that. "Oh, by the way, kiddo." He looked straight at me as he said it. "What rank are you?" "Eh? Just a humble C-rank, nothing more," I replied with a polite smile. No reason not to be nice. "And your party?" "Oh, they''re not my party. I''m just¡ª" "Oh no no no no, he''s totally with our party, right, Charles?" Munyu~? Before I could answer, Amelie already interrupted me while grabbing my arm, making it touch her soft chest. I really didn''t know if she did it intentionally or not, but I certainly appreciated the sensation. "Hey, knock it off!" Anne interrupted, before giving a look towards the man. "Look, he''s never been part of our party. He''s travelling on his own and it just so happens that we took the same escort job so we''re stuck together." "What?! Don''t tell me you''re against him joining us!" Amelie whined. "It''s not about that! It''s just that if he wants to go party up with other people, then we shouldn''t be spreading around the news that he''s a permanent member of our party! That wouldn''t be right, would it?" I couldn''t help but smile. Heh, I guess she does care about me. Even though she never seems to accept me being around her that well. "Anne''s right." Anton finally spoke up, putting his hand on Amelie''s shoulder. "Charles is not obligated to be with us. After all, he wants to go to the Demon Continent. He can''t stick around with us forever, can he?" I already told them about my destination. As for the reason, I simply told them that I had a friend I wanted to meet there. No need to tell them anything further. With a sad look, Amelie released my arm from her grip. We then walked to the only open counter. We gave the receptionist there our quest proof and she immediately accepted it, adding the quest completion to our cards. Really, if you think about it, those cards are amazing inventions if you consider the general technology level of this world. It''s almost like an electronic data card with those chips in them. I heard they were invented by some legendary magic item crafter years ago, but I''m not sure on the details. Afterwards however, instead of handing us the gold, the receptionist each handed us a piece of paper. Let''s see here¡­ To be redeemed at the nearest Rinea Corporation Bank¡­ Huh? It wasn¡¯t just me that was surprised. The entire party, judging by their befuddled expressions, were taken aback as well. ¡°Hey, what is the meaning of this?¡± Anne was the first to lash out. ¡°You¡¯re not going to give us the gold?¡± ¡°Apologies, Ma¡¯am, but for the sake of security, this branch of the guild has partnered with the town¡¯s Rinea Mercantile Bank to provide any large amount of payments through them. You simply have to bring those papers to their receptionist and they would immediately pay you per the amount stated.¡± Bank notes. This is basically what these papers are. To think that things like that would already exist in a fantasy world like this. Then again, if I recall correctly, even in medieval Europe, there were already banks, though they mostly served merchants. And judging by the ¡°mercantile¡± part, in this world, it¡¯s probably the same as well. Before modern era paper money became widespread, bank notes were the progenitor. Merchants use them to exchange gold instead of lugging actual gold bars around, which would be far more cumbersome (not to mention dangerous as well). And judging by how Anne reacts, it seems she probably has never even heard of it before. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Anne,¡± I told her. ¡°I don¡¯t think Miss Receptionist is lying.¡± I tried to put on a reassuring smile. I don¡¯t really want her to embarrass herself or the rest of the party by going on an outburst from her ignorance. ¡°Hmph, fine!¡± she replied. ¡°But we¡¯re coming back straight here if they end up not giving out our money, got it?¡± She gave a threatening finger point towards the receptionist. The young lady simply smiled in response however. Truly the mark of a professional customer service employee. ¡°Hey, hey, what¡¯s going on here? Why are you yelling at her like that?¡± Before we could leave however, someone decided to butt in into our conversation. It was the guy that stood in the middle of the crowd from before. ¡°Now you hear me, little girl.¡± He was speaking to Anne here. ¡°Don¡¯t harass Miss Sylphia here. She¡¯s our No.1 receptionist around here and if you ever be a bother to her, I¡¯m going to teach you a lesson you¡¯ll never forget.¡± Now that I got a close-up look at him, I could confidently describe his appearance. The man was in his mid-twenties if I had to guess, and he was wearing leather armor with a large sword on his back. That was enough to tell me that he was just like Father, a frontline offensive swordsman who preferred mobility over defense. He was tall and well-built, though not to the extent of him. And his face wasn¡¯t bad-looking either. It¡¯s hard to describe his charm, but if I had to say, he was halfway being a pretty boy-type swordsman and a rugged, gruff-type swordsman. He had blonde hair with blue eyes, and I could easily imagine him being the type to be popular with the females. And seeing how he¡¯s part of an S-rank party, that only adds to his attractiveness. Girls love strong men after all. Me? I guess I am pretty strong. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t really show it off since thanks to my young age, it¡¯s going to be really obvious to any one chasing after me that it¡¯s me. I doubt there are any other young boys of my age who''re this capable in magic (not to brag, of course). And I¡¯m not just talking about the Magocracy. Fiora¡¯s political opponents might also decide to make me their target next after realizing they can no longer reach her. Not to mention that me going around picking up chicks will no doubt anger Sherry. Though I guess just being adored is fine. Yeah, that¡¯s perfectly fine. I can be a show off here and there. Maybe having a flock of fangirls. Yeah, that sounds nice alright¡­ ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not bothering her! I¡¯m just asking her a question, that¡¯s all!¡± was her retort. ¡°Anyway,¡± he seemed to opt to ignore her altogether now as he faced Anton. ¡°You guys are new here, right? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you around. Name¡¯s Arcturus, an S-rank adventurer.¡± He gave a grin as he offered his hand towards him. He probably assumed (correctly) that he was the party leader. ¡°Greetings,¡± Anton replied with a smile, returning his handshake. ¡°I¡¯m Anton, and I¡¯m a B-rank adventurer.¡± ¡°Ah, B-ranks, huh? Shame. Would recruit you guys to our clan but you guys need to be A-ranks first.¡± ¡°You people are really going against a dragon? That''s awesome!" Amelie asked with a disbelieving yet perfectly excited expression. "Oh? Didn''t see you there, Miss." He turned to face her with a smile. "And yes, you are correct. We are indeed going up against one. Wish us luck, alright?" Yep, he seems to be the smooth, womanizing type, alright. After said short conversation, he excused himself and returned back to his group. Turning back my attention to the receptionist, the young lady was so very obviously blushing. Damn. That''s what being a famous S-rank adventurer gets you, huh? We then left the Guild building, heading straight towards the bank the receptionist had mentioned. Unlike the Guild, it was located on the wealthier side of the town. It was pretty easy to find, as the building itself was quite large. Not to mention the large sign it put up on the front, saying ¡°The Merchant Bank of Rinea¡± clear and loud. Two fully armored guards stood tall on the entrance, with spears at the ready. I noticed the discomfort of the trio as we walked up the steps to the entrance. Yeah, this building certainly doesn¡¯t have the most welcoming look. When we entered, the atmosphere we got was far different from what we just experienced from the Guild. It was awfully quiet, as if the very air itself had been jinxed with a charm of silence. It wasn¡¯t like there weren¡¯t other people around. In fact, there were a decent number of them. However, they all spoke in hushed tones, as if they didn¡¯t want others to hear their conversations. It¡¯s awfully different from the loudness and merriness adventurers were well-known for. We walked over to the nearest receptionist that wasn¡¯t occupied. Unlike the one we just met, this lady was certainly more well-dressed, with a neat and tidy uniform that just screamed ¡°bank employee¡± to you. The one in the Guild wore a uniform as well, but her collar was open and her posture was far more relaxed than this woman we were currently facing. ¡°Can I help you, Sir?¡± She spoke to me as I had taken the lead to arrive at her counter first. I gave my note to her, as well as the others. Judging by her expression, she probably already knew what we were coming here for, just from the way we were dressed. I imagine adventurers would only come here to get their payments and nothing more. How would you lend a loan to a group of people who can just skip town anytime they want? ¡°Very well. Everything seems to be in order. Please wait for a moment.¡± She then rang the small bell that was placed on her desk. A man then appeared from the room behind her. She said some words to him, away from the reach of our ears, and then the man returned back inside said room. The next five minutes was pure torture, at least for the trio. Like people who had never used a service like this before, they kept glancing around in the most awkward and guilty manner, to the point that I was starting to get embarrassed by them. Me though? I kept my cool perfectly, even having a little chat with the receptionist while we waited. Once the timer was up, the man returned, bringing four leather pouches that were filled with ten gold coins each. That was our payment each, which was a lot, considering how our escort quest was just a B-rank quest. The longer a quest would take, the more it would pay, even if the rank didn¡¯t change. Only after we left the building that the trio could take a long breath of relief. ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t so bad, was it?¡± I noted with a small grin. ¡°Charles, you¡¯re amazing!¡± Amelie exclaimed with glimmering eyes as she grabbed my hands. ¡°How did you do it, keeping your cool throughout the entire thing?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been here before. Not here, as in this bank, but a different one back at Frastelleren,¡± I lied. Of course, the answer was that it was something I would often do back in my old world, as a working adult and all. ¡°Wow, really? That¡¯s so cool!¡± she replied, grabbing my hands even tighter. This girl really needs to learn what a personal space is. Not that I''m complaining, mind you. "Hmph! It''s not a big deal, is it? That just means he isn''t as sheltered as you," Anne commented, folding her arms with her huff. She always reacts like this everytime Amelie praises me for anything. Well, it''s nice to keep me from getting a big head, I suppose. And now, I guess it¡¯s time for me to say my goodbye. Vol 3 Chapter 4: The Master Alchemist I sighed inwardly. Alright, Hugo. Don¡¯t screw this up. Don¡¯t do something dumb like breaking into tears or anything. You didn¡¯t do it when you left Fiora and you shouldn¡¯t do it now as well. "Well¡­" I released my hands from Amelie''s grip, my smile turning into a melancholic one. "Our travels together these past months have been fun. I might stay around for a couple of days here, but after that, I''ll continue to the north. You guys are going to the capital, right? So, I guess this is goodbye." The trio paused. Amelie''s smile vanished in an instant. "H-hey, are you sure you don''t want to join our party permanently? You and I¡­ we got a good dynamic going on, you know. You protect me with your sword while I chant my spells." "...Knock it off, Amelie. He got better things to do than being stuck with us mere B-ranks." Anne suddenly spoke, putting her hands on her hips with a scowl on her face. "Right, Charles? Really, drop the act. You''re far stronger than you''re letting on, stronger than us for sure. I really do not appreciate the condescending way you look down on us all this time." ...Oh shit, she noticed? I only had to use a bit more of my strength against those fire ants that one time. The rest of the time, I made sure to not show off too much. And of course, I never meant any condescension by it in the slightest. "Condescending? What in the world are you talking about, Anne?" Amelie was the first one to respond, before I could. "Charles has been the nicest boy I''ve ever met! How can you say that to him?" "That''s because you''re blind, you noble brat," she fired back. "You like him, don''t you? Don''t deny it. It''s all oh-so-painfully obvious." Amelie''s face immediately turned beet red. However, instead of denying it, she instead responded by, "Y-yeah! I like him! What''s there not to like? He''s a gentleman, he''s strong, and he''s not a rude, uncouth person like you are!" "Then just leave us and go with him if you like him that badly!" Anne shouted, now actively clenching her fists. "Fine! Charles! We''ll just make our own party together! I''ll go with you to the north or wherever you want to go!" she declared as she snatched my arm, pulling me close to her. Of course, as usual, this made me feel up her large boobs in the process. "Look, Amelie, I can''t take you with me," I finally spoke up. "I''m going to the Demon Continent, remember? It would be too dangerous for you there. And besides¡­" Welp, here goes nothing. "I can''t reciprocate any feelings you might have for me. I already have a girl I like. In fact, this whole journey of mine is to get to her." If I were in an anime right now, I''m pretty sure I would be able to hear the sound of glass breaking as Amelie''s mouth drops wide open from the revelation. "Y-you already¡­ have a girl you like?" Her voice shook. I nodded, unabashedly and proudly. Then I noticed it¡ªthe tears pooling at the edges of her hazel eyes. ...Oh no, she''s going to¡ª "Uwaaaaa, you jerk!" And just like that, she ran away in tears. "...You really are the worst." Anne was the next to leave, giving me the most vicious glare that she had ever produced. Anton, who had remained silent during this whole altercation, wisely so I might add, put his hand on my shoulder and smiled. "It''s fine. They''ll recover in no time. Now go. And thanks for everything you''ve done to help us. Honestly, against those fire ants, we would''ve been screwed if it weren''t for you. We really owe you our lives. Feels bad that it has to end like this, but those girls need to mature sooner or later." Spoken like a true older brother. He really was always the most sensible of the group, even if he never spoke as much. I smiled as well, returning with, "I have to be the one to thank you, for accepting me for these past months into your group. Honestly, back then, I was getting lonely traveling on my own, so I was happy that I got someone to travel with at last." "I see," he replied. He then gave his hand, which I shook readily. "Good luck on your future travels, Charles. You know, are you sure you''re not actually a hobbit? You''re awfully mature for how you look. Even more mature than those two, I say. Not to mention how much you excel in combat." I grinned. "I''m 100% human. See? No pointy ears." I grabbed my right ear after I released his hand. "Hmm, if you say so." He still didn''t quite believe me, it seemed. "Don''t hesitate to say hi when you see us again on the road, alright?" He patted my shoulder again. "Oh, and introduce your girlfriend to us. I want to meet the kind of girl that had stolen the heart of an extraordinary boy like you." "Well, I''ll think about that," I replied with a proud smirk. Aah, how great it feels to be able to say that you got one to people. On that good note, he was the last to leave. And then, I was alone once again. I sighed, before giving a wry smile. Guess I kinda messed that up, huh? ------ I decided to go grab a meal first before I went to look after an inn. Thinking about it, I could''ve invited them to lunch (or brunch, I guess, since it''s not quite in the middle of the day yet), but that ship has sailed long ago. I settled on some expensive restaurant I found in the district. I was now 10 gold coins richer, so I thought to myself, why not? I want to splurge from time to time. I ended up spending quite a generous amount of silver coins in it. Didn''t really regret it though, as the food was delicious, and I actually got a pair of cute waitresses serving me in the process. Fiora''s right. This outfit really makes me fit quite nicely with the upper class folks. For these past months, I had been wearing these expensive clothes she purchased for me. The fabric wasn¡¯t just comfortable and pleasant to the skin, but it was also durable and easy to clean up. So the promotion on how they were made for well-off adventurers weren¡¯t a lie. Cleaning them up was easy as well. I could generate water with magic while I had some soap I purchased from the alchemy shops I visited on the road. Too bad that soon enough, I won¡¯t be able to wear them anymore. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And by that, I mean my growth spurt. I''ve hit puberty after all and thankfully, it seems I''m on track to be at least as tall as Father. So eventually, these clothes wouldn''t fit anymore and I would have to buy a new one. If I have the money, that is. But for now, I''m still Charles Pendleton, the good-looking noble adventurer. ------- I decided to head to the shopping district afterwards. I needed to do some restocking on my supplies, like said soap for example, both for my own use and to wash my clothes. For the latter, if I was in town, staying at a good inn, I could get the innkeeper to wash them for me. But if I were out in the wilderness, obviously, I had to do it myself. Back in my old life, I would always use a laundromat for that purpose, so having to physically scrub the clothes for a good amount of time was certainly not preferable. But alas, there¡¯s no spell that could make your clothes automatically wash themselves. When I returned back to the main street however, I noticed that there was a small crowd of people in my path. Something must have happened was my first instinct. When I got closer however, I noticed that it wasn¡¯t some horrible accident where a kid got run over by a carriage or something, but instead, it was a bunch of people gathering around someone¡ªtwo persons, to be more exact. They were riding on their horses, casually and carefully shifting through the people on their path. ¡°Look! Lady Flameu is here!" "Ooh, Lady Flameu!" "Aah, my savior! Please marry me, Lady Flameu!" I raised my eyebrows, questioning just what in the world was going on. Going even closer, I got a closer look to the person the crowd was cheering for. She was a young woman, perhaps around her twenties. She was wearing a hooded cloak, but I could see her scarlet hair peeking out from it. And judging by the staff she slung over her shoulders, she was probably a mage of some sort. The one riding beside her on the other hand was a fully-armored knight, to the point that you couldn''t see his face, thanks to his helmet. Peculiarly, his armor was pitch-black, unlike most knights who had white armor. "Hey, who are they?" I asked the nearest person that would answer. "Oh, you don''t know?" The one that answered was a broad-shouldered man. "You must be new here. An adventurer?" I nodded. "Well, let me explain it to you. The lady there is Lady Flameu. She''s the alchemist that''s responsible for curing that horrible plague six months ago. It would have ruined this town if it weren''t for her." Ah, that explains the celebrity treatment. And she''s an alchemist. I guess to cure plagues, you can either be a priest or an alchemist. "Who''s the knight then?" I asked again. "Oh, that''s Sir Black Knight. No one knows much about him, other than he''s a knight who serves His Majesty at the capital. Oh, I forgot to mention that Lady Flameu is a court mage, didn''t I? That''s why she can have him as her bodyguard at all times." Oh wow, so they are important people after all. Better stay out of their way then. No need to bring attention to myself by interacting with them. I watched them leave from a distance, before going in the opposite direction, towards the shopping district. ------- "Hey, this soap¡­ isn''t this too expensive?" "What? I assure you, sir, that it''s perfectly reasonably priced. In fact, I''m selling it to you at a bargain. It''s imported all the way from the Magocracy! Surely, you''ve heard of it before, good Sir?" "...Yeah. All too much even. Still, one gold is way too steep. Ten silver is the normal price." "T-ten silver? That''s too much, good sir! I''ll starve if I sell it to you at that price." "Ten silver. Take it or leave it." "...Urgh, fine. You sure are a hard bargainer, sir." And with that, I stood victorious in our haggling fight. I learned about haggling a lot from Helen. And a bit from Marina as well, back in those happier days. The trick is really on how you should talk. You need to always be confident. Show that you''re absolutely sure in the price you got in mind. Your facial expression is really important as well. Helen would always keep up her stern look while she bargained with the shopkeeper that would intimidate them to accept her lower price. Well, her massive boobs might have helped as well to be honest, but even without those bouncy pairs, I managed well enough on my own. I gave the shopkeeper the ten silver pieces I promised before snagging the soap, storing it inside my trusty bag. It was my personal soap, not the one I used to wash my clothes. I still had enough of that already. I then left the building. It was an alchemy shop, located in the shopping district. It was a fairly sized shop, clearly catered to the middle to upper class. I doubt the poor folks would be able to afford ten silver pieces for a soap. Hell, for them, baths were already a luxury. Such was the state of the not-haves in this world, unfortunately, so bad body odor could become a valid reason why the upper class wouldn¡¯t want to associate with them. Speaking of body odor, Amelie was very particular with that. She always whined and complained about not being able to take as many baths as she wanted. And she didn¡¯t want a simple bath of conjuring water with magic over her naked body, but a full-on experience with warm and perfumed water. ...I¡¯m amazed she lasted that far as an adventurer. Anne, on the other hand, being commoner-born, was far less particular about keeping herself pretty and all that. For starters, you could see how her skin had far more blemishes on it compared to Amelie¡¯s. And the few moments our hands touched, they were rough and full of calluses. It was a true sign on how long she had been holding a bow with her two hands. There is a reason why mage is usually the profession of choice for adventuring nobles. Because magic doesn¡¯t require them to train their body in the slightest, only their concentrating and memory. Me though? I could afford to purchase some lotions for my hands here and there. Though after transitioning into using Fiora¡¯s sword, I realized even the grip was far more pleasant to hold on to. I could swing the sword all day if I want to, and not ever get any blisters on my hands. Whoever made it must be a master craftsman. To think that she gave me such a valuable sword¡­ And of course, I kept up with my hygiene. It¡¯s not because I¡¯m vain or anything. It¡¯s just that 1. Marina had drilled into my head that I had to take a bath every day 2. Going without a bath for a day just felt odd and uncomfortable, which I could blame for either No.1 or the fact that I was a Japanese person in my old life. I then decided to stroll around the district some more. Maybe I can find something nice to buy. Like books to keep me entertained or something. So I went to a couple of bookstores and stayed there for quite a while, browsing away (to the annoyance of one of the shopkeepers, unfortunately enough). I had already finished all the books I got way back then from when I was still at the Magocracy. I ended up purchasing a couple. And, like a true book collector, I didn¡¯t sell the books I had already finished, even though they were certainly eating up space inside my Bag of Holding. And besides, I think it would be too embarrassing for me to be selling them, knowing how raunchy some of them gets. Afterwards, I made my rounds around the city, looking for the inn I would use for the night. Looking at the skies, the day was soon going to be over, and it would be wise for me to find a place to stay soon. My steps took me to an alleyway. Like I had said, this town was a small one. To pack more buildings inside, most of the roads weren''t that big, and the layout itself was somewhat confusing. I think they might have actually intentionally designed their cities to be like that, in order to deter intruders in the time of war and setting up a good place to wage a guerilla war if they actually managed to occupy the city. Too bad it made the experience of walking through the city as a civilian worse as well. Hmm, no one is around though. Maybe I did take the wrong turn. Suddenly, I stopped. Not because I wanted to, but because I saw what looked like a person collapsed on the small road I was walking on. What the¡­ that''s¡ª I rushed to the figure. Sure enough, it was indeed a person¡ªa little girl to be exact. She had light red hair, tied into a pair of short braids. Judging by the poor state of her dress, full of patchwork and made out of coarse, uncomfortable material, she was clearly not a noble of some sort. Not to mention the bruises and calluses on her little feet. She didn¡¯t seem to be wearing any shoes either. Don¡¯t tell me that she has been walking bare-footed in this condition! "Hey, are you alright?" I kneeled over and helped her get up. Only to find that she was burning. Her temperature was so high that I nearly released her out of surprise. Shit, this is bad! ¡°H-hey, wake up!¡± I shook her body. No dice. She wasn¡¯t responding. I looked around. Nobody else was there but me. ¡°High Fairy! Come out and heal this girl!¡± With no prying eyes around, I could safely summon her without attracting unwanted attention. She appeared at once with a bright flash of light, floating near the ground in an almost fully horizontal feature as I held the little girl up in a sitting position. As I commanded, she immediately worked on healing her, gently making her drink her spring water with me helping the little girl to swallow. To my horror, it didn¡¯t work. The only thing she managed to do was heal the blisters on her feet. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, Master! I don¡¯t know why it doesn¡¯t work!¡± she exclaimed, all teary-eyed. ¡°My spring water should¡¯ve rejuvenated her!¡± Don¡¯t tell me that this is some incurable illness she got! Just from the heat, I know it¡¯s not just an ordinary cold, but for High Fairy to be unable to heal her¡­ ...Wait, it¡¯s too early to give up! This town should have a church! I can ask the priest there to heal her! After thanking her for trying, I dispelled the high fairy. She didn¡¯t even ask for her usual headpat, knowing that she didn¡¯t deserve it for failing at her task. I then lifted the little girl in my arms. Damn, she¡¯s so light. This can¡¯t be good, can it? I ran as fast as I could, heading back towards the central district of the town where the church should be. Vol 3 Chapter 5: The Master Alchemist Pt. 2 I knew I already saw a glance of the building when I passed by the place! Come on, please be there! I earned some odd looks from the people I passed as I ran, but I didn¡¯t care. A little girl¡¯s life is on the line here! I¡¯m not sure why I was panicking so much then. Perhaps it¡¯s because for some odd reason, she reminded me of Erika¡ªmy little sister I had cruelly abandoned and lied to. She was a little bit older though. And her hair wasn¡¯t blonde. So I don¡¯t know where that thought came from. Or perhaps it¡¯s because I was simply a good person at heart. Heh, as if. I¡¯m just doing this because I don¡¯t want to have any regrets later on from abandoning a little girl to her death. At last, I reached the church. It was a large building located at a large intersection of the central district. Just from the well-maintained building, I could tell that it was a prosperous church. So the townspeople must be constantly donating to it then. I rushed inside. There were only a number of nuns there, cleaning the place. I immediately yelled at them, saying I got someone who needed healing ASAP. Not in that exact word, but you get the point. They immediately sent me to meet with the head of the church. To my relief, he was actually a high priest, so his healing skill should be enough to cure her, hopefully enough. And he was currently in as well, in the back room of the church. For once, I was grateful for my luck. If only Nicole was here, she probably could¡¯ve healed her in an instant. I was led to what I assumed was the nursing room, since there were multiple identical and plain white beds all standing in a row. The nuns told me to put her on one of the beds, which I did immediately. The girl was still unconscious, and she was still burning as well. They then told me to wait as one of them went to fetch the head priest. I was so taken by worry I didn''t have any time to notice that the nuns I met were actually quite pretty, with one having quite the sizable bust as well The head priest soon arrived. My impression of him was a good one. He was a man in his later years, with a short white beard and a pair of small near-sight glasses below his eyes. He was wearing a white priest''s robe that went down to his feet. He had a similar dragon symbol on his tall priest hat that Nicole had under her neck. "Well met, my child," he spoke with a gentle tone. "I believe you have someone that is in need of the Saint''s blessing?" S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I told him everything. How I had met her by chance and how bad her condition was. "Hmm?" He raised his eyebrows, scrubbing his beard. "So you say you don''t even know this child?" "Yes, Father," I replied. I know that''s how you''re supposed to call a priest. "You do know that blessing someone would require a donation to the Church, correct?" ...Oh, right. It''s like how you have to pay to uncurse or detoxify yourself in Dragon Quest. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it.¡± ¡°Then, it would be one gold coin,¡± he said without skipping a beat. Wait, seriously? One gold coin? Isn¡¯t that too expensive? I was about to protest, but I stopped myself. There¡¯s no time to bargain. She needs to be looked at immediately. And so, with great reluctance, I took out one gold coin from my pouch wallet and gave it to him. ¡°Thank you kindly, Sir.¡± He gave a little bow, along with a smile that I felt was more fitting for a merchant over a holy man. ¡°I shall pray to the Saint that your good deed will reach the Heavenly Dragon.¡± He then walked to where the little girl was laying down. After touching her forehead, no doubt to sense her temperature, he immediately began his work. He cast a series of spells, from detoxification spells to uncurse spells. To my horror however, none of them seemed to work. After he cast the last spell, and seeing no change to the state of the girl, he shook his head and returned back to me with a sad expression on his face. ¡°Unfortunately, this little one is beyond saving. I shall pray for her soul to be delivered to the heavens, but other than that, I can do nothing for her.¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t you have something else you can do?¡± I refused to give up so easily. ¡°Like a healing or rejuvenating potion?¡± That question of mine however led to a scowl forming on the old man¡¯s face. ¡°Apologies, but we are not an alchemist¡¯s brewery here. And I assure you, if a High Priest like me can¡¯t heal her, no one else can. It is simply her fate to perish to her illness. It would be wise for us to accept that and pray for her deliverance instead.¡± It¡¯s exactly what Nicole said all those months ago when I first met her. And yet, the way he spoke it was far different than her. Instead of comforting, it instead felt almost¡­ dismissive, as if he couldn¡¯t be bothered to consider other options, choosing to believe that nothing could be done for the girl. ¡°...No,¡± I replied, probably with an angry look on my face. ¡°Forgive my insolence, but I am still not ready to give up yet, Father.¡± I walked over to her and lifted her up from the bed. ¡°Very well then.¡± He sighed. ¡°Then please, take her with you. When she perishes, then you should bring her back to us. We will bury her in a proper manner, if that is what you want.¡± If I give you some more gold coins as donations, no doubt¡­ I thought to myself. My distaste of this ingenuine man only grew more and more. ¡°Can you return my gold coin to me, Father?¡± I asked. Now I definitely had a frown on my face. ¡°I¡¯ll use it to pay for her treatment somewhere else.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but donations that have been given cannot be returned,¡± was his answer. I was tempted to fire a spell or two at him and forcefully get my money back, but there¡¯s no sense in causing a ruckus now. I need to go look for other places that can heal this little girl in my arms. And so I left the church with one less gold piece, and with the same sickly girl that I had rescued off the streets. Oh, I know! I should ask for help from those three! My thoughts immediately went to my old party, and how they might be able to help. Especially Anton, who had some skill in healing spells. Oh right, he¡¯s not that good at it. His ability should be less than what my Great Fairy is capable of. So there would be no point in asking him for help, is there? ¡°U-uuhhh¡­¡± Hmm? That was¡ª ¡°H-huh? W-where am I¡­?¡± My heart skipped a beat. The girl! Her eyes are stirring open! She¡¯s waking up! I nearly dropped her in surprise. That would have been disastrous. To my alarm, her eyes suddenly widened, as if she was witnessing something terrifying right in front of her. ¡°I-I need to¡­ I need to go! To her place¡­ Lady Flameu¡¯s place¡­¡± And with those words, she fell unconscious once again. ¡°H-hey, hang in there!¡± I shook her lightly. No dice. She laid as limp and lifeless as before. If not for her body heat, you could probably mistake her for a corpse. Flameu? That¡¯s the name of that mage from before! She wants to meet her? Why? It was then my turn for my eyes to widen. Of course! She¡¯s a skilled alchemist that has cured this town¡¯s plague! So maybe she wants to go to her to get herself cured! I didn¡¯t hesitate. I immediately rushed towards the place where I could find that Flameu lady I saw before. Hopefully, she hadn¡¯t left town yet, or else¡­ Oh, and of course, I had to ask the townspeople where I could find her first. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take long until I received the information I needed, especially when they saw the little girl in my arms. They rightfully assumed that I was taking her to the alchemist to be cured, and so they readily provided me with the address I needed. Apparently, she had a workshop at the edge of the town. I headed there at once, trying to balance speed and comfort as I held the little girl. I wouldn¡¯t want to rattle her when she was in this weak of a condition after all. When I arrived there however, I was greeted with quite the intimidating sight. The knight that was accompanying her was there, standing on the front of the wooden fence encircling her house. I wasn''t sure why, but I felt intimidated, just by looking at him from a distance. Why is he standing like that? He''s guarding her or something? Just from being there, it''s like they''re announcing that they don''t want any visitors. I paused my steps once I was about three feet away from him. Before I could open my mouth however¡­ "...Come in." I didn''t need to be told twice. ------- Behind the gated fence was a small grassy area, with a bed of flowers beside the house and a small pond nearby. There was also a well near said pond. I noticed the smoke coming out from the chimney. And as I got closer, I could smell that characteristic medicine smell you would often find in alchemy shops. There¡¯s no doubt about it. This really is her place. The knight led me to the front door. The house itself wasn¡¯t that big. It¡¯s certainly no mansion. It was more like a simple square house you could find anywhere. I had expected her dwelling to be bigger, since she was an important person and all, but if I took into consideration that she was a court mage, she probably had a bigger house in the capital, and this was merely a temporary place she used when she traveled here. ¡°Wait for a moment.¡± With the same monotone voice, filtered through the breathing gaps of his helmet, the knight told me to wait outside. Makes sense. He will have to announce my arrival to the alchemist first after all. I just hope she isn¡¯t in the middle of something. This girl really needs medical attention as fast as she can get it. He entered the place, and I awkwardly stood there, still holding the little girl in my arms. However, just a few moments later, a person came out from the house. And it wasn''t the knight. "Oh my.¡± She rushed to my side and took the girl off my hands without even asking for my permission. ¡°This is bad. She won¡¯t last long with this high of a fever,¡± she said with a worried look on her face as she rested one hand on her forehead. ¡°Come.¡± She gave a grave glance towards me. ¡°You have to tell me everything. From when she started to get sick, how the illness started, and how her symptoms progressed.¡± Without even waiting for my answer, she took the little girl with her and rushed back into the house. ¡°A-alright¡­¡± Well, I like her excitement at the very least. She already seems to care more about her compared to that priest. ---------- I was greeted by a large room the moment I entered through the door. It was pretty much a full-blown alchemist laboratory. From a large cauldron in the middle of the room, that was currently brewing something by the way, with the smoke going upwards through the chimney situation right above it, to other, more proper chemistry equipment like beakers and a centrifuge. Though they were obviously not the modern versions of them, with the centrifuge being made out of wood and the sort that you have to move on your own. The beakers are still made out of glass however, though they don¡¯t have the usual measuring markings you would expect from them. There were also rows of shelves fitted with what looked to be alchemy ingredients, from crushed flowers to mushrooms to small bottles of what was labeled as reagents. And like a proper lab, they were all labeled properly and stored neatly on the shelves. So this is her workshop¡­ I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not impressed! ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything,¡± the knight warned. I didn¡¯t need to see his eyes to tell that he was keeping them locked on at me, making sure that I didn¡¯t end up breaking or tripping on things. Ha! He probably thinks I¡¯m like all those other clumsy kids! After Fiora¡¯s training, there¡¯s no way I would ever trip on anything ever again! The alchemist took the little girl to the far end of the room, where there was another door leading somewhere else. I don¡¯t believe it leads to the outside at the back though. This room is large, sure, but the house isn¡¯t that small so that it can¡¯t fit another room beyond this one. And sure enough, it brings us to a normal-looking bedroom, where I imagine she will take her rest. Though that makes me wonder. Does the knight have his own room? Or don¡¯t tell me he actually sleeps with her? That lucky bastard! I said that because the alchemist was indeed one attractive woman. She fit that ¡°mature, adult woman¡± charm to a T. She was dressed in a white dress underneath a dark red robe. And said dress exposed a fair amount of cleavage (is she not wearing any bras?) and a generous amount of her smooth, long legs, thanks to the long slit it had in the middle. And the subtle way her butt swayed after every move¡ªit was simply heavenly. Now, I don¡¯t know how handsome the knight is under all that armor, but knowing how knights tend to be in fantasy stories, especially one that dons an all black armor like that as if he¡¯s a chuuni who wants to be called a Death Knight, there¡¯s a good chance that he is indeed pretty good looking. Judging by his voice, he shouldn¡¯t be that far off from the alchemist in age. Once inside the bedroom, the alchemist laid down the little girl on the bed before going back into the main/laboratory room, most likely to get her tools. In the meantime however, she bombarded me with a series of questions regarding the little girl. I answered the best as I could, omitting nothing, even the part where I had tried healing her with my great fairy. Her frown only grew every time I answered. As for the examination itself, it was as if she was a doctor from my old world. She opened her mouth, examined her tongue, listened to her heartbeat, and even took a sample of her blood using a needle. Of course, she didn¡¯t have the modern tools to do so, thus she had no way to measure things like blood pressure. After she finished interrogating me about her, as she still worked on her examination while going through her notes, she suddenly said with a smile and glance, "You''re a good boy, aren''t you, going this far for someone you know nothing about?" "Eh, it''s nothing," I answered with a slightly bashful smile, scratching the back of my head. "I can''t just abandon a little girl collapsing on the road like that now, can I?" "Why not?" She returned with her own small smile. "You do know people die all the time from illnesses, right? Would you really go out of your way to help every single ill person you meet on the road? Usually, adventurers like you won''t be playing the hero like this for free. If they''re going to help someone, they will no doubt ask for a reward afterwards. You think a girl like her would be able to give the just amount of reward for the effort you¡¯ve given to her? You said you have asked the church for help. They must have taken your coins for that. Even they won¡¯t heal people for free. And you¡¯ve no doubt seen the way she¡¯s dressed. It¡¯s unlikely she would be able to return whatever amount of money and time you have spent on her.¡± ¡°Well, if you put it like that, I guess I don¡¯t really have a good reason to help her, huh?¡± I replied. ¡°But still. It¡¯s something I felt I wanted to do, and so I did it. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡± ¡°...I see.¡± I noticed that her smile seemed to have grown wider. ¡°Your name?¡± ¡°Charles. Charles Pendleton. C-rank adventurer.¡± ¡°I am Cordelia Flameu. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Charles.¡± She didn¡¯t ask me anything else after that. After spending some more time just looking at her working from a distance, she finally returned back to me and said, ¡°Thank you for bringing her to me, Charles. But you should return for now. I would still have to do other tests for her that would take hours. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t believe her ailment is anything common. Come back in the morning, if you¡¯re still interested in her condition, that is. it¡¯s fine for you to leave her with me and continue on traveling. I know where she came from actually, so I assure you that I would make sure that she would return safe and sound to her family.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± I replied. So that¡¯s why she mentioned your name. She had met her before. Thinking logically about it, no one would be bold enough to just seek out a famous healer like her when you have nothing to pay her for her services. So they must be acquainted at the very least. ¡°Actually, I haven¡¯t gotten an inn yet. So, I was thinking, maybe you have an extra room I can sleep in here?¡± Yeah, as she worked, I¡¯ve been thinking to myself¡­ Maybe I should stay here, just in case she needs any help. ¡°Maybe I can help with my great fairy. I know she couldn¡¯t cure her the first time around, but she might be able to soothe her discomfort.¡± She paused for a few moments, before moving her attention towards the knight, who had been standing silently in the corner of the room all this time. ¡°What do you think, Lord Berault? Can you share your room with him?¡± ¡°...If you wish. I shall sleep on the couch tonight,¡± was his answer. Oh, so he does have his own room. Still, that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they don¡¯t have a relationship. ¡°Well, there you have it,¡± she returned back to me with a smirk. ¡°You can stay.¡± And thus, I decided to stay there for the night. Vol 3 Chapter 6: The Master Alchemist Pt. 3 As the sun set and night crept in, the alchemist continued her work. This time, she started doing tests on the blood sample she had taken from the little girl, using the reagents and beakers that she had. It was honestly quite the fascinating process to watch, if I were to be honest. I had always possessed a minor fascination with chemistry back in my old world, though I never really actually got into it. As she worked, she started the conversation once more. ¡°So, what brings you here, Lord Pendleton? Are you perhaps like those adventurers who came here looking for more challenging work? And more well-paying too, I imagine. If you have a Great Fairy as your summon, I imagine you¡¯re quite the high caliber mage. Am I correct in that assessment?¡± she asked me, looking up momentarily towards me with a smirk, before returning back to her work. Lord Pendleton? I guess she assumes I¡¯m a noble? Just from my clothes, I suppose. It feels really weird though, being addressed like that. And that smirk. It¡¯s almost as if she¡¯s half-mocking me as she says it. ¡°Hey, can you stop with the Lord stuff, please? It feels weird being called like that,¡± I replied, scratching the back of my head. ¡°I might come from a noble house but I¡¯m more of an adventurer than a noble.¡± ¡°Oh, but that won¡¯t do, Milord,¡± she replied with the same smirk. ¡°As the court mage of this kingdom, I have to give due respect to every noble personage I met, especially when he is a complete stranger." Yep, she¡¯s teasing me alright. Not that I¡¯m complaining though. "Lord Pendleton" has quite the nice ring to it, hehe. ¡°So, Flameu, I-I mean, Lady Flameu,¡± I quickly corrected myself. Damn, I forgot that she herself is a noble. ¡°Oh please, calling me just Flameu is fine,¡± she returned. ¡°I¡¯m not a noble like you.¡± "What?¡± I exclaimed in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re a court mage, aren''t you? So you should be a noble as well.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I wish I am. Unfortunately, the king has yet to confer me a title, even after all these years I have served under him.¡± ¡°Huh. So you¡¯re not originally a noble? I continued my probing. At this point, I knew I probably was going too far with the personal questions, but at the same time, I couldn¡¯t help but be curious. ¡°I was an adventurer before,¡± she answered. ¡°The king offered me the job and I took it. It certainly paid better than even the S-rank quests.¡± ¡°Oh, so you were an S-rank adventurer?¡± ¡°Hmm, I suppose you can call me that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome! I¡¯m still just a C-rank myself.¡± If I were to be honest, I don¡¯t think S-rank adventurers are that impressive. I only flattered her like that just so she would be less suspicious of me. Since I was still an eleven-year old boy, I should be able to play the innocent, easily impressed type. That would surely ease her with my presence. It¡¯s kinda what I like to do with the strangers I met. "Well, it''s my turn now to ask you some things, Lord Pendleton.¡± She smirked once again, as she shook the small vial she was holding before putting a couple of drops into the beaker she had in front of her. ¡°You¡¯re not from here, are you?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± How did she know that? ¡°I came from Frastelleren actually.¡± ¡°Oh? That port city all the way to the south of the Holy Empire? How curious. What led you to go all the way to the north like this?" "Nothing special. Just looking for better quests, that''s all. Since the Holy Empire is a pretty peaceful place, there really aren''t that many high rank quests around." This was an excuse I learnt from the adventurers I had talked to on my journey. High ranking ones tend to prefer the northern lands as the base of their operations as better paying quests could be found there. The northern kingdoms still had a lot of monster-infested lands as part of their territory. Well, that, or you camp at one of the World Dungeons. Though from Anton, I learned that there tends to be fierce competition between adventuring parties there, especially high-ranking ones. "I see¡­" She paused for a bit as she adjusted the temperature of the small lamp fire under the beaker by turning a knob. As she did, she bent over forward, allowing me the lovely sights of her loose white dress failing to cover her breasts. I gulped. She really isn''t wearing any bra. I can see a hint of her nipples there! But then, all of a sudden, her smirking face turned as pale as a sheet. "No¡­ this is¡­" "Hmm? Is something the matter?" "Lord Pendleton." Her voice turned grave as she straightened herself. "I believe we might have ourselves a problem here. The result of her blood test¡­ she might have been infected by a version of the Black Blood plague.¡± ¡°The¡­ Black Blood plague?¡± I raised my eyebrows. I''ve never heard of such a plague before. Not that I go around reading books about plagues, mind you. ¡°You haven¡¯t heard of it, have you? You really did come from the south¡­¡± She started to bite her thumb.¡±It¡¯s the plague that infected this town six months ago.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± My heart skipped a beat. That can¡¯t be good! Not in the slightest! ¡°Yes. But I have yet to determine what type she possesses. The Black Blood disease, even though it only has one name, actually has several versions, with some being contagious and others not. I just hope that the one she has isn¡¯t, or else¡­¡± ¡°Another breakout would happen,¡± I finished her sentence. Don¡¯t tell me that the plague is similar to the Black Death Medieval Europe once had? That shit¡¯s terrifying. Wiped out a third of the entire continent¡¯s population. Though I guess since this plague doesn¡¯t seem to have spread beyond this town, it shouldn¡¯t be that bad, right? ¡°I shall do more tests to determine which type she has. But for now, I suggest you keep your distance from her as much as you can. Oh, and you might want to change out of those clothes, since you ought to have her sweat on them. "It''s fine," I replied with a grin. "I may look like this, but I have never been sick in my entire life. My immune system is pretty good, you know." "Immune¡­ system?" She tilted her head. "A-ah, nevermind. Just some term I made up." Oops, that''s some modern knowledge right there. As for why I am so confident in how I¡¯m not going to catch the plague, well, I dunno. I just don¡¯t feel like running away, after I¡¯ve committed to helping that little girl. It might bite me in the ass later, but it¡¯s a risk I¡¯m willing to take. And besides, Flameu here should have the cure, right? I did as I was told though, and went to the knight''s room to change my clothes (he said he didn''t mind when I asked). The guy had been standing in the corner of the room like a statue, not even making a single sound. I am seriously impressed by how he can stand for so long in that suit of armor without any signs of tiredness. Just like the stereotypical silent knight. His room, almost hidden away from sight as the door to the place was placed in the middle of two bookshelves, was, for a lack of a better term, bare. He didn''t have a single decoration inside, unlike Flameu''s room that had some flowers, a bookshelf (apparently, the ones in the main room weren''t enough), and a study table filled with parchments. To be fair, the room itself was smaller, so it wouldn''t make sense for him to have as much stuff as her. But come on, only having an armor stand and a chest (for his normal clothes, I assume)? What is this? It''s like he doesn''t have any other personal life other than being a knight. I took off my clothes, keeping only my underpants on, and then changed to the light tunic I usually wore to sleep. It was of light brown color, with knee-length shorts. It¡¯s pretty comfy, even though I bought it for quite the bargain. ...You know what? Maybe I shouldn¡¯t be wearing this. I think it¡¯s quite improper to be wearing your bedwear in front of a stranger. Though I didn¡¯t hesitate wearing them when I was still with the Flaming Arrows. Not to mention that the shorts will sag if I try to attach my sword belt to it. And I don¡¯t think I¡¯m comfortable enough to not have it near me. I still barely know these people after all. And so, I changed back out of this attire into my old clothes. Not the one I wore from before, but the one I wore all the way from the Magocracy. They still fit, though a little bit tight. And there were a couple of holes on them that I brought to the tailor to slap a patch on. Really should consider buying a couple more clothes. Maybe some light armor? When I returned, the alchemy table Felicia had been laboring on was working full force. Every single beaker was being used. Some remained still with their liquid, some was emitting colored smoke as the fire under them heated the mixture, and some still emitting a similar smoke even though there wasn¡¯t anything burning them. I wonder which part of alchemy is magic and which part is just chemistry. So far, this looks more like normal scientific chemistry more than anything¡­ she wasn¡¯t using her cauldron in the slightest. That¡¯s probably where the magic happens. It¡¯s like a witch, casting a spell while cackling maniacally, brewing the potion inside said cauldron. I never really learned much about alchemy (mostly because I would rather learn about elemental magic instead). Marina could perform a little of it, at least according to the person herself, she was nowhere near as good in it as she was talented in elemental magic. Watching this Flameu person works though, I assume this is how a master alchemist performs her craft. And I have to say, it¡¯s quite the bewitching scenery. After some time, she let out a sigh as she examined the results of her test. ¡°You¡¯re lucky. The type she has isn¡¯t contagious.¡± She smiled. ¡°See? Nothing to worry about,¡± I replied with a grin. ¡°This is the first time though, finding someone this unconcerned when he encounters a plague. Usually, they would all run away at once, afraid that they would catch the illness as well, especially when they¡¯re of the upper class. How curious...¡± My grin disappeared as she started eyeing me up and down in quite the uncomfortable manner. Oh crap, did I just make her be suspicious of me? "Not to mention how much you care for a random little girl you know nothing about. That''s not how your typical adventurer or noble would react. Your typical adventurer would demand payment afterwards, and, if the person can''t pay, they might just sell the person they had saved into slavery. After all, it''s within the law to force someone into bondage if they can''t pay their debt." She smirked. I think I remember Fiora saying something like this. Criminals, including debtors that can''t pay their due (since being unable to pay your debt is a crime in the Holy Empire and it''s vassals), can be sold into slavery legally. The kingdom itself can do it, to raise funds for their coffers (though most of the time, the money will just get pocketed by the local lord), or a private individual, often an adventurer, if he''s the one to catch said criminal. Of course, she plans to do away with the system entirely. Which, ironically enough, might lead to criminals just being killed on the spot. Vigilantism is one of the big tropes of a fantasy world after all. Just count how many bandits you have killed in all those random encounters. "As for a noble," the alchemist continued. "The only reason why they would go out of their way to help a peasant like that if they have a perverse motivation in doing so. That little girl is pretty cute. They might just want to take her home and do all sorts of depraved things to her.¡± Her smirk grew wider. It¡¯s as if she enjoyed talking about these grim stuff. ¡°You know, don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re being too negative?¡± I spoke up. ¡°Not all adventurers and nobles are bad like that, you know.¡± She snorted. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, Milord. After all, I had¡ª¡± Suddenly, she stopped. ¡°...No, let¡¯s not talk about this matter anymore.¡± Wait, what? You can¡¯t just stop your story midway like that. ¡°Now, I would like to discuss about¡ª¡± ¡°Aaaahhhh!¡± I heard a muffled scream coming from the door that led to the alchemist¡¯s room. And she heard it as well without a doubt, as once again, her face turned gravely pale. She rushed inside, with me following from behind. ¡°I-it hurts! M-my chest! It hurts!¡± It was the little girl. And she was clutching her flat breasts with both hands, yelling how much pain she was in. Flameu didn¡¯t hesitate. She took the staff placed on the corner of the room and conjured what looked like a syringe filled with liquid out of thin air. Wait, no, that¡¯s not a conjuring spell. It¡¯s the same Dimensional Storage spell Marina used. She then promptly stabbed the syringe into the girl¡¯s arm. Immediately, the effect showed. She stopped screaming as seemingly, her pain died down. And then, the alchemist lifted herself onto the bed before hugging the poor girl to calm her down. ¡°Shhhh, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m here now,¡± she whispered, bringing her face close to her bosom as she gently petted the back of her head. ¡°L-Lady Flameu¡­ y-you¡¯re here¡­¡± the girl weakly answered. ¡°Please¡­ please save my village!¡± Save her village? ...Wait, don¡¯t tell me that¡ª ¡°Hush, I know. Your village¡­ they¡¯re suffering from the same ailment as the one you have right now, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Y-yes, miss! I was the only healthy one so I had to run all the way here on my own!" Ah, that explains the bruised feet. "That''s really risky, you know," she lightly scolded her. "But I suppose it''s the best thing you could''ve done for the situation. Good job, Leila." She smiled. "Hehe, thank you, miss!" She burrowed her face to her chest. So they really are acquainted with each other. No, more than that. They''re good friends. And seeing them like this, they even look like a pair of sisters, or even a mother and her daughter, seeing how both have red hair and all. Aah, what a heartwarming sight. "Miss¡­" The girl lifted her head. ¡°Please, come back to my village at once. Father is ill. And the other villagers as well. I-I¡¯m fine. I can bear it. I¡¯m a strong girl after all.¡± She didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she had the most forlorn look I ever saw on a person¡¯s face, as she continued to caress the girl¡¯s crimson hair. It¡¯s like she was experiencing some sort of a deep sadness, to the point that she had to hold back her tears. That look¡­ it¡¯s just like Nicole¡¯s when she failed to heal that little girl¡­ The look of a Saint¡­ or a Goddess of Healing... She then sat up. ¡°Rest for now.¡± She told her. ¡°Don¡¯t think of anything else. You can leave everything to me, alright?¡± The little girl nodded, before turning her attention towards me. ¡°You¡¯re the one who brought me here, didn¡¯t you? Thank you so much, Big Bro!¡± Even in her current state, her smile was still as angelic as I had expected. I beamed in return, with Flameu following suit. ¡°Big Bro¡±, huh? I once had a cute girl that would say the same thing to me every day. Aah, she probably hates me now though... "Come." Flameu spoke to me. "We have something to discuss." We exited the room, back into the main laboratory area. "Lord Pendleton, how strong are you in combat?" I raised my eyebrows. Where did that come from? "If you''re truly just an ordinary C-rank adventurer, then I cannot ask for your help any further. However, if you are hiding your true capabilities, then you might just be strong enough for the task I am about to ask you. For a mage who has a Great Fairy as his summon, I doubt you''re the former. So please, tell the truth. That child¡­ she will die with the rest of her village if we don''t act fast." "...Fine. I admit it. I''m stronger than I look." I folded my arms under my chest. "How strong do you need me to be? You need me to hunt some strong monster for the ingredient to make her cure right? I can guess as much.¡± Her smile returned. ¡°I need you to kill a dragon.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Yes, a dragon. The strongest monster species on the Holy Continent. The S-rank monster you normally need an entire army to fight. I need you to kill one and bring its heart to me. That way, I can synthesize the cure that girl needs as well as the cure for the rest of her village,¡± she continued without skipping a beat. Her smile turned into a smirk. It was clear that she wanted to see how I would react. A dragon, huh? Maybe¡­ just maybe¡­ I¡¯m strong enough to take on one. Putting up my most confident grin, I replied, ¡°I can already defeat A-rank monsters with ease. So I¡¯m quite confident that I can take on a dragon. It¡¯s just one rank above after all.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Her smirk widened, nearly turning into a full grin. And for some unknown reason, that grin scared me a little. Vol 3 Chapter 7: The Master Alchemist Pt.4 ¡°Very well then. I¡¯ll take your word for it, Milord.¡± She then explained what needed to be done in order for her to synthesize the cure. The dragon heart would indeed be the key ingredient, but there are other ingredients that she would need to prepare first, thus there¡¯s no need for us to depart right away in the middle of the night like this. We can wait until the next morning, with her working without sleep to prepare said other ingredients. Oh, right, she¡¯s coming with us, along with the knight. Apparently, they¡¯re pretty good combatants as well. And besides, we will need to bring along Leila, the little girl, with us, as the cure will be finished at her village. She tells me that the nearest dragon we can slay is located in the nearby mountain from said village, which is really fortunate for us. Oh, that¡¯s right. Those S-rank guys¡­ they¡¯re after the dragon too, aren¡¯t they? I told her about the short meeting we had at the Guild, and her expression turned into a concerned one. ¡°That¡¯s not good. A clan like that¡­ they won¡¯t just willingly hand over their spoils to us. A dragon heart is an extremely rare and valuable material after all that can fetch a high price in the market.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just buy it off them after they have defeated it?¡± I suggested. I¡¯m all for heroism, but if there¡¯s a safer way, why not take it, especially when a little girl¡¯s life is on the line. ¡°Well, that would be a viable option¡­ if we have the money to do so.¡± ¡°Wait, shouldn¡¯t you have a lot of money as a court mage?¡± ¡°His Highness doesn¡¯t pay me much unfortunately.¡± She shook her head with a melancholic, yet strangely, slightly bemused expression. ¡°I might be his court mage, but to him, I¡¯m closer to a commoner than a noble. And there¡¯s no need to pay a commoner a lot of money for her services, is there?¡± ¡°Maybe you should get a different job,¡± I suggested with a smile. ¡°Open an alchemy shop. You¡¯ll be rich in no time with your skill.¡± ¡°Rich?¡± Suddenly, a frown shadowed her face. ¡°I don¡¯t become an alchemist to get rich.¡± ...Uh, did I just touch a nerve there? Thankfully, she quickly recovered. "Thus, the only way we can obtain the dragon heart is if we either kill the dragon first, or we take it from those adventurers. Milord,¡± Here, her smirk reappeared once more. ¡°Would you be willing to do the latter, by force if necessary?" Now I know the fundamental difference between her and Nicole. Even though she shared that loving expression with her when she comforted the little girl, she also had a certain mean, mischievous streak to her. Not quite like Fiora¡¯s, since I don¡¯t sense that sense of superiority she exuded, but she certainly took delight in putting me in the spot with questions like this. She¡¯s still testing me, isn¡¯t she? For the lengths I¡¯m willing to go for the little girl? ...Well, the answer¡¯s clear, isn¡¯t it? ¡°I would really prefer if we don¡¯t do the latter,¡± I replied firmly. ¡°However, if it comes to that, then I am willing to challenge them to a fight for the dragon heart.¡± ¡°And if they refuse?¡± Her smirk now transformed into a half grin. ¡°They won¡¯t. At least, their leader won¡¯t. I¡¯ve met the guy. He¡¯s the cocky type. If he refuses a duel invitation from a mere C-rank, and a kid at that, it would reflect badly on his reputation for sure.¡± This time, it was my turn to grin. ¡°Ha¡­ ahahahahahahaha!¡± She suddenly broke down into a laugh. She placed her left hand on her mouth to cover it, but her laughter still echoed across the room. And it was the kind of laugh a villainous woman would have, which actually sent a bit of a chill behind my neck. ...You know what? Maybe she¡¯s a kind person to sick little girls, but she might also secretly be a mad scientist or something. Or rather, a mad alchemist. Though I haven¡¯t seen anything out of the place around here. No brains in a jar or rows of poison you would expect from such a character. ¡°You¡¯re really quite smart for your age, Lord Pendleton,¡± She wiped a tear from the corner of her right eye.. ¡°Forgive me for thinking that you¡¯re just a naive noble kid who wants to play hero.¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wait, is that how she has been seeing me all this time? ¡°Although, are you truly certain you can win against an S-rank?¡± ¡°Well, I just gotta try, don¡¯t I?¡± I replied with a smile. ¡°And besides, couldn¡¯t you use your influence as a court mage to make them give the dragon heart? Like I said, I¡¯d rather do this without violence.¡± I don¡¯t need any attention given to my way after all. Not when I¡¯m technically a fugitive like this. It¡¯s been barely a year since I killed Vera, give or take. There¡¯s a really good chance they¡¯re still looking for me, especially since from what I heard from Marina, they¡¯re still looking for that necromancer girl even after years had passed. But then again, if the news spread that I¡¯ve slayed a dragon, that would make me famous as well, wouldn¡¯t it? Oh well, I got no choice. Fiora will kick me in the nuts if I run away from this, just because I¡¯m afraid of some hypothetical assassin coming after me. ¡°Hmm, I wonder about that.¡± She pursed her lips, putting her index finger near it. "They would surely demand official compensation from the throne. And if we don''t give it to them, they won''t be happy. And that''s bad news for us. Our country is a small one, just a vassal state of the Empire. We don''t have the Imperial Knights that can easily take care of them if they go in an uproar." Ah, right, I forget. They''re a group of strong adventurers that can easily be too much for the average soldiers to handle. And none of the vassal states have that strong of a military. Probably intentional, so that they won''t rise up against the Empire. "Ask the king to pay them then," I pointed out the obvious. "Ha! He won''t spend a penny on this kind of matter. He won''t care and I will be the one to suffer the consequences if I use his name without his permission." Once again, she showed her bitterness towards the ruler she was supposed to serve. I don''t think it''s wise to keep around a court mage that dislikes you this much. ¡°Sir Pendleton. If you will hear my plea.¡± I nearly jumped off my feet. The knight, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke out. His armor clanged lightly as he approached me. ¡°If you are truly as strong as you speak, then please, grant me the honor of dueling you.¡± ...Wait, what? ¡°Fear not. We shall use the non-lethal ceremonial fencing rule. First one who landed a definitive hit on the other would be the one victorious. It would not be a duel to the death. I simply wish to test my blade with yours.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s an excellent idea, Lord Berault,¡± the alchemist chimed in with a smile. ¡°Lord Pendleton. I also wish to see your true capability in combat.¡± ¡°B-but it¡¯s already dark outside. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to¡ª¡± ¡°Nonsense. It¡¯s the perfect condition to test one¡¯s real mettle in combat. After all, you don¡¯t always fight in the most optimal situation, do you? And besides, I can give you two some light with the Light Orb I got.¡± Light Orb. It¡¯s basically several Light Gems gathered and melded into an orb-shaped ball that shone quite brightly, to the point that you would hurt your eyes if you stare directly at it. "Oh fine. I''ll do it." I relented. It''s unwise to fight together with someone whose capability you don''t know about, so in that sense, it''s a good thing for me to show what I''m capable of, especially since we''re going up against a dragon. The duel ended up taking place in the backyard of the house. The rules were simple. I was allowed to use both my sword and magic. The knight, on the other hand, can only fight with his sword, so no magic option for him. To my surprise, he didn''t bring a shield with him. He only has a normal-looking steel sword that he held in his right hand. Then again, I don''t think I saw any shields laying around back inside. The knight agreed to a fifty meter distance between us. Guess he wants to give me an advantage, knowing that I can use ranged attacks while he can''t? Bad idea. If I were to fight for real, I''m pretty sure I can kill him in one shot using Boom Rifle. Flameu would be the one to give the signal, with her activating the light orb. Let''s see here¡­ what spell should I use? Oh, I know! I can use that! I drew my wand on my left hand with my sword on the right. I waited for Flameu to give her signal. And then, light burst forth. ¡°Sand Gra¡ªwhat?¡± The knight! Instead of running, he jumps straight at me! How can he do it wearing such heavy armor? Fine! You think I can¡¯t handle that? Then what about this instead? ¡°Cold Blast!¡± A storm of ice and snow hit him in mid-air dead on. Or that''s what I expected. Instead, he cut through the gale, closing the distance between me and him even more. Ha! I see! Galahad-style! He finally reached me, but I was ready to block his blow with my own sword. As always, I used Fortissimo with it, so I wouldn¡¯t lose my grip of my sword. Using my left hand, I aimed my wand at his stomach, and yelled, ¡°Water Blade!¡± It doesn¡¯t work! The water doesn¡¯t pierce his armor! He must have used Fortissimo as well! Using Graceful Step, which I have mastered by the way (and officially making me an Expert-rank Galahad swordsman, at least according to Fiora), I put a distance between us. In the meantime, I charged up another spell. This time, it¡¯s something that even his Fortissimo shouldn¡¯t be able to defend against. ¡°Boom Rifle!¡± I aimed at his leg, knowing that I could just heal his wound afterwards. The spell fired, and, just like I had expected, he was neither fast enough to parry it nor strong enough to block its piercing strength. He fell down on one knee, and I heard Flameu shout that the match was over. I was the clear winner. "Magnificent, Milord!" Flameu clapped with a grin on her face. "Lord Berault is the strongest knight of this kingdom yet you took him on with such ease. Once again, I have to apologize for ever doubting your abilities." She then gave him a small vial of liquid. The knight promptly drank it (he was so fast with his helmet¡¯s visor than I didn¡¯t even get a glimpse on his face) and he seemed to have recovered in an instant, standing back up in no time at all. "With your ability, we certainly can take on the dragon. Yes, I now fully believe in you, Milord." I blushed a little. Hehe, it always feels good, being praised like this. "Although, I do wonder¡­ What spell was that? I never saw anything like it before." "Umm, w-well, it''s just a custom spell of mine. Nothing special." I scratched the back of my head. "I see..." Her smile turned into that ominous grin once more. "Fascinating¡­" I gulped. You know, I don''t like the way she says that. Can¡¯t help but feel I¡¯m going to be dissected by her for her research or something... ¡°Well,¡± She turned to face the knight. ¡®What do you think, Lord Berault? You agree that he¡¯s strong enough to face up against a dragon now, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°...I still need more training,¡± was his answer. Welp, I hope I didn¡¯t hurt his feelings or anything. Afterwards, we went back inside. I was told by the alchemist to rest, and to leave the rest to her. All I needed to do was to prepare my stamina for the fight against the dragon. And so I did, but not before asking about something that had been bothering me for a while. ¡°Miss Flameu. Why are you all the way out here instead of at the capital with the king? Isn¡¯t a court mage supposed to stay, y¡¯know, in the court, at all times?¡± Her expression brightened, as if I had asked something really amusing. ¡°Why, for my research, of course. I need certain ingredients that I can only find in this region. So I purchased this house as my base of operations. The king was generous enough to give me permission to do so, especially after I promised him that all the benefits of my research would be used to fill up his coffers.¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re promising him to do stuff like turning rocks into gold?¡± That¡¯s like the classic alchemy dream, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Ha, like in the stories, huh? Unfortunately, in the land of reality, not the land of bards and soothsayers, alchemy doesn¡¯t work like that.¡± Really? Well, that¡¯s a let down. "And Leila. You''ve visited her village before, I guess." "You¡¯re right. I healed her father''s bad hip as I did, and ever since then, she had been completely fascinated by me." "Let me guess. You did it for free as well." "Of course. What kind of an alchemist do you think I am, taking money from the destitute?" she said with a proud, near haughty smile. "I''m fine doing it to those well-off folks though. They can pay for the services I do for the poor." Ah, clever. "Well," I smiled in return. "I guess I''ll get some shut-eye like you suggest." I just hope I don''t wake up with my organs missing or anything. I still get that "mad scientist" vibe from her, you know. Eh, it''ll be fine. Thanks to Fiora''s training, I am now far more sensitive to movements around me, even when I''m asleep. She would often be the one to wake me up in the morning, or in the middle of the night if it''s my turn to keep watch on the bonfire. And she''d throw a pebble to my face in the process. The further our training progressed, the more often I caught it before it could land. And near the end, not a single one landed anymore. With that confidence, I retreated back to the knight''s room, throwing my body on the bed. Come to think of it, I haven''t had dinner yet. ------ Felicia Greetings, dear readers. I am Cordelia Flameu, the court mage of Fiania. Specializing in alchemy, I can cure all sorts of ailments with my potions. As long as I can get the ingredients I need, of course. I am also Felicia Myne, the dark mage that specializes in the feared art of necromancy. In fact, it¡¯d be more accurate to refer to me as the latter. The former is merely a mask I wear so that I can perform my necromantic research in peace, away from those narrow-minded fools who think that necromancy is merely an evil and vile magic that has to be extinguished. And today, I got a wonderful catch. His name was Charles. Charles Pendleton. And apparently, he¡¯s some noble kid from the Holy Empire. I don¡¯t really buy that of course. But I shall talk about this matter later. For now, I would like to speak about how interesting of a person he is. First of all, he looks to be around eleven years old. Twelve, at the very least. No sharp ears, which means he can¡¯t be one of the youthful-looking nonhuman races. No, he has to be a human. Or a demon that is really good at disguising himself as a human. The latter makes more sense, as for a human to be this strong at such a young age is terribly unlikely, but on the other hand, the former means he¡¯s a true genius that only comes around once in a blue moon. Not only is he really capable in magic, but his swordsmanship is no slouch either. He really is one fascinating young man. And to think that not only did he go out of his way to save some little girl he knew nothing about, he even decided it¡¯s a good idea to fight a dragon, just to get the ingredient for her cure. I am not sure whether to call him a fool or a brave warrior. Hmm, come to think of it, the ones that killed the ice witch Vera, wasn¡¯t one of them around his age, at least, if the information I got was correct? Could it be? If he is truly amongst the family who killed her, then this is truly my lucky day. I could make him be my ally, and then, there will be nothing those Magocracy imbeciles can do to me. Not only that, I can start my trip to the Demon Continent right away. With a mage of his caliber, and my own skills, I can finally move on to the next stage of my research. I am already sick of this kingdom to be honest. The faster I can leave, the better. Not to mention that sooner or later, they¡¯ll figure out what I did with that old fool. Then I would no longer have the protection of the kingdom. I would be hunted down as a heretic. That would be unpleasant, especially since my zombies are weak to Light spells. But for now, I have to obtain the dragon¡¯s heart. I can¡¯t let Leila die. Not when I am still far away from my ultimate goal. And besides, it would be fascinating to see what that boy can do in a real fight. Show me, Charles Pendleton, or rather, Hugo Greenwood, of the power of the boy who defeated the great Ice Witch! Vol 3 Chapter 8: Adventurers and Heroes Hugo ¡°Lord Pendleton, I¡¯ve finished my preparations. We¡¯re now ready to depart.¡± Hearing those words, I immediately roused up from my sleep. Thinking about it, I didn¡¯t get that much of a shut-eye last night. A couple of times I was woken up by Leila¡¯s pained scream. I rushed into her room, only to find that Flameu was already there, giving another dose of her painkilling drug while comforting her. And that¡¯s while her cauldron was still boiling. I guess she wisely knew her knight would only scare her if she sent him to do the job, and she was good enough to know when she could leave her concoction cooking on it''s own safely. Heh, I guess there''s no need for my fairy in the slightest. Still, it reminded me all those years ago, when Erika was still a baby. She would often wake up in the middle of the night, crying so loud that I woke up as well. Renee would have to calm her down. And she never uttered a single complaint. She was the paragon of motherhood through and through. ...Yeah, yeah, I know it''s weird and creepy to compare a woman you just met to your mother. But I just can''t help it. I feel she can make an excellent mother in the future¡­ if she isn''t secretly a mad alchemist, that is. After letting out a good yawn, I left the bed and changed back to the clothes Fiora gave me (after Flameu left, of course). I then left the room. To my surprise, the look of the place had completely changed. Gone were the beakers, centrifuges, and cauldron. The long table was now used as a dining table, as Flameu and Berault were having their breakfast there. "Please, Lord Pendleton. Join us." The alchemist spoke. "There isn''t much, but I assure you, my sandwiches are perfectly delicious." She added with a smile. She pulled a chair for me, and I sat down on it. I then took one of the sandwiches placed on the plate on the table and took a bite of it. Since they''re eating it, it should be fine, right? No poison or anything. And I got my great fairy. She can heal poison with her water. Afterwards however, I was grateful for my decision to partake in her offer, as true to her word, it was indeed delicious. And for me, who hadn¡¯t had dinner yesterday, it was a godsend. I ended up eating most of it, to the amusement of the alchemist. Oh, by the way, thanks to that as well, I got to see the knight¡¯s mouth. And from my examination, he seems to be a human under all that armor¡ªlight skinned with no facial hair to speak of. He only lowers the bottom part of his helmet, just enough so he can eat Flameu¡¯s sandwiches. Afterwards, we each readied for our departure. Berault brought a large backpack with him, while Flameu only brought her staff, though she also wore a featureless black cloak over her robe. Right, Dimensional Storage. ¡°Lord Pendleton, may I ask you a favor?¡± Flameu spoke. ¡°Would you be willing to be the one carrying Leila? As you can see, with my staff and his backpack, we don¡¯t exactly have any free room to carry a child with us.¡± I agreed. It wasn¡¯t a big deal for me anyways. She was so light to the point that my arms didn''t really tire carrying her around yesterday. I went to her room and lifted her up. She was sleeping, and to my delight, her fever seemed to have gone down a bit. Still, I knew it didn''t mean that she was recovering. It was most likely the effect of Flameu''s drug, temporarily tempering her ailment. We departed utilizing the pair of horses they rode the first time I saw them. Apparently, the black one was named Frem and the white one was named Mrey. And judging by how she smiled when she met them as she brushed their manes with her hand, and how they each licked her affectionately for it afterwards, the alchemist might just be the animal-loving type. Another aspect of her that''s contradictory to that sinister grin and laugh. Since I had no horses on my own, I had to ride with either of them. To my surprise, the alchemist suggested that I should ride with her. Umm, you know this means your boobs will be pressing into my back, right? Judging by her mischievous smirk though, I think she perfectly knew what she was doing. Of course, I took the offer up. I would be an idiot not to. Marina once said that I should be wary of older women going after me. I guess she is one of them. Heh, that''s one perk of being a good-looking young man. With a small grin, I climbed up the horse, taking the hand she offered. Lucky! "Oh, one more thing." She suddenly spoke. "If you would, please refrain from using my real name in public. We certainly don''t need the attention right now." Ah, that''s right. She''s quite the celebrity around here. Makes sense. That''s also why she''s wearing that dark cloak with the hood on. "Call me Rowan, if you would. As for Lord Berault, Ber would suffice." ------- We headed to the town¡¯s eastern gate. To my surprise, we left not in the early mornings, but well around 8 to 9 o''clock, judging by where the sun was. I wasn''t sure if this world had invented pocket watches actually. Not that I would want to get one. I don''t want a return to my old life where I was afraid of clocks at every single minute. Had to set up an alarm clock to wake up in the morning, had to set up reminders in my phone on my office tasks and the deadlines they had, etc. It was unpleasant. I would rather have an easy-going life like this where I was not continuously being haunted by them. "Charles! Chaaarles!" That voice¡­ that''s¡ª "Charles! You''re going out too?" Sure enough, my instinct was correct. It was the voice of Amelie, shouting from a distance. She ran towards me, breasts bouncing wildly in the process. You know, I wonder how in this world, big-chested women never seemed to be able to find bras that could hold their chests in place. Both Renee and Helen were like that as well¡ªvoluptuous to the point that even walking normally made their breasts jiggle a little. Or maybe it''s just my perverted eyes catching things that no other people would see. Hold on, isn''t she supposed to be mad at me? Oh right, she''s being her usual self. She''d get mad about one thing, and come the next morning, she had forgotten about it entirely. "Wait, who is that? Why are you carrying a little girl with you? And who are these people? Your new party? And why are you riding with a woman like that?¡± She didn¡¯t hesitate in the slightest to bombard me with questions, as expected. And is it just me, or her tone sounds a little bit angry? Hmm, maybe she¡¯s still mad about yesterday after all. That, or she¡¯s jealous that I¡¯m with another woman. Sorry, Amelie, your boobs are great and all, but I just don¡¯t think you¡¯re my type. Well, that, and Sherry. I looked behind me, throwing a glance towards Flameu as I wanted her to be the one to explain it. I felt I was just going to fumble my words and make myself look even more suspicious if I tried doing it on my own. ¡°Is she perhaps your acquaintance, Milord?¡± the alchemist asked with a smirk. Ah, I actually never told her about them, did I? "Yes. We traveled together for a few months from down south," I answered. At this point, Anton and Anne had arrived on the scene as well. "I see." Flameu turned to face the trio. "Then, please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Rowan, a humble alchemist. The girl over there is my patient. She has been struck with a mortal illness and the only way to cure it is by obtaining the heart of the dragon. And so, I¡¯ve employed Charles and Ber here to procure it from the ice dragon living nearby.¡± ¡°A-a dragon?!¡± The mage took a few steps back, covering her mouth with her hand. ¡°Y-you¡¯re not serious, are you?¡± ¡°Oh, we are serious, 100%,¡± Flameu replied with a smirk. ¡°You see, Charles here has promised that he¡¯s strong enough to take on one. And so there is nothing to fear.¡± ¡°What?!¡± This time, it was Anne¡¯s turn to explode. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be joking! Charles!¡± She threw a harsh glance at my direction. ¡°You?! Taking on a dragon? Ha! Don¡¯t make me laugh! You¡¯re not some legendary warrior that can take on a dragon one to one! You¡¯re just a C-rank whelp who happens to be skilled in magic! You have no chance whatsoever against an S-rank monster like that! And you, redhead!¡± Her glare now turned towards Flameu. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to do this kind of thing, you know, bypassing Guild rules on giving out a quest to adventurers without their permission. And this is exactly why! You¡¯re trying to rope a kid to do an S-rank job without caring that he¡¯s not actually an S-rank! And even if he is, you still need dozens of S-rank adventurers to take on a dragon! What do you think a dragon is, huh? It¡¯s one of the strongest monsters out there!¡± Flameu continued to smirk, seemingly unfazed in the slightest by the girl¡¯s arguments. ¡°Charles¡­¡± This time, it was Anton¡¯s turn to speak. He wore a stern frown on his face¡ªa rare look for him. It¡¯s the look he would only use whenever he really feels the need to scold someone. Whenever he uses that look, not even Anne¡¯s spicy tongue or Amelie¡¯s brattiness can overcome his presence. ¡°Listen to me. I know you¡¯re strong. Stronger than any of us, perhaps. But you¡¯re not at the level where you can fight against a dragon. And there¡¯s no need to do so either. You¡¯ve heard yesterday that the Emerald Exodus clan is going to have a subjugating campaign against it. Wait until they return and purchase the dragon heart you need from them.¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s not an option, unfortunately. I don¡¯t have the money. And neither do Ber or Rowan. We have to get it on our own.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late for you to go after the dragon now anyways. They departed yesterday morning. When you get there, they probably would have finished the creature anyways,¡± he argued back. ¡°Then I will take the heart from them,¡± I answered without flinching. Anton¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Are you suggesting that you would challenge them for it? Or steal it instead? If you do the latter, you will be kicked out from the guild for sure. And not only that, they might murder you from it. ¡®Adventurers who try to steal the spoils from other adventurers are to be killed, for they are no different than common bandits.¡¯ That is the law of adventurers that the Guild abides. And if you think you can do the former, think again. Even if they¡¯re graceful enough to grant you a one-on-one fight with their leader, he¡¯s an S-rank adventurer. His abilities are far beyond yours.¡± ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what you believe. Then let me say this. I am far stronger than you think I am. I am strong enough to win, even against an S-rank adventurer.¡± I looked him in the eye as I said those words. I know that the only way to show that I wasn¡¯t lying was to challenge him head on. I gave him a cold, confident stare¡ªfar different from the happy, smiling expression I usually wore around him. He was the first to break eye contact. ¡°Then, I am disappointed in you, Charles.¡± Her eyes turned cold as well. ¡°You let us fight against all those monsters that would have hurt us while you can easily take care of them. I thought we could trust you as a friend. I guess not.¡± My heart skipped a beat. He got a point. Me hiding my true ability like that¡­ it¡¯s selfish of me, isn¡¯t it? ¡°I have my reasons to hide it from you,¡± was my reply however. ¡°And I am not obligated to protect you or Anne or Amelie. You are adventurers. You already know that it¡¯s a dangerous and risky occupation. If any of you die, it won¡¯t be my fault.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why I said such harsh words. Perhaps because I remembered the other trio of adventurers that I failed to save, and the words of that man who told me that they fought bravely until the very end. Since then, I knew what it truly meant to be an adventurer. You can¡¯t save everyone. That was the valuable lesson Nicole taught me. His answer? ¡°...Fine. Suit yourself.¡± He looked away, before turning back and sending a sharp glance towards Flameu. ¡°I do hope you pay him well, alchemist.¡± ¡°Oh, but Charles here is noble enough to do it for free! In fact, he was the one who found my sick little sister on the road. And learning of her plight, he offered to help on his own! Isn¡¯t he just great?¡± Here, Flameu pressed herself into me as she rested her hands on my shoulder. At this point, I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s doing it intentionally, just so to piss them off even more. Yep, it¡¯s that mischievous side of her once again. Anton returned his glare towards me. ¡°And you take this quest for free. You might be strong but your mentality is still of a kid. We adventurers don¡¯t take quests for free. Especially if it¡¯s a quest of this caliber. By doing this, you¡¯re no longer an adventurer. You¡¯re now pretending to be a hero. Is that what you want, Charles?¡± With a smirk, I replied, ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s what I want.¡± With these past months I had spent with adventurers, not just with these three, but with others as well, before I met them, I realized something. A lot of them are indeed vagabonds and ruffians, not that much better than common bandits.I suddenly remembered how the old master of Sherry, that bitter old woman, displayed her distaste of adventurers. And I imagine a lot of the upper class shared the same sentiment. Back then, I thought she was just being a snob. But now, I could see her point, at least a little. She¡¯s still wrong to think that all adventurers are bad though, especially to the point of badmouthing Alan and Renee. So, perhaps that¡¯s what I want. I want fame and glory. I can do that as a hero too, can¡¯t I? Well, I¡¯m still nowhere near strong enough to be called one though. Anton, clearly not satisfied with my answer, turned around and started to walk away. ¡°Anne, Amelie, we¡¯re leaving.¡± The two, however, clearly weren''t finished with me yet. ¡°You jerk!¡± Anne shouted. ¡°Get off your high horse, you idiot noble! So you want to play hero? Is that why you¡¯ve been looking down on us all this time? We¡¯re just common adventurers to you, huh? We¡¯re not blessed with whatever talent you have with magic, so you think we¡¯re worthless? Is that it? We have treated you well these past two months, and this is how you treat us in return?¡± I had no words to say to her in return. She was right. I probably had been looking down on them unconsciously, knowing just how much stronger I am compared to them. And I do want to play the hero. I¡¯ve been doing so ever since I climbed up that mountain to save Marina, even though I was just a ten-year old kid. Father and Mother did as well. Any sensible people would know not to defy a mage of Vera¡¯s caliber. They would instead obey her wishes. It¡¯s not odd for girls to be married off to wealthier, more powerful families in this world. In fact, it would be an honor. Marina would be the wife of a future ruler of the Magocracy. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But no. It¡¯s just in our blood, I suppose. We can¡¯t just accept the world as it is. We have to defy common sense. And those are things only heroes do. Amelie, on the other hand, didn¡¯t say anything. She just stared at me like a hurt puppy would. And it immediately made me feel even guiltier. ¡°Well, if you guys are done, then please excuse us.¡± Flameu finally decided to interrupt. ¡°Like you have kindly suggested, we don¡¯t have much time. We must rush to the dragon at once, so my sister would get the cure she desperately needs.¡± With those words said, she yanked the harness on Mrey. The horse neighed and started walking once more. Noticing its partner was moving, Frem followed. I didn¡¯t look back at the trio as I left. Instead, I stared to the distance. Heh, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m having quite the melancholic expression right now. It¡¯s been fun, traveling with them. But this conversation we just had made me realize just how different our two worlds are. They¡¯re not like Marina or Sherry or Fiora. If any real danger comes after me, they wouldn¡¯t be able to fight it. They¡¯re simply not strong enough. Thus, it would be better for them not to be involved with me any further. I took a deep sigh. Guess two months were enough for me to feel this much attachment to them. But now, I had to put them aside. I was going to fight against a dragon after all. And I think I already have a pretty good idea on how I¡¯m going to do it. Vol 3 Chapter 9: Towards The Mountain Our destination was the Cirris Mountain, located just a few days away from the town. The village Leila came from was located near the foot of said mountain. We might be able to get there in just a day, thanks to our horses, but she must have suffered much getting all the way here from there. The blisters on her feet told everything you needed to know about her determination. And selflessness. Even when she was terribly sick herself, she still wanted Flameu to help her father and the rest of the village first before her. I couldn¡¯t but feel respect towards her. It¡¯s one thing to have determination when you¡¯re strong, but when you¡¯re just an ordinary, powerless villager, it¡¯s even more amazing. It reminded me of those classical books where the child protagonist had to suffer through adversity, surrounded mostly by hostile adults who refused to help her. If I refuse to help her, then I would lose to her. That¡¯s another reason why I couldn¡¯t follow through the common sense of adventurers, like those three told me to. We arrived at the village the next morning. To my shame, I actually fell asleep on the horse, so Flameu had to hug me with one hand from behind to keep me from falling. And yes, I did enjoy her boobs pressing into my back. And her warmth in general. Although, come to think of it, doesn¡¯t this mean she hasn¡¯t slept for two days in a row? Hey, are you sure she¡¯s fine with that? Sure, I noticed some dark circles under her eyes, but she remained her usual, non-sleepy self. Maybe she had taken some super-caffeine or something? And, as expected, that didn¡¯t change when we arrived at the village. -------- Oh no, this looks bad¡­ The village was, at first glance, completely deserted. Not a single person was outside. However, once we entered, the sounds of pained moans crept from the shoddy woods of the houses. Not just one or two, but pretty much everywhere. "Lord Pendleton, remember what I''ve told you before." Flameu spoke with a grim expression. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Don''t worry. I know." Just as she mentioned it, something flew by near my leg. In an instant, I cut it into two with my sword. Or rather, knowing how small it was, my blade should''ve just obliterated it entirely. It was a simple mosquito. And yet, it might be the one responsible for the plague. I recalled Flameu¡¯s explanation, given when we rode here. "Crimson Wings. It is the name given to those mosquitoes. They might look near-indistinguishable from ordinary mosquitoes, but they are monsters, in every sense of the word. Born out of mutation caused by demonic mana many ages ago, they now possessed the ability to corrupt the blood of those that they drank from. That is what caused the Black Blood disease. At least, this variant of it. The one that nearly destroyed the town on the other hand was spread by coughs and rat bites. It was easier to cure however, only needing drake hearts as one of the ingredients." Drakes, by the way, are A-rank monsters which are essentially lesser dragons. If we assume that the plague works the same way plagues work back in my old world, then that difference comes from the mutation of the virus/bacteria. It trades lethality for transmissibility. Berault did the same soon after. "So they''re still here after all¡­" Flameu spoke with a concerned look. "My suspicions were correct. Someone, or something, must have threatened their original habitat, making them migrate all the way here. Normally, these insects only exist far deep in the wilderness, along with other dangerous monsters. And thanks to the disease being basically incurable, the insect is given an A-rank rating as a monster.¡± I¡¯m glad the Guild is smart enough to do that. You don¡¯t have to be a big scary creature to be dangerous after all. "Could it be the work of the dragon?" I suggested. "Perhaps,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s irrelevant anyways. For now, we¡¯ll just have to kill anything that resembles a mosquito around here. Later, I might be able to make a repellant of sorts for them but for now, we should rush to get the cure instead. We really don¡¯t have much time. And so, for now, we¡¯re going to move house to house to administer my painkiller,¡± Flameu ordered. ¡°It¡¯s all we can do for them now. After that, we shall depart to the mountain at once.¡± ¡°Berault is staying behind, right?¡± I asked, confirming the plan we had formed before we arrived. ¡°Correct," was her answer. "Lord Berault would stay here with my medicines, and he would administer them as needed. Do not fret. He knows how to do it," she added with a smile. And so, we visited said houses one by one (no locks on their doors), with me and Berault acting as bodyguards for her against the mosquitos. Or rather, glorified mosquito swappers. As you would expect from a small, humble village, most of the houses weren''t built with stone. But rather, wood, with straws as roofs instead of proper roof tiles. Some of the villagers actually stirred and woke up, thanking Flameu as she gave them the relief they desperately needed. Thankfully though, there weren''t that many of them. Counting after we finished, there were only ten or so. But to think that just ten mosquitoes could do this to a village¡­ Sheesh, this world really is a death world in that sense. After we finished, like promised, Berault stayed behind with the little girl and her father. Their house was actually amongst the smallest in the village, consisting only of two rooms. I wondered where the mother was, but I could probably guess that she''s most likely dead or something. Either from childbirth or illness. Or even from a monster attack. That''s another possibility. Yeah. For people who live like this, unfortunately, death is always around the corner. We then departed straight away, up the mountain where the dragon resided. --------- We left the horses in the village. It would be far too impractical to bring them along, since there were no roads going up there. As we climbed, I noticed that there were barely any monsters around. And there were signs of other people having traveled through the woods just recently, judging by all the broken branches and the remnants of campfire. Those guys really did reach this place before us, huh? I really hope they haven¡¯t beaten the dragon before us. I dunno. I feel I¡¯d rather fight a dragon rather than fight other adventurers. The latter can hold grudges that can bring troubles down the line. ¡°Hey, is it just me or is the air getting colder?¡± ¡°Hmm? I suppose it is,¡± Flameu replied nonchalantly, not even bothering to look at me in the process. You know, with those clothes, I can¡¯t help but worry if she will be unable to stand the cold. Cirris Mountain was originally a warm-weathered mountain. However, since the frost dragon appeared, snow and ice enveloped the peak. Like a true S-rank monster, it could create its own blizzard. That is why I suspected that it might be the reason why those mosquitoes moved towards the village. We climbed up the mountain for a good two days. On the first, as we set up our campfires, Flameu finally spoke up about her lack of sleep, and how she wished to go to sleep straight away. I asked her how she could stay up for so long, and her reply (with a proud smile) was ¡°Just an anti-sleep drug I developed.¡± She then told me that she couldn¡¯t take it forever though, as her body would break down eventually. So she had to sleep for the night. She asked me to keep watch on my own entirely, and I agreed. She¡¯s worked hard. Let her get her beauty sleep, I thought to myself. On the second day, we finally were up high enough that we started seeing snow all around us. And since we weren¡¯t even close to winter, it could only be caused by the frost dragon. Thinking about it, isn¡¯t this similar to when I climbed up that mountain to fight Vera? ...No. It''ll be fine. I¡¯m much stronger now. I won¡¯t let Flameu die. And I have a hunch that the dragon would still be weaker than Vera, even though it could also create blizzards just like her. And then, a few hours later, we finally found them¡ªThe guys from the Emerald Exodus. Located on a large snowy clearing, they had built an encampment. Multiple tents were erected, to the point that it looked more like it belonged to a small army than a group of adventurers. Their numbers must be around fifty or more. A base of operations before they go after the dragon, huh? I like that. They''re taking this methodically, which is what they should do against a monster of that strength. Before we knew it, a number of adventurers had surrounded us, with suspicious looks on their faces. "Hold it right there, lady." One of them spoke to Flameu. He was a large man, easily dwarfing me and her. He was a beastman¡ªa bearkin most likely, judging from his ears and thick beard+sideburns combo. He wore fur pants while remaining shirtless, showing off his impressive abs and chest hair. Any woman who loves muscled men would''ve fallen for him for sure. "This dragon has fallen under the jurisdiction of us Emerald Exodus. You''re not allowed to just waltz in and expect a share of the loot." ¡°H-hey, Red,¡± the much smaller man beside him spoke. He seemed to be a Hobbit, judging by his size and his pointed ears. ¡°You don¡¯t recognize her? She¡¯s that Flameu chick! You know! The one that healed the townspeople of the plague six months ago? She¡¯s a court mage too! You can¡¯t just speak to her like that!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The bearkin glanced towards the hobbit, before looking back towards Flameu, scratching his chin. "You''re really her?" "Indeed I am," she replied with a smirk, before giving a bow. "My name is Cordelia Flameu. It''s a pleasure to meet you." A chain of whispers burst forth from the crowd surrounding us. "Is she really the court mage?" "That can''t be right, can it?" "What is she doing all the way here?" "To gather ingredients, duh. Haven''t you heard that she''s a master alchemist?" "So." He crossed his arms. Just like his chest, his arms were hairy as well. And like his name, every strand of said hair was red. "What does a court mage like you do here?" "I wish to obtain the heart of a certain dragon. Yes, the very same dragon that you are after." Another burst of whispers erupted, with some clearly expressing anger and exasperation. "I see. If you wish to negotiate prices, then you would need to meet with our leader. Let me take you to his tent." He''s thinking that she''s going to buy from them. Bad news, big guy. We don''t have any money for that. "Oh? Is the dragon taken care of already?" She continued to speak, not even bothering to fix his erroneous assumption. "Not yet. We''re still in the process of isolating it from any other monsters in the area. We would only make a move once we''re sure we won''t get ambushed by reinforcements." That''s smart. Real smart. I see now why they are high-ranking adventurers. "I see. Then if you would, take us to him." He gave a short glance towards me. And immediately his brows furrowed. Heh, he''s probably confused why a young man like me is with her. We followed him through the encampment, towards the largest tent in the complex¡ªall the while being semi-followed by the crowd, since some of them did decide to go back doing their own things. I believe they were given the task of equipment preparation, as they resumed sharpening swords and patching up any defects on armors. Another perk of being part of a clan, I suppose, having dedicated blacksmiths to do that for you. "Please wait here for a moment,¡± the man said once we arrived at the front of the tent. He then entered it, leaving the two of us on our own standing somewhat awkwardly on the front. A few minutes later, he returned, bringing the man that I certainly had met before at the guild. Umm, what was his name again? "Well well well, to think I would be visited out of the blue by the esteemed Lady Flameu. I''ve heard of your exploits from the townspeople. It is truly a shame that I didn''t have the chance to witness your skill at the work." He gave her a smile as he bowed towards her. ¡°Greetings. My name is Arcturus. Arcturus Decasile, at your service.¡± The man, even though he was an adventurer, wouldn¡¯t be out of place as a noble. His greeting was polite and his bow was graceful. And that smile¡ªthat¡¯s the one male nobles would use to charm the ladies. However, something quite unnoble-like was also portrayed by him. I saw him, stealing glances towards Flameu¡¯s cleavage. As he was taller than her, that meant he would be able to see an eyeful of her naked, braless chest. This perverted bastard! I wasn¡¯t sure why I got angry at the sight. Perhaps because I felt he was disrespecting her by doing so. Even though we just met, I had gained a certain level of respect and admiration towards the alchemist, after all she did for Leila. Although, the person herself seemed to not mind in the slightest. That, or she didn¡¯t notice. I doubt it¡¯s the latter though, knowing how perceptive of a person she seemed to be. ¡°I come here to ask you of a favor,¡± Flameu spoke. ¡°If you would, I would love for you to give me the dragon heart from the dragon your clan is about to fight.¡± ¡°Ah, for alchemy materials, I presume,¡± he replied, still keeping up that smile (which I started to find more and more annoying the longer I looked at it). ¡°That can be arranged. I would even sell it to you lower than the market price, just because how beautiful you are, Milady.¡± I nearly puked hearing that line. Seriously? He¡¯s now openly flirting with her? What is up with this man? Once again, my anger started to bubble inside my stomach. On the other hand however, I admired his smoothness in doing it. I wanted to be able to flirt with girls just like he did. ¡°Apologies, but it just so happens that my personal funds would not be enough for the price you would ask. The king has been quite stingy lately unfortunately¡­¡± Flameu said with an expression of regret that I was pretty sure she was faking. ¡°And so, I would like it if you would give it to me for free. In exchange, I would make sure that the king hears of your service to the kingdom.¡± The smile on his face immediately vanished, only to be replaced by another, more sinister smile. ¡°...I am sorry, but I must have misheard you, Milady. For free? I cannot possibly do that, now can I? I need to pay my clan their fair share, and you surely know how expensive a dragon¡¯s heart can be sold for in the market.¡± ¡°Please understand,¡± she continued her argument, unabated. ¡°The life of a little girl, and an entire village, is at stake. I need it to brew the cure for the illness they¡¯re having. Surely, you know of a certain species of monster called Crimson Wings, and the Black Blood disease they carry. The only way to cure that variant of the disease is the heart of a dragon, and if I do not make the cure soon, they would all die. Would you not want their blood in your hand?¡± she added with a smirk. The man was clearly taken aback by Flameu¡¯s sudden attack, with his mouth opening and closing without any words coming on. However, once again, he recovered swiftly and replied with, ¡°I apologize. But we are adventurers. We don¡¯t do charity. Any work we do for others must be repaid properly.¡± There it is again. It¡¯s the same thing Anton said a few days ago when we departed. ¡°Although,¡± His smile suddenly transformed into a smirk, as he eyed her up and down with a lustful gaze. ¡°If Milady would be willing to spend the night with me, then I might reconsider my position.¡± ¡°Arcturus!¡± The bearkin man suddenly yelled. ¡°You can¡¯t just do that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Red,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯ll pay the difference with my own money.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re a womanizer but to try to do it with a court mage? You¡¯re just going to bring us trouble!¡± he retorted. ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all,¡± Here he turned to face Flameu once again. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure it would be the most wonderful experience for you, Milady.¡± At this point, I was honestly considering punching him in the face. However, I waited, knowing that Flameu would surely have a flaming retort for this womanizer scum. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s fine with me.¡± My jaw dropped. ¡°However, I would request that you finish slaying the dragon right away, so tonight, we can have our fun together. As I have said before, I don¡¯t have much time before the disease claims their lives.¡± Arcturus¡¯ smirk turned even wider as he knew he had snagged a beauty to his bed. ¡°Alright, boys! You heard the lady!¡± He yelled to the others. ¡°Tell the hunting squads to come back at once and prepare for the fight! We¡¯re going to take down that dragon and then we¡¯re going to have a grand party for the night to celebrate our victory!¡± And with that, the crowd disbanded, with me frozen on the spot, still not believing what I just heard. W-why did she¡­ Why did she just take his offer like that? Does she not care about her own dignity? To give her body to a person like him? In retrospect, I shouldn¡¯t be that shocked. A woman who wore such tantalizing clothes should already be used to sexual situations. There was no way she was a virgin. She might even be the kind of woman who would go to brothels and purchase the services of a male prostitute there. And yet, after seeing how motherly she was being with Leila, I had fallen under the spell that I presumptuously cast onto myself. I started imagining her to be just like Renee, and how she would never offer her body like that other than to her beloved husband. I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Flameu¡¯s hand. With a smile, she said, ¡°Well, how fortunately we are that their leader is quite the perv. This way, you don¡¯t have to fight him or the dragon, right?¡± I don¡¯t know how to respond to that. Vol 3 Chapter 10: Battle Preparations ¡°Arcturus, are you sure this is a good idea? The hunters still haven¡¯t finished scouring the area for any possible ambushes from other monsters.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Red. Stop being such a worrywart. For a bear man, you sure are not ferocious enough at times.¡± ¡°Arcturus! The lives of my party are at stake here! If you¡¯re not going to take this seriously, just because of some woman¡ª¡± ¡°The hunting groups have slayed enough frost drakes already. If there are any remaining, then there shouldn¡¯t be that many to the point that we would be overwhelmed. Remember, we have conquered a dungeon before with less men, and that place¡¯s boss was also an S-rank monster.¡± ¡°But that guy wasn¡¯t a dragon! Dragons are¡ª¡± ¡°The peak of strength in the monster world, I know. But consider this. Why would they place dragons and non-dragons at the same rank? Because their strength isn¡¯t that different from each other. Sure, a dragon might be stronger, but not by much. So your worry is unfounded. A dragon isn¡¯t this unbelievable strong beast like you imagine. In fact, this fight should be easier, since we would be doing it in an open field. That dungeon, with its tight space, had far less room for maneuverability.¡± The two adventurers, Arcturus and Red, were arguing away from the ears and eyes of Hugo and Flameu. Red was somewhat of the second-in-command to the whole clan. He was the leader of the Desert Bandits, an A-rank party. However, his own ability could be considered S-rank. It¡¯s just that his subordinates were still stuck at A-rank, so the party stayed at that classification. ¡°Hmph, you and your cravings for women. Aren¡¯t Sylphy and Marka enough for you?¡± The two names the beastkin mentioned were part of Arcturus¡¯ party. Sylphy was the party¡¯s archer¡ªa beautiful elven warrior with green clothes and long blonde hair. Marka on the other hand was the party¡¯s rogue¡ªa sexy black-haired tigerkin who was never seen without wearing a pair of short shorts that emphasized her butts to the world. And, just like Red suggested, they were Arcturus¡¯ girlfriends. Even so, the man would still chase and sleep after every beautiful woman that he took interest in. He even frequented brothels and slept with the prostitutes there. To him, there was no shame in doing so. After all, his girlfriends tolerated it. Whenever they pouted out of jealousy, he would just have to grope them in their special places, whisper some sweet nothings into their ears, and they would beg for sex from him right away. Such was the sweet adventuring life that he had. Ironically however, the clan itself bans any relationships between its members. Supposedly it¡¯s for the sake of preventing arguments and drama that could happen. Many parties have been ruined by one guy preferring one girl, making a different girl jealous, competition between the two happens, etc, etc. In the end, they would disband and split. Arcturus was the exemption. Mostly because he¡¯s the one calling the shots. And also because he has mastered the art of having two girlfriends while sleeping with other women on the side with barely any repercussions. ¡°Heh, those two are nice for sure but being with all the time can get boring very quickly. Sylphy would always come just by me simply massaging those large breasts of hers while Marka would always ask me to play with her tail and butt every time. Those two don¡¯t really know how to please a man, you know. But that woman, I have a hunch she¡¯s the type that¡¯s really good in bed.¡± He finished with a grin. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Which, I assume, is completely not related to you wanting a redhead in your little harem,¡± Red remarked. Many times he had heard his friend speaking of that desire to him¡ªa conversation he actually found somewhat annoying, if he were to be honest. ¡°Hey, redheads are great, you know. There¡¯s just something about those crimson strands that are just so attractive.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I don¡¯t need to hear about that again.¡± The beastkin sighed. ¡°Look. I trust you as our leader. Don¡¯t let us down just because you want to sleep with some woman.¡± ¡°Hey, she¡¯s this kingdom¡¯s court mage. Won¡¯t it be good for us to have some connections with bigwigs up there?¡± ¡°Not this kingdom no.¡± The beastkin shook his head gravely. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard? The king is an even bigger skirt chaser than you. He would bed every single woman he finds attractive, whether they¡¯re willing or not. And that woman¡­ I would bet 10 gold pieces that she¡¯s part of the king¡¯s harem. You¡¯d think he would be happy if you steal his woman?¡± ¡°Steal?¡± Arcturus laughed. ¡°Oh no. This is just a one-night thing. I know my place. We¡¯re adventurers. The moment we start having relationships with important figures like that, that¡¯s the moment we stop being one. Our freedom will end and we will just be lapdogs of the ruling folks.¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± Suddenly, an entirely new person barged into the tent they were talking in. It was Sylphy, the beautiful, big-boobed elf Red had just brought up. ¡°Arcturus, the hunters have come back. And we¡¯re now waiting for you for our strategy meeting.¡± Her expression was flawless. From the outside, she looked nothing like the sweaty, needy elf she was whenever she slept with her boyfriend. She simply looked like a haughty, expressionless elf, almost fitting the stereotype to a T. ¡°Good,¡± he replied without skipping a beat. ¡°Well, Red.¡± He put his hand on the bearkin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I trust your advice on this one, as usual.¡± ---------- Hugo ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the matter, Milord? You look pale.¡± ¡°...You know, I can take him on. There¡¯s no need for you to give your body to him like that.¡± The alchemist then broke out into a grin. ¡°Oh my, is that jealousy I sense in your words, Milord? If you want to do it with me too, then apologies, but I would have to refuse. Come back in a few years when you¡¯re older, alright? I¡¯m just not comfortable doing it with a boy. And besides¡­¡± She trailed off for a few moments before continuing. ¡°It would be better this way for you, Milord. You wouldn¡¯t draw the ire of the leader of a big adventuring clan like him. Your life as an adventurer would be much harder if you have him having a vendetta against you. They could spread bad rumors about you, and make it hard for you to get into another adventuring party. I know you¡¯re strong but it¡¯s always safer to do your travels in a group. You have other people to watch your back for you after all.¡± ¡°Oh, and if you worry about pregnancy, don¡¯t worry. I am an alchemist after all. Contraceptive drugs are well within my skill to make.¡± I wanted to respond to her but I simply couldn¡¯t. Because I know what I was feeling was irrational. It was me making her out to be this saint of a person, even though she¡¯s not. She¡¯s right. It is better this way. Why do I care if an adult woman have sex with another adult man? It¡¯s not my business. He¡¯s certainly a decently good-looking man. No reason why she shouldn¡¯t be welcome to the idea. After all, it would only be one time thing. He¡¯s not asking for her to be his permanent girlfriend or anything. Still, I still feel that it¡¯s all wrong. Maybe it¡¯s because of how sheltered I was in my old life. My old self would¡¯ve probably called her a slut or something on that term, but I¡¯ve outgrown that, haven¡¯t I? ¡°So, what now?¡± I decided to just change the topic of the conversation. ¡°Now, we should take a look at the dragon itself, don¡¯t you think?¡± She smirked. ¡°Just in case.¡± ¡°Just in case for what?¡± ¡°In case these guys can¡¯t actually defeat it on their own, of course.¡± -------- We then told the nearby adventurer that we wanted to go to the location where the dragon was. Red and Arcturus had disappeared somewhere after our meeting. Probably to discuss their fighting plans. ¡°You guys better not plan on killing the dragon before us. Well, not like the two of you would be able to anyways, haha.¡± The man laughed while putting his hands on his waist. He seemed to be a dwarf, judging by his round and stocky, short build. That, and the beard all dwarves seemed to must have. ¡°Oh, you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± Flameu replied with a smirk. ¡°We would just be there as spectators, nothing more. As this country¡¯s court mage, I would like to see what your clan is capable of after all.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see.¡± The man grinned. ¡°However, if you think of recruiting us as mercenaries, young lady, think again. We don¡¯t like being ordered around. As adventurers, we value our freedom above everything else.¡± I can¡¯t help but think that there¡¯s a certain contradiction to that statement though. To me, being part of a large group like this, it just feels like there will always be something that chains you down, whether it¡¯s the group¡¯s rules or even mere peer pressure. To be truly free as an adventurer, I feel, you have to be doing it alone or with a small group. He then told us where we would need to go. Luckily for us, it didn¡¯t seem to be that far from where the encampment was. We headed up the mountains as per the man¡¯s directions. As we did, the temperature around us dropped more and more. Luckily, I could cast this spell I had invented in free time, called Warm Breeze. Like the name suggested, it generated warm air around the caster. It was a hybrid spell of fire and wind, but surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t that difficult for me to think it up on my own. And of course, I could cast the opposite as well. Cold Breeze. I would use it if I ever ended up in a hot region. ¡°I¡¯m once again impressed by your magical prowess, Milord,¡± Flameu spoke after I cast the spell with a smile. "I''ve never known a spell like this exists before. Although, are you sure it''s fine for you to continuously cast it? Won''t you run out of mana?" "It''s fine," I replied with an easy-going grin. "My mana capacity is pretty good after all." All thanks to me learning magic from a young age. The more you use magic, the more your capacity increases after all. "Perhaps you might teach me how to cast it later? I''ll pay you for your time, don''t worry." "Eh?" Me, being a teacher? "Or, would you like the payment to be of a¡­ different sort, Milord?" It was clear as day that she was teasing me as she said it. She fluttered her eyelashes excessively, and she gave that sensual look with upturned eyes that would make any healthy man''s loins stir. Oh, have I told you that she has beautiful and long eyelashes? Accompanied with her pretty emerald eyes, it would deal a fatal blow to any men who were fortunate enough to be given the privilege of seeing them flutter. She then giggled. Damn, she must have noticed my blush. Composing myself back, I replied with, "How about a spell exchange? You can use Dimensional Storage right? I¡¯ve been wanting to learn that spell myself, but I¡¯m just never able to get it right. So you teach me that and I¡¯ll teach you my custom spell.¡± ¡°Ah, that could be arranged. Though I was under the assumption that you were already able to cast it. It seems even the talented Lord Pendleton has some magic he¡¯s not good at,¡± she added with a smirk. We cut our chitchat as the air around us grew colder. Now there were snow actively falling from the skies, and a strong wind going against the direction where we were heading. Judging by what that man told us, this is a sign we¡¯re getting near to the dragon. And indeed, as we grew closer and closer to the X, the more furious the cold wind became, until it became a full-blown blizzard. And then, we saw it, in a distance, the silhouette of a large white creature. It was sitting at the far end of the valley we were currently on. Thanks to the elevation being higher there than here, we could get a clearer look at it than otherwise possible. Oh wow, that¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s big. That¡¯s really big. The biggest monster I had fought so far was the wyverns. And they were dwarfed in size in comparison to this fully adult dragon right in front of us. Or at least, that¡¯s what it seemed. Our vision wasn¡¯t that clear, thanks to the weather that no doubt the dragon was creating. It doesn¡¯t seem to move though. Is it sleeping or something? ¡°Milord, it would be dangerous for us to go further. We should turn back now and look for a better vantage point where we could witness the fight of those adventurers.¡± Yeah, she¡¯s right. Wouldn¡¯t want to wake up the dragon. We then made a beeline to the side of the valley, climbing up the rocks there to survey the area from a higher vantage point. Using my Wind Spell, I helped her in the process. And I was rewarded by multiple lovely sightings of her black lace panties as her skirt got lifted upwards. Mature panties really are the best¡­ even though frilly white ones are great as well¡­ Honestly, as long as they''re tight-fitting, I''m fine with any kinds of panties.... Once we reached the top, we could see that the fight would indeed take place inside a valley, with two tall cliffs on each side. Pros: It was large enough that there was plenty of room to dodge out of the way from the dragon''s attacks. Cons: Meaning, the only direction of retreat is to go back the way we came. ¡°So, what now?¡± I glanced at Flameu. ¡°We just wait here until they finish the job?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she replied with a smirk. ¡°We should be safe here. Relatively speaking anyways. I¡¯m sure the dragon could just fly here and blast us with its frost breath if it so chooses. But, as long as we don¡¯t attack it as well, it should leave us alone. Its attention would be wholly spent on the people who are currently assaulting it after all.¡± ¡°True enough.¡± I stated my agreement with her. We then stayed up there for a while, making sure to survey every inch of the place as much as we could. After we found a place where we could see the battlefield relatively well, while still remaining safe, we waited until the adventurers arrived. And it didn''t take long for them to do so. One by one, the adventurers entered the valley. As expected, Arcturus was the one leading them, giving them commands as they stood before them. I couldn¡¯t really hear what he was saying, but judging by how they split up afterwards, it was clear that they tend to give the high ground to mages and archers, while the frontline fighters stood on the low ground. A classic formation. The latter draws aggro while the former DPS it from afar. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you people.¡± One of the groups that split up met up with us. Just like I predicted, they were a group that consisted of archers, mages, and a priest. If I had to guess, the latter was only there as a precaution, in case they messed up drawing the aggro and the dragon ended up attacking their group instead. Their leader was a blonde blue-eyed elven woman, and a beautiful one, if I do say so myself. I would not presume to know the age of an elf, but in human years, she was around mid-twenties, if I had to guess. Basically, a big-boobed elf onee-san that I certainly would not mind cuddling with. She wore a green flowing dress that showed a generous amount of legs, thanks to her incredibly short miniskirt. Her shoes were peculiar, also green but with wings on the sides. And she carried with her a bow, which signified her archer role. "You really are going to stay here just to watch us do our job?" She crossed her hands with a somewhat exasperated expression. "Of course," Flameu replied with a smirk. "Is there anything wrong with that?" "Not here. We''re going to use this space. Go higher up." "Ah, very well. We shall remove ourselves from the premises then." And so we surrendered the spot. To think that they were actually going to use it though, that meant they would have to fire their spells and arrows through a really long range. Spells and arrows both weaken the further they are from their target, especially in a windy, snowy weather like this. Oh, and speaking of that, caught many glimpses of the elf¡¯s green panties as her skirt fluttered. Very nice. Though kinda cliched as the color just followed the rest of her attire. We climbed ever upwards. At this height, we really could no longer see well what¡¯s going on all the way down there, which was a shame. Eventually, we stopped at another point, and we watched as the mages and archers spread themselves all around the cliffs, while the knights and swordsmen stood on the large valley in the middle. Kinda wish I had a snack with me right now. I would ask for a popcorn but that¡¯s obviously not a thing in this world. I took out some hard bread from my bag though. Hard breads were the common food for adventurers. They weren¡¯t delicious. Not in the slightest. But they could keep themselves in a relatively good quality for a decent amount of time. Still, I warmed it up a bit using my magic before munching it. Thankfully, after all these months adventuring, I was already used to eating such food. And then, I relaxed and watched the ensuing combat. Vol 3 Chapter 11: Frost Dragon Arcturus The man watched as his subordinates moved into position, with each member of his party leading their own squads of adventurers. In a clan subjugation quest like this, it would be more effective to fight that way, instead of each party sticking to their own groups. Of course, it could only be accomplished by a well-trained clan, not one that had been just formed. He had been running this joint for about five years now, and they had been in many quests together, so they certainly had many experiences under their belts¡ªfights where the enemy was easier or harder than they had expected, fights where they were taken by surprise, etc. This was the first time they would be tackling a dragon though. But Arcturus was confident. With their numbers and skills, they should be able to pull it off. ¡°...You¡¯re grinning. I don¡¯t like that.¡± His friend, Red, was standing beside him, as he too oversaw the movements of the clan. As second-in-command, he would be in charge of the frontline fighters, while Arcturus himself would be the commanding leader that oversaw every group. Of course, Red himself was a frontline fighter¡ªa brawler to be exact, who fought in a manner so terrifyingly brutal that he started to earn himself the nickname of Red The Savage. "What?" He turned to face his friend. "Aren''t you excited? We''re going to fight a dragon at last! That''s the dream of every adventurer! ''Tis a deed that is told in songs and poems!" The beastman couldn''t exactly disagree with his friend. After all, he himself was excited for their upcoming fight. Back home, he had a beastwoman of high stature whom he was fond of, to the point that he could only get her hand in marriage if he proved to his folks that he was a worthy enough warrior to bed her. And one way to do that was to go on a dragonslaying quest and succeed. He just hoped that this quest still counts, even if he needs the help of a whole adventurer clan to do it. "Be vigilant. Do not celebrate until the beast is truly dead. And be ready to retreat as well, if the situation grows unfavorable, just like we have planned." "I know, I know. Sheesh, for a big, strong guy, you sure are a worrywart. You know, that''s why you''re not popular with the ladies." "Oh, shut your trap. You know I already have my sweetheart back home." The two stopped their banter once they saw all of their forces were in position. They then went forward with the frontline fighters, inching closer and closer to the dragon. Their goal was simple¡ªto get as close as they could to the monster before waking it up. They would have the pre-emptive attack, and the dragon would be wholly occupied by the fighters to not attack the mages and archers. Ideally, it wouldn''t fly either, making its wings a high priority target. Arcturus'' other girlfriend, Marka, was there as well. She was an expert at fighting in close range using her dual daggers. Her role would be to hit the dragon at its weak spots as much as she could without putting herself in danger. Let the fully-armored warriors receive the attacks of the dragon. Unfortunately for them, they didn¡¯t get far until the dragon noticed their presence. ¡°Ready yourselves! It¡¯s waking up!¡± Arcturus yelled, readying his longsword. He didn¡¯t really have formal training in either of the two big sword schools, but if one were to examine his style, they would notice that he utilized a mixture of the two. Sometimes he would go on full offense, mimicking Lancelot-style, while at other times, he would be on the defensive, mimicking Galahad-style. It¡¯s fair to say that his skill on both of them was around Adept-rank. The dragon stirred, opening its blue eyes, scanning the threat that lay before it. Immediately the blizzard intensified. It didn¡¯t seem to be bothered in the slightest by it. It could clearly see through the harsh weather, while its opponents could not do the same. Here, the archers and mages were readying their bows and spells. However, they didn¡¯t fire yet. The frontline fighters had to be the one to attack first, to ensure that the dragon¡¯s attention would be locked on to them. ¡°Charge!¡± With that yell, Arcturus ran forward, with Red following beside him. The two became the vanguards of the frontline fighters, confident that they would be able to handle whatever attacks the dragon sent out to them. That way, the rest of their group would be able to see the way the dragon fought, lessening the chance that they would be caught off-guard by its assault. The dragon, realizing that there were these lowly menfolk going after its life, opened by blasting the two with its ice breath. However, thanks to the way it had to lift up its head first, the attack was wholly choreographed, allowing an easy dodge for the two. Arcturus went to the left, while Red went to the right. Arcturus then sent a series of sword slashes towards the creature, allowing Red to close in the gap as the dragon was preoccupied with blocking said slashes with its tail. Red roared as his claws extended from his nails. Like a true bearkin, he began scraping the dragon¡¯s scales, slashing it over and over without hesitation. Only to find out that his brutal blows were no match against its toughness. Grr, not strong enough. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Knowing that he was outmatched, he quickly retreated, right before the dragon swung its tail at him. A dragon is well-known to be impervious to physical attacks. Your best bet is to kill it using magic, and even then, the creature still resists it well enough that you need a group of magicians to constantly bombard it with spells until it perishes. Arcturus¡¯ slashes suffered the same fate. He too was not strong enough to deal any significant damage to the dragon. Even so, it was enough. The dragon¡¯s attention was now on them. And now, the mages and archers could attack. ¡°Archers! Fire at will! Target the dragon!¡± Sylphy yelled. Of course, every single archer there was equipped with armor-piercing arrows, intended to be used against highly armored foe. They would have used mithril arrows¡­ if they actually had money for such a frivolous thing. ¡°Mages! Blast that creature with your flames!¡± The one that led the mages was a gnome mage named Talkin. He was part of Arcturus¡¯ party, the Quiet Slayers, and, just like every one of its members, he was also an S-rank Adventurer. Like most gnomes, he was short and possessed a cute feature akin to a child. Don¡¯t let this make you underestimate him however, as he was a Master-level Fire mage. He raised his staff high onto the air as he began chanting for his strongest spell, Explosion. The other mages followed suit, through they chanted Advanced-level Fire spells instead, not being Master-level mages themselves. And then, once Arcturus and Red were well out of the blast radius, the mages let loose. The dragon was enveloped in a blizzard of flames. It cried in pain as its skin and insides were burned alive. As a frost dragon, it didn¡¯t have the same level of flame resistance as its brothers, especially the flame ones. As it recovered, the archers followed suit, raining their arrows on the creature, knowing that its scales should be weakened from all the spells that just hit it. It roared once again, as not one or two or three but many arrows managed to pierce its scales, injuring the flesh that laid hidden beneath it. It wasn¡¯t down for the count yet though. Not even close. It then knew what had to be the one. These insects on the ground weren¡¯t the real threat! It was the other insects who could breathe fire just like its brethren! It then began raising his wings in an attempt to fly. However¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t let it get away! Attack it!¡± Arcturus yelled. The fighters immediately swarmed towards the weakened dragon. Their goal? Dogpile on the creature, attacking its wings as much as they could so that it would be unable to fly. With great speed, Marka threw her poisoned dagger to where the dragon¡¯s wings connected to its body. It was coated with a certain alchemical compound that would trigger paralysis. The Quiet Slayers didn¡¯t really have an alchemist as part of their party, but a couple members of the Emerald Exodus were of that occupation. They would have coated the arrows and swords with said poison as well, but they chose to instead make a hyper-concentrated version of it, in the hopes that it would be able to pierce the extremely high poison resistance of a dragon. To produce the same poison for everyone would mean months of preparation, so Arcturus voted against that. The dragon was angry now. These flies were becoming more and more of an annoyance. It swept its tails, swung its claws, and breathed its frost, but none of its attacks seemed to be effective. Any wounds they suffered would be near instantaneously healed by their clerics. It tried biting them as well, but they just knew to keep out from its biting range at all times. Even the blizzard it was producing off its body didn¡¯t make them falter. And, as it sensed that its movements were slowing, as more and more minor blows landed on his body, it started to feel fear. It knew that there was a chance it could be defeated by these flies now. And so, it had no choice. It had to call for aid. ¡°Graaah!¡± When it saw an opening, it let out the biggest roar that it had ever produced throughout the entire battle. And then, the snowy ground itself shook, as one by one, frost drakes burst forth out of it. Unbeknownst to them, all this time, they had been standing above a frost dragon''s breeding nest. The dragon was a she, and she had just laid down multiple frost drake eggs not too long ago. That''s why she had moved into this mountain. Because the way frost dragon works, every time the female became pregnant from the male, she would leave in search of a new nest. And this mountain just happened to be chosen. She made the mountain snowy, buried the eggs under a deep and hard layer of snow, and then waited until they hatched. And now, these drakes¡ªthey were a new batch that had just popped out of their eggs. Not that new, as they were around one month old or so, but like all dragons, they were already strong even though they were terribly young, especially in dragon years. And, like most frost drakes, they spent most of their time sleeping under a thick layer of snow, only coming out to hunt (the mother didn¡¯t feed them anything). They did that until they got older, where they would actually start to sleep on the surface. This, of course, was a knowledge most adventurers were unaware of. Not a lot of people had to fight dragons, and even less had the courage to examine how a dragon works biologically. And their scouting had been less than ideal, thanks to Arcturus telling them to cut it short so that he could sleep with Flameu tonight. In short, this was something they were completely unprepared for. ¡°W-what? What is going on?¡± ¡°Drakes! There are drakes everywhere!¡± The frontline fighters began to panic. This wasn¡¯t in their plan. Not to mention that they were now flanked, with the dragon at the front and the drakes at the back. ¡°Retreat! Retreat!¡± Arcturus yelled. He knew that it was unwise to continue their fight in this condition, even though they were so close to finishing off the mother dragon. The mages and archers were frazzled as well. They didn¡¯t know whether they should attack the drakes or the dragon now. Thankfully, Sylphy and Tarkin were there to give them the orders they desperately needed. ¡°Cover their retreat!¡± Sylphy yelled with a calm and collected look. ¡°Aim at the drakes that could cut off their escape path!¡± ¡°Resume firing at the dragon!¡± Talkin shouted. ¡°Do not let it chase after them!¡± The drakes were no slouch. Being A-ranked monsters, they were quite capable of being real threats to the frontline fighters, who themselves were A-ranks themselves. Arcturus and Red quickly moved to the left and right of the group, with the former cutting any drakes that got close with his sword while the latter used his claws and bear-like hands to punch, stab, and grapple the drakes to their death. The warriors wearing heavy armors and shields moved to the sides as well, blocking any of the drakes¡¯ attacks from reaching their weaker compatriots, while the light-armored fighters moved forward the fastest, clearing the route of their retreat from the drakes. It would have worked, if not for the fact that the dragon was healthier than they thought. The moment she realized that they were running away, it lifted its wings and flew. It knew that the real threat was still the ants who had barraged her with flames and arrows. Both the elf and the gnome¡¯s eyes widened in horror as they realized what this meant. ¡°Retreat! RETREAT!¡± The dragon roared, and she immediately went after one of the groups. It didn¡¯t matter to her which one. She only knew that she wanted to rend their flesh and bones asunder. Unfortunately, it was the elf¡¯s archer squad whom she had chosen. The archers immediately scattered. However, two of them were too late to react, and they were swallowed by the dragon¡¯s frost breath, turned into solid ice statues. Another two then fell, with one actually being a cleric posted there just in case. The archer desperately fired her arrows towards the dragon, while the cleric started to chant his Barrier spell. It didn¡¯t work. The dragon might feel some pain from the former¡¯s attacks, but it was too furious to care. With her claws, they were rendered mere chunks of flesh as her attack connected. The cleric wasn¡¯t able to erect his barrier in time¡ªa weakness that most mages had. ¡°Katerina! Rafael!¡± Sylphy yelled. She knew those two people. She wouldn''t say they were close friends or anything, but they were certainly companions-at-arms that had fought through many battles together before. In tearful anger, the elf fired off her bow in succession. If arrows couldn¡¯t pierce the dragon¡¯s scales, then there was only one way her attacks would be able to do any significant damage. And that is, to aim down its throat right as it was about to fire off her frost breath. It was a completely reckless and foolish plan, and yet, she justified it in her head. I have to buy the others time! She told herself. As their leader, she had a duty to protect them after all. There! Right as the dragon opened her mouth, she launched her arrow. It actually managed to enter its throat, landing at the ceiling of its inner mouth. And yet, it didn¡¯t stop. It still launched its frost breath anyways. She had expected it to scream in pain, thus cancelling its attack. She had underestimated a dragon¡¯s veracity, and she was about to pay the price. There was a common saying that you would see your life flash in your eyes as death came for you. And that was exactly what the elf was seeing at that very point. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground, surrendering to her fate. Only, the attack never came. Instead, a boy, his cloak flowing through the wind, came out of nowhere and somehow blocked the attack, redirecting it to the sides, allowing it to pass around them without harming a single hair in the process. She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. It was the boy that court mage came with. ¡°Y-you¡­ w-why?¡± The boy didn¡¯t answer. Instead, as the frost attack dissipated, he dispelled his protective wall, firing what looked like an offensive spell towards the dragon. ¡°W-what¡­ what was that?!¡± She couldn¡¯t even see the attack. She only heard a loud sound, almost like an explosion, before the dragon reeled in pain, as the invisible attack seemingly hit it right on its head. To her surprise, she saw it pouring out. Dragon blood, flowing out from its forehead. It roared, and it decided to flee. The boy wasn''t finished however. As the dragon retreated, he fired another of the same spell. And another. And another. And now, she could see it. He seemed to be firing what looked like a sphere of air at a speed so fast her eyes could barely perceive it. Two of them landed¡ªone on each wings. The dragon lost its balance and fell from the skies as a result. For the very first time in her long life as an elf, she saw a dragon being treated like this. There was no doubt about this. Whoever this person was, he was far superior in strength than any of them were. Not even their Master-level gnome mage could compete. T-this boy¡­ just who is he? ¡°Get your friends out of here and run. The dragon will attack again once it heals his wound,¡± he told her without even looking back. He knew about the regenerative ability of a dragon. Not only that it was tough to damage, but it could heal any damages it received overtime as well. No wonder it became the top monster of the Holy Continent. ¡°R-right.¡± She could only nod. She then saw him jumping off the cliff, downwards towards the frontline fighters who were no doubt in the process of being overwhelmed by the drakes. Wind Wall. It was a spell the boy had invented on the months of travel he had ever since he fulfilled his duty as the second Imperial Princess'' hired bodyguard. By manipulating air pressure, he created a highly dense air that was fully solid. He had tested its durability on a couple of monsters on his way here, and from what he had learned, he knew that it worked similarly to a cleric¡¯s Barrier spell. The more he focused on it, the stronger it would be. He didn¡¯t know whether it would be able to block a dragon¡¯s breath attack though. Yet he jumped in anyways. He couldn¡¯t just let the elf die after all. The boy didn¡¯t realize it there, as he was too occupied by his own relief that his spell actually worked against a dragon, but he had just made a really cool heroic entrance¡ªsomething that he had always dreamed on doing, especially when it¡¯s done to rescue a busty damsel-in-distress like the elf. And he didn¡¯t realize it afterwards either, as he knew he had to move fast if he was going to save the rest of these people, and to kill the dragon at the same time. He just might be at his coolest when he doesn¡¯t try to be cool after all. Vol 3 Chapter 12: Frost Dragon Pt. 2 Down there, the battle had turned completely chaotic. The drakes overwhelmed the fighters to the point that they had no time to regroup and form a proper formation. One by one men and women succumbed to the drakes¡¯ relentless assault as they obeyed their mother¡¯s order. The problem was their number. There were at least more than sixty of them, outnumbering the fighters entirely. ¡°Aaarghhh, just die already, you stupid overgrown lizards!¡± Marka yelled as she stabbed another drake on its throat. The tigerkin was one of the more capable fighters, able to handle a small number of drakes on her own. Arcturus and Red were the same, with each fighting their own small groups of drakes, unable to come to aid against the others. The drakes knew instinctively that they were high priority targets, and that it would be wise to deal with them right away to minimize their own losses. Such was the intelligence of A-rank monsters. ¡°Uwaaahh!¡± ¡°H-help! Help!¡± She cursed inwardly. The situation had gone from excellent to the absolute worst in just mere seconds. How were they supposed to know that there were these many drakes just sleeping underneath the snow like this? And since when do drakes do that anyways? She¡¯d never heard of such behaviour before. It fits more for insects rather than drakes, which are basically miniature dragons. And no dragons would ever do something this clever, like setting up an ambush. They¡¯re proud monsters. They would want to boast their strength as they devour their prey. ¡°Arcturus! Prioritize our retreat! I¡¯ll draw their attention!¡± Red yelled. ¡°G-got it!¡± Arcturus replied as he slashed another one of the drakes. Three down. But there was still so much to fight. And he was still surrounded by them. Sooner or later, he would run out of stamina and then they would pounce on him for the killing blow. In all his career as an adventurer, it was the very first time he ended up in a situation as dire as this. If his past self was told to examine the situation they were currently in, he would definitely reply with, ¡°Those guys are dead. No way they can get out of that situation without suffering heavy losses. Well, it¡¯s their own fault though. They didn¡¯t properly scout the enemy and the battlefield first before engaging.¡± So now, he had no idea what to do. Not in the slightest. He was so preoccupied with his despair that he had forgotten entirely how the other groups that were not with him could be in a similar situation, as there was no one to keep the attention of the dragon now. He even forgot how his elf girlfriend and his gnome teammate were there. All the thoughts in his head right now were a mixture of disbelief and fear¡ªfear for his own life, that is. Red on the other hand was different. Raised to value honor in high esteem, he knew that it¡¯s his job, no, duty, to ensure the survival of as many people as possible, even if it means his own death, even as his animal instinct screamed at him to flee. As for Marka, well¡­ ¡°Gah!¡± The rouge screamed in pain as one of the drakes barely managed to swipe at her right leg. Even so, it left a wide bleeding gash, making her momentarily kneel down before moving back up once again. She knew she couldn¡¯t rest. Not when she was still surrounded like this. She had tried many times to escape using her acrobatics, but the drakes were fast and smart enough to block every single one of her attempts. ¡°Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! I¡¯m not going to die here!¡± Even so, she knew that her movements were becoming slower, not just from the pain but also from the blood loss she was currently experiencing. There was no cleric nearby that could heal her, and there was no time to put on the healing salve she got on her pocket either. And then, another blow landed. This time, it was a swing of the tail, landing right on her stomach. She couldn¡¯t even scream. She was sent flying away from the crowd of drakes that surrounded her, as her body barreled down the snow like a ragdoll. The drakes, naturally, gave chase, knowing that this was the perfect chance for them to kill her. She couldn¡¯t see. She couldn¡¯t hear. Every inch of her body hurt. She weakly lifted herself with her arms, seeing Arcturus fighting his set of drakes. ¡°A-Arcturus¡­ h-help¡­¡± Her voice barely came out. Her voice and breath were taken away by the blood that invaded her mouth. If he had panicked less, and thought more about the others over just himself, he might have noticed her laying there. However, as he was now, he had stopped being their leader entirely. He was just another adventurer, fighting to survive another day. Alas, it was not to be. She could hear them¡ªthe wing flaps of the drakes coming to get her. H-heh, so this is it, huh? Not a bad way to go, if I do say so myself. With a bitter grin, she resigned herself to her fate. Only for the drakes to never come. Instead, she could hear what sounded like muffled explosions, followed by the pained roars of the monsters. And then, she felt a warm hand embracing her, turning her around to face away from the snow. A-a fairy? W-why¡ªwhy is a fairy here? A-am I hallucinating? The fairy then lifted her up from the snow. She could feel warm liquid covering her entire body. Immediately her pain lessened as her wounds closed. A ball of water also appeared in front of her. She knew what she had to do. She opened her mouth and the ball gently entered, melting inside her mouth, returning back to the texture of normal drinking water. She drank it greedily and immediately she felt her internal injuries heal as well. This fairy¡­ she''s¡ªshe''s healing me! It wasn¡¯t just her that was awed by her presence. Everyone, even the drakes, were mesmerized by the sudden appearance of the fairy. Well, her, and her master. ¡°Boom Orbit!¡± Hugo raised his wand to the air, and immediately, something rapidly circled around him. They couldn¡¯t figure out what that something was, just because they couldn¡¯t keep up with its speed. It spun so fast it was as if he was surrounded by a full circle of it. The drakes didn''t know what the mage was doing. They only knew that it was a spell, and the best way to shut down a spell attack was to kill the caster right away. And so they did, with some lunging forward with their fangs and others readying their frost breaths. Only for them to meet their doom. "Gyaaaahhh!" Every single drake that charged against the mage was destroyed by the spinning spell, as it tore through their bodies like it was made out of paper. Gory chunks of their flesh flew through the air, but none touched the mage himself. The other drakes, realizing the danger they were in, immediately opted for a retreat. Only for them to meet the same fate as the spell expanded. The fairy let the beastgirl down. In time, she would recover on her own. But now, there were others to tend to.. Marka could only watch in disbelief as the mage resumed hunting the drakes one by one as they were nothing. Never before had she encountered a fighter this strong, and this fierce. And he looked like a mere boy too, barely out from the cusp of puberty. How could one be so young yet so talented in magic? S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The drakes immediately communicated to their brethren that the mage was their highest priority, and so they stopped fighting the other adventurers and went after him exclusively. This allowed the remaining survivors to watch as the mage slaughtered the drakes as if they were mere E-rank monsters. Both Arcturus and Red were part of that crowd, with the former rendered speechless with his mouth wide open and the latter grinning in awe at the display of strength in front of him. And so, not before long, there were no drakes left. The dragon? She was being kept busy by the mages, who had switched into hit-and-run tactics, barraging the dragon with quick and low-level spells. Thanks to the wounds the mage had inflicted into her, she was far more susceptible to their attacks. As a result, she had no opportunity to help her children from being slaughtered by the mage. And of course, said mage was going to take care of her as well. With the fairy left behind, as she went around healing the injured, he charged forward, flying upwards using his wind spell. He then landed on a cliff near the dragon, where he could get a good aim towards the beast. The dragon, of course, noticed him coming. She let out a screech as she changed her course, going straight towards the mage. She lifted her head as she charged a full-power Frost Breath. She was going all out, so it should be able to reach the mage just fine. Without hesitation, the mage raised his wand and aimed it straight towards the creature before it could fire its attack. ¡°Boom Spiral!¡± Like the spell he used before, he created a cannon-like compressed air in front of him before launching it at great speed. However, instead of going in circles around him, it instead fired off forward towards the dragon. And not on a straight line either. Instead, like its name suggested, it spun like a spiral. The dragon launched its breath and it met the spell head on. She was going to just let her breath swallow it whole, but she knew better to underestimate the mage. She had experienced just how powerful the spells that impacted her body, and so she knew that there was a high chance his spell would just go through her breath, even a full-power one. And so she cut her breath short and promptly performed an evasive maneuver, by diving downwards in a sharp 90 degrees turn. Only for the spell to hit her anyways, right at her spine. Thanks to the trajectory of the spell, it had a much higher chance of hitting a moving target than its normal, straight-line counterpart. ¡°Graaahhhhhgghhh!¡± It roared as it fell down from the skies. The mage, who had dodged out of the way of the cold blast using a movement that no mage should be expected to do, followed suit. He aimed his wand at her once again, and barraged her with spells as he fell. This time, it was the straight line version, and having lost control of her flight, she couldn¡¯t dodge a single one of his hits. Pain enveloped her entire body as she felt her very own body filling up with holes. She had to abandon her pride and run away. This insect¡­ no, this superior creature was too much for her. The moment she hit the snow, she immediately used every single one of her remaining strength to conjure up the fiercest blizzard that she could. Using it as a cover, she then began burrowing into the snow. She couldn¡¯t escape to the skies. She could only escape to the earth like a lowly worm. Of course, the mage was not going to let that happen. The level of blizzard that the dragon generated¡­ it couldn¡¯t compare to the blizzard that his nemesis had made that fateful day. And the technique of burrowing into the snow¡­ he was well acquainted with that as well. And he was not going to make the same mistake. ¡°Magma Burst!¡± He aimed his wand at where the dragon was burrowing, and he hit the jackpot. The dragon screamed as the lava pushed her out of the snow, melting it, turning it into water and then into steam near instantaneously. It was time for the finishing blow. Without mercy, he bombarded her with his Boom Rifle, aiming at where her brain should be located. One after one after one after one landed, piercing even her thick hard skull. He didn¡¯t stop until the dragon stopped screaming, and her body turned into an unmoving corpse, not budging even an inch. And thus, the dragon was dead. ... At first, silence. The adventurers didn¡¯t know how they should react, with some even thinking that they must have been hallucinating, and that this was all just their mind going crazy from the fear of death. After all, they had just seen a feat they thought was completely impossible. For starters, one man going against that many drakes and a dragon, and winning without breaking a sweat, that was the stuff of legends¡ªsomething bards and minstrels would sing and dance to. For some of them who came from the Holy Empire, they might remember the tales of Lord Siegfried Falkenberg, the Dragonslayer. He gained said title from singlehandedly defeating a horde of Fire Dragons that attacked one of the Empire''s border cities. He earned his widespread fame from it, and even to this day, traveling performers would still sing and dance to his name. But everyone also knew that he was an Imperial Knight. Those seven were supposed to be insanely strong. One could even say they were this era''s heroes, protecting the Empire and its citizens from any evil that might encroach upon it. But this? He was just a kid! A no-name C-rank adventurer! He should be much weaker than them! And yet, here they are, watching it happen right with their own eyes. All the drakes were now dead, along with the mother dragon. They were saved. By this young man they knew nothing about. The blizzard stopped as the influence of the dragon was lifted from the area. And, as if on cue, it snapped them out of their daze as they promptly burst into cheers, laughing and crying for the fact that they had just been saved from the creeping hands of Death. And of course, for those who could run, they all ran towards the young mage. ¡°Y-you are amazing, boy! How could you do all that on your own?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a magician fight like that before!¡± ¡°Oh thank you! Thank you so much! I¡¯m too young to die! I don¡¯t even have a girlfriend yet!¡± The boy broke out into a smile. ------- Hugo I-I did it! I actually did it! I can¡¯t believe it! To slay a dragon like that on my own, I thought it was still too much for me! Since when I have gotten this strong? No. It¡¯s not just me. The dragon was already weakened from all the arrows and magic it had received. That¡¯s why my spells were that effective against it. Its defenses were no longer at 100%. I shouldn¡¯t get too cocky. Still, with all these praises, it¡¯s hard not to let it get into your head a little. I could feel my face reddening from all the attention I was receiving. ¡°H-hey, guys, it¡¯s not all me, alright? You guys have weakened the dragon beforehand. That¡¯s why I was able to win so easily.¡± None of them really bought that excuse. One by one they thanked me, patting me in the back so many times that it started to hurt. Some of them even decided to lift me up and throw me up on the air (thankfully catching me on the way back). As I flew, I noticed the bearkin from before standing with a wide grin on his face, And Arcturus¡ªhe had a large smile of relief on his face. "WHAT ARE YOU CHEERING HIM FOR?" And just like that, the festivities ended. The one who shouted was the tigerkin woman I just saved. In stark contrast with the others, she was furious. Her tail was standing up and her ears were all pointy. ¡°Look around you! Not all of you finished this battle alive! And you think this is any time for celebration?¡± The crowd was speechless as their senses returned to them. ¡°And you!¡± She pointed straight at me as she shouted. ¡°You¡¯re the kid that came with that court mage, right? If you are this strong, then you should¡¯ve joined the fight right away! Then this whole mess wouldn¡¯t happen in the first place!¡± She was right. I stood by until things got worse. Only then I moved to act, and by then, I wasn¡¯t fast enough to save every single one of them. ¡°You¡¯re being quite presumptuous, aren¡¯t you, little kitten?¡± The one who spoke was, to my surprise, Flameu. She was walking from the distance where our vantage point had been. I had left her there on her own as I decided to go and help the adventurers. In retrospect though, I don¡¯t believe she joined the battle in the slightest. Or maybe she did, casting her spells from a distance without me noticing. She confidently said before that she could handle a dragon, but maybe she expected me to be on the frontline while she casts her spells or throws her poisons. That¡¯s how alchemists are supposed to fight, right? I haven¡¯t seen one fighting to be honest. She didn¡¯t share the mobility I had, so no wonder she didn¡¯t get a real chance to show off her skills. She would have to slowly descent down the cliffs while I could just jump downwards. ¡°It was your leader who asked us not to interfere. And so we chose not to. It was only due to the kindness of Lord Pendleton that you and your little band of adventurers were saved from certain death.¡± There it is again. Her smug smile. ¡°Arcturus! Is that true?!¡± She immediately switched the target of her rage. ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯s true,¡± He sheepishly answered. ¡°They want the dragon¡¯s heart. I can¡¯t just give it to them, can I? You know how valuable it is in the market.¡± ¡°You lied! You told me that they didn¡¯t want to fight, that they were relying on us to kill the dragon! You didn¡¯t tell me that they offered to fight.¡± Her voice only got louder. She wasn¡¯t there when we had our short negotiation with the man. And I assume Arcturus didn¡¯t raise the issue on the strategy meeting they must have before they went here. And the other adventurers who saw it didn¡¯t tell her anything either. ¡°W-well, it¡¯s because if you know, you¡¯re going to¡ª¡± ¡°Because, our dear Arcturus here wants to sleep with Ms. Court Mage. He¡¯ll give her the dragon heart and he told her that she had to offer her body in return.¡± The chilling voice belonged to the busty elf¡ªanother woman I saved back at the fight. She had descended down the cliff with her remaining forces, and she was pretty much drilling Arcturus¡¯ head just by her stare. Huh, so she knows. Maybe unlike the tiger lady, she got to learn it from someone. Don¡¯t think she was there as well when we met with the man. ¡°You!¡± Without hesitation, the beastkin grabbed Arcturus¡¯ collar. She was shorter than him so instead of lifting him up, she instead pulled him down. ¡°I¡¯ve tolerated your womanizing ways all this time. But now, not only you betrayed my trust and Slyphy¡¯s, but you also endangered the entire clan because of it. You know how many of us have died because of you?¡± Her hand was shaking at this point, with tears pooling in her eyes. She then pushed him to the ground. ...Ah, I think I get it. She must be his lover or something. ¡°It was a mistake for me to trust you, Arcturus,¡± the elf followed the beastkin¡¯s assault. ¡°I¡¯m fine with you frequenting brothels, knowing how lustful human men could be to the point that two women aren¡¯t enough. But this? This is pathetic.¡± And the elf is another lover of his too? Holy shit, this lucky bastard. Those two are gorgeous! And they actually let him play around with other women as well? My dislike towards the man just increased two-fold. Suddenly, I felt a hand resting on my right shoulder. ¡°Lord Pendleton. Let¡¯s leave this unsightly quarrel, shall we? We have a cure to synthesize after all.¡± Flameu said with a smirk. Oh, that¡¯s right! I almost forgot! We then slipped out of the crowd as we heard the yelling and shouting continued. The other adventurers seemed to be unhappy with his decision as well, especially since some of them had lost their comrades because of it. Personally though, I wouldn¡¯t blame him entirely for this whole mess. I didn¡¯t have any idea that frost drakes could do that either. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that he deserved it as well, trying to make Flameu sleep with him, using the lives of the infected villagers as a bargaining chip. Honestly, if adventurers are supposed to be selfish like him, then I would rather stop being one. Vol 3 Chapter 13: Obtaining A Lead We now stood in front of a corpse of a dead dragon. Up close, it was even more impressive than before. It easily dwarfed our sizes combined together. If I were to compare it, its size was larger than my old house. To think that I actually managed to take down a beast like this¡­ ¡°Milord, please, let me do all the work. It¡¯s the least I can do for not being of any help in your battle before.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Wait, are you sure you can cut through its scales? It¡¯s really hard, you know.¡± ¡°Oh, I have my ways.¡± Using her staff, she manifested what looked to be a bottle of liquid out of thin air, landing perfectly nicely within the grip of her left hand. Dimensional Storage, obviously. Conveniently for her, the dragon had died with its body resting sideways, allowing her easy access to its chest where its heart should be located. ¡°And here... we... go.¡± She poured the contents of the bottle on the chest of the beast. And then¡­ Shhhhhhhhhh¡­ My eyes widened. It melts! The scale layer where she poured the liquid on¡­ it just melts! ¡°This, Milord, is a special kind of acid I concocted myself, designed to corrode even the sturdiest armor. And, as you can see, it can even melt dragon scales as well. Isn''t it just wonderful?" I gulped. That smile¡­ am I really sure she''s not some sort of a mad scientist? She then summoned a big knife from her storage, before gutting through the now soft and exposed flesh of the dragon. Betraying her dainty look, she tore through it like a butcher, not even caring that some of the blood went onto her clothes and even her face. And then, she reached in, deep with both hands (she had thrown the big knife to the ground now), to the point that nearly her entire arms were swallowed by the dragon¡¯s corpse. She then gingerly pulled them out, carrying with them a giant-sized heart, around the size of a basketball. And not only that, but the thing was still beating as well. I don¡¯t know how that works, biologically speaking, but a dragon should not obey the normal laws of biology in the first place. ¡°Look, Milord. The heart of a dragon. Isn¡¯t it wonderful, how it still beats like this even though its owner is dead already?¡± The way she tore through flesh with her knife like it was nothing. The way she wasn¡¯t bothered in the slightest from bathing in dragon blood. And the way she grinned in the most ominous manner as she proudly showed off the heart to me¡ªthere was no doubt about it. She is a mad alchemist, who probably enjoys dissecting animals and monsters for their body parts. I should be more bothered by it, but for some odd reason, it¡­ just made her become¡ªI¡¯m not sure what word I should use here¡ªcooler? In my eyes? Yeah, that¡¯s probably it. I remembered Sherry and how she would kill monsters with her bare hands just to relieve her stress. I remembered how I hugged her, even as she was bathed in their blood. Back then, I didn¡¯t see her as a monster. And now, with this alchemist woman, I didn¡¯t see her as one either. I mean, if you think about it, that kind of personality only makes it easier for her to do her job. A lot of alchemists just gave out requests to adventurers to get the materials they wanted. They don¡¯t want to get their hands dirty. But this lady, I have a hunch that she¡¯s the type to bravely go to faraway places and fight off dangerous monsters on her own, so that she can get her materials on her own. If she can make acids that strong, she can just throw it at monsters and she can probably kill them with it. She¡¯s not a bad person. She¡¯s just a hardcore alchemist. And I kinda respect that. ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯s pretty cool, I guess." I scratched my chin. Still pretty gross though. Using her Dimensional Storage spell, she then made the heart vanish. "So, Milord, what would you do with the rest of the dragon?" "Eh? Well, we don''t exactly have time to clean it up, do we? So I guess we''ll just leave it here for those guys to take." Her smile suddenly vanished into a frown. "Those fools? You think they deserve this? After they denied us the heart without me giving my body?" I gulped. I could sense her vindictiveness dripping with every word. "I say they don''t deserve anything. You''re the one who won the fight. They should just be grateful that you have saved their lives." Deep down however, as selfish as it was, I felt a little sense of relief, as this meant she wasn''t the type of woman who would just easily sleep with anyone. She only accepted because people''s lives were at stake, and I respected that. "H-hey, I can''t do that! And besides, I can''t possibly carry everything back on my own," I retorted. "Hmm, true enough¡­" She bit her lip, before returning to a smile. "Milord, you really are too kind. But at the very least, you should take everything from the dragon. You would find them extremely valuable in the market. In fact, an entire dragon corpse for a person would be enough for them to live comfortably without working for an entire year. Isn¡¯t it lovely?¡± ¡°With that size though, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to fit everything to be honest,¡± I replied with a wry smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t pretty every part of a dragon sellable?¡± I learned about it from a book about adventuring I read once. ¡°Well then, how about this? I¡¯ll buy everything from Milord. Every scale, every organs, every bodyparts. Then let me take care of this corpse. I can come back later and take it on my own.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re serious? I thought you didn''t have any money," I replied. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t have it now. But I certainly can procure it later. So yes, you would have to trust me, Milord, to honor my word. And of course, I would need to return to the capital to obtain it, so you would be forced to wait for quite some time until I could pay you back, especially since I would be staying here for a bit. Need to make sure those mosquitoes don''t bother the villagers anymore after all." If I were strapped for cash, I would''ve rejected this obviously shady proposal. But I still have a decent amount of gold in my wallet, especially after completing that escort quest, so I guess it wouldn¡¯t be that big of a deal if she scammed me out of it. ...Then again, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s the type to do that, judging by how she has been this far. She might have an unsettling smile from time to time, but that¡¯s not enough reason to judge someone. But there¡¯s still one problem though. I have no plans on staying in this place for long. I want to resume my journey and continue headindg northeast as soon as I can. Not just because it¡¯s the way to the Demon Continent, but also because¡ª ¡°Milord, judging for your expression, could it be perhaps that you don¡¯t trust me?¡± She interrupted my thoughts, with a sad expression that I was pretty sure she was faking. ¡°Oh no, not that. It¡¯s just that¡­ I want to go to the northeast as immediately as I can. I don¡¯t have the time to detour to the capital or to wait here.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± See? Her sad face immediately vanished, replaced by a curious smile. ¡°If I might ask, does Milord have some sort of an urgent business there that you have to take care of?¡± ¡°Mmm, not exactly,¡± I answered. ¡°I just want to get to the World Dungeon there, you see.¡± At the northeast end of the continent, near the port where one can take a ship to the Demon Continent, there¡¯s a World Dungeon named Serene Grotto. It was a seaside cave only accessible whenever the tide was at its lowest, which made it less popular than say, the Sky Tower, since that only occurred once every month, when the moon was at its newest. Of course, my goal there was to get to its depths and get a Dream Orb, so that I could send a message back to Sherry. And if I get an extra, I¡¯ll also use it to send a message to Marina as well, telling her that I am fine and that she shouldn¡¯t worry. ...And I suppose I have to apologize as well. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate to do it at a long distance like that. I¡¯ll need to go see her personally and beg her for her forgiveness. Her and Erika¡¯s. Yeah, I¡¯ll do that. I¡¯ll even prostrate myself before them. For me to run away like that, it was unforgivable. Her smile only grew as a response. ¡°Ah, that makes sense. With the strength that you possess, you would be best doing your adventuring at dungeons like that. Would be a lot more lucrative than just doing normal quests. However, do you truly have to hurry that much? If I were to be honest, Milord, you have been the most pleasant company, and I would love to take you to the capital with me and show you around. It would be a date even. Wouldn¡¯t you be pleased by such an arrangement?¡± Here, she fluttered her long and delicate eyelashes as she placed one arm just below her boobs. I was pretty sure she was intentionally pressing said arm downwards, just so said breasts would be pushed upwards, making them more notable. Yep, she¡¯s flirting with me alright. Which kinda takes me off guard actually. Not that I don¡¯t appreciate such a beautiful woman doing it with me of course. Wait, don¡¯t tell me that she¡¯s one of the shota-loving predatory onee-san that Marina warned me about (though I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s amongst their ranks as well, at least towards me)? Though, in my shameful opinion, it probably won¡¯t be that bad, being taken advantage by a beautiful older woman¡­ W-wait, what am I thinking? I already have Sherry, you know! Sherry! ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I answered apologetically. ¡°The reason why I need to go there is to get myself a Dream Orb. I¡­ have someone I really need to meet. And I don¡¯t know where they are exactly. So I need to send them a message on where to find me.¡± Her curious smile grew to its maximum smile, transforming fully into a grin. ¡°A Dream Orb?¡± She paused for a bit, biting her lip as she looked away. ¡°Do you know what that is?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course I do,¡± she replied, looking a tad offended by my question. ¡°I can¡¯t be a good alchemist if I don¡¯t know all sorts of magic items, can I?¡± She then walked back and forth a little, seemingly trying hard to remember something, until... ¡°Ah, good news, Milord! I believe I have met a person in the possession of such an item.¡± My heart skipped a beat while my expression brightened. ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°It was a few months ago. She came to me, asking for my potions as she heard I was the best alchemist in the capital. Mind you, this was when I was at the royal palace, and yet, she managed to sneak through all the guards completely undetected.¡± I nodded, as I listened full-force to her story. ¡°She was a silver-haired elf, a high elf, perhaps, judging by how long her ears were, which was another peculiar thing about her.¡± Yeah, if I remembered correctly, high elves are supposed to be really rare, since most of them are cooped up inside that Forbidden Land of theirs at the far north of the continent. They were so rare to the point that there were all sorts of baseless myths about them, from how seeing one of them was said to bring you good luck to how a high elf¡¯s beauty/handsomeness would instantly make anyone fall in love with them if they ever caught a glimpse at his/her face. However, I imagine it would also lead to terrible stuff like how slave hunters would go to elven lands and hunt for high elves, only to mistake ordinary elves with slightly longer ears as one. After all, the rarer it is, the more pricey it would be. ¡°So, she was the one who had the Dream Orb?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes. She came to me offering that Dream Orb in exchange of me making potions for her.¡± ¡°Wait, so did you accept it? That means you got the¡ª¡± ¡°Do not rush, Milord. Let me finish my tale first.¡± ¡°A-alright.¡± Oops, got a bit too excited there. ¡°So, I did not end up accepting it. Why? Because the things she asked would not cost nowhere near the value of selling said orb would provide. And so I refused, telling her that the orb was too much for a payment. She insisted however, saying that she didn¡¯t care about money.¡± ¡°So, did you¡ª¡± ¡°No, I did not. You see, for someone to eagerly give a valuable item like that¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious. What if she stole it from somewhere? If she could sneak into the palace like it was nothing, she could be a master thief for all I know, even if she carried a staff with her. I don¡¯t want that kind of trouble later down the line. So I also insisted that she should pay in another manner.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°And then, I offered her an alternative. I asked her permission for a short examination on her body. You see, Milord, I have some interest in elf biology. I want to know what makes them live for so long compared to us humans. She accepted, and then, after performing said examination, she left. I never saw her again since.¡± Umm, did she just say that she performed an ¡°examination¡± on her body? That could mean something terrifying or something lewd. And with that ominous smile, I¡¯m not sure which. Judging by how she had flirted with me, she might just be one of those perverted women who like admiring other women¡¯s bodies. Well, not like it¡¯s a bad thing of course... ¡±Fortunately for you, Milord,¡± she continued. ¡°I know for a fact where she most likely went. She asked me of a certain extremely rare plant that could only grow in said region. And since it¡¯s so rare, you might have a good chance of catching up to her before she left.¡± Well, that doesn¡¯t sound too promising. I¡¯ll probably have to be lucky to be able to meet her in time. You know, I never considered myself as someone who has good luck. In fact, I often think of myself as someone plagued by misfortune. However, that¡¯s all in the past. I am now fortunate enough to be reborn as this good-looking kid who is a genius in magic by this world¡¯s standards. I may have suffered some calamities in the way but hey, a real life reincarnation like this can¡¯t be ideal like in those novels where the MC would get cheat powers immediately right from the start. So I can no longer wallow in self-pity as an unlucky person. I can only move forward with determination, and change my fortune with my own hands. Then again, I do need the Orb, one way or another. I know Sherry said that she would be late in leaving her village, but what if she ends up leaving early anyways? And besides, who knows how far it would take for me to get there? I don¡¯t even know where her village is. And the Demon Continent is actually larger than the Holy Continent. There¡¯s one other matter that would be an obstacle, and that is language. The demons mostly used their own language, separate from us humans. I would have to learn some of it beforehand before I get there. Another way to do it if I spread my name around openly. My real name. That way, she will know that I''m around. Of course, I''ll draw attention to myself that way. Am I really ready to fight against any Magocracy assassins that will come after me? ...Maybe I am. I just won against a dragon after all, the strongest monster on the Holy Continent. "Milord?" "W-what? Uh, yeah, thanks" I forced a grin. Flameu''s voice jolted me out of my thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ll go there and try my luck. If she¡¯s a high elf, then it shouldn¡¯t be that hard to find her. Really long ears, silver hair, right?¡± She smiled, almost to a laugh. ¡°Correct. And she¡¯s actually pretty short too, but not as short as a gnome. Looks young as well, like an adolescent just a few years older than you.¡± Let me guess, flat-chested? ¡°And yes, she doesn¡¯t have the same adult charm as I do. So if you¡¯re expecting a busty elf woman like that girl you just rescued, you¡¯d be on the wrong track, Milord.¡± She smirked. ...Dammit, how did she read my mind like that? ¡°Got it.¡± I nodded. ¡°Though I would need for you to pay for this dragon first. I imagine after you told her the value of the orb, she would ask for quite a lot of gold for it." She paused for a moment, looking away as she put one finger on her chin. "That''s a good point, Milord. Hmm, I suppose I''ll have to rely on her after all." Her? She turned back to face me with a mischievous smirk on her face. ¡°Milord, what do you think of paying a visit to this country¡¯s princess?¡± ...What. Vol 3 Chapter 14: Hugo, The Great Adventurer ¡°Yes, Her Majesty Fantine Falsythe Fiania. I would like you to pay her a visit. She would be able to give you the funds you need. We¡¯re quite good friends, you see.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! You think I would be just allowed to waltz into the castle and meet with her like that?¡± ¡°Oh, not at the castle. You see, due to a certain condition, the princess is staying at a royal villa in the outskirts of the capital. So all you need is to bring with you my letter and the guards would let you in to meet her. You show the letter to her and she would give you the money you need. I have no doubt about it.¡± I paused. Technically, it isn¡¯t odd at all for a court mage to befriend a princess. And it isn¡¯t that odd either for a princess to have a large sum of money available to her at all times, especially if she¡¯s the more independent sort. But still, is it really fine for me to just stroll in and demand a meeting with a princess like that, especially to ask money from her? ...What am I talking about? I¡¯ve spent how many months with Fiora. She¡¯s a bona-fide princess, even though she doesn¡¯t act like that. There¡¯s no reason to get nervous. ¡°Fine,¡± I answered with folded arms. ¡°I don¡¯t really like to be involved with royalty like that, but it seems I have no choice, if I¡¯m going to hurry and catch that elf.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± She smiled. ¡°You won''t regret it. She''s a nice girl, you know. I''m sure you would find her a pleasant acquaintance, Milord." A nice girl, huh? Well, I sure hope she isn''t anything like Fiora¡­ Give me my classic beautiful princess character, goddamnit! "Master! Maasteer!" I turned around to see Great Fairy flying towards me. And behind her, the adventurers I had saved were walking towards me as well. "I''ve finished healing everyone!" She announced without skipping a beat once she was right in front of me. "Good job!" I gave her a headpat. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m still good at it after all!¡± She blushed as she beamed. Ah, that¡¯s right. She failed on healing Leila after all. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry. You did great this time around.¡± I gave her my biggest smile. ¡°Yaay, thank you, Master!¡± With her usual innocence, she threw herself on top of me for a hug, squeezing my head between her breasts. Ah, the softness and warmth of a spring fairy¡­ She then disappeared, leaving me alone with Flameu once more. ¡°Milord, such a cute fairy you have there,¡± she remarked with a smirk. ¡°And a Great Fairy too. That¡¯s quite rare.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got her as a High Fairy actually.¡± I scratched my head with a smile. ¡°And then she evolved.¡± ¡°Oh, really? That must mean she¡¯s quite fond of you then.¡± ¡°Heh, I suppose she is.¡± Like Marina taught me, a summon could evolve once they became well-acquainted with their summoner. Something about their summoner¡¯s magic feeding into them or something. It¡¯s similar to how monsters could evolve in the wild if exposed to a place with high concentration of mana, which is why the monsters living in the Demon Continent and inside dungeons tend to be stronger than the monsters living anywhere else. ¡°Great job, kiddo! Never seen someone fight as fierce as that before! And from a mage nonetheless!¡± We were interrupted by the arrival of the adventurers, led by Arcturus and Red. It was the latter who greeted me however. With a big grin on his face, the bearkin put his large hand on my shoulder, patting it over and over to the point that it started to hurt. ¡°If you would, please refrain acting so impolitely towards Milord. After all, Milord belongs to the high aristocracy of the Empire. He''s the son of an Earl in fact. Milord left his household at a young age to travel the world and polish his skills. And he had been generous enough to lend his help to me, a mere court mage of a vassal kingdom.¡± Flameu spoke, a thin smile drawn on her red lips. Wait, what? I shot her a confused look. Did you just say I¡¯m a son of an Earl? H-hey, I never said that, you know! ¡°W-whoa, excuse my impoliteness then.¡± He quickly withdrew his hand. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± He scratched the back of his head. ¡°Sorry, but I really don¡¯t know how to address someone of your stature.¡± "Oh, just Charles is fine." I flashed him a smile. I want to be seen as a humble noble after all. "Lord Charles." The beautiful elf from before stepped forward. ¡°I would like to humbly apologize for the actions of my comrades from before. It is clear that we have been very rude to you. You are in no obligation to save us and risk your life in the process, especially after how our leader treated you. You only wished to proquire a dragon¡¯s heart to save a village in need, and yet, he forced you to offer your companion to him as payment. He truly has stepped out of the line.¡± Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The elf bowed deeply, and in the process, her big breasts jiggled, making me redden slightly. Damn, they really are big. ¡°Marka, you apologize as well." The elf then shot a glare towards the beast girl behind her. "F-fine." She then bowed as well. Unlike the elf, her boobs were noticeably smaller so they didn''t bounce as much. "I apologize for my outburst. If there''s anyone to blame, then it would be our idiot leader." Her ears drooped down along with her tail. Honestly, even if she can''t compete with the elf in the breast department, she had her own positive points, with her cute ears and tail, not to mention her thick thighs and butt her short shorts proudly showed off. Ah, doesn''t mean I don''t want to fondle miss elf''s ears and boobs though. "Don''t worry about it." I flashed my smile towards the two of them. "I understand your feelings." I faced the beastkin. "I know how it feels to lose someone dear to you in this line of work. And I¡¯m sorry, for not being able to save everyone. I am still not strong enough to do that.¡± I gave a wry smile. ¡°You can¡¯t trick me, human! You¡¯re no weakling! You¡¯re much stronger than us!¡± Suddenly, we were interrupted by what looked to be a male gnome grinning giddily towards my direction. ¡°Greetings, Lord Charles. I¡¯m Talkin. Talkin Gemcrafter. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± He gave a little bow. ¡°And as an S-rank magician, I have to declare my expert opinion that you are indeed one of the most unusual magicians I¡¯ve ever had the fortune to meet.¡± Umm, okay¡­. ¡°Those spells,¡± he continued without skipping a beat. ¡°They¡¯re nothing like I¡¯ve seen before. Those are Wind spells, are they not? And yet, you can use the wind to such a destructive extent. And in such an elegant manner as well. You don¡¯t conjure a large tornado to make the dragon crash into the surrounding cliffs as I would expect you would. Instead, you somehow use the wind as if it¡¯s a hammer, or an arrow, piercing through that beast¡¯s scales like it was nothing. And the speed! It was simply marvelous! If I had more affinity with the Wind element, I would have begged for you to teach me your spells for sure!¡± ¡°W-well, it¡¯s nothing, really. It¡¯s just some custom spells I came up with myself,¡± I bashfully replied, scratching the back of my head with a blush. All those sudden praises quite took me off-guard. ¡°Nothing?! Those aren¡¯t nothing at all!¡± The gnome¡¯s eyes shone even brighter. ¡°Those are revolutionary spells! Imagine how strong all Wind mages would be if they all could cast your spells you just did! Milord, I really, really suggest you offer your services to the Empire¡¯s Magic Corps! O-or, you could be a teacher at the Royal Academy! You could train a new generation of wind mages! And you could always go to the Mago¡ª" "Calm down, little guy." Red''s booming voice interrupted him. "Can''t you see?" He put his bear-like hand on my shoulder once again. "Charles here wants to experience the world first. He doesn''t want to be stuck in the capital with those snotty nobles. Uh, not saying that you''re snotty or anything, of course." I chuckled, giving him an approving glance. "Hey, Charles. Uh, it''s alright for me to call you that, right? I''m¡­ really not good with stuffy honorifics like Lord or Sir." "I told you, it''s fine," I replied with a grin. "I''m an adventurer now. Not a noble." "Well put!" He laughed, patting me on the back with such force that I felt would have sent me flying if I didn''t have my feet firmly on the ground. ¡°Hey, Charles. What do you think of joining our party? We could use a mage like you around, you know.¡± Ah, so that¡¯s why he¡¯s been so friendly. It¡¯s a recruiting attempt. ¡°Milord,¡± the elf interrupted. ¡°We would like you to join our party as well. We could also use a person like you in our group." "We too!" "We as well!" "Please join us!" One by one, every party there asked me to join them, to the point that I felt completely overwhelmed. Honestly, I would have answered yes to some of them, especially the elf, just because of the pretty girls they got, but I knew for a fact that I couldn''t do that. I had my own mission after all. Luckily however, I was soon "saved" by the beastkin woman once again. "Stop it! How shameless could you guys be? Just because he''s strong you all pile on him like that? Not to mention that some of you have just lost your friends! And you''re already looking for their replacement? How heartless can you be?" Hearing that, I couldn''t help but smile. She''s a good person, I thought to myself. She''s kinder than how she portrays herself. Heh, she might just belong to the tsundere clan. I chuckled to myself. "Apologies," I answered. "But I do not have any plans to join any parties. You see, I already have my own destination I want to reach. The Demon Continent." The crowd fell into a loud whisper as they exchanged looks with each other. "Ha! The Demon Continent! Impressive!" It was Red who spoke, patting my shoulder yet again. "Only the strongest adventurers go there, you know! Even us are content on staying here! And besides,¡± His grin suddenly disappeared, replaced by a frown. ¡°I won¡¯t recommend anyone to go there right now.¡± My ears perked up. ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°Because there are rumors of the rising tension between the human colonists there and the demons. In particular, the Demon Lord of Wisdom had been eyeing the territory of the colonists. He might just decide to attack them and then there would be war.¡± ...Wait, hold on, let me recall the stuff I¡¯ve learnt from my books. I¡¯m not careless enough to go to some place without at least a basic idea on how it¡¯s like after all. So, basically, a small chunk of the Demon Continent has been colonized by humans. It all started as small villages adventurers built as their base of operations there, but over the ages, it grew into actual towns and cities. They had their own self-governance, and its citizens came from all sorts of countries and places. As for the Demon Lord of Wisdom, his real name is Balthazar Bethel Naturia. He''s one of the big players in the Demon Continent, having a decently large territory that he rules with his own laws and army. In fact, it¡¯s like he has his own kingdom there. Unlike most of the rest of the Demon Continent, the region that¡¯s under his rule has civilization. That¡¯s why he earns the title of the Demon Lord of Wisdom. So, a war between the two factions would be that¡ªa war. Just like how a human war would be. Only at one side you would have super strong adventurers¡ªthe feudal lords that governed over the human colonies, and on the other side you would have a well-organized demon army, which naturally would be far stronger than a normal human army. ¡°So, for now, I would suggest against it. You don¡¯t want to be caught up in a war, do you?¡± Red continued, still with the same grave expression. Caught up in a¡­ wait a second. If war breaks out, then there¡¯s a chance Sherry will be caught up on it, isn¡¯t there? Both the colonies¡¯ and the Demon Lord¡¯s territory are at the northern side of the Demon Continent, and you have to pass through there if you¡¯re going to go to this continent. Ooh, this is bad. ¡°All the more reason why I should go there,¡± I replied. I must have quite the serious expression then as Red¡¯s furrowed brows only grew more furrowed the moment he looked at my face. ¡°You see, I have someone I need to meet there.¡± ¡°Someone?¡± he replied, scratching his red beard with a confused expression. "An acquaintance?" "Yeah, something like that." I gave him a smile. No need to tell him more than that. "Ah, I see. Well, I hope you can find them before things get worse there." The rest of the adventurers seemingly withdrew their offers as well. It seemed no one really wanted to go to the Demon Continent. Makes sense. I heard there are even tougher monsters there that would make the dragon they just fought look like a mere lizard. "How unfortunate." The elf spoke. "If you have accepted, then we would be willing to leave the Quiet Slayers and form our own party with you, Milord. After all.¡± She gave a dirty glance towards Arcturus. ¡°That man needs to learn his lesson.¡± Speaking of Arcturus, I just realized that he had not spoken at all through this. He had just been standing there at the back of the crowd. I couldn¡¯t quite read his expression though. That thin smile of his could be either his way of expressing relief or his way to accept defeat. In fact, it could even be that of resentment, as he saw his two girlfriends deciding to leave him and go after me instead. Heh, that¡¯s what he gets for being a riajuu. ¡°Hey, Arcturus!¡± Red shouted. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to say to Charles here?¡± The man didn¡¯t reply right away. Instead, he walked through the crowd and stood right in front of me, still with that smile of his. And then, he put one hand near his chest before waving it downwards, bowing in the process. "Apologies, Milord. If I had known that Miss Flameu is already in a relationship with you, I would not have been so impolite¡ªto ask her to accompany me in bed." Wait, a relationship? H-hey you got it all wrong! I''m just helping her, nothing more! The alchemist herself didn''t seem to mind though, as the corners of her lips curved in response. "Indeed you are, adventurer. Milord was quite visibly upset from that. Fortunately for you, I am not the only woman he has. He has his maid, his slave, and even the members of that B-rank party he accompanied before¡ªall fawning over him. And why is that? Simple. He might be young but he is more of a man that you would ever be. And now, even your girlfriends are abandoning you and chasing after him instead.¡± Oi oi oi! What is she saying? And that smile! She¡¯s absolutely loving every second of it! Arcturus¡¯ lips twitched. He still kept his smile, but now it was obvious that he was deeply offended by what she just said. In fact, I felt I saw a glimpse of jealousy in his eyes as he glanced at me. Welp, let''s just hope this won''t bite me in the ass later. What is she doing anyways, provoking him like that? Is it revenge for how he has treated her? I looked back at her and sure enough, there was now a full-blown haughty grin on her face. Once again, she had switched into her ¡°dark¡± mode, if you will. He didn¡¯t say anything else. He simply retreated without a word, leaving the crowd and walking back to the encampment. The walk of a defeated man. Huh, I couldn''t help but feel a twinge of pity after all. Let''s just hope this would be a lesson for him to be less selfish. And perverted. After that, the adventurers disbanded as well. They immediately worked on recovering the bodies of their dead members. They won''t be carrying them back to the city. Instead, they would bury them here, deep enough so that no monsters or wild animals would be able to dig them up and eat their corpse. I decided to stay and wait, even though I should be hurrying back. I felt the dead deserved that, at the very least. Meanwhile, Flameu asked me to bury the corpse of the dragon for safekeeping, after she cleaned off some of the scales for me (with a little sprinkle of her dissolving acid, she could loosen up some of the scales well enough without ruining it). She couldn¡¯t take everything off the dragon in one trip after all. Afterwards, the scales she had plucked off the skin¡ªshe gave it to me. She said that I should take it and make it into an armor that I could wear. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll cut your payment for how much they¡¯re worth,¡± she said with a smirk. I didn¡¯t object. After all, if I could get a blacksmith and a tailor to make a vest or some other light armor that I could wear with it, that would help a lot with my physical and magical defense. It has to be something non-heavy though. Dragon scales are heavy, unlike mithril, so both the blacksmith and the tailor need to be of considerable skill. I don¡¯t even know where I can find them, to be honest. ¡°Hey, what was that all about?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You know, the lies you gave to those adventurers about me.¡± She paused, her amused smirk surfacing once again. ¡°Why, because it¡¯s fun, Milord, seeing their reaction like that. Especially that man. Don¡¯t you feel some satisfaction as well?¡± ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t like seeing him like that¡­¡± I gave her a bashful smile. ¡°But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to antagonize him that way. I don¡¯t want any trouble with him down the line.¡± ¡°Oh, that would not be a problem. He can¡¯t touch you, Milord. You¡¯re too strong for him. If he tries to hurt you, well, you can simply dispose of him, can you not?¡± Once again, that dark glint in her eyes resurfaced. ¡°I mean¡­ it¡¯s just that¡­¡± My words halted. I didn¡¯t know what to say to her back. ...You know what, maybe she¡¯s right. What am I so afraid of? This is not Japan, where you¡¯re supposed to remain humble all the time, even though you¡¯re so much better than everyone else. I¡¯m clearly better than him. Hell, I¡¯m even better than him as a lover. I might be a pervert, but I will never cheat openly with my girlfriend like that. ¡°See? There¡¯s no problem, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°T-the lies are still a problem though! They¡¯re going to think badly of me when they know the truth! I¡¯m not an earl and I don¡¯t have a maid or a slave girl as my entourage! And I certainly don¡¯t have Anne or Amelie as my girlfriends!¡± ¡°Oh, but you are already lying to them, aren¡¯t you, Hugo Greenwood?¡± Her grin was as wide as a cheshire cat¡¯s. And my face had turned as white as a sheet. Vol 3 Chapter 15: The Necromancer’s Desire Felicia ¡°Well, it seems I¡¯ve hit the jackpot, haven¡¯t I?¡± The boy had turned pale as the utterance of the name. There was no doubt about it. He really must be him¡ªthe second child of the Greenwood household, and one of the people responsible for Vera¡¯s demise. ¡°I-I¡¯m not¡ª¡± ¡°No use in denying it. With the power you have displayed just now, and the reaction you just displayed, I know for sure that you¡¯re him. Hugo Greenwood. Part of the Greenwood family who had assassinated Vera Marjoram of the Magocracy. Such a feat could only be done by powerful people, and you, Milord, you are one such person.¡± He instinctively reaches for his wand. Good. He¡¯s not as naive as I thought. ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all, I too am an enemy of the Magocracy. The enemy of my enemy is my ally, as the saying goes, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hmm, still doesn''t trust me, huh? "It''s true. They have sent people to kill me before. You see, I came from there. Became a fugitive after I rejected their forced marriage." Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Oh? His expression just changed. "I believe it''s someone you probably are quite familiar with. Thomas Marjoram, the grandson of the person your family killed." And now, his eyes widened. Bingo. This little lie of mine is working after all. "...I see. Another victim of that hobbit bastard, huh?" He smiled grimly. "Yes, which is why you should trust me, Milord. After what they tried to do to me, I have no love for them whatsoever. In fact, I would like to make you an offer." Here it is. Let''s not be pushy and see how he reacts first. ¡°You see, I too have a plan to journey to the Demon Continent. So, if you¡¯d like, I would love to accompany you there, Milord.¡± And now, to wait for his reaction. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Flameu, you''re Felicia Myne, aren''t you?" My heart stopped. "E-eh? W-who are¡ª" "The necromancer who ran away from the Magocracy many years ago. You''re her, are you not?" My legs shook. The grip on my staff tightened. Sweat poured out of my orifices. "It''s okay. I won''t tell anyone. In exchange, don''t tell anyone my true identity either, alright?" And then, he smiled. It was such a charming and honest smile that my racing heart slowed down just by looking at it. BA-DUMP Aah, w-what is this feeling? Why am I feeling all warm and tingly inside? N-no, stop it! Think about it, Felicia! Necromancy is a dark art! Even in the Magocracy it''s heavily frowned over as evil! He wouldn''t approve of me doing it! And he''s such a do-gooder he would either report me to the authorities or kill me himself! "W-why?" I croaked, almost in a whisper. "Y-you don''t hate¡­ the magic I practice?" "Well¡­" He scratched his head, still with that so-adorable smile. "I don''t know. I think magic isn''t good or evil innately. It''s how you use it that matters." ...I couldn''t believe what I just heard. "And Flameu, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re an evil person. The way you cared for Leila¡­ I don¡¯t think an evil necromancer would be able to do something like that. Well, I don¡¯t know how a good necromancer would be though. So far, you¡¯re more like a good alchemist to me.¡± His smile had transformed into an easygoing grin, while my mind was still frozen in shock. This boy... Is it his kindness? Or is it his naivety? He thinks I¡¯m a good person, just because I took care of some sickly child. He doesn¡¯t know. He doesn¡¯t know all the despicable things I had done just to get this far. ¡°Oi, Charles! Can you help with the burial?¡± I gasped. It was that beastman¡¯s voice. He had snapped me out of my stupor. ¡°Ah, yes, coming!¡± the boy replied. He gave me another smile before leaving. Just in time before he saw me collapsing to the snow. That smile¡­ that innocence¡­ that bravery¡­ it''s just like them¡­ Aaron¡­ Pip¡­ Bryn¡­ Elt¡­ Is this a dream? How can I be this fortunate all of a sudden, to meet a person like that out of the blue? I want him¡­ I want him to love me. Love me lots and lots and lots, just like Berault does with his wife. ...No. He doesn¡¯t deserve me. I¡¯m dirty. Rotten to the core. Such a wonderful man deserves a wonderful woman as well. Not me, who has given up her own dignity. No. The only future I have is as the evil necromancer that will wage war against the world. And to drag such an innocent person like him to it¡­ I can never do such a thing. With a grim smile, I stood up once again. Ah, tears. You¡¯ve lost the right to cry a long time ago, Felicia. For your dream world, you have decided to become a monster. And monsters do not cry, do they? ------- Hugo Well, that was a surprise. I was now going towards where Red was. They had gathered the bodies of their fallen comrades, and they wanted my help on burying it. The earth mages they had didn¡¯t know how to make earth coffins, and the holes they conjured weren¡¯t deep enough. So I had to do the procedure all by myself. It was going to be done not in the snow, of course, but on solid ground. To think that she¡¯s actually her¡ªthe person Marina told me about all that time ago. Heh, what a funny coincidence. Well, she might be secretly a necromancer, but I see no reason to get all fired up about it. To be honest, the fantasy geek inside me always thought that necromancer is a pretty cool class in RPGs. Controlling corpses and skeletons to fight for your bidding and all that¡ªpretty neat stuff. I know the art is heavily frowned upon in this world. Maybe because most folks who use it are just psychos who would do stuff like digging up graves or raising the corpse of their enemies'' friends, families, or lovers to fight them. I don''t think she belongs to that category though. Sure, she killed the folks who chased after her, but that''s just self-defense, isn''t it? And thanks to her, Marina stopped being bullied at the academy. ...Yeah, hard to feel sorry for her. If she''s manipulating the corpses of monsters or bad guys like bandits, then more power to her. They won''t be missed. I now saw the corpses up close. There are seven of them¡ªwith some in less-than-ideal state. I''m sure I don''t need to describe what kind of state they''re in, if you consider the monsters they were up against. Some are male, some are females, some are young, some are old¡ªit doesn''t matter. Death greets them all the same. Such is the perilous life of an adventurer. I closed my eyes and gave a short prayer to the Saint, asking her to take their souls to Valhalla. I''m not a Milicis'' follower by any means, but I wanted to pray for them. And so I did. I''m not some fervent atheist either after all. The others did the same, with the clerics even giving their blessings to them. And then, it was my turn to do my job. "Earth Sprite! Come out and cover these corpses in earth coffins! Then bury those coffins deep into the ground!" For the task, I decided to use my summon instead of doing it by myself. It''s been a while since I called her. She might feel lonely, you know. The Sprite appeared in a flash, manifesting from the earth as a rising lump of mud. She gave me a short, emotionless glance before performing her task. Using her ability, it was easy for her to shape her mud into coffins before hardening them. As for the burying, she simply turned the ground beneath the coffins into sinking mud, before turning it solid again. I took a deep sigh afterwards. I felt bad for them. They couldn''t even be buried in their hometowns. But that''s just another risk you have to accept as an adventurer. I''ve asked and the clan said they came from all over the continent, and even beyond that. So it''s impossible for them to return their bodies, even if they wanted to. "Master." Suddenly, the Sprite spoke. It took me aback. She rarely ever did. "Why do you look sad?" I smiled at her, ruffling her head. "Because I just saw those other humans die. Do you know what death means?" A fey should have no concept of death, being the immortal creatures they are. She shook her head. "It means you''ll never be able to see them again." A sad look swept her normally static expression. "Master, I know why you''re sad. I¡­ don''t want to never see you again either. So please, do not die." "Oh, don''t worry." I lifted her up and hugged her. "I got no plans on dying anytime soon." "...Good." With that one word, she vanished. "Sir Charles, was that your summon?" The gnome mage suddenly asked with sparkling eyes. "That was a sprite, was it not? And the other one, that was a great fairy. It''s my first time, you know, seeing someone summon fey creatures like that." "Really?" I raised my eyebrows. "I thought they''re pretty common." "Oh no, not at all! Summoners like you are already pretty rare as it is. But a great fairy? That''s really rare. And a sprite as well? You must be beloved by the fey, Sir!" He laughed. Loved by the fey, huh? I don''t know about that. I think he just thinks like that because he''s not from the Magocracy where summoning is a lot more common. After all, the Church here kinda frowns on it, though it''s not illegal like necromancy. Afterwards, they started working on the drake corpses. Red promised me that they wouldn''t touch the dragon itself. It all belonged to me and Flameu. Arcturus wasn''t around by the way. He ran away. I wouldn''t blame him. I had run away as well. ------ I returned to Flameu soon after, and it seemed she was already finished taking off the scales that I would carry with me. "M-Milord?! You''ve returned!" And it was all too obvious that her demeanor had completely changed. Her confident gait had completely disappeared, replaced by a nervous disposition (I shouldn''t be saying this but this version of her is actually kinda cute). It''s clear that me knowing her true identity bothered her. "H-here. Your scales." She gave me a large pouch filled with them. As expected, they were quite heavy indeed. I quickly put it inside my bag. "M-Milord¡­" She softly spoke afterwards. "Are you really sure you don''t mind?" "Hmm, mind what?" I smiled at her. "Me being a necromancer, that is." "Sure, I don''t. As long as you''re the good kind of necromancer, that is." "The good kind?" She tilted her head slightly. "You don''t use it on innocent people for example. You only use it on bad guys and monsters. Umm, you can control the corpses of monsters with necromancy, right? Not just humans?" She didn''t answer. Instead, she put her left hand on the front of her mouth as she broke into a giggling fit. Uhh, did I say something funny? "Milord, you really are something, aren''t you?" She wiped her tears with her index finger. "I''ve never met someone as nice and trusting as you before." H-hey, is she calling me naive? "So, where do you get the impression that I¡¯m a good necromancer, huh?¡± She smiled. ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I averted her gaze. ¡°I just think that the way you cared for Leila. That can¡¯t be something a bad necromancer would do. She would just let her die and resurrect her as a corpse, no? And yet, you tried so hard for her sake, to the point of staying up all night like that. And the way you comforted her, it¡¯s really motherly as well. That gentleness¡­ I don¡¯t think a bad necromancer would be capable of that.¡± Now that I said it out loud to her face like this, my cheeks couldn¡¯t help but redden a little. Maybe it¡¯s because it sounded like I was flirting with her, which I certainly wasn¡¯t doing. I was simply stating my honest opinion, that¡¯s all. And then, a sight that nearly gave me a heart attack surfaced out of her. Her face went as red as a tomato, far redder than my own. She averted my gaze, completing that ¡°blushing schoolgirl¡± look that would make any man go crazy. Except that she¡¯s not a schoolgirl but a completely full-grown adult instead. For me, who can appreciate a beautiful woman no matter their age, it was a heavenly sigh that made my heart skip a beat. ¡°T-then, how about my offer from before?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I raised my eyebrows. What offer? ¡°You know, me accompanying you to the Demon Continent?" Oh right, she did mention something like that¡­ "... I''m sorry, but I already have a girl I like. In fact, that''s why I''m going there in the first place¡ªto meet her." I sighed internally. I am not dense. I can see where it would go, if I take her along. She''s fond of me. In that way. And if I let her tag along, sooner or later, I''ll end up seduced by her and I''ll betray Sherry''s trust. I can''t have that. She''s a nice woman. Would certainly love to bury my face in that cleavage. But unfortunately, I already have somebody. And I am not like that Arcturus guy. I fully intend to be a respectable human being in this second life of mine. Her reaction? Painful. It looked like I just broke her heart. "I-I see¡­" Her voice audibly shook. "Y-you already have a lover, Milord." Her eyes looked away. "O-of course. I-it''s not that odd. Ehe...ehehehehe¡­" Uuh, what''s with that ominous laugh? She didn''t say anything else regarding her request afterwards. She asked me to bury the dragon as well, but not as deep as the corpses, and then she told me to be on my way, after writing me a letter for the princess (she used the nearby tree to write it on). She then used what I assumed was the royal stamp on it, before giving it to me. "Don''t worry, Milord. I''ll take care of the medicine. You don''t have to worry a thing. You have that high elf to find after all. You have to send a word to your girlfriend after all. Aha...ahahahaha¡­" ...I sure hope I haven''t just sent her to the dark path by rejecting her like that. I took the letter and then bid farewell to her, wishing her good luck in her future endeavors. I told her that it''s been a pleasure to be working with her as well. Who knows? Maybe one day we will meet again. ---------- Felicia Slowly but surely, his figure disappeared out of my sight as he descended down the snowy hill we were on. And with it, my chance for happiness had vanished as well. ¡°Ha...ahahahahaha...ahahahahahahahahaha!¡± ¡°Ahahahahahahahahaha!¡± I couldn¡¯t stop myself. I laughed and I laughed and I laughed as I cried. Ha! What was I thinking? Did I truly think that I would be fortunate enough to have some sweet young man just pop out of thin air as a lover? And even if I do, I would never deserve such a person! Not after everything I did! After all, no good men would ever want to marry a whore who, without hesitation, used her body to get around. Especially if they¡¯re of the loyal type like him. No good man would want to marry a prostitute. It¡¯s simply common sense. I am unworthy of him. It¡¯s as simple as that. Oh, I certainly noticed how much he¡¯s attracted to my body. Even though he¡¯s still young, he¡¯s already just as active as an adult man in that department. And yet, he refuses my offer, bringing his lover as the reason. He knows that if we travel together, I will end up seducing him and making him cross the line he doesn¡¯t want to cross. Whoever his girlfriend is, she¡¯s a very lucky girl indeed. Unlike me, who only receives misfortune after misfortune from the wheels of fate. Yes, ever since that day¡ªever since that monster decides to use us commoners as test subjects for his plague¡­ I have lost everything. No one loves me. I have no home to return to. The only thing I have is my knowledge as a mage. My necromancy. I¡¯ve sacrificed everything to get this far. Just a little more, just a little more until I can cheat Death itself. And then, Paradise shall come to this world. ¡­ Yes, it¡¯s better this way. I don¡¯t want to drag him into my problems. He already has enough as it is, being the assassin of Vera and all. They would come from him sooner or later, just like they did for me. ...Heh, with that level of strength though, they won¡¯t be able to touch him. In fact, I would like to see them try. I suppose in a way, his existence still brings good fortune to me. His assasination might mean that the Magocracy would give up on bringing me back entirely. Those greedy fools want me to be paraded like the villain I am in their streets. Or perhaps they simply want the book I¡¯ve stolen back. Whatever their reason is, they want me alive. And they would be hesitant to cause trouble in a vassal kingdom of the Holy Empire either. Go forth, Hugo Greenwood, and may fortune be with you. And forget about worthless old me, who is nowhere near a good person as you thought I was. For when we meet again, I shall be the bad necromancer that you spoke of. Vol 3 Chapter 16: Marina’s Side — To Tame A Wolf Mount Garus. It was not a particularly remarkable mountain, in any sense of the word. There were already a lot of mountains inside the Grandfort Region, and having just a bit more snow than the others wouldn¡¯t make it special. Well, it also had a bit more monsters around, but monsters roamed all over the region, especially at the countrysides where human presence was thin and Mother Nature reigned supreme. And yet, this mountain had become quite the place of interest for the two people who were currently on it. They had a task there that they had to do after all¡ªa duty that they had to fulfill. ¡°Found them.¡± A young woman, of sixteen or seventeen years of age, stood there wielding a staff on her right hand. The staff was fashioned like a tree branch, giving one a good estimate that she was some kind of an earth mage specializing in plant magic, as those types of staves tend to be of their preference. She wore a white dress with a black corset that tightly hugged her slim waist. The skirt of the dress reached down halfway up her thighs, Over the dress, she wore a fur cape and hat colored by autumn. "You sure?" The dark-haired man beside her was the very picture of a warrior¡ªtall and imposing with a greatsword sheathed on his back. He wore a full set of leather armor, with some gloves and shoulder pads. "There''s no doubt about it. They have their base of operations inside the network of caves located just two farna from here.¡± Farna was a measurement of distance roughly equal to one kilometer. ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s really close, isn¡¯t it? Why haven¡¯t they greeted us yet then?¡± The warrior man replied ¡°They don¡¯t need to. They¡¯re safe there, hidden away from the world,¡± the mage woman answered. ¡°Well, time to call for reinforcements then. If we¡¯re careful, we can make a surprise raid on them. Capture them before they can run away.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°I shall do it myself.¡± The mage woman then raised her staff a few inches from the ground before tapping it to the earth. The giant tree before her immediately withered and shrank, disappearing completely just a few seconds later. ¡°H-hey, aren¡¯t you being too reckless? No matter how good of a mage you might be, you can¡¯t just waltz into their base on your own and expect to win!¡± The young woman smiled. ¡°Ah, but I do have you, don¡¯t I?¡± --------- The argument was settled before it even really began. The young woman had the final say. She always did. The man recognized the inferiority of position that he had compared to hers. He was merely an adopted child. She on the other hand was the true heir of the Archimond noble house. The two marched on, deeper into the snowy mountain. Two farna weren¡¯t that far, and in no time at all, they had arrived on a small valley where the entrance to the cave network the woman had mentioned should be. And, like small valleys tend to be, it was the perfect place for the bandits to ambush any intruders that stumbled near their base. An arrow flew through the air, landing right where the young woman¡¯s feet would¡¯ve been the next second. ¡°A¡¯right, you two! Put your weapons on the ground if you wanna live!¡± A cacophony of terrible laughs echoed all around them, as bandits equipped in full fur gear descended upon them. They all rode on top of snow wolves, monsters they somehow had domesticated. The mage wasn¡¯t surprised though. She had noticed the wolves when she scouted them beforehand. And neither did the warrior, as she had informed her companion beforehand of their existence. Then again, when your bandit group was named the Snow Wolves, was it really so odd for one to expect them to come into battle riding them? They were quickly surrounded, as thirty, no, forty bandits streamed out from the cliffs beside them. ¡°Oi oi, are ya deaf? Put that staff and sword down, right now! Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ll keep ye alive! Just you ye can watch yer lady friend there get fucked by us one by one!¡± Here, they erupted into a raptorious laugh once again. The warrior drew his sword, fully intending to fight to the last of his breath to protect the mage. ¡°Greetings.¡± The mage spoke, seemingly unfazed by the threat they just made. ¡°My name is Marina Archimond, the granddaughter of the Earl of Grandford. As his envoy, I was given the authority to make you an offer. Surrender. Turn yourself in to the authorities of the land and you shall not be harmed.¡± Another round of laughs were shared amongst the bandits. ¡°Oi lady, are ye delusional? You wanna make us surrender? Just the two of ye? WHO THE HELL DO YE THINK WE ARE?¡± The man who yelled seemed to be their leader. He was a big man, even bigger than the warrior. He had yellowed teeth, with three missing on the front, and probably some more on the back. He wore a fur romp with no shirt, exposing his well-chiseled hairy chest and massive abs to the world. He wielded with him a massive battleaxe that he carried with just a single hand. And, just like his personage, his mount was the biggest amongst the other wolves as well, most likely the alpha of the group. And, to top it all off he had a pair of wolf ears on his head, along with a wolf tail jutting out from his behind. He was indeed a wolfkin. That explained how they could tame the wolves. Wolfkins had the ability to do that. Most of his men were human though, with only some others being a beastmen as well. ¡°Let me tell ya a lesson, little girl. We aren¡¯t just any ordinary bandit group. We are the Snow Wolves. And me? I am Fer¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± And just like that, he was shut down by the mage from introducing himself. ¡°You¡­ you arrogant bitch!¡± He yelled in anger. ¡°Boys, keep your hands off her! I¡¯ll mate with this bitch over and over until she begs for more! And only then, you guys can have her!¡± Another cacophony of jeers were emitted by his subordinates. At this point, it¡¯s almost like they¡¯re his personal cheerleading squad. ¡°You¡¯re in luck, girl! I¡¯m at my mating season right now! So you¡¯ll be able to taste the full girth of a glorious beastmen like¡ªGuaahhh!¡± A thorny tendril just popped out of the snow and pierced him. His wolf received the attack at its abdomen while he himself, unfortunately for him, felt it right in his furry behind. And then, all hell broke loose. The bandits immediately rushed to attack the mage, only to be cut down by the warrior¡¯s greatsword. Other tendrils popped out one by one to attack the bandits, piercing them the same way the first one did to their leader. For the ones that had bows, any approaching arrows were blocked by the tendrils as well. They had no idea that they had just walked into the mage¡¯s trap, hook, line and sinker. Underneath the snow, her dryad familiar hid in waiting, ready to attack at a moment¡¯s notice. Using the familiar bond they possessed, she could send a message to her without any words being needed. ¡°R-retreat! Retreat! She¡¯s a¡ªaarrghhh!¡± She had no mercy. After being spoken to that way, why would she? Once the onslaught was over, the dryad digged herself out from the snow, greeting her mistress with a bright smile. "You''re right, Miss! It does work after all! I don''t feel cold in the slightest!" Using the knowledge she gained from Vera¡¯s books, she had developed seeds that could grow even in the cold of the region. Using that knowledge, she could direct her dryad to modify the plant body she had, making her resistant to cold as well. "Heh, you barely gave me any work to do. I thought I would be your protector but it''s obvious you don''t really need my help." The warrior scratched the back of his head with a grin. "I shouldn''t have doubted you, Marina." The mage simply smiled in return. -------- They then headed to the cave entrance where the bandits had made their lair. They kept up their guard, knowing there could still very well be some bandits remaining inside. In fact, from the intel they had received, the bandits should be 100 men strong. Like that bandit said, the Snow Wolves really was not an ordinary bandit group. They actually came from the dukedoms to the north, settling in this region somewhat recently, terrorizing the villages near the wilderness for their food and gold. They were even strong enough to destroy a local baron''s army when he decided to not give in to their demands. The baron was murdered and his estate was burned to the ground, while his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The strange thing though, there were no ransom notes. In fact, they forced the villages to hide their existence from outsiders altogether. If it weren''t for the warrior discovering the truth at his usual inspection, this whole mess would''ve been hidden away from the region''s Earl. But now, the jig was up. The Earl had sent his army to subjugate them. And that army? The Witch of Verdant Death herself. It was the best course of action to take. If they had brought an actual army with them, the bandits would have run away for sure. The only way to catch them and make them pay for their crimes was to do it stealthily like this, with just two persons infiltrating their territory. It was much more likely for them to underestimate what they¡¯re up against as well. After all, they had no idea on what the witch was capable of. To them, she would just be easy prey. "Guwaaahhh!" One by one the remaining bandits fell, pierced by the tendrils she herself or her dryad created.The bandits thought they could ambush her, like goblins would ambush a mage in their dark, stinky caves. Unfortunately for them, she was an earth mage. And a really skilled one at that. So being in the caves like this meant she was perfectly in her element. Before she entered, she had done a thorough scout of the cave network using her Yggdrasil spell, sending in the tree¡¯s roots all over the place. She knew the layout of the place, and the atrocities that were done inside it, as one of the roots reached the room where they kept their prisoners. And what she saw angered her, to the point that she had no aversion in killing every single bandit in her path. They arrived at a large chamber. And there, sitting on top of a large rock was most likely the leader of the bandits himself. In front of him were a number of other bandits, most likely his elite guards. They were all beastmen. And just like the big beastman who led the group that ambushed them outside, they all had impressive muscles, with the one sitting on the rock looking the fiercest of them all. Their intel was correct again. The Snow Wolves¡ªthey were originally a group of beastmen bandits. They had come here all the way from the Beast Region of the Holy Continent, recruiting humans as part of their force. However, it seemed the beastmen remained the strongest part of their little band of brigand. Not surprising. After all, a beastman is naturally much stronger than a human, just by the virtue of their race. By how much depends on the type of beast they belong to. And behind them was a steel cage, with ten or so women all kept inside with barely any clothes on them. ¡°So, you¡¯re the mage that has been giving my men so much trouble.¡± Their leader was big. Twice the height of the warrior, who¡¯s already taller than the mage herself. He was a wolfkin with white fur, and his weapon of choice was the spiked knuckles he wore on both hands. ¡°Oh, I love that look. That fierce look of a warrior. Tell me, would you be willing to be my mate? You and I shall be unstoppable together. Truthfully, human females bore me most of the time. They are so weak and fragile, like twigs who will snap at the slightest touch. Not to mention their crying. Oh they can cry alright. How can one cry when they receive the honor of mating with me, the son of the chieftain of the Ulf Clan?¡± Their intel was right about that as well. Apparently, their leader was some sort of Beastmen royalty. Or at least, he proclaimed himself to be. Each species of beastfolk had their own clans with their own leaders, and the Ulf Clan is the wolf one. "But you¡ªyou are different. You are a fighter. And I respect that. Tell me your name, human. And I will tell mine." At first, Marina didn¡¯t answer. She simply stared at his eyes, not showing any signs of weakness even against someone who was double her size. ¡°If this is what a royal of the beast race is, then they really are no better than a bunch of animals.¡± was the words she chose to break the silence. Naturally, she didn¡¯t really mean it. She had nothing against the beastkin as a whole. She simply wanted to rile up this monster that was standing before us. The wolfman then laughed¡ªthe noise echoing across the cavern. ¡°Guess that¡¯s a no then. Fine. This way is good too. For you see, back home, we have a certain custom. To obtain a girl¡¯s hand in marriage, we have to defeat her in combat. Thus, I¡¯ll defeat you and your partner into submission right here and now. Don¡¯t worry. He can watch as I make you scream my name as I pound your little behind.¡± With a howl, he leaped forward¡ªa lustful glee displayed without hesitation towards the two of them. His guards all followed¡ªsome going after Marina and others going after Reinhard. Nysa reacted by bursting forth a swarm of tendrils from the ground. Unlike the bandits from before however, they were able to defend themselves well enough from the attack, by either dodging out of the way or cutting them down with their axes¡ªa testament of their superiority compared to the human bandits they had fought before. Still, it was enough to keep them from joining the action immediately. Reinhard''s sword clashed with the bandit leader''s fists. He groaned as he immediately felt the difference in strength. He was strong, but his strength simply paled in comparison to his. ¡°Heh, your big sword is just for show after all. Or maybe it¡¯s to compensate for something else, hmm?¡± The beastman grinned. Thankfully for the warrior, he decided to back off instead of pushing in, all thanks to Marina who would¡¯ve pierced him with her thorn tendril if he hadn¡¯t dodged out of the way. The beastman¡¯s grin grew only bigger. He now knew for sure that the human girl was the stronger one. He slurped. Oh, how he loved breaking strong bitches like her. Before he and his gang went here, they had caused chaos and mayhem all over the Holy Continent. How many times had he broken a female warrior or knight who had foolishly gone against them? It¡¯s so delicious, the way they refused to surrender, even as their womanly parts gushed liquid from the pleasure he was giving them. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And this bitch¡ªshe might be the strongest of them all. Which only turned him on even more. He took a deep, deep breath, and then... "Awoooo!" He decided to use his trump card right away. His Howl of Terror. By howling with all his might, he could send fear to his enemies. Not just the usual combat fear, but pure, unadulterated dread. If they don''t faint from it, then their legs would turn to jelly as their whole body shakes furiously. He has never found any human that can withstand it fully. The best who did was a female paladin, and she lost her grip on her sword and slumped down to the ground as she wet herself. Oh, how satisfying it was to see her humiliate herself after she kept droning on and on about her Saint and Justice and all that crap. The loud noise spread through the air in an instant. The effect was immediate. Reinhard fell to his knees as his body wouldn''t stop shaking. He still kept his grip at his sword however. As for Marina however¡­ ...Wait¡­ what? She''s¡­ she''s not affected at all!" Sure enough, she remained standing, not even flinching in the slightest. ...Hold on! That appearance! She¡¯s just like that dryad! Marina had indeed activated her transformation magic. Her skin was now wooden and her ears had grown long and sharp. And when she noticed him taking his deep breath, she put some earplugs made out of wood in her ears just in case. Not that plants could shake in fear the same way humans could in the first place. Four thorn tendrils popped out near the beastmen¡ªtwo above and two below. He managed to dodge all of them, but not without suffering a cut on his wrist. Marina didn¡¯t let up however, as more and more tendrils went after him from all directions. Tch, this girl! She¡¯s more of a monster than a human! More and more scratches appeared at his body as he tried so hard to get to where Marina was. Unfortunately for him, her defense was impenetrable. If he rushed in, the tendrils would get to him and pierce his body from all directions, killing him instantaneously. And yet, if he stayed like this, sooner or later, his body would take too much damage and he would slip up anyways. For once, in a very long time, he was the one who was terrified. ¡°Is something the matter, o prince of the Ulf Clan?¡± Marina spoke, her voice dripping with venom. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to take me as your mate? I don¡¯t want to marry a pup who can¡¯t even get past a few plants.¡± That bitch! She¡¯s playing me like a dog! Marina¡¯s words were enough to make him decide to take a risk. Her companion was still paralyzed with fear, and her dryad familiar was still busy repelling his men. This would be his best chance to win over her. She¡¯s a mage. As long as he could close the distance between them, he would win. With a single punch, he would knock the daylight out of her. And when she woke up, she would be naked and chained up, all ready to be his bitch. He leaped forward with all his strength, doing a mid-air spin so he would be able to defend himself better from the tendrils. It was a gamble and he knew that. But it was a gamble he''s willing to take. The tendrils flew from all directions, intending to stop him before he could even land. Two from the ceiling¡ªhe parried them with his right hand. Two from the ground¡ªhe parried them with his left. Two from the left and right¡ªby sheer luck, both only grazed his stomach and back, leaving a significant wound but not actually hitting his organs. Ha! Got ya you little¡ª Only for an owlbear to appear out of thin air and slap him on his head, knocking him out in a single hit. Seeing their leader knocked out cold, the remaining beastmen all surrendered. And they did it in their custom¡ªby laying down on their backs and raising their hands and feet to the air like dogs who wanted a belly rub from their master. Marina wasn¡¯t impressed however, even though it was the most humiliating posture one could take as a beastman. Instead, she just felt disgusted. No one wants to see grown men pretending to be puppies like that. Marina tied them up with her vines in no time at all, including their dear leader, of course. He got the extra treatment, with thicker and thornier vines than the others. And then, Marina splashed the latter with a ball of water, waking him up while he¡¯s in a sitting position. ¡°Now. Tell me. What should I do with you and your men?¡± At that moment, anyone who saw her expression would no doubt think she was the genuine Witch of Verdant Death, in the flesh. Vol 3 Chapter 17: Marina’s Side — To Punish A Wolf ¡°W-wait, please! Please forgive me!¡± The beastman didn¡¯t hesitate. The moment he woke up, he immediately prostrated and begged for Marina¡¯s forgiveness. Well, if hitting the dirt over and over with one¡¯s head counted as prostration. It was the only move he could make as his entire body was wrapped tight by Marina¡¯s vines. "D-don''t kill me! I-I really am the son of the Ulf Clan chief! I have proof! I have a birthmark on my buttocks that I could¡ªummmhhpphh!" Marina, not interested in the slightest in seeing any of his intimate body parts, shoved her vines into his mouth to silence him. "Your fate will not be decided by me." Marina then gave a glance towards Reinhard. He nodded, before running towards the end of the large room where the cage was. It didn''t take long for him to return with the prisoners. And indeed, they were in a terrible state. Most of their clothes couldn''t even cover their breasts and buttocks, being torn all over, exposing the many scars they received from the beastmen''s claws. Marina could only imagine the nightmare they had been through. Even so, it was clear to her that the bandits had chosen them for their looks. Even in this state, their voluptuous body and pretty faces still shone through. That fact didn¡¯t escape Reinhard as well, who had a light redness on his face as his hands rested conspicuously on the front of his crotch¡ªsomething Marina took note of. She already expected something like that from him though. After all, she knew just how well he got along with his two wives every night. That''s a tale for another time though. "O-oh, thank you! Thank you so much for saving us!" The one who spoke was the oldest of the group. If one had to judge, she seemed to be around her mid-thirties. She had the look of a housewife to her, with plump thighs and breasts that exuded motherhood to anyone who''s fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of them. "I-I thought we were goners! These brutes! They used us day and night without mercy! I am old and experienced enough to bear it but the young ones¡­ they¡­ they¡­" Her body shook as tears streamed down her face. "Milady, please! Kill all these animals! No, make them suffer!" Reinhard then wrapped his hand around her to calm her down. She reacted by throwing herself onto him, crying on his broad, manly chest. Marina had expected that really. She knew how popular Reinhard was with the womenfolk. He, especially the ones in the villages he had helped and rescued over the years. Him being easy on the eyes certainly helped as well. could easily have more wives and mistresses if he wanted to. And yet, he remained loyal to his two wives. It''s something she could respect. Well, she¡¯d leave the female comforting to him. After all, she had some scum that she had to take care about. ¡°Hey, mutt.¡± Marina spoke with a cold expression towards the bandit leader as she withdrew her vines from his mouth. ¡°Are they all the prisoners you have?¡± ¡°Y-yes, I swear!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lie! We¡¯re just the lucky ones! The rest you have killed in your barbaric acts against them!¡± The middle-aged woman yelled. ¡°H-hey, how was I supposed to know that human women are so weak that they could die from mating with¡ªurrmmphhh!¡± Once again, the vines returned to his talking orifice. ¡°I see.¡± Marina spoke again. ¡°Ma¡¯am, how about the baron¡¯s wife and daughter? Do they survive?¡± ¡°O-oh, it¡¯s terrible! The Madam¡ªshe took her own life! These barbarians assaulted her without mercy, while making her daughter watch! And now, the poor girl was rendered speechless! And she would refuse any water and food given to her as well!¡± She then pointed at another woman in the crowd, or rather, a girl, not older than Marina. She was easily the youngest of them all. Unlike the others, her dress survived decently well. It seemed she was lucky, or rather, unlucky, as her mother took the brunt of the beastmen¡¯s lust. Her eyes¡­ they¡¯re lifeless¡­ even though she knows she¡¯s being rescued, there¡¯s no change in her expression whatsoever¡­ This only angered Marina even more. ¡°Mutt.¡± She allowed the beastman to speak once more. ¡°Tell me. Why should I spare you and your men, after all you¡¯ve done to these women? No, not just them. You¡¯ve killed others as well. My name is Marina Archimond, the granddaughter of this region¡¯s Earl. As one who shares his blood, I too have the duty to be the protector of this place, of these people. Every time scum like you hurt or threaten them, that means they hurt and threaten me as well. And I do not like being hurt or threatened.¡± ¡°P-please! I-I made a mistake! I-I shouldn¡¯t have become a bandit in the first place! I-I was the youngest son you see so my old man never cared for me!¡± ¡°I see,¡± Marina replied, still as coldly as ever. ¡°It¡¯s a bit too late to give me a sob story, is it not?¡± ¡°L-look, you humans would raid and kidnap us beastfolk as well! So what¡¯s so wrong with us doing the same to you? Survival of the strongest, right?¡± He gave a nervous grin. ¡°Hmm, true enough.¡± Marina muttered, walking closer towards him. She was perfectly confident with the strength of her plants, so she wasn¡¯t afraid he was going to suddenly break free and attack her. ¡°So, seeing how I¡¯m stronger than you and all, you should have no problem doing whatever I say, correct?¡± ¡°Y-yes, I swear I would do everything you told me to from now on! I¡¯ll be your slave! I¡¯ll even put a collar on and bark like a dog if you want to me too! I-in fact, I¡¯ll do it right from now! Woof woof, forgive me, Master! Woof woof I¡¯m been such a bad pup¡ªuorrghhmphhh!¡± Marina shut him up again. Instead of feeling amused by his self-humiliation act, she only felt disgusted yet again. ¡°Reinhard, what do you think? Should I just dispose of them all right now?¡± She gave a glance towards her companion. ¡°W-well, it¡¯s your choice. Lord Archimond has given you full authority, no? You can do whatever you want with them,¡± he replied. He was taken aback by the fierce look she had on her face. In fact, he had been taken aback by all her actions up to this point, ever since she started her scout on the bandit¡¯s lair. It was the first time he had ever witnessed magic being used like this. He had met mages before, and even fought one or two, but not a single one came close to being even near her level. He couldn''t help but be a little afraid of her. She''s certainly someone he wouldn''t want to anger for sure. "Please! Kill them, milady!¡± The woman shouted. ¡°They don¡¯t deserve mercy! Not a single bit! In fact, I want them paraded all through the villages they had raided and extorted all this time! Let us have our revenge on them!¡± Marina paused for a bit, seemingly thinking about something, before turning her head towards her with a smile. ¡°Alright. You can have your revenge.¡± The beastman could only move around in vain as he tried speaking through the vines gagging his mouth. --------- Afterwards, Marina produced some clothes out of her Dimensional Storage to be worn by the captured women. She actually had anticipated their numbers to be more, as according to the intel Reinhard had gathered, the bandits in total had kidnapped around 30 women. And seeing how there were only ten here, that meant the rest must have perished. And if they had delayed for some backup soldiers before they went after the bandits, there would be even less villagers to rescue for sure. As for the captured bandits, the way Marina was going to carry them back was by forcing them to walk on a line while being tied with her vines. Like slaves basically, chained to one another. And of course, she warned them that if any of them tried to escape, she would kill them without a single thought. This way, they descended down the mountain. And in the process, none of the beastmen tried to escape. They all knew that the mage meant every single word she said, and they could only look at her in terror, as if she was a demon lord in disguise. Even when she slept, her dryad stood watch over them (plants have no need of sleep after all), so she left no openings that they could exploit. On the way, the captured women told their tales. At least for those who were willing to talk. The story was generally the same. The bandits came to their villages, demanded money and food, and when they couldn¡¯t pay, they would kidnap some of the women with them. And just like their intel mentioned, they had been doing this for months. The villagers were too scared to send a message to the Earl of their plight, especially since the Earl had never really given any soldiers to guard their region before. To them, the Earl was a ruler that didn¡¯t care about them, even though the truth was far different. He simply didn¡¯t have any troops to spare. It took Reinhard quite some work to coax the info of the existence and whereabouts of the bandits from them. And this whole thing only came to his attention because of a mere rumor. Thankfully, he took his job seriously as the future Earl, thus his frequent outing to the faraway villages to hear and solve their problems. Marina didn¡¯t try to correct their misconception. She knew it would only fall in deaf ears. Poor or not, it was still her grandfather¡¯s job to guard her subjects. And so she would do the task he couldn¡¯t do. And perhaps, that way, her grandfather''s name would be cleared as well. As for the Baron, his mansion was located in the largest village in the area. It wasn¡¯t lavish by any means. In fact, it was quite in a poor state. The Baron was almost as poor as the villagers he ruled over, with only the stipend given by the Earl supporting his middle-class lifestyle. He was never that smart or cunning of a man. He was content with his uneventful lifestyle. He was a painter and he spent all his days painting. Even though he really was not good at it. And then, the bandits came to his village. At first, he gave them what they wanted, knowing that his meager soldiers wouldn¡¯t be able to stand against them. But, when they increased the amount of money and food they demanded to the point that his village couldn¡¯t pay them, he knew he had to fight them. And so he did, with his soldiers and with the militia formed by the able-bodied youths of his village. And he lost. Terribly. His village was burned down to the ground, with every remaining survivor killed without mercy. His wife, daughter, and even his maids were violated in front of his very eyes, simply to torture him before they killed him. The woman Marina and Reinhard had spoken to was one of said maids. The other maids had perished, either by resisting their captors or after their body or mind couldn¡¯t take it anymore. As for the daughter, Reinhard tried to comfort her but she wasn¡¯t even responding to him or anyone. She simply stared into the distance in silence. They had broken her. This was enough for Marina to treat her prisoners even more mercilessly. She didn¡¯t give them any food and she would only give them water every second day¡ªa puddle of muddy water she formed with her magic. She watched them drink it all up like the foul dogs they were. And of course, if they slowed down, she would whip them with her vines. This, of course, made Reinhard even more afraid of her. Once they reached the nearest village, as promised, she gave the villagers free reign on what they wanted to do with them. And so the bandit prisoners were thrown rocks and rotten eggs by the womenfolk, while the men beat them up to the inches of their lives. All Marina asked was that they wouldn¡¯t kill any of them, as other villagers had the right to exact their revenge as well. This way, she moved village after village for days¡ªeach time giving the prisoners to the villagers¡¯ wrath. One by one the rescued women returned to their families. Some with happy smiles, with others with more bitter ones, as they knew they could never return to their old life after everything they had gone through. Marina couldn¡¯t do anything for the latter. She could only pray that the adage that time heals everything was right. And then, it was time for the final village¡ªthe village they had burned to the ground. When they arrived, they were greeted by the most horrendous sight. Remains of charred wood were everywhere, covered in soot and ash. Nothing was left intact. They had killed and destroyed indiscriminately. Even when slavers attacked a beastkin village, they would rarely do such a thing. They would capture the beastkin to be their merchandise and loot whatever their greedy hands could get, but they wouldn¡¯t perform wanton destruction to this level. It¡¯s better to be a slave than to be dead, for a slave can be freed, but a dead man can never return back to the realm of the living. When they reached the rubble of the Baron¡¯s mansion, the Baron¡¯s daughter fell down to her knees and broke into tears. ¡°Uwaaahhh!¡± A terrible, heartwrenching wail spread throughout the ruined village. All this time she had bottled up her emotions, and now, it burst forth out of her in a single instant. Reinhard immediately moved forward, but Marina sent him a look that told him to stay put. Let her mourn on her own was the message she expressed. After what felt like an eternity, her sobbing receded. Marina walked forward and put her hand on the girl''s right shoulder. ¡°Marnie.¡± She called out to her. ¡°It''s now your turn. Those bandits¡­ what do you want to do with them?" She fell silent, unresponsive to Marina¡¯s question. The mage then took out what looked like a handful of seeds from her pocket. She then took the girl¡¯s hands and put said seeds onto them. ¡°If you believe they should suffer the same fate as the people in this village, then I shall grant you my strength." The girl looked down. Seeing the seeds that was placed on her hands, she looked back towards Marina, brows drawing together in confusion. "Feed them those and they would suffer a most gruesome death." The mage no longer had the slightest pity for them. And so what better way to put at end to them by using her experimental instant growth seeds? She looked back at the seeds. Clutching them tightly, she stood up and began walking towards the bandit leader. "Ummmpphhh! Ummmpphhh!" He, of course, was still gagged and bound, just like the rest of his comrades. He could only express himself through his tears and the horror-filled expression that colored his face, as he knew from instinct that this is it. This is his end. And she¡¯s not going to make it a pleasant one. ¡°Kneel.¡± Marina spoke, as her vines forced him to do so. She then withdrew her vines from his mouth, allowing him to finally speak. ¡°P-please! D-don¡¯t kill me!¡± He shouted. Even though she had not fed him for more than a week, he was still strong enough to let out his voice like that¡ªa testament to the durability of the beast race. ¡°It¡¯s not to me you should beg. Beg to her instead,¡± Marina replied with an icy tone. The beastman immediately did as he was told. He pleaded to the girl instead, putting on his sweetest, most endearing voice that he could muster. She, however, was undeterred. She continued walking towards him with a determined, cold look, as she gripped the seeds tighter and tighter. And then, once she was right in front of him, Marina forced the beastman¡¯s mouth to open with her vines. She didn¡¯t need to be told. The girl immediately forced all the seeds inside said mouth. And then, Marina forced him to swallow them all. He gasped for breath once the process was over. ¡°W-what did you do? What did you just make me eat?¡± The mage didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she turned to the girl and said, ¡°Marnie, avert your eyes. You might not want to see what¡¯s coming.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m going to watch. He deserves to suffer for what he did to Papa,¡± was her reply. The beastman, on the other hand, had gone into complete panic mode. He tried to puke out the seeds to no avail. He couldn¡¯t really use his hands to aid him in the process, as Marina still had those tied behind his back. ¡°H-hey, p-please! I-I¡¯ve learned my lesson!¡± He resorted to begging Marina once again. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to die yet! I-I still have so many things that I want to do with my life!¡± ¡°Then, perhaps, you should have considered doing those things before you become a bandit,¡± was Marina¡¯s cold reply. ¡°N-no, please, I¡¯ll¡ªurrggaaahhhhhh! Aaahhhh!¡± He screamed as he wriggled around on the ground like a worm. If Marina had to guess, he must be feeling excruciating pain coming out from his stomach right now. After all¡­ ¡°Guaaahhhhhh!¡± Tree branches pierced out of his stomach and chest, rupturing his internal organs and giving him the worst pain he had ever experienced his entire life. The girl flinched, but he kept her gaze towards him. ¡°Y-you¡­ you monster!¡± He shouted in-between his wheezing, as his lungs were already severely damaged, no longer allowing him to scream. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet,¡± was Marina¡¯s sole reply. And indeed it wasn¡¯t, as soon after, another branch came out from his throat and mouth. The tree inside him wasn¡¯t just growing in one direction after all. He could no longer speak. He could only send Marina a vengeful glare. To him, she was the real villain. What kind of a sadistic monster would do this to another living being? Even the worst punishment of their race could not match against what she was doing to him. Marina didn¡¯t care however. She had seen the same glare before, from the same filth that nearly took her sister away. After a few seconds more, branches popped out of his nostrils, eyes, and ears, before piercing his brain, killing him at last. The beastmen stopped moving, as blood poured out of his every orifice. The girl stood still with her fists clenched. Anger filled her eyes. Once again, she did not flinch when she saw his eyes popped out of their sockets. ¡°Miss Marina, kill the others as well.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Vol 3 Chapter 18: Marina’s Side — A Report To The Earl A large bonfire, as tall as a building, shone in that deserted village for the last time. It was a ritual¡ªan offering¡ªfor the spirits of the dead to rest as they returned to the heavens. Marnie watched as the flames consumed her enemies, not bothered in the slightest by the rancid smell of burned corpses permeating through the air. She knew she should feel happier since her family and village had been avenged, but all she could feel was hollowness inside her heart. ¡°You¡¯re alright?¡± Reinhard put one hand on her shoulder. ¡°Mmm,¡± was all she replied with. Her maid, on the other hand, was busy conversing with Marina instead. "Thank you for the kind offer, milady, but I''m afraid I have to refuse. Miss Marnie still has her uncle, so there would be no need for us to burden your household with our presence.¡± Knowing that they had lost everything, Marina offered them refuge in her grandfather¡¯s house. She did it not just out of pity, but out of duty as well. After all, her father, the baron, technically worked under her grandfather. "Her uncle, who is he if I might ask?" Marina asked further. "The Viscount of Dramor. So you don''t have to worry. He''ll take care of us just fine." The maid gave a reassuring smile. Marina never heard of him before, but she didn''t expect to. She barely familiarized herself with the lay of the land and for her to remember every single noble out there¡ªit''s just too much to ask. Especially when it''s a baron or a viscount, lower rank nobles with not much land not influence on their names. "Hey, Marina. One sec." The mage turned her head. It was Reinhard. He walked up to them with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Miss, what do you think of me accompanying you and the young lady to her uncle¡¯s place?¡± He asked the maid. ¡°W-what? But we can¡¯t possibly¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He added a smile. ¡°I have nothing better to do anyway. And I won¡¯t sleep well if I just sent the two of you off on your own. This kingdom isn¡¯t as safe as I want it to be, unfortunately.¡± He shook his head. He was right. For the two to just travel on their own¡­ there¡¯s a high chance they might get captured by bandits (yet again) or mauled by monsters. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re fine with this, aren¡¯t you, Marina?¡± He gave her a grin. ¡°Of course,¡± she answered with her own smile. ¡°You make a good point.¡± She turned to look back at the maid. ¡°You should take his offer. He¡¯s a reliable person, you know. He won¡¯t let you down.¡± The maid looked towards Marina, and then to Reinhard, and then back and forth between the two for a couple of times. ¡°A-alright, Miss¡­ And Sir, please forgive us for imposing on your kindness even more.¡± She gave a bow towards the warrior. And thus, Marina had to return to her grandfather¡¯s house on her own. ------ Marina ¡°Lady Marina, welcome back!¡± I was greeted by a group of butlers and maids when I arrived back at Grandfather¡¯s mansion. They all stood in a line in front of the stairs leading up to the front door. As usual, the gatekeepers rushed inside to announce my return, and with a swiftness that honestly surprised me, the servants immediately came out and organized themselves like this. I suppose this kind of thing is a common procedure in the aristocracy, but for me, it just feels odd and even wasteful. They could be working instead of greeting me like this, you know. Leading on the front was Annelise, the head maid of the establishment. As usual, the woman was looking younger than she actually was. She could easily pass as Henrietta¡¯s older sister if she wanted to. ¡°Lady Marina, I assume that everything went smoothly there?¡± she asked. I gave her a nod. ¡°Then how about Sir Reinhard? Where is he?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story. But he¡¯s fine. He¡¯s just escorting someone.¡± ¡°Escorting someone?¡± She raised her eyebrows. She didn¡¯t probe the matter further though. She had heard my statement that it¡¯s a long story so this wouldn¡¯t be the place nor time to ask for further explanation. ¡°Lady Marina, do you wish to take a rest first? Or do you wish to meet with Lord Archimond right away? He¡¯s currently in the study.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do the latter,¡± I answered. ¡°Though please prepare the baths as I would head there once I spoke with him,¡± I added with a smile. ¡°Of course, Milady.¡± She bowed once again. ¡°I¡¯ll send Henrietta to accompany you there, as usual.¡± I took a few steps forward, before stopping as I remembered something else I needed to ask of her. ¡°How about Erika? Did she throw any tantrum while I was away?¡± My smile turned into a slight smirk. ¡°Oh, rest assured that the young lady has been very well behaved,¡± she replied with her own smile. ¡°She and Lorry have gotten along excellently.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Though, how about Roland?¡± Her smile disappeared. ¡°W-well, the young master has been¡­ decently good to her.¡± That¡¯s a lie. Roland was the son of Reinhard and Emma, his first wife. He inherited his mother¡¯s blonde hair and yellow eyes. In the terms of age, he was a bit older than Erika. And he was the biggest rapscallion I had ever encountered. Unlike Hugo, he was fond of pranks and mischief. Said pranks ranged from throwing frogs to frighten people to lifting up skirts and yelling loudly what color of panties his victim was wearing today. Yes, that included me. When we first met, I thought he was just a cute and harmless young boy so I let down my guard. Thanks to that, the black panties I wore that day were revealed, not just to Henrietta but also to Reinhard, who was also there. And yes, it was a terribly embarrassing accident. I would have disciplined the boy for it, but I had no right to do so. So I could only ask Reinhard to do it. As his father, it¡¯s his job to be tough to his kid after all. He also had a half-sister named Veronica, born out of his second mother, Rina. She was still just a baby though. ¡°...I see. Then tell Lady Emma I wish to speak with her later.¡± Once again, I would have to ask her to raise her son better. And no mother in the world would like that. After our short conversation, we headed upstairs to the study straight away while the rest of the servants returned to their posts. -------- ¡°Milord! Announcing the presence of Lady Marina!¡± As decorum unfortunately demanded, Annelise had to do that first before I entered the room. I saw him at the far end of the room, looking at the gardens outside through the window. The morning sunlight lit his figure, making his greying hair shine. He was wearing his work outfit, a black suit with a white undershirt. Looking at him like this, he distinguished himself clearly from the nobles I had met before. Even at his age, he still commanded respect, to the point that even I tensed up a little in his presence. It was far different than how I first met him when he was bedridden. Now that I think about it, his health has been improving ever since I arrived here. I smiled inwardly. The herbal medicine I gave to him is working after all. Turning around, he greeted me with a smile. ¡°Please, leave us, Annelise,¡± he commanded with a gentle tone. ¡°As you wish, Milord.¡± The maid left without another word, bowing before closing the door behind her. ¡°So, I take it that all of the vermins have been exterminated?¡± ¡°Yes, Grandfather.¡± ¡°And you have no problem at all in the process?¡± ¡°None, Grandfather.¡± ¡°I see...¡± He brushed his short beard. ¡°Then, all those nights of me worrying you¡¯ll never return were spent for nothing after all.¡± And then, he burst into a laugh, before breaking down into a coughing fit once again. ¡°Grandfather! Please, don¡¯t overexert yourself!¡± I shouted as I approached him. Really, why must he be like this? I helped him sit on the nearby chair. I assumed this was his work desk, judging by all the documents stacked on top of each other on the table. Taking a peek at the top, it was a list of numbers that seemed to be about the income his territory was receiving from the taxes. Of course, normally, Reinhard would be the one doing all this. Well, him and Elise, his personal maid/assistant. Since he wasn¡¯t around, I suppose Grandfather decided he wanted to do it instead. ¡°Well, my dear granddaughter.¡± He took a sip of the cup of coffee on said table. ¡°Tell me everything. And do not spare me any of the details.¡± And so I did, describing what they had inflicted upon the villagers and how I decided on the fitting punishment for them. I even told him what I did to their leader. I wasn¡¯t going to hide it. I believed it was justified. I wasn¡¯t in the wrong. And so what use was there to not tell him about it? I also informed how Reinhard had gone with Marnie and her maid. Thanks to all that information, when I finished, the sun was already high up in the sky. ¡°I see¡­ For those cravens, death is the only punishment that is fitting for them. However,¡± He looked at me straight in the eye as he said his next words. ¡°What you did was certainly unorthodox. Normally, for bandits, we would parade them around on the city before publicly executing them by hanging. Though for assaulting a baron and burning down a village, it wouldn''t just be hanging. They would also be drawn and quartered, or even crucified. But instead, you decided not to bring them here and kill them there right away. May I ask what your reasoning was for such an action?¡± His eyes narrowed. It didn¡¯t take a genius to tell that I was being tested by him. ¡°Because their victims are those villagers, not the people of this city,¡± I answered, matter-of-factly without flinching. ¡°You know, it could be a great way to introduce you to the people. They would look up to you as a dispenser of justice. Then you would easily gain support amongst them. Perhaps your farming project with the Farmers¡¯ Guild is one of them. I heard that you still have some difficulties negotiating the planting of your seeds with them.¡± He was talking about the still experimental cold-resistant seeds that I had developed over the months I had stayed here. Using the knowledge I stole from Vera¡¯s library, I could apply the same principle she had applied to the crops in her territory. Unfortunately, the seeds her books described were not of the usual kind, like wheat or potatoes. Their usage was for alchemy and herbal medicines. And around here, people needed food crops more than anything. We didn¡¯t have a booming alchemist population around here after all. Thus, the lack of excitement from them. Not to mention how they had yet to trust me as a mage. Mages were rare around here, with most being adventurers. And the rumors about the Verdant Witch of Dead had reached their ears. They didn¡¯t know she was me yet, but it already made them even more suspicious of any sorts of earth mages. The farmers in this region were what you would call ¡°rugged traditionalists¡±. They believed that using magic was a form of cheating that would only bring misfortune later on. They believed instead of the hard work of manual labor and praying to the Saint that their crops would grow. If a person from the Magocracy would see them, they would no doubt declare them as idiots. And, as much as I would love to disagree, I had the same opinion. Especially when your crops¡¯ yield was poor, both in quality and quantity. They could barely feed the mouths of the people in this region. Not that anyone would want their products, thus the export of farming goods remained practically zero. Such was the difference in culture. And no matter how powerful of a mage I was, I couldn¡¯t change that overnight. ¡°I would also prefer if you had kept them alive a little longer, just so we could interrogate them. Information about other bandit groups and the like would be useful. And if they had any connections with the Dukedom in the north. They came from there after all.¡± ¡°Do not worry, Grandfather,¡± I answered. ¡°I had interrogated them thoroughly while I paraded them through every village. I only gave them water and food if they answered. And from what they told me, they didn¡¯t have any connection with the Dukedom. Nor did they had any connections with other bandit groups. Or rather, they had assimilated every other bandit group they met into their own. At least the ones that existed in the region. However¡­¡± ¡°...Yes, go on.¡± ¡°It seems they have made some transactions with a certain slave-trading group. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t mention any names, but they did indeed make a transaction with them. They didn¡¯t sell any of the villagers though. They instead sold the travelers and adventurers that just were unfortunately enough to trespass through their territory. I believe the slave traders only wanted non-humans, which was why the villagers were spared.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The earl then gave a dejected sigh. "Do you wish for me to look more into the matter, Grandfather?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for that.¡± He shook his head. ¡°They most likely came from other regions, so even if we identified their location, there¡¯s nothing we can do about them.¡± In this kingdom, slavery was allowed as long as the slaves were acquired lawfully. Meaning, either voluntary slavery, where the person sold themselves into it (usually done by poor families), or criminals whom the local lord decided to sell into bondage. In this kingdom, each lord had their own laws for the most part, with the king only caring about the taxes they collected for him and other things like foreign relationships and security. Thus, it would be really hard for us to prosecute those slave traders when they¡¯re based in another noble¡¯s territory. ¡°Poor Jackson¡­ to think that his life would end this way¡­¡± The earl sighed once again, as he took another sip of his coffee. Jackson was the name of the murdered baron¡ªMarnie¡¯s father. Grandfather had told me how they had somewhat of a close relationship over the years. He liked the man and his simple way of life. Most nobles he met were all conniving and worldly in one way or another, but that man was content with whatever he inherited from his parents. And Grandfather appreciated that. "We can only hope that the poor girl''s uncle will treat her well. Regrettably, I know nothing about him, only that he''s a viscount in the southern part of the kingdom." He then stood up from his chair. ¡°That would be enough, my dear.¡± He smiled. ¡°I think you deserve a long and nice rest. Please, don¡¯t mind all these papers and whatnot. An old man still needs some work to do so his brain doesn¡¯t rot.¡± I looked at the pile of documents on the table once more. As shameful as it was for me to admit, I was wholly unskilled in the matters of territory administration. Grandfather offered a tutor to teach me the subject, but I refused since I was already busy with my seed research. And besides, I had no plans to really becoming his heir. That would be Reinhard. I would prefer to be seen as an advisor of sorts, especially in things relating to magic. Any nobles who are serious in developing their territory would want a mage as one of their aides. Or at least, that¡¯s my personal opinion. There are so many things you can do with magic to help one¡¯s territory prosper after all. ¡°Alright, Grandfather.¡± I smiled at him. ¡°But please, do not tire yourself. I don¡¯t want to hear you coughing like that ever again. It makes me worry, you know?¡± I added a little pout. ¡°Ha!¡± He laughed, showing off his perfectly white teeth. ¡°What grandfather wouldn¡¯t want to be worried for by her granddaughter, especially one as beautiful as you?¡± ¡°Oh, Grandfather¡­¡± I sighed. Me? Beautiful? I don¡¯t think I am. Beautiful is something like Emma, with her long blonde hair and golden eyes. On that note, our meeting was over. I excused myself, heading straight to the bathing house afterward. -------- The bathhouse was large, located in a separate building from the main house. It wasn''t that lavish compared to the other bathhouses she had been into (especially the one owned by Glinda), but it was still a bathhouse fit for a noble. Or at least, that''s what I believe. ¡°Miss Marina!¡± When I arrived, I was immediately greeted by my personal maid, Henrietta. And by ¡°greeted¡±, I mean her throwing herself at me for a strong and tight hug. ¡°Ooh, I missed you so much, Miss! Can you believe how boring things are here without you around?¡± She giggled as she released me, though still keeping both of her hands on my shoulders. The girl was only a bit shorter than me, so she could do it with ease. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°So, Miss, you want a bath, don¡¯t you? I can tell that straight away. No offense but you don¡¯t smell as nice as you usually are after all.¡± My smile disappeared. ¡°...You don¡¯t have to say that, you know.¡± Really, she knows just how much I¡¯m particular with my hygiene. ¡°A-ah, Miss, sorry if I offended you. I-it¡¯s just a little joke, that¡¯s all.¡± She quickly returned in a panic. Afterward, she quickly guided me towards the changing room, where she undressed me in a flash. Now without any clothes, I moved on into the baths proper. The water, of course, was perfectly warm. And it was scented as well, just the way I wanted it to. I entered without hesitation, feeling my muscles relaxing as more and more of my body went under the water. ¡°Want a massage, Miss?¡± ¡°Yes, that would be nice.¡± The girl¡¯s massages were actually pretty good, so I didn¡¯t hesitate to accept her offer. Aah, this is pleasant indeed. Just when I thought I could just drift off and let her touch carry me to dreamland¡­ ¡°Lady Marina. I am glad that you have returned safely from your trip.¡± It was Emma. And behind her was Rina. Reinhard¡¯s two wives. Just like me, they were fully naked, and they were accompanied by their own attendants each. I expected to have our talk later, as we had our lunch, but I suppose it had to happen now. I sighed inwardly. So much for my relaxing bath time... Vol 3 Chapter 19: Marina’s Side — Clash Emma and Rina¡ªReinhard¡¯s two wives. Just like how their backgrounds contrasted, so did their personalities as well. The former was calm, serious, and mature, while the latter was more childish and naive. Appearance-wise, they differed as well, with the former having a more ¡°refined¡± beauty, fitting of her noble heritage, while the latter having a more down-to-earth attractiveness¡ªthe sort of beauty you would find in barmaids or cowherds. Reinhard had both worlds covered, it seemed. Emma proudly walked forward, not caring in the slightest that all of her naked skin was exposed to the world. Rina on the other hand was noticeably shyer, covering her breasts with one hand and her womanhood with the other. The two entered the water as well, taking the side opposite of mine. Emma was the first to make her move. ¡°Lady Marina, if I might so rudely inquire, was your task on subjugating those bandits a successful one?¡± Her tone was neutral, and she uttered it with a smile, and yet, I couldn¡¯t help but sense a bit of hostility mixed in with her question as well. ¡°Yes, it was,¡± I answered with a smile. ¡°They really are no problem whatsoever for a skilled mage like me.¡± And for some reason, I wanted to fire back at her a little as well. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to hear that,¡± she returned. ¡°Although, may I enquire where my dear husband might be? He hasn¡¯t made a visit to our chambers all morning and we know whenever he returns from his long trips, he would always come to us first before doing anything else.¡± ¡°It would be some time until he returns, unfortunately,¡± I told her matter-of-factly. ¡°He has another duty he has to attend to.¡± I decided not to go into details right away. Just because I wasn¡¯t in the mood to do so. ¡°Oh?¡± Her cherry red lips pursed. ¡°Another duty? Then shouldn¡¯t you still be out there accompanying him?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. It¡¯s just an escort mission, that¡¯s all. And besides, I have other duties that I need to attend to here.¡± ¡°Those plants of yours, I assume?¡± ¡°Yes. I am nearly at a breakthrough. Once my seeds are perfect, then I would be able to start sharing it with the farmers in the region.¡± Our conversation took a little breather there, as her sight fixated on me, seemingly drilling into my skull. Well, might as well bring that up now. ¡°Lady Emma.¡± I broke the silence. ¡°Once again, I would like to humbly ask for your disciplinary actions towards your son. I¡¯ve heard from Annelise that he had been bothering Erika again, and I simply could not just bear to see my poor little sister being bothered by him.¡± The lady responded by raising her eyebrows. ¡°That¡¯s curious. From what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s your Erika that needs to be disciplined. Yesterday, she pushed my dear son into a mud pile. Can you believe it, for a little lady like her to behave so uncouthly?¡± ...I see. This is going to be even more difficult than I thought. ¡°Erika wouldn¡¯t do any harm to your son if she hasn¡¯t been provoked. I¡¯m sure of that.¡± ¡°Oh? Are you insinuating that it¡¯s my son¡¯s fault that he returned crying with mud all over his clothes and hair?¡± ¡°Yes. He must have teased her again and she has enough of it. So she retaliates. It¡¯s as simple as that.¡± Of course, I have no plans on backing down. I know how Erika is. She is a gentle child that won¡¯t hurt a fly. And it¡¯s my duty as her older sister to have her back when she¡¯s done nothing wrong, even if that means insulting a mother and her son. She, unfortunately, had the same idea. ¡°Very well.¡± Her tone had gotten much colder than before. ¡°I shall speak to Roland about the matter. However¡­¡± Suddenly, she stood up, water falling off her skin. The baths here were shallow so you had to sit down if the water was going to reach your shoulders. ¡°Lady Marina, you might be Lord Archimond¡¯s granddaughter, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can do whatever you want in this household. My husband is still the rightful heir to his title and Lord Archimond still hasn¡¯t changed his mind in the matter. So I would suggest you to be more careful with your words and actions from now on.¡± Ah, so it¡¯s just as I feared. I stood up as well, locking my eyes straight at hers. ¡°Do not worry, Lady Emma,¡± I replied. ¡°I have no intention of taking your husband¡¯s place. I am ill-suited for the position after all.¡± ¡°Good. Then, if you would excuse me¡­¡± The lady then turned around and walked out of the water, with her maid immediately drying her dripping body with the towel she had brought. ¡°Rina, are you coming?¡± She gave a glance towards her companion. ¡°Y-yes, just a sec.¡± The other woman then made her way through the water to my side of the bath before whispering, ¡°P-please don¡¯t be mad at her. Emma is just upset that Reinhard hasn¡¯t returned. She has been worried sick about him, you see.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I whispered back with a smile. ¡°I understand.¡± A wife¡¯s worry. I remember Mother acting the same way whenever Father went in his occasional month-long monster hunting trips. Unlike Emma, Rina was much kinder towards me. I suppose because unlike Emma, she didn¡¯t care about the threat to Reinhard¡¯s status as Grandfather¡¯s heir. Or perhaps it¡¯s just because of the difference between their personality. I never could get along with other hardheaded people like myself after all. The two soon left, allowing me to enjoy the baths as I should once again. And I¡¯m glad they did, even though they must have cut their baths short in the process (they didn¡¯t even get their bodies scrubbed). I couldn¡¯t relax as much when they¡¯re around, especially around Emma. I asked Henrietta to massage me again, and then, before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep. ------- Henrietta Aah, they clashed again. Really, both Miss Marina and Madam Emma are so stubborn. Well, at the very least, I got to see them facing each other while dripping wet and naked! Hehe! I don¡¯t think they realize it, but they¡¯re really attractive when they¡¯re in at that state. The way the droplets just trailed down their smooth skin, going down their breasts, butts, and thighs, it¡¯s simply a heavenly sight to watch. Noble ladies are simply the best! That¡¯s why I¡¯m so happy to be able to serve Miss Marina! I can be the one to help her change, giving me an eyeful of her beautiful body every day! I get to wash her clothes too, which means I get to sniff her panties! Of course, Madam Rina is beautiful too! Her boobs are easily the biggest amongst the three! And they always bounce every time she walks, especially when she¡¯s naked like this! Not that Miss Marina and Madam Emma¡¯s boobs don¡¯t bounce as well of course. "Henrietta, please resume the massage." "A-ah right, Miss. Sorry about that." And so, I returned to my work, making sure that Milady''s muscles were all nice and relaxed. And then, when she falls asleep like she often does¡­ Boing Boing~? I stifled my grin. Just a little though. Don''t want to get caught after all. -------- Marina Once I woke up, I ordered Henrietta to finish up quickly as I was starting to feel hungry. If I had to guess, it must be around one to two o¡¯clock in the afternoon by now. She washed and scrubbed my body with great speed and expertise before drying it with a towel. I would do it myself if not for the fact that she would give me the saddest puppy eyes look whenever I told her I could do her job by myself. I suppose she feels the need to be useful, which is a perfectly understandable feeling to have. Afterward, she dressed me up in a clean dress before leading me to the dining room to have lunch. As expected, lunch hour was over already and I had to dine by myself. Well, until a certain someone decided to join in on the fun. "Big Sis! You''re back!'' Without hesitation, Erika ran from the door right into my lap, climbing and hugging me as tightly as she could. I noticed Lorry on the distance, smiling as she closed the door. It seemed she decided that her presence would just be a bother to us. "Oh Big Sis, I miss you so much." She buried her face in my bosom. "Oh, come on, Erika, it''s been only two weeks. You can''t miss me that much, can you?" I smiled as I patted her head. ¡°Two weeks are too long! I don¡¯t wanna be separated from you ever again!¡± He hugged me even tighter. I kept up my smile but internally, I let out a sigh. Ever since that incident with the kidnappers, she had been like this. She never wanted to leave my side. ¡°Take me with you, Sis! I can help! I can now use magic too!¡± ¡°Really?¡± I lifted her to look at her straight in the eyes. ¡°That¡¯s good news, isn¡¯t it? So you can now cast Fireball, right?¡± ¡°Yep! All thanks to you, Sis!¡± ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! I should reward youfor that! Oh, I know! How about some candy? Tomorrow, I¡¯ll take you to town and you can choose whichever candy you want!¡± Judging by her bright expression, she must be really proud of this accomplishment. Even though compared to me and Hugo, she was terribly late in doing so. I could cast Fireball when I was four, while Hugo, the genius that he was, could already do it at two. Two years old! Isn¡¯t that just amazing? It won¡¯t be good for her self-esteem if I start comparing her to him though. Every one of us is talented in different fields. Not everyone can be as good as Hugo in magic. Maybe she can be a skilled swordswoman in the future (though she seems to have no interest in the subject). Or maybe something else not related to fighting, like being an artist or a singer, or even a writer. Though I imagine Grandfather would probably not be thrilled if she ended up taking any of those ¡°lower-class¡± work. Personally, I don¡¯t mind. As long as she can live happily, she can be whatever she wants. Or maybe, just maybe, she can be the one to inherit Grandfather¡¯s title. Countess Erika. She¡¯s pretty good at math to my surprise, knowing her boisterous personality. You need that skill to be able to manage the finances of your territory, I imagine. Me? I¡¯m never that good at it. Nor would I be interested in spending hours sitting on a desk, crunching numbers like Grandfather or Reinhard or Elise. Technically, you can hire a bookkeeper to do the work for you, but I suppose Grandfather doesn¡¯t trust strangers to manage his territory¡¯s finances. ¡°Sis, I wanna learn the next spell already! Maybe Water Ball! That¡¯s just like Fireball but watery, right?¡± Water Ball is the Beginner-level Water spell where you just summon a ball of water out of thin air. It¡¯s not supposed to be used in an offensive manner in the slightest. It¡¯s usually used to generate drinking or bathing water, so it¡¯s merely a utility spell. ¡°Teehee, I suppose it is. Alright! Big Sis will teach you that! But after lunch first. Big Sis is starving!¡± We then ate together, sitting side by side with each other on the long table. As usual, I had to tell her to eat her vegetables. I made sure to tell Lorry to do the same as well in my absence. Afterward, we headed to the usual place we performed our lessons. ---------- The gardens of Grandfather¡¯s mansion were somewhat barren-looking, at least compared to the garden I saw back at Glinda¡¯s mansion. Thanks to the cold climate, there wasn¡¯t much fresh greenery to be seen. Not to mention that the place¡¯s size itself was a major limiting factor on what kind of plants or decorations could be planted. Well, it''s a lot better now though. All thanks to Nysa, who had decided to make it her home. As a dryad, she preferred to sleep outside amongst nature. "Masteeerr! Miss Erikaaaa!" And speak of the devil. The dryad was standing on a short, grassy hill, waving her hands. It seemed she intentionally put herself in that clearing to be directly under the sun. Dryads, like plants, could generate energy via sunlight. When we arrived in the morning, she asked for my permission to go to the garden straight away. I gave it of course. She didn''t need to speak with Grandfather after all. Erika ran forward to her embrace with a smile. The girl had gotten along quite well with the dryad. At first, she was scared of her not being quite human, but she quickly got over that, once Nysa showed to her that she was just as gentle as me. ¡°Hehe, are you that happy to see me again, Miss Erika?¡± The dryad returned with her own smile. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be happier to see Master.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m happier to see Big Sis! But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not happy seeing you back as well!¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough, Erika,¡± I said after I climbed the small hill. ¡°Time to start your lesson. You can play with Nysa all you want later.¡± As usual, when I¡¯m teaching her, I put on my teacher persona, so I had to be a little sterner with her. Just like when I did it with Hugo all those years ago. ¡°Yep! You better listen to your big sister alright!¡± The dryad giggled as she released Erika from her arms. She then turned to face me and said, ¡°You¡¯re using this spot, right? Then I¡¯ll go rest somewhere else.¡± And so she left. By burrowing under the ground. Even Erika was no longer phased by that at this point. Like she had requested, the lesson would be on Water Ball. I began by teaching her the chant for the spell and drawing the shape of the mana flow on the ground. Since it¡¯s a beginner spell, it¡¯s a really simple shape, just a circle with multiple half-circles jutting out of it. The big circle signified the shape of the water the spell was to generate, while the small half-circles signified the element to be generated. Unfortunately, just like with the Fireball spell, even that level of simplicity was too much for her. She quickly memorized the chant, but the problem was in her mana shaping process. Something that came second nature to me was a monumental task for the poor girl. Sensing the mana flow she was attempting to control by placing my hand near her wrist, I knew that the problem still persisted. She simply couldn¡¯t keep the shape of her mana consistent. It shook and trembled, with the half-circles moving back and forth and even phasing in and out of existence. After her thirtieth attempt, with not a single drop of water coming out, she kicked a nearby stone in frustration. Only for it to land right on somebody else¡¯s head. ¡°H-hey! What was that for?¡± It was Roland, the naughty kid I spoke about before. He wore a white button-up shirt and blue shorts with black suspenders. He had an angelic face, no doubt inherited from his mother. If not for his attitude, he would be one lovable child for sure. A small redness had appeared on his forehead and his hand was busy rubbing the spot. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you,¡± Erika said in a cold tone. ¡°Go away. I¡¯m learning magic today and I don¡¯t have any time to waste on you.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smirk a little. She put her hands on her waist while giving the grumpiest look possible, but it only made her look even cuter. As for the boy though, yeah, he should leave. "Hello there, Miss Marina!" He waved his hand at me with a smile. "You''re back! How was it? Did you do anything naughty with Father?" And here we go again. You see, this kid actually thinks that I should be his mother, meaning, Reinhard''s wife. When we first met, he outright asked "Would you be my mother?" right to my face without skipping a beat. And then, every time we meet, he would ask the same question, even begging it on a few occasions. I wasn''t fooled by his acting however. I gave him my own cold stare, before replying, "Erika''s right. We''re in the middle of a lesson here. So please leave." "Hmm, magic lesson, huh? I wanna watch then!" He sat down on the ground with a grin on his face. I sighed. I couldn''t object to that. "Fine. But stay out of the way, alright? Magic can be dangerous, you know." I gave him a serious look. "Alright, Miss Marina!" And so our lesson continued, with him watching on the sidelines. I gave him the occasional glances, making sure that he wasn¡¯t up to any mischief. I hoped he would just leave from boredom, but to my surprise, he decided to stay. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying our lesson. I don¡¯t know why though. He already said he wanted to be a swordsman like his father, saying stuff like how magic is lame and uncool and all that¡ªall childish and unreasonable reasons. Fitting for a child, I suppose. Eventually, Erika managed to create her first Water Ball. Only that it was nowhere near the size it¡¯s supposed to. ¡°Good job!¡± I patted her shoulder with a smile. ¡°Now you¡¯re getting the hang of it! Keep up your training and in no time, you¡¯d be able to cast it properly for sure!¡± "Hey, that''s not nice. Lying to your little sister like that." It was Roland. He had decided to disturb us once again. He stood up with a jump. "That was lame, Erika. Even I could do better than that." Naturally, this sent her to a rage. "You can do better?! You can''t even cast magic in the slightest!" She yelled back. His grin immediately grew wider. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? Then let me show you my magic.¡± He then reached forward with his right hand, aiming at the tree near us. ¡°O Spirit of Wind! Sweep my enemies from their feet! Wind Blast!" A gust of wind fired off from the palm of said hand. Only that it didn''t go towards the tree. Instead, the blast veered towards us. Lifting the hem of our dresses. "Oo green! That¡¯s nice, Miss Marina! The red bow is a nice touch as well! As for you, Erika, white panties with bunnies again? That¡¯s boring. Why won¡¯t you wear something different for once?¡± Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When the wind receded, both Erika and I were naturally sending our death glares towards him. ...This little brat! That¡¯s it! I don¡¯t care what Emma says! If I have to be the one to teach him his lesson, then so be it! Vol 3 Chapter 20: Marina’s Side — The Jealous Wife ¡°Hehe, you like that?¡± He rubbed his nose with his finger, smiling proudly in the process. ¡°Magic is easy! I don¡¯t get why you¡¯re so bad at it, Erika! I got that book just a week ago and I¡¯m already this good at it! And I don¡¯t even want to be a mage!¡± ¡°Pervert!¡± Erika yelled as tears formed in her eyes. Her expression was that of a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Perhaps more on the former. As for me though, I had the same expression. Only that I had far more of the latter compared to the former. I walked forward without a word, and then¡­ SLAP I slapped the little brat, right on his right cheek. He froze, seemingly shocked that I would actually do such a thing to him. And then, he started to cry as well. ¡°U-uwaaahhhh! Y-you can¡¯t do that! You¡¯re not even my mother yet!¡± ¡°Lady Marina! How dare you?!¡± As if Fate was having a laugh, it seemed I had been caught in the act by the boy¡¯s mother, who stormed into the scene as if I just murdered her child. I didn''t even notice that she was there, watching from the distance. At least, not until it was already too late. Even though she was wearing her usual white poofy-sleeved shirt, red ankle-length skirt, and a large feather hat colored similarly to the latter. Not exactly the most inconspicuous attire. I cursed under my breath. I should''ve known something like this could happen. I let my temper get the better of me. Still sobbing, the boy ran to his mother and hugged her. She immediately kneeled down and hugged him back. "Uwaahhh! Miss Marina is mean to me!" "Shh, don''t worry. Mother will take care of her. So wipe your tears. You''re your father''s son, aren''t you? Be brave and don''t show your weakness to the enemy." Did she just call me an enemy? She then walked over to my direction, put on her most angry expression, and said, "How dare you hit my son like that? Who do you think you are? Just because you''re the Earl''s granddaughter doesn''t mean you''re above us in stature!" "I did it for a good reason," I replied coldly. "He had done something inexcusable. He intentionally used a wind spell to lift Erika''s and my dress." "So? Do you think that gives you the right to hit my child?" "It gives me the right to discipline him since you yourself seem to be unable to do so." I¡¯m not going to back off, even though I know provoking her like this would just make things worse. I have my own pride to consider. And Erika¡¯s pride as well. I am not going to let some snot-nosed kid bully her. ¡°Oh? So you think you know better how to raise my son? Don¡¯t tell me you actually are aiming to be my husband¡¯s third wife? Just so you know that I will never¡ª¡± Suddenly, she paused mid-sentence, as something seemingly had latched onto her mind. ¡°R-right. You! If you¡¯re going to hit my child like that, then I would only allow it if you become Reinhard¡¯s third wife!¡± I raised my eyebrows at this sudden shift. Until I realized what she was doing. She wants me to marry her husband so that his position as Grandfather¡¯s heir would remain secure. I am surprised. And impressed. It seems that even in her anger, she still keeps a clear head. She¡¯s willing to sacrifice her own pride¡ªas I am sure she doesn¡¯t want me to be anywhere near her dear Reinhard if she can help it¡ªjust so the future of her husband is guaranteed. ¡°Yeah! Please marry Father, Miss Marina! He¡¯s fond of you, you know!¡± The kid had seemingly recovered fully, now back to his usual, cheerful self as if he hadn¡¯t been crying just five minutes ago. Don¡¯t tell me that he¡¯s faking all that. ¡°I do not want to hit your child,¡± I replied to Emma, looking her straight in the eye to show that I wasn¡¯t lying. ¡°But I do want him to stop doing this kind of action to me or Erika. And you should agree with me in the matter, for a boy who grows up thinking this kind of thing is acceptable would grow up to become an irresponsible womanizer who will play around with every woman he fancies. Do you want that to be his future?¡± ¡°...Impressive." She folded her arms under her chest, giving me a defiant, almost sneering look. "So you believe that just because he¡¯s a little prankster who likes lifting skirts, he¡¯ll grow up to be an irresponsible adult. You do know he''ll grow up from this phase, sooner or later. nd Once he¡¯s ten, I¡¯ll send him off to the most prestigious boarding school where he would be taught to be a perfect gentleman. So it¡¯s fine for him to fool around like this for a bit. Kids his age need it after all. And that¡¯s Reinhard speaking.¡± ¡°I doubt Reinhard approves of him being a mischievous little runt like this though.¡± I fired back. ¡°Watch your tongue. I won¡¯t accept you or anyone else calling my little angel a ¡°runt¡± like that.¡± ...Oops. Perhaps that¡¯s a bit too much. ¡°Very well then. If you think there¡¯s no problem whatsoever with him acting like that, then I assume you would have no problem with me doing this.¡± With a flick of my wand, I cast a Wind spell, just like the one he did. Only this time it was a bit more powerful. And the wind would surge out right underneath his mother¡¯s skirt. It was enough to lift her long skirt all the way upwards, revealing to the world her undergarments, just like how mine and Erika¡¯s had been revealed. This wasn¡¯t done out of any perverted intentions. I simply wanted to show her how embarrassing it was for a lady to have her private region being exposed like that. When the wind died down, the lady¡¯s face had turned pure crimson. I chuckled a little. See? She¡¯s just as embarrassed as I am. Or even more so. And then, her hand flew right towards my face for a slap. Too bad that my vine caught it in mid-air. ¡°See? You¡¯re really embarrassed, aren¡¯t you? So please understand why I want him to stop. The maids might not complain about it, knowing your status as this household¡¯s madam, but I will. I am Marina Archimond, the granddaughter of Philip Archimond. So I have the same status as you are, Lady Emma.¡± With those words, the woman could only turn around in anger, dragging her son with him. Once they were gone, I let out a deep sigh. Well, this will only worsen our relationship. After our little dramatic confrontation, Henrietta arrived to inform me that Grandfather had summoned me. I told her I would be there at once. Erika on the other hand opted to return to her room. She was in no mood to use the rest of the day to play in the garden, it seemed, especially after what just happened. ----------- Henrietta Wow, that was amazing! To think I would miss such a lovely sight if I had arrived just a few moments later. This must be my lucky day! I don''t know exactly what happened, but it seems Young Master had lifted Miss Marina''s skirt with his magic. She wouldn''t know Young Master was capable of such a feat since I believe he only learned it 5 days ago, judging by when he started going on a rampage lifting the skirts of us maids. I was also one of his victims, but I didn''t really mind. A cute boy like him can peek at my panties anytime he wants~? I have to applaud his bravery. Sure, I saw Miss Marina''s panties already when I helped her change, but seeing her all flustered like that when her skirt was blown upwards, it was a divine sight. Aah, Miss Marina. Why are you so lovely? But then, something even better happened. Miss Emma''s skirt got lifted as well, and it''s by Miss Marina too! I never got a chance to see her undergarments, so you can just imagine my excitement. And my oh my, it was an even lovelier sight. She wore long white stockings and garterbelt. Her panties were sheer lace, colored white as well. It was an extremely erotic sight, especially since the panties showed a generous amount of her butt. No doubt she would wear them whenever she wanted to seduce Master Reinhard. But to think she would wear them in broad daylight as well¡­ oh, how lewd! ...Alright, enough of that for now. I already got the image stored nicely in my mind. I can fantasize about it later. Now, I need to give Miss Marina her message. ------- Marina I headed back to the study with Henrietta leading the way. Once she finished escorting me, she excused herself, citing that she would need to clean up my bedroom. When I entered the room, I noticed that Grandfather was still busy with the documents. Only that this time around, he had Elise standing beside him as his assistant. The maid wasn¡¯t present when I first met him, which meant he probably had dismissed her so that we could have a completely private discussion. It was somewhat of a sensitive matter after all. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here.¡± He greeted me with a smile. ¡°Good news. I just received a letter from a friend and he said he knew a merchant who possessed that Dream Orb thing you wanted.¡± My eyes widened. ¡°She is already making her way here. However, she expects to be paid handsomely for the item plus the fee of coming all the way out here." "H-how much?" I stuttered. "The letter doesn''t mention the price, unfortunately." He shook his head. "However, the merchant would accept favors as payment." "Favors?" "Most likely a letter of introduction to His Majesty." Grandfather sighed. "Any merchants worth their salt would want to build connections with a kingdom''s royal family." "Can you do that, Grandfather? If you can''t, then there''s no need to¡ª" "Hah! Who do you think I am?" He laughed. "I never go back down on my promise, especially after your excellent work on those bandits. I''ll write this merchant a letter that will take them to His Majesty directly. I still have some pulls in court after all." If a heart could grow wings and fly away, then mine would''ve done so already. Finally! I can talk to Hugo again! ------------ The following days went like a blur, as my excitement continued to linger on, even though I knew the merchant wasn¡¯t going to arrive for at least two months, and maybe more. She was apparently a wandering merchant of the Hobbit race who had recently set up shop at the city of Trine, which was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Amereria. She specialized in magical items, so it wouldn¡¯t be odd for her to obtain the Dream Orb. Especially since The Bottomless Chasm was nearby¡ªa World Dungeon where such items would be able to be found. After the incident, Emma refused to talk or even look at me while Roland continued his mischievous ways, though he stopped whenever I was present. It seemed my slap had actually scared him, at least for the moment. After around two weeks, Reinhard finally returned. He reported that Marie had been delivered safely to her uncle''s place. And from the short time he was treated to his hospitality, he seemed to be a decent enough guy, at least according to his gut feeling. Let''s just hope that gut feeling of his is correct, or I''ll feel really guilty of not taking in the poor girl instead. And of course, since he returned, the noises returned as well. What noises you might ask? --------- ¡°O-oh, Reinhard! More! More! Thrust even deeper inside me!" "N-not fair, Emma! I want him inside me too! Stop hogging him all for yourself!" I paused in my tracks. Once again, those outrageous sounds reached my ears. I had just finished my seed research, which I performed in a small greenhouse constructed specifically for me at the gardens. On my way back to my room, I had to pass in front of Reinhard''s room. And so, I could hear what''s going on inside, even if I didn''t want to. And what I heard, as shameful as it was to admit, turned me on terribly. Squeeze~? My legs instinctively crossed themselves as I felt a familiar twinge down there. Really, to think that the normally prim and proper woman would act like this in bed¡­ But I suppose that''s how a harmonious family is supposed to be. Mother was like that as well. ...I''m jealous. I want to have a lover and do all that stuff with him as well. But for now, I have to settle with my hands instead. --------- Returning back to my room, I threw myself onto the bed and immediately began to massage my girlhood through my panties. I imagined myself being hugged from behind by a man¡ªhis hands reaching forward and groping my breasts, as he whispered sweet nothings into my ears. ¡°Uuuhhhh¡­ aahhnnn...¡± I buried my face in my pillow as I became more and more aroused. I didn¡¯t want any moans to escape outside the room. Not that I¡¯m much of a moaner to begin with. I¡¯m pretty good at stifling my own moans. I then imagined the man going underneath my skirt, licking at my already soaking girlhood without hesitation. I begged him to go slower but he wouldn¡¯t listen. ¡°Aaahhhnn...haaaahhhmmm..hhaaahhh¡­¡± My fingers moved faster and faster as I came closer and closer into my climax. And then¡­ "Aaahhhh!" Splish~? Splosh~? Splish splosh~? My fingers could feel my green panties significantly dampen as liquid spilled over from my girlhood. It was shameful yet satisfying at the same time. After I finished, I took a big relieved sigh. I hugged my pillow and drifted off into dreamland, as I would always get sleepy after I had my orgasm. In my mind, I imagined I was hugging my darling after we had our playtime together. I would lean on his chest and enjoy the sound of his heartbeat as I fell asleep. I sighed again. When will I get the gentleman I always dreamed of? I don''t need him to be a perfect one, since I''m not perfect myself. I just want a good-looking man with a good head on his shoulders that can understand me and my problems¡ªsomeone that I can open my heart to. Do I even deserve such a man? ------ Reinhard "Dear, we need to talk." The next morning, right after Reinhard woke up, Emma sprung her attack. The two were still naked, cuddling together on their bed. Only Rina remained asleep. Emma had woken up first and she had woken up her husband by licking and whispering to his ear. She had no need for Rina to join in their conversation however so she let her remain that way. She knew this was the most opportune moment to talk about the subject she was going to bring up. When they were displaying everything to each other like this, when their intimacy was at its peak, she could easily make him listen more to her point of view. After all, she knew how much her dear husband couldn¡¯t resist her body. ¡°It¡¯s about Marina. You see, dearie, when you were away, that girl actually dared to hit our son. Please, say something to her. She won¡¯t listen to me. You¡¯re the Earl¡¯s heir. Even if she¡¯s his granddaughter, she has no right to your title and inheritance. She¡¯s boorish and uneducated, not fit to be a Countess in the slightest.¡± As she said those words, she rested her body on his broad chest, pressing her breasts in the process. She knew just how much he loved those two mounds of fat. "She hit Roland?" His expression was that of disbelief. "Surely there''s a good reason why she would do such a thing. Perhaps he had been bothering her little sister a bit too much?" To Emma''s chagrin, her husband held a high opinion on the interloper. She didn''t know why. She might be good at magic but that doesn''t mean anything if her personality and looks are bad. The former is obvious, with that attitude of hers. As for the latter, average at best. "H-he only did a little harmless prank on her." Her voice wavered. "Certainly nothing bad enough that warrants such a reaction." "And what prank is that?" His eyes narrowed. "H-he lifted her skirt." Emma had turned meek under the commanding glare of her husband. She was about to lie but she knew very well how much he hated liars. And she didn''t want him to hate her! S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Reinhard sighed. ¡°Then she¡¯s justified in doing so. Really, Emma, you should stop spoiling Roland too much. I¡¯ve told you before that him doing something like that is unacceptable. Roland needs to learn how to treat girls better, even at a young age. No, in fact, it¡¯s something that should be taught early on. You know how much harder it is to change a child¡¯s habits the older he gets.¡± This was what Emma feared. Once again, her husband took Marina¡¯s side. Noticing her souring expression, he continued, ¡°Emma, Marina, and Erika are as much part of this household as anyone else. You need to give them the respect they deserve.¡± ¡°Hmph! What is it with you and her? Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve taken a liking on her or something!¡± Hearing that, Reinhard chuckled, before pulling his wife even closer to his embrace. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Emma. You¡¯ll always be my No.1 woman. You don¡¯t have to worry about Marina or anyone else taking your position, alright?¡± Reinhard knew just how the mind of his adorable wife worked. When she got pouty like this, it simply meant she wanted more attention for him. She must have missed him terribly, and she took that anger towards Marina. A woman is a jealous creature. It¡¯s something every man should learn, especially those who plan to have more than one sweetheart. Emma¡¯s poutiness immediately vanished, before she assaulted his lips with her own. And thus, they were late to breakfast that morning. Next chapter, I probably am going to go to Fiora''s side. I think that''s enough Marina for now. Vol 3 Chapter 21: Interlude — The Two Royal Perverts Arthurstaad. The capital of the Holy Empire. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that it was the center of the Holy Continent or even the center of the world itself. It was the most populous city in the world and it possessed culture and wealth unrivaled by any other nations out there. At its very center, there stood a tall and proud castle, overlooking the entire city as its protector. It was the Diamond Palace¡ªthe place where the imperial family resided. It earned that title for the way the architecture sparkled and glistened under the sunlight, thanks to the special stone it was built from. Its size was massive, to the point that you could divide it into two. The Outer Palace and the Inner Palace. The Outer Palace was where most of the palace¡¯s residents worked and lived. Nobles and knights could be seen all over this section of the palace, dressed lavishly to show off their wealth. The Inner Palace on the other hand was reserved for the royal family and those they trusted. The number of people you could find there decreased significantly, as it was forbidden to everyone but a very few to step one¡¯s foot there. And the punishment for trespassing was death. Thanks to those two facts, it wasn¡¯t odd in the slightest for it to be regarded to be the world¡¯s largest and most beautiful royal palace. Within its walls, however, it was another matter entirely. The beauty that outsiders would witness from the outside¡ªit hid an ugliness that had corrupted the millennia-old empire. Those who lived in it were monsters of lies and deceit, fighting against each other to gain power and influence day and night. It got so bad that even the servants had to be trained in combat, just so they could protect the lords and ladies they served from the others. It was a suffocating and hellish environment, where you could barely trust anyone. And yet, it was an environment where she thrived. Rinea Rhea Pendragon, the First Imperial Princess of The Holy Empire of Milicis. -------- ¡°So, she survived after all. Impressive.¡± ¡°Yes, Milady. My reports said that she had taken shelter within the Galahad Order as one of its students.¡± ¡°As for the assassins?¡± ¡°The Guild hasn¡¯t given an official report. However, our own sources said that some of them perished in her hand, while others had switched sides, choosing to serve her instead.¡± ¡°Switched sides? Clever. That little monster would not hesitate to end their lives so the moment they knew they would lose, they spared themselves her blade by surrendering instead. I wonder though, my dear Fiora. You are not so foolish to believe that traitors like them could be trusted, right?¡± This conversation was done out of in the open, right inside one of the many gardens the palace possessed. It was the Rose Garden, the favorite flower of the princess. Naturally, it existed at the inner palace, and away from any prying ears or eyes. That¡¯s why they were comfortable enough discussing such a sensitive subject there. ¡°Persuade those assassins to betray her. If they¡¯re unwilling, kill them.¡± ¡°Of course, Milady.¡± The maid bowed deeply at her mistress¡¯ command. She was an attractive woman in her late thirties, possessing short lavender hair. Like a proper maid, she wore a maid¡¯s outfit that was colored light crimson, customized with a leather corset that hugged her slim waist. It emphasized her large bust even more than they were already emphasized by her tight-fitting dress. Her eyes were emerald green, though of a duller side. Her mistress, on the other hand, was on another level entirely. Her maid turned outright homely in front of her presence. Such was the level of beauty that she possessed. Her silver hair flowed like a serene waterfall down her shoulders, complemented beautifully by the azure dress she wore. Her skin was fair but not pale, and her figure was perfectly proportioned without a single flaw. The people of the capital called her the Diamond Princess, and many even believed that she was the most beautiful princess that had ever lived. She was currently seated at a pure white table under a gazebo¡ªa private spot where she could enjoy her tea while being surrounded by the flowers she was fond of. Of course, like a proper maid, the other woman remained standing. You could see the large knife sheathed behind her, signifying that she was also the princess¡¯ bodyguard. The princess took a sip of her tea, as for a short moment, she took in the sights. As usual, the gardeners made sure that every single rose was flawless. They even employed several Earth mages to ensure that the roses never wilted, even in the winter. It was a picturesque sight¡ªa fairylike beauty from those old folktales sipping tea while being surrounded by roses, served by her dutiful maid. It would be a crime¡ªno, a sin¡ªto disturb such a sight. And then, that picture was destroyed completely by the arrival of one man. ¡°Well well well, this seems to be quite the nice tea party you have here, my little sister. Mind if I join?¡± He was none other than Alphonse Rhea Pendragon, the Imperial Prince of the Holy Empire. Just like his sister, he was blessed with a handsome look that could make any woman graced by his presence swoon and faint. He possessed the same hair color as his sister and he had the same level of charisma as well, judging by how many noble ladies and maids he had bedded. His nickname was the Silver Prince, and he was the leading candidate to be the next Emperor, once his father retired on his position. He smiled at her as he took his seat uninvited. Any other woman would have fallen for his charms right then and there. The First Princess remained unaffected however. ¡°Were you perhaps talking about our dear Fiora, my darling?¡± He continued smiling as the maid poured his cup with tea. ¡°Oh? Eavesdropping again? That¡¯s not a very nice thing to do, my older brother,¡± she replied with her own smile. ¡°Oh no, I wouldn¡¯t possibly dare to do something as abhorrent as that.¡± He gave her a disappointed look. ¡°It is simply¡­ a guess. You two are talking on your own and usually, the topic would be our dear little sister.¡± ¡°Hmph, then you¡¯ve guessed correctly.¡± ¡°She made it, didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Oh yes, just like you predicted.¡± ¡°Ha, I knew it! That girl is too tough to just die to a bunch of assassins!¡± ¡°How odd. You seem happy, even though this would jeopardize our plans.¡± The two had made a temporary truce. Until their little sister was taken care of, they wouldn¡¯t make any moves against each other. Thanks to the equal position they had, it was unwise for them to fight each other for the throne right away. The brother had the majority support of the nobility, while the sister held the merchant class¡ªthus, the economy of the empire¡ªin her fingers, thanks to her company. ¡°Since she¡¯s joining those sword-loving guys, maybe she¡¯ll abandon this whole game in the first place. She¡¯ll become a wandering swordswoman instead, slaying dragons left and right. That would be wonderful, wouldn¡¯t it, my dear sister?¡± He grinned. The princess took note that she had never told him of Fiora¡¯s newly gained association with the Order, meaning, he had his own network of spies. As expected, of course. ¡°How naive. That little brute would never just give up like that. Most likely, she intended to become a swordsman so strong she could just waltz into this palace and kill everyone that blocks her path to the throne.¡± ¡°Ha! She has to be the Legendary Hero himself to do that! No way a person can win against the Seven on her own!¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Seven he was talking about was, of course, the Seven Imperial Knights of the Empire. ¡°Then she would seek out allies¡ªallies that might be strong enough to even topple the Seven.¡± ¡°Like those mages across the ocean?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a possibility. But she isn¡¯t dumb. She knows if she asks for help from the Magocracy, she will only become their puppet. And she will never want such a position, not with that hardheaded personality of hers.¡± The two paused for a bit. The princess took another sip of her tea while the prince simply played around with his cup, seemingly entertaining himself with his reflection there. The prince was the one to break the silence. ¡°Have you heard? Someone assassinated Vera Marjoram.¡± ¡°Of course I have,¡± the princess fired back with an annoyed expression. She didn¡¯t enjoy being underestimated by her brother like that. ¡°The Greenwood Family. The father and mother died while the brother and sister survived. That mage must be a fool to be taken down by them. How could you lose to someone who decided it¡¯s a good idea to bring a young boy with them to assassinate someone? No matter how much of a genius he is in combat, it¡¯s a weak point she could easily abuse.¡± ¡°You mean like using him as a hostage?¡± ¡°Something like that could work. Or just killing him first, sending his parents to a rage. Then they would make mistakes. And then, use those mistakes to kill them next.¡± ¡°Wow, how cold. They should start calling you the Ice Princess instead.¡± Her brother chuckled. Naturally, she gave him another offended look. ¡°So, what would be our next plan for her?¡± The prince spoke again. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ since sending assassins won¡¯t work, then I suppose we¡¯ll have to use her instead.¡± ¡°Her?¡± The prince replied with a curious look. ¡°Yes, her.¡± She smirked. ¡°Surely you can figure out who I am talking about.¡± ¡°...Ah, of course! Her!¡± He snapped his finger. ¡°How could I forget? The cool and mysterious knight herself! Lady Gloria Fitzgerald!" "I''ve called her here by the way," the princess continued. "She should arrive soon enough. But for now, let''s talk about something else, shall we?" Her smile suddenly turned into a smirk. "The new maid. How was she?" "Ah, not holding back in the slightest, are we?" He grinned as well. "You know, you should stop being this blunt. Imagine what our subjects would think if they know their beloved princess is a pervert." "It''s the same with you, dear brother. What would they think if they know how much you''ve slept around?" "Hey, everyone already knows I''m popular with the ladies," he said with a proud look. "But you¡­ you''re supposed to be the pure and perfect princess. Not somebody who would command her maids to warm her bed at night." It was indeed true, what he said. She had slept with nearly every attractive maid that belonged to her faction. Of course, she only did it after she made sure the maid was trustworthy, which meant no contact with other factions in the palace, especially her brother''s. And Primela, her most loyal maid, would always hide on the corner of the room watching. And naturally, she had slept with Primela many times as well. Even though she was already in her thirties, her body was still attractive enough for her to hold interest. "As for your question," the prince continued. "She was alright, I suppose." "Oh? Does she not satisfy you? From what I saw of her, she was a pretty cute girl. I thought since you prefer inexperienced girls, you would be more fond of her. What¡¯s her name again? Teila or something?¡± "Her body didn''t do it for me, unfortunately.¡± He ignored her question. ¡°Her body was on the sensitive side, sure, and her innocence was certainly charming, but she was still young so her hips were small and her breasts were just average. Though her nipples were cute, especially the way they stood up just because I played with her a little.¡± "Her nipples?" A twinkle appeared in her eye. ¡°Heh, if you have to ask, they¡¯re a lovely shade of pink, with a dash of redness as well.¡± ¡°Ah, that sounds wonderful,¡± the princess replied. ¡°Though personally, I prefer cherry red on a field of white snow.¡± ¡°Should I lend her to you then?¡± He smirked. ¡°Mmm, that would be unnecessary. I still have some other maids of my own that I would like to sleep with.¡± Ever since they reached puberty, the two were already preying on the palace maids. Make no mistake. A lot of the maids who worked there were daughters of low to mid-rank nobles, sent by their parents to serve so that they could curry favors with the imperial family. The prince was even more ravenous, going after noble ladies and prostitutes alike outside the palace. Well, the princess would do the same whenever the circumstances allowed her to. She had slept with the daughters of some merchants she was associated with. They were a pair of young lecherous philanderers. And they were proud of it. Blackmail? No one dared to do that. They knew going against the imperial prince and princess meant death. If not that, financial ruin. They had taken out a handful of nobles and merchants who had gone quite uppity in that manner. And even if the rumor got out, it wasn¡¯t something they couldn¡¯t live with. After all, it was common for the high-ranking nobles of the Empire to have uncommon sexual proclivities, with some being even more degenerate than they were. And they naturally kept track of that information as well. The Empire had been the richest and most prosperous country in the entire world for hundreds of years. And with wealth came decadence, just like the empires of Earth. That decadence even transformed into a status symbol in time. For example, eyebrows would be raised if a nobleman refuses to take mistresses. His manhood would be questioned, even by the wife herself. She was already taught to expect her future husband to have another woman or two he would sleep with ever since she was a child. The Empire might be holy in name, but it¡¯s certainly not holy in practice. Their lewd talk continued for some time until a butler came to them, announcing the arrival of the Imperial Knight. ¡°Good. Sent her in then,¡± the princess replied. Soon after, another person entered the scene. This time, it was another woman, donning a full imperial knight armor except for the helmet. As this was the inner palace, she wasn¡¯t allowed to carry her sword and shield. Even as one of the Seven, she hadn¡¯t earned that privilege yet. Her hair was long and blonde, with a braid on one side. She was another beautiful personage, though, of course, her beauty still couldn¡¯t compare with the princess¡¯. ¡°Welcome, Lady Fitzgerald.¡± The princess greeted her with a smile. ¡°Apologies for making you walk here from the outer palace, but we have a request I¡¯d like to make to you in private.¡± The knight immediately kneeled in front of the two, facing her head to the grass underneath her. Decorum demanded her to do this, or else she would be executed for her insolency. ¡°Of course, Your Royal Highness,¡± she replied. ¡°We would like you to send a message to our dear little sister, Fiora. I want you to do it personally. You used to be her tutor, so I believe she will listen to you. Unfortunately, we have somewhat¡­ drifted apart over the years, after the terrible death of her mother. So she wouldn¡¯t listen to us.¡± ¡°...Very well, Your Royal Highness. I shall make sure to deliver your message. Though I would have to ask for approval from His Imperial Majesty first before I could leave the palace.¡± The law dictated that The Seven were bound to the emperor and the emperor alone. No one else had the right to rule them around, not even his wife or children. Of course, in practice, it¡¯s a different matter entirely. The knights still had to respect his relatives, or else they would be seen as disrespecting the Emperor, so they ended up taking orders from them anyways. As long as said order didn¡¯t clash with the Emperor¡¯s orders, then they would be allowed to fulfill them. ¡°Of course.¡± The princess smiled. ¡°See Father after this. He would approve for sure. As for the message, Primela will explain further. Primela, accompany her to Father..¡± ¡°Of course, Milady.¡± The maid bowed. The knight bowed as well, before standing up and excusing herself with another bow. It¡¯s only natural that you have to do a lot of bowing in front of the most powerful royal family in the world. Once the two were out of sight, the prince let out a whistle. ¡°I really want to make her squeal.¡± ¡°Not Primela, I assume. She¡¯s mine and mine only.¡± The princess pouted. The prince chuckled. ¡°Heh, of course not. I¡¯m not interested in the elderly.¡± ¡°You know she¡¯s not that much younger than Primela, right?¡± ¡°Really? Now that¡¯s a surprise.¡± He took another sip of his tea. Finding that the cup was empty, he raised his right upwards, signaling to his attendant to show herself. The bushes nearby shook, and a girl came out from it. Unlike Primela, her maid dress was the short version, with the skirt ending halfway up her thighs, revealing a generous amount of her smooth legs and stockings. She had short dark hair and red eyes. Naturally, the prince wouldn¡¯t be walking around without his own maid/bodyguard. In fact, each of them still had more servants and bodyguards standing nearby. They simply had ordered them to give them privacy, so they didn¡¯t show themselves. The prince didn¡¯t need to say anything. The girl immediately refilled his cup. ¡°Ah, so you brought Zenetia along as well,¡± the princess commented as she sipped her own tea. ¡°Of course! I can¡¯t do anything without her help!¡± He grinned. The maid didn¡¯t respond to the praise however. The two continued their talk for a while, steering back to a lewder topic once again. Planning the assassination of their own half-sister seemed to be only another conversation topic to them, equal to an argument about which color of nipples are the best. Such was the level of ruthlessness that they possessed. Then again, for the hell that was the Diamond Palace, par for the course. Vol 3 Chapter 22: Meeting The Princess Hugo I descended the mountain at high speed, utilizing my Wind Step spell to its fullest. As a result, I didn¡¯t meet with any of the adventurers. I didn¡¯t take the route I took when I first climbed up as well, since going back to the village would mean a detour. I trusted Flameu that she would take care of them, so there was no need for me to go there. I had to make my trip to the capital as fast as I could, so I could meet this princess, get the money I would need, and then head north to find the elf. I just hope she is still around. I reached the foot of the mountain in just one day and returned to Keirnes in another. I stocked up on more supplies as I usually did every time I was going to go somewhere far. The capital was said to be seven days from here on a carriage, so I didn¡¯t wait until the next day to get on one. I took the nighttime carriage that would take me directly there. And to my relief, the carriage did go as fast as it promised. I departed at night, and I arrived on the day. Misfon was naturally bigger than Keirnes, being the capital of the kingdom and all. I didn¡¯t spend much time in the city proper itself though as I headed straight to the outskirts where the princess¡¯ residence should be. To my surprise, however, it wasn¡¯t easy for me to pinpoint the place, as unlike Flameu¡¯s house, no one even knew the princess had such a place. They all expected her to be living at the castle located in the center of the city. Makes sense, I suppose. They won¡¯t be announcing such a private matter to the citizens. Still, it didn¡¯t take me long to find the place. I simply looked for the biggest, most guarded place in the area. That¡¯s where a princess would be staying, right? ---------- So, I should just walk into the front gate and give the guard there the letter Flameu had given to me, right? Once I found the place, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a tad nervous. Just because if I messed this up, I might just end up being branded a criminal who wanted to assassinate the princess or something. Sure, they probably won¡¯t be able to capture me, but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to become a fugitive again. The mansion was large, surrounded in four sides by a tall wall designed to keep any might-be intruders out. The building was a three-story construction¡ªwider than it is tall. It is surrounded by a well-kept garden filled with all sorts of flowers, no doubt the kind of thing a princess would be a fan of. Oh, I¡¯m surveying the entire thing from the skies by the way. I just hope no one notices my completely not-suspicious presence up here. I could just sneak in. But of course, that would be a bad idea. Since the sun was already going down, I decided not to make my move until the next day. Or rather, the next day after that, as I needed my fancy adventuring clothes to be washed first by the inn I was staying at. I figured I should really look like a fashionable noble when I made my visit, just so I would draw less suspicion. And besides, I haven''t washed that thing properly in quite some time. Soap is nowhere as easy to find as it was in my old world. Not to mention my own laziness, who usually just sprayed the thing with water and called it a day... At first, I thought to use one of the many laundry services that existed in the city. But to take care of high-quality clothes like the one I wore, I wouldn¡¯t trust them with a ten-feet pole. Not just because of how they were most likely not skilled enough to wash my clothes properly, but also because they might just decide to steal them. Yeah, I¡¯d rather not be troubled by that. And so, I decided to go to the best inn the city had to offer. It was called the Golden Eagle and it was clearly intended to be perused by wealthy merchants and nobles who visited the city. Not an adventurer like me. So when I came in and asked for a room, I got quite a few eyebrows from the staff. Oof, one gold for one night. That¡¯s pretty painful. At least the laundry is free. I stayed there for one night, giving my clothes to be washed right after I checked in so it would be ready at noon the next day. For the morning, I had my breakfast there. It was expensive but God it was so delicious. Afterward, I just spent the hours in my room, enjoying how fluffy and comfortable the bed was. After lunch, with the best clothes on my personage, I headed back to the mansion straight away. -------- ¡°Halt! State your business!¡± As expected, the guards standing on the front immediately moved in as if I was an enemy. There were ten of them, each wearing a set of armor with spears as their weapon of choice. First things first. I gave them a bow, by holding my right hand to my right chest, moving it downwards with a slight twirl before the rest of my body followed. Fiora taught me this actually¡ªa specific way nobles were supposed to bow. It''s different than the bowing movement done by the servants since their bow is to signify obedience to their employers, while this bow is to signify respect to the other party. Doing it well is necessary if you don''t want to be considered as a rude and uncouth person. These guards are most likely part of this kingdom''s knighthood, so giving them this bow is proper. "Greetings. My name is Charles Pendleton. I come here to meet with Her Royal Highness, for I bring an urgent message from Lady Flameu. It is of a personal nature, only for her ears only." This is necessary to gain entrance, or else they would just ask for the letter and tell me to leave. "I bring with me this letter from her. I hope it would be satisfactory." I took out the letter from my coat pocket, handing it over to the guard closest to me¡ªa middle-aged man with a bushy black stache. He took it as if I was handing a sheet of poison, glancing at me back and forth multiple times as if he expected me to have a sinister smirk on my face. He then opened it, skimmed through it for a few moments before raising his eyebrows, and stared at me even harder. Uuh, I guess I should use my best smile here. Yep. "Stop it, kid. Your disgusting smile won''t work here." D-disgusting? H-hey, I''ve rehearsed that smile many times, you know! "Hmph, you think we would believe that a whelp like you is hired by Lady Flameu as her bodyguard?" He began playing with his stache. ...Oh right, the news of my dragon killing hasn''t arrived here yet. I rushed my way here after all. "Sir, there''s a royal seal on the letter! There''s a high possibility he might be telling the truth!" One of the other guards suddenly spoke up. "Nonsense! This brat must have faked it! Or steal it from the actual messenger!" Goddamn, this old man is stubborn. "Just so you know, I''m a Master-level Wind mage. If I so choose, I could take on every single one of you here without breaking a sweat. And I would if you do not let me go through. I intend to deliver Lady Flameu''s message, whether you guys allow me to or not." I put on a cold and offended expression as if I was talking to a bunch of meddling buffoons who didn''t know who they were speaking to. Which they were if I were to be brutally honest. "You brat! That''s it! You''re going to the dungeons! Right now!" ...Welp, so much for my diplomatic effort. "Wind Blast!" Without hesitation, I drew my wand and made a circular motion with it. In an instant, every single guard who surrounded me was blown away by my spell, throwing them down to the ground. It was not a lethal spell in the slightest. It was simply intended to show my superiority compared to them. There was no reason to go on a killing spree against ¡°enemies¡± of their level after all. ¡°I could do this over and over until I reach the princess,¡± I exclaimed with a small grin. ¡°And you guys won¡¯t even be able to touch a single strand of my hair.¡± ¡°Why, you!¡± The old man was the first to stand up. ¡°Charge, men! Protect the princess with your lives!¡± Only he did the charge, however, as his other men chose to merely exchange fearful glances with each other, knowing just how much stronger I was compared to them. Guess I have to play a bit more with this old man. ¡°Wind Blast!¡± Another spell, and this time, I sent him flying upwards a good twenty meters onto the air, flipping him upside down in the process. And of course, once he was about to hit the ground, I softened his landing with another wind spell, flipping him again so he landed on his back. "See? I''m not lying about my prowess. I am more than qualified to serve Lady Flameu. In fact, in a few days, maybe a week, you probably will hear that I''ve just slain a dragon on my own. So please. If I''m a bad guy, you people would''ve already been dead by now." The old man could only look at me with a defiant, yet defeated look. .------------ Afterward, his subordinates immediately apologized to me profusely. It seemed they were far readier to accept my word compared to their captain. They then offered to accompany me inside. Well, ¡°offered¡± might not be the right word. I am pretty sure they would take no for an answer. Even if they said they believed in me, they still wanted to make sure I was no threat to their beloved princess. One of them also hurried inside with the letter to inform the princess of my appearance. As for the old man, he was still stubborn enough to not apologize. And as he ¡°guarded¡¯ me as well, it was clear as day he was ready to cut me the moment I made any suspicious moves. I admire his grit, really. At the very least, the princess has an absolutely loyal retainer on her side. Even if he¡¯s not that bright. I was escorted to the drawing room where I was told to wait. The place didn¡¯t have a throne room or anything, so it¡¯s really more like if I was visiting an ordinary noblewoman. It didn¡¯t take long until a guard told me that she was ready. I was then escorted once again to a different room. Or rather, a different place, since the princess deemed it fit to receive me in the gardens instead. And then, from a distance, I saw her, perusing the lilies and crysthantiums on the flower bed in front of her. And immediately I knew I was getting the kind of princess I wanted. She had long, luscious golden locks that went down all the way to her waist. As for her dress, it was pure white, displaying the purity such a person must possess. She also wore a silver crown, matching perfectly with her white garb. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In short, she was beautiful. This is it! This is the demure and beautiful princess all those fantasy stories have! Crunch. My boots stepped on a handful of dried leaves. Noticing my presence, she turned and greeted me with the most gorgeous smile I had ever witnessed. ¡°Sir Pendleton.¡± She spoke straight to me. ¡°I should begin by begging for your apology. Please forgive the rudeness of my knights. They are simply too wary for their own good.¡± She then gave a bow, which I did not expect for a princess to do, knowing the difference between our status. I¡¯m not complaining though. It gave me the perfect opportunity to get an eyeful of her cleavage. ¡°Barton. Please, leave us.¡± She sent an annoyed look to the old man. ¡°B-but Your Highness¡­¡± ¡°I shall be fine. I¡¯ve read the letter. If Lady Flameu trusts him, then I shall do the same.¡± To my surprise, she was capable of displaying such a fierce look. I guess to be a good princess, you have to possess the capability to command your subjects like this.¡± ¡°O-of course, Your Highness.¡± The old man gave his bow, along with his men, before leaving the immediate premises. I know for a fact they must be hiding nearby though, watching me like an eagle watches its prey. Still, it finally allows me to relax a bit. Especially since this princess doesn¡¯t seem to be the stiff type. ¡°Milord.¡± She spoke again, back to her lovely smile. ¡°Shall we have our talk as we make our rounds through the gardens?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I gave her my own smile as I bowed. ¡°After you, Milady¡±. Damn, I¡¯m starting to feel like a proper noble now. --------- We strolled around the gardens in a casual pace as we had our chatter. Ignoring the fact that I was conversing with a beautiful princess, which in itself was already heavenly enough, the cool breeze and lovely scent were enough to make it a pleasant experience. It''s winter and yet, the flowers didn''t seem to be wilting in the slightest. Magic must be at the works. "Lord Pendleton, is Lady Flameu doing fine?" She was the first one to speak. "Don''t worry!" I smiled. "She''s perfectly fine! In fact, she should be busy saving a village from a plague right now!" "Oh, truly?" Her eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands together in the most princess-like manner. "That''s wonderful! They''re in good hands¡ªI''m sure of it! After all, she was the one who cured my illness!" My ears perked. "Your illness, Your Highness?" "Yes!" She smiled. Ah, what a wonderful sight. "You see, my legs used to¡ªah, I shouldn''t bother you with this, should I? You can''t stay for long, right?" "Oh no, please, continue! I''m very much interested in what you have to tell, Milady!" She covered her mouth and giggled¡ªa choir from the heavens themselves. "Before she came, I was¡­ unable to walk. My legs were too weak to support my body. It was something I was born with, and neither the priests nor the alchemists were able to do anything about it. I could only spend my days in a wheelchair, being pushed around by my attendants.¡± ...Well, this conversation just suddenly turns grim. And a wheelchair? That already exists in this world? I shouldn¡¯t be surprised though. It shouldn¡¯t be that hard to invent. ¡°But then, she arrived. She was Father¡¯s court mage, as you would¡¯ve known. And she offered to take a look on my condition. At first, she failed to cure it as well, but she didn¡¯t give up. She kept coming back again and again with new potions and medicines. I didn¡¯t know why she insisted so much in curing me. Father already gave up on me a long time ago, giving me this place away from the castle just so he couldn¡¯t see me around. A ¡°filthy invalid¡±, he said. He sent my mother to the gallows for it.¡± My heart sank. ¡°W-wait, you¡¯re serious?¡± I said in disbelief. With a bitter smile, she replied, ¡°Yes. My father¡­ he¡¯s never that good of a person.¡± She looked away as her feet stopped. I halted my stride as well. ¡°But enough about him.¡± She clapped her hands again as she resumed her walk, giving me a forced smile in the process. ¡°Let¡¯s return to Lady Flameu, shall we? I simply want to say just how much of an amazing person she is and how much I am indebted to her.¡± Heh, she really has won over her, hasn¡¯t she? I continued my walk as well, as she resumed her talk. ¡°She tried again and again for months, until one day, she succeeded. She came up with a medicine that gave the strength my legs desperately needed.¡± Wow, to think that she¡¯s able to cure what I assume to be an inherited genetic defect. That¡¯s magic for you, I guess. Though since no other alchemists could do it, that means she really is a master alchemist, even though she¡¯s also a necromancer in secret as well. ...Wait, don¡¯t tell me that she used some dark arts to make the cure? I gave a short glance towards her legs. I couldn¡¯t see them naturally since they were under her dress, but they seemed to be functioning just fine. ...Yeah. Does it really matter? If it works, it works. ¡°And now, thanks to her, I can walk around like this.¡± Her smile brightened, once again giving me that angelic visage I saw at the start of our meeting. ¡°So please.¡± She suddenly stopped, turning swiftly that her dress twirled around. ¡°Ask me anything. I shall grant you whatever you need, Milord.¡± Then I want your panties please!¡ªwas something I would ask if I was a shameless light novel protagonist. "The letter¡­ did it not say any numbers?" "Numbers?" She tilted her head oh-so-cutely. Seriously? She didn''t tell her how much money she should give me? Mind you, I didn''t get to read the letter since it''s sealed and I wasn''t going to ruin it by unsealing it. "What did it say then?'' I asked again. "It only said how much of an important person you are and how I should give you any help that I can provide." Yep. That means I can ask for any amount of gold I want. Even more that what that dragon carcass is worth. ...Should I lie and ask for more? Just in case the high elf would play hard and refuse to give me the orb. And I can certainly use more gold to stay in fancy inns like last night anytime I want. That was a wonderful experience. I already know how much the carcass is worth. At least, if I¡¯m going by the estimation Flameu gave me. I looked back at her pure and naive expression. She completely trusted me. That, I could tell with ease. Would it be right to deceive such a person? Vol 3 Chapter 23: To The North No, I can¡¯t trick her. That won¡¯t be right. I¡¯ll give her the number Flameu told me and that¡¯s that. I¡¯ll be betraying both her trust and Flameu¡¯s if I lie to her. With that reasoning in mind, I decided to tell her the truth. ¡°You misunderstand, Your Highness. I come here simply to ask for compensation." "Compensation?" She tilted her head again. I then told her how I ended up slaying a dragon with the alchemist and how afterward, she offered to buy the carcass from me with the condition that she, the princess, was to be the one to pay me. "Oh, you slew a dragon, Milord?" She clasped her hands together in awe as her eyes sparkled. "That''s amazing!" Good! Good! Tell me how cool and awesome I am for beating a dragon on my own! "I wish you could stay for tea so you could regale me with your tale." She gave me a shy smile that is so innocent yet so attractive at the same time. "I would truly love to hear about your heroic deeds. But I know you''re in a hurry, so I won''t hold you back." "Oh, don''t worry about it!" I promptly replied with my own smile. "I have some time to spare!" "Really?" Her smile brightened. "That would be wonderful!" As if on cue, our steps took us to a clearing with a small bench. "Ah, perfect! Why don''t we rest here for a bit? I won''t ask for all the details. I just want to know how you fought off such a beast on your own." The princess''s mood had visibly increased, with her eyes now constantly sparkling and her steps having an extra bounce of them. I''m starting to wonder if she''s actually a big fan of those stories with dragon-slaying and all that hero stuff. She took her seat first, with me sitting right beside her. The bench was quite small so we had to sit right next to each other. My old self would be all nervous with this arrangement ("oh God I''m sitting so close to a cute girl I could almost smell her!" type of deal), but after traveling with a bunch of them, I am already desensitized to such matters. One step closer to become the cool and suave guy I always wanted to be. I began telling her about my fight. At first, I was going to be humble, but as she became more and more enraptured into my story, I couldn''t help but exaggerate and embellish my story a little. "I was this close to being bitten by its jaws, but I dodged just at the last second. I had to hold on to the wounded elf, even if it cost me my life." "A-and then?" The princess'' fists were clenched together near her chest as sweat trailed down her forehead. "With tears in her eyes, she said, ''O Lord Pendleton! Please leave me behind! You don''t need to burden yourself with me!'' But of course, I refused, saying, ''I can''t just abandon a fair maiden in need, can I?''" ...Okay, that was a lot of embellishment. But I can''t help it. Seeing her so excited, it made me want to ham it up as much as I could. When I finished, she clapped loudly with tears of excitement in her eyes. "That was wonderful! To think that Miss Flameu would be lucky enough to have a brave warrior such as you as her companion!¡± ¡°Miss¡± Flameu? I guess she really is close to her. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly her companion though,¡± I quickly corrected her, just so I could avert future misunderstandings. ¡°As I¡¯ve said, I was just helping her out so she could cure that village. I¡¯m an adventurer. I have no intention of staying here and becoming her bodyguard.¡± ¡°A-ah, I see.¡± Her bright smile noticeably dimmed as she shifted her eyes ever-so-slightly downwards. Oh dammit, I just killed her excitement, didn¡¯t I? ¡°Well¡­¡± Her eyes locked back to mine again as she forced another smile. ¡°I should reimburse you the fund Miss Flameu had promised. How much was it?¡± ¡°She said an entire dragon could sell from around 100 to 150 gold coins, depending on where you sell them," I answered her truthfully. "Then, I shall give you two-hundred." "What? Are you sure?" "Of course!" Her bright smile returned. "The extra fifty is your payment, Sir Adventurer, for telling me such an exciting story." Afterward, she stood up and called for by. her guards. The old man from before and a handful of other soldiers quickly appeared from the bushes. Wow, they¡¯re pretty decent at stealth, all things considered. Especially since they wore all those heavy armors. ¡°Call Sebastian. Tell him to prepare a payment of 200 gold pieces to him.¡± ¡°W-what?! But¡ª¡± ¡°Silence! He has done a great deed with Lady Flameu, and we are not going to pay his kindness with less.¡± She shut him down like it was nothing, as the normally ladylike princess turned fierce all of a sudden. I¡¯m not complaining though. I prefer princesses that have a bit of a backbone over completely meek ones. Probably not to the extent of Fiora though. The old man could only obey, and he immediately scampered off, leaving only his subordinates to guard us. "Sorry about that." She returned to her sweet self as she clapped her hands. "He can be quite the stubborn old man sometimes." Afterward, we retreated back inside and to the study, where this Sebastian person was already ready with a bag of gold in his hand. He was the head butler of the premises. And just like the old man, he too eyed me from top to bottom in a distrustful and frankly insulting manner. And that glasses of his certainly didn¡¯t help. Still, he handed me the bag without a single word of complaint. Unlike the old man, it seemed he was intelligent enough to know he wasn''t going to make the stubborn princess budge. I gave him my thanks, merely for the sake of formality. I was then escorted outside by the knights, with the princess following along, as she insisted on seeing me leave. Once we were at the gates, she walked up to me and said, "Milord, I shall pray for your good fortune. And if you are ever in the capital again, please, feel free to pay us a visit. I shall be delighted to hear your stories again." "Of course, Milady." I gave her a smile and a bow. Heh, to think that just a while ago, her eyes were all shining like a little girl¡­ I see now that she tries to be a proper princess in public, even if it doesn''t quite fit her personality. "I also wish good fortune for you, Milady. Your company this afternoon has been most enjoyable. I shall never forget the charming smile you possess for the rest of my life." Is that how you do it? Being a suave noble to the ladies? Keep on smiling and being respectful while adding little pick-up lines like that. Immediately a flash of crimson appeared on her cheeks. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yep, I think I did a pretty good job. "Oh, you are too kind, Milord," was her only reply. To finish my pretend play, I took her hand and kissed it, causing her blush to grow even more. Afterward, I finally left the place for real. With the money safely stored in my bag, I could immediately make my way northwest towards Silheim, which was the largest town in the region. There, I would start asking around for where the high elf might be. All in all, I think my first meeting with a real princess went pretty well. Before that though, I should make a visit to the city¡¯s largest bookstore. I need to do my research on a certain plant first. ---------- Felicia Well, he¡¯s gone now¡­ I suppose I should wrap my business here quickly as well. Even if I have to wait for a bit until the heart is usable for the cure, I still have to prepare my workshop at that village. I left the mountain soon after, taking a different route than the one those adventurers were planning to take. They actually offered to give me company, but I refused. Not just because I don¡¯t like them (or rather, their leader), but because they weren¡¯t going to make a stop at the village. That place was nameless, by the way, simply because of how insignificant it was to the rest of the kingdom. It took me another two days to climb back down the mountain. Just the right amount of time for the dragon heart to be ready. It needed to harden a little so it would be usable in my potion, or else it wouldn¡¯t react properly with the reagents I had concocted. When I arrived back at the village, ignoring the expected eerieness from the silence enveloping the place, I immediately made my way towards Leila¡¯s house. It was unfortunate that I couldn¡¯t use it as my makeshift laboratory, seeing how small the entire place was. When I arrived, I was greeted by the sight of my black knight, Sir Berault, standing in the front of the house. As usual, he remained unmoved with his sword stabbing the earth he stood on, almost like a perfect statue. Only when he heard my arrival that he turned his head. ¡°Milady.¡± ¡°How was she?¡± ¡°Her condition is worsening. Along with the other people of this village.¡± ¡°Is she sleeping right now?¡± ¡°Yes, Milady.¡± ¡°Good. Then there¡¯s no need for me to wake her up. We shall start our preparations right away. We don¡¯t have much time.¡± ¡°The dragon heart, Milady?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯ve got it, all thanks to him.¡± I let out a grin. ¡°It should be ready now. So we can start working right away. I trust you¡¯ve decided on a good place to set up my laboratory?¡± ¡°Yes, Milady. The house of the village chief should be spacious enough for our purposes, though barely.¡± ¡°Very well then. We shall head there at once." ---------- We entered the house without knocking or unlocking the door. There''s no point in doing either. No one would reply to the former while on the subject of the latter, no house in this village had a lock installed on its front door. Such was the trusting nature of a tiny village. Although, I still made my way to the bedroom, where the chief and his wife were sleeping. They were still alive, thankfully enough. The old man even managed to open his eyes for a bit when he noticed me staring down over him. "Oooh, L-Lady Flameu¡­ Y-you''re here¡­ P-please¡­ save my wife¡­" Even at death''s door, the people here still cared more about their loved ones than themselves. "Shh," I gripped his pale, wrinkled hands and gave him a comforting smile. "Sleep now. Save your strength. I shall do as you ask." Afterward, downstairs, in the decently large living room, I summoned my tools from my dimensional storage, after Berault moved all the furniture to the side. And then, I began to work. First, I filled the cauldron with water using magic and heated it until it boiled by lighting up a coal furnace I had placed underneath. Then, I took out the reagent I had made before, a specific one used for dragon-based ingredients, and poured the entire small bottle into it. I quickly stirred the water using my staff, pouring my mana at the process. This is how you do alchemy. That''s why non-mages can''t do it by the way, since you need to be able to perform Mana manipulation the same way mages can. Only after the mixture stabilized, I moved on to the next step. Second, I brought out the heart, placing it down on my working table. It was perfectly still, unlike when I first obtained them. And it was exactly how I wanted it to be since that meant the heart was ready to be processed. Then, I took out a vial and sprinkled its contents all over it. It was necessary or else the blood would escape the heart when I cut it, which would ruin the entire ingredient. Afterward, I took out a large knife, and with it, I cut it into multiple tiny pieces, all roughly the same size as each other. If I didn''t do this, it wouldn''t blend properly into the mixture. And then, I dropped them all down into the cauldron, causing a mass of bubbles to appear on the water surface. Good. This means the synthesis is proceeding as expected. It was just the start of my work. The cure was still ways away, through many difficult steps that took me many sleepless nights to devise. These people were lucky the plague had hit Keirnes first, or else I wouldn¡¯t know how to make their cure. The lives lost to said plague were to never return, sacrificed for me to be able to formulate the cure. Such was the limits of alchemy. Thousands of illnesses, yet so few were curable. The only true solution was to transcend death itself. And that¡¯s what my necromancy is going to achieve. I don¡¯t care how long it takes, and how many corpses I have to perform my research with. One day, I will achieve my dream. I will surpass all the necromancers throughout history and become the very first human to achieve immortality. And then, I shall spread that blessing to the entire world. And the fools who stand in my way? Sacrifices for the greater good. ------ Hugo It took me 11 days of travel to reach Silheim. Once again, I opted to use my Wind Step instead of taking a carriage or buying a horse, even though I very much had the money to afford both (though I still couldn¡¯t quite do the latter). And since I was heading north, the air naturally began to grow cold. It was winter after all. Back at the south, it was still pretty chilly but there wasn¡¯t any snowfall except for up at the mountain. But here? The snow rained freely almost every night. I wonder if that rare plant can survive in a weather like this. The northern region was filled with forests. So much so that a lot of the kingdom¡¯s income and trade came from the logging activities taking place there. Unfortunately however, forests are a dangerous place to be in this world, since monsters thrived there. That¡¯s why there are also a decent number of adventurers who use the region as their base of operations as jobs to act as guards for loggers are common. And most of the time, they don¡¯t even need to do anything other than just standing around. My plan was to go to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild there and ask around for the high elf. I could even post a request asking for her information. You could do that with the Guild. Sooner or later, an adventurer should bump into her, and then I would know where she currently was. Hmm? How long would I stay if I don¡¯t get anything on her? Now that¡¯s a good question. Maybe a week? Two weeks? Or even a month? I¡¯m still not sure if I were to be honest. Oh, I can also try to find out where the plant she¡¯s looking for is located. I believe the name Flameu mentioned was ¡°The Silver Creepingbell¡±. It¡¯s a really rare plant to the point that not many even knows it exists. I had to buy the thickest, most expensive encyclopedia on plants just to find its information. And what I got was terribly unsatisfactory. It only said that you could only find it deep inside forests, and how it was really rare. Like, what? That doesn¡¯t help me at all, does it? I already know all of that! I can post a request for it on the Guild as well, but I think it¡¯s easier to ask around for the high elf instead. If she¡¯s looking all around the region for it, then she should be seen by other adventurers going into the forests. With her unique appearance, they should remember meeting her clearly. The town of Silheim was in many ways similar to Keirnes. Both were frontier towns and both had quite a decent number of adventurers around. Silheim however was just a little bit smaller. And a lot colder, at least in this time of a year. And wood was the dominant building material, a display on how cheap wooden planks must be in a region whose well-known for its logging. As I walked through the wooden gate, I was soon greeted by the sight of woodworkers, transforming logs of wood into said planks. The tools they used weren¡¯t that different from the tools a woodworker would use back in my old world, though obviously, they didn¡¯t have any electrical stuff. They still had saws, axes, chisels, etc. I imagine this town was used as the place where the industry processes the raw wood into usable form. Or rather, the town grew organically from it as a result. I made my way to the town¡¯s Adventurer Guild. Since it was in the middle of the day, the place was pretty empty, giving me the ability to make the beeline straight to one of the receptionists. Of course, since I was making a request, I headed to a different receptionist than the one adventurers would use. ¡°I¡¯m here to post a request,¡± I said to her. ¡°I want to find someone.¡± She didn¡¯t respond immediately. The middle-aged woman was busy reading her book. ¡°Umm, hello?¡± ¡°Wait a sec. I¡¯m right at the good part here.¡± Seriously? Where¡¯s your professionalism, lady? Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take long until she closed her book and turned her lazy eyes towards me. With a sigh, she said, ¡°Alright. Your description please.¡± Vol 3 Chapter 24: The Necromancer and The Bard Felicia ¡°Oh thank you! Thank you so much for saving us!¡± One by one, the villagers gave me their thanks. It was a natural thing for them to do, for I had saved themselves and their village from extinction. And yet, I wasn¡¯t satisfied. My smile for them was barely a genuine one. For I didn¡¯t manage to save every single one of them. ¡°Milady¡­¡± I turned around. Berault was there. If he had his helmet open, he probably would have a worried expression on his face. "How is she?" "She''s fallen asleep." "I see¡­" "Why?! Why didn''t you save him? Why didn''t you save Father?!" "You''ve tried your best, Milady. Please do not blame yourself." "My best, huh?" I gave a wry smile. "This¡­ this isn''t my best. Not in the slightest." Everyone made it out alive, except for one. Leila''s father. He had passed in his sleep right as I was putting the finishing touches on the cure. I¡­ had broken my promise to her. ------- It was time for his funeral. The entire village had gathered on the small graveyard on the village outskirts. They were dressed in their best outfit, which meant the least worn and ragged clothes they had. They were standing on a line, watching as the men in front of them shoveled dirt down the hole. I stood at the front, with Leila linking her small hand with mine. Tears were streaming down her face, a natural reaction to seeing her father being buried right in front of her. "Father, wake up! Miss Flameu''s finished her cure!" Beside the hole was the village elder. He was acting as the priest, giving prayers to the Saint as more and more dirt covered the coffin. "Father? Father? Come on, wake up, Father!'' As a proud user of the dark arts, I naturally didn''t believe in the Saint''s teachings. However, it didn''t mean I was against this. If it brought comfort to them, then all the better for them. "Father? Father! W-why? Why aren''t you waking up, Father?!" Suddenly, Leila buried her face into my skirt¡ªher hands wrapping around my waist. The coffin had disappeared entirely. You could only see dirt being piled more and more into the hole. "M-Miss Flameu? W-why isn''t Father waking up?" I could hear her muffled cry as my dress dampened more and more from her tears. I could only pat her head to comfort her. I didn''t deserve to hug her after my failure. Before I knew it, my eyes grew watery as well. "W-what''s with that look? F-Father, h-he''s fine, right? You''ve promised! I''m fine now so Father ought to be fine as well!" What am I crying for? Am I sad that her father¡¯s gone? Or have I taken pity on her, who is now an orphan? Or am I crying for myself, for failing at my task? ¡°No! You lie! Father¡¯s not¡­ Father¡¯s not¡­ but he can¡¯t¡­ You¡¯ve promised! You¡¯ve said you¡¯re going to cure him! Then why¡ªwhy is he...u-uuuwaaahhhhhhh!¡± I think¡­ I think I know why I am crying. She¡¯s just like me now¡ªa victim of humanity¡¯s brittleness and fragility. A little wound, from a creature so pathetically small, had erased the only family she had left. Her mother too was a victim of that unfortunate fact. She had died from giving birth to her¡ªan all too common occurrence amongst people like them. Imagine, being so weak that you die from giving birth to new life. Pathetic. The burial was now finished, and it was time for the village elder to make his speech. It was the usual, trite stuff. He was a good, kind man, and everyone here would miss his presence greatly. He also prayed to the Saint to accept him to her paradise. I couldn¡¯t help but give a small snide laugh. Heaven and the afterlife are just things humans invented to comfort themselves of their inevitable death. After all, humans had the least lifespan compared to every other intelligent race. To my surprise, however, he announced that he would take care of Leila. As she had no one to provide for her, I naturally felt relieved, knowing that she wouldn¡¯t just be abandoned. Oh, I¡¯ve seen them. Babies abandoned in alleyways. Usually, they either came from prostitutes who had gotten pregnant from their clients (the fools forgot their contraceptives), or the poor who couldn¡¯t afford to raise another baby (I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s better than them selling the baby to slavers). The orphanages, something good that the Church actually does, would take them in, if they aren¡¯t full themselves, that is. I stared at the elder. He seemed to be a decent man. Unlike that pig that took me in when I lost everything that day. So Leila would be in good hands. After the elder was finished, one by one, the villagers came forward, placing flowers on top of the unmarked grave. There weren¡¯t any stonemason around that could fashion a gravestone for him, not that they normally had gravestones on their graves. It¡¯s a lavishness they could not afford. As for the coffin, they were lucky that they had some lumberjacks that could work on it. And of course, they did it for free. If there¡¯s something this village had in abundance, it¡¯s their charity to each other. Some of the villagers came near us, giving kind and caring words to Leila in the hopes of comforting her. However, she refused to even look at her, as she continued to hug me as tightly as she could. We remained like that for a good while, as one by one the villagers left the burial grounds. Perhaps they believed they should give us some privacy. Or perhaps they simply had somewhere else to be. After all, life went on for them, even without one of their fellow villagers. The village elder was the last to leave, as he was gravely concerned about Leila¡¯s current state of mind. He kept sending worried glances towards us, while timidly keeping his distance, too afraid to disturb our moment. So, I gave him a nod, telling him to leave her to me. Only after then, he left the premises. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Leila released me, before making her way to her father¡¯s grave. She knelt, took out her flower from her pocket, and placed it on top of the grave. And then, she clasped her hands and began to pray. ¡°O Lady Milicis, please send my father to the same heaven my mother went to. I don¡¯t want him to be lonely up there.¡± I stood there in silence, not realizing that my tears were streaming down my face. My entire body shook, with my right hand which was gripping my staff shaking the hardest. She was me. I was looking at my young, grieving self. I was right there, kneeling in the front of their graves, tears in my eyes. ...No. I can''t just leave her like this. ...I have to do it. Even if it''s risky. I have to bring her father back. Without hesitation, I threw my staff away and rushed up to her, hugging her from behind. I will not let her heart break. I will not. ----------- Hugo ¡°Haah¡­¡± I let out a sigh as I stared absentmindedly towards the far end of the room. My right hand moved on its own, stirring the half-empty glass on the table. I was currently sitting in a pub, drinking a glass of warm milk after I had my lunch. And I was pretty much the only one. Everyone else here seemed to be drinking this pub¡¯s specialty, which is its beer. Being in the north like this, and with the cold weather, it¡¯s pretty much customary for both the locals and the adventurers to drink strong alcohol, just to keep themselves warm. It¡¯s the same back in my old world, like Russians and their fondness for vodka. Still, I did not partake in that tradition. Why? Because I¡­ never really liked drinking beer in the first place. I always thought that it¡¯s a stupid thing for people to go into those after-work parties and get drunk. I always skipped them, giving weak reasons like, ¡°Oh, I got something else to do for the night!¡± even though I didn¡¯t really have anything other than playing video games on my computer. As you might have guessed, I despised socializing, and going for drinks with your co-workers is the peak example of that. No wonder I never had any friends. In my mind, I cited scientific facts like how alcohol is bad for your heart, brain, and whatever other organs it affected. But I knew deep down, I was just too scared to open up to people. And so, here I am, drinking milk like a kid. Well, I am still a kid in appearance. So no one gave me dirty looks or anything. Though technically, there¡¯s no legal age on when you¡¯re allowed to drink alcohol in this world. I¡¯ve seen one or two young adventurers like me chugging their mugs. They didn¡¯t last long though, to the laughter of their older companions. It had been one month since I arrived in this town, and yet, I hadn''t gotten any fruitful leads on that high elf. At first, I was overjoyed that there were indeed sightings of such a person. In fact, her presence had been somewhat of a rumor in the region for the past few months. ¡°The Little Snow Fairy,¡± they said. The fairy part probably comes from her diminutive stature (even though she¡¯s an elf), and the snow part probably comes from her silver hair. They say that you will be blessed with good fortune if you ever see her on the road. And that came from the fact that a couple of adventurers had been saved by her. Apparently she was this amazing mage but at the same time, she¡¯s strong enough to use her staff as a melee weapon? Now that smells like embellishment to me. Then again, that might be the truth. Who knows what a high elf is capable of? They¡¯re a really long-lived race after all, so it wouldn¡¯t be odd for one to be able to master both the martial arts and the magical arts. Still, for an elf to go all physical¡­ that¡¯s not very elf-like, is it? Unfortunately, the one thing information I desired, that is, her location, I couldn¡¯t find anything concrete in that department. People who claimed to see her only saw her months ago, so naturally, I couldn¡¯t just go out there and assume she was still in the area. I need a fresh lead, like two or three days ago. Hell, I¡¯ll take a week ago even. I tried going to the nearest sighting spots, but I didn¡¯t get anything, just as I predicted. And before I knew it, a month had passed. Still, since the most recent sighting was from a month ago, I could assume in good faith that she was still around. I just need to get lucky enough with my search to find her. "Umm, excuse me?" I was broken out of my reverie by a soft, unmistakably female voice. I looked to the side and saw an elven girl standing in front of me. Oh wow, she''s cute. She had short blonde hair that didn''t reach her shoulders. She wore a blue and white tunic underneath her dark blue short cloak. Under that, she wore a pair of brown trousers. If in human age, she should be around fifteen years old or so. Decently sized chest¡­ and those tight pants of hers are really nice¡­ Hey, don¡¯t blame me. She¡¯s an elf, and no elves so far that I¡¯ve seen are unattractive. "Are you perhaps Sir Charles Pendleton, the Divine Tempest?" She clasped her hands together with a beaming smile on her face. Wait, how does she know my name? And Divine Tempest? What kind of a nickname is that? "Well¡­" I scratched my face with my finger. "That''s my name alright. Dunno about the Divine Tempest part though." "Oh, that''s perfect!" Without hesitation, she snatched my hands and grabbed them tightly with hers. "I''m Sari! A bard! And I would love to have an interview with you, Sir Pendleton!" "A-an interview?" What is this girl talking about? "I beg of you! Your act of heroism truly inspires my muse! I need to know the story from the person himself!" "Uh, it''s not that big a deal really. I was just¡ª" "Please!" She gripped my hands even closer as her face inched uncomfortably near mine. She was now leaning forward towards me, probably giving quite the nice view of her butt to the eyes behind her. Well, this is troublesome. The news has no doubt spread and now this bard wants me in her tales. I don''t really need the attention though and accepting her request will be detrimental to that goal. I sighed inwardly. Sorry, cute elf girl, but I have to refuse your request. "I''m sorry." I stood up as I gave her an apologetic smile. "I don''t want people to get the wrong idea. I''m not some hero like in your stories. I''m just an adventurer, that''s all." With those words, I left the poor girl, yanking my hands off hers in quite the forceful manner in the process, unfortunately. Once outside, I promptly used Wind Step to fly over behind the building, just in case she decided to chase after me. Eventually, her tales would reach the ears of the Magocracy. I¡¯d rather not be assassinated in my sleep, thank you very much. And Charles Pendleton is my fake name anyway. If I¡¯m going to be famous, then I¡¯m going to use my real name. ----------- Sari Little did Hugo know that his actions only fueled the flame of passion burning inside the bard¡¯s heart even more. Uwaah, so cool! That''s it! That''s exactly how a hero should be! My instincts were right! He is the perfect material for my new ballad! If he doesn''t want to answer me, then I just have to do my research on my own! Hehe! I''m going to make you a hero, Sir Pendleton, whether you want to or not! The elf was indeed a wandering bard, going all across the continent, singing in pubs and taverns while collecting heroic and wondrous tales from all over to be written as ballads. She didn¡¯t do it to make money. It was her hobby. She did it out of the joy of discovering and spreading said tales. She even considered herself a ¡°tale-hunter¡±, as she would never be satisfied with just processing rumors and hearsays for her songs. She wanted to know and understand her tales intimately, which was why she came all the way from the capital just to seek out Hugo. Of course, the tale of him being responsible for killing the frost dragon on his own quickly spread around. His name¡ªwell, his fake name at the very least¡ªwas now talked about heavily in both Keirnes and Misfon, as stories adventurers told each other as they drank and even amongst the nobility who are now aware how a really strong adventurer had just made his entrance into their kingdom. And naturally, people started giving nicknames to him as well, with ¡°Divine Tempest¡± ending up being the most prominent one, knowing that he was apparently a powerful wind mage. Hugo wouldn¡¯t realize the extent of his popularity until a bit later though. ----------- Felicia "You came." In the dark, I could barely see her tiny silhouetted figure, dimly lit by the half-moon shining on the night sky. There was no mistaking it. It was Leila. ¡°Have you really¡­ have you really brought Father back?¡± Her voice was filled with anxiety and nervousness. A normal thing, considering the condition we¡¯re currently meeting it. The village cemetery was dark and I had requested her not to bring any light with her. After all, this meeting must be done in the utmost secrecy. ¡°Of course,¡± I replied with a smile. ¡°However, there¡¯s a promise you have to make before I can let you see him.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°I don¡¯t care what it is! I¡¯ll promise! Just bring back Father to me!¡± The poor girl¡¯s eyes were swollen red. She must have been crying. It had been a month since her father¡¯s death, and yet, her grief was still as fresh as falling snow. ¡°Very well then.¡± I pat her head. ¡°John, you can come out now.¡± The sound of bushes moving could be heard as he approached. And then, there he was, standing in all his glory. Wearing a simple shirt and trousers, he was indistinguishable from his old self. In fact, he looked less bony than when I visited him. ¡°F-Father? I-is that? Is that really you?¡± Naturally, the girl couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. The man in front of her could only be her father. And yet, he was supposed to be dead. She saw his burial with her own two eyes. ¡°Of course, dearie.¡± A warm smile was drawn on his face. ¡°Come to Father.¡± He stretched his long arms wide open. ¡°F-Father¡­ Father!¡± Hearing him speak, any doubts she might have in her mind disappear into the night wind. She ran towards him and jumped into his embrace. Another successful creation of mine. The person she was currently hugging¡ªthat¡¯s one of my Perfect Zombies. Created after many years of research in the dark arts of necromancy, I was now capable of creating a zombie so humanlike that no one would be able to tell the difference so easily. And they¡¯re resistant to that pesky Turn Undead spell as well, so they¡¯re excellent as fighters against any priests who conceitedly think my creations are heretical abominations that should be turned to ash. It wasn¡¯t easy, making one of them. It took a lot of preparations beforehand. However, the result was well worth it. Look at how happy she is. Even if that happiness is a lie. I can¡¯t bring back the dead. I am the one controlling that zombie. Using a fraction of my own soul, I can create a puppet with the capability of mimicking basic human interaction. It is easy for me to make one that will act as her father. This is my atonement to her. No, not just that. I am not that selfless. I show her this for another reason as well. ¡°Leila?¡± I spoke as sweetly as I could. ¡°What do you think about becoming my apprentice?¡± Vol 3 Chapter 25: A Happy Accident Hugo "Boom Cannon!" The deer bellowed as it charged right towards me with its massive antlers. Naturally, it was far too slow to hit me before my spell hit, piercing a giant hole in its body before it fell down to the snow unconscious. ¡°O, oh thank you! Thank you so much!¡± The one who spoke was a blonde girl dressed in white. With that staff and those robes, it was a safe bet to guess that she was a cleric. She was currently bowing profusely towards my direction. Usually, I would be happy from this turn of events, but now, I could only sigh in response. Once again, another day goes to waste. Another two weeks have gone by, and I¡¯m still going around this blasted region, looking for that high elf. This time, I thought I was finally going to catch her. The info I got told me they saw her just three weeks ago in this forest, and yet, after traipsing around for three nights here, I got nothing. Another failure. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re that Divine Tempest kid, aren¡¯t you?¡± I was brought back to reality by one of the adventurers I just saved. They were a four-man party, consisting of a cleric, two frontline warriors, and a mage. And I had just saved them from a Tyrant Deer, an A-rank monster that roamed this area often. They probably had gotten too deep into the forest. Or they had just overestimated their own strength. I had saved guys like them a couple of times, as I trekked around the wilderness looking for that elf. Maybe not everyone really needed my help in retrospect, but thanks to my experience, I could tell when one was being cornered by an enemy. And these bunch certainly were in that category, as their mage had been knocked out by the deer¡¯s kick while their formation had been completely destroyed. ¡°Thanks a lot, kid! You really are as strong as they say!¡± The man grinned. He was one of the frontline warriors, a middle-aged man wielding a giant lance as his weapon of choice. I would normally be enjoying his praise, but I was currently in quite the sour mood, so I could only muster a dishonest, forced smile in return. And I didn¡¯t like how more and more people seemed to recognize me out of the blue. If they can find me, then any Magocracy assassins who go after me should be able to find me as well. ¡°Hey, did you really slay a dragon all by yourself?¡± The next one who spoke was the other warrior in the party. Unlike the man, he was younger, maybe around fifteen years of age. His weapon of choice was a broadsword. ¡°That¡¯s amazing! I have no idea how you can do that! Compared to you, our mage is just downright worthless, unfortunately,¡± he said with a grin. Worthless? I looked at said mage. Sure enough, she was still unconscious, with the cleric going there to heal her. The wound didn¡¯t seem to be fatal though, thankfully for them. ¡°Hey, how about it? How about you join our party?¡± The boy resumed with his cheerful demeanor. Noticing my gaze, he continued, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about her. We¡¯ll just kick her out after this mission. No need to¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have no interest in joining any parties in the moment.¡± Before I realized it, I had replied to him with a cold, almost hostile tone. I think I know why. The way he spoke of their mage¡­ it doesn¡¯t sit well with me at all. I know it¡¯s too naive to expect that a party would last forever. Adventurers join and break up with each other all the time. But the way he spoke of her? After they had fought together side by side? Does it give him any right to dismiss her as worthless just because she¡¯s a little weak? Not to mention that it¡¯s his job as a frontliner to protect her from any attacks. Seeing how she¡¯s out cold like that, that means he has failed in his role. Of course, I didn¡¯t say any of that to him. It¡¯s not my place to do so. And besides, I don¡¯t want to start making other adventurers dislike me. I can just imagine them thinking that I¡¯m arrogant or stuck-up, especially since they know how much stronger I am compared to them. The kid¡¯s grin disappeared. ¡°Oh, I see. That¡¯s a shame. Guess we¡¯re stuck with her then.¡± He gave a wry smile. I cut our conversation afterward, excusing myself before I flew away using my Wind Step. I felt bad for the mage girl. But there¡¯s nothing I can do for her. If she doesn¡¯t want to be treated that way by them, then either get stronger or just leave and get another party. That¡¯s just the reality of how adventurers are. A weak chain could end up costing the entire party their lives, so it¡¯s understandable why they would want to kick out weaklings and replace them with someone stronger. --------- Right as the sun sank over the horizon (I am not stupid enough to think that searching around at night in a pitch-black forest is a good idea), I returned back to Feila. It was a small town on the northern regions which acted as the base of operations for the many logging companies in the area. Like I¡¯ve said before, thanks to the abundance of forests, and the high quality of wood it produces, it has become one of the kingdom¡¯s main exports to the rest of the continent. And since forests are naturally filled with many dangerous monsters, adventurers flock into the town as well, as they have jobs to guard the loggers from them, as well as things like scouting an area to look for future logging spots and then clearing it afterwards from said monsters. I decided to move to this small town for a bit, giving a search at the surrounding forests as carefully as I could. Multiple sightings of the elf were reported from this area, so I figure I should give this place more attention than the others. I headed back to the local branch of the Guild. As usual, I would check up on any info regarding the elf twice a day. Once at the morning and another at night after I returned from my outings. ¡°Well well well! Look who¡¯s back! Mr. Divine Wind himself! And judging by that expression, you didn''t find her again, huh?" The one who greeted me was the receptionist of the guild. If I had to describe her with one phrase, it would be "beautiful big-boobed elf onee-san". Yep, she''s an elf, alright. In fact, there are quite a number of elves in this region. Makes sense considering their homeland is to the west of here. "Yeah, I didn''t." I gave her a wry smile. "Got any info on her?" "Nope." She kept her smile. Really, would it hurt her to display some symphaty for once? "How about the request I gave you though? Got the goods?" ¡°Hmph.¡± I placed a small sack on the table. ¡°Here they are. Ten Tyrant Deer hearts, right?¡± Even though my goal was to find the elf, it didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t take some quests on the side. Sure, I am rich now, but I will stop being rich once I spend it on the Orb. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± She cheerfully took it off the table. ¡°Here¡¯s your payment.¡± This quest was actually an A-rank quest, but after knowing the tales of my prowess, she gave it to me anyways, since no one else was taking it. ¡°Oh, tomorrow is Luxus, right? Why don¡¯t you and I have a date together? I know a great place for a meal in this town!¡± Luxus is one of the days that existed in this world. Just like back on Earth, we also have seven days, with one day used as a weekly holiday. But they are all named after elementals, instead¡ª Fire, Water, etc. The days are as follows: Luxus. Light Day. The equivalent of Sunday. Also called the Day of Holiness. The Saint has a teaching that wants her followers to have a rest day once every week, and so this day was born.Ignius. Fire Day. The equivalent of Monday.Aquus. Water Day. The equivalent of Tuesday.Terrus. Earth Day. The equivalent of Wednesday.Ventus. Wind Day. The equivalent of Thursday.Gelus. Ice Day. The equivalent of Friday.Tonitrus. Thunder Day. The equivalent of Saturday. As you can see, every element is represented, except for Darkness. Because that element is frowned upon by the Church. They say it belongs to the demons. By the way, I was born in Ventus, so funnily enough, it fits with my affinity towards the wind. And Marina was born in Terrus, while Erika was born in Luxus. Marina is obviously really skilled with earth magic, but I¡¯m not sure if Erika is good at light magic. ¡°Uh, sorry, but I¡¯d rather spend my time searching than wasting it with you to be honest,¡± I answered frankly. Normally, I would be averse on refusing the offer of a date from such a beautiful woman, but to be frank, she kinda scares me a little. I guess it¡¯s because she has that cougar aura to her, you know. And I¡¯ve seen before how she likes to tease and flirt with young adventurers near my age. And seeing how she¡¯s an elf, who knows how old she really is? That, and she¡¯s starting to grate on my nerves just by how cheerful she always acts, even when giving me bad news relating to the elf. ¡°Aww, that¡¯s a shame.¡± She gave a short disappointment reaction (which I¡¯m sure is fake) before returning back to her usual smile. ¡°You see, it¡¯s hard for a lady my age to get any dates. So I have to settle for young men like you. Hmph, can you believe it?¡± That¡¯s a lie though. She¡¯s popular amongst the adventurers here. How could she not be, when she has such a hot body? Not to mention that she¡¯s an elf? Having one as your girlfriend is like winning the lottery. An elf doesn¡¯t grow old or fat. She keeps her beauty forever. I took the coins she gave and put it into my coin pouch. And then, without any other words to her, I left the building, heading straight to the nearby tavern where I would have my dinner. -------- "Whoa, is that really him? The Divine Wind fella?" I sighed again. Ever since the rumors spread, every time I made an appearance in public, I would get people talking about me like this. And not just other adventurers. Even the people who live here started to talk about me. "He''s so young! Surely, that can''t be him!" The ones who were currently speaking not-so-subtly were a group of adventurers sitting near my table. And they were all too obviously stealing glances towards my direction. They seemed to be a female-only party, which was not that odd, if I were to be honest. Having mixed genders in a party increased the chance of sexual harassment occuring, so some women (and men) preferred to keep with their own. Though personally, I don¡¯t think an all female group is a good thing. I¡¯ve seen it back at college and at work. They quickly fell apart into drama and infighting. And women are scarier at fighting other women than men. Have you read all those shoujo manga with the bullying? Still, that might just be my misognyitsic opinion though. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Haven''t you heard? He''s a genius mage! He''s the son of some bigwig noble at the Empire but he ran away just so he could become an adventurer! The Empire''s Magic Corps even wanted him but he refused his offer!" "Then he''s not very bright, is he? Why would he throw away all that privilege?" "Because he''s in love, silly! He''s searching for this elf girl day and night.¡± ¡°Ooh, an unrequited love? That¡¯s so romantic!¡± ¡°See? Not to mention that he¡¯s a prince too!¡± ¡°But you said he¡¯s the son of a Duke.¡± ¡°Same thing!¡± Haaahhh¡­ I could only respond by taking another swig of my drink (which was another glass of warm milk). Really, there¡¯s no point in correcting them, especially since the misinformation only worked in my favor. And rumors like that always evolved on their own. People didn¡¯t really want to hear or talk about the truth. They only wanted something exciting as a topic of conversation. It¡¯s like that too back in my old world. Rumors spread like widlfires, with each iteration growing more and more wild until it had barely any truth in them whatsoever. ¡°My oh my, you¡¯re getting popular more and more every day, aren¡¯t you, boy?¡± I was pushed out of my thoughts by the tavern¡¯s waitress. Or rather, the tavern owner¡¯s wife. She was a pudgy 40-year old woman, wearing a simple faded long-sleeved shirt with a dark pleatless long skirt. She had a cap on her head where she stored her hair in a bun and rosy cheeks that always accompanied her smile. ¡°¡®The Divine Tempest¡¯. Really, never expected such an important person to be one of our frequent patrons.¡± She put a plate of food on my table. Chicken soup. Meat is naturally far more expensive in this world, so even if I said ¡°chicken soup¡±, the chicken was barely even there. Most of the soup¡¯s contents were the vegetables and the potatoes, all diced up nicely so you could swallow them while you drank the water. Even so, this was already the most expensive dish in this place. Well, nothing that I can¡¯t afford, of course. ¡°You know, maybe the old man should give you a discount. You being here are attracting customers. They all want to have a look on the young man who beat a dragon on his own,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°Maybe he should,¡± I replied with my own. That was just some polite banter. My mood was still terrible, and I was in no condition to be having a conversation with overweight waitresses after hearing a bunch of people saying things that are wildly untrue about me. ¡°Well, good luck on your search, young man.¡± She patted me on the shoulder with her large gloved hands. ¡°And don¡¯t look so glum. I don¡¯t wanna see that grimace on your face. You¡¯re much more handsome when you smile after all.¡± I did as she told. It was the only way for the noisy woman to leave me alone. I¡¯ve only started visiting this place for a week, and yet, she¡¯s already this friendly towards me. I probably remind her of her son or something. I quickly finished my meal, ignoring any stares or comments that the other patrons gave to me. And then, I returned straight to my inn. ----------- Its name was The Oaken Hospitality¡ªa five-story building made out of wood. Legends said it was built by elves in ages past, thus the wooden construction. There apparently used to be a more prominent elven population in this region of the kingdom, but little by little, their numbers dwindled until humans became the dominant race. No, don''t ask me how it happened. I only knew as much as the innkeeper told me. She loved bragging about her inn at any visitors that happened to stay. I entered the building and made my way upstairs. My room was on the top floor, unfortunately. I could use my Wind Step, but the last time I used it, the innkeeper went mad at me for it. There was a strict "no magic" rule in the establishment. Probably because she didn''t want the supposedly historical building to burn down or something. As I climbed up the stairs from the fourth floor to the fifth however¡­ "It''s you! Oooh I can''t believe it! We meet again at last!" It was the elven bard I met two weeks ago. And she was standing right on top of the small stairs I was going up on. Oh great, why is she here? "Oh please give me an inter¡ªkyah!" In her rush to run downstairs towards me, she tripped. And she fell right on top of me. I quickly reacted by creating a burst of wind behind us to soften our landings. Thanks to that, I wasn''t injured in the slightest, even though I landed head first into the wooden floor of the fourth floor. In retrospect, I probably could''ve dodged out of the way. But, in a split second I saw her flying towards me, I realized our point of contact would be my face and her crotch. That was enough for my perverted mind to stop my feet from moving. "Ooh I''m sor¡ªKyah!" She let out another yelp as she no doubt felt a certain sensation between her nether regions, for my mouth and nose were pressing right into her girlhood, with the only thing separating them being the tight leather pants she was wearing and whatever panties she wore underneath. It was only natural for her to react that way. "Aahnn, p-please d-don''t breathe¡­." Well now, how am I supposed to stay alive if I don¡¯t breathe? Just think of this as your punishment, alright? For following me around and being a nuisance. And besides, I¡¯ve always wanted to do this to a girl. Just like those accidental pervert protagonists in those anime I often watched. And it¡¯s even better that I¡¯m doing this to a pretty elf like her. ...Sorry. I tend to get a bit more perverted whenever I get cranky like this. And relieving that pervertedness is one way for me to relax. The elf continued to shudder and moan as I teased her flower with my breath. Other than her reaction, I was also enjoying the scent she had down there. It was the scent of elf sweat, trapped inside the fabric of her pants¡ªno doubt coming from her thighs rubbing and pressing together all day long. And like everything elf, it wasn''t a bad odor in the slightest. It''s musky in a way that only turned me on even more. "Haaahh¡­ I-I can¡¯t¡­ stand up¡­ haahnnn¡­ p-please stop or I will¡­ ahhhmmmmnnn!" ...Oh crap she¡¯s grinding her crotch into me now! H-hey, who says you can get carried away? I¡¯m not doing this kind of thing with a stranger, you know! Rub¡­ rub¡­ rub¡­ rub¡­~? This time, it was me who started to panic. I tried to push her off, but to no avail. She was now full on pleasuring herself. Onto me. Out in the open. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­ ah!¡± Splish~? Splosh~? Splish~? Splosh~? She did it¡­ She actually did it¡­ I can feel it¡­ her warmth spreading¡­ Sorry Sherry¡­ I wanted to do this to you first, but it seems I ended up doing it with this random elf girl instead¡­ Chapter 121: Reunion ¡°I¡¯msosorryi¡¯msosorryi¡¯msosorrypleaseforgiveme!¡± With her sanity restored (and horniness abated), the elf promptly stood up and profusely apologized to me over and over again. All I could notice however was the wet patch on her crotch, a definitive proof that what just happened wasn¡¯t just a perverted delusion of mine. I stood up, dusted my clothes, and put on a fake frown, just to scare her off. I¡¯m not actually mad at all for what she did. But let¡¯s pretend otherwise. And then, I heard steps going upwards from the stairs down below. It was the innkeeper. No doubt the noise of our fall had alerted her to our location ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on here?!¡± She immediately switched into her interrogation mode, putting her hands on her waist. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°N-nothing! Nothing at all! I just slipped, t-that¡¯s all!¡± The elf quickly answered. ¡°Slipped, huh?¡± she replied, eyeing her suspiciously. ¡°So that¡¯s what the noise was¡­ Well, do be careful. The stairs here are quite steep and I don¡¯t want to be held liable to any injuries you might get if you fall from them.¡± Her gaze turned to me for a few moments, before she decided to leave the way she came from. Yeah, the lady never liked adventurers that much in the first place. And after knowing about my moniker, she only grew more suspicious towards me. She probably thought I was the one who spread all those rumors about myself or something. In her narrowminded mind, she probably believed there was no way I could¡¯ve taken on a dragon on my own, and thus, she dubbed me a liar. Or maybe she¡¯s just being cranky old self. Once the innkeeper left, the elf promptly resumed her apologies once more. I responded with a heavily exaggerated sigh and by folding my hands under my chest. ¡°She¡¯s right. You really do need to be more careful. What if I wasn¡¯t ready with my wind spell? I could¡¯ve suffered a concussion now. I might even die from that.¡± Hearing those words, she went even deeper into her panic mode, as tears started to form in her eyes. ¡°O-oh please, don¡¯t hurt me! I just got too excited when I saw you again and I lost my footing!" Hurt her? What? Does she think I¡¯m a bad guy or something? Heh, it''s pretty fun to tease her like this though. "You think just an apology would be enough?" I continued to press her. "I nearly died back there, you know." Hearing that, her eyes only grew even more watery. "M-money? Do you want money? I-I don''t have much. Look! Here are all the coins I have!" She brought out her purse and opened in. Sure enough, there were only a handful of silver coins inside. A perfectly miserable sight. I continued my frown, still finding her reaction to be amusing. "N-no? Then, don''t tell me that you¡ª" She suddenly yelped as she took a few steps backward, wrapping her arms around herself. "M-my body. You want my body, don''t you?" ...Eh? "I-I''ve heard the rumors. Even though you''re young, you''re already a womanizer. You got a maid, a slave, and even the court mage herself in your harem. A-and now you want me in it as well!" Wait, hold on, what kind of rumors have she been hearing? "W-well, it can''t be helped. After what I did to you, I could only offer my body to you. To think I would lose my virtue this way¡­" What the¡ª She''s taking off her cloak! Oi oi oi even after that, you''re still horny?! Honestly, I might have taken her up in her offer, if not for my unblemished commitment to Sherry. She''s quite the looker after all. And what kind of a guy wouldn''t want to do it with an elf? ¡°Look,¡± I sighed. ¡°I have no interest in your body. I just want you to leave me alone, alright?¡± I sent her a stern look. ¡°L-leave you alone? W-why?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re nosy. That¡¯s why.¡± ¡°W-what? Nosy? B-but I¡¯m not¡ª¡± I decided to end our conversation there, by walking past her towards the stairs. ¡°Mr. Pendleton! Please! I just want to hear about your tales and exploits!¡± I did not respond. *** The next few days went by the same way as before, meaning, a rumor of a sighting reached my ear, I went to the location, I swept through said location, and then I returned to the small town empty-handed. At the very least, I seemed to slowly narrow the location where she could be. In an attempt to be some third-rate detective, I had marked all the places where she had been spotted in my map, and so far, the pattern showed that the sightings concentrated around this area. That¡¯s why I hadn¡¯t moved on to a different town or village. Statistically speaking, I had the biggest chance of finding her if I kept my search here. Aah, if only she¡¯s more of a normal adventurer¡­ After my investigation, I knew the girl never even got registered in the Guild, nor did she belong to any form of adventuring party. And she never returned back to town either, somehow content on spending months on the wilderness on her own. She must be some sort of a crazy survivalist. Not that odd in retrospect, considering she¡¯s an elf and all¡ªliving with nature and all that. Still, that made my job even harder, as she could practically be anywhere out there. And with no information on where I could find the flower she¡¯s looking for as well, I¡¯m pretty much throwing the dice every time I went out there. Not to mention the fact that as more days passed, the worse the weather became. The winds became stronger and colder, and more and more snow started to pile up. And out there, blizzards started to ravage the forests, making the visibility awfully poor for any adventurers who were foolish enough to go there. Not to mention the monsters would grow more ferocious as well, especially monsters like Frost Bears and Tyrant Deers from before who thrived in the cold. I had no idea how she could survive out there, on her own, without ever going back here for supplies. Even I wasn¡¯t strong enough to fight against the blizzards. I could create cyclones to protect myself from them, but it only lasted temporarily while the blizzards would last for much, much longer. I would run myself dry if I kept spamming them. And without them, I could barely see anything. Damn it, should I just forget this whole elf business? I¡¯m not going to stay here until spring! *** After yet another unfruitful day of searching and wandering, I rested my laurels in my usual tavern, tucking myself at the most inconspicuous corner that no one would bother stealing a glance at. These days, the excitement about me had died down a bit. Such was the nature of rumors and gossips. They didn¡¯t stay for very long in the public consciousness, which was perfectly fine by me. With a cup of hot chocolate and a plate of pork sausage on my table (another expensive expenditure, if I might add), I was confident I would be able to relax and enjoy myself for the night. I even took out a book to read. And no, it wasn¡¯t some trashy fiction book. I am educating myself, for I need to prepare for my trip to the Demon Continent. The dominant language there is different, and I am not going to be like those ignorant tourists who came to Japan and expecting us to speak English to cater to them. Sure I¡¯m glad I decide to spend some time going to the bookstores at the capital just to buy this book. It was titled ¡°An Introductory to the Demon Tongue¡±. It wasn¡¯t that big, and the author seemed to have painstakingly made sure that the readers would be to understand every single explanation he put in there. In fact, it read like the author was a giant fanboy of demonic culture in general. He kept praising how diverse and exciting they were, and how we as humans could learn a lot from them. Geez, I wonder how this book didn¡¯t get labeled as heresy by the Church¡­ Still, thanks to that, I was able to pick up the language pretty quickly. If I had to describe how it was, I¡¯d say it reminded me quite a bit of the German language back at Earth. Kinda funny, since the human language on the other hand is pretty similar to English. So this is some English vs Germany type thing, like in the two World Wars. I was so engrossed in said book, that I didn¡¯t notice a group of people heading towards me. ¡°Charles! You¡¯re Charles, aren¡¯t you?¡± With my eyebrows raised, I put my book down. Only to see my old companions, the Flaming Arrows, standing beside my table. ¡°Charles! Long time no see!¡± Huh. They¡¯re here? The one who spoke so cheerfully was naturally Amelie. The other two, that being Anne and Anton, only looked at me with a neutral expression on their faces. Well, for the former, it¡¯s more like a scowl than anything. ¡°You did it! You really slew that dragon, didn¡¯t you?¡± She giggled. ¡°I knew you¡¯d be able to do it! I never had any doubt in the slightest!¡± Well, this is awkward. We kinda separated in quite the bad terms after all. And so, what happened afterward took me by surprise. ¡°I apologize. I shouldn¡¯t have said those words to you back then.¡± Anton bowed as deeply as he could. Uh, alright? After he straightened himself back up, he continued, ¡°You know your strength better than I am. I shouldn¡¯t have been so presumptuous to tell you what to do.¡± Oo-kay, this is only getting even more awkward. I don¡¯t really care what he said to me back then, but he¡¯s making it out to be a big deal. ¡°Don''t worry! I don''t mind in the slightest!" I quickly interrupted him with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re only concerned about me, right? I think it¡¯s a pretty natural thing to say to anyone who¡¯s crazy enough to fight against a dragon on his own. So, what are you guys doing here?" I quickly changed the topic. ¡°Doing quests. What else?¡± Anton replied, now with a little smile. ¡°In winter, the demand for adventurers for guard and monster extermination duties increase, so you¡¯ll see more and more adventurers flocking to this part of the country.¡± Ah, that makes sense. The winter makes the monsters more ferocious after all. The herbivores will die off or hibernate during the winter, so the carnivores would decide to attack humans instead. Monsters have fewer self-preservation instincts built onto them, so they would survive this way. ¡°Ah, I see,¡± I replied with my own little grin. ¡°Well, good luck to you guys. As you might¡¯ve heard, I¡¯m busy searching for a certain elf. So I¡¯m not taking up any prolonged quests for the moment. If you ever see her, make sure to tell me, alright?¡± ¡°...So the rumors are true. That you are chasing after another girl.¡± Anne finally decided to speak. Without hesitation, she walked and stood right beside me, glaring with that emerald eyes of hers. ¡°I thought you already have a girlfriend, huh? So how come you¡¯re going all around looking for this elf girl?¡± She put her hands on her waist. I rolled my eyes. Oh great, she gets the wrong idea. Just like many others. ¡°Who says I¡¯m looking for her for that reason?¡± I replied with an annoyed frown. ¡°I need something she has. A Dream Orb. I want to buy that off her hands so I can send a message with it.¡± ¡°Hmph, as if I would believe that excuse, you womanizer!¡± was her chosen reply. Sheesh, what a stubborn girl. You¡¯d be cuter if you were less stubborn, you know. Then maybe you¡¯ll actually get a guy to be your boyfriend so you¡¯d stop nagging me like this. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Anne,¡± Anton spoke with his authoritarian tone. ¡°His business is his own. We have no right to ask him about it if he doesn¡¯t want to answer.¡± Yea, that¡¯s right. Listen to your leader for once. ¡°Charles. Are you never going to join us again?¡± It was Amelie who spoke. With a fluttering of her long eyelashes and the watering of her eyes, I nearly told her otherwise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t.¡± I gave her a regretful smile. ¡°I really need to meet that elf. Or else I¡¯ve wasted my efforts these past two months. Honestly, I might end up just leaving if I don¡¯t get to her soon. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to continue my search once spring comes.¡± ¡°And you, Amelie. We¡¯ve talked about this before. He won¡¯t travel with us again. It¡¯s only a mere coincidence that we took the same job all those months ago.¡± Anton scolded her next. She retreated with a sigh before giving me a bitter smile. She probably thinks me more like her dream hero after the news of me slaying that dragon came to her ears. Heh, she just doesn¡¯t know how much of a weakling I really am. Bravery is not a function of strength after all. "Oh, and sorry for us interrupting your dinner." Anton then spoke with a bashful smile. "Amelie here insisted that we should come and pay you a visit once we knew you''re here." Yeah, I can imagine her doing that, whining to him until he relented. "Well, I suppose we shall take our leave." Knowing that their presence wasn¡¯t exactly welcome, Anton, being the one with the most sensible head among the three, decided that they should depart. I felt bad for feeling this, but he was right. I was in the middle of my reading and they had took me out of it. And I hate being interrupted like that. Before they could do so however, they were stopped by a certain sound. The strings of a harp being plucked. That day he climbed the mountain, His company the wise witch, For a cure he sought in need, A stranger he prayed to live. It was the harp of a bard. She had made her entrance, and now, she was playing her instrument, all the while accompanying it with her voice. And she was an all-too-familiar face. With might and magic he fought, A dragon most powerful, The cold did not bother him, For his wind is far more fierce. ...Yep, she¡¯s singing about me, alright. The dragon laid in defeat, Its heart plundered, taken, The witch made her curatives, The stranger returned from Abyss. The crowd, who had become silent as she began to play, barraged her with applause. It seemed her performance pleased them, even though the words didn¡¯t exactly rhyme with each other (I thought a ballad is supposed to have that rhyme at the end of each word). Still, I couldn¡¯t exactly blame them. It didn¡¯t matter if the lyrics were subpar, when her harpplaying and her voice were that good. She was actually a talented bard after all. Even so, I¡¯d better look away and pretend that I¡¯m not here. Or rather, I should sneak out before she did something dumb like calling me out or something. ¡°Well well well, aren¡¯t you happy?¡± Anne huffed, giving me that glare again. ¡°They¡¯re now making songs of you, O Great Divine Tempest.¡± She wasn¡¯t holding back in the slightest. The mocking, venomous tone of her voice made it all too clear that she wasn¡¯t happy with my sudden rise in popularity. ¡°Why are you so mad about it anyways?¡± I responded with a questioning look. ¡°It¡¯s not like I asked her to make songs about me. She did it on her own. I don¡¯t even want this publicity.¡± That¡¯s not entirely true. I do want to be famous. Just not now. And I don¡¯t think my fame would contribute positively in my search of that high elf. What if she thinks I¡¯m a bad guy? She¡¯ll be scared since she knows she¡¯ll be outclassed by me in strength. ¡°Because you¡ªaaarghhh, forget it!¡± Instead of answering, she stormed off. I could only sigh like a disappointed parent at her reaction. Ah, puberty. She¡¯s just like Hanako. Come to think of it, she stopped being cute just when she¡¯s around her age. Anton sighed as well, shaking his head. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be taking our leave.¡± Giving me a nod, with a short wave from Amelie, the two left as well. To my relief, I heard the elf bard switching to a different song. She hadn¡¯t noticed me yet, it seems. I soon left as well, employing my utmost stealth as I swerved through the back of the room, ignoring the eyes that just realized I was the main character of that song they just heard. Thank God I had paid for my meal beforehand *** Another two weeks had passed since then. Thanks to the bard¡¯s performances, my popularity around here rised again, to my chagrin. I even got Ms. Receptionist teasing me for it, singing the lyrics whenever she could make me hear it. I didn¡¯t meet Anton and the others again. They probably had taken a guard job from one of the logging companies. Naturally, that would force them to stay in one of their sites until their contract was over. At least, that¡¯s what I believed, until one cold and snowy night, I saw Anton and Amelie inside the Guild. And the latter was yelling and crying at Ms. Receptionist. ¡°Y-you can¡¯t be saying we should just abandon her!¡± Amelie shouted as she banged her fists onto the table. ¡°I¡¯m saying there¡¯s no adventurer around that is capable to take your request,¡± she replied with a cold and dispassionate look. ¡°The Merkel Forest? In a blizzard like this? I¡¯ll only give such a request to S-rank adventurers. And in case you haven¡¯t noticed, there aren¡¯t any around.¡± ¡°That¡¯s stupid! Merkel Forest only has A-rank monsters at the very most!¡± ¡°The blizzard bumps it up to S-rank. With that poor visibility, you know how easy it is to be ambushed by monsters.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! Just accept the request!¡± It was immediately clear to me that Amelie was terribly upset about something. What that thing was however, I had no idea at the moment. The older woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she seemingly nursed a terrible headache. ¡°Hey, everyone!¡± She suddenly shouted. ¡°Does anyone here want to do a rescue mission to Merkel Forest?¡± No one responded. A rescue mission? In this weather? And in that forest? Merkel Forest was known to be the toughest forest in the entire immediate region. It¡¯s filled with A-rank monsters that would end the lives of any unprepared adventurers. Combine that with the blizzard that¡¯s currently happening right now, no wonder not a single adventurer there replied. It would be suicide to go out there in this weather. Even an S-rank adventurer might not be willing to do it. And I wouldn¡¯t blame them. And why is she demanding a rescue mission again? And where¡¯s Anne? ¡­ ...Oh no. ...Don¡¯t tell me that she¡¯s¡ª I promptly walked up towards the two. In the corner of my eyes, I noticed the unmistakable pained look in Anton¡¯s face as he looked away. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on here?¡± Amelie was the first to turn towards me. And then¡­ ¡°C-Charles¡­ U-Uwaaahhhhh!¡± Before I knew it, she already threw herself onto me, hugging me as tightly as she could as tears cascaded down her cheeks. ¡°I-It¡¯s Anne! She¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s still out there in the forest!¡± And thus, my fear became reality. Chapter 122: The Cold Trail Amelie then told me everything, from how they had taken a monster extermination job at the forest, how they ended up being surrounded by a pack of snow wolves before they could go back once the blizzard started, and how that led to them being separated from Anne, who had sacrificed herself to attract the attention of the wolves. They would¡¯ve gotten back for her, if not for the blizzard. Anton, like the good leader that he was, decided it was too risky. He was tough enough to go against Amelie¡¯s wish, who would¡¯ve left him if he hadn¡¯t slapped some sense into her. Literally. He really is the big brother of the party. When she finished, she naturally begged me to save her. Even Anton did the same, bowing as far as his back allowed him to in the process. They both knew their only chance was with me, who was much, much stronger than any other adventurers here. I simply nodded and said, "Point me on the map where you last saw her." ------- Wow, this weather really is bad¡­ When I went back outside, the blizzard had gotten worse than before. And the blizzard in the forest should be even worse than this. Even without the monsters, if Anne couldn''t find a warm place to take shelter, she would catch hypothermia and die. I have to go quickly before that happens. I promptly returned back to my inn to change into my heaviest winter clothes. By the way, I purchased them back at Silheim. I knew winter was coming so it would be prudent of me to get some proper winter gear, especially after learning how cold the weather could get in this region at that time of the year. They were made from the fur of Frost Bears, keeping your body warmth inside and the cold air outside. I also took with me another set of clothes for Anne, given to me by those two. I didn¡¯t forget snagging some food and drink. Wine would be really great to warm somebody up. Well, I could just use my fairy¡¯s water for that as well. Why was I doing this, you might ask? Heh, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t already know about me and my hero complex. ...No, it¡¯s just not that. I also can¡¯t bear to see them lose someone dear to them. After all, I know perfectly well how painful that can be. They died in this weather too, in the cold. And I¡¯d be damned if I¡¯m going to let anyone else die if I can¡¯t help it. ...She¡¯d be fine. She¡¯s too stubborn and vulgar to be dying to a bunch of monsters and the cold. If I had to guess, she¡¯d probably be hiding in a cave somewhere, warming herself up with a fire she had started herself. She was the ranger of the party, after all, possessing the best survival skills compared to the other two. She would know how to keep herself safe in a situation like this. I darted downstairs and to the outside. After giving my marked map a quick read, comparing it with the compass I had (over the months traveling alone I had gotten really good at combining the two efficiently), I swiftly headed towards the direction the two showed, leaving the town not even a minute later. I looked towards the skies as I rapidly flew with my Wind Step spell. Hmm, I wonder if I can move those dark clouds away with a tornado spell. No, I shouldn¡¯t do it here. I might end up making the blizzard even stronger at her place if I end up pushing more snow clouds there. I never actually thought of manipulating the weather in this manner before. Would my tornado spell even be strong enough to win against the strong wind this blizzard produces? Though thinking scientifically, if I could just tell the clouds to go away, then this nasty weather should stop, unlike a magical blizzard created by another mage¡¯s spell. --------- I soon arrived near the forest. As I thought, the snowstorm was even worse there. Even with my warm getup, if I hadn¡¯t been casting my warm air spell, I would still feel terribly cold. Still, it wasn¡¯t the coldest blizzard I had experienced. ¡°Air Sunder!¡± I aimed my wand to the skies, firing off my cyclone spell in an attempt to disperse the clouds in the area. Only to find that before it could reach that height, the spell had weakened considerably to the point that it had barely any effect on those thick, dark mass. Crap. It¡¯s not strong enough. And I never bothered to learn a proper Master-level Cyclone spell either. Do I really have to do this while under this strong of a blizzard? The visibility is already bad enough at night. Combine that with the snow and you can basically see nothing except for objects mere centimeters from your face. Those two could only make it back because of Amelie and her fire spell. Think Hugo. Is there really no way to make your cyclone spell stronger? ¡­ ...Hold on. Think about a tornado. How would you make one, scientifically speaking? You combine a lot of hot and cold air together and then have a strong wind to mix them up. I already have an abundance of cold air right now and I can certainly create a strong wind. All I need is the hot air, and I can create that too, can¡¯t I? I smirked. ¡°Warm Breeze!¡± I lifted my wand upwards and generated as much warm air as I could around myself. Modifying the temperature to be higher was an easy task. I simply had to make the fire part of the hybrid spell stronger. Oh right, you can¡¯t store the hot air out in the open without it being cooled off by the blizzard. I gave myself a slap on the head, before conjuring my earth sprite with the command of creating an enclosure around myself that would protect against the frost winds. Once she appeared, she promptly did as I told her, creating a large and round mud structure that surrounded us like a dome. ¡°Master, do you need protection from the cold?¡± she asked with a tilt of her head. ¡°Not at all,¡± I replied with a confident smile. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m going to blast away this cold in just a few moments.¡± I raised my wand again and chanted, ¡°Warm Breeze!¡± ¡°Master, you¡¯re warming up the air?¡± ¡°Yes I am! And now, your next job is to destroy the dome the moment I gave my signal, alright?¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± It was clear by her expression that she had no idea in the slightest about my plan. But as a good summon, she obeyed anyways, waiting patiently until I finished filling the dome with hot air. And then, it¡¯s showtime. ¡°Okay, here¡¯s how it goes. The moment I cast my next spell, you take down the dome, alright?¡± She nodded. ¡°In three, two, one, Air Sunder!¡± The dome cracked and fell, freeing the hot air to meet head-on with the cold air outside. With my Air Sunder mixing them in an instant. Immediately the effect was clear. My cyclone, no, tornado expanded and grew rapidly, piercing through the blizzard like it was nothing. It reached up to the clouds, and sure enough, it moved and dispersed the clouds away like a rubber erasing a pencil. The hot air I created fed the tornado, as hot air wanted to go up and up over the cold air, aiding the vortex of wind I had created. Ha! I did it! I knew it would work! Gently, I turned my wand, nudging the tornado to move and erase the other dark clouds in the sky. ...Oh shit, this is actually stronger than I thought. I had anticipated that my spell would be boosted in strength, but not to this point. Since I created the tornado not purely with magic, I had less control over it. I had to be really, really careful to not let it go rampant, or else I would only end up making things worse. Oh crap, it¡¯s sucking me in! I could feel it¡ªthe pull of the tornado at my body. I immediately ordered my sprite to hold my feet in place with her mud. I now held my wand with both of my hands. If I let it slip out of my hands, then I would naturally lose control over the tornado. And I would have to buy a new wand. I don¡¯t want that hassle. To my surprise, however, the tornado soon grew weaker. And weaker. Until it returned back to its original size. Oh right, it must have run out of hot air. With a relieved sigh, I put my wand back in my pocket. And the blizzard? It had disappeared completely. ¡°Wow, that was amazing, Master¡­¡± I turned behind me to see my earth sprite, all starry-eyed. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle. ¡°Pretty cool, isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s my combination spell right there. Strong enough to dispel a blizzard like that.¡± And cool enough to melt her usual expressionless face. Suddenly, her smile vanished. She looked away, downwards towards the snow. ¡°...You really are getting stronger and stronger, Master¡­¡± She mumbled under her breath. If the blizzard hadn¡¯t stopped, I would¡¯ve not been able to hear her for sure. My grin disappeared as well. ¡°Uhh, is something wrong?¡± ¡°N-nothing. Nothing is wrong, Master,¡± she quickly answered, shaking her head. Now, I would¡¯ve interrogated further, if not for the fact that I was on a timer now. Even with the blizzard gone, that didn¡¯t mean Anne was safe. The monsters could still be an issue, especially if she had sustained some wounds beforehand that would hinder her mobility. I couldn¡¯t relax just yet. ¡°Alright then,¡± I replied, patting her on the head. ¡°Good job. Here¡¯s a hug. A real long one.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything else before vanishing. -------- The area where she was lost was not that far from the logger encampment where the lumberjacks had made their home. I visited them for a bit, asking if any of them had seen a girl matching Anne¡¯s description. They said no, meaning she never made it out on her own. I heard some of them expressing their confusion on how the blizzard had just disappeared. Usually, it would last all night. But this wasn¡¯t even midnight yet. I tried to hide my smile. They didn¡¯t need to know it was me who did it, do they? I made my way to the forest proper afterward. The night was dark, with only a tiny crescent moon lightening up the sky. I generated fire with my wand to act as my torch as I climbed tree to tree, yelling for her name while eyeing my surroundings for her presence. Even with my flame, the place was still a veritable canvas of darkness The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves, punctuated by the occasional whiff of something sweet and fermented, like the heady aroma of overripe fruit. It was the scent of the wineshrooms, a peculiar fungi that grew only in the forests around this region. Like the name suggested, they contained alcohol inside them. Eating too much at one sitting would make you drunk. Damn, the trees are too close together for me to get a clear line of sight. Should I just burn them to the ground? No, that''s probably too dangerous for her. If not the heat, then the smoke can kill her. Not to mention it would no doubt agitate the monsters. Naturally, thanks to my yelling, I was attracting quite a number of monsters to my direction, especially as I got deeper and deeper into the forest. Nothing that I couldn¡¯t handle, however. Eventually, I reached the spot where they were separated. And then, I saw it¡ªa corpse of a Tyrant Deer barely sticking out of the snow. I melted the snow before looking at it closely Arrow wounds! This must be her work! One of the arrows was still intact. I took it out and examined it further. This is it! This is the arrow she always uses! I looked around. Now, where could she have escaped to? Looking for her footprints would be impossible. Not after that blizzard. I searched the area further. To my relief, I found more and more arrows stuck inside multiple trees, all forming a trail that I could follow. She was being chased. Or at the very least, she thought she was. But thanks to the blizzard, her aim became poor and some of her arrows didn''t hit their mark. I hurried onward, following the trail as quickly as I could. The trees soon thin once more, while the snow thickened. It got so bad that it reached up to my waist. Luckily, melting it with my fire spell was an easy matter. Huh, this is... It seemed I had ended up on another clearing, with a cliff overlooking a frozen lake. Immediately my mind thought of the possibility of her falling down from said cliff right into said lake. Shit, if that were true, then she would be¡ª I rushed to the edge and looked downwards. There wasn¡¯t any human corpse down there. Just what looked like the corpse of another Treant Deer. I slid down at once, as the cliff was only around 60 degrees or so on its steepness. Sure enough, it was dead. And there were more marks of arrow wounds on its body. This was the one that chased her. To think that she could fight off two A-rank monsters on her own, she really is a skilled adventurer. I looked around once more. The lake was still, with no other monsters or humans around. There were no signs of the ice breaking as well either, meaning, she couldn¡¯t have fallen down inside. And after a little testing with a fire spell, I confirmed the ice¡¯s thickness. It wasn¡¯t the type that would just break easily. But then, once I cleared over some of the snow covering the ice, I saw them¡ªfootsteps etched onto the ice. A deer¡¯s footsteps. There was another Tyrant Deer chasing after her. Tyrant Deers could walk and run on ice quite easily, as long as said ice was thick enough to support their weight. Their hooves were able to make small dents on the ice that gave them friction, similar to how our spiked boots worked. Speaking of spiked boots, sure enough, interlaced with those footsteps, I could see the signs of boot spikes etching their way across the ice as well. Without waiting, I flew through the ice using my Wind Step, following the trail until it ended at the other side. ¡°Anne!¡± I yelled. ¡°Can you hear me?¡± No response. I thought I should be close to her but apparently not. Once back at land, I looked around for any stray arrows once more. To my relief, I could still find them. Ironic, how the fact that the Tyrant Deer chased her this far made it far easier for me to follow her tracks. I knew the monster was the aggressive type, but to think that it could be this aggressive. As I followed the trail, more and more trees lined up to my left and right. It seemed I was going straight towards the head of the forest. I could see a lot of broken branches, courtesy of the deer, I imagine. If not for Father teaching me all this stuff back then, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed them most likely. Thanks, Dad. I¡¯ll make you proud by saving her. You always said that saving a girl is something all boys should aspire to do one day, right? Though I don¡¯t intend on making said girl my girlfriend or anything... Suddenly, I stopped. I hear it¡ªrustling in the bushes and leaves around me. And no, it wasn¡¯t made by the wind. In fact, there hadn¡¯t been any wind blowing for a while. I wasn¡¯t sure why, but dread was slowly creeping into me. Father had talked about this then as well. It¡¯s what you would call an adventurer¡¯s instinct. A seasoned adventurer would be able to tell if they¡¯re in danger without actually knowing what kind of danger they were in. It¡¯s not something one could explain through logic and reason. It¡¯s simply what you would call a gut feeling. Now, I wouldn¡¯t call myself seasoned by any means, but this sensation was unmistakable. Something is coming. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I remembered Fiora¡¯s words. ¡°All living things have their own aura. Even monsters. And you can sense that aura to sense their intentions.¡± She even demonstrated by emanating a killing aura that immediately made me flinch. Another rustle. Now it¡¯s flanking me. No monsters in this region were ever this stealthy, so this could be a new monster entirely¡ªa creature not even the Guild had information for. I can sense it. It¡¯s faint but it¡¯s definitely the aura of something hostile. It¡¯s looking at me as its food. Slowly, my hand went towards the handle of my sword. Woosh! Something big and heavy went flying towards me at high speed. Without hesitation, I cut it into two with a slash of my sword. A giant vine?! It wasn¡¯t over. I sensed tremor shaking the ground where I stood. Immediately, I strafed to the side using Graceful Step, just in time before another vine broke through. I cut it as well. Now I have a pretty good idea of what kind of monster is currently attacking me. It¡¯s either a massively sized monster plant or a creature that could control plants like a dryad. Or it could even be a mage manipulating the vines using their magic. My mind was reminded of Marina¡¯s Ygdrassil spell. She could use something similar to it back then, though her vines were nowhere near as big as these ones. Shit! This is bad! If this is where Anne has run off to, then this monster could¡¯ve gotten her! And thanks to all these trees, I don¡¯t even know where the main body of this plant creature is! Tch, guess I would just have to burn them all then! ¡°Flame Strike!¡± My spell flew and exploded, burning a number of trees in its radius. And they responded with a roar. Chapter 123: Forest Treant W-what¡¯s happening?! The earth trembled, sending me falling to the snow. I didn¡¯t stay there for long, however, knowing there¡¯s a chance more vines would attack. I rolled over and leaped upwards as fast as I could, before casting Wind Step so my feet would be able to stand in mid-air, unaffected by the quake. If only it was just an earthquake. One by one the trees around me uprooted themselves. No, to be more precise, it was as if something was pulling them, gathering them together towards a single spot. This forest isn¡¯t normal! The sound of the roots piercing through the earth and the branches crashing into each other were deafening. I promptly flew upwards, away as far as I could from them. Another roar echoed in the air, loud enough to deafen the sounds the pulled trees were making. And then, what I saw took my breath away. At a distance, not far from where I was, a giant tree-like creature was forming itself. Using the trees it pulled as the materials for its body, it quickly grew¡ªbigger and taller after every passing second. What the hell is that?! Wait¡­ the trees! Every tree that it¡¯s gathering is linked by the same network of giant roots! So that¡¯s how they all got pulled together at once! This whole place isn¡¯t an actual forest! It¡¯s all part of this giant creature! Whatever that is, I should put it down before it can assemble itself fully! I flew up higher, giving me more time to cast my strongest fire spell in mid-air before I hit the ground. Only to stop once I got a better look at the creature. That''s¡­. That''s Anne, isn''t it?! Inside the creature''s body, made out of a chimeric hybrid of roots and trees of all shapes and sizes, was a girl suspended on mid-air, held in place by the many roots wrapped across her body. And beside her, I could see other creatures stuck inside as well¡ªTyrant Deers, Frost Bears, even a few birds and squirrels if I squinted hard enough. I think¡­ I think I know what that thing is. Forest Treant. A treant made out of an entire forest. Normally, it would camouflage itself as a normal forest, snatching unsuspecting monsters and humans alike into its roots to be used as its food. However, if disturbed enough, like by starting a forest fire, for example, it could rise and gather itself, forming a gigantic treant that is tall enough to blot out the sun. It¡¯s an S-rank monster, something that should not exist in this region. Normal treants exist, sure, but a gigantic one like this? And so close to where humans lived? It doesn¡¯t make sense. It would either be hunted down first or there would be no village or town near it. And Anne, along with her pursuers, I assume, had been captured by that monster. Shit! I can¡¯t just blast it with my fire magic without hurting Anne as well! I have no choice! I have to fly up close and cut those roots of her! I flew forward as fast as I could, as the treant grew taller and taller. It let out a roar once again¡ªthe sound most likely reaching across miles from here. And then, noticing my approach, it let out its barrage of attacks. Roots and vines grew towards me at high speed. When I managed to dodge them, it didn¡¯t relent, firing off a swarm of thorns towards my direction. This, I could not dodge. I had to dispel my Wind Step and protect myself with Wind Wall as I fell. Its attacks didn¡¯t stop there, however, as a vine went flying from down below to hit me at mid-air. I barely blocked it using my sword, as my Wind Wall was on my front, protecting me from the thorns. Only for another vine to come and slap me with its full strength, sending me flying to the snow down below. ¡°Gah!¡± My sight dimmed. I¡¯m quite certain several of my bones were broken. If it weren¡¯t for the snow, I might have been dead from that. I was careless. Fighting mid-air like that? Not the best idea. But on the other hand, I couldn¡¯t stay on the ground either if I wanted to save Anne. I chuckled. Now this is a real S-rank monster. Like I¡¯ve said, that dragon was already weakened by a bunch of other adventurers before I finished it off. But this? This is all me. I¡¯m the only one that would fight it. I looked upwards. ...Ah, so tall. It¡¯s as tall as a skyscraper. It¡¯s even taller and bigger than that dragon. How can a monster like this be here without anyone knowing? Can I really do it, I wonder? I summoned Great Fairy, ordering her to heal my wounds immediately. The treant could easily step on me while I¡¯m in this position, and there would be nothing that I could do. ¡°Master! What happened?!¡± She yelled. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding!¡± Ah, that explains the tangy, steel-like taste in my mouth. I chuckled, answering weakly. ¡°A big tree. A really big one. Strong as well.¡± My eyes gestured upwards and she followed. She gasped, her mouth opened wide with terror. ¡°Heal me. Quick. Before it attacks me again.¡± ¡°A-alright!¡± She poured into my mouth her healing water, rejuvenating my broken bones and closing my wounds, both internal and external. It was honestly miraculous, how quickly healing could work in this world. As long as its physical wounds, anyway. THUMP THUMP The treant let out another roar, and the earth shook every time it took a step. It seemed it had completed its transformation, and now, it walked with its full strength. I had no idea where it was heading, however. ...Wait, I think¡­ I think I might just have an idea on how to handle this guy. It¡¯s pretty risky, but knowing how flame resistant it should be, thanks to all the snow and ice on the trees, then it should work. I hope. I stood up¡ªa confident smile drawn on my face. It might be a skyscraper-sized monstrosity but there¡¯s one thing it lacks compared to the dragon. And I can abuse that here. I can win. I have to. Or I would break my promise again. ¡°Fly near me,¡± I instructed my summon. ¡°Be ready to lift me up at a moment¡¯s notice.¡± ¡°Aye aye Sir!¡± she replied with a smile as she formed her sword. I then aimed my wand towards the feet of the treant. Just like its body, they were made out of tangled roots, bushes, and trees. Its size was too massive for me to just cut through with my sword. And I imagine Boom Cannon would not be that effective as well since it could just reform and regrow the tiny hole I would make in an instant. If I am going to cut its legs off, I need something stronger. Not just a mere flame but something even hotter. Something that could really pierce through its fire resistance. ¡°Magma Burst!¡± Aiming at the ground where it stood, I brought forth a column of searing hot lava. The effects were immediate. The portion of the feet where the lava came out immediately erupted into flames. And as plants didn¡¯t feel pain, the treant didn¡¯t react like a human would. It continued stepping on the lava, burning more and more of its own foot. However, it was still a small portion of the whole thing, and there were two of them, so I had to use multiple Magma Burst to achieve the goal I desired. ¡°Magma Burst!¡± ¡°Magma Burst!¡± ¡°Magma Burst!¡± More and more lava burst forth, and more parts of its massive foot were swallowed by the flames. Now, the treant finally decided to retaliate. It let out a roar before sending its roots and vines towards me like a storm, with some going through the air and others trailing underground. Another two-pronged attack from the creature. I was already ready however. ¡°Stay close to me!¡± I ordered my fairy, before yelling, ¡°Boom Orbit!¡± The high-speed sphere of wind circled around me, obliterating any vines and roots that got close from the air. As for the ones from the ground, I used Graceful Step to run around, dodging them with relative ease. There might be quite a number of them, but they weren¡¯t fast enough to be able to catch me. I stayed in the defensive for a bit, waiting until more and more of the treant¡¯s feet to be engulfed in flames. The smell of burning wood was now enveloping the air, and the black smoke was starting to inhibit my breathing. The lava spouts had stopped, but the flames continued on, fed by the ¡°flesh¡± of the monster itself. And then, it snapped. First the left foot. Then the right. Slowly but surely, it lost its balance. The mighty skyscraper-sized treant fell. ¡°Lift me up!¡± I yelled to my fairy, just in time to dodge the massive earth-shattering impact that followed. KABOOM It sent a massive shockwave that spread through the rest of the forest. And the sound was no doubt heard for miles around. They might hear the sound first, like thunder who struck the earth, followed by the tremor, which they might mistake as a minor earthquake. A grin formed on my face. Hah, I did it after all! With it being down like this, it¡¯s much easier for me to get to where Anne is. Like I predicted, the flames reached nowhere near its stomach where she¡¯s being kept, and since that region is the most protected part of its body, judging by the thickness, even letting it fall like that wouldn¡¯t harm her. Treants can¡¯t eat their prey instantly. They have to slowly absorb their nutrients over several days, and during that time, they would store them inside their stomach. And that¡¯s why it¡¯s the most protected part of a treant¡¯s body. And now, time for the next stage! The treant roared in anger. I could see it slowly reforming its burned off feet by moving the materials it used for the rest of his body. I was grateful that it couldn¡¯t absorb other trees that weren¡¯t part of its root network, or else it could probably regenerate even faster. That¡¯s fine. I plan to finish this quickly after all. I flew towards the lower back of the monster (as it fell face first). Or rather, I commanded my fairy to do so. I looked around, affirming where Anne was being stored inside the monster. There she is. Just need to cut through all those wood. I dived down, readying my sword in the process. My fairy followed with her own sword. Even though her water attacks wouldn¡¯t be that effective against a plant opponent, she could still make water blades sharp enough to cut through the treant. "Hyaah! Hyaaah!" She yelled loudly every time she swung her sword, which I would probably find cute if I wasn''t in the middle of hacking down a skyscraper-sized tree. My mind was fully focused on the task at hand as I hacked and slashed as quickly and efficiently as possible. I also utilized Boom Orbit to help me with the process, obliterating any roots and trees around me. Not Boom Spiral though. It''s too risky. I could hit Anne by accident. The treant didn''t just lay down and take it, however. It retaliated even harder now it realized I was inside its body, sending every single root, branch, and vine in our direction. Thorns grew to hinder our progress, with some firing at us as well. However, the combined force of my spell, sword, and summon was enough to repel every single attack. Large, heavy objects were shattered by my spell while smaller objects were parried and blocked by our swords. And then, we made it to the center. As expected, she was unconscious. Not dead, as I checked her pulse immediately. Thank God I remembered what I read about treants. Even so, roots were stabbing her body all over. I took care not to dislodge them from the holes as I separated them from the treant so her blood wouldn''t start to leak out. I had no time to tell my fairy to heal her. Not when we were still inside the treant like this. Once I hauled her over my shoulder, we began making my escape. I looked at the route where I had come in. No dice. The treant had already fixed the hole I made considerably. And climbing upwards was naturally more difficult than the other option I had in mind. Guess we just have to escape downwards then. I aimed my wand downwards¡ªmy sword was already sheathed at this point since I needed one hand to keep Anne in place¡ªbefore firing a Boom Cannon to clear out a small hole I could just jump down into. As we fell, I fired more and more, as one wasn¡¯t enough to pierce all the way down. My fairy was on guard duty, cutting any attacks that came towards us. And then, just when I was about to hit the ground¡­ ¡°Earth Sprite! Dig us a tunnel to leave this place!¡± I then softened my landing with Wind Step, just in time for her to manifest and make a hole on said ground. Of course, I could always just tear through the treant all over again, only sideways, but this method was the safest way for us to escape. It wasn¡¯t foolproof, however, as the roots could still reach us. Still, it was nothing that we couldn¡¯t handle In a few minutes, we came out safely to the surface relatively unscathed. I didn¡¯t look back as we fled from the treant as far away as we could. It would be foolhardy for me to go back and fight it again¡ªeven if I might be able to finish it off¡ªsince I had Anne with me right now. Her well-being was the priority. And besides, the treant didn¡¯t seem to move after what I did to it. Maybe it had decided to focus on recovering itself after my assault on it. Once I felt we were decently far enough, I put her down inside a makeshift cave I ordered Earth Sprite to create. Promptly, I ordered Great Fairy to heal her, as I worked on the roots embedded all over her body. ¡°Master, who is she?¡± Earth Sprite asked as she was watching us work. ¡°A friend,¡± I answered with a smile. ¡°Well, an acquaintance, to be more precise. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re that close yet.¡± ¡°A friend, Master?¡± The fairy chimed in with her cheerful voice. ¡°Master sure has a lot of female friends.¡± She added with a slight giggle. ...Welp, she got a point there. Heh, I might be able to make a harem if I put my all into it. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But Sherry will be mad for sure. I pulled the roots as gently as I could, not wanting to leave any splinters behind. Thankfully, the wood was strong and firm, so I, who had no medical expertise whatsoever, had no problem doing so. Once all of the wounds were closed, the spring fairy gave her some of her water to drink. ¡°G-guh!¡± She promptly coughed, spilling some of the water from her mouth. She¡¯s awake at last. ¡°Mm¡­¡± Her eyelids slowly fluttered open. ¡°H-huh? Y-you?¡± Her voice was faint and hoarse, but it was clear from her expression that she didn¡¯t expect to see me when she woke up. ¡°W-why¡ªwhy are you here?¡± ¡°Why, to save you, of course,¡± I replied with a grin. ¡°Save¡­ me?¡± She paused. ¡°Oh, right, I was running from that beast, and then¡­ Wait, who are those two behind you?¡± She tilted her body to the side to get a better look at them. ¡°Those wings¡­ a fairy?¡± Ah, I never showed them even once in our travels after all. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Those two are my summons!¡± I quickly told her. ¡°They don¡¯t bite!¡± The fairy waved her hands with a smile. The sprite however only stared at her with her usual expressionless emotion. I dismissed them afterward, knowing that they couldn¡¯t remain for much longer in this world. Anne was looking at me with an unpleasant expression however when I gave them a hug and a headpat. ¡°H-hey, don¡¯t get it wrong! I¡¯m only doing it because it¡¯s their payment! Summons need to be paid every time they¡¯re called, you see!¡± She probably is thinking that I¡¯m into little girls or something. She¡¯s always like that, assuming the worst about me. ¡°...Oh? Is that so?¡± was her only reply. ----- I then told her everything, how I had come all this way after hearing the news from the others, and how I had fought against a giant treant who had captured her. When I finished, she was already sitting, leaning her back on the cave wall. She had a smile on her face, and yet, her expression was forlorn, as if something also saddened her at the same time. She sighed. ¡°You really are strong, Charles. Far stronger than me or anybody else in our little group. Thank you. Without you, I would¡¯ve been a goner for sure. That treant¡­ it took me completely by surprise. It hit me with its vines, knocking me out in a flash. I have no idea a monster like that lives in this forest.¡± ¡°Me neither,¡± I replied. ¡°It¡¯s odd, how a creature like that could live here without anyone knowing. Has it always been pretending to be a chunk of the forest all this time? It¡¯s lucky no one ever burns any of its trees before this.¡± ¡°We should inform its presence to the Guild once we get back,¡± Anne responded. ¡°Its presence means the loggers would probably have to stop their activity here. Though, I wonder.¡± She turned her gaze towards me. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you finish it off? With your strength, you should be able to.¡± ¡°You¡¯re overestimating me,¡± I responded humbly. ¡°I almost died fighting it, you know. Got slammed by one of its vines to the ground. Broke a bunch of my bones. It could¡¯ve finished me right then and there. I called my fairy to heal me, but her healing takes some time. And besides,¡± Oh God, I¡¯m going to say something really cheesy now. ¡°I can¡¯t risk it with you on tow. I come here not to slay the treant. I come here to save you after all.¡± I gave her a smile. My words immediately took their effect. Her cheeks turned scarlet, prompting her to look away, no doubt in order to hide it from me. "H-hmph, playing hero again, huh?" And there it is. Her tsun side. "T-thanks." And this, on the other hand, is her dere side. Heh, pretty cute, if I say so myself. "Well," I stood up, still keeping my smile. "Can you walk? I''d rather sleep at the inn for the night." An awkward silence ensued. She remained silent for what seemed like an eternity, until she replied with a shook of her head. "No. Let''s camp here for the night. I¡­ have something I want to tell you." She looked at me as she said those words. Those eyes¡­ it reminds me of Sherry''s when I first met her... I can''t say no to that, can I? Chapter 124: A Confession We decided to camp for the night inside the makeshift cave, so I headed out to gather some firewood to burn. She offered her help, but I refused, telling her that I wanted her to rest at the cave instead. I decided to use the opportunity to also scout for the treant. I was curious about why it didn¡¯t seem to be moving around anymore. To my surprise, when I returned to where the monster was, it was no longer there. Instead, the bald patch in the forest it should''ve left in its wake was gone. Meaning, it had turned back to being part of the forest. I looked at the trees around me. No signs of our battle. It really was as if our fight never happened in the first place. Of course, if I were to start firing my fire spells again, it most likely would wake up again. Though I doubted it would try to ambush me again. It should know that I was too troublesome for it to handle. Or so I hoped. An S-rank monster should be intelligent enough to realize such a thing. I moved to a different part of the forest to get the firewood. I wasn¡¯t going to risk waking it up by cutting down part of its body. I also grabbed some mushrooms for our dinner. I couldn¡¯t find any edible monsters around, unfortunately. ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± I shouted once I arrived back at the cave. ---------- We sat side by side inside the cave, watching as the large pile of firewood was slowly consumed by the flames. I had made a small hole on the ceiling, allowing the smoke to go upwards instead of filling the cave. We were still wearing our winter clothing. The weather was cold enough that we were more comfortable that way. Outside, the snow had been falling for quite a while. The clouds I had moved had returned back to their place, and sooner or later, another blizzard might start to blanket the whole forest once more. We just finished our dinner. I had gathered as many mushrooms as I could. I ate one-third of them while she ate the rest. Since her nutrients had been drained, it was only natural that she would be starving. ¡°Charles¡­¡± Anne suddenly spoke. ¡°I want to apologize. For all the terrible things I¡¯ve said to you.¡± And there it was¡ªthe thing she wanted to say so badly she wanted us to camp here instead of going back to town straight away. ¡°I had let my prejudice get the better of me. I thought all nobles are bad, and when I learned that you were one of them, I thought you would be just like them¡ªlooking down on us commoners behind your smile.¡± Ah, class prejudice. It always existed no matter what world you were in. ¡°You see, my father¡­ he was killed by them.¡± A branch snapped inside the pile of firewood, sending a loud crack throughout the cave. ¡°There was a monster invasion. It killed my father and destroyed my village. But our local lord¡­ he didn¡¯t send a single knight to help us. We had to rely on adventurers instead. We were outnumbered and outmatched. Still, we managed to win, but not without heavy losses. It wasn¡¯t just my father. Anton¡¯s old party members¡ªthey lost their lives that day as well.¡± So that¡¯s where she got her prejudice from. It wasn¡¯t just something born out of jealousy towards their wealth and status. It was born out of the feeling of betrayal, as they hadn¡¯t done the job they were supposed to do. One of the social contracts between nobility and the common folk was that the former was supposed to protect the latter. And yet, her lord, whom she and her father had no doubt paid their taxes to every year, had refused to send any form of help. Really, if I were in her position, I would probably feel the same. I recollected one of Fiora¡¯s words, on how she as a royal princess and the future ruler of the Empire¡ªshe didn¡¯t hesitate on that declaration¡ªhad a duty to ensure the wellbeing of her people. She then said with disgust how much the nobility of the Empire had ignored their subjects, being stuck in their own little world fighting their own little battles for influence and power. Another reason why I ended up being willing to support her when the time came for her fight for the throne. Though I doubted the two of them, Anne and Fiora, would go along if they ever met. Fiora would simply be too snobby for Anne. ¡°And so, I thought you were looking down on me, on us, as well. I knew you were hiding your true strength, and I believed you did it because you wanted to see us struggle against monsters you could defeat with a flick of your wand. But now¡­ now I know you are not like that. For you to come all the way out here to save me, risking your life in the process¡­ you are as far away from those selfish nobles as one possibly can be.¡± Another twig snapped inside the bonfire. And the sound brought me to a decision. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I guess I¡¯ve been unfair to you and the others.¡± I spoke with a wry smile. ¡°I haven¡¯t been forthcoming and honest with any of you, even though we have traveled together for so long. I didn¡¯t trust you enough, so I kept a distance between us. But now, after you told me your story, it¡¯s only fair for me to tell you mine, isn¡¯t it?¡± I turned to face her and she did the same. Our eyes met for a moment before she retreated, staring back towards the bonfire. ¡°I am not Charles Pendleton. That¡¯s a fake name I¡¯ve given to myself. I wasn¡¯t born in the Holy Empire, nor I was of the nobility. I came from the Southwestern Continent, in the kingdom named Marchen. My real name is Hugo Greenwood. And I am currently on the run from its neighboring nation, the Magocracy, for I have killed one of its rulers.¡± I then told her everything, from the very start, when Marina was kidnapped by Vera. I told her how I lost my parents in our fight, and how I barely managed to win against the ice witch. I told her of my shame, how I ran away instead of facing my sister like a real man would. I even told her of Sherry, how she was adopted by my family, how she left for the Demon Continent, and how I am now going after her. When I finished, she was looking at me with a mixture of surprise, pity, and guilt. I could tell that all I just said was too much for her to believe. So I remained silent, waiting for her to make the first move. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t believe it¡­ to think that you¡¯ve gone through so much¡­ and yet, I thought of all those horrible things about you in my mind¡­¡± Her voice shook as she buried her face on her knees. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°If you think of me as a coward, then you¡¯re right,¡± I replied with a grim smile. ¡°If you think of me as a pervert, then you¡¯re also right. I might not have a maid or a slave as my lovers, but my eyes would always wander whenever I see an attractive woman. Got it from my father by the way. He too was quite the perv.¡± I chuckled. A little joke, to lighten up the atmosphere. ¡°No, you are not a coward!¡± she suddenly yelled, turning her face towards me in a flash. Her yellow eyes were watering. Was my story really that sad? ¡°You¡¯re a brave person who would sacrifice himself to save others! Not just for me but also for complete strangers! You fought that dragon just to save a little girl you only met yesterday! I know that! I know that deep down in my heart! And yet¡­ and yet¡­ in my pride, I remained stubborn, thinking that you¡¯re just playing the hero to show off. I was even annoyed when people started to sing your praises! How stupid is that!¡± Tears were now flowing down her cheeks. ¡°The truth is¡­ the truth is that I just¡­ I just¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve fallen for you, alright?! And I hate and despise how you¡¯ve left me behind to go on your own adventures! I know I¡¯m not strong enough to follow in your steps! And even if I am, you already have that Sherry girl! I never really hated you! I only hated myself!¡± Silence. She looked away and began sobbing into her hands. And I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say. To be honest, I had some suspicion that she might have some feelings towards me, just from the fact how her mood would turn sour every time Amelie got close to me. But naturally, I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Like she said, I already have Sherry. I would be a vile man if I humored her affection, knowing that we would never be able to be together. But now, she outright admitted it. I was expecting an apology, which I got, but I didn¡¯t expect her to break down and confess like that. Tsunderes wouldn¡¯t just do that out of the blue. The protagonist would have to be the one to make the first move. And then, I realized it¡ªme saving her was that first move. Father once said that to make a girl fall for you, you just had to save her in her time of need. I didn¡¯t really buy it at first¡ªlove should be more complicated than that¡ªbut now, it seemed to be true after all. Now what should I do? Should I give her a hug? That could calm her down, but it could lead to something that I wouldn¡¯t want to happen. I settled on a shoulder pat instead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t return your feelings. Sherry¡­ she¡¯s waiting for me, training hard with her people for my sake. I can¡¯t betray her, even if I wanted to.¡± Her sobbing stopped. She looked up towards me and said, ¡°You¡­ you want to?¡± "Eh?" ¡°So, does that mean you¡¯re interested in me?¡± ¡°W-well, I¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice all those times you stared at my butt.¡± She pouted. Yeah, I really did that. A couple of times. Maybe more. I couldn¡¯t help it. Those shorts she wore under her skirt were simply too tantalizing, showing off her voluptuous bottom and cameltoe every time she bent over. They might be even better than normal panties. ¡°That¡¯s alright though. If it''s you, I''ll allow it." And then, she shoved me down onto the dirt. W-wait, seriously? Was she really going to¡ª "Sleep with me, alright? Just this time. That girlfriend of yours doesn''t need to know. You have to go soon, right? We''ll never see each other again. Please, give me this one thing¡­ just this thing... to remember you with¡­" Her face was inches away from mine. I could feel her breath warming my nose. I could even smell the scent of alcohol coming out from her mouth. Wait, alcohol? Oh, that''s right! The mushrooms I gathered! The locals called them Wineshrooms, as they had trace amounts of alcohol inside them. And since she ate so much of them, she actually got drunk off them! That''s why she was being so aggressive right now! But why did the effect only start to kick in now?! ¡°H-hey, I¡¯m still too young for that kind of stuff!¡± My old, virgin self would definitely kick me in the face for that response. ¡°Mmm, I don¡¯t care,¡± she replied, her speech getting more and more slurred. ¡°You¡¯ve had your lewd dreams, right? I heard boys get that once they¡¯re old enough to do it.¡± Hold on, how did she know I already have those dreams?! ¡°And look, your little guy down here¡­ he¡¯s already ready, isn¡¯t he?¡± she whispered, in the most vixen-like manner. S-soft! Her hand is so soft! "Hehe. You''re really cute when you''re blushing. You never did it with a girl before, did you? Not even with that girlfriend of yours." She grinned. Her face was now fully flushed with lust. The usual tsundere tomboy had disappeared, replaced by a lustful girl who really wanted to bed an 11-year old. She then released her hand off my privates, only to use them to start undressing me off my winter clothes. Alright, that¡¯s it! I can¡¯t let her do this any longer or else we would really be crossing the line! I grabbed both ends of her waist. And then, I pushed her off my body. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said to her as firmly as I could. ¡°I can¡¯t give you what you want. I would really be cheating on her if I give it to you. Especially since it¡¯d be my first time.¡± To think I would ever refuse to do it with a girl... Though if you thought about it, doing it with a drunk girl would be against the law¡­ not to mention that I was still underaged as well Well, those two laws didn¡¯t really exist in this world, did they? I only refused because of Sherry, not for some moralistic notion I brought over from my old life. Slavery was immoral in my old world but I couldn¡¯t just brand everyone who owned slaves in this world as a bad guy. She reacted by letting out a hiccup before tears started flowing out of her eyes once again. ¡°I see it now¡­ You don¡¯t wanna do it with me because I¡¯m not attractive enough! I know you prefer big chests over small ones! And your Sherry probably has the biggest of them all!¡± ¡°Well, actually, she¡¯s pretty flat, all things conside¡ª¡± ¡°Liar!¡± She pointed her finger. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare lie to me, Hugo! This Sherry girl must be a succubus! No wonder you¡¯re so faithful to her!¡± Aah, she really is drunk¡­ If I went back and revisited the past, I had seen her like this before. She was actually a very lightweight drinker, but her drunken antics were a sight to behold. I saw it once that day, in one of the taverns we visited on our journey to Fiania. She jumped up the table and started yelling all sorts of nonsense, to the joy of the other travelers there who just got free entertainment that night. If I had remembered, I wouldn¡¯t have let her eat that many mushrooms. ¡°I just want a cool boyfriend like you! Is that so much to ask?!¡± I sighed. She was at that age where teen girls got all hormonal and stuff. She probably didn¡¯t really love me in earnest. She only thought I was cool and good-looking, and she got carried away from me saving her and from the influence of the mushrooms. For people who actually had social lives, having a girlfriend or boyfriend, and having sexual intercourse with them, was never that big of a deal. Marriage was the relationship where you had to commit. And even then, divorce was always available. Of course, in this world, I didn¡¯t believe the concept of divorce even existed. So marriage would be really for your entire life. So unless she started to beg me to marry her, she wasn¡¯t really committed to living the rest of her life with me. And my ideal life would be to have a beautiful and devoted wife that would stay with me until the day I died. A temporary girlfriend would still be nice but my weak heart wouldn¡¯t be able to take the breakup. As for Sherry¡­ Mother often teased her by saying how she should marry me in the future. And she didn¡¯t seem to have a problem with it. Right, Sherry? Please tell me you¡¯re still willing to spend the rest of your life with this loser of a man. And then, without warning, she fell over. She had fallen asleep on her own. ----- Anne When I opened my eyes, sunlight was already pouring inside the cave. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Groggily, I sat up, holding a hand to my head. No doubt a hangover from last night. Wait, last night? What did I do again back then? Urgh, I couldn¡¯t remember. All I knew was that I ate too much of those Wineshrooms. To think I would get that drunk from them¡­ I really am weak to anything with alcohol. ¡°Good morning!¡± I turned around, seeing Charles, no, Hugo, smiling at me. He was cooking something on the bonfire. Judging by the smoky smell, it was probably some kind of meat. Let¡¯s see. I told him about my story, and then he told him his (I still could barely believe that!), and after that, I think I¡­ My heart skipped a beat. Did I¡­ did I actually tell him that I like¡ª I bolted. ¡°H-hey, where are you¡ª¡± I ignored his words. I ran out of the cave, as far away as I could from him. My chest was like a battle drum, beating relentlessly without rest. My cheeks were burning and my eyes were watering. For I had certainly, definitely confessed to him. Only after I was out of breath, I stopped, leaning on a tree with one hand, while the other massaged my chest. Why?! Why did you do that, you stupid drunkard girl?! You already know that he has a girlfriend but you came forward and told him that you like him too! Are you an idiot? What do you want him to do? To abandon her and choose you instead? I punched the tree. Frustration swelled inside me. I liked him. That fact was unavoidable. I thought I could pretend that I didn¡¯t, but after what he did yesterday, that feeling burst forth once more, amplifying with so much intensity that my drunk self just had to say it to him. I didn¡¯t know since when. Before I knew it, I desired him. Not just as a friend, but as something more¡ªsomething I wanted for myself. My hatred for him¡­ it was only a ruse. My true feeling was one of affection. And then, my memories returned into a rush. I remembered everything, from how I confessed, to his rejection, and to me forcing him to the ground in my drunken state, telling him to forget about his girlfriend and to bed me instead. I even remembered my childish tantrum afterward. ... ...That treant should¡¯ve snapped me in two. Suddenly, I heard a rustle on the trees. I promptly looked up, only to find him jumping down from the air. ¡°There you are!¡± he said to me, still with that idiotic, yet cute smile of his. ¡°Come! Breakfast is rea¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± I bowed as I never bowed before. What I did was simply unforgivable. I had tried to seduce him in the most shameless manner. I had lost all my senses and I let my lust overcome my judgment. I forced myself to him, even though I knew he already had a lover. I had become a harlot, trying to make a good young man like him to break his promise. ¡°Please forgive me for what I did last night!¡± Even so, I still apologized, for it was the only thing I could do. ¡°Last night? Umm, I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s anything you should apologize for.¡± What? I looked up and saw him with his eyebrows raised. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? I pushed you down and then I¡ª¡± ¡°Pushed me down? You never did such a thing.¡± He folded his hands and tilted his head. ¡°Sure, you confessed to me and I rejected you, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s anything to be sorry about. I¡¯m glad you told me your feelings, Anne, even if I can¡¯t return them.¡± He returned to his smile again. ¡°That means you don¡¯t hate me after all.¡± E-eh? He doesn¡¯t remember? ¡°So don¡¯t worry about it, alright?¡± He walked forward and gave me a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Now let¡¯s go back and eat some breakfast. Hope you like Snow Bunny meat though. That¡¯s all I could find.¡± I was saved. He doesn¡¯t remember what I did to him. That¡¯s why he¡¯s still this friendly towards me. If he had known, then he would no doubt hate me for sure. I couldn¡¯t stop a smile to bloom on my face. I¡¯m sorry, Hugo, but I can¡¯t tell you the truth. I just¡­ I don¡¯t want you to hate me. I know it¡¯s selfish, especially after I¡¯ve treated you so badly all this time. If I can¡¯t be your girlfriend, then at the very least I can be your friend. That¡¯s not too much to ask, is it? With those thoughts in mind, I followed after him, putting on the brightest smile I could muster. ¡°Snow Rabbit meat huh? I guess it¡¯s not too bad. Just put a lot of pepper on it, alright?¡± Chapter 125: At Last, The High Elf Arrives Hugo After breakfast, we made our way back to town. Anne had returned to her former self, or rather, she was even better than her former self. She was now smiling more often and she no longer gave me a frown like she often did. Well, that¡¯s what you got when you broke through the ¡°barrier¡± of a tsundere. She had now come to terms with her feelings towards me and that significantly improved her attitude. Not to mention the satisfaction of knowing everything she desperately wanted to know about me. I too felt better now, knowing that I didn¡¯t have to hide my true identity from her. Still, I hadn¡¯t decided yet whether I should ask her to keep it a secret from the rest of her party. Oh, and I never forgot what she did last night. I only pretended that I did, just to save her the humiliation. Why brought up things we would rather forget? She would no doubt start to sulk and distance herself if she knew that I knew of her attempt at seduction. We made a stop on the logging outpost at the entrance of the forest, just to tell the head honcho there about the treant. His face went pale, as he couldn¡¯t immediately process the fact that such a massive monster was living right inside the forest they were chopping down. However, that pale face was also proof that he believed in our story. He must have heard the roar and felt the quake. And he probably had already heard some reports about a giant shadow standing above the forest from the adventurers he had hired to guard the place. He was the guy who hired Anne and the others by the way. Their task was to clear out the monsters, just so not a single one would wanter into where the lumberjacks were doing their thing. He didn¡¯t apologize for getting Anne into a life-threatening situation though, nor I expected him to. Being an adventurer meant risking your life to do dangerous jobs after all. Any deaths on the mission would be on the adventurer, and not on the employer. We arrived back in Feila once the sun was already up high in the sky. And we didn¡¯t need to even enter the city before we saw them, standing at the front gate. ¡°A-Anton! Look! That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s Charles! A-and Anne¡¯s with him!¡± Amelie was the first to take notice. She didn¡¯t even wait for the older man to reply. She immediately took off running towards us, throwing herself towards the older girl. ¡°O-oh Anne, y-you¡¯re safe! O-oh thank the Saint you¡¯re safe!¡± She burst into tears of joy, hugging the archer so tightly I was surprised the latter didn¡¯t start to scream in pain. Anne returned her hug, patting her head and back in the process. ¡°Of course I am.¡± Tears started to gather in her eyes as well. ¡°Charles is on the case after all.¡± She smiled, giving a short glance in my direction. Anton soon came running as well. Never before I saw that huge of a smile on his face. And before I know it, he gave me a hug as well. ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much.¡± The warmth he gave made me smile as well. Once he released me, he put his hands on my shoulders and said, ¡°Tell me. What can I do to repay you? Feel free to name anything.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I replied, still keeping up my smile. ¡°I did it because I wanted to. Nothing more and nothing less.¡± He paused for a bit before forming a grin. ¡°Then we would be on your debt. If you ever need anything, just say the word.¡± ¡°Actually¡­ I do have something that you guys can do for me.¡± I then told them about the high elf and how I had been spending these past two months running around looking for her. ¡°I see¡­¡± Anton scratched his chin once he finished listening to my story. ¡°Unfortunately, we haven¡¯t met her. We certainly have heard rumors about her though, how she would appear for one moment, only to disappear when you looked away. She has become somewhat of a folktale among the adventurers in this region.¡± I sighed. Still no luck, huh? ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He smiled, putting one hand back on my shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll help you search for her. Right, you two?¡± He turned to face Amelie and Anne. ¡°Of course! Leave it to me!¡± The former patted her chest with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do to repay my debt,¡± the latter answered, giving me a short look before averting her gaze with a light blush. She really is a lot cuter like this, I thought with a grin. ¡°Well, I figure you¡¯ll need a lot of rest after what you did,¡± Anton spoke again. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about the details later. For now, we¡¯ll escort you to your inn.¡± I nodded. Sleeping overnight on the dirt inside a cave wasn¡¯t exactly refreshing. We made our way through the small town. Nothing seemed to be different. The atmosphere was still as relaxed as ever and the streets were still filled with adventurers. Guess the news about the treant had yet to spread. The people who might know about it would be the lumberjacks and adventurers near that forest, and they probably decided not to send any news to the town right away. How much people would buy a story about them seeing a gigantic figure towering over the forest in the middle of the night? They would want to confirm it first for sure. ¡°Alright, I think this is far enough,¡± I said to them once we arrived at the front of my inn. ¡°Thank you, everyone!¡± I gave them a smile. ¡°What are you thanking us for, silly?¡± Anne giggled. ¡°We¡¯re the ones that should thank you instead!¡± ¡°Heh, if you say so,¡± I smirked. ¡°See you around Anne, Anton, Amelie.¡± I gave a short glance at the other two. ¡°Make sure to get some rest, alright?¡± I said to the archer. ¡°Yeah, see you around!¡± Anne shouted, waving her hand as I entered the building. I made my way to my room at once. The inn¡¯s warmth was enough to invite me to bed as an enchantress would. I climbed up to the fifth floor, opened the door, and turned on the fireplace with a flick of my wand. I opened the window to let some fresh air in. In the process, I saw the receding figures of the three walking away on the streets down below. A sense of relief crept into my heart. I preferred it to be this way, with me being friends with them. Yeah, having friends is a good thing after all. I plopped over my bed. My thought then inadvertently returned to Anne and what she did in that cave. To think that she actually liked me. A real life tsundere. And she wanted to sleep with me as well. I remembered Fiora and how forthcoming she was with her affection towards me. Then I remembered Sherry, with the whole bathing incident, sleeping together afterward, and of course, her giving me her panties. Then Marina, with her teasing. Mother was similar too. Are all girls in this world that forward? Not that it''s a bad thing, of course. Suddenly, I was hit by a sudden wave of drowsiness. As my mind drifted back to the events of the past, I slowly but surely succumbed, until I fell into dreamland. I wouldn¡¯t remember what dream I had that afternoon. Only it had something to do with all those people I just thought about. ---------- ??? ¡°To think that you would wake up, just from my presence.¡± Once again, a blizzard rained down upon the forest, drowning the green with white. And once again, someone was unfortunate enough to feel all its wrath as she wandered inside the cold and darkness. And yet, she wasn¡¯t bothered in the slightest, for a peculiar bubble was protecting her from all the ice and snow. It was one of the many magic the person possessed in her repertoire, and to her, maintaining said bubble didn¡¯t even require any thought. ¡°Hmm? Someone hurt you? You believe he¡¯s a danger to the forest?¡± She stood in front of a large tree, resting her left hand on its trunk. If one were to see and hear her, they might think she was talking to it. A foolish thought, if not for the sharp, long ears she possessed. It¡¯s a common belief that elves were able to communicate with the forest, even if the truth was far more complicated. ¡°...No, I won¡¯t help you. The elves who once lived in this forest¡ªthey¡¯re long gone. This is their territory now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll fight to the end?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I suppose it could not be helped. It¡¯s your purpose of coming into being. Sooner or later, they would come for you. You might win once. Or twice. But one day, they would cut and burn you until there¡¯s nothing left.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Then, I shall take my leave.¡± She withdrew her hand from the tree, giving it one last look before she turned her back on it. It was a cold, dispassionate look. And yet, there was a hint of melancholy in that green as well. ¡°I shall pray for that day to come soon. For you deserve your rest.¡± ----------- Hugo Another month had passed since then. The news about the Treant¡¯s existence had spread, resulting to the immediate halting and ban of any logging activities in Merkel Forest, courtesy of the town¡¯s mayor. The local Guild seemed to be in no rush to do any subjugation mission against the monster as there were not enough high-level adventurers around, so they simply assigned the place to be off-limits for any adventurers below S-rank. Of course, they came to me and asked if I would like to take a bite at the monster. I refused them though. That thing wasn¡¯t an easy opponent by any means. If there weren¡¯t any good reason to fight it, then why should I bother? As for my involvement in the whole thing, I had asked Anne and the others to downplay my part, so when we gave our report about the Treant, we simply said that I rescued her without fighting the monster, and she was simply an observer, not a victim. Even so, it didn¡¯t stop another rumor to spread about me beating the thing. Speaking of rumors, that nosy elf bard had turned full-paparazzi mode. Not only she went after me, but she went after the Flaming Arrows as well. She was especially interested in the romantic notion of me saving Anne, saying stuff like how it fit her vision of a knight in shining armor saving the maiden in distress like in all those tales. I could only sigh. Bards are creatures like that, I suppose. As for my search, well, it still remained fruitless, even with the Flaming Arrows helping out. I was starting to think the elf was purposefully avoiding our search. There was no way she could elude us for so long. We searched one day at the north, she was sighted at the south. We went to the south, then she went to the north. And so on and so forth. Winter was slowly coming to an end. And when it did, I had promised to myself that I would leave. I couldn¡¯t stay in this place for any longer. In fact, I was starting to regret my decision on chasing after this elf in the first place. If I had headed northeast straight away, I would already have months of crawling that World Dungeon where I might have better luck in finding the Orb. But then, one day, after another fruitless day of searching, it came. ¡°Hey boy! You got a letter!¡± The innkeeper called, stopping me before I could climb the stairs. I walked to her desk with raised eyebrows. I had no idea who would be sending me a letter. For a short moment, I had the fancy idea that it was a letter from Marina or Sherry, but naturally I knew it to be impossible. They wouldn¡¯t know where to send their letters. ¡°Thanks!¡± I gave her a polite smile before taking the letter off her hands. I then went upstairs to my room first before I opened it. No sense in rushing it after all. I looked at the cover first from top to bottom. It really was just a plain white cover, with no decorations or embellishments in the slightest. Not a single identifier can be found either. No address, no name, nothing. Judging by the good condition of the cover, it¡¯s safe to say that it hadn¡¯t traveled far. So it was most likely a local who wrote and sent it to me. I opened it as gingerly as I could. Inside was a plain piece of paper. And on it was a bunch of letters, written in cursive. I am the person you seek. If you wish to find me, then carry your feet to where you fought the treant. Come on your own. I am only interested in you and you alone. My jaw dropped. N-no way¡­ This¡­ this can''t be real, can it? Am I dreaming? I gave myself a good pinch. Nope. Not dreaming. I reread it over and over again, making sure that I wasn''t missing anything. W-wait, don''t get too excited, Hugo. This can still be a prank. O-or a trap even. There''s no guarantee if this is really from her. I quickly ran back downstairs. "M-Miss!" I half-yelled to the innkeeper. "Who sent the letter?" "Eh?" She raised her eyebrows. "Just a courier boy. Didn''t say any names or address, if that''s what you''re asking." Damn it! Well, of course she won''t deliver it personally. With her wanting to meet me with secret at that forest, she probably is still there, and she can''t be bothered to go here just to meet with me. Should I do it? Should I go there and risk it? ...Of course I should! After three months of fruitless searches, I''d take any leads I can find! -------- The next morning, after a humble inn-made breakfast of vegetable soup and bread, I made my way back to the forest. As expected, the logging outpost had been completely abandoned. Well, maybe not completely. There were still a number of guards assigned there, just to watch after the treant. When they saw me, however, they didn''t tell me to go back like they should. Instead, they welcomed me like I was a celebrity, saying that I must be there to check up on the creature. Yeah, whatever. They''re free to think whatever they want. I asked them if they had seen any other adventurers. They answered with a no. After paying them a short visit, I continued on into the forest. On my way to where the treant was, I had to fight off quite a number of monsters. It seemed ever since there weren''t any adventurers who periodically exterminated them, their numbers had multiplied quite significantly. Still, nothing I couldn''t handle. When I arrived, not finding any elf around, I used Wind Step to get a better view of my surroundings. It could still be an ambush¡ªbad guys trying to kill me and rob me of my belongings. Though knowing my reputation, I doubted anyone would want to try that with me. Uhh, not to brag or anything. "You''ve come." My heart nearly leapt out of my chest. I just heard a voice. And it wasn''t just a normal voice. It was a whisper, almost as if the person was speaking right into my ear. "Come down. I''m to your north, in a clearing." It was a girl''s voice, that much was clear. Her tone was neutral, almost emotionless, with only a bit of commanding tone to it. "W-what?!" I looked around frantically. There was no one else with me up here. Calm down. It''s my magic. And now there was an annoyed tone on her voice. I had no idea what kind of magic she was using. Telepathy? Like the one Myrilla used all those years ago? That wasn''t a magic spell. It was just her demonic ability. With caution, I followed the voice''s instruction. I went north, found the clearing she talked about, and landed there. There was a person there, standing with a staff on her side. Finally, after three months of searching, I met her at last. I would¡¯ve jumped with joy, if I wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed doing it in front of a complete stranger. , face to face¡ªthe high elf with the orb I needed. And she¡­ was simultaneously exactly what I expected her to be, and exactly what I expected her not to be. She indeed had silver hair, tied in a twintail that went all the way to her waist. And she indeed had the longest elven ears I had ever witnessed, signifying her race as a high elf. As for her petite figure, it was there as well. She was barely taller than me, and her chest was as flat as a board. As for her clothing, she wore a white robe and skirt that ended above her knees, followed by a pair of black stockings and brown boots. The staff signified that she was a mage, another match with the description Flameu gave me. However... Really? Elves are supposed to be tall, busty onee-sans, right? She looks more like a gnome than an elf! "So, tell me.¡± She spoke with the same dispassionate tone from before. ¡°What do you want with me? You¡¯re the one who''s been busy looking for me, right?¡± Guess I should go straight to the point. ¡°I just want your Dream Orb, that¡¯s all.¡± I told her. ¡°And I¡¯m ready to pay you the necessary amount for it.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Who told you I have it?¡± ¡°The alchemist you visited. You know, the court mage of the kingdom. A redheaded woman.¡± I almost said big-chested but I didn¡¯t want to be seen as a pervert by her. ¡°I see. So you¡¯ve made an acquaintance of her.¡± Her eyes continued to judge me. I immediately knew she wasn¡¯t the type to care about politeness or any of that human stuff. ¡°You¡¯re Charles Pendleton, correct? The Divine Tempest. The one who slayed a Frost Dragon on his own. And, if I had to guess, you were also the one who fought the Forest Treant here and won.¡± ...Welp, she really has done her homework on me, hasn¡¯t she? ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything to the Forest Treant actually,¡± I corrected her. ¡°I was simply rescuing a friend of mine that night. The Treant appeared and disappeared on its own.¡± ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± The tone of her voice was one of distrust. She clearly didn¡¯t really buy my lie. ¡°Very well. You can have my Orb if you wish.¡± If she had stopped there, I would be the happiest man in the world. ¡°However, I would ask you for a favor in return. I have no need for your gold. What I want is your assistance instead.¡± I let out a deep sigh internally. I knew it wasn¡¯t going to be that easy. ¡°Well, what do you want then?¡± I replied. With a victorious smile, she responded, ¡°Help me gather my flowers. Then I will give you the Orb.¡± ...Oh great. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 126: A Demon of Love "U-urrghhh, one more, Master! One more!" "Hey, don''t you think you had enough already?" "I don''t care! Just gimme another glass!" The adventurer groaned as he placed his empty mug over the counter. The bartender could only give a sigh, as he took his glass and filled it once more with wine. How the mighty has fallen¡­ He knew who this drunkard of a man was. He once was a well-respected S-rank adventurer. But now, he just spent most of his time here, wasting the hours away as he drank and drank and drank without end. Once the mug was full, the adventurer grabbed it immediately before chugging it down like there¡¯s no tomorrow. He only stopped once his glass was half-full. ¡°Bwaahhh, damn you, you little brat! You can¡¯t take away my Syphly and Marka like that!¡± He yelled as he raised his mug up in the air. The bartender could only shake his head. He still remembered when this man was the most well-respected adventurer around. But now, everyone was giving him the evil eye. Well, if the rumors he heard were true, then he couldn¡¯t say that he didn¡¯t deserve it. Not only he cheated on his two girlfriends, but he nearly led his clan to their deaths. If it weren¡¯t for the Divine Tempest boy, he wouldn¡¯t be here now. It¡¯s a shame that the boy wasn¡¯t around in the city, the bartender thought. He would love to give him some free drinks, in exchange for his patronage. It would be good for the business after all. Hmm? Suddenly, the door chime sounded. He looked up and saw a customer walking in. A witch, huh? The term ¡°witches¡± was normally associated with female mages, especially those who wore the classic outfit with the tall pointy hat and such. Some said that Mira was the very first witch, and that she was the one who came with that outfit in the first place. Of course, one could also use the word to describe a powerful female mage, since Mira was the most powerful mage there was. The witch who entered walked over towards the counter, her long blue hair and short skirt swaying freely as she moved. A smile was drawn on her face. She took a seat beside the adventurer. ¡°Master, one glass of your best wine, if you would.¡± She put a silver on the table. With a raised eyebrow, the bartender did as he was asked. Haah, don¡¯t tell me that I¡¯m going to get another drunkard in the middle of the day like this. ¡°Oh, and give this man another glass on me.¡± She grinned, patting the adventurer¡¯s shoulder. The adventurer, of course, was surprised. He turned and gave her a confused look. ¡°You¡¯re Arcturus, right?¡± She continued, still as cheerful as before. ¡°I¡¯m a big fan of you, you know!¡± ¡°A-a fan?¡± he replied, now even more bewildered. ¡°Yes!¡± She patted her chest. ¡°That¡¯s why I am here! I want to meet with you¡± It didn¡¯t take long until she cheered him up considerably, making him laugh and bang the table in excitement as he regaled her with all sorts of heroic tales that centered around him. The bartender could only smile watching them, feeling glad that this might just be the thing to lift him up from his slump. ¡°I see! So that kid wasn¡¯t really that strong after all!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! He only beat the dragon because we already injured it severely first. He basically only defeated a half-dead dragon! What¡¯s so amazing about that, huh?!¡± He yelled before letting out a large burp. For a split second, an expression of disgust was drawn on the witch¡¯s face, something that the adventurer didn¡¯t notice. However, she quickly returned back to her cheerful disposition. ¡°And would you know where he could be right now?¡± she asked as sweetly as she could. "Hah? How should I know?! That brat can be anywhere! And why are you asking about him anyway?" He gave her a lecherous leer, his eyes wandering to her breasts and thighs. ¡°You know.¡± His smile suddenly turned perverted as he leaned over towards her, to the point that she could smell his alcohol-ridden breath. ¡°You¡¯re a cute one. Wanna join my party? We can use another mage in our group.¡± He then shamelessly put his arm around her, pulling her closer towards him. Her warm smile vanished, replaced by a chilling one that was as cold as the breath of the Frost Dragon he had failed to fight. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I¡¯ll never be attracted to weaklings like you.¡± Before he could process her words, he already found himself mid-air, flying towards the wall behind him. ¡°Ugyaahhh!¡± He hit it with a loud thump, attracting the attention of the bartender and the rest of the patrons. The girl didn¡¯t seem to care though, as she simply tossed another coin to the former, flashing him another smile (her warm one) while saying, ¡°Sorry for the mess. Here. An extra.¡± She then stood up and walked back towards the front door, to the awe and fear of the other patrons. Her smile remained, as if her theory was correct, which it usually was, she had just found something quite¡­ fun that she could do. Heh, not even trying to hide your strength, huh, boy? Fine then. I¡¯ll take care of you before I take care of her. Nothing personal. It¡¯s just that, with you joining forces with her, you two are clearly too dangerous to be left to your own devices. Can¡¯t have you trying something silly like trying to take revenge on us, can we? --------- Hugo ¡°So, uh,¡± I scratched my cheek. ¡°Where are we going to be looking for those flowers again?¡± ¡°Where? If I know that, then I would have no need for your help, do I?¡± She smirked. I sighed. This really would be difficult, wouldn¡¯t it? After I accepted her terms, we were now discussing what we should do next. And that, of course, was to search for the flowers she so badly wanted. ¡°Did she tell you the name of the flower I am looking for?¡± she asked. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± I folded my hands near my chest as I started to recall what Flameu said. ¡°I think it was Lapis Chrysanthemum¡ªa pure white flower you could only find in this region.¡± ¡°And does she tell you why you can only find them here?¡± she asked again. ¡°Not really.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s probably the weather or the soil or something like that. I know nothing about plants and the like. You¡¯re not talking with my big sister, unfortunately,¡± I added with a smile, reminiscing Marina¡¯s affinity on the subject. ¡°I see. That¡¯s a shame¡­ I assume you don¡¯t have any expertise in flower magic either?¡± ¡°Flower¡­ magic?¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°I know some Advanced-level Earth spells, but nothing that involves flowers. Like I said, my sister is the one who can do that kind of stuff better.¡± ¡°Advanced-level? Oh, that magic category system she had invented.¡± The significance of her statement didn¡¯t hit me until a few moments later, when I realized she just spoke about the one that invented the level system of magic, which would be Mira herself, the Legendary Archmage. Before her, magic wasn¡¯t categorized in the slightest. She was the one to lay the foundations of magic being a more science-like, researchable matter, lifting it from the dark ages where humans only mimicked the magic used by the other races. Or at least, that¡¯s what I was taught by Marina, who got it from her Magocracy books. Who knew how many of those were actually true? ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me that you know Mira?¡± I asked her back. High elves live for a very, very long time after all. They are even considered immortal by some. ¡°Of course I do,¡± she replied. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know the great archmage herself? But if you¡¯re thinking that I actually was there when she was still around, then I shall ask you this. Do I look that old to you?¡± she replied with a slightly offended expression. ¡°R-right, I suppose you don¡¯t.¡± I eyed her figure once again. Yeah, thinking about it, she¡¯s too short and flat to be an old elf. ¡°I disagree with that classification of hers though,¡± she continued, almost in a lecture-like manner. ¡°Magic is too subtle to be boxed and categorized like that.¡± ¡°Do elves have their own categorization of magic?¡± I asked out of curiosity. She paused for a bit before answering, ¡°No, not really,¡± sparing me only a short glance before looking away once again. Hmm, she probably doesn¡¯t want to tell me anything about high elf magic. Makes sense, knowing how her race works. ¡°Oh, right, I haven¡¯t gotten your name yet, have I?¡± She turned her head once more towards me. With a smirk, she answered, ¡°You can call me Ilymhyrra.¡± Well, that sure sounds like your typical overly complicated elven name. We began our search at our immediate surroundings. With only the hint given to her how the flower tends to grow on the roots of big trees, it wasn¡¯t an easy job in the slightest. There were a lot of trees there after all and I had to check them all one by one. At the very least, I knew where not to search, that is, where the Forest Treant was. Naturally, I shared this fact with her. ¡°Hmm? Yes, we shouldn¡¯t search there. I¡¯ve already looked into that region,¡± was her nonchalant answer. "You didn''t get attacked by it?" I replied. She didn''t seem to have any fear towards the creature, to my confusion. If she spent a lot of time there, then she should''ve been assaulted by it. "Why would I?" she replied with raised eyebrows. "Well, it''s a monster and all and it has attacked me and even other monsters¡­" "It won''t attack an elf. I know that for a fact." She gave me a firm look before looking away. "And how do you know that exactly?¡± I replied with skepticism. ¡°Because it was created by the elves who once inhabited this region¡ªto guard this place from any intruders, whether it¡¯s monsters or humans.¡± Now it was my turn to raise my eyebrows. This elf¡­ she really must be old after all. And the treant is actually a guardian of this forest? Can¡¯t help but feel a little bad for it. The elves had left hundreds of years ago and now the humans are slowly chopping it down. No wonder the trees here are so highly prized. Elven woods should be of higher quality than ordinary ones after all. "Enough of the chitchat." She suddenly stopped in her tracks. "I think we should split up. We can cover more ground that way." I was about to agree, only to remember how long I had spent to find her. "Oh no, I don¡¯t want to!" I quickly replied with a frown. "I don''t want to spend another three months looking for you! Really, why are you so hard to find?" "You¡¯ve simply not been looking for me at the right place. Or perhaps you are simply unlucky,¡± was her casual response. ¡°You never once went to town, did you?¡± I interrogated her further. ¡°I have no idea how you manage that. Especially with how heavy the winter has been these past three months.¡± She didn¡¯t reply further however. Instead, she opted to change the subject completely. ¡°Why do you want my Dream Orb so badly anyways?¡± She gave me a glance. "I need to send a message with it. To a far off friend.¡± I decided to answer honestly. There was no need to lie to her. And I felt if I did, she would just make things harder for me. ¡°You can use a letter for that, no?¡± ¡°Not when I don¡¯t know where she is.¡± She went silent for a moment, looking away before responding with, "If Fate allows it, then you two should meet again, Orb or not." "H-hey, you can''t just say that! Look. I''m on a timer here! She needs to know that I''m no longer back at home and that I''m going to wait for her somewhere else! So I can''t accompany you looking for this flower of yours for long!" She paused once more, seemingly trying to read the expression of my face. ¡°This friend of yours¡­ is she a human as well?¡± Now it was my turn to pause. Should I really tell her that Sherry was a demon? ...Nope. I can¡¯t lie to those sharp eyes. ¡°She¡¯s a demon.¡± Her expression immediately harshened. ¡°I see. A demon.¡± She looked away, walking a few steps with her backs turned before responding, ¡°I would suggest against it. Making a demon your friend.¡± ...Oh great. She¡¯s the type that¡¯s prejudiced against demons, huh? It¡¯s not just exclusive to humans. Elves dislike demons as well. Especially dark elves, who they consider to be more demons than elves. ¡°She¡¯s a good demon,¡± I responded firmly. ¡°She¡¯s not some evil trickster like you might imagine.¡± She turned to face me, her expression stern. ¡°What race of demon is she?¡± ¡°An Izurd,¡± I responded readily. I was starting to feel offended by her attitude. ¡°I see.¡± Her expression hardened even more. ¡°Is she fond of you by any chance?¡± Wait, how does she know? ¡°Yes, yes she is. And I¡¯m fond of her as well.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t meet her again. For once you do, she might not let you go ever again.¡± Huh? What is she talking about? ¡°Don¡¯t you know? An Izurd will never let anyone they like go. They will want to monopolize them for themselves, to the point of killing anyone else who threatens their relationship. And if you cheat on them, they will kill you as well. They¡¯re a demon obsessed with love. You will never be able to withstand their heavy, overbearing love.¡± This took me by surprise. I only knew of the Izurd as an extremely strong demon race. I never knew they were a race of yanderes, if what she was speaking was correct. ¡°Once, back when the Hero was still around, he was chased by a female Izurd. She fell in love with him. At first, she pretended to be meek and shy, stalking him and his party as she hoped he would lay his eyes on him. However, the Hero immediately told her that he wasn¡¯t interested. Guess what happened next.¡± I gulped. I already knew where the story was going. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°It made her turn berserk. She believed killing his party members would finally free him from his duty as a Hero, so he would be with her. She didn¡¯t care how much blood she would need to spill to obtain him for herself. And so she slaughtered an entire city, just so to draw him out in the open. Of course, they were victorious over her in the end. But not without a hefty cost.¡± She walked forward, staring straight into my eyes. ¡°Leave her. You¡¯re not fit for her. Especially if the rumors of you being quite the little womanizer was correct. A human woman might bear having her husband take a mistress or two, but not an Izurdian.¡± She stepped away once more, seemingly giving me some space to process what she just told me. My mind returned back to the past. Sherry always had a bad temper. And she had made me promise not to approach another girl while she was away. Not to mention how starved she was of love. I thought it came from her upbringing, but what if it really was like she said, that she was really a demon obsessed with being loved? If she had seen Fiora flirting with me, or what happened back then with Anne, she would most likely punch me for it. I can just see it. And it would be her full strength punch, that could kill a man. ...Damn. She might actually be a yandere demon after all. I just never saw it because (a) her hormones hadn¡¯t kicked in, and (b) the only other girl that showed me affection was Marina, my big sister. And I never liked the archetype in the first place. ¡°H-hey, how do you know all that stuff about the Izurd anyways?¡± I asked the elf, still refusing to believe what I just realized about Sherry. ¡°Most of the world thought they had gone extinct, you know.¡± She responded with a sigh. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me, don¡¯t you, boy? You might be good with magic, but you still know nothing about this world. Feel free to take my advice. Or not. Just know that the best case scenario in your relationship would be her going insane once you died of old age. Izurdians could live for five hundred years. Humans could barely reach one hundred. My suggestion is to marry that girl you saved from the treant. She probably had fallen for you after you did your heroic deed.¡± ¡°Now come. If you still want your Orb, then we should pick up the pace of our search.¡± With those words, she cut the conversation short. I wanted to say something back to her, telling her that Sherry was not the brutal yandere she imagined, but I had no good arguments against her. Even her argument about her going insane after I died might happen. If I used myself as a comparison, as someone who¡¯s also starved of love, I probably would act the same if my beloved wife died before me I never thought about it properly until now. I might be happy with a wife that never got old, but what about her? I¡¯m fine with her marrying someone else after I¡¯m gone but if she¡¯s going to have a mental breakdown before that can happen¡­ Maybe she¡¯s better off with her own people after all, just like what Myrilla said... I clenched my chest. It hurt. I can¡¯t do it. I still want her with me, and not with another guy, even if in the long term, it¡¯s better for her. Heh, I really am a selfish man after all. ... I need to meet her. That is the only way this matter can be settled. With a wry smile, I followed the high elf. All the more reason why I need the orb. Chapter 127: The Underground Cave "I think I''ll name it Lapis Chrysanthemum. What do you think?" "Don''t you think it''s a bit pretentious?" "Hmm? Really? I think it fits perfectly fine." "It''s not even blue." "I don''t care. I like the name ''Lapis''. And I''m going to use it." ---------- Hugo Night came, and the wind started to pick up as more and more snow fell down from the dark sky. Another blizzard this night, it seems. I was now inside a makeshift cave made by the high elf. Just like I had suspected, she really never bothered going back at night. She would just make something like this and slept there, not caring whether there was a roaring blizzard outside or not. A true nature survivalist. She sat across me with her legs raised, reading some book with an amused look on her face. Between us was the small bonfire she had erected. Wonder what kind of book she¡¯s reading. No cover so I can¡¯t really tell. "Hey, if you don''t mind me asking, what book are you reading?¡± I decided to ask, just to break the awkward silence between us. She was clearly the introvert type. She never spoke unless it was necessary. ¡°A book of elven jokes,¡± she answered without looking up. ¡°You won¡¯t get it.¡± ...Seriously? Do elves even have that? I¡¯m always under the impression (from all the fantasy stories I¡¯ve read) that elves are this super serious race. Well, that, or victims of orcs, goblins, and all sorts of monsters in those kinds of doujins. Should I push it further? If she¡¯s anything like me, she¡¯s probably irked off by me doing this. No one likes their reading sessions interrupted after all. ¡°Try me,¡± I replied with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not a master of jokes myself but I do know one or two human jokes, if you¡¯re interested.¡± She finally decided to spare a glance towards my direction. ¡°A human enters an elven forest. An axe he held in his left hand and a sword on the right. He caught an elven maiden as she bathed in the river. He decided to peek, but he stepped on a branch that alerted her to his presence. Now, what would he do?" "Uhh, apologize?" "He dies. Because her lover shoots his arrow through his heart." "...Yeah. I don''t think I get it." I scratched my head. She broke out a smile. "The joke is only understandable in our tongue. That''s why you won''t get it." Ah, that explains it. It''s like those English word jokes a Japanese person won''t get. "Hey, uh," I decided to continue before she could return to her book. "Why do you want that flower so badly anyways?" Silence. She looked back to her book, opting to ignore my question entirely. I sighed. Well, she¡¯s the least friendly companion I¡¯ve ever got. --------- A week had passed since we began our search. And yet, we had made no progress whatsoever. Even after we split up, I didn''t find a single flower matching her description. I brought her a bunch of other white flowers, but she said no to all of them. Apparently, they weren''t the right one. For the flower to be the correct one, it had to have the right amount of petals. And none of them filled that criteria. I was starting to have the idea of just stealing the orb from her (leaving a pouch of gold afterwards of course). Unfortunately, she stored it inside her dimensional storage spell. The only chance I got to see it was when she brought it out once when I said I wanted to see it, just to confirm if she really had it. Well, I didn''t know how the orb was supposed to look though. The one she brought out looked like your usual crystal ball, only there was some misty, cloudy stuff floating inside. I could sense magic coming out of it so at the very least, it must be a magic item of some sort. When we met up once more, after my batch of white flowers were denied yet again, I immediately spoke up. "Look, maybe Flameu was mistaken. That flower can''t be growing anywhere in this region. She could even be lying, just so she could gain your favor. You allowed her to examine your body, right?" Sorry Flameu, but you certainly are quite good at lying. "Examine my body?" She raised her eyebrows. "All she did was taking some of my blood. That''s all." "W-wait, really?" Damn it! I thought they had some girl-on-girl action back then! I could see Flameu being the type to like girls as well, especially cute ones like her. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yeah, I said it. This high elf in front of me is pretty cute, the more you look at her. ¡°Anyway, I got some good news.¡± She continued. ¡°It seems I might have located a passage to the underground. According to my preliminary search, it seemed to be quite the spacious network of caves. Perhaps we would have more luck if we search down there.¡± ¡°Wait, an underground cave? You mean like a dungeon?¡± Dungeons are the term people use to refer to enclosed spaces that are filled with demonic mana. Some dungeons were specifically built by the demons when they invaded the human continents all those years ago, but others sprung up naturally, with no clear reason why. Every dungeon has a core and a boss monster that guards it. For a dungeon to be conquered, the core must be taken out from the dungeon, and once it does, the demonic mana will slowly dissipate, and the dungeon would revert back to its original, natural form. The most common type of dungeons are exactly like the cave she just described, just a hole you can take from the surface that leads you to a cave, filled with monsters and traps. And at the heart of the cave, you would find the core and the boss that would be there guarding it. So, not far from your typical RPG dungeons, all things considered. ¡°A dungeon?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°No. I didn¡¯t sense any demonic mana from it. It¡¯s just a natural cave network. Still, I did meet some monsters down there. Mostly just bats and the like.¡± So, natural cave monsters. Dungeon monsters are usually more varied. And stronger as well. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t get the point of moving our search there. Is our flower the type that can grow underground like that, with no light from the sun?¡± It¡¯s a place more fitting for a mushroom, if you ask me. ¡°It can. The kind of flower she made, she would want them to bloom even without sunlight." "She made? Wait, what are you talking about? Are you saying that the flower¡ª" "It''s a long story," she replied sharply. "I won''t bother you with it." The look she gave me¡ªshe really didn''t want to talk about it, huh? "I think I get it." I spoke up with a smile. "Your elf friend grew those flowers, didn''t she? You''re a high elf so you could be around when your kind was still living here. Is my guess correct by any chance?" I added with a smirk. She didn''t answer. ------- We made our way to the cave entrance the next day, after we retired for the night. "Here we are." The elf stopped in her tracks. Turning towards me, she said with a smile, "See if you can find the entrance." "Huh? Well, alright." I scanned the area. It looked to be just another clearing like any other¡ªa snow-covered ground with a bunch of trees surrounding it. To the north, one could see a cliff face, heading upwards to the small hill even further north. Then, I noticed it¡ªa pile of rocks stacked on top of one another, right at the position where they could cover an entrance to a cave. I smiled. Drawing my wand, I chanted, "Boom Grenade!" A wind sphere similar to Boom Cannon flew from the tip of my wand. However, once it hit the pile of rocks, it exploded, creating a shockwave that blasted the rocks to the four winds, revealing that there was indeed an opening behind it. "There. That''s your cave, isn''t it?" I turned to face the high elf. "Fascinating. I never see a human cast magic like that before." "Yeah, it''s a spell I invented myself." I grinned proudly. "You? At your age? Impressive," she replied in disbelief. "I trust that''s a Wind Magic?" "Yep, you got that right!" Well, she''s pretty sharp, isn''t she? Not that surprising though. She must be a skilled mage in her own right. High elves are supposedly really great at magic after all. "Oh, were you the one who put those rocks there by the way?" I asked her. "I just restored it the way I found it, though there were more rocks burying the entrance then." "A landslide from the cliff, most likely," I theorized. We then promptly entered the opening, with her leading the way. -------- The cave was indeed spacious, with many stalagmites and stalagtites decorating the floor and ceiling. You could hear the sound of water dripping from a distance, though you could never really ascertain where it came from. It was eerily quiet, with the loudest sound being our footsteps and the screech of bats we needed to fight off. As I expected, the elven girl was a competent fighter. She didn''t flinch as she burned all the bats mid-air with her fire magic. She did it chantlessly, and with such swiftness that it told me she was highly skilled as a mage. Not somebody you''d want to mess with. In retrospect, it should already be obvious. She needed to be strong if she was about to survive camping in the wilderness for months. "So, I take it that you specialize in wind?" she asked after I dispatched a group of bats with razor-sharp wind blades. "Yep!" I replied, a bit surprised that she would ask such a thing. "I do know a bit of the other elements though. What about you though? What element do you specialize in?" She gave me that piercing look once again. "None. I do not specialize in anything." Well, that''s new. I think every mage I met so far has at least one element they''re most good at. Maybe she''s lying? I decided not to push the matter further. From her expression, she didn''t seem to want to talk more on the subject. Haah, what a weird elf. ------ "Huh, an intersection." After a few minutes inside the cave, we were now faced with a branching path. One went to the left and one went to the right. "What should we do?" I looked at my companion. "Should we split up? Quite risky though. We might get lost." Push come to shove, I can just use my Earth Sprite to tunnel upwards. "We won''t," she answered with absolute confidence. "I have placed mana markers on the route we had walked." "Mana¡­ markers?" I raised my eyebrows. ¡°It¡¯s a spell I made,¡± she replied. ¡°Just like yours. But you can replicate the same thing with Earth magic.¡± She pointed her staff to the ground and a pillar popped up. On top of the pillar was an arrow, showing the direction of where we had come from. All made out of earth. ¡°You can do this much, can¡¯t you?¡± Her eyes gave me a glance. ¡°Uhh, well¡­¡± I drew my wand and produced a similar sized pillar. Only it had no arrow on the top. After all, it was just an Earth Pillar spell. And there''s no Earth Arrow spell. "You can''t?" "Sorry, I never learned a spell that could make an arrow like that. Though I could tell my Earth Sprite summon to make one," I added, just to feel better about myself. She gave me a disappointed look. "If I had to guess, you¡¯re the type who only learns fighting magic, aren¡¯t you? That¡¯s why you could already create such a powerful spell in your age. How unfortunate. Magic isn¡¯t as narrow as you think.¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m an adventurer, not a stonemason. I know you can do all sorts of mundane stuff with magic. But since I¡¯m going to fight monsters, of course I¡¯m going to focus on battle magic. That¡¯s why I could defeat that dragon. And that treant. And it took me a long time of training just to master all those fighting spells.¡± I didn¡¯t know why I suddenly rushed to defend myself like this. With those sharp eyes of hers giving me that look, it felt I was being judged by her, which I didn¡¯t like. ¡°...I see. You¡¯re an adventurer. Not a magician. You¡¯re simply someone who uses magic as a tool. I should¡¯ve realized that sooner, since you have that sword on your belt as well. A hybrid magic swordsman. Good at both, but you don¡¯t excel in either.¡± ...Wow, are all high elves this... bold? She''s not exactly wrong though. I''m not some magic expert who dedicated his life to study magic. I''m just inventing magic using my knowledge from my old life as a way to protect myself and the people I care about. I''m using it like a sword, which might offend her who is really a scholar of magic. A pair of conches suddenly popped out of thin air. One fell to her hand while another fell to my feet. "Take that. We can communicate with them." I bent over to pick it up. It looked like a normal conch, only that I could sense a flow of Mana going through it. "Hold it near your ear and speak to it. Your voice would come out from my conch." Seriously? This is basically a phone, isn''t it? A cellphone even. "What''s the range limit on this thing? Oh, and where can you get one? This is really useful!" I smiled. "I don''t know for sure," she replied. "Maybe around the size of the forest above. So it should be enough for our purposes." Well, that''s a bummer. It''s more like a walkie-talkie then. "As for where I got them¡­" She smirked. "Where could you get conches from, I wonder¡­" "From the sea? Is that where you got them?" She didn''t answer. Instead, her smirk only grew wider. ...Gah! This elf can really be smug when she wants to. "Well, enough chat. We''ll split up here and explore as much of the cave as we could. If any of us found anything, we would inform the other using the conches." "And how long are we supposed to search? What if this cave went on forever?" I folded my arms and narrowed my eyes. "Just leave if you don''t like it. You''re not getting my orb though." She smirked again. I sighed. Haah, this girl really is a handful... With that settled, we promptly took our own tunnels. I chose the right one while she took the left. Let''s just hope that flower really is in this dump... --------- Hours passed, and not a single flower entered my sight. Only more bats and earth moles and lizards¡ªD and C rank monsters not even worth my time. There aren''t any treasure chests either. This really is just an ordinary cave network. The size of the tunnels made me think otherwise though. It was too large to be natural. If I weren''t mistaken, natural caves weren''t supposed to be this spacious, right? The tunnels were big enough to fit an elephant and more. Maybe a giant mole built it a long time ago? I think there''s a monster like that¡­ Hmm? What''s that on the distance? I rushed forward into what seemed to be an opening into a large clearing. And what I saw there took my breath away. No way¡­ Underneath me, over the cliff I was standing on, was a village. Rows and rows of little wooden huts were displayed along the circling path downwards, ending on what seemed to be a small underground lake. Is this¡­ is this a dwarf village or something? Only dwarves would live underground like this, right? Quickly, I brought the conch to my ear and contacted Ilymhyrra to inform her of the matter. ¡°A-a village! I found a village here!¡± I immediately shouted. ¡°...I see. Go look around that village. See if you can find the flower there.¡± What is up with that unenthusiastic response? ¡°Wait, do you even know how to get here?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I¡¯ll find a way.¡± And just like that, our conversation was over. I let out a sigh. I should just give up trying to figure her out and her mysterious elven ways. Starting to see why high elves get that kind of a reputation now. ¡°Well, time to explore this place!¡± I declared with a smile. After all the boring cave I had to go through, this was certainly a nice change of pace. As I descended downwards, following the circling path towards the bottom, I noticed for a fact that the village was built in a strange way. Every hut was attached to a tree, or rather, it was as if the huts itself were grown out of the trees. Now that I thought about it, I didn¡¯t believe that dwarves would live in wooden buildings. They would much prefer stone houses, no? Could this actually be an elven village? But underground? As expected, it was completely abandoned. I saw not a single soul or presence there. However, the condition of the huts was surprisingly still good enough that you could just imagine a person still living in them. The work of elven craftsmanship, perhaps? My feet eventually carried me at the very bottom, where the freshwater lake greeted me. I was suddenly tempted with the urge to undress and take a swim (I haven¡¯t got a proper bath in days after all), but I stopped myself. That would be stupid. Still, no flowers in sight. Though the cavern still went on, following the lake who transformed into a river. Guess this must be an underground spring then. I decided not to follow the route however, opting to examine the village more closely instead. I still needed to wait until she came here after all. If I had to guess, she probably could somehow pinpoint my location. Maybe this conch thing also broadcasted my coordinates to her. You could do that with a walkie talkie after all, using the frequency and all that. Chapter 128: Flower of Memories ¡°A flower that can bloom without light?¡± ¡°Yes! Wouldn¡¯t it be wonderful? They can bloom even in the darkest winter!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you have to make them be able to survive the cold first?¡° ¡°D-don¡¯t worry! I thought about that as well!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°A-alright, I didn¡¯t think about it until you brought it up¡­¡± ¡°For a flower maniac like you, I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t think that far... ¡° ¡°Uuu¡­.¡± ¡°...Fine. I¡¯ll give you some pointers on how to do it. If we¡¯re talking about cold resistance, then the first thing you need to know is¡­¡± -------- Hugo I spent an hour or so investigating the village as thoroughly as I could, going door-to-door and entering every wooden hut that I could find. Now, I was no expert at archeology and such, but I could tell that this place hadn¡¯t been inhabited for a long, long time, judging by how thick the layer of dust was inside those houses. The beds used by the people here seemed to be made of leaves as a replacement for the normal cotton, and those leaves had rotted and decayed to the point that you could barely find any. There were some scrolls and parchments I found with some words written on them, but I couldn¡¯t read any of it. It¡¯s probably written in elf tongue, if I had to guess. Eventually, Ilymhyrra arrived. Without any fanfare, she asked me what I had found. ¡°Well, I got some writings you might want to look at.¡± I told her. ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure this place has been abandoned for a long time.¡± ¡°I see. Take me to those writings.¡± With no change in reaction on her face, she walked to the largest hut in the village. It¡¯s where I had piled up all the interesting things I gathered. If I had to guess, it¡¯s probably the chief¡¯s house. Sorry Chief, going to borrow your house for a bit. I decided to wait outside as she read them. The air was too dusty inside to be comfortable (though she herself didn¡¯t seem to mind). I could clear the air with my magic but I didn¡¯t want to disturb anything if I could help it. After another hour of waiting, she finally came out from her hole. ¡°So, what did you find out?¡± I asked her. "The flower is located further in." "And about this village?" "It''s an elven village." "But elves don''t live underground, do they?" "No, I suppose they don''t." And just like that, she walked away, ending our conversation one-sidedly once more. I could only sigh as I followed her. -------- We followed the lake-turned-river into the tunnel at the base of the large clearing, with her leading the way. I kept my eyes alert for any signs of the flower, but all I could find was mushrooms and moss growing on the riverbed. The river continued on and on, until it decided to split into two. We took the right path. Or rather, she took the right path. She didn¡¯t even stop for a second, which meant she probably already knew that it was the right choice to take. She probably already knows which way to take from all those writings I¡¯ve gathered. No monsters bothered us as we marched on, strangely enough, even though we had encountered many bats and moles on our way here. Perhaps because we were close to that underground village? It¡¯s only natural to assume that they would regularly exterminate any monsters that came near, so eventually, the hostile wildlife would just decide to avoid this section of the cave entirely. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve been thinking¡­ You say the ones who lived here were elves, right? Were they the ones who made that treant?¡± ¡°Yes, they were.¡± To my surprise, she actually answered. "Let me guess. The treant went rouge so they had to live underground like this." Without hesitation, she gave me a "that''s stupid" look for her reply, before going back to her usual silence. "You know, I wish you would open up a little. Is it really so hard to tell me just a bit on what¡¯s going on here? I know that you know more than you¡¯re letting on.¡± I gave her a frustrated look. Once again, the silent treatment. She didn''t even bother turning her head this time around. I could only sigh in response. ------- Eventually, the river branch led us to another large clearing. I drew my wand, ready to cast a flare spell to lift up the place like I did with the village, only to find out that it was unnecessary. For it was filled with glowing white flowers, illuminating the darkness like the stars in the night sky. I gave a look towards Ilymhyrra. "This is it, right? This is the flower you wanted?" She didn''t answer. She instead walked forward, crouched down, and picked one of the flowers. She gave it a stare before bringing it close to her nose, giving it a sniff. And then, she smiled. It was one of the sweetest smiles I had ever witnessed. "Congratulations." She turned to face me, still smiling. "You''ve earned your Dream Orb." My heart jumped with joy as a smile broke out in my face. To think that it would actually be here underground. And that there would actually be so much of them in one place like this¡­ unbelievable... Her staff lit up and a crystal ball-looking object manifested in mid-air. Carefully, I grabbed it with both hands. It was a flawless translucent purple orb, slightly smaller than a basketball. "Do you know how to use it?" The elf asked. "Uh, no?" I replied, just realizing the fact. "It''s simple, really. You hug it while you''re going to sleep. Continue thinking about the person you want to send a message to and what message would be. Imagine yourself talking to her loud and clear. That way, the message you sent would be the same way." "Right¡­ thanks!" I flashed her my smile. A surge of excitement bubbled in my stomach. Finally! I can send my message to Sherry! "Be careful," she continued. "You only have one use of it. After that, the orb would crack and it would be just a useless glass ornament." Quickly, I stored it in my bag for safety. She then moved towards the middle of the clearing, where there stood what looked to be a single wooden gravestone. I followed behind her, just out of curiosity, even though I could very well turn around and leave. Still, I have to admit. These flowers¡­ they really are beautiful. "You know, you should''ve mentioned they glow in the dark. Would make my search much easier." "I didn''t know that. I didn''t stay long enough to see her finish her work." We stopped on the front of the gravestone. The writing was illegible, as it was written in the same elvish character as the ones in the books I''d found. Behind it were other, similar gravestones. Multiples of it, in fact. They were laid in a row, just like a human cemetery. "Here lay Primeria. May she rest with the flowers she loved." Ilymhyrra spoke. "A friend?" I looked at her. "An acquaintance." She knelt down and put the flower she had been carrying on the soil. I knelt down as well and did the same thing, before clasping my hands and giving a short prayer. I had no idea about the religion the elves followed, but I felt I had to do it to give respect to the grave. I noticed the melancholic look Ilymhyrra had. She must feel lonely, seeing her old friend dead and buried like this. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She must be really old after all, despite her youthful appearance. She stood up, and to my surprise, began to regale me a tale. "Once, some time ago, though perhaps a long time ago for your kind, this whole region was populated by elvenfolk, separate from your human kingdoms. I visited them then, and I met with a certain elf who loved flowers more than anything else." "And she''s the one who created this flower of yours?" "Yes. She''s a skilled flowercrafter¡ªone who grows new species of flowers." Flowercrafter? That''s a new word. "I left her before she could create this flower. And I only had the opportunity to return here now, many years later." "And when you came back, she was already gone, along with her people¡­" Damn, that''s depressing. "...Wait, doesn''t that mean you''re gone for hundreds of years?" I looked at her with alarm. "You don''t have any time to visit her again all these years?" "...I was on a journey. A long one, if by your standard." "And I guess you''re not going to elaborate on that." "No. I''m only telling you the story of this place." I sighed. Still as difficult as ever. "And the underground village? What''s up with that?" "The Halfbloods lived there. Elves with non-elf blood in them. In your language, they would be your ordinary elves, while we, what you call high elves, are the Purebloods. Purebloods didn''t want to share their forest with Halfbloods, so they put them in underground caves like these." Discrimination, huh? I know high elves view normal elves as beneath them, but this is something else. "She never left this place. Said that she couldn''t feel calm if she had to live with the humans. So she and a handful of other Halfbloods simply endured it, until the day they died. Their lifespan was much less than us Purebloods after all." That explains the grave. ¡°And the Purebloods?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Perhaps they decided they didn¡¯t want to live so close to humans, so they left for the far north where the Timeless City is.¡± ¡°Timeless City?¡± "The capital of the high elves. Inside what you call the Forbidden Land." Ah, that mysterious place no one ever returns from. I turned back to look at the graves one last time. I just hoped that these people could rest in peace, in whatever afterlife existed in this world, if it truly existed at all. "Do elves have their own god?" I decided to ask. "Us humans have the Saint and the Heavenly Dragon and all." "We worship no one. We instead revere the Timeless Queen, our Elder of Elders. There''s no need for a deity when you''re immortal. At least, that''s what they believed at the Timeless City." Hmm, she has a point. Fear of death has always been one of the driving forces for religion to exist. Or so I heard. "Is that all?" She gave me an annoyed glance. "If it is, then you should leave this place. I''ll stay here for a bit." "Well, I still got a lot of questions to ask to be honest. But since you clearly don''t want to answer them, then I''ll just shut my trap and leave." I gave her a smile before I summoned Earth Sprite, ordering her to carry me upwards and dig through the ceiling. "Hey, uh, thanks again. You sure you don''t want the gold?" "Keep it. If you''re still going to the Demon Continent, then you''ll probably need it. I have no need for gold." Yeah, I can imagine that. "Good luck with the flowers!" I waved my hand as my summon carried me upwards with a pillar of mud. And so ended my first meeting with a high elf. And I had to say, she somehow both met and not met my expectations at the same time. For guys who like flat-chested elf kuudere, she¡¯d be up there pretty sure. --------- It didn¡¯t take long until Earth Sprite brought me back to the surface. The cave wasn¡¯t really that deep. It was mostly big horizontal-wise. It was nighttime outside. Thankfully however, no blizzard this time. Before I dismissed the sprite however, she decided to ask me something first. ¡°Master, what was that place? The soil there¡­ it¡¯s overflowing with mana.¡± She looked at me with a slight hint of worry in her eyes. Hmm, that might be why those flowers only grew in abundance there. But why would the soil have so much Mana in the first place? ...Wait. Don''t tell me¡­ those elven corpses¡­ "Master?" "A-ah, right. Don''t worry about it." I patted her head. "It''s just an elven graveyard." As usual, I gave her a hug before dismissing her. I then promptly made my way back to town. I wasn''t going to do the whole orb thing out here. Too risky. Can''t focus when you''re wary of monsters. Not to mention that I still had yet to formulate a good message to send. -------- "Hey, kid! Where have you been?" Right when I entered the inn (it was Oaken Hospitality, the same one from before), I heard the all-too-familiar loud voice of Miss Innkeeper. "Your two girlfriends are looking for you, you know." She folded her arms under her chest. "Hmph, really, just a brat yet you''re already fooling around with girls like that." "Haven''t I already told you to tell them that I found the elf?" "Sure, but they kept asking for you almost every day, thanks to you not telling them when you''re going to get back." She huffed. Heh, they must be worried about me. "Stop smirking and sign here. You¡¯re going to rebook the same room, right?¡± ¡°I guess I am.¡± I gave her a smile, taking the quill from the inkstand. -------- That night, I decided not to use the orb. Instead, I burned the midnight oil, as I tried putting the words I wanted to say to her in paper first. "Dear Sherry, I want to inform you of¡ª"No, that''s too formal. "Hey Sherry. Got some bad news to tell you." No, that''s too casual. Like a little boy who''s writing a love letter to his crush, I kept writing and rewriting the parchment, crossing out huge swathes of letters as I remained unsatisfied with the words. The more I wrote the more I realized that just sending out a one-sided message like this wouldn¡¯t be sufficient to tell her about everything that had happened since she was away. In the end, I fell asleep on my desk, with not a single coherent message to send. --------- The next morning, as I had my breakfast at the inn in its small dining hall, I saw two familiar figures barged into the room, heading straight towards my table. "You got quite the nerve, just disappearing like that without telling us." Anne spoke first. Judging by her hands-on-waist pose, she clearly wasn''t in one of her good moods. "Yeah, what''s up with that? At least stop by and share the good news with us." Amelie spoke next. She looked just as unhappy as her friend, putting her hands under chest, inadvertently pushing her sizable chest upwards. Quite the welcome sight, after spending a week with the washboard elf. ¡°Look, I can¡¯t wait for you guys to come back and keep the elf waiting. What if she decided to leave? Then it¡¯d be how many months more of me looking for her.¡± ¡°So.¡± Anne took a seat in front of me, uninvited. ¡°Did you get it? That Orb thing?¡± ¡°I did. Haven¡¯t really sent the message yet though.¡± ¡°Oh? I thought you''d immediately do it since it''s your girlfriend and all." The bitter tone in her voice didn''t escape my notice. "Uu, I forgot that you already had one¡­" A melancholic expression appeared on Amelie''s face as she touched her index fingers together. She too had taken a seat on the table. "S-so." She looked up with upturned eyes. "You''re really going to leave soon, huh, now that you got the orb?" "Yeah, I would. Like I''ve said before, I''m heading northeast to the port town of Vermouth to cross over to the Demon Continent.¡± ¡°Y-you know, we can travel together there if you want," Amelie replied. Only to be immediately interrupted by her friend. "You realize we''re going to go to the west after this, right?" Anne sent her a glare. "W-we can just ask Anton to¡ª" "No. If you want to be with him so badly, then just leave and go with him. Not that he''d want to though, seeing how he already has a girlfriend and all." There it is. That bitter tone again. "Charles." She looked at me straight in the eye. "Don''t waste that orb. Tell her everything you want to tell her, got it? No holding back. No girl likes it when their boyfriend hides things from her." "...Got it. I promise I''ll do just that." A smile formed in her lips. It was a happy smile, and yet, I could sense some sadness behind it. I realized then what she felt. She had accepted her defeat. -------- I spent the day stocking up on supplies for my journey. I was planning to depart as soon as I sent my message to Sherry, which I was confident enough that I could do this night. Amelie decided to accompany me. Or rather, she selfishly decided to take me to accompany her shopping. Normally, I would have rejected her, but I thought since I would probably never see her again after I left, I decided to go along and humor her. The poor girl clearly was sad about my departure. Anne on the other hand said that she was going to help Anton with a little in-town quest, so she wasn¡¯t able to come with us. I was quite surprised by that decision. She basically just gave her rival a date with her crush. She really must have given up on me then. And so, here I was, strolling with her on tow to the shopping district. Her left arm was linked with my right, making my upper arm brush with her soft breasts many times as we walked. Aah, boobs really are the best¡­ It was enough to make any thoughts of my message to Sherry disappear into the wind. Chapter 129: The Sea Eye Squad Strikes As Hugo was enjoying his "date" with Amelie, a certain person was watching them for a safe distance. Not directly, of course. That would be too risky. Instead, she used one of her familiars, a Sky Fish, to observe him from above. It was pretty much impossible for him to notice, as it was just a tiny fish about the size of a human hand, and it was completely invisible. Using it, she could see what he was doing, even if she wasn¡¯t there in person. In fact, she was in a completely different location entirely. She was outside of town, at its outskirts in the woods nearby. Such was the range of her fishes. They were the perfect tool for spying and observation. And there he is. Just casually going on a date with his girlfriend. Hmm, might he think we won¡¯t actually be coming for him? How naive. Does he truly believe he can get away with killing one of the Council? Then again, he¡¯s just a kid. He might be a talented mage, but he lacks the maturity and experience that comes with age. Quite the shame that I most likely would have to end his life. What are the chances of him actually allowing himself to be captured and ferried back to the Magocracy? Even then, they would just kill him there. Public execution. The Council would want to show their authority after all. As for his friends¡­ She switched her attention to a different fish. This one was following his other friends¡ªthe two adventurers named Anne and Anton. She had studied them quite attentively, personally and from all the rumors that reached her ears. She knew that the girl had been saved by the boy, and that he might have done it while fighting against a Forest Treant. She even knew that he somehow managed to temporarily subdue the blizzard that battered the region that night. And of course, she knew about his new, custom spells. That gnome was quite excited to tell her all about them. She now has no doubt he was a magic prodigy, equal or even better than her. If he was as old as her, who knew what kind of amazing spells he might have invented? All the more reason to finish him right now, before he became a real threat to the Magocracy. How unfortunate. I might actually be interested in him. Indeed, the bubble mage was somewhat considering making him her husband. He''s pretty good-looking, and he''s talented in magic. His personality wasn''t bad either. She always had a soft spot for naive young men who liked playing the hero. Usually, those guys were easy to manipulate after all. Perhaps if she promised him that they would leave his sister alone? Not a promise she could keep, of course. That would depend on her mother and the other bigwigs at the Council. No, she knew perfectly well it would never happen. His sister would have to be under their thumb as well. Maybe she would have to marry that creep. Naturally, he wouldn''t stand for that. "Lady Elun, the preparations are ready." She was snapped out of her thoughts by the voice of one of her subordinates. Her sight returning back to those her own eyes produced, she looked behind her to see a young teal-haired man standing in front of her. He was dressed in a garment an adventurer would wear¡ªleather armor, cloth pants, and the hilt of a serrated sword attached to his belt. However, one would no doubt notice the fins he had jutting out near his ears. His name was Faust, and he was one of Elun''s subordinate that she brought with her from the Magocracy. "Good." Elun smiled. "They''re going to arrive here soon." Faust was her second-in-command. He was a seafolk who had come to the surface and settled in the Magocracy. Or rather, his father did. He married a human woman and he came into being as a result. Unlike her, he was a swordsman, trained in the arts by his own father¡ªat least, until said father passed away fighting against a sea monster who had terrorized the coastline of the eastern Magocracy. "Milady, please, allow me to challenge him in one-on-one combat. I swear I can handle him." This sudden proclamation from her subordinate turned her smile into a frown. "You can''t. You have no chance against him alone. He''s too strong for you." She didn''t hesitate as she spoke those words. Her expression had gone cold, showing that his statement was unwelcome to her ears. "Please, Milady! I¡ª" "Ooh, what''s this? Dear ol'' Fausty is still trying to impress Elun!" His words were interrupted by the arrival of another person. Immediately you could tell that she didn''t belong to the human race, as her humanoid body was made not out of flesh, but out of a dark blue liquid. Unlike him, she had no clothes whatsoever¡ªcompletely naked. Not that it mattered, for a slimekin doesn''t reproduce the way a human does. Thus, her breasts had no nipples while her crotch was smooth and featureless. Her name was Yulon, the third-in-command of Elun''s squad. "You know, I''ll be more than happy to be your girlfriend. Elun''s not interested in you. So why don''t you just relax and let me take care of you, alright?" The slime woman slithered and wrapped around the man like a snake would. She didn''t stop there however, as her tongue licked his left ear while her now amorphous lower body went to assault what lay between his legs. ... No response. He didn''t even acknowledge her presence. "Aww, you''re no fun, Fausty!" With a pout, she retreated. The slimekin was a well-known flirt in the squad. She pretty much would try to sleep with every man she found attractive. She was originally an adventurer from the Demon Continent. One thing led to another and she ended up being recruited by Selendia to serve under her daughter''s unit. "Hey, Elun!" She clasped her hands together. "Fausty here has been all grumpy ever since you said you are interested in this Hugo boy." "Oh?" Elun smirked. "Then perhaps you should start considering learning to be a mage, if you want to be my husband that badly." She was perfectly aware of the young man''s affection towards her. Of course, she had no plans to reciprocate. After all, men with lacking magical prowess didn''t interest her in the slightest. It became just another way for her to control him. That''s why she made him her second-in-command. He was easily the most loyal of her subordinates. He would die in a heartbeat for her. Such was the lesson her mother taught. "Well, enough of the chatter. Get to your positions. They''re going to arrive soon." She reached upwards to adjust her large hat in place. Gotta look her best to receive her guests after all. --------- Anne and Anton were on their way to the outskirts of the small town. They had just taken a quest to help with stacking logs in one of the warehouses there. It was one of those quests where all ranks of adventurers were welcome, simply because they were terribly undermanned. Apparently, an accident that injured a bunch of workers just happened a few days back, so they were in dire need of extra workers. They arrived in the front of a large wooden building. It was shaped like a rectangle, longer on the length than width. It looked like what you would expect from a warehouse, but just in case, they walked over to the man standing guard near the door. "Excuse me. Is this Mr. Erdea''s warehouse?" Anton spoke. "Hmm? Yeah. Ye''r adventurers?" The bushy red-bearded man narrowed his eyes. "Yes. We''re from the Flaming Arrows. We''re here to help with the warehouse." "I see. Get inside." The man then pushed the large doors behind him open, gesturing with his thumb for them to come inside. Inside, they were greeted by the sight of people moving around logs of wood all over the place. Not only that, but there was a lot of sawing going on as well. The scent of woodworking was unmistakable and the air was filled by shouts of orders from the foreman. "Go speak with old Rand there. He''ll tell ya'' yer job." The redbeard pointed at the man in the middle of the room. "Thank you." Anton gave him a polite smile. "We''ll do just that." --------- The two worked inside the warehouse for a bit, helping with the lifting and transporting of the logs and planks inside. Anne might have a lithe body, but being an archer meant one would have great arm muscles, which she certainly had. So doing work like this was no problem to her. It was also why Amelie didn''t go. As a muscleless mage, she couldn''t do jobs like this. Not that the person herself would want to, of course. But then, they were abruptly summoned by the foreman, who told them that there was somebody who wanted to meet them. He only said that she looked like a mage, wearing a big pointy hat and all. The two had no idea who that could be. But they left the building nonetheless. From a distance, they could see the person, standing underneath a large tree. They exchanged a short look with each other before walking towards her. When they arrived, she was looking away from them, seemingly admiring the big tree instead. Even though this year¡¯s winter had been somewhat heavier than the usual, its leaves were still as thick and dense as ever. It belonged to the species that was resistant to cold after all. "Hey, you''re the person who wanted to talk to us?" Anne folded her arms with a scowl. Judging by her attire, she most likely was a fellow adventurer, yet she never saw her in the guild or anywhere else for that matter. The witch turned to face them with a smile. "Hello. You''re from the Flaming Arrows, right?" "Yes, that''s us," Anton answered with a curious look. "Great!" She clasped her hands together. "You see, I''m a big fan of your friend, the Divine Tempest! Can you please arrange me a meeting with him? I''ll pay you of course!" Anne''s displeasure only grew from her plea. This wasn''t the first time someone had come to them to ask about Hugo. Like that elf bard, who had to be the most persistent of them all. When she couldn''t get to Hugo, she barraged them with questions instead. Especially her, since the news had spread that she had been saved from him. It was annoying. Especially since most of them were good-looking girls. She didn''t want any of them to circle around Hugo like the vultures they were! "I''m sorry, but Charles is out of town right now," she lied. "And we don''t know where he went. He''s not a member of our party, in case you didn''t know." "Oh really? Well, that''s a bummer." "Then, I suppose I''ll just have to use you two to lure them in." In a flash, something launched itself from the branches of the giant tree. It jetted downwards at high speed. Anne managed to dodge, thanks to her agility, but Anton, used to being the tank of the party, was too slow to follow. Before he even knew what was happening, his entire body was immobilized by a sticky, gooey-like substance. "Y-you¡­ why?" Anton''s mouth was sealed before he could speak any further. "Anton!" Anne immediately drew her bow, but the mage was faster to do the same with her wand. "Water Blade." With a casual swipe of said wand, the mage cut her bow into two. ¡°Hehe, too slow, archer girl.¡± She gave her a mocking smile, before firing two jets of water towards her. Each punctured her knees, earning a yelp of pain from the girl as she collapsed to the ground. Water Bullet. A simple yet effective Intermediate-level spell. It was now impossible for her to escape and seek help. Not that she would get any anyways. Every single person in that warehouse was paid handsomely to be part of this little plan of hers. They believed that she came from the capital and that she had an important business with the two adventurers. It was easy to forge a legitimate looking royal seal as part of her scheme. Thus, whatever she did, they would stay out of her business, lest they would be arrested as criminals who defied the will of their king. ¡°H-help! Help! We¡¯re under¡ªUmmphhh!¡± The gooey substance had moved towards her, sealing her mouth shut as well. She could only stare in anger as the mage stood in front of her with the smuggest smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I really do need your little friend. You see, he has made a terrible mistake¡ªa mistake that he has to pay with his life.¡± There, Anne finally realized it¡ªthe identity of this woman in front of her. She was from the Magocracy. And she¡¯s here to kill Hugo, in revenge for him killing one of their leaders. She immediately tried to roll away from her, only for the sticky substance to hold her in place. In fact, that substance had now transformed into a humanoid form, grinning as she loomed over her as well. She had heard about them before. Slimekin. A species of the demon race that consisted of slimes that somehow gained human intelligence. ¡°Shh, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be gentle~¡± ¡°U-urmmphphhh!¡± The slime forcibly entered her nostrils and mouth, blocking both passages that she used to breathe. She tried pulling her off, only to find that she couldn¡¯t even grab her gooey body properly. ¡°Sleep now~¡± The last thing she saw was before the darkness swallowed here was the slimekin¡¯s grinning visage. -------- ¡°Well, that was pretty easy, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Elun smiled. ¡°They really are no match for our combination!¡± Yulon put her hands on her waist, grinning. ¡°Hey, Faust, get down here! Too bad you didn¡¯t get to get any action, huh?¡± The seafolk jumped down from the tree. Like the slimekin, he too had been waiting there, camouflaged by the thick leaves. Both of them were well-trained in stealth¡ªa skill needed to be part of Elun''s Sea Eye squad which specialized in spying and gathering information. "I don''t care." He folded his arms with a neutral expression. "These bunch aren''t even worthy to die on my blade." For the three of them, the elites of the Aquus Corps, taking care of two B-rank adventurers was pretty much child¡¯s play. ¡°Lift them up,¡± Elun ordered. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve obtained the bait, we¡¯ll progress to the next phase immediately.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see how the genius wind mage handles us, shall we?¡± --------- Hugo Our ¡°date¡± didn¡¯t last that long, as there weren¡¯t that many places you could sightsee in this small logging town. It would be much better if we were back in Silheim or Misfon, where there was actually somewhat of an active market going on. Here, it¡¯s just a logging town near the wilderness. Still, she kept a happy and excited temperament all the way through. Probably because she''s with me more than anything. We finished it off by frequenting the only pastry shop in town. It was a small and unassuming shop with a decoration so quaint that the moment you stepped in, you would feel as if you just stepped into the house of someone¡¯s grandma. Still, the cake was delicious, and isn¡¯t that what really matters for a pastry shop? ¡°C-Charles¡­¡± Amelie suddenly stopped eating her strawberry cake. ¡°C-can I¡­ can I ask you for a favor?¡± I, who just finished swallowing my chocolate cake, looked up with raised eyebrows. ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± ¡°C-can I¡­¡± Her cheeks were now turning crimson. ¡°Can I ask you to¡­ to feed me my cake? J-just like a couple would¡­¡± I paused. Well, that was unexpected. I didn¡¯t expect her to be this bold. ¡°Y-you see!¡± Now tears started to swell in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to leave us soon, right? So I want to make as many pleasant memories with you as I can! I-I know you already have a girlfriend but just one spoonful of cake wouldn¡¯t hurt, right?¡± Oh boy. I can¡¯t exactly say no to that face, can I? A cute girl¡¯s tears. Always my weakness. Sorry, Sherry. But it¡¯s not a kiss, right? ¡°Alright, fine.¡± I sighed. ¡°Here. Let me serve you your cake, my dear princess.¡± With a smirk, I took the small plate where her strawberry cake stood, cut a slice with my knife, and then stuck it on my fork before moving it towards her mouth. ¡°Say aahhhhhh!¡± ¡°N-nonono!¡± She waved her hands around, almost knocking my fork. ¡°Y-you can¡¯t just do that! I-I need to prepare my heart first!¡± Heh, she might be acting bold but she really is a shy type at heart. Not that it¡¯s a bad thing, of course. She looked away for a bit, placing one hand on her chest as she tried to calm her beating heart down. ¡°A-alright.¡± She turned back to face me. ¡°Y-you can do it now.¡± Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She closed her eyes and leaned forward, opening her mouth in the process. Her face was now completely red, and I could even notice the nervous sweat traveling down her forehead. Slowly, I moved my fork back in. "Say aahhhhh!" You gotta do this methodically if it''s going to be romantic after all. And then, it arrived. She closed her mouth and I pulled my fork off her. Oh right, this is what you would call an indirect kiss, would it? Thank God she didn''t realize or else it might take her five minutes to calm herself down. "Is the taste to your liking, Milady?" "Y-yes! It''s even more delicious now that you''re the one who¡ªaaahhhh, n-nevermind!" I broke out into a grin. I''m usually annoyed by those protagonists who like to tease their shy girlfriends, but now I can see the appeal. "N-now, i-it''s my turn. I''m going to feed you your cake, alright?" ...Welp. Sorry, Sherry. I promise we''ll feed each other lots of cakes when we meet again, alright? Chapter 130: Confrontation After our little ¡°date¡±, we made our way back to the inn. Her inn, to be exact¡ªthe one she and her party were staying in. It was smaller than the one I was in, so the rooms might be cheaper. Well, I liked my luxury. A lot of cheap inns didn''t have fireplaces inside their rooms, which would be problematic in a cold winter like this. "Thanks, Hugo!" She smiled and grabbed my hands. "That was fun!" "Glad you liked it!" I replied with my own smile. "Well, I''m going to go back to my inn now!" "Y-you know." She started stuttering her words. "W-why don''t you come to my room for a bit?" ...Oh wow, seriously? She''s even bolder than I thought. "Well, I''m actually about to¡ª" SPLASH Cold! Cold and wet was what I felt on my face, skin, and clothes. It was as if someone just poured a bucket of water onto me. Wait, that''s exactly what just happened, wasn¡¯t it? I didn¡¯t know it at the time, but if I had looked up earlier, I would¡¯ve seen a bird made out of water flying above me. It had exploded into a burst of water, raining down from above while dropping the letter it had been carrying inside it. "K-kyaaah! W-what was that?!" Amelie''s scream broke me out of my stupor. I quickly looked above me to search for the culprit, only to find nothing. There wasn''t any balcony above us and it certainly wasn''t the rain either. I moved my gaze back down. Ooh, nice! The water had soaked Amelie''s white shirt, turning it translucent. I could see that she wore a pink bra today. "Charles, look!" She pointed towards the ground. Reluctantly, I followed. Hmm? That''s¡­ There was a roll of parchment that wasn''t there before. I bent over to pick it up. It was tied by a blue ribbon, and the parchment seemed to be completely water-resistant, as it wasn''t wet in the slightest. I undid the ribbon, and then I rolled it open. Amelie scooted over beside me, wanting to read it as well. Dear Charles Pendleton of the Divine Tempest. Or, should I say, Hugo Greenwood. You probably have already noticed the familiarity of this handwriting you¡¯re currently reading. Rest assured that you are correct. I am indeed the same person that sent you that letter to your family a year ago. Here I write to you an invitation. If you truly care about your two adventuring friends, then you will come to the heart of the Merkel Forest. Alone. I would say that I simply wish to talk, but we both know that¡¯s not going to happen. You shall never surrender to us, not after what we did to your dear sister. So come. In exchange for your life, you¡¯ll be able to save theirs. Isn¡¯t that quite the noble end, o Heroic Dragonslayer? P.S. Feel free to come with others if you want. However, I can¡¯t guarantee their safety. I do not like taking lives without reason, so please, don¡¯t give me one. P.P.S You really shouldn¡¯t have played the hero. You¡¯re just like your big sister, too prideful to hide your own strength. My body shook. My legs wobbled, seemingly turning into jelly. "Charles, w-what¡ªwhat does it mean?! Are Anne and Anton¡ª" I barely heard Amelie''s panicked voice. ...This is it. This is the day. They have come. And I am not ready for them whatsoever. Thanks to my search for the Orb, the thought of them had slipped my mind completely. And now they have taken them hostage, just so they can get to me. Of course they would do such a thing. I should¡¯ve expected it. I am such an idiot. "Amelie," I croaked. My throat had suddenly become hoarse all of a sudden. "Stay here. I''ll save them." "What?! No! I''m coming with you! They''ve been kidnapped right? Then let me rescue them as well!" "No, you''re not¡ªyou''re not strong enough.¡± I shook my head. ¡°You can''t face them. Not with your current strength." ¡°I know I¡¯m not as strong as you! But I can¡¯t just abandon them!¡± ¡°No. You¡¯ll just¡ªyou¡¯ll just become a liability.¡± I didn¡¯t want to say it, but it¡¯s the truth. Naturally, she didn¡¯t take it well. Her expression rapidly switched from surprise, to that of sadness, before switching again into anger. ¡°How dare you! I am Amelie of the Faragour noble house! I¡¯ll have you know that I was trained in the art of magic with the best tutors! And they all said I was a genius at it! I might not be as talented as you, but I will never become a burden to you!¡± Her eyes were now shimmering with tears. I now knew without a doubt that she really wanted to go with me. ¡°I''m sorry." Before she could defend herself, I cast a strong gust upwards below her. WOOSH The wind lifted her skirt, revealing the fact that her panties were pink as well. It didn''t stop there however, as it began shredding her clothes. "W-what are you¡ªKyaahh!" Yes, it was an undressing spell. It was the best way I could think of to stop her from following me. ¡­What, you want to know why I have such a perverted spell in my repertoire? Well, I might be able to use it against Sherry, with her permission of course. There''s nothing wrong with doing that kind of stuff with your girlfriend, right? ¡°Stay here, alright? Don¡¯t worry. I promise I¡¯ll bring them back safe and sound.¡± I gave her the best comforting smile I could muster. After my mind imprinted the half-naked body of Amelie, I promptly fled, using my Wind Step to move as fast as I could. All I could do now was pray that they hadn''t killed those two. If they died because of me¡­ sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A flash of memories resurfaced, of those three adventurers that died under my watch. I smiled grimly. I really should stop making friends with strangers. ---------- When I arrived at the forest, I slowed down my movement. It would be foolish to rush when they could very well be laying a trap for me to fall in. The letter says the heart of the forest. And where is that exactly? Don''t tell me they''re waiting right at the region where that treant is. No, they should already know about it. If they have researched me that much, then they would know where the treant is as well. I could use my summons to scout my surroundings, but they can only be out for a few minutes. In the end, I entered alone, without any backup. I couldn''t bring other adventurers into this. They might just kill Anton and Anne before running. Hell, they could''ve killed them already. I wouldn''t know if they were still alive or not! All I could do was trust on the off-chance they decided to be merciful. I did have one way to guess where they could be though, which was through the monsters living in this forest. They must have exterminated all the monsters in their area, just so they couldn''t interrupt their operation. So the less monsters I saw, the closer I should be to them. Hmm? That''s¡ª My eyes were abruptly drawn to a peculiar object that shouldn''t be there. It was your ordinary, run-of-the-mill rabbit, only it was entirely made out of water. The creature gave me a short look, before hopping away deeper through the forest. That''s it! It''s their guide for me! I immediately bolted to chase after it. They probably used something similar to deliver that letter. Maybe like a bird or something. All this water manipulation means I''m most likely going to be up against a water mage. That''s a good information to have. As I chased the rabbit, I kept my eyes on my surroundings. It very well could be leading me into a trap. I continued like this for a bit until I reached a small clearing. And there, I finally met them face-to-face. There were two of them. One wore what looked like your traditional witch''s outfit. The other wore leather clothes similar to what an adventurer would wear. A sword was attached to his waist. The swordsman and the mage. And the former is a non-human, most likely a sea folk. Behind them were Anton and Anne, frozen inside two blocks of ice. Only their heads were outside, just so they could breathe. They seemed to be unconscious. The ice was melting, forming a puddle around them. "Welcome." The blue-haired witch spoke. "My name is Elunmidis Brine, the daughter of Selendia Brine, one of the Magocracy''s Council members." Her expression was dripping with smugness. It reminded me awfully of the expression Vera once wore. Wait, Selendia? That''s¡ª A jolt of memory suddenly resurfaced. I met that woman. In the front of that tower when I went to Mira. That scary woman is her mother, huh? And Elunmidis. I think I''ve heard that name before as well. Didn''t Marina say something about her? Oh right! She''s the unpleasant girl she met! The bubble mage! Bubbles. Got it. Gotta watch out for them. "As you should hopefully already know, I came here to dispose of you. However, I do have an offer." "If you''re going to tell me to come with you back to the Magocracy, then that''s not going to happen." "Oh? Straight to the chase, are you? But you see, it''s the best option that you have. You can''t win against me. Not when I already know all of your new, fancy spells.¡± If I have to guess, she must learn it from the adventurers who saw me battling that dragon. This is exactly why I never use my custom spells unless I absolutely need to. And unfortunately, they¡¯re the only way I could beat a monster of that caliber. And besides¡­" The man beside her immediately moved his blade towards Anne''s neck. "...Fine. I''ll hear you out." "Great!" Her grin grew even bigger. "So, my offer is simple. Be my husband and work under my mother. Work for the sake of the good of the Magocracy. We''ll pardon your murder of Vera as an exchange." "And my sister?" "Oh, she too can come. Mother doesn''t have a male child so you don''t have to worry about her being forced into another arranged marriage. In fact, since she''s such good friends with that Alincia girl, she can join the old man''s household instead." "But she has to be serving under the Council as well." "Of course! You and your sister¡ªyou both have great talents in the art of magic. It would be a shame if that talent becomes wasted, wouldn''t it? Especially if it falls to the hands of enemies, like the Holy Empire for example." She doesn''t know about me and Fiora, does she? "Let''s say I accept. How would you ensure I can''t run away?" "Easy." She giggled. "Anti-magic poison. You''ll drink them every day until we get back. You''ll just be a normal human that won''t be a threat to us whatsoever." She doesn''t know about my sword training either. "...Fine. I accept. Now let those two go." "Ha! Do you take me for an idiot? Drink the poison first, then we''ll talk." She signalled to the man behind her. With a frown, he walked forward to my direction, one hand ready on the hilt on his blade. Of course, I had no intention whatsoever to obey her demand. "Now!" Right on cue, the ground where Anne and Anton stood turned into a puddle of mud. I already foresaw something like this happening, which was why before I entered the clearing, I already summoned both of my fairies. I told them to travel underground and rescue the two of them the moment I gave my signal. The two ice blocks promptly sank, as the mud had been made as liquid as she could make it. And then, she would harden back the ground, before she carried them away underground as far as she could. The swordsman, knowing that I had done something they didn''t expect, rushed forward with his blade drawn. However, I was more than ready. I blocked his sword with my own. "Heh, that''s a funny sword you got there." I smirked. I then drew my wand, intending to pierce his abdomen with a quick wind spell, but he already backed off, covering his retreat by an upper kick that I managed to dodge. Clap Clap Clap "Clever." The mage girl clapped. "But not clever enough." The muddy ground exploded, and what looked like an amorphous human-like blob came out of it. And on its grasps, no, her grasp, was my two fairies. "You''re right as always, Elun!" She declared with a giggle. "These two really tried to do something dirty!" It was a slime girl. And she had just spoiled my plan. I didn''t hesitate. I aimed my wand towards the demon and fired a Boom Cannon right at her. I aimed at where her core was¡ªthat red gem near her chest. If you destroyed that core, then a slime would dissolve and melt into an ordinary pile of goo. The same concept should apply to a slimekin like her. Only for her to dodge out of the way entirely by forming a hole in her body, allowing my spell to go past unimpeded. The core moved out of the way as well, temporarily moving to the top of her head. It pierced through a row of trees behind her. But it didn''t matter. That destructive power had failed to affect her in the slightest. "M-Master, I-I''m sorry¡­" ¡°M-Master! Urgh, let me go you big slimy jerk!¡± My two summons were completely covered by her tendrils. There didn¡¯t seem to be any way for them to free themselves, other than me just telling them to retreat. Damn it! Where did that slimegirl come from? I didn¡¯t see her¡ªoh wait, it was the puddle from the ice! They weren¡¯t melting! It¡¯s her pretending to be one! And how did she know about my plan anyways? Did she just expect something like this to happen? ¡°Well, now that your trump card is gone, would you be willing to accept my offer?¡± The witch now had a victorious grin on her face. I wouldn¡¯t blame her. I would have the same grin if I were in her position. ¡°Yulon, lift them up,¡± she ordered. The slime girl did as she was told, lifting the two blocks back up from the mud. ¡°Let¡¯s make this easier for you, shall we? You don¡¯t drink the poison, Yulon there would snap their necks in an instant. Oh, and don¡¯t try anything again with your wand. I¡¯ll tell her to kill them as well if you so much raise it in our general direction.¡± Tch, of course she¡¯ll do something like this! What can I do?! I can¡¯t just let them die! Especially not after everything they¡¯ve done for me! And Amelie¡ªI¡¯ve promised to bring them back safe and sound to her! I¡¯m not going to break that promise again! I¡¯ll show these bastards that I¡¯m not the same man I was back then! ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll drink your poison. Just leave them alone, alright?¡± ¡°Wonderful!¡± She clapped her hands together. ¡°Faust, give the vial to him.¡± ¡°Oh, but this time, please drop your wand and sword first. Really, you¡¯re a decently good swordsman if you can block his attack like that. That sword wasn¡¯t just for show after all.¡± I didn¡¯t use my sword when I fought the dragon, so she doesn¡¯t know. ...Wait, I do have a spell she has yet to know¡ªa spell I developed after I fought off the dragon. That¡¯s it! That¡¯s the key! It¡¯s risky, but it¡¯s the only choice I got. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come now, I don''t have all day." In 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ My hand flew, aiming back towards the slime girl once more. "Ahahaha! I see! You don''t care about them! Yulon, kill them!" "Boom Grenade!" In a flash, my spell flew. It hit the ground underneath the slime girl, before sending a shockwave to its surroundings. The slime girl couldn''t react fast enough. Her body was scattered all over from the explosion, releasing her grip from her hostages. The mage, who was standing there, also was thrown aside from the force, sending her flying a good few meters. "You!" "Now! Run!" I yelled just before the unharmed swordsman crashed his blade against mine. "You imbecile! How dare you spit on Lady Elun''s hospitality like that!" He launched another kick, but this time, instead of dodging, I blocked it with my own leg. Fiora would sometimes do moves like this in our many spars, so I was already used to such an uncommon maneuver. Trusting my summons to do their work, I focused all my attention to this fish guy. I had to kill him fast before the other two could recover. I moved my wand to aim for him, but once again, he backed off. He then strafed to the side, aiming to attack from behind instead. His speed was certainly superhuman, comparable to someone who could employ Graceful Step. I parried his thrust, but he followed by a flurry of kicks. This time, it was me who was forced to back off. A hybrid fighter huh? He fights like a martial artist and a swordsman. He''s doing a good job preventing me from casting any spell. He knows how strong I am in that department. Well, let''s see how he handles this then! Using Wind Step, I flew upwards. He followed with a high jump, only to find that I could fly even higher than he could jump. Ha! He doesn''t have Feather Step, does he? Without hesitation, I hit him with a Boom Cannon. He couldn¡¯t dodge in mid-air so he could only try to block it with his sword. Of course, that didn¡¯t do him any good. He was flown away at Mach speed, going through a series of trees behind him. When he stopped, he sat slumped with blood all over him. One down, two to go. Chapter 131: Bubble Girl vs Wind Boy Drip¡­ Drip... Hmm? It¡¯s¡­ raining? Before I noticed it, the sky had gone dark. Black clouds had gathered over the forest, and with them, droplets of water began to pour down from above. I turned my attention towards the mage and the slime woman. Only the former was there to greet me, standing with an excited, almost maniacal-looking grin on her face. A bubble was enveloping her entire body. ¡°Well played. That¡¯s a spell I didn¡¯t know about.¡± Huh, she can still speak from inside of that. ¡°Well, I kept upgrading my arsenal, you know. Just in case when one day, something like this happens.¡± ¡°Spoken like a true mage.¡± Her smile grew wider. ¡°You really would make a good husband. Are you sure you''re not attracted to me whatsoever? They always say I''m a looker just like Mother." Speaking objectively, she was indeed pretty. Those smooth long legs and thighs she displayed proudly with her mini-skirt¡ªI can leer at them all day. Not to mention the hint of blue she produced every time she moved around. "Sorry. You might be cute but your personality¡­ they really need some work." "Oh? What''s your type then? Naive girls like your sister?" "She''s not naive. She''s a better person than you''ll ever be." "Hmm, that angry tone¡­ You really love her, don''t you?" She grinned. "Don''t tell me you''re the sort of little brothers who are obsessed with their older sisters? ''I''m going to marry Big Sis when I grow up!''" she said with a mocking tone. "Then you shouldn''t have left her, no?" "...You''re right. I made a mistake." "Which is why I''m going to correct it right now." I fired my Boom Cannon, believing it to be powerful enough to burst the bubble that was protecting her. It indeed launched her through several trees, but when the dust settled, she remained unharmed inside it. ¡°Diamond Bubble. Do you like it? Not even your powerful wind spell can pierce through it." I should¡¯ve known it wouldn¡¯t be that easy. ¡°My turn.¡± She raised her wand to the sky and chanted, "O great power that resides in the unnatural ocean¡ª" I wasn''t going to let her finish, of course. I aimed my wand, this time intending to use Boom Rifle since that had better penetrating power. However, just when I was about to fire, a jet of water burst forth from the ground, lifting her and her bubble to the sky. Huh? That''s¡ª "¡ªcome forth to this world and purify all creatures that walked upon the earth!" She''s still keeping up her chanting, which means¡ª! She''s dual-casting! "Bubble Storm!" Bubble¡­ Storm? My question was soon answered. Above her, coming out from the rain clouds, was a massive swarm of tiny, raindrop-sized bubbles. "Well," She grinned. "I don''t need to tell you how bad it would be if you got surrounded by them, do I?" ------------- Meanwhile, away from the fight of the two mages, another battle was in progress. "Come now, dears! Give up! You can''t defeat me on your own!" Yulon was fighting against the fairies. After receiving the brunt of Hugo''s Boom Grenade, pieces of her had scattered all over the clearing. She was lucky her core wasn''t broken in the explosion, though it indeed took some damage that knocked her out for a bit. However, she already mastered the ability to rejoin and regenerate herself, so now, she was able to chase after her stolen hostages with pretty much her full strength. And it was clear that she possessed the advantage. "Hyaah! Go away you stupid slime woman!" The Spring Fairy slashed her boiling water sword towards her. Only to miss her core once again, only slicing the slime body which could immediately rejoin itself moments later. The Earth Sprite on the other hand tried to swallow and bury her with her mud, only to find that she was too agile and flexible for her to do so. Giggling, the slime woman leaped upwards, before raining herself down towards Anne and Anton. The two were already unthawed from their ice. Unfortunately, they were still unconscious. Drugs were most likely involved. Earth Sprite covered them with makeshift earthen coffins. Quite ominous, but she had to make sure the slime couldn''t reach them. She knew how much they meant to her Master, and she was ready to sacrifice herself to keep them safe. Of course, for the slime woman, they didn''t matter. Her focus now was to take care of the two summons, before rejoining Elun to kill that boy. But the fairies didn''t really know that, as she kept up her aggressive moves towards the unconscious adventurers. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then again, she didn''t have to do much. Eventually, they would disappear when their time limit was up. All the advantage was on her and she knew it. She changed her direction mid-air, firing both of her hands at the two summons. The Spring Fairy cut through the attack, while the Earth Sprite submerged herself under the ground to dodge the attack. She sighed internally. The time out victory it is¡­ ---------- Hugo "Air Sunder!" I fired the Advanced-level spell in an attempt to blow the bubbles away. "Air Sunder!" Elun responded by firing her own cyclone, cancelling mine completely before it could even reach the bubbles. "Teehee, do you think I''m only good at water magic?" She wiggled her index finger. "To create bubbles, you need some wind magic as well after all!" She was now hovering mid-air. I assumed the lift came from the bubble she was in. The Diamond Bubble and the Bubble Rain. Those should be the two spells she''s currently channeling. Or is one or even both of them autonomous, allowing her to cast other spells before dispelling any of them? Knowing that she was going to interfere, I decided to switch my target. I might not be able to harm her, but I could certainly shoot her off the sky. "Boom Spiral!" I opted for the spiral version, since it should make it harder for her to dodge. The spell roared through the air, crashing through the bubble Storm before reaching her. It connected, but to my surprise, she only moved 100 meters at the very most. The bubbles! They weakened my spell considerably! She did it. She managed to construct a defense that even I couldn''t break. And she kept moving around with her bubble, preventing my Boom Rifle to be effective as well. Not to mention how the bubbles were obscuring her location as well. And now, said bubbles were about to reach my location. I started to run, away from the epicenter of the spell. If I had to guess, its range should be not that far off from the range of a Rainstorm, which would be about 1 kilometer. It wasn¡¯t a small radius by any means, but I should be able to get out of it before the bubbles completely surrounded me. As I ran using Graceful Step, I fired off Flame Strike after Flame Strike, to try to destroy as much of the bubbles as possible. As expected, they were much more durable than their ordinary brethrens. I managed to pop some of them but more soon replaced them from the skies. I tried Boom Grenade as well but just raw shockwave simply made them scatter at high speed without actually popping them. I nearly got hit by them too. Thankfully, my Mithril sword was actually strong enough to cut the bubbles without making them explode. Ooh, thank you, Master Fiora, for your gift. I saw the bubbles hitting the ground. And every time they did, a small explosion occurred, strong enough to blow the dirt. Yeah, if I got surrounded by those, I would die for sure. ¡°Well, look at you! Running like a shameless coward! I¡¯m sorry, but it wouldn¡¯t work.¡± I glanced towards the gloating witch. She was raising her wand to the skies. Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­! Sure enough, what I expected to happen happened. Slowly but surely, the clouds above her began to move in the same direction I was running towards. She¡¯s manipulating the wind to blow the bubble clouds in my direction! She already said that she too was an adept Wind mage. So this was certainly within her ability. Shit, it¡¯s like I¡¯m facing off against two Master-level mages at the same time! ...Wait, hold on! I also know another Master-level spell that isn¡¯t a Wind spell! And she shouldn¡¯t know about it either! I can use this! But not right away! I have to find the opportune moment, so I can strike at her and finish her in one blow! My brain began to work overdrive as I considered all the possibilities available to me. The main problem now was to disperse those bubbles and to pierce the main bubble she¡¯s being protected with. If I could do the two, then I could finish her off with a Boom Cannon or Spiral. ---------- ¡°Haah¡­ haah¡­ haah¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, little fairy? Getting tired already?¡± The two fey creatures were now reaching their limit. All the attacks they tried didn¡¯t seem to damage or even tire her in the slightest. The slimewoman¡¯s speed and agility were simply too much for them. And they both knew they couldn¡¯t remain in this fight for much longer. But if they left without beating her, then they would betray the trust their master had put onto them. And that¡ªthey didn¡¯t want to. It was extremely rare for a fairy to act like this. However, such was the fate of those that chose to bond themselves with humans. Slowly but surely, they would absorb human characteristics as well, like loyalty and determination. No longer were they the simple, carefree fairies they once were. They had changed¡ªevolved beyond their nature. And yet, they were still lacking in strength. "Give up. You guys are 100 years too early to face me." The slimewoman produced a mocking grin. The spring fairy gave a hopeful glance behind her. No good. They were still asleep. And she would need too much time to heal their sleeping poison¡ªtime she couldn''t get with the slimewoman around. "I''ll buy time. You heal them." The sudden whisper from her friend took her by surprise. "What? But you can''t possibly¡ª" "Now." The Earth Sprite moved a surge of mud towards the slimewoman¡ªan attack she could easily dodge by swerving and twisting herself around. She didn''t stop however. She summoned two pillars of mud from the ground beside her. The mud hardened in mid-air, creating a igloo-like structure with Anton, Anne, and the Spring Fairy inside. "Wait, don''t¡ª" "Go. Heal them." Before she knew it, the igloo encompassed her completely, turning her vision pitch black. "Hoo¡­ sacrificing yourself for your friend¡­ how noble¡­ if you''re not a summoned fairy. You guys can''t die after all." She charged forward, flying straight towards the Earth Sprite, confident that there was nothing she could do to stop her. Not without the aid of her friend. The sprite responded by creating a hardened mud wall in front of her. Her goal was just to buy time until her friend finished healing the two. ¡°Ha, you think this would be enough to hinder me?! O still water of the ocean! Crush my enemies under your depths! Oceanic Jet! A jet of water fired from her right hand, with a water pressure straight from the ocean depths. It was enough to start drilling through the reinforced mud like it was sand. She didn¡¯t need a wand to cast a spell. She had trained to replace its function with the core of her own body. No¡­ not going to¡­ lose! The earth sprite gritted her teeth as she tried to harden her wall as much as she could. Master¡­ got stronger! I¡¯ll¡­ get stronger as well! Her resolve didn¡¯t mean anything. The wall shattered, and she was immediately impaled by the water drill the slimewoman had conjured. M-Master¡­ The sprite melted into a puddle of mud. ¡°Told ya it¡¯s not going to be enough.¡± The slimewoman grinned. She then turned her attention towards the makeshift protection the sprite had conjured. With the same magic, she drilled through the sphere with ease. Inside, the spring fairy could sense that her friend had fallen. That idiot! She gritted her teeth. Never before she felt this level of frustration inside her heart. She wanted to do more for her master, yet she was too weak to do so, even after she evolved. She could only manage to heal Anne during all that too. She waited until the last moment, readying her sword. She intended to leap forward and do a surprise attack the moment the sphere collapsed. And then¡­ ¡°Hyaaaah!¡± With a loud battlecry, she flew as fast as she could towards the slimewoman. Just one slash! If I can just slice through her core, I will win! Yulon was still activating her water jet spell, so she had to dodge to the side so she wouldn¡¯t get hit by it. She missed. Once again, her core moved out of the way from her slash. ¡°Aarghhh!¡± The slimewoman¡¯s other hand went to her throat, choking her without mercy. ¡°I wonder.¡± She smiled. ¡°Do fairies need to breathe? We slimes certainly don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well, go away. You¡¯re done.¡± She moved her casting hand towards the fairy¡¯s stomach. And then, just like her friend, she was pierced by her water spell. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Master¡­ Hugo¡­¡± It was her last words before she vanished as well, leaving a puddle of hot water behind. Yulon gazed towards said puddle. ¡°What a bore. All summoned fairies are the weak kind after all. The scary ones would never willingly serve humans like that.¡± She then moved her gaze towards her escaped prisoners. Oh? She cured one of them, didn''t she? Anne was now in a sitting position, coughing as she nursed the terrible headache she had. Seems like she''s still disoriented. I guess I should dispose of her before she could escape. She aimed her finger towards her head. A quick water bullet should do the trick. ¡­ "Hmm?! Who''s there?!" -------- Hugo I got it! At last, I had figured out a plan to take her down. Now to put it into action. I changed my direction rapidly, utilizing Wind Step to fly upwards to where that bubble mage was. "Oh, you''re done running away? Great! I''m starting to get bored over here, you know!" I didn''t let her taunts get to me. I climbed up and up, always taking the route with the least bubbles. I used my sword to cut them. As long as there weren''t too many of them, I could manage doing so. Naturally, in response, she flew away from me, seaming herself inside the thickest bubble swarm she could find. And just like before, she never stopped moving, thus not giving me a chance to snipe her with Boom Rifle. I think this is close enough. I dispelled my Wind Step, and as I fell, I cast another spell, aiming it right above her general area. "Thunderstorm!" I had no idea whether it would work, since she already had those bubble clouds above her. But it did. The lightning clouds I summoned simply layered itself below said bubble clouds. "A lightning spell?!" I grinned. Clearly, she didn¡¯t expect it. I reactivated my Wind Step. The thunderstorm should last at least for a few seconds. That should be enough for me to bring her down for the good. With the lightning raining down, it became much harder for her to move. She was further up than me so the lightning was all going after her. Meanwhile, from the bottom, I could bombard her with Boom Rifle. With any luck, I would be able to pierce her body with it. ¡°You really are a clever one!¡± She yelled as she swerved around in a zig-zag pattern, dodging all the lightning coming her way. ¡°How did you know that my Diamond Bubble is weak to thunder?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. I just thought I¡¯d try something different.¡± ¡°Flexible thinking! Another wonderful trait for a mage!¡± To be honest, I already had an inkling that might be the case. She stood inside the bubble, and the bubble should have some water in it. The lightning might not be able to crush it, but the electricity would still travel to her body, shocking her. It¡¯s a similar principle with how robot-type monsters in RPGs tend to be weak to lightning, even though they¡¯re highly resistant to every other damage type. I began firing my Boom Rifle, trying to predict where she would be next according to the lightning pattern. ¡°Ah, that attack! You really aren¡¯t holding back, are you? Makes sense! You¡¯re on a time limit after all!¡± She certainly talks a lot for someone who¡¯s cornered. ¡°Well, how would you deal with this then?!¡± In a flash, she changed her direction. Instead of moving mostly horizontally, she now moved vertically, heading downwards towards my direction, while still keeping the zigzag motion. Wait, seriously? Is she going to¡ª She¡¯s going to ram me. She¡¯s going to ram me straight to the ground! Behind her, I could sense that a lightning was chasing after her. If I stayed around, both me and her would be hit by it. She¡¯s smirking. She¡¯s waiting for me to make my decision. Should I stay and try to fire a Boom Rifle straight at her? Or should I dodge and miss the opportunity completely? They said that time would seem to freeze when you had to make a life-and-death decision in combat. This was exactly one of those moments. Somehow, I knew that if I messed this up, she would win. A certain memory burst forth, my memory of training with Fiora. As usual, she had won our sparring practice. She had her sword pointed at me who was laying down on the ground with bruises all over my body. ¡°You¡¯re too slow! It¡¯s like you hesitate with each and every move!¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t even follow your movements! You¡¯re too fast!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t follow my movements with your eyes! Use your instincts! Feel the flow in the air! Feel the intent behind my every swing! Thinking is how a mage fights! We swordsmen don¡¯t think when we swing our swords!¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that just you being a dumb¡ªOoowww, why did you need to do that?¡± ¡°Shut up! Your analytical fighting style might be fine when you¡¯re fighting at a distance, but it¡¯s terribly weak at close range. Hey, Nicole! Heal this guy! We¡¯re going for another round! A smile blossomed on my face. I readied my sword. Her smirk disappeared. She realized that I wasn¡¯t going to dodge. Once again, I had done something beyond her expectation. My instinct was right. I had called her bluff. Her bubble crashed with my sword. But only for a moment, before it expanded, enveloping me inside it as well. The lightning stroke, but it didn¡¯t reach either of us, as none of our body parts were touching the bubble. And she was now wide open. I brought my sword forward for a horizontal swing. She tried to dodge out of the way by casting a water jet to push herself backward, but it was too late. ¡°Gah!¡± Her abdomen was cut. Blood was now leaking out of it. The bubble retracted in a flash, back to enveloping her own body exclusively. However, my strike was true. She no longer could maintain her spell. It soon popped into non-existence and she fell down from the sky. I wasn¡¯t taking any chances. I aimed my wand towards her. ¡°Boom Cannon!¡± ¡°Deconstruct Magic.¡± Huh? The air cannonball I had conjured¡­ it vanished before it could hit her. And her landing¡­ it slowed down considerably before she hit the ground. Then, I saw a figure standing beside her. It was Ilymhyrra. Chapter 132: A Relic From The Past I landed safely, aided by my Wind Step. The bubble rain had stopped, though the normal rain hadn''t. That Elun woman was coughing red, and she was pressing her hands on her abdomen, trying to prevent any more blood from escaping her body. And in front of her stood Ilymhyrra¡ªher expression unreadable. "I have to ask you a favor." She spoke. "Leave her." She stared right at my eyes, unblinking. "I can''t. She''ll come after me again. I never told this to you, but I''m a fugitive of the Magocracy on the Southwestern Continent. And she''s here to hunt me down." She paused, taking a few steps forward closer to me. "Why are you a fugitive?" "Because I killed one of their leaders. It''s a long story." "Tell me." It wasn''t a request. It was a command. "I''m sorry, but I don''t have the time to do so. She''s not the only one who''s after me. There''s also a slimewoman with her. And she''s going after my friends." "She won''t harm them. I''ve made sure of that." ¡°Really? And why should I trust you when you¡¯re siding with them?¡± To be honest, I didn¡¯t really believe she was really a Magocracy agent or anything like that. There was just something about her that made me feel she couldn¡¯t be one of their puppets. But how else should I interpret her actions? Unless she¡¯s some hyper-pacifist or something that hates killing, no matter who does it to whom. Once again, she paused for a bit before answering. ¡°I¡¯ve frozen her. I met her before I got here. She would¡¯ve killed who I assumed to be your friends if not for me stopping her.¡± Her eyes showed no hesitation. If I had to guess, she wasn''t lying. "Then, explain why you''re protecting her." "I have my reasons. If you''re not going to explain why you''re being chased by them, then I won''t answer." I sighed. "Fine. I''ll tell you the abridged version. It all started when¡ªOh no you don''t!" In the corner of my eyes, I saw the blue-haired mage opening a small bottle. A healing potion! Like hell I''m going to let you heal yourself! I drew my wand, firing a Boom Rifle to destroy said bottle before it could reach her lips. Only to find that the spell didn''t come out at all. H-huh? My mana¡­ I-I can''t¡ªI can''t shape it at all! No matter how hard I tried, it always dissipated into nothingness. In this state, I couldn¡¯t cast any spells at all! Then, I noticed it¡ªthe shine from the large red gem Ilymhyrra¡¯s staff had. ¡°Disturb Magic. You won¡¯t be able to cast anything.¡± She spoke in a cold tone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s not going anywhere either. I too have some questions I would like to ask from her.¡± First, she erased my Boom Cannon like it was nothing. And now, she¡¯s doing this to me. What is this, some kind of an ancient elven magic? I certainly never heard of anti-magic spells being a thing before. Without me to stop her, Elun drank every drop of liquid from said bottle. And then, just a few moments later, she stood up, all with a grin on her face. Of course she would grin. She had just been spared from certain death after all. ¡°Oh, thank you so much for saving me!¡± She clasped her hands together. ¡°That boy might be young but he really is a monster! Can you believe it? He assassinated one of our elders in cold blood!¡± Her demeanour had changed completely to a sickening degree. She was now pretending to be an innocent, happy-go-lucky person, no doubt to garner more sympathy from Ilymhyrra, so she would side with her instead of me. ¡°So it¡¯s true?¡± The elf gave her a cold glance. ¡°That you came from the Magocracy?¡± ¡°Yes, I did! We all came from there!¡± she answered, still keeping the same cheerful expression. ¡°Stop the act. Or I will hit you with my staff.¡± Responding to those words, she immediately reverted back to her haughty self. ¡°Haah, alright. The jig¡¯s up, I guess.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I have no idea why you saved me back then, but rest assured, I will pay you handsomely once all of this is over. So, if you would just help me capture that boy (killing is fine too, of course!), I would give you a pouch full of gold coins. You¡¯re a high elf, aren¡¯t you? High elves are really good at magic, I heard. Far beyond what us humans could accomplish in our short and miserable life.¡± ¡°Ilymhyrra! Don¡¯t fall for her lies! If you want gold, I have a lot of them as well!¡± At that moment, I knew if I was to let her be persuaded to be on her side, I would lose. With those anti-magic spells she had, my only choice would only be to use my sword. And I was not good enough of a swordsman to be able to win against a mage of Elun¡¯s calibur. She glanced at me before looking back at her. ¡°Is that true? That one of your elders was killed by a mere child? Have the magicians of your land degraded so badly over the ages?¡± Elun let out a chuckle. ¡°Who she killed wasn¡¯t really one of us. She didn¡¯t share our Founder¡¯s bloodline. She''s just a cheater who didn''t win her position fair and square." She then turned around to face me. "Why did you kill her?" "Because she''s¡ª" "He''s an agent of a neighboring kingdom. A child genius in magic, sadly used as an assassin. Aah, how sad." You little¡ª "Don''t listen to her! I killed Vera to save my sister! That vile woman had kidnapped her and forced her to marry her grandson! And she¡­ she killed my parents as well!" I shouted from the top of my lungs. Anger rose from my stomach, bubbling like magma inside a volcano. "That''s a lie. He''s just¡ª" "I SAW THEM SHATTER INTO A MILLION PIECES WITH MY OWN EYES!" Drip¡­ Drip¡­ drip¡­ Ah, I did it again. I started crying again. I''ve promised Fiora not to cry over their death again too. I quickly recovered, wiping my tears with the right sleeve of my robe. "Ha, nice acting, kid. Too bad it won''t¡ªmmmpphhhh!" A surge of vines appeared from the ground, covering the mage''s mouth in an instant. She immediately tried to cut it with her magic, only to find that said magic was sealed as well. I couldn''t help but smirk, seeing the fearful expression on her face. "Tell me more." The elf ordered. And so I did. I told her everything, from how the news of Marina''s kidnapping reached us, and Elun''s involvement in it, to our climb at Vera''s mountain, and how she killed Alan and Renee. I even told her about me running away like a coward all the way here. When I finished my story, however, her cold expression hadn''t changed in the slightest. She only made the vines fall from Elun¡¯s mouth. The mage didn¡¯t say anything however. "It''s your turn now. Tell me why you''re protecting her." To my surprise, she immediately answered. "Because I had made a promise, to protect her children once she''s gone." "Her children? Whose children?" "Mira''s children." This revelation, naturally enough, shook me to my core. And noticing Elun¡¯s wide-open mouth, she had the same reaction. ¡°W-wait, Mira, as in, the Legendary Archmage Mira? One of Arthur''s companions a millenia ago in their fight against the Demon God?¡± ¡°Correct. I was her master. And she was my apprentice.¡± Silence. Not even the birds or the wind made any noise. It¡¯s as if nature itself was taken aback by her words. ¡°Aha...ahahahahahaha! Ahahahahahahahaha!¡± It was Elun¡¯s laugh. And it was quite the laugh indeed. If I had to compare it with something, it would be a banshee¡¯s laugh. She tried to stop herself by covering her mouth with her hand, but the laughing fit continued anyways. Only after it died down that she could speak normally again. She wiped a tear from her eyes before speaking. ¡°You¡¯re hilarious, Miss High Elf! You? The master of our Founder? You¡¯re going to make me wet myself! There¡¯s not a single history book that says she had a master when she was still alive! She learned magic all by her own! She was a genius amongst geniuses! Even today, none of us could match her brilliance!¡± Ilymhyrra responded only by a simple, disinterested glance. It was like she was thinking, ¡°If that¡¯s what the humans wanted to write in their books, then so be it.¡± To a high elf like her, human history would probably not hold any interest to her. That¡¯s how elves tend to be in fantasy stories, especially those that are really, really old. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And, if what she¡¯s saying was true, she''s at least a millennia old, making her positively ancient. And yet, not a slightest bump on that washboard of hers. If you had asked me whether I believed her claim, my answer would be, ¡°I dunno.¡± What Elun said was true. There really was no record of Mira ever having a master that taught her magic. But on the other hand, if you thought about this situation like a fantasy nerd, then you would believe her. Her claim was so outrageous that it could only be true. It¡¯s like not believing in prophecies. Logically speaking, you shouldn¡¯t, but everyone knows prophecies always come true in fantasy settings. Not to mention the fact that protagonists of fantasy stories would often stumble upon legendary figures in the setting out of nowhere. Uhh, not that I¡¯m saying I¡¯m a protagonist or anything. ¡°Tell me.¡± She returned her glance towards me. ¡°You said her name was Vera. Is she perhaps a teal-haired gnome by any chance?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s her, alright. Really smug too.¡± ¡°Then I made a mistake, saving her back then.¡± ¡°Saving her? You mean, you¡¯ve met her before?¡± ¡°Yes, I have.¡± She looked away with a pensive look. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how many years ago, but I did meet her in the Demon Continent. I saved her from an elder dragon there. And now, listening to your story, I realize she hasn¡¯t changed in the slightest. She had ignored my advice and continued on her own, doomed path.¡± So she¡¯s the reason Alan and Renee died, in a roundabout way. ...No. I can¡¯t rebuke her for it. I¡¯ll probably do the same after all. Like with those adventurers. If they ended up doing bad things in the future, would I be the one to blame? No. You can¡¯t see the future. You can only live the present as best as you can. ¡°And you.¡± She turned towards Elun. ¡°I¡¯ve saved you, just like her. How would you live your life from now on?¡± ¡°Well.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll return to the Magocracy after this. Even if I failed getting him.¡± She gave a look towards me. ¡°I had finished my other objective.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°And then, I¡¯ll train again. I¡¯ll become even stronger. Thank you, by the way, for displaying how much my strength is still lacking.¡± She smirked, looking again at my direction. ¡°I¡¯ll be sent on other missions by my mother, maybe finally found a mage worthy to be my husband.¡± She glanced at me yet again. ¡°And then I¡¯ll replace my mother in her position once I¡¯m old and strong enough.¡± ¡°After that?¡± ¡°After that?¡± I¡¯ll become a benevolent leader of the Brine Province until the day I die.¡± She chuckled. ¡°To you, a High Elf, that day probably isn¡¯t that far away though.¡± ¡°And what about him?¡± Ilymhyrra glanced at me. ¡°Him?¡± She focused her gaze on him once again. ¡°To be honest, the Council would probably deem him to be too strong to be hunted down after I gave my report. So rejoice, Hugo Greenwood." She grinned. "You can travel safely now, wherever you''re going. Though I can''t say the same for your sister." My arm moved on its own, aiming my wand towards her yet again. "Tell this to your mother and the other Council members. Stay away from her or I would come after them." ¡­ "Aha-ahahahaha!" She held her stomach this time. "Then what are you doing here? You talk so big like some hero but you ran away from her for no good reason! And thanks to that, our other agents might have actually captured her! She''ll be brought back to the capital and then executed in front of all our citizens! That would be a sight, wouldn''t it?" My mind went blank. I charged forward with my sword drawn. If my magic was sealed, I could still use my blade. Ilymhyrra stood between us, but I didn''t care. I would just leap over her and¡ª In an instant, it was all over. The elf hit me multiple times with her staff, over and over at such an unbelievable speed even my training with Fiora couldn¡¯t keep up. Each blow hit a different place. My head, my neck, my chest, my stomach, my knees, and even my family jewels. It was a precise yet heavy blow. I wasn¡¯t even sure if Fiora could keep up with such a speed. I collapsed to the ground, groaning and panting like a hurt dog as the pain overwhelmed me. ¡°Idiot. You already know I¡¯m Mira¡¯s teacher. Do you believe you can get past me that easily?¡± "U-uuuuu¡­" "Gyahahaha! Look at you! So much for the dragonslaying Divine Wind!" That hateful young woman exploded in laughter yet again. Combined with me being in this state, it brought back unpleasant memories of me being beaten up in my old life by bullies, all while they laughed at me. It was enough to make me ignore the pain and aim my wand on her once again. It didn''t even need to be my Boom Spell. A simple Fireball would suffice, just to wipe that smug face of hers. Only for me to find that my magic had been sealed once again. "Why?" I croaked. "Why are you defending *cough* bad people like her? I''m sure Mira would never *cough* approve of such a behaviour." She was standing right over me, still with that cold expression on her face. From this angle, I could actually see her white panties, but I was too hurt to care. "Perhaps. But it''s not for you to decide." She then turned to face Elun. "It''s been a while since I made a visit to your nation. You and your underlings shall accompany me there." "Oh? You think you can just order me around now?" "You''re not stupid like him. You know you can''t win against me. Consider yourself my hostage for the time being." Elun sighed, before giving her a defeated yet content smile. "Alright. We can do that. Just so you know, the Council is much stronger than me or him. You won''t win against them." "As for you," She looked at me once more. "Do not worry. I''ll make sure they won''t bother you or your sister anymore. If you''re telling the truth, that is." ¡°I have one piece of advice for you, Hugo Greenwood.¡± This time, it was Elun¡¯s turn to speak. ¡°Your redheaded friend¡­ you might want to pay her a visit.¡± Redhead friend? Is she talking about Anne? Urgh, I can¡¯t think. My brain hurts. With that cryptic message, the two left, with Elun giving me one last triumphant grin. She might have lost the battle. But she had won the war. ------- "Uuuhhhh¡­" I let out a pained, pathetic groan as I laid down like that for a while, bitterly acknowledging my defeat. Not only physically, but mentally as well. She was right. I had no business being here. I should be with Marina and Erika, protecting them from the Magocracy. Sherry could wait. She wasn''t in danger. As for that high elf, she might really be Mira''s master. And she might actually tell those bastards to leave us alone. She might even be powerful enough to force them to do it. She could just seal all their magic with that strange anti-magic spell of hers. I want it. I want that spell. I could still feel it¡ªthe way her mana disturbed and scattered my own. How could she do it? How could she manipulate raw mana in that way? Ah, look. The blue sky. It''s coming back. The rain finally subsided. It''s too late though. My clothes were all dirty now. They were my expensive clothes too. "Hugo! Hugo! Where are you?!" A familiar voice reached my ears. It was Anne''s voice. And it seemed she was running straight towards my direction. I took a breath of relief. She wasn''t lying after all. "Hugo, are you alright?! Where is she?!" She crouched down beside me. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s gone. I made her run away.¡± I lied. ¡°And the elf? She should be heading this direction. Did she save you? She saved me and Anton, you know. Froze that slime demon like it was nothing. She even gave Anton some medicine, so she should be on our side. We didn¡¯t dare to shatter her though. What if she survived. So we just left her there.¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡ª¡± I coughed. ¡°She¡¯s gone as well.¡± ¡°H-here. Let me help you up.¡± ¡°Argh, h-hold on!¡± I felt a sharp pain surging through my body when she tried to lift my shoulder. I-I think some of my ribs might be cracked or something. She hit me pretty hard back then.¡± ¡°Move to the side, Anne. If it¡¯s just cracked ribs, I can heal it.¡± Anton was there as well. He crouched down and began chanting his healing spell. Warm light emanated from his hand, and slowly but surely, the pain subsided. ¡°There. That should do it.¡± He smiled. ¡°Here. Take my hand.¡± I stood up with his help, returning his smile with my own. ¡°Once again, we are in your debt, Charles. Or, I guess I should call you Hugo instead.¡± His smile turned into a soft grin. ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°This time, it was me that endangered you two. Those guys¡­ they¡¯re using you to get to me. And for that, I apologize.¡± I lowered my head. ¡°Well, if you view it that way, then that makes us even.¡± He patted my shoulder. ¡°Now I understand why you are always so secretive about yourself and your abilities. Anne told me a bit about it when we rushed here. Makes sense that you would want to keep a low profile.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t bring Amelie with you, right?¡± Anne asked, her eyes looking around for a sign for the fire mage. ¡°No. I left her behind. It¡¯s too dangerous for her.¡± ¡°Good. That¡¯s the right choice to make.¡± Anton removed his hand. ¡°That blue-haired lady¡­ she¡¯s on another level entirely. She might be equal to an S-ranked adventurer, or maybe even more.¡± ¡°She¡¯s another genius mage like you basically,¡± Anne commented. ¡°An elite mage from the Magocracy. Maybe you can also compare her to the magic corps of the Empire.¡± ¡°And she¡¯ll be back.¡± Anton narrowed his eyes. ¡°Even if you finished her off, they could just send more agents down your way. I hope you¡¯d be ready then, Hugo.¡± ¡°I would.¡± I lied again. I might be able to win against a mage like Elun, but if they manage to persuade Ilymhyrra to go after me, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to win. A mentor to the legendary Archmage. How am I supposed to win against some like that? I don¡¯t have any cheats like your typical isekai protagonist has. I¡¯m just a slightly stronger NPC, that¡¯s all. ¡°As for us, well,¡± He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to say this, but we¡¯d better separate ourselves from you.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Anne¡¯s temper flared up. ¡°How could you say that? Aren¡¯t we friends with him? Shouldn¡¯t we be supporting him instead? Why are we kicking him away like this?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not kicking anyone away, Anne. It¡¯s just¡­ we¡¯re a burden to him.¡± Anne¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Our strength is nowhere near his level or his enemies. If we fight with him, we¡¯ll just end up making it harder to win. He¡¯s too kind for his own good. He¡¯ll never just abandon us to gain victory.¡± He gave an apologetic look towards me. ¡°We¡¯re going to head west since you¡¯re going east. We¡¯ll try to put as much distance between us as we can. But, if we still ended up being captured again, then you should just ignore us and fight with your full strength.¡± ¡°You coward! I won''t agree with this! And neither will Amelie!" Without hesitation, she grabbed my hands. "Train us, Hugo! If we''re too weak to fight side-by-side by you, then we just have to get stronger, right?!" I shook my head. ¡°No.¡± I released my hands from hers. ¡±I have to resume this journey alone. I¡¯m sorry, Anne. You, Anton, and Amelie have your own path to take. You shouldn¡¯t be involved with me any further.¡± She looked at me as if I just slapped her in the face. And I might as well have done so. I basically just agreed with Anton that she was too weak to be by my side. Tears pooled in her eyes. "Hugo, you idiot!" SLAP Her hand flew to my face. I could easily stop it but I chose not to. She deserved the slap. She then ran away, with Anton soon following her. ...Yeah, it''s better this way. Now they won''t be dragged into my mess. With that melancholic thought, I followed them as well. I still needed to make sure they got back safe and sound. After that, it would be goodbye for real. Extra: The Elder Dragon Eldrad Many, many years ago... Einzelschwarz. The Land of Eternal Darkness. It is a region located in the Demon Continent¡ªa harsh and wild region filled with strong monsters¡ªcreatures who are the rulers of the dark. The day never comes, the sun never rises, and the moon is always shining blood red on the night sky. And there, a certain mage was fighting, against a swarm of pitch-black dragons. If she had any thoughts of escape, it would be impossible. Black dragons are well-known for their fierceness. They are filled with the endless, bottomless desire to eat and consume. And even though said mage was so small compared to them, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to lay down their very lives just so they could sink their fangs onto her. However, she had no such thoughts whatsoever. ¡°Absolute Zero: Spiral!¡± With a maniacal laugh, she raised her staff to the air. And then, the world turned silver. *** When the spell ended, the once black region had turned pure white. The ground, once a barren rocky landscape, was now completely covered in a thick layer of ice. Massive solid crystals made out of the same materials jutted out in a spiral pattern centered around the mage. The air was filled with snow, like the aftermath of a blizzard. And the dragons? Covered in ice from head to toe. They were frozen, not just on the outside, but inside as well. Their blood, their muscles, their organs¡ªnot a single one was spared. It didn¡¯t take long until one by one, they shattered into a million pieces. And the mage watched with deep satisfaction. ¡°Haah, how boring! I don¡¯t want to play with the young ones! Where are you, O Elder Dragon? I¡¯m waiting! I¡¯ve slaughtered all your kids and you¡¯re just going to hide in your little cave?¡± She spoke with such smugness and confidence, you would not be at fault if you immediately believe she would indeed be capable of taking on such an unbelievably strong monster with ease. After all, an elder dragon, compared to a normal dragon, is like a normal dragon compared to a drake. Meaning, they are nowhere close in strength or intelligence. All elder dragons are capable of speech and reason. As such, they are capable of casting magic as well, using their own scales as their mana conduit. And speaking of their scales, there¡¯s no need to say how much tougher those are compared to the ones ordinary dragons possess. They¡¯re pretty much superior to their lesser children in every way. And so, to challenge one like this, on her own, she would be either insane or a really, really strong magician. And seeing what she just did to the dragons, perhaps the latter would be the correct assessment. For her name was Vera Marjoram, the future member of the Magocracy¡¯s Council of Magicians. *** She continued onward, deeper and deeper into the Black Dragon Region of Einzelschwarz. Naturally, for such a large place, it wasn¡¯t only dragons who lived inside it. And they possessed their own chunk of the place where only their kind could live, where any other creatures who dared to enter would be killed and devoured in an instant. And so the region was named The Dragons¡¯ Hunting Ground. She disposed of a number of other dragons the same way she did with the swarm from before, utilizing her Grandmaster-level spell to slaughter all of them at the same time. However, since it took her quite some time to recite the chant needed to cast such a powerful spell, there were other, auxiliary spells that she employed. Like her Ice Clone spell, used to bait the dragons into the proper location. And if she found herself in an unfavorable spot, she could also use her Ice Jet spell to create an ice trail she could skate over with her staff. And seeing how she could cast two magic at once, she could keep up her chanting for her Absolute Zero spell while dodging the dragons¡¯ attacks, if necessary. After bringing down another batch of dragons, she summoned out a vial of liquid from her Dimensional Storage. It¡¯s a mana-replenishing potion. She decided it was the right time to drink one as she could feel her mana storage running low. Only to be interrupted by a roar, followed by a beam of darkness heading straight down where she stood. Her ice snake manifested, taking the blow intended to hit its master. It managed just that, but not without evaporating into nothingness in the process. Tch! A sneak attack from above! She didn¡¯t see it coming, for the elder dragon had flown far above her over the clouds before firing its breath. She knew elder dragons were supposed to be intelligent, but to think one of them would do such a cowardly attack like this¡­ She immediately utilized her staff and magic to skate away from where she stood. The dragon chased, firing more and more beams of darkness that she dodged nimbly. Meanwhile, she started chanting her Absolute Zero spell, waiting until the perfect moment to strike back. She could guess where the dragon was judging from the angle the beam came from. Its shadow could¡¯ve been another hint to where its location might be, but the red moon didn¡¯t shine brightly enough that night/day for it to be a viable option. There! She fired¡ªa massive wave of frost and ice shot up to the skies. And it seemed to hit the dragon, as it let out a roar of pain before spiraling down to the ground. And now, she finally witnessed the size of the beast in its full glory. Even she couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. It was massive, easily twice the size of the black dragons she had slaughtered. Or even more. But thanks to that, even her spell couldn¡¯t hit every single part of its body. And so, that allowed the creature to flap one wing, stabilizing itself before it could hit the ground. It then fired its own breath on itself, melting the ice inside and outside, while not being harmed in the slightest. If she had to guess, it¡¯s simply immune to any forms of dark magic, unlike its lesser cousins who were merely resistant. ¡°Well done, gnome. How long has it been since I was last wounded by a mortal?¡± The dragon spoke¡ªhis voice rich and deep, signifying a fully mature older adult. It was the voice of someone fit to be a king. Even hearing it would be enough to draw awe from any bystanders, without actually seeing his majestic size. ¡°I expected better from an elder dragon,¡± Vera replied, still keeping her confident smile. ¡°To think you have to resort to trickery. Well, I suppose it¡¯s only natural¡ªafter I killed all your little children like that.¡± Even against an elder dragon, she kept her sadistic and taunting personality. ¡°Hah! Those whelps! If you believe I would care about them like you mortals care for your younglings, think again. In this world, only the strong survives and thrives. If they¡¯re weak, then it¡¯s their fate to perish.¡± ¡°In that, I agree,¡± the gnome replied. ¡°So, if you would, just lay down and let me kill you, o weak one.¡± She pointed her staff towards him. ¡°Ha! Very well. Let us partake in this game, shall we?¡± They shared no other words before they resumed their clash. *** ¡°W-why¡­ t-that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s unfair¡­ you can¡¯t just¡­ hide¡­ guaahhhh!¡± The mage puked blood before falling down to the ground. She had lost. Vera Marjoram had lost. ...No, she had not lost. She had simply been cheated out of her victory, by a dirty trick that scum of a dragon had pulled on her. ¡°Y-you¡­ you can use magic? S-since when¡­ dragons can use magic? And a magic-devouring spell?¡± She coughed again, spilling more blood onto the snowy ground. She never knew elder dragons were capable of spellcasting. It wasn¡¯t her fault really. There was barely any information about elder dragons in the first place. Seeing one was really quite rare, and if you see one, you usually won¡¯t be alive to tell the tale. But, if it¡¯s just normal spells, she can handle them. But instead, that accursed dragon possessed a spell she only heard in myths and legends. Magic that devours other magic. An anti-magic spell. With it, what should¡¯ve been her killing blow was nullified in an instant. And now, she was laying down in the pool of her own blood, with one of her arms missing. She was dying. The dragon only replied with a roaring laugh. ¡°Silly little girl, you believe that I would show you all my cards from the very beginning? How naive. No wonder you mortals are so weak and frail. You can¡¯t even use your intellect to compensate for your lack of strength.¡± I-it¡¯s cold¡­ M-my body¡­ it¡¯s getting so cold¡­ My vision¡­ it¡¯s going dark¡­ I can¡¯t see anymore¡­ I-is this it? Is this how the Great Vera ends? In this wretched place with this wretched dragon? After all that she has been through to reach these heights? If only¡­ if only I have more strength! One of my blasts nearly ended him, but he recovered before I could deal the finishing blow! Aaahhhh, I don¡¯t want to die! I don¡¯t want to die! I don¡¯t want to die! ¡°Do not fret, little one. I shall grant you the honor to die by my hands. Well, by my jaws, that is. As food! Gwahahahahahaha!¡± Finding his own joke incredibly funny, the elder dragon laughed once more, before slowly walking towards the barely conscious mage. THUMP THUMP The sound of his thundering steps His steps made earthquakes in the ground, crushing the ice he stepped on into fine powder. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Leave her alone.¡± H-huh? A-an elf? Why is she¡ª She lost her consciousness. And the last thing she saw was a silver-haired elven girl standing between her and the dragon. -------- ¡°Oh? And who is this? A friend?¡± The dragon was not intimidated in the slightest. Even though the newcomer had appeared out of nowhere, with him failing to notice her presence until she announced herself, he was still fully confident she was just another cockroach for him to step on. At least, until a few moments later when he recognized just who it was he was really speaking to. ¡°You¡­ ¡°Ha! Gwahahahahahaha!¡± Another roaring laughter came from the dragon. ¡°To think that we would meet again after all these years!¡± He walked up to her closer with a grin on his face. Well, what passed for a grin for a dragon anyways. The elf however remained unfazed. Her stoic expression was as if she was simply facing an old friend she hadn¡¯t seen in a while. ¡°The Great Ilymhyrra herself! To what do I owe this visit?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to heal her first.¡± ¡°Oh? Are you back on the hero business?¡± She didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she walked over to where Vera was. She reached her left hand and began her chant. ¡°O m¨¢n! O anand! In nall weld thee!¡± Her chant was in the elven tongue. Or, to be more precise, it was Ancient Elvish, only spoken by the oldest of the old high elves. For ordinary humans, you would only hear incomprehensible gibberish coming out from her mouth. You would need a high affinity in magic to even begin to comprehend it. A magic circle slowly came into existence under the gnomish mage. And then, as it shone brightly, her wounds began to close. Even her missing arm regrow itself. When she was done, it was as if she was never injured in the first place. ¡°How curious. The Butcher of Hellmyla is capable of such an advanced healing magic too. Quite uncharacteristic of you, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I came here to ask you a question.¡± She turned to face the dragon, ignoring his mocking entirely. ¡°Did you destroy the village of Reimwall?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve destroyed a lot of villages over the years, little one.¡± He sneered. ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to remember all of their names.¡± ¡°I see. So you have broken your promise with us when we spared you that day.¡± ¡°Then, I suppose I should finish what Arthur should¡¯ve done back then.¡± In a flash, she fired a massive beam of white towards the dragon. ¡°Ha! So fast! So powerful! That little gnome was like a rat compared to you!¡± The dragon let out a roar before what looked to be like a black membrane appeared on its front. It blocked the beam completely. Even though the beam was massive, it was still really small compared to the dragon¡¯s enormous size. ¡°I¡¯ve learned a few tricks ever since you and your friends spared me, little one! Do you think I wouldn¡¯t have the knowledge to counter your cheap parlor tricks? No magic in this world can hurt me, for I have a counterspell that could devour them all! Not even yours!¡± He then flapped his gigantic wings, sending a dark cyclone towards her direction. The elf raised her hand, creating a barrier around her and Vera. Unlike a barrier a priest would make, it was shaped like a beehive¡ªhexagons linked to each other. As for the color, it was less white and more silver, just like the color of the blast of energy she just fired. The black wind surrounded them, trying to break down the barrier. It wasn¡¯t any ordinary wind. It would induce decay to anything it touched. However, the barrier didn¡¯t budge an inch. It remained as sturdy as ever. She waved the same hand. A strong wind manifested, blowing the dark cyclone away. ¡°Good! I do not expect one of your caliber to fall so easily! I shall grant you the honor to die from my strongest attack. You might be able to withstand it with that barrier of yours for a few short moments, but you are not Milicis. You will break sooner or later.¡± The dragon opened his mouth as wide as he could, revealing his unfittingly pearl-white teeth. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Terminus Breath!¡± A blast of pure darkness fired from his throat, straight towards the two. It was an attack strong enough to destroy an entire city in a single blast. Only a being of the Grand Saint¡¯s caliber would be able to repel such an attack. ¡°Is it in the nature of dragons to be such arrogant creatures, I wonder?¡± Huh? A beam of energy pierced through his jaw, going upwards until it reached his brean, eviscerating it in seconds. W-why? Why is she¡ª Defying all reason, the elf was no longer where she just stood a few moments ago. She was instead standing right under him, in the blindspot where his breath couldn¡¯t reach. She held her staff upwards, firing the beam from its tip. He couldn¡¯t use his Devour Magic spell when he was firing his breath. And she had abused that fact for a surprise attack. How did she¡ª With a loud, thundering sound, the elder dragon fell. Pitch-black blood poured out from his head. ¡°Sleep now, Eldrad. Join your mother in the abyss.¡± ¡°T-tell me, how did you¡­ move... there?¡± ¡°I refuse to answer. Unlike you, I am not so naive to divulge my cards on the table.¡± The dragon could only let out a weak chuckle as his consciousness vanished, sparing him from the pain he would get when the elf erased his body completely afterwards. Monsters could return as the undead if you just left their carcass out in the open. It would be bad if she ended up creating an undead elder dragon after all. Once the dragon was taken care of, she turned her attention back to Vera. She was still unconscious, even though she had healed her. It seemed she had to make camp here until she woke up. --------------- Ilymhyrra The black dragon fell as its head slid off from its neck. The man responsible sheathed his sword. His expression was neutral¡ªquite the odd thing as he had just slain an elder dragon. ¡°And there she goes! Wow, she¡¯s quite the strong one, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Perhaps it would¡¯ve been easier if you had followed with the plan.¡± ¡°Aaw, don¡¯t be such a grump, Milly! All¡¯s well that ends well, like they¡ªOwww! Don¡¯t hit me like that, Master!¡± ¡°What did I teach you about keeping your distance? You¡¯d be dead right now if I didn¡¯t save you then.¡± ¡°Kuwa! Kuwawa!¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh my, is that, a baby dragon? "Master, no! Don''t kill it! It''s just a baby!" "Are you an idiot? You know he''ll become just as vicious as his mother once he grew up." "I agree. There''s no need for us to spare such a wretched creature. Black dragons are the most dangerous of all the dragon races." "Milly! You can''t just¡ªUurghhh, hey, Arty! We''re sparing the baby, right?!" That day, we ended up sparing him after all. With a big cheerful smile on her face, my apprentice named him Eldrad and made him her pet. She taught him all sorts of things, even human morality. She clearly didn¡¯t want him to turn out like his mother, an evil monster who demanded human sacrifices just to satisfy her sense of cruelty. Of course, a human cannot make a pet out of a dragon, especially a black one. In just one month, right when he¡¯s old enough to hunt on his own, he disappeared. He was merely using her to survive. That idiot of an apprentice even cried over him. When I heard of an elder dragon terrorizing the area, I decided to come just to check if it was him, out of pure curiosity No, I suppose I wanted vengeance. He made my idiot apprentice cry. And I couldn¡¯t forgive that. --------- "U-urghhh¡­" "You''ve waken up. Here. Have a glass of water." The gnome mage blinked rapidly¡ªher expression was akin to a dumbfounded animal. She sat up and took the glass from the elf. She then stared at it for a few long seconds, before she gulped it all in one go. ¡°What were you thinking, trying to take an Elder Dragon all by yourself?¡± The gnome put the cup down. ¡°I¡­ This isn¡¯t the afterlife, is it?¡± ¡°I am very much alive, thank you very much.¡± ¡°And you fought off that dragon?¡± ¡°I did.¡± "And my arm? H-how is it still here?" "I healed it." "You¡­ just who are you? Those long ears¡­ you''re a high elf, aren''t you? And that staff.. you''re a mage too!" "I am." At this point, her eyes shone brightly like the stars above. ¡°Please!" She clapped her hands together. "Tell me! How did you do it? You¡¯re a mage too, right? How did you bypass his Magic Devour spell?¡± The elf didn¡¯t respond. She simply stared at her from where she sat. They were sitting across each other, with a small bonfire between them. The two were camping out in the open, under the eternally night sky of Einzelschwarz. Beyond the overpowering light of the red moon, one could see thousands of stars adorning the pitch-black canvass. ¡°Not going to answer, huh?¡± Vera grinned in defeat. ¡°I understand. A mage can¡¯t just divulge her magic secrets to everyone they met.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question,¡± Ilymhyrra responded. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll consider answering your question once you answered mine.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± She smiled. ¡°As my savior, I guess you deserve to know the life story of the not-so-great Vera Marjoram.¡± That day, she told me everything about herself¡ªthe depths of her ambition and to what end she would go to achieve it. She then begged me to make her my student. I refused. I was not interested in making an apprentice of a mage who was only using her magic for power and fame. She told me why she went after Eldrad. It''s simply to make herself be a famous hero. What a fool. I warned her to change her ways, but there''s no melting a rock that had hardened over decades of shame and anger. And now, she¡¯s gone. Once again, she overestimated herself. But no one was there to save her. And her stay in the Magocracy only worsened her vice. ...Tell me, Mira. Is such a country truly a place you dreamed of? Chapter 133: Marina’s Side — Another Reunion Marina ¡°And these are¡­¡± ¡°The seeds I mentioned before. Please plant them on your soil.¡± The burly man sitting in front of me scratched his bearded chin. He didn''t even try to hide his disbelief. "Spring is coming and I wish for you and your guild members to plant these. They''re similar in every way to the wheat and potatoes you always planted, only they would yield a higher result in this cold climate." I stared at him right in the eyes as I said those words. I had no doubt in my seeds. None whatsoever. I had worked on them for months and I would see to it that they were utilized by the farmers in this region. This man in front of me, Mr. Falagor Redstone, was the head of the Farmers'' Guild. As long as I could convince him of the efficacy of my seeds, the rest of the Farmers'' should follow. "And what if they don''t grow?" His eyes narrowed. "How would we be compensated?" His words were bold and brazen. The Guild had quite the influence in this region. Some even said it was more influential than Grandfather''s own authority as an Earl. Such was the fate of an Earl with barely any assets to his books. "Then we shall levy the taxes on farming goods this year and the next. We are also prepared to pay each of you the fair amount in compensation according to the market price of wheat and potatoes this year." Of course, Grandfather didn''t have the money for such compensation. However, he had authorized me to present this bluff. He had his faith in me and the seeds I had created. By the way, I learned of this negotiation trick from Elise. She was surprisingly knowledgeable on how to deal with this kind of stuff. As you would expect from Reinhard¡¯s assistant. He took a deep sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Milady. Us farmers around here¡­ we don¡¯t exactly trust all that fancy magic stuff¡­¡± ¡°If I might ask, is there a special reason for that distrust?¡± ¡°We just wanna grow our crops with our own hands. Not with somebody else¡¯s power.¡± ¡°You would grow them with your own hands. If I wanted to, I could grow an entire farm worth of crops in an instant. Surely, you have heard of who I am, right?¡± ¡°Y-yes, Milady. You¡¯re the Verdant Witch of Death.¡± ¡°Then would you doubt my abilities?¡± ¡°O-of course not, Milady.¡± ¡°Then good. See to it that it¡¯s done. As Lord Archimond¡¯s granddaughter, I shall see to it that this region prospered under his rule.¡± With a polite smile, I bid him farewell. As decorum dictated, I stayed in place, letting him leave on his own with my maid opening the door for him. It was how you were supposed to show your superior position in the negotiation, which I had as the Earl¡¯s granddaughter. And when he was gone, at last, I could let out a deep, relieved sigh. Haah, playing a noble¡¯s granddaughter really is tiring¡­ ¡°Tired, Miss?¡± Henrietta giggled as she walked towards me. ¡°That was excellent! You really looked cool and lovely there! You deserve a full massage course from me tonight!¡± I gave her a weak smile. ¡°I felt bad, having to scare him like that." The rumors about my actions had reached this region at last. And with my escapades with the bandits and a number of monsters I helped Reinhard exterminate, it wasn''t hard for the masses to put two and two together. And to my pleasant surprise, it wasn''t all that bad. Sure, some were afraid towards me because of it, but it also earned me respect. They recognized me as a great mage and thanks to my deeds here, they decided that the rumors were overblown and I wasn''t some monstrous butcher who slaughtered people for fun. "It''s fine, isn''t it?" The maid giggled once more. "You need to be respected. You''re the Earl''s granddaughter after all!" I gave her a wry smile. With my current look, I really did look like I was Marina Archibald, the granddaughter of an Earl. Instead of my usual day-to-day adventuring dress, I was instead wearing a luxurious green dress, tailor-made to my specifications. I also wore a pair of emerald earrings, a diamond necklace, and a crimson red lipstick¡ªsomething I wouldn''t even consider doing if not for Henrietta''s insistence. The dress was like one a noble lady would wear, with many layers of skirts and fabrics¡ªpetticoats and the like. It had an open shoulder design, generously showing off my cleavage (I objected to this design but Henrietta insisted). As for the footwear, they were uncomfortable high-heeled slippers made out of jade. I also had a pair of white lady gloves attached to my hands. I knew very well how much funds Grandfather must have spent to order this outfit. Even if the jewellery were hands-down from Grandmother, the rest of the outfit was still custom-made by the city¡¯s best tailor. He believed that I should have at least one dress that would fit for the granddaughter of an Earl, so he ordered Henrietta to not hold back and chose the best and most fitting dress for me. I just hope he didn¡¯t bankrupt himself to pay for all of this... I thought with a sigh. ¡°Take me to the baths.¡± I told Henrietta once I sat up. ¡°This dress really is stuffy¡­¡± ¡°Aaw, don¡¯t be like that! I want to see Miss with them for a little bit longer!¡± She grinned. ¡°And you haven¡¯t shown it off to Master Reinhard yet either! He would definitely be surprised by your new look!¡± "Why would I show it to him?" "Oh, don''t be such a grump!" I could only sigh in response. It wasn''t just her. All the other maids and butlers seemed to want me to marry Reinhard. I didn''t know why if I were to be honest. Perhaps they wanted him to stay being Grandfather''s heir. Makes sense. He had done great running this place for years. I would never marry someone who already had two wives, no matter how good of a man he was. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Afterwards, I went to the baths as planned. But not before meeting with Reinhard on the way there. "O-oh, well, you look¡­ different¡­" The sight of me did indeed surprise him. He started to stutter and his cheeks gained a little color. We only chatted for a little bit though, with him asking about the meeting and me replying that it went swimmingly. He was on his way to report to Grandfather so he couldn''t stay for long. Once he disappeared over the corner, Henrietta broke into a giggle. "You really charmed him there, Miss!" Unfortunately, I had to agree. I wasn''t a fool. I noticed him looking up and down, checking me up. For a married man with two wives to do something like that, it was quite shameful of him. I suppose he''s one of those men who just has a higher libido than normal, judging by all the noises he made his wives make in the bedroom every night. Once in the baths, as always, Henrietta helped me with my undressing. The zipper for the dress was located at the back, so it would be difficult for me to unzip it by myself. I suppose a lady''s dress was just designed to be worn with the help of the lady''s maid. With the dress off, only my panties remained. Just like the dress, they were expensive, tailor-made garments. I didn''t know why they would bother, since they would be hidden under the many layers of skirts I wore. You should only buy and wear expensive panties if you wanted to impress your lover in bed, like Mother did with Father (I happened to accompany her lingerie shopping in town once). And what I wore now definitely belonged to that category. They were a pair of low-rise green fishnet panties that exposed a lot of skin. I looked at myself wearing them through the mirror in the changing room. Hmm, they don''t actually look that bad to be honest. They have that mature appeal I''m quite fond of. Still, I would definitely categorize them in the lewd and provocative category. Not something I would wear day-to-day outside where there''s a chance for an upskirt. After all, that kind of sight should only be given to somebody you like. I wonder how he would react if he saw me wearing them¡­ "Oh, what''s this~? That''s a happy smile if I ever see one. Are you thinking about something good, Miss? Maybe showing these sexy panties to a certain someone?" "N-no, I was just¡ª" "Oh my, you''re blushing, Miss! You do have someone you want to show them to!" The maid giggled. "Come now, tell me! Who is it? It''s Master Reinhard, isn''t it? If you want to, I can make it look like an accident~" "I-it''s not him, alright? It''s my little brother." "...Eh?" "I-it''s just me teasing her. He''s a bit perverted but he''s a gentleman through and through, so whenever he gets a peek of my panties, he will go all flustered and it''s really adorable." When I finished my sentence, I realized I probably shouldn''t have done that, judging by Henrietta''s shocked expression. "...I-I see." She forced a smile. "W-well, i-I guess I can help with that if the opportunity comes." "Indeed..." I sighed with a wry smile. "I can only hope that the merchant could arrive soon." It had been months since Grandfather told me about the good news. And yet, still no hint of the merchant and their orb whatsoever. Perhaps they were still busy settling their businesses in the southern countries. Or perhaps they just decided not to make the transaction in the end. Oh Hugo, how much longer will we be separated? You''re fine on your own out there, right? I forgive you, so please, forgive yourself as well. With those grim thoughts, I stepped into the water. *** Spring slowly but surely crept into the snowy region of Grandfort. One could start to wear two layers of clothing instead of three and some brave (or poor) men started to stop lighting their fireplaces at the day. And with it, arrived the blessing Marina had wished deeply in her heart. ¡°Brr! It¡¯s already spring yet it¡¯s still this cold! I¡¯m jealous of you two and your cold-adaptable bodies!¡± A certain hobbit had entered the city of Lochestat. Immediately she drew attention from the locals as with her, she brought two lizardmen retainers, in charge of pulling the large cart she had on tow. She was dressed in a thick fur coat while said retainers were only dressed in light clothes, with the large male one even going shirtless. Like she said, thanks to the race of the two, they had no need for fur coats and the like to be comfortable in the cold. Their blood allowed them to be adaptable, with organs that could survive in a temperature range far bigger than humans¡¯ could. Of course, she was stopped by the guards at the front gate, with them asking for her business and eyeing her for being a ¡°suspicious person¡±. However, with a letter shown, they immediately changed their attitude 180 degrees, apologizing over and over for their rudeness before giving them directions towards the Earl''s estate. Her name was Sophie Bramblewood¡ªthe head of the Bramblewood Trading Company who specialized in magical items. And currently, inside that cart, there was a wealth of items expensive enough that you could buy a large mansion with it if you were to sell them all. And the most expensive of them all was the Dream Orb, an ancient artifact capable of sending messages through dreams. She had come all the way here to sell it. Well, that, and one other reason, which would come later, if the opportunity arrived. "Here we are!" She declared once they stood in front of the building. "Greetings, Sir Guards! We came here as a guest of Lord Archibald! Here''s the letter if you don''t believe it!" She cheerfully handed over the same piece of paper she had shown to the town guards. The two estate guards exchanged confused looks with each other, but ultimately, they couldn''t find any fault in the letter. And so, they told her to wait there while one of them brought the word to the Earl. "Aah, it must be nice, having a big house like this¡­" The hobbit mumbled to herself as she looked around the place. The lizardgirl followed suit, while the lizardman stood by like a statue, eyeing his surroundings with less of an awed look and more of a suspicion-filled one. It didn''t take long until the guard returned, telling them that the Earl was ready to receive them. With a big grin on her face, the hobbit declared, "Well, let''s do business, shall we?" *** Marina "Miss! Miss!" I was in the middle of my reading when Henrietta barged into my room, all sweating and panting. "T-the merchant! She¡ªshe came! She''s talking with Lord Archimond right at this very moment in the study!" My book hit the carpet with a muffled thud. Naturally, I made my way there at once. When I arrived there, I saw Grandfather already being in the discussion with the merchant. Two lizardfolk were also there, standing away a fair distance, along with Grandfather''s maid. If I had to guess, they were her servants. "Ah, there you are." Grandfather stood up, brushing his stache. "Here. Meet Lady Bramblewood." The merchant stood up, turned around, and¡ª "M-Marina?! Y-you''re Marina, aren''t you?!" "And you¡­ you''re Sophie¡­ that hobbit I met all those years ago." We were both speechless. We stood there staring at each other for what felt like an eternity, until¡ª "Marina!" She ran straight towards me before hugging me as tightly as she could. "Ooh, I miss you so much! To think I would meet you here again of all places!" Naturally, the rest of the room was looking at us with a bewildered look. *** We then sat down on the sofa located in the room as we exchanged our stories with each other. Grandfather sat beside me while the two lizardfolk took their seats with her after she insisted. She began her story from where we last met, back at Aarom all those years ago. After our ¡°fateful meeting¡±, as she put it, she went to Tulpio and crossed the sea to head to the Holy Continent. There, for several years, she wandered in the region, building her wealth as a merchant bit by bit. ¡°Those days weren¡¯t easy, you know.¡± She bragged with a smile as she lit up her pipe. ¡°I was scammed and swindled a few times more before I really got a hang of the business. But I never gave up. I always bounced back and looked for the next big opportunity. Eventually, I had enough capital to purchase these two on the slave market, along with the big wagon I parked outside.¡± As she took a deep huff of said pipe, my eyes wandered to the two lizardmen beside her. So she purchased them as slaves to be her assistants. I¡¯m not sure how to feel about that. But they seem happy with their position, so I have no reason to complain. ¡°Oh, by the way, hope you don¡¯t mind me smoking. Tell me if the scent is unpleasant to you, alright?¡± She smiled. The smoke she produced actually had an oddly sweet scent to it. Hobbits did indeed have a custom of being a smoker of grasses and herbs, and if I had to guess, she was smoking Remgrass, one of the more popular types of plants to smoke. The sweet scent matched its description and this feeling of calmness it exuded was certainly one of its effects on the smoker and anyone who happened to inhale it in the vicinity. ¡°Afterwards, I decided to make my fortune back in this continent, so I returned back to the south and crossed the ocean once again. And then, at Tulpio, I was met by a pleasant surprise.¡± She grinned at me as she seemingly paused to raise the tension. ¡°Guess who I met. Come on, guess!¡± And then, it hit me. ¡°Correct! I met your little brother! I had no idea what he was doing there but it was definitely him! Although, if you asked me, something was certainly wrong with him. He seemed angry and frustrated with himself. Human puberty, perhaps?¡± She chuckled. "Out of nowhere, he lifted me up and slapped me, all while crying. You two just got into a fight, didn''t you? It''s odd though that I couldn''t find you or him again in that port city after that." ¡°N-no, he¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the matter, Marina? What¡¯s with that grim look?¡± It was then my turn to tell her my story. When I finished, her countenance had changed considerably. Her eyes were glossy, and she had brought out a handkerchief to blow her nose in and to wipe her tears. "That''s¡­ that''s terrible! I-if I had known, I wouldn''t have been so harsh to him¡­" "He''s suffering, wasn''t he? And I wasn''t there to comfort him¡­ If I hadn''t been so stubborn, then we would still be together¡­ me, him, Father and Mother¡­" "W-wait, d-don''t cry!" She was right. Before I realized it, tears dripped down onto my knee. "L-look! That''s why you wanted the Dream Orb, right? I''ll give it to you! It''s the least I can do to repay your kindness all those years ago!" I looked back up and forced a smile. "You''re right. I''ll tell him that I forgive him. That silly boy really should stop being so hard on himself." You''re doing fine, aren''t you, Hugo? You''re strong after all. You''ll pick yourself back up in no time. I only need to tell you where I am right now and you''ll come running straight here. Or, have you decided to start your adventure on your own instead? You always said you wanted to do that. If so, then I won''t hold you against it. Go out there and see the world. Your big sister is fine on her own. ...No, that''s a lie, isn''t it? I''m not fine. This feeling of loneliness¡­ its cure is only him and him alone. But, as a big sister, I shouldn''t be selfish. What I want is irrelevant. I should support him in all his endeavors, no matter if he leaves me behind in the process. Yes, that would be my message to him. I will not be a needy and shameless big sister who begs for him to come home. My duty is to relieve him of the self-guilt he must be plagued with. I just wish¡­ in your travels¡­ you''ll always remember me¡ªyour family. *** A/N: Here, we see Marina being both a cool future Duchess and a brocon who just wants her little brother to be with her. It''s interesting to see the duality. And I like the idea of a lady wearing skimpy undergarments underneath a big, layered fluffy dress. Technically, you can even go nopan underneath that kind of outfit. Also, I kinda want to write something like Re;Zero. Not with the time loops probably, since I¡¯m bad at writing that kind of stuff, but just by the amount of suffering the MC has to endure. And it would be a clean, non-harem story without a perverted MC. Chapter 134: A Message From Dear Sister Hugo I accompanied Anton and Anne back to town. Or rather, I tailed them from behind as Anne still refused to talk to me. She would just hurry her steps if I tried catching up to her. Might as well let Anton take care of her. I¡¯m going to leave them soon after all. I dried my drenched clothes with my warm wind spell. I would do the same to those two, but I didn''t want to intrude. Adventurers were supposed to be used to wearing dirty and wet clothes after all. Back at the town gates, from the distance, we could see Amelie standing back and forth¡ªno doubt waiting for us with the utmost worry. The moment she noticed the two, she threw herself onto the archer the moment, crying tears of happiness while hugging her as tightly as she could. Anne gave her a smile and a headpat in return. Looking at this scene, it really was as if Amelie was Anne¡¯s little sister. Anton was smiling as well as he stood beside me, watching the scene unfold. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He put his hand on my shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine on our own. In fact, you should worry about yourself more, with the kind of guys that are after you.¡± He smiled bitterly. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I should be more careful indeed.¡± I still need to get stronger. If that high elf mage ends up siding with the Magocracy, there will be nothing I can do against her in my current state. Perhaps I can never reach her strength, since she¡¯s apparently the teacher of the legendary archmage and all, but that doesn¡¯t mean I shouldn¡¯t try. For starters, that anti-magic spell she used¡­ I wonder if I can copy that¡­ If I could, then maybe I can use it to counter her spell, thus preventing her from sealing my magic like that. I still remember it¡­ that odd sensation at my hand¡­ it¡¯s as if her mana is invading my own, scrambling it all over so it can¡¯t form the formation needed to produce a spell. Can I really just send my pure, raw mana on a distance like that? I don¡¯t think I could. The best I can do is extending it for around a meter, when I created my Boom Cannon spell. I shaped the mana around that radius. Other ranged spells make you send an already shaped mana through the air to trigger the spell. It doesn¡¯t have the capability to scramble the opponent¡¯s mana. It has to be chaotic in nature, triggering a disturbance that could¡ª ¡°Hugo! Hugo! Hey, are you listening to me?¡± That loud yell brought my mind back to reality. It belonged to Anne, who was now standing right in front of me with her hands placed on her waist. Amelie was also there with folded arms, giving me her cute frown. "Hugo! How could you do that to Amelie? Stripping her in public like that? You really are a pervert, aren''t you?" Oh, that. Yeah, I should apologize for that "Sorry about that." I flashed the most charming smile I could muster towards my victim. "It''s the only way to make you not follow me. And as promised, I brought them two back safe and sound, right?" Amelie held her frown in that pose for a few moments more, before replying, "Fine. I forgive you. But in exchange, I want you to stay with us a bit longer." "Huh?" "Anton, I demand us to go with him until he leaves the continent. We have agreed on the matter so it''s two against one." The young man shook his head. "No, it''s too dangerous. And we''re heading west, not east. We can find a lot more work there." "With all the conflicts going on in that part of the continent? Sure. But the risks are high as well. It would be safer for us to head east instead." Anne had joined the argument and it was clear from her expression that she wasn''t intending to back off the matter. Anton sighed. He gave a look towards me, urging me to rebuke them. "The Magocracy¡ª" "They''re not coming back anytime soon, right? You beat them after all." "I''ve told you they managed to escape. They could be planning for another attack right this moment." Of course, I knew that probably wasn''t going to happen. Ilymhyrra had promised to keep an eye on that Elun woman, and she didn''t strike me as the type of person who would lie. In fact, she''s the opposite¡ªblunt and brutally honest in her speech. Anton sighed. "Fine. We can go with him. But only until Misfon, alright? From there, we¡¯ll follow the road west while he left to the northeast.¡± In the end, the great big brother relented. And judging by the looks on Anne and Amelie¡¯s expression, they were probably thinking of some scheme to make him change his mind once we got there. ¡°Great!¡± Amelie clasped her hands. ¡°Then Hugo! That¡¯s your real name, right Charles? Anne just told me. You¡¯re going to teach both me and Anne how to be better fighters!¡± ¡°And we won¡¯t take a no for an answer,¡± Anne followed with a smirk as she folded her arms. ¡°If you really feel bad about getting us into your trouble, then why not repay the favor that way?¡± ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t know how to do archery though¡­¡± ¡°I know that. But you still can help me in teaching about your movements. You might not realize it, but you¡¯re moving far faster than what the usual mage is capable of doing. You¡¯re even faster than me, and I¡¯m pretty proud of my speed. So teach me how to do it. That¡¯s all I ask from you.¡± ¡°As for me,¡± Amelie put her hands on her waist with a grin. ¡°Teach me how to do all those fancy spells, alright?¡± I could only respond with a deep sigh. Guess I¡¯ll still be stuck with them for a while longer. We decided to depart from the town the next morning, so once again, I had to spend my night sleeping in that treehouse inn. Really, at this point, I started to wonder if Miss Innkeeper was tired of seeing my face every day. Sorry, Miss Innkeeper. I¡¯ll leave the next day and then you¡¯ll never have to see me again. We had dinner together at the nearby tavern, courtesy of Anton''s invitation, and then, once that''s done, I returned to my room and threw myself on the bed. *** Huh, this fog... This is the same as that time! When I got that message from Sherry! Am I going to get another one from her? "Hugo, can you hear me?" That voice¡­ that''s not Sherry''s voice! "Hugo. It''s me. Your big sister. Can you hear my voice?" There was no doubt about it. It''s Marina''s voice! I''m sending you this message with a Dream Orb and I can only do it once, so listen well. ¡­ YOU IDIOT! WHAT WERE YOUR THINKING? RUNNING AWAY LIKE THAT? ARE YOU MAD? DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS WHEN I WOKE UP AND YOU WEREN''T THERE? I could only stand in silence as I hung my head low. She was right. I was an idiot. No, not was. I still am an idiot. Heh, I expected this, really. Of course she would scold me like this. It''s well within her right. LISTEN HERE! IF I HAVE MORE TIME WITH THIS THING I WOULD''VE MADE YOU SIT THERE AND LISTEN TO ME UNTIL YOUR EARS FALL OFF! SO LISTEN WELL! ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ I waited, expecting another outburst from her. But it never came. "Please¡­ come back¡­" "Erika and I¡­ we both miss you dearly¡­" "Don''t blame yourself for Father and Mother¡­ if there''s anyone to blame, it would be me. I should have been less stubborn and accept his offer. Then that tragedy would have never happened¡­" My heart sank. "No! It''s all my fault! I wasn''t strong enough!" I yelled those words, knowing full well that she would never be able to hear me. I had to, or else I would die from my guilt. "If I had to guess, you''re heading to Sherry''s place, aren''t you? That''s fine¡­ you go there and fetch her. And then, you two come here, alright? I''m now living in our Grandfather''s place, at The Kingdom of Ferus in the Grandford Region. Go to the region''s capital there and ask for the Earl''s manor." "There''s no need to rush. I understand if you want to have some adventures first out there. Don''t worry. We might miss you but we''re doing fine here. Grandfather has been very kind to us." "But promise me this. You''ll come here before you have any ideas on marrying her, alright?" I could hear her all-too-familiar giggle. "I want to be present in your wedding. That''s a must. Or else I would never forgive you for real." "And of course, I won''t get married until you come home either. Not that I have anyone in mind anyways¡­" "A-anyway, that would be all. Don''t forget to eat your greens! Oh, and always get a good night''s sleep. That''s really important for a growing man like you." "Love you always, your dear big sister." The moment she finished her message, I woke up from my slumber. It was already morning, judging by the sunlight pouring through my window. I let out a yawn, stretching my arms upwards. Huh? I feel like I''m forgetting something very important¡­ ...Oh right, that dream! That was from Marina, wasn''t it?! I flew off my bed, grabbing the nearest paper and quill I could find. My hand moved with lightning speed, writing down the address she had described to me. And then, I returned to bed. I laid down and thought deep about the message she had sent. Sis, I''m sorry¡­ I really shouldn''t have left you then¡­ But I''m glad¡­ that you''re still fine and healthy¡­ and Erika as well¡­ Grandfather''s place, huh? I know he''s a noble from Mother, but an Earl is pretty up there, isn''t it? Well, they should be in good hands. He can give them protection from the Magocracy. I let out a sigh. My old guilt was now blossoming again, heavying my heart with its weight. She''s lonely. She admits it herself. And I can hear it clearly in her voice. And yet, she still tells me to continue on with my adventure if I wanted to. It¡¯s just like her. Really, I don¡¯t deserve a big sister like her. I let out a weak chuckle. Aah, what am I doing, really? Would Sherry really accept me like this? After what I did? I took a deep sigh before my lips formed a bitter smile. No, I won''t run away. I''m done doing that. I''ll face her judgment head on. And then, I''ll be able to face Marina with my head held high. And so, with a newfound spirit in my heart, I promptly went to my desk. I had finally found the words I wanted to send to Sherry. *** Our trip back to the capital took around five weeks, give or take. As promised, I taught them all that I could in that short period of time. For Anne, I focused on teaching her Graceful Step, so she would have even greater mobility like she had requested. For Amelie, I drilled to her the idea of chantless magic, as well as teaching her more Advanced-level spells, particularly hybrid ones. As for Anton, even he decided he could use some pointers from me. For him, I focused on Fortissimo, since he was the tank of the group and all. Fiora already said that the technique could be used by shield-wielding fighters after all. The result? Far better than I expected. Near the end of our trip, Anne was starting to get the gist of the technique. Her agility had increased considerably as a result. Anton''s defense had become much tougher, as he now could properly use his aura in a defensive matter, instead of simply doing it out of instinct. As for Amelie, well¡­ "Magma Burst!" The earthen mound in front of her immediately burst into flames as lava spurted out from the depths of the earth. "I-I did it! I did it, Hugo!" "Great job! I knew you can do¡ªw-whoa!" She threw herself onto me, hugging me as tightly as she could. Aah, this softness¡­ I''ll miss it for sure. She then released me¡ªa large grin plastered on her face. "My first hybrid spell! I can''t cast it without a chant like you do yet, but just you wait! I''ll master it in no time!" She patted her chest. She sure is optimistic. Well, better that way than being a negative nancy like my old self. "Alright! It''s your turn now, Hugo! I''ll help you train that odd magic of yours!" I nodded. Once again, she started the same Magma Burst chant as before. However, my goal now was to stop her from successfully completing the spell. But not by any raw force. Instead, I would use the same spell Ilmyhrra had used to stop me from casting my spells. Indeed, I had decided to imitate what probably was one of her super secret special hidden high elf spells. None of the magic books I had read ever mentioned such a spell, and neither did Marina. I didn¡¯t expect to succeed at it, knowing that it¡¯s something probably leagues beyond my current magical ability, or even understanding, Hell, for all I knew, it might be a spell that could only be done by a high elf. I wouldn¡¯t count out that possibility. Still, I had to try. I had to get stronger. Especially if I might end up facing off against her in the future. If she ended up siding with the Magocracy, and then I ended up having to fight her for real, then my current me would stand no chance whatsoever. As long as I couldn¡¯t do something about her magic sealing spell, I might as well just be an ordinary nobody in front of her. And with her inhuman ability in striking with her staff, my swordsmanship wouldn¡¯t suffice either. If I could at least prevent her from taking away my spells, I could bombard her from a distance with my spells. Wait, she had that other magic dispelling spell too, didn¡¯t she? Yeah, I need to do something about that as well. Maybe a Boom Rifle would work? It¡¯s really fast after all. It might be fast enough to hit her before she could dispel it mid-air like she did with Boom Cannon. Thinking about it, that was also something completely improbable. That thing flies at Mach speed, you know. ...Gah! She really is the mentor of the Great Archmage herself, isn¡¯t she?! Perhaps I really had no chance against her, even if I devoted myself to magic and swordsmanship for the rest of my days. Even so, I had to fight. I¡¯m fine with me dying. But if I had to see Sherry or Marina die as well¡­ And besides, somehow, I had this certain sense of excitement, trying to decipher this ¡°magic puzzle¡± she had inadvertently left behind. My only clue was the mana scrambling sensation I received when she casted it on me. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. My goal was simple. I had to, at the very least, disturb the process of gathering mana all spellcasters had to do before casting their spell. Not to destroy the spell entirely, just to make it more difficult for them. And since I certainly couldn¡¯t try it on myself, not having the capability of Dual Casting (that¡¯s another thing I needed to work on), I decided to use Amelie as my guinea pig. And so far, she had been really cooperative in that role. ¡°O Beast of Flame that resided in the earth! Hear my call!¡± Here we go. She had her wand pointed at the same mount of rocks from before. Her mana should be forming right at that very tip. I pointed my wand to said spot and began concentrating as hard as I could. We were about ten meters away from each other. That elf casted the spell from a further distance, but hey, baby steps. Send your raw mana over there, Hugo. Try to counteract the shape she''s conjuring. I knew perfectly well how her mana would be shaped. I was well familiar with the spell after all. The question was, how would I disturb such a pattern? "Manifest your power upon this world and let the world be scorched by your flames!¡± The shape moved and transformed as she continued her chant. I could do this entire process much faster, but she obviously still needed to do it in the normal, slow way. My current method was to force my mana on top of hers. It was really just a wild guess, really. I imagined mana acting similar to how waves acted in physics. Or, to be more exact, how radio waves worked. So if I could just create the same shape and ¡°wavelength¡±, which would be the resonance of the shape (higher-level spells required you to resonate your mana, which somewhat meant something like ¡°making it move back and forth in a harmonious frequency¡±), I could create a similar effect to how radio jammers worked. ¡°Turn those that defy me into ash! Magma Burst!¡± The spell finished, and the result? A total failure. In my part anyways. She casted the spell successfully for the second time. As I feared, the further the range, the strength of my raw mana became exponentially weaker. Ten meters were already impossible. Yet that elf could do it while she¡¯s ten times further away than that. Or maybe even more. I didn¡¯t exactly remember our distance back then. That¡¯s why just firing raw mana as an offensive spell was not feasible. If not shaped into the usual elemental forms, it would lose its strength terribly quickly once it left the caster¡¯s wand. ¡°Yay, I did it again! The first time wasn¡¯t a fluke after all!¡± Amelie cheerfully clapped her hands together. Rightfully so, if I might add. ¡°Do you feel anything odd there? Like your mana being less stable than usual?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I guess I did feel something.¡± ¡°Really? What did you feel?¡± ¡°Like something trying to scatter the spell away, you know. Hey, that was you, wasn¡¯t it? You said it was like an anti-magic spell? I¡¯m not sure how that would work though¡­¡± Well, at the very least, she does feel something. I just had to find a way to either make the effect much stronger, or to somehow disturb the mana shape by using something much weaker. Either way, it won¡¯t be an easy task. Should I even be spending my training time on this instead of working on other, easier spells? With that question ringing in my mind, I ended my mentoring session with Amelie, before resuming our journey back towards the capital. *** A/N: Good news! I might just have an idea for a male character that can be Hugo¡¯s friend/retainer in the future! That, and a possible new harem member as well! And we won¡¯t see them with Hugo first! Sherry will be the one to meet them! Yes! Might have a lot of chapters starring her for the next arc! Speaking of Sherry, yeah, I think I¡¯m omitting Hugo¡¯s message for her. You¡¯ll get to see from her perspective instead. As for the anti-magic spell thing, it¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t find a detailed description on how to do it from Mushoku Tensei. Rudy tried it for a bit, and then two volumes later, he already mastered it. And I have to comment about Rerako¡¯s review since I have to voice my agreement about some things they brought up there about the story. More viewpoint from outsiders about the events going on in this story. I do want more of this. But I just don¡¯t have enough ideas to write, say, an entire chapter about it. Or maybe I do. Take Vera¡¯s death for example. I could¡¯ve, say, write a full-blown Magocracy Council meeting deciding on what they should do next. Unfortunately, it would be just laden with spoilers. I could do it with Marchen, but that kingdom isn¡¯t really that important in the grand scheme of things. Another possibility would be the Holy Empire. But I would have to introduce a bunch of people at once, just talking about politics. And I¡¯m still not 100% sure on the characters for the Empire as of now. As for the dragon slaying, well, his fellow adventurers already gave him praise for that. But eventually, once Hugo makes more waves in the world, we¡¯ll get more of this. Hard to differentiate gaps between skills/spell levels Kinda intentional. Spell ranking isn¡¯t just about strength. It¡¯s also about complexity. The ranking was manmade too by Mira. So not all magic would obey by its rules. I didn¡¯t always say the level of a magic, since I feel it would just be odd to do. Like Elun¡¯s Diamond Bubble and Bubble Rain spell. They¡¯re both Master-rank Hybrid spells, in case you¡¯re wondering. But I figure you could just guess by their strength. Chapter 135: Nobody Expects The Inquisition Sherbury Plains. In all aspects, it was just an ordinary, wide-open grassy plains, located to the northeast of Misfon. It was largely uninhabited, owing to the fact that the ground wasn¡¯t fertile in the slightest. It was hard and cold, and the only thing that could grow on it was the cold-resistant grass that was native to the region. And yet, today, it had gotten quite the spotlight, thanks to the peculiar ¡°visitors¡± that had graced the place. What kind of visitors you might ask? Why, nothing else than a thousand men marching under the banner of the Church¡¯s Inquisitors¡ªa special organization whose job was to root out anything and anyone the Church deemed heretical. Why are they here? Simple. The Feudal Lords of the human-controlled part of the Demon Continent had asked for more army, due to the increasing tension between them and the Demon Lord of Wisdom. The Church obliged. The Inquisitors were naturally well-trained in combat, and they were certainly filled with the kind of zealots who would love to die in combat against the demons so they could enter Valhalla. They had marched all the way from the Holy Land to the West, going through the winter. They had crossed multiple countries in the process, even those not affiliated to the Church like the small kingdoms of the Feuding States. No one dared to say no to them, or else they would risk angering the Inquisitors, who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to raze a city to the ground and kill all the inhabitants if they deemed them as heretics, which, wouldn¡¯t be that hard if one were to be honest, since many believed a heretic was just anyone who wouldn¡¯t bend over to the Church¡¯s authority. It''s far easier to just let them through, even profiting from supplying them with food and water¡ªtwo things they usually paid in their fair price. They might be zealots, but they were well-funded zealots. And now, they were in the middle of resting their laurels in the middle of said plains, creating a large encampment there with numerous tents laid in a circle, with the large tents of their officers in the middle. There was also one tent exclusive for strategy meetings and reports, where you would find the two top dogs of the army, which would be the Head Inquisitor and the Vice Head Inquisitor. They looked as if they were in their thirties, with the woman being younger than the man. Oh, and they were a married couple, a bond formed out of years of working together as a pair of Inquisitors beforehand. The man was the one who confessed. Bluntly, if I might add, by saying that he would like her to be the mother of his children as she was a good woman with a good pedigree and morals. Nothing about how attractive she was or how much he was in love of her. And yet, she accepted, proving that the two were really peas in a pod. It was a fact not many knew since they always acted professionally around each other, never showing any signs of affection. They even slept in separate tents and rooms during this trek to the Demon Continent. Were they having some sort of a personal, or even bedroom issue? To those who knew them, they would know those reasons to be unlikely. They were simply followers of the dogma of marriage stoicism, believing that the Saint wouldn¡¯t want passion to rule marriages. One should marry only to raise kids that would become devotee of the Church¡¯s teachings, nothing more and nothing less. It was early in the morning, and yet, the two were already there, barking orders to their subordinates. They were sitting on a pair of wooden chairs with one shared long wooden table between them. Piles of what looked like reports were scattered on said table, along with a couple of unrolled map scrolls as well. As for how they looked, the woman certainly stood out more than the man, with her long blue open-shouldered dress and long golden hair. She was the perfect example of the cool beauty-type, as she rarely, if ever, smiled. Her gaze always pierced through your soul, searching for any taint that might corrupt it. As for the man, he was also good-looking, with a tall figure, a sharp nose, and curly black hair. He was dressed more simply however, with only a long black robe not that dissimilar to those worn by priest apprentices. And, just like his wife, he too had a similar piercing gaze, though for some of the less well-mannered female inquisitor knights, it only added to his handsomeness. The two were intending to leave early, as tardiness was a sin in the eyes of the Saint, so they were busy making sure that their men were performing their departure preparations well. ¡°Y-Your Holiness!¡± A man dressed in a full steel armor ran towards the two¡ªthe clanging heard from miles away. He immediately gave them a bow before continuing his speech. ¡°T-that matter you told us to check! You were correct!¡± The two¡¯s expression promptly turned into a frown. They exchanged looks at each other, before the woman spoke. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°Very sure, Your Holiness! There is indeed a reasonable chance that there is a necromancer working their unholy magic in this kingdom!¡± About some time ago, they had gotten an anonymous letter basically telling them that the court mage of the Fiania Kingdom was a necromancer. And not just tell. It gave them some reasonable proof, enough so that they decided to send a group of Watchers, that is, the Inquisitors¡¯ scouts and spies, to investigate the matter further. And now, their leader had given them the report that there was indeed a high chance that a necromancer was present. Which meant, they would have to do something about it. Necromancy was one of the vilest dark magics, and anyone who found practicing it would be burned at the stake as their punishment. The woman stood up from her chair. ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± the woman spoke as she looked at the man, placing her hands on the front of her dress. ¡°I will take some of our soldiers. You can go ahead. We¡¯ll catch up before you cross to the Demon Continent. And no, like we¡¯ve discussed, there¡¯s no need for us to send our entire force there. I would rather not give the heretic any chance of escape.¡± The man sighed. ¡°Very well. You have my authorization to do whatever you deem necessary to bring this necromancer to justice. Go, and may the Saint be with you.¡± The man was not worried in the slightest. After all, he knew perfectly how strong his dear wife was. *** Being a relatively small country, and away from the cultural center from the continent, there weren¡¯t many sites in the Fiania Capital that you could call tourist-worthy, other than the towering castle that resided in the middle of the town. They said that originally, the entire town was inside said castle, thus making it a castletown¡ªsomething much more common in the tiny nations of the Feuding States Region. However, as the town grew, the space inside no longer sufficed, thus the growth of the town outwards of said castle. Eventually, the ruling king at that time decided that he wanted the castle exclusively to himself, thus ending the castle town concept completely. Like any other castles where a monarch resided, it was guarded heavily by knights and soldiers. They even had ballistas aimed at the ready on the walls. Certainly excessive to some, but the king believed it was necessary as a show of force to his citizens, so no one would ever have any ideas to rise up against him. Oh yes, the king. He was¡­ quite the individual. To the people of the capital, his infamy was well-known. For what you might ask? Why, for being a big, fat, womanizer. No, that would imply that he had any charms with the ladies. That would simply be untrue, even if he believed otherwise. No, he''s a woman hunter. That''s what he was. Any woman that caught his eye, he would tell his knights to bring to the castle, whether she wanted to or not. He would have his way with her, until the day he got bored, in which she would finally be free to leave him. And no, this didn''t only include the commonfolk. Even noblewomen would fall to his schemes. Any nobles who tried to resist would be put down swiftly. And many even welcomed it, as the king would be willing to compensate their families handsomely if they would just lend their nubile, young girls to him. The king wasn¡¯t always like this, however. Once, he was a relatively well-adjusted king, with only one wife by his side. However, once she birthed his daughter, the lame princess, he changed. He ordered her to be executed and he became the perverted woman hunter that he was right now. Thankfully though, that¡¯s all in the past, as lately, he hadn¡¯t been going out woman-hunting anymore. This change of demeanour was surprising, but a welcome one to be sure. His prime minister was certainly much happier that his king was finally becoming a decent person, and that he would have to be less on edge against possible assassins sent by disgruntled nobles whose daughters he violated. No one bothered to suspect further that a certain court mage might be involved with this sudden change of heart. No, to be more exact, some of the smarter retainers of the king already knew that she must be responsible in one way or more. However, they liked the new king better, as he was always obedient to whatever they had to say to him. And the court mage wasn¡¯t going around ruling the kingdom. She was content staying in the shadows, while occasionally making her frequent and lengthy trips outside the castle. In short, everyone involved would rather have this arrangement last forever. Unfortunately, it was simply not to be. *** ¡°Halt! Identify yourself!¡± At the front gates, just before the drawbridge that led to the castle grounds, a group of horse riders had made an uninvited visit. They were all wearing brown cloaks that hid their features, which only added to the guards¡¯ suspicions. They immediately surrounded them, pointing their spears and swords towards their general directions. There were about twenty of them, while the riders¡¯ numbers could be counted on one hand. ¡°What business do you have, o cloaked ones?¡± The guard captain chuckled. ¡°The king isn¡¯t expecting any visitors today and I can¡¯t imagine him wanting anything to do with people who can¡¯t even be bothered to show their faces like that.¡± ¡°Move aside.¡± The one on the front spoke with a cold, commanding tone. ¡°This is an official Church visit. Obstructing us would be akin to obstructing the Saint herself.¡± ¡°Oh? A woman? That¡¯s a surprise. Why hide under that stuffy cloak then? Too ugly to show yourself?¡± He chuckled again. ¡°And no, we don¡¯t want any of your proselytizing kind around here.¡± S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The woman sighed. ¡°You are truly a fool, aren¡¯t you?¡± She reached inside her cloak, taking out what looked like a necklace with a dragon-shaped ruby decorating it in the middle. She dangled the object in the front of the guard, swinging it back and forth like a pendulum. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that supposed to be? Lady, if you think you¡¯re bribing me with that, it ain¡¯t gonna work.¡± The woman sighed once again, this time louder than before. ¡°So I am truly really dealing with a Rank 1 class idiot.¡± ¡°No matter. We¡¯ll gain entrance whether you like it or not.¡± Before the guards could react, a barrier enveloped her and the rest of the group. ¡°H-hey, what do you think you¡¯re¡ª¡± She moved her index finger upwards, and a platform appeared underneath them all. Said platform then flew upwards, heading straight towards the castle proper itself. Naturally, this triggered a mass state of panic for the rest of the guards. ¡°S-sound the alarm! We¡¯re under attack!¡± ¡°Fire! Fire all the ballistas! Hit those goddamn people down!¡± Unfortunately for them, not a single one of their attacks managed to pierce the barrier the woman had erected. The arrows, bolts, and even the magic fired by the mage guards¡ªall of them were repelled perfectly by her holy magic. They soon landed on the front door, where the melee-oriented fighters waited on the ready. They ended doing the same damage as their ranged counterparts, which was to say, none at all. The cloaked figures then descended from their horses, before walking casually towards the entrance of the castle building, as if mocking their incapability to present any danger towards them. ¡°Attack! Attack! Don¡¯t let them get to His Majesty!¡± One of the cloaked figures opened the door, making way for the woman. They continued like that as they made a beeline for the throne room in the second room. The woman gave another gesture with her right hand, and one of her subordinates immediately fired a light so blinding that it incapacitated all the soldiers that were chasing after them. ¡°A-aarghh, m-my eyes! My eyes!¡± Blinding Light. It was a relatively simple spell, but it could occasionally blind people permanently. When they arrived at the throne however... ¡°Empty. The king isn¡¯t here.¡± Instead, what stood there was a tall man wearing green steel armor, with only his head exposed. Behind him was fifty or so soldiers, all aiming their spears and bows towards them. Behind them, more soldiers poured in, thus surrounding them completely. He was a man around 60 years old, with white hair and beard. And yet, other than the wrinkles on his face, none of his age¡¯s common weaknesses showed on him. He casually carried with him a large double-sided battle axe with his right hand. ¡°You¡¯re quite bold, assaulting the castle in broad daylight like this. I have to applaud you for that.¡± He grinned. ¡°Alas, the king isn¡¯t here. Instead, you got to meet his general. Lord Ephraim Basilisk, at your service.¡± ¡°Move aside,¡± the woman spoke. ¡°I can feel it¡ªa subtle dark magic infesting the air in this castle.¡± ¡°Huh? Dark magic? Sorry, lady. We don¡¯t have anything like that around here.¡± ¡°Of course you don¡¯t know. Only an inquisitor can detect a magic this subtle.¡± ¡°Hoo? An inquisitor? You mean, from the Church?¡± ¡°Correct. And, by the authority the Saint and the Divine Dragon bestowed upon me, I order you to stand back.¡± ¡°Then why the cloaks? You guys look like a bunch of dark mages with those on.¡± For the first time, the woman paused, She gave a gesture with her left hand to her subordinates, before, in perfect sync, they all took off their cloaks at the same time. There were six of them, including the woman. The biggest of them all was a grave-looking middle-aged man with dark hair, wearing a white steel plate and a cape adorned by symbols of the Church. Then, there was a girl, younger than the woman. She wore a pure white nun¡¯s outfit, only the skirt was a short one. She had silver hair and she currently had a grin on her face that could be described as sinister and off-putting. Behind her was another girl, wearing a simple light brown dress with a long slit to the side. Unlike her, she was a redhead. Her expression was one of absentmindedness. After that was another man, blond, younger and more lightly-dressed. If he wasn¡¯t wearing the official light armor of Church knights, he might be mistaken for a noble, what with that cocky of expression of his. His weapon of choice was a sword. Last of the least, there was another man, similar in age compared to the blond. Instead of an armor, he opted for the usual black robes of a priest. He had dark blue hair, and his expression was that of caution, with his eyes not only paying attention to the general, but also to the rest of the room. ¡°My name is Aether Whitebloom, the Vice Head of the Inquisition. The tall man behind me is Eldan Firmshield, the silver-haired one is Tina Valentine, the redhead is Engel Blackroot, the blond man is Feter Grefeu, and the blue-haired one is Asan Silvermane. They are all officers of the Inquisition. Would that be enough?" She rushed through their introduction, not even trying to hide her displeasure from being forced to do such a worthless task. "Alright, alright, that would be enough." The general chuckled. "So, what heresy and dark magic do you accuse our king of doing?" "Necromancy," she answered without hesitation. "But he should be the victim. The culprit instead would be your court mage." At this information, the cheery look on the general''s face promptly turned into a frown. "Her? Necromancy?" He scratched his beard. "Damnation!" His eyes lit up. "So that''s why His Majesty has been acting like that!" "Unfortunately, she''s not here at the moment. She''s away doing Saint-knows-what somewhere, as usual. As for His Majesty, I can take you to him." "Very well. Then I shall take you on your offer. However, I would ask of you to lend your men. I just so happened to know where that dark mage might be hiding, and I would like to launch a full-blown assault to her location at once." Satisfied by their answers, the general ordered his soldiers to stay put. He then led them to the safe room at the basement, where the king had been escorted to. "General Basilisk!¡± The soldier who stood in front of the room saluted him. ¡°Why are you here? Has the attack been repelled already? And who are those people behind you?¡± He was one of the King¡¯s Royal Guards, an elite group of soldiers selected from the best of the best to defend the king¡¯s life as if it was their own. ¡°There was no attack. It was just a misunderstanding. These people are from the Church, and I¡¯m afraid our king has been afflicted by a terrible dark curse that has been controlling him. They¡¯re here to heal him.¡± ¡°A-a curse?¡± A look of fright was visible on the soldier¡¯s face. ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°Move out of the way. We don¡¯t have much time.¡± The soldier could only do as he was told. Royal Guard he might be, the general was still in charge, second only to the king in military matters. There, inside, along with a number of other Royal Guards, was the king. He was sitting in the corner of the room with a book on his hand. When the Inquisitor woman saw him, she walked over to him immediately. She tossed the book aside before grabbing his hand with her own. And then, a few seconds later¡­ "He''s dead. The man you see in front of you is just a living corpse puppet." "W-what? What do you¡ª¡± Before the Royal Guards could protest, her hand moved to his face, grasping it as hard as she could. ¡°Aaa..aaaaarghhhhh!¡± The king suddenly gave a searing yell of pain. The Royal Guards all unsheathed their weapons, but the general yelled, ¡°Wait! Let her finish!¡± Before long, steam started to come out from his skin, as if he was being boiled alive on the inside. And then, slowly but surely, the state of his body deteriorated, turning exactly how she had described it¡ªa decrepit, decomposing corpse. He fell to the ground afterwards, before evaporating into flames and dust. ¡°You¡¯ve been fooled. Your court mage, Cordelia Flameu, had killed him a long time ago, before reanimating him with her dark arts.¡± She turned to face the general and said, ¡°Fetch your troops. We¡¯re moving out right now.¡± Chapter 136: In Which Hugo Accidentally Refuses A Threesome Hugo As we made our way to the capital, we saw how the scenery slowly changed, leaving behind the cold winter and welcoming Spring¡¯s warmth. Just like my heart. After receiving Marina''s message, and then sending my own to Sherry, my heart was as light as a feather. I felt this overwhelming sense of relief as if a heavy weight had been lifted off it. I now knew that Marina had my back. And I also could relax, now that I had told Sherry about my situation. Not in detail, of course, but enough that I should be able to wait for her near the port town to the Demon Continent. I was still planning to try out the World Dungeon there, after all. It would be wonderful if I could get another Dream Orb to send a message to Marina. She deserved that much. I wouldn''t know how she got her hands on hers, but it couldn''t have been easy. Well, that''s still a long time coming. I should focus on the present for now. We arrived at a village not that far off from the capital. Just a few days more of travel and we would finally reach our destination. We visited the local Adventurer''s Guild as per usual. We were still taking jobs even as we traveled southwards, just like how an adventurer should be. Technically, I didn''t need to since I still had a lot of money left, but hey, what''s the harm in getting more? I had no need to rush, not after telling Sherry where she should wait for me if she ended up arriving on this continent sooner than expected. "Hey, you guys!" Suddenly, we heard someone calling for us. It was a bald, middle-aged man with an ax holstered on his back. "You''re the Flaming Arrows, aren''t ya?" He crossed his arms with a grin on his face. "Heard about you guys, you know. Said that you''re friends with that Divine Tempest guy. Where''s he, by the way?" I exchanged looks with Anton before shaking my head. "Wait, you''re him, aren''t you? Young, blonde-haired, expensive robes¡­" He scratched his smooth chin. "Yeah! You''re that Charles Pendleton kid!" Dammit. He recognizes me after all. "Yeah, that''s me alright." I walked forward, putting on a smile. "Is something the matter?" "Just giving you a heads up of a job you might be interested in. Have you heard about the necromancer?" My heart sank. "T-the necromancer?" "Yes! Can you believe it? The court mage herself was actually a necromancer all this time! And not only that! She had murdered the king and turned him into her corpse puppet so she could rule the kingdom from the shadows! Terrible stuff! Thank the Saint the Inquisition came and exposed her like the evil witch she is!" T-the Inquisition?! And what does he mean by her killing the king? Did she really do something crazy like that? I glanced towards Anton and the others. Judging by their expressions, they were surprised as well. ¡°Yeah, scary stuff, isn¡¯t it? I won¡¯t blame you for turning pale like that!¡± He flashed his pearly white teeth. ¡°However, if you¡¯re up to it, and you should, being a famous dragonslayer and all that, the kingdom is now recruiting all skilled-enough adventurers for a campaign to capture and bring her to justice. They''ll pay you handsomely, you know!" I gulped. This is it, huh? Her time has come at last. I have a hunch it would end like this. She couldn''t stay hidden forever. Now, once again, she has to flee for her life. Necromancy. Is it really that evil of a magic? Isn''t that just them being prejudiced towards it? After reading all those fantasy stories with a heroic-type necromancer, I can¡¯t automatically think necromancers are bad. That trope has gone out of style in the genre. But then again, if what he says is true, Felicia really did kill the king. That''s already a death sentence right there. Not to mention desecrating his corpse further. I thought she''s a good woman. Was I mistaken? Or was there something going on behind the scenes that no one knew about? My thoughts turned towards her nursing that young girl. That kindness she displayed¡­ it can''t be fake, can it? No, that''s not an excuse. She can still be a caring person to sick children, but would absolutely be willing to kill adults if it suits her. There''s no such thing as an all bad person. Everyone has a redeeming quality, no matter how bad they might be as a whole. Thinking otherwise is a mark of childishness and naivety. "Oh, you guys can come too, of course." He turned his attention to Anton. "You''re B-ranks, right? They''re accepting B-ranks." "Thank you for the information," Anton replied, giving him a cordial smile. We have to discuss it first." He put his hand on my shoulder, waking me up from my thoughts. "R-right¡­" I nodded, agreeing with him. We shouldn''t be discussing the matter here. *** There weren''t any quests that interested us, so we went to the inn straight away afterward. After we entered our room, we began our meeting. "Hugo," Anton spoke first. "That''s your lady friend he was talking about, wasn''t he?" "We didn''t know then," Anne followed, staring at me with her sharp eyes. "We thought she was just some random alchemist you met on the streets." "If I had known, I wouldn''t have acted so impolitely in front of her!" Amelie commented with a huff. "But now, it turns out that she''s a necromancer." Anne sighed, crossing her arms. "You didn''t notice anything off when you were with her?" "N-no, I didn''t," I lied. "Then she''s an outstanding actress. To think that she''s pretty popular amongst the populace for curing that plague and opening free clinics for the poor¡­ Haah, I admired her too¡­" "Hugo." Anton looked firmly straight into my eyes, putting his hand on my shoulder. "You''re not thinking of getting involved, are you?" "Well, I¡ª" "If you dare go against those Inquisitors, they¡¯ll brand you a heretic as well. Then you''ll also have the Church chasing after you as well." He''s right. I can''t afford to make another country my enemy. "I¡­ I just want to check up on her, that''s all." "And then what? You''re just going to leave her to her fate? We both know you''re too nice for that." Anne was the one who spoke. She had an all-too-obvious frown on her face. "Look. I just think¡ª" "She''s not a bad guy? Do you even know what necromancy is? It''s the darkest of dark magic. A necromancer will gleefully play with human corpses, turning them into their personal puppets. Imagine seeing your dead loved ones as zombies and ghouls. Do you believe someone who practices something like that can be a good person?" "But what if¡­ what if she only uses necromancy on bad guys? The king she supposedly killed¡­ he''s not a good guy, you know." I then explained to them my meeting with the princess, and how she told me about her father''s terrible deed. "If I were to be honest, I wouldn''t mind if someone like that gets killed. Or turned into a zombie puppet." I chuckled internally, hearing myself speak like that. I really have changed, haven''t I? I don''t even mind killing other living beings if I disagree with their actions. "T-that''s horrible!" Amelie clasped her mouth. "How can he do that to his own wife and daughter?" "Hmph, nobles. Can''t trust them." Anne commented. "To think that you actually had a meeting with a princess¡­ you''re more impressive than I thought." Anton grinned, patting my shoulder. "Was she pretty?" "Yeah, she was," I answered with my own grin (earning a glare from both Anne and Amelie for it). His grin soon disappeared, however. "All the more reason why you should not involve yourself with her. Do you think the princess would be happy with her father being murdered like that? No child would ever be happy with their parents dying, no matter how awful they might be." ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± He¡¯s right. I don¡¯t know how she feels about all of this. I can¡¯t just assume that she¡¯s alright with it. If it were me, I¡¯d be fine, but she seems to be the gentle type that doesn¡¯t hate her father even after all the bad things he did to her and her mother. ¡°You know what? You¡¯re right. Which is why I¡¯m paying a visit to her place again.¡± If I don¡¯t know the truth, then why don¡¯t I ask? Hearing my answer, Anton let out a sigh. ¡°Fine. You do that when we get to the capital. I¡¯ve given up trying to change your mind a long time ago.¡± ¡°Hey Hugo, can I come?¡± Amelie suddenly spoke. She put on her best puppy face, like she always did every time she asked something of people. ¡°I want to meet the princess too! It¡¯s not fair that you¡¯re the only one who gets to see her!¡± ¡°Uhh, I don¡¯t know. I was only allowed to meet her because I got a letter of introduction from Flameu. They probably won¡¯t allow anyone else to enter.¡± ¡°Then, at the very least, let me accompany you until the front gate! That would be fine, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± "No, it wouldn''t." Anton took a few steps forward, giving her a stern glare that seemingly shrunk her on the spot. "You know they would be in an uproar right now. With the king gone, the next in line to the throne would be the princess. And they would make sure that she remains safe by all costs." He then turned towards me. "And you, as the necromancer''s friend, I don''t think they would allow you in either. In fact, they might just decide to arrest you for interrogation. Do you still believe it''s worth the risk?" "Yes. I have to know how she feels from her own mouth." I didn''t hesitate. I answered his question in an instant. I had to know more about Flameu¡ªabout Felicia. I knew I would regret it forever if I just left without knowing the truth. And I''m done living my life with regrets. He could only reply with another sigh. "As I said, it''s up to you. But I would suggest you to be careful. Maybe sneak in to talk to her privately, if you could afford it. Whatever you do, do not provoke the soldiers. You don''t want to be another nation''s fugitive, I assume, after the whole thing in the Magocracy." "Don''t worry." I flashed him a smile. "I won''t do anything dumb, I promise." Heh, he really is worrying like an older brother would. *** We resumed our journey towards the capital afterward. We only had to go through a few more villages like the one we just left behind until we got to our destination. The night before we reached the capital, however, I received a particular surprise visit in my bedroom. I had just been to the outdoor privy to take care of business before I went to bed. And when I returned, I was greeted by the sight of Anne and Amelie sitting on my bed, both wearing their nightdresses. "Uhh¡­ can I help you with something?" Wait, don''t tell me that they''re here to force me to do that with them! This is bad! If it''s just one, I might be able to resist, but if it''s a threesome... ¡°D-don¡¯t get the wrong idea! We¡¯re only here to ask you about something!¡± Anne was the first one to speak as she bolted from my bed, a blush all-too-obvious on her face. "Y-yeah!" Amelie spoke next, her standing up as well. "It''s just¡­ as your friends, we are¡­" "Concerned¡­" Anne spoke again. "...that the necromancer had bewitched you." ...Ah, now I get it. "Look, you''re not going to change my mind. Even though we only worked together for a short time, I liked her and I don''t believe she''s a bad person." "It''s because she''s pretty, isn''t she? You like the mature, older woman type, unlike us who are just a few years older than you." Anne pouted as she crossed her arms. "That¡¯s unfair!" It was now Amelie''s turn to yell. "I thought you said you already have that Sherry girl but now you''re wooing another woman? If you don''t think I''m good enough for you, then just say it! I know I''m nowhere near as smart as you! And even though you''re younger, you are more mature as well! Of course you would only want girls who are on your level!" She yelled, her eyes turned watery in the process. Oh great. It seemed I had to correct their wild delusions before our conversation could progress further. "I don''t know what rumors you guys have been hearing, but I assure you, she had done nothing of the sort. Back then, you saw us leaving to cure Leila and her village. That was her name by the way¡ªthe little girl I found on the streets. Unlike you guys, she was willing to risk her life going up against a dragon just to save a stranger she didn''t know. Don''t you think a person like that deserves some praise?" I still remember¡ªhow they attempted to stop me from going with her. I know they did it because they cared, but I didn''t like how Anton told me that she wasn''t my problem. He might be right but I''ll hate myself if I just leave a child to die. "...I see. You are right. Now I understand." Anne was the first to answer with a noticeably bitter smile. "Does your Sherry act like her too?" "Well, not exactly. Her personality is far removed from Flameu''s. She''s honest to a fault and always headstrong in her beliefs. She might think that''s a bad thing but I believe it''s her most admirable trait. Hell, I''m even jealous of her. I''m not as strong minded as she is. I''ll cower and run if things get bad. But she won''t. She''ll face her problems head-on. I admire that from her." The two girls exchanged looks with each other. Amelie looked like she was about to cry (even more than before) while Anne''s smile grew even more bitter. "Aahh, we can''t win, can we?" The latter sighed, shaking her head. "When a guy speaks of a girl with that stupid, goofy grin on his face, you know he''s completely smitten by her." Eh? A goofy grin? Did I really¡ª Oh, I guess I did. I didn''t even notice! "You know, we both have talked about it, how we both fell for the same hopeless guy.¡± She smirked in my direction. ¡°We even considered sharing. But now, we really know we¡¯re just not good enough for him." Wait, sharing? S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Aahh, there goes my dream of having a cool husband like you." Amelie put her hands behind her head. "Then again, Papa wouldn''t approve someone who''s a fugitive assassin." She then proceeded to force a smile, no doubt to comfort herself. "Don''t worry. I''m sure you two will find good husbands in the future. If I hadn''t already had Sherry, I might actually consider choosing you two. You two are good girls. Any guys who have either of you would be a lucky man." I gave the two my brightest smile. Inside however, I was cursing myself. Urgh, I hate this. For once, I actually got girls to like me. Yet I can''t return their affections. It''s different than with Fiora, where I''m still suspecting she''s only interested in me as someone who can help her gain the throne. These two are genuine in their feelings. But of course, Sherry won''t like it. She''s definitely not the sharing type. I don''t understand how a girl would be willing to share, really. I certainly will never like it if my girlfriend sees another man. "Maybe we will." Anne huffed. "Maybe one day, when we meet again, we''ll show you our lovers, and then you''ll cry yourself to sleep, regretting for the rest of your life that you don''t accept our offer today." As usual, she acted tough to hide her weakness. The Anne she showed when she was drunk¡ªthat was her real self. I''m sorry. For not being able to be the one to cure your loneliness. "Yeah!" Amelie followed. "We actually wanted to sleep with you tonight! But I guess that''s not going to happen¡­" She sighed. W-wait, seriously? "Sorry, Hugo, but you just have to wait to do it with your precious Sherry.¡± Anne now had a triumphant smile on her face, knowing that a pervert like me had just accidentally turned down an offer to have a threesome. ...Yeah, she wins this one for sure. The two then left the room after biding me goodnight. There were no tears in their eyes. It seemed they really had wholly accepted the fact that they couldn¡¯t get me to be their lovers. Ironically, now that they had a common similarity, that is, being rejected by me, they had become much better friends than before. All¡¯s well that ends well, I suppose. I thought they might end up forcing me down and just have their way with me there, but they¡¯re more mature than I expected. Or maybe that¡¯s just my overactive imagination. I¡¯ve read too many doujins with that premise. I threw my back on the bed. Don¡¯t worry, Sherry. My virginity is still yours for the taking! Even so, that night, I ended up having a lewd dream involving the two. Thankfully, dreams weren¡¯t the real world, so they didn¡¯t count. *** The next day, around mid-afternoon, we finally arrived at Misfon. And immediately, we could tell that something major had occurred. The atmosphere was heavy, and the streets were filled with soldiers patrolling back and forth, replacing the citizens that used to be there when I first visited the place. The gate guards interrogated us heavily before we were allowed to enter. We were asked our names, our occupations, where we came from, how long we would stay, and all that stuff you would only find when you were filling out a visa form to visit another country. Thankfully, in the end, the soldiers cleared us to enter. They didn¡¯t realize my identity¡ªthe Dragonslayer who had worked with the court mage turned necromancer. Yeah, I¡¯m not sure if I can visit the princess in this state. Would she even be in her mansion? Or would she be in the castle right now? She might just move there since she had to fill her father¡¯s role in his absence¡ªnot to mention the whole thing with security and what not. ¡°Oh, one more thing.¡± One of the soldiers suddenly stopped us just before we were about to enter. ¡°Since you¡¯re B-ranked adventurers, you might want to participate in the subjugation force for the necromancer. You should be able to make it if you hurry to the castle. The higher-ups will pay you handsomely for it, I heard.¡± He had told us about the situation with the king, and just like that man told us a few days ago, they were recruiting high-rank adventurers for their fight against Flameu. This means she must be cornered somewhere she can¡¯t run away from. And they can take their time gathering their forces to crush her. If she¡¯s a competent necromancer in any ways, she would have an army of the dead to combat their troops. That¡¯s what a necromancer does, after all. But if she¡¯s not an evil necromancer, then she won¡¯t have that kind of army, would she? She wouldn¡¯t be going on a killing spree to gather corpse soldiers. Or maybe she can replace that army with dead monsters instead? I don¡¯t know how necromancy in this world works so I could only guess whether it would be possible or not. I don¡¯t think I can ask these guys. They would only give strategic information like that to people who actually participated in the operation. Once we entered, we had our lunch and booked our inn. And after that... It was time for me to visit the princess. Chapter 137: The Mourning Princess As expected, the place is guarded much more heavily now. I now stood merely a few hundred meters away from the mansion she lived. And from here, I could already tell just how much security had been increased after the king¡¯s death (or to be more exact, after his death was revealed. He had been dead for a long time, I presume). Yeah, sneaking in seems to be a bad idea. I don¡¯t have any spells I can use to help me with stealth, and if they catch me, they will no doubt think I¡¯m there to assassinate the princess under Flameu¡¯s bidding. I got no choice. I just have to walk through the front gate and ask for permission. If she¡¯s there anyway. I straightened my robes and combed my hair. Naturally, I had to look my best in front of those soldiers. As expected, the moment they saw me walking in their direction, they immediately surrounded me while pointing their spears towards my direction. There were at least twenty of them, all geared up in chainmail armors and steel helmets. There were even a handful of mages, all aiming their staves towards me as well. ¡°Halt! Identify yourself!¡± The man who seemed to be their leader shouted at me. ¡°My name is Charles Pendleton and I¡¯m here to have an audience with the princess,¡± I spoke as clearly as I could. ¡°She had received me before and she could vouch for my character and loyalty. I had served her before and I shall serve again.¡± I said all that while looking at him straight in the eye. That was how you proved to people that you weren¡¯t lying¡ªshow them your firm and unbending confidence. ¡°Charles¡­ Pendleton?¡± He scratched the stub on his chin. ¡°Can¡¯t say that I have heard of such¡ª Wait, you¡­ you were that Divine Tempest kid who beat that Frost Dragon, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± I flashed my brightest smile. Come on, just let me through. You must know you guys can¡¯t win against a mage of my caliber, right? That hope, however, was soon dashed to the rocks when one of his subordinates just had to decide to open his mouth. ¡°Sir! We have a report that he was actively collaborating with Lady Flameu! I don¡¯t believe we can trust him, Sir!¡± Tch, this telltale! The look on the knight captain''s face promptly darkened. Crap, it''s crisis management time! "That might be right, good sir, but that was in the past. I thought of her as a simple court mage, nothing more and nothing less. In fact, I felt betrayed by this recent development. I thought of her as a friend and this is how she repays my trust? That filthy necromancer needs to be hanged and burned at the stake, I say! Right in that order!" I finished my acting by folding my hands and giving him my frown. There! That should do it! The man paused for a second or two, before replying with nervous sweat. ¡°I-I see. So you¡¯re not with her anymore, Milord?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. What would I have to gain by associating myself with a necromancer? I might be young but I have my house¡¯s name to uphold, even all the way out here.¡± If I assumed correctly, they should already know that I was a son of an Earl from the Holy Empire, thanks to all the rumors. So, I could intimidate them by that alone. The nobles of the Empire were highly respected, not just in the Empire itself but also in its annexed kingdoms. "M-my apologies, Sir." He quickly bowed. "I have wrongly misjudged you. You idiots! Lower your weapons!" And with that order, I gained access inside. ------ I was then escorted to the mansion proper, where I had to meet with this Edge person first before I was granted a meeting with the princess. To my relief, she indeed was still there, and not in the castle. Though as compensation, the prime minister had assigned to her the king''s old royal guards to be her bodyguard. And that Edge person was their leader. Naturally, as one who was most responsible for her safety, he had to screen me first to decide whether I was a threat to her or not. And so I was brought to the living room, where I was told to wait for his presence. Damn, this thick atmosphere¡­ it''s like I''m in a police station, about to be interrogated¡­ The soldiers didn''t leave as I sat on the sofa. They just stood there, guarding the two pairs of doors to my left and right. Around 15 minutes later, he finally made his appearance. He was what you would expect from a typical young knight guarding a princess¡ªblue eyes, blond hair, good looks, and a frown that showed you he meant business. He didn''t wear armor though. He instead wore a green semi-formal long coat, with a blue and white shirt underneath. "So, you''re the boy that wants an audience with Her Highness." He took his seat across me, crossing his legs in the process. I could see his sword peeking out his coat. "My name is Edge Sterling, and I am the head of Fiania''s royal guard, and the son of Duke Wellington, the Prime Minister. It''s a pleasure to meet you, Charles Pendleton." This attitude¡­ he''s being intentionally impolite. You don''t cross your legs in front of your guest. He doesn''t offer his hand nor does he give a bow. And most importantly, he doesn''t crack a smile. He¡¯s the son of a Duke. And not just any Duke, but the Prime Minister himself. That¡¯s why he can afford to act so cocky. I¡¯m just the son of a no-name (and nonexistent) Earl to him. "I¡¯ve heard of you. You have visited Her Highness before, correct?" "That''s right!" I gave him a smile. "She''ll tell you that I am welcome." "And you did it with an introduction letter written by Flameu. And you made the princess pay you quite the handsome amount of money. How curious. Tell me. What did you do with that money?" Damn, he sure did his homework. And just like that, he began his interrogation. "I sold Flameu the carcass of the dragon I slew. And she told me to get the money from her. It was a loan from the princess to her." I decided to answer honestly. Lying would only make things worse. ¡°You don¡¯t find it odd¡ª¡± Here, his eyes narrowed. ¡°¡ªthat she told you to come to Her Highness instead of paying it out of her own pocket?¡± ¡°Back then, I trusted her,¡± I answered. ¡°A shame that trust had been wasted on a necromancer.¡± ¡°I see. I would hold it to your poor judgment, but we all have been fooled by her.¡± His lips turned into a smirk. ¡°So, what would be the purpose of your visit now? As you should know, we are in quite the state of disarray like now. Not to mention that Her Majesty was still in the middle of her mourning. Do you truly believe it is wise to bother her with your visit?¡± ¡°It is necessary.¡± ¡°Oh? If it is, then you should speak to me first. I am in charge of her safety, in case you haven¡¯t noticed.¡± His smirk grew bigger. He doesn¡¯t want me to see her. That much is clear. Now how should I handle this in a polite and non-confrontational manner? ¡°I apologize, but this is something I can only speak with her. I promised to do so when I first met her. I am not to speak of it to anyone, even the son of the prime minister himself.¡± I looked at him right in the eye. I didn¡¯t break eye contact, but I tried to make my expression as polite as I could. ¡°Show firmness but not rudeness.¡± That¡¯s what Fiora told me on how to speak with a noble. His smirk disappeared. ¡°Fascinating. So she trusts you that much. I wonder why. Sometimes, Her Highness can be too trusting for her own good.¡± And now a subtle insult to my trustworthiness. This is how nobles are supposed to mock each other. "Very well." He stood up. "I shall escort you to her room. As much as I am responsible for her well-being, I cannot go against her wishes. When I informed her of your arrival, she ordered me to bring you to her room, and so that¡¯s what I will do.¡± So all this time you¡¯re just being a dick for no reason. Yeah. Sounds noble-like, alright. He then brought me to the princess'' chamber with an entire squad of knights in tow. On the way, he explained that she was still in mourning, so she had no interest in taking in the matters of the state into her own hands yet. For now, his father, the prime minister would be the one running the country. Sounds like the perfect setup for his dad to be the new de-facto king with the princess just being a puppet. But hey, it¡¯s not my problem. If she doesn¡¯t want to rule, then maybe it will be better for the kingdom overall to just make the prime minister do all the work. Not that I know what kind of guy the prime minister is. After climbing up two sets of stairs and walking towards the east wing of the mansion, we finally arrived in front of the princess'' room. "Here it is.¡± Edge spoke. ¡°Her Highness¡¯ chamber. Now, mind your manners while you¡¯re in there, alright? Unfortunately, she has ordered that she wants to speak with you in private, so we are unable to accompany you inside. We¡¯ll be standing out here, ready to come in if anything happens.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I gave him a respectful smile. ¡°I will only give the princess of the Fiania Kingdom the utmost reverence she deserves.¡± I wonder if he might have any designs on her. Usually, that¡¯s how it goes, right? The son of the prime minister wants to be the next king so he tries to woo the pretty princess. That might be why he¡¯s so hostile to me. He doesn¡¯t want me to get close to her in case I end up making her fall for me. I chuckled internally. Hah, he must think of me as some womanizer, thanks to the rumors. He then gave a firm knock on the twin mahogany doors. ¡°Your Highness. He¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Send him in.¡± Two knights walked forward and opened the door for me. I walked in before they closed it once more behind me. And there, I saw her, standing on the other side of the room, looking right at me. The first thing I noticed was the dress she wore. No longer she wore an all-white dress. Her dress was now as dark as the night itself. Fitting considering she was in a state of mourning. Black was also considered the proper color to wear for a funeral in this world. And then, her smile. It was tainted with bitterness. No longer was it the bright, spring-like smile she showed me all those months ago. ¡°You came, Milord.¡± ¡°I did,¡± I replied. ¡°I just had to make a visit after hearing what happened to your father.¡± ¡°Father¡­ To think that Lady Flameu had done that to him¡­ Oh, please, don¡¯t just stand there. Take a seat. Anywhere you want.¡± I looked around the room. Naturally, as befitting for a princess, it was a large and luxurious room. The chandelier, the curtains, the carpet, and the two paintings decorating the room¡ªI bet all of them are really expensive. I decided to be bold and chose the bed to sit on. When else would I get the chance to sit on a cute princess'' bed? If I could, I would even smother my face all over that dark red sheets and pillows, enjoying the scent of a princess. Ah, I really shouldn''t be thinking about perverted things now. It''d be bad if I get a stiffie in a time like this. "Milord, I have a request to make." She clasped her hands with a nervous look on her face. "Yes?" "Please, save Lady Flameu! She might be a necromancer but she¡¯s a good person! I¡¯m sure of it!¡± She bowed as low as she could to the point that her hair fell down to the front. Well, this is¡­ unexpected. ¡°You don¡¯t hate her? For killing your father and using him as her corpse puppet?¡± She straightened herself. With a forlorn smile, she replied, ¡°Father¡­ he had done many, many terrible things¡­ things I never knew about, being the naive girl that I am. And Lady Flameu¡­ she had told me everything. His crime wasn¡¯t only ending Mother¡¯s life.¡± To my surprise, she decided to sit right beside me. ¡°He¡­ would take any woman he fancied to sleep with him, no matter if she agreed or not. Commoners, nobles, even adventurers¡­ there were no limits to his desire. Some, mostly the nobles, he would allow to return once he was bored with them. But others, he would just kill after he¡¯s done with them.¡± Her voice shook. I could see her palms whitening as she gripped her dress. ¡°Some have tried to stop him of course. Once, there were a group of nobles conspiring of a coup d¡¯etat to overthrow him. But Lord Sterling and Lord Basilisk put a stop to them before their scheme could happen. Their punishment was for them and their entire family to be quartered in secret, but not before Father had his way with their wives and daughters.¡± At this point, tears started to trail down her cheeks. ¡°There was also a commoner, who tried to assassinate him after he took his betrothed, right before the day of their wedding. His attempt was also foiled, thanks to Sir Edge and his royal guards. His punishment? He was whipped over and over until he died from his wounds. All the while his betrothed was forced to watch. She ended up slicing her own throat out of grief.¡± She¡¯s now actively choking in between her words. She even had some snot falling down her nose, which she quickly wiped with her handkerchief. Normally, I would be disgusted by the sight, but I would be a cruel and heartless person if I did not excuse her haggard appearance right now. Gently, I put my hand on her shoulder and spoke, "it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to continue. I understand your¡ª¡± ¡°No, you must hear it all! Every vile deed Father has done! Then you''ll see why it''s unfair for Flameu to be hunted down like this! Suddenly, she snapped in anger, moving her face uncomfortably close to mine. Just as quickly, however, she retreated, before returning back to her tears. She¡¯s torn. Between loving her Father like a child should, and hating him for all the things he did, she didn''t know how she should feel. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She''s a good person. I''m glad Flameu managed to heal her. She deserves that and more. "And then¡­ and then there''s the matter with¡ª" I decided to do something even bolder. I wrapped my hands around the back of her head and pulled it down to my chest. Naturally, this took her completely by surprise. ¡°M-Milord? What are you¡ª" ¡°Shh. That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t have to say anything else." And then, she exploded into tears. I let her cry into my chest, patting her back like an older brother would. Ironic, considering I''m certainly much younger than her. Well, biologically anyway. I couldn''t help myself. I had to comfort her. I''m just weak to a girl''s tears, especially when it came from an innocent princess like her. Damn, she sure smells nice¡­ I scolded myself. What am I getting turned on for? She''s sobbing like a wreck right now and all I can think of is perverted stuff? Munyu~ Goddamnit, now I¡¯m noticing her breasts pressing onto me as well. Come on, Hugo, bear it! Activate your Sage Mode! Thankfully, it didn¡¯t last long. She promptly recovered, and with a bashful smile, she straightened herself and wiped her tears with another pair of dry handkerchiefs. ¡°A-apologies for that¡­ shamefully emotional display."It''s alright." I gave her the best comforting smile I could muster. "Anyone would react like that with that kind of a father." She then took my hands and grabbed them firmly with her own. And they were still as soft as ever. "I''m glad I met you, Milord. Before you came, I only had Lady Flameu to converse with like this. Ever since we met, she had been very kind to me. She would listen to my word and tell me how to solve it. Thanks to her, I learned that a princess must be strong for the sake of her subjects. And with Father gone, I will become Queen soon. I''m not sure if I''m ready for the responsibility, but I have to try, for the sake of my people." Once again, I had been charmed by her innocence. Normally, I wouldn''t buy such a rhetoric right away, but I sensed no falsehood in her words and expressions. It''s just like Fiora when she said she wanted to rule for the sake of her people, though in her case, she was far more confident in doing it compared to her. "But," she continued. "I broke one of her rules today. I had cried in front of a stranger. A ruler should not show weakness, she said, for there are always snakes slithering around them. Though, I couldn''t imagine Milord being one of those snakes. You are a friend, just like her.¡± She giggled. Wow, Flameu''s not holding back, is she? Though it''s better that way. A ruler can''t be as naive as she is. She''ll just end up being a puppet that can''t see through the lies of her advisors. "So,¡± I decided it¡¯s time for me to ask my questions. ¡°Did you know that Flameu was a necromancer?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No. I only know about it now. I only thought of her as a master alchemist all these years, ever since she appeared and served under Father.¡± ¡°How did that happen anyway? Did she just walk into the castle and ask for a job as a court mage?¡± It couldn¡¯t be that easy, could it? She smiled hearing my question. ¡°You want to hear about her, Milord? Then I should start from the very beginning.¡± Chapter 138: In Which The Princess Shows Hugo Her Panties The princess began her story with a nostalgic smile illustrated on her face. "I still remember that day like it was merely yesterday. It was the early Luxus morning where she first paid her visit to me. Back then, it was only around a month or so since she first appeared and was accepted as Father''s court mage. "Can you elaborate on her appearance? How did she get accepted into that position?" Her expression promptly darkened. "She¡­ she was pretty. That''s all she was to Father. In exchange for the job, she had to visit him at night and tend to him." ...I see. That''s why she''s so nonchalant in offering her body to get the dragon heart back then. She''s already used to it. If I had to guess, she wanted to become a court mage to gain the kingdom''s protection. She needed to keep herself safe from the agents of the Magocracy, and what better way to do that by making yourself a court mage of one of the Empire''s conquered kingdoms? Perhaps she learned about the king''s promiscuity and decided to take advantage of it. I couldn''t blame her for it, even though it''s something I would never be able to do myself. Selling your body to a wretched person like him, I wouldn''t be able to bear it. Call me traditional, but I only want to give myself to someone I love. Then she can do whatever she wants with me in bed. As long as it''s nothing too extreme anyway. "Milord?" "A-ah, right, continue." She gave me a short confused look before resuming her tale. "It was then when she first examined my condition. Back then, I thought of her as just like any other healer. None of them managed to cure me over the years, so why should she be any different? And indeed, the first medicine she gave me did not work. Not the second. Nor the third. And yet, she kept coming back." Her smile brightened at this statement. "How belligerent I was to be rude to her! I was annoyed that none of her supposed cures worked. I even screamed at her one time, telling her not to give me false hope." She hung her head down with a grim smile. "And yet, she remained patient. She promised that she would make the cure. And she did, just one year after our first meeting." Her hands gripped her skirts. "She''s a good friend. Better than what I deserve." It''s all too obvious now just how much she meant to her. To her, who hated her father, and whose infirmity and loneliness had been cured by her, she would naturally side with her, even if she was a necromancer. "About that knight who''s always with her. Do you know anything about him?" I had always been curious about the matter. ¡°Ah, Lord Berault.¡± She lit up. ¡°That¡¯s another tale in itself. You see, unlike the other knights, he wasn¡¯t a noble. He was of the common folk. He only became a knight recently, after he saved Father from an attempt to his life. Before that, he was just a wandering mercenary." This king really has a lot of enemies, huh? It''s only natural with that kind of attitude. I guess the Empire doesn''t care until he starts scheming against them. That''s how hands-off the Empire is to its satellite kingdoms. If Fiora was speaking the truth. "Do you know how he started serving as Flameu''s personal guard? He seemed quite loyal to her," I asked further. "I don''t know the details but apparently she helped him with something. Him serving her is his way to repay his debt," the princess answered. "Aah, how romantic." She clasped her hands with sparkling eyes. "I do hope he will marry her. He deserves it, after what happened to his late wife." "What happened?" "She died of illness, just a year after their marriage. It broke his heart¡ªmade him the silent and somber man he is now." Ouch, that''s gotta hurt. No wonder he goes full angst with that black armor of his. "Now, thanks to Miss Flameu, it looks like he has received a new lease in life. Which is all the more reason I don''t want her to lose her life to those Church people." Her smile turned bitter once more. She looked down at her knees for a bit, before moving her gaze at me, grabbing my hands once again. "I beg of you. Please, save her. I know she''ll never be able to return to this kingdom ever again, but she deserves more than to be burned at the stake! And tell Lord Berault he should follow her as well! He''s with her right now so those Inquisitors might just brand him a heretic as well!" Once again, she got too uncomfortably close, crossing that personal boundary as her face was just inches from mine. I could lean forward a little and steal a kiss from her. Uh, not that I would do something like that, of course. ¡°Oh, I know! I can¡¯t just ask you to do something that dangerous without any payment! What do you want? I can give you a lot of gold again like before!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about that really¡ª¡± ¡°O-or do you want something else? I-I¡¯ve heard the rumors¡­ how you''re fond of older girls! I-I''m definitely older than you so I can do this!" Without any warning that could prepare my poor heart beforehand, she stood up and lifted her skirt all the way upwards. P-pure white lace panties¡­ a-and garterbelts on top of it! They are so tight-fitting and low-rise I could see her womanly mound clearly! I nearly fainted from the divine sight. Never before I saw a sight so beautifully provocative. My princess-loving, panty-loving self could only gawk with my mouth wide open at it. And not only that. The lovely view was only enhanced two, no, tenfold with how embarrassed she was right now. Her cheeks were beet red and she was shyly looking away. Truly the epitome of the beautiful yet shy princess! T-the Goddess! The Goddess has descended from the heavens! ¡°I-I¡¯m willing to marry you i-if you can save Miss Flameu! T-this is what wives do with her husband, right? Showing off her undergarments? That¡¯s what I read in my books¡­¡± B-books? What kind of books has she been reading? I stared and I stared for what felt like an eternity before I finally regained control of my senses. Swiftly, I walked forward and pulled her skirt down. "Your Highness, you shouldn''t show such a sight to my worthless self. You should only show it to a man who''s worthy of your affections. I might be the son of some Earl in the Holy Empire, but I am just an adventurer right now. I''m a vagrant with no aspirations to do his noble duties. Surely you can do better." I flashed her my most gentlemanly smile. In the meantime, my hands went down to my shorts, adjusting it so my boner would become less noticeable. Phew, that was dangerous. Of course my little guy is going to wake up from that. ¡°And I must apologize.¡± I continued, now looking her straight in the eyes. ¡°You¡¯re pretty, that much is true, but I already have a lover waiting for me. So I can¡¯t marry you. Not that I would ever force you to do so. If I¡¯m going to save Flameu, I¡¯m going to do it because I want to. And in that matter, I can¡¯t make any promises. I agree with you that she seems to be a good person, but necromancy¡­ I don¡¯t know why she¡¯d want to dabble in such a dark art. She¡¯s already perfectly fine as an alchemist, yet she still wants to reach that forbidden land. Until I know the reason why she decides to learn it, I don¡¯t know if I really want to save her or not. It can be that her goodness is just a front she puts up¡ªto pull away suspicion from her. And that¡¯s something you should learn as a future queen as well.¡± She sat back down, dejected, and defeated by my words. I followed, sitting beside her once more. ¡°Y-you¡¯re right.¡± She slowly released my hands. ¡°Even Miss Flameu herself said something similar. Not everyone nice to you is your friend.¡± ¡°And from your story, I can also infer that she¡¯s the ruthless sort, willing to do almost anything to achieve her goals. If I had to guess, the reason she killed your father and reanimated him as her puppet was so that she would have more freedom to do her necromancy stuff. Tell me. Her outings away from the castle¡ªit became more frequent ever since your father had his ¡®change of heart¡¯, correct?¡± She paused for a bit, thinking before answering, ¡°Y-yes, I believe so. She would often disappear for weeks or even an entire month. The official reason was that she had a secret order given to her by Father, but now, we know that¡¯s not true, isn¡¯t it?¡± She smiled bitterly, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right. Perhaps she is actually an evil person. I just don¡¯t know anything about good and evil, other than from the stories I read in my books.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I stood up with a smile. ¡°I might have not decided to help her or not, but it doesn¡¯t mean I will abandon her. I¡¯ll go to her place and ask the person herself. Then I¡¯ll decide whether she really is a good person like you believe she is.¡± I believed that¡¯s the best option for me to take. Personally speaking, my current impression of her was that she was a well-intentioned yet ruthless necromancer. She¡¯s somewhat similar to Fiora, in which she¡¯s willing to do morally questionable things to achieve her goals. Fiora¡¯s goal is to fulfill the dream of her mother by ruling the Empire as its Empress, and she¡¯s willing to start a war over it. I don¡¯t know what Flameu¡¯s goal might be, but it has to be related to necromancy. If it¡¯s something selfish like gaining immortality or ruling the world via undead armies, then it makes her evil. But if it¡¯s something more benign¡­ I don¡¯t know what that may be though. What kind of a noble goal one can only achieve through magic that manipulates and controls the dead? ¡°T-thank you so much!¡± She jumped off the bed with glimmering eyes. ¡°Now, don¡¯t get too excited yet. If she¡¯s being guarded by the Inquisition, I might not be able to meet with her. And I don¡¯t think I want to pick a fight with them. I don¡¯t need the Church to chase after me too.¡± ¡°A-ah, right... ¡° Her complexion turned gloomy again. ¡°I heard they already know where she is. And with Lord Basilisk already mobilizing the soldiers, they might have already surrounded her hideout. It would be too much to ask Milord to sneak through them just to talk to her, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± She¡¯s right. Like I¡¯ve said before I went here, I have no good magic to sneak around. Most of my magics are just direct, offensive ones, not suited for anything else other than direct combat. And if I force myself to do it anyway, I would be doing something stupid, which I already promised Anton and the others not to do. I already have the Magocracy on my tail. I don¡¯t need the Church in tow as well. Silence. The only sound was from the large grandfather clock on the other side of the room. I couldn¡¯t reply to her right away. I was trying to think up a solution to this dilemma, something that could satisfy both myself and the princess. She, on the other hand, just nervously stood there, fidgeting with her fingers as she waited patiently for my answer. ¡°Oh, right! Milord! Why don¡¯t you join the other adventurers?¡± She broke the silence. ¡°They¡¯re recruiting high-ranked adventurers for her capture and you would fit right in, wouldn¡¯t you? You can just aid them with capturing her, and then talk to her afterward! You can even free her afterward if you think she¡¯s a good person!¡± Her complexion considerably brightened. It seemed once again, she believed there was hope for her friend. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that might work actually.¡± If the Inquisition doesn¡¯t just decide to kill her on the spot, that is. ¡°See?! You can do it, Milord! Surely, it¡¯s not that difficult for someone who has slain a dragon on his own!¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She¡¯s now back to her full-smile mode. Really, there¡¯s no in-between with this girl. ¡°I should just go to the castle to register my name, right?" "Yes!" She clapped her hands. "They will receive you right away! I''m sure of it!" "I''m only a C-rank adventurer though. I thought you need to be at least a B-rank to participate." "Oh, I''m sure they won''t mind bumping you up a rank or two after your achievement!" "Well, if you say so¡­ It''s worth a try, I suppose." "Thank you!" Without warning, she threw herself at me, burying my face in her cleavage. Aah, the Goddess''s bosom¡­ how delightfully warm¡­ ------- After giving her prayers to the Saint for my safe passage, she called that Edge guy, telling him to escort me outside. At first, he thought I must have offended her somehow, judging by his glare, but when he noticed the smile on the princess'' face, that glare transformed into a confused look. I couldn''t help but chuckle a little. He must have never expected me being able to comfort his dear princess. He''s probably the kind of hardheaded guy who always thinks he''s right while never being considerate to others. That''s why he''s not sensitive enough to comfort her and be her friend instead of just being her bodyguard. Even so, he probably is going to end up marrying her, just so the prime minister can secure his power in the absence of the king. Well, nothing I can do about that. I gave a smile to the man as I thanked him for his courtesy. A barely polite smile, mind you, just the minimum so I wouldn''t be considered rude. After he bowed towards the princess, he did just that, walking me back outside to the gates with his groupies of knights. "I don''t know what you did, but I have to thank you," he said without looking at me. "You cheered up Her Majesty. As her loyal bodyguard, I also wish for her well-being mentally." Huh, I guess this guy isn''t as stuck up as I imagined. Glad he doesn''t know his beloved princess had just flashed her panties at me though. I can only imagine his furious reaction. --------- I made my way back to the inn afterward. I intended to inform Anton and the others about our meeting before I made my way to the castle. ¡°You¡¯re back. So, how did it go?¡± When I entered the building, I was promptly greeted by Anton, who seemed to have been sitting in the front lobby all this time, waiting for my return. ¡°It went well, of course,¡± I replied with a smirk. ¡°If not, I wouldn¡¯t be here, would I? I would already be running out the city with a brigade of soldiers on my tail. Where are the others?¡± ¡°Gathering information.¡± He stood up from the couch. ¡°Or rather, they just can¡¯t handle the boredom of waiting for you to come back. Did the princess tell you what you want to know about her?¡± ¡°Not entirely, I¡¯m afraid.¡± I sighed. ¡°I still want to speak to her.¡± ¡°That would be difficult, considering the current state of affairs. If I had to guess, you¡¯ll probably plan on joining the other recruited adventurers. Funnily enough, we are considering doing that as well,¡± he added with a smile. ¡°Eh? I thought you don¡¯t want to¡ª¡± ¡°I had just finished talking with the Prism Casters, another B-rank party like us. They told me that for us B-ranks, we¡¯re only there as a rear support. They¡¯re not asking us to be part of the frontline fighters. Even so, the reward they give you is really generous. It¡¯s even more than the amount of gold we got from that escort mission. And we had to waste a month and a half doing that.¡± He crossed his arms and smirked. ¡°And now, with you entering as well, we gotta be there to make sure you don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. I should probably go to the Guild to ask for my rank to be raised. I¡¯m still a C-rank after all.¡± ¡°Ha, a C-rank that can defeat a dragon on his own. You really are something.¡± He patted me on the shoulder. ¡°Go. I¡¯ve no doubt they would be willing to make an exception for you. Especially when this kingdom is badly in need for strong adventurers like yourself.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be off then.¡± Once I was back outside, I noticed how the sun was already setting on the horizon. Guess I¡¯ll visit the castle tomorrow then. I made my way to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild at once, hoping that it would really be as easy as just talking to the higher ups of the Guild and getting my rank raised. I believe every branch of the Guild is led by a Guildmaster so that¡¯s the person I want to talk with. The building was located in the central district. It was a large and distinctive three-story structure, placed right in the middle of a four-way intersection. I pushed open the large wooden doors on the front, only to be greeted by a peculiar sight. Huh, it''s empty. That''s surprising. Besides a handful of adventurers, the floor was practically deserted. Maybe it''s because of the whole thing with Flameu? This place sure is lavish. The floor was carpeted in red, in contrast to the usual stone floor most of the guilds I had frequented in my travels. There were ten lanes available, though for now, only two guild receptionists were in their seats, with one attending to the handful of adventurers I mentioned. I moved my feet to the other one. Putting up my brightest smile, I walked up to the lady and said, ¡°Excuse me. May I ask for a meeting with the Guildmaster?¡± Her smile immediately turned into a confused frown. Before she could say anything, I handed over my Adventurer Card to her. She took it and gave it a quick read. ¡°Charles¡­ Pendleton? Wait, that¡¯s¡­ You! You¡¯re the Dragonslaying Tempest, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me!¡± I grinned. Her expression had completely turned into a shock. ¡°You see, I want to participate in the subjugation force against that necromancer. But I¡¯m still a C-rank adventurer. So I figure I would ask the Guildmaster if they can bump my rank up to B.¡± Let¡¯s be humble here. No need to ask for A or S rank. ¡°O-of course! Please! The Guildmaster would certainly be honored to meet someone of your personage!¡± She immediately stood up and instructed me to follow her, after telling her friend to handle things for a bit. Well, that was easy. Guess I really have become quite the celebrity around here. Chapter 139: Hugo, the S-rank Adventurer The receptionist led me to the third floor where the office of the Guildmaster was. I walked behind her, making sure I didn''t lose her as she made any corner turns. That, and enjoying the sight she was providing generously to me. Damn, what a nice behind. She was wearing the usual receptionist uniform, meaning, she was wearing the usual tightfitting knee-length black pencil skirt. And boy, it barely hid anything. I could see the firmness of her butt, only enhanced by the sight of her pantylines. Thinking about it, I had encountered a really lewd Miss Receptionist like her before, back when I first set foot in the continent. She also had a great ass just like her. Aah, adventurer guild receptionists really are the best! As I enjoyed the perfectly wholesome sight in front of me, I noticed something off in our surroundings. It came to my attention that the second floor was seemingly not used in the slightest. And even most of the third floor for that matter. It was silent, eerily so. ¡°Umm, excuse me for asking, but why is it so quiet around here? Isn¡¯t anyone else around?¡± I decided to ask her. ¡°The second and third floor are not intended to be frequented by common adventurers,¡± she replied as she continued her walk. ¡°Instead, we provide private rooms for A and S-rank adventurers to hold their meetings and such. Also, we have a library on the second floor that adventurers could peruse if they''re in need of information, while on the third floor, we have our offices where we manage and archive requests. Though at this hour, they all had gone home for the day, which is why this place is pretty empty. But do not worry. The Guildmaster is still upstairs at his office." "I see." I nodded. "That''s a relief. Though this place is pretty luxurious, isn''t it? I haven''t seen an Adventurer''s Guild building with this much stuff in it." "I am pleased to hear that, Sir Tempest," she replied with a giggle. "Though our facilities pale in comparison to some of our other branches. Our central branch at the Demon Continent even has a school of its own to train aspiring adventurers." That''s right. The concept for Adventuring Guilds all started from the city-states of the Frontier. Thanks to their neutrality, and to how profitable the whole concept is for everyone involved, they are able to spread the concept all over the world. Though naturally, they would have to obey the nations they''re setting shop in. We stopped in front of a large mahogany door. The receptionist knocked. "Sir! He''s here!" "Come in!" Flashing a smile towards my direction, she opened the door, revealing a spacious study with a large table on the other side of the room. Naturally, it was where the Guild Master sat. He was an older gentleman in the portly side. He wore a robe of green and red that reminded me of something a European monk would wear. He had a bowl cut for his black hair, as well as a smile that really made his drooping cheeks rather more pronounced. "Please, sit." He gestured with his right hand towards the chair on the other side of his table. Once I entered, the receptionist closed the door behind her. And I couldn¡¯t help but feel a tad intimidated, just alone in this room with this guy. When I approached him, he stood up from his chair and offered his wrinkly hand. "Greetings. My name is Rowan Vertigo, the Guildmaster of this establishment." I accepted his hand. We then sat back down on our respective seats. ¡°Forgive me for asking again, but you are Charles Pendleton, correct?¡± He moved his nearsighted glasses upwards. ¡°Nickname: The Divine Tempest. Responsible for taking down a Frost Dragon and her brood pretty much on his own.¡°Well, I did get some help from the Emerald Exodus. They were the ones who originally took the extermination quest. I just happened to help them in their fight.¡± ¡°Ah, no need to be modest.¡± He smiled, sending chills into my spine due to how creepy his face looked. ¡°My eyes and ears have confirmed that if not for you, they would have been wiped entirely. Only a few refused to accept you as their saviors.¡± Arcturus is probably one of them since I pretty much destroyed his reputation and all that. ¡°So, for what purpose do you come here in this late hour? I very much have wanted to meet with you but I couldn¡¯t imagine you to have any reason to want to speak to me.¡± ¡°I seek for a promotion to a B-rank.¡± I went straight to the point. ¡°I wanted to join in on the subjugation force against Flameu.¡± For a few seconds, he seemingly froze, as his smile slowly transformed into a concerned frown. ¡°Ah, you did work with her for a bit, didn¡¯t you? I assume you wish for revenge, now that you know she has been hiding her true nature all this time?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I nodded. ¡°She had betrayed my trust. Not to mention the trust of the people in this country. They looked up to her for her kindness, only to find that it was a lie." "Hmm¡­" He sighed. "Normally, I wouldn''t recommend it, considering where she''s hiding herself right now, but if it''s you, perhaps there would be no problem." "Is something the matter?" "She had hid herself inside an undiscovered dungeon. We had no information about the place''s existence until now. And she had filled it to the brim with her zombie army, mostly zombified goblins and local beasts, but there were also sightings of human zombies as well. An investigation of their identity led us to believe that they were bandits. She must have slaughtered them all and added them to her army. Truly horrifying." He shook his head. "Excuse me for asking, but have you ever participated in a dungeon exploration before?" I shook my head. "Then you should know how dangerous it is for us adventurers to explore a fresh dungeon like that. We would have no idea where the traps are, how the layout is, what kind of monsters lurk within, and so on, and so forth. Information is vital for the survival of an adventurer and we barely have anything on the place. Not to mention how both the Inquisitors and the general wanted us to rush inside. Perhaps they believe we are expendable," he added with a grim smile. "But with your strength, perhaps we would be able to make our way to the dungeon core, where we expected her to be. The good Lady Inquisitor believed she was controlling the dungeon with her dark magic so she should be somewhere close to the core." She can manipulate dungeons now? Does that even count as necromancy? "But, if you still insist, then you should go to Mern Valley. You¡¯ll find her dungeon there, along with the army and those Inquisitors. You know where it is, yes?¡± I nodded. The valley was located not far from the capital. I still remembered its location just from all those times I spent reading this region¡¯s map. ¡°As for your rank up request.¡± Here he smiled creepily again. I think this guy¡¯s smile is just a cursed sight. ¡°I can approve that. But you shall not be a B-rank. You are far too good for that. You shall be an S-rank. You shall get a special card made out of platinum with your title printed below your name. If you don¡¯t know, most S-ranks have a title of their own that others call them with it. Some choose it themselves, championing it everywhere they go, while others, like you, are already chosen by their peers. You shall be Charles Pendleton of the Divine Tempest! And you should be proud of that. Not many adventurers could reach S-rank. And even less can do it when they¡¯re still so young.¡± W-whoa, S-rank? Isn¡¯t that a bit too early? ¡°I thought the ranks are also about your contributions to the Guild, not just about your strength,¡± I tried to argue against his decision. ¡°And I certainly haven¡¯t earned my dues yet to be an S-rank. I¡¯ve only been an adventurer for a year.¡± ¡°Oh, but you already have. Saving all those adventurers¡­ that¡¯s more than enough in my book.¡± I paused for a bit, still trying to process what he just said, before a grin appeared on my face. S-rank, huh? Just skipping right to that from C-rank. Heh, it¡¯s like in those stories where the protagonist just gets to S-rank straight away. There¡¯s nothing bad about accepting his offer, is there? I can apply to the most well-paying jobs out there and I can get the prestige I always wanted as an adventurer. And since the Magocracy already knows where I am anyways¡­ ¡°Fine!¡± I smiled at him. ¡°S-rank would be fine too!¡± ¡°Excellent! Then I shall write you the recommendation letter. Take this to the receptionists down below and they¡¯ll update your rank straight away. And of course, I would also write you a referral if you indeed wish to go after the necromancer. Show that to the good general and he would allow you to join on the expedition for sure.¡± "Oh, can you make that referral for the Flaming Arrows as well?" "Ah, your friends, if I was not mistaken. Of course. They''re B-ranks, so they could participate." This guy sure knows a lot about me¡­ He¡¯s probably keeping his ears wide open for any rumors about me after what I did with the dragons. Well, as expected from the master of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, I suppose. Though with his¡­ less-than-fortunate looks, I can¡¯t help but feel he¡¯s stalking me or something... Shrugging off the bad vibes I got from him, I bid him goodbye before going back downstairs to process my fancy new rank. When I got back there, it was even emptier than before. The adventurers from before had left, leaving basically only me in the room. "Oh? You''re finished, Sir?" I was greeted by the same receptionist from before. "I assume he gave you the letter?" I nodded, giving her the one stating of my promotion to S-rank. She gave it a quick read-over before replying, ¡°Please wait just a moment.¡± I stood there awkwardly as she was busy shuffling through the drawers under her desk. The silence of the place certainly did not help. "Uhh, is this place always this empty?" "Of course not, Sir!" Her idle friend answered with a giggle. "It''s just that due to recent developments, most adventurers were either hired by the kingdom or they decided to avoid this city altogether. They don''t want to get caught up with the politics, you see." Makes sense. This kingdom is in a precarious situation right now and they don''t want any of it. Her friend soon finished her work. She stamped some documents, printed a brand new card using that magical impression device they always used every time they had a need to make a new card, and then handed over said new card to my hands. "Congratulations, Sir Tempest! With this, you have been promoted to S-rank!" I looked closely at the card she just gave me. Whoa. It was indeed the most luxurious card I had ever held in my hands. It looked like one of those elite credit cards only the wealthiest of the wealthy could afford back in my old world. It was platinum white, with my name and title etched artistically on the front. ¡°Charles Pendleton. The Divine Tempest.¡± And beside it, a large S was etched as well, signifying my rank. Looking at it, I felt I could just hand over the card to any shops to receive special treatment. The receptionist then proceeded to explain what perks I had as an S-rank. Basically, it¡¯s just that some certain shops and inns would give me discounts, and I could lend books from the Guild¡¯s libraries for as long as I wanted to, if the branch had a library, that is. I was also allowed to form my own adventuring clan, though you could already do that when you reached A-rank. "And that would be all. Would there be any question?" I shook my head. "Great! Then, I bid you farewell, Sir Tempest. And thank you for your patronage." She stood up, placed her hands on the front of her skirt, and bowed. And with that, my visit to the Guild was over. ----- By the time I was outside again, nighttime was already here. I returned to the inn at once, where I was greeted by Anton and the others. "Finally." Anne sighed with a smile. She was crossing her arms as she leaned backward to a wall. "We''ve been waiting for you. Did you get your promotion?" "I did." I grinned. "Straight to S-rank." "Wow, that''s amazing, Hugo!" Amelie clasped her hands together. Anne clacked her tongue. "Hmph, of course. Only to be expected from the Divine Tempest himself." "I also got referral letters for all of us. Since you guys seem to want to come along, I figured I''d ask for them from the Guildmaster. With these, we don''t even need to go to the castle. We can go straight to Mern Valley tomorrow where the necromancer is currently hiding." ¡°Good.¡± Anton smiled. ¡°Then we¡¯ll depart early in the morning. I¡¯ve hired us some horses we could take there.¡± ¡°Hugo, you can ride a horse, can¡¯t you?¡± Anne asked with a grin. ¡°Umm, n-no, actually.¡± ¡°Heh, that¡¯s unexpected from the great and mighty S-rank adventurer.¡± She chuckled victoriously. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped then. You¡¯ll ride with me tomorrow. Anton will be with Amelie. She can¡¯t ride a horse either.¡± "T-that''s not fair!" Amelie protested, pointing her finger towards her. "Then you''ll get Hugo all to yourself!" "It can''t be helped, can it?" Anne shrugged with a big grin on her face. "It can! I ride with you instead!" "You''re too heavy!" "Are you calling me fat?!" "With those two fatty mounds of yours slapping me on my back, I won''t be able to concentrate at all!" Anton and I could only exchange exasperated smiles before sighing in unison. --------- The next morning, before the sun even rose fully, we already made our way to the valley. As promised, I rode on Anne¡¯s horse, while Amelie rode with Anton. As a gentleman, I took an oath not to try anything perverted on her, but she seemed to desire otherwise. "H-hey, you should hang on tighter." She whispered to me as our horse began to move. "I don''t want you to fall off." Currently, I was resting my hands on her shoulders. I guess she wants me to wrap my hands around her stomach. Well, don''t mind if I do. "Hyah!" She yelped the moment I had my arms around her. "You alright?" I asked with a grin. "I-I''m fine! Hold on tight, alright? I''m going to speed up!" Looking across to the other horse, I noticed Amelie pouting as she saw our current pose. As for her own pose, she too was wrapping her hands around Anton''s waist. Normally, I would think that he would be happy having her breasts pressing into his back like that, but I know Anton had no interest in her whatsoever. She might have a mature body, but she''s too childish for his taste. I know that after he had too many drinks that one time, admitting that he indeed prefers older, mature women. We rode like that for the entire day, stopping only for lunch in a small village we passed through. We arrived at the valley proper when the sun was setting, where we made a beeline to the all-too-obvious encampment the army had built. We left our rental horses to return on their own. They were already trained by their owner to do so. ¡°Adventurers?¡± The guard in the front of the camp said once he approached us. ¡°Papers, please.¡± I handed him the introduction letters the Guildmaster had provided. ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­¡± He squinted his eyes as he began reading. ¡°B-rank Flaming Arrows and S-rank Divine Tempest¡­ hold on, Divine Tempest?" He looked up towards Anton. "Is that you? The dragonslayer himself?" He broke out into a smile. "Oh, I''ve heard so much about you! My daughter¡ª" Anton chuckled. "That would be him." He patted me on the shoulder. "I''m just a humble B-rank adventurer." Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "O-oh, r-right¡­ A-apologies¡­" He gave me an apologetic bow. Well, that was awkward. Makes sense though why he thinks it''s Anton and not me. I''m just too young for the role. "Please, let me take you to the lieutenant. He''ll surely be happy by your arrival." Lieutenant? Not the general himself? We followed him through the camp. Counting by the number of tents alone, there had to be at least hundreds of soldiers there, perhaps even reaching up to a thousand. It was really a full-blown military operation. Isn¡¯t it too much? She''s just one person, you know. We were led to a large tent who looked to be their command center. "Wait here." The soldier told us before he went and spoke to the two guards that stood in front of said tent. We were told to wait quite far away from the tent itself so we couldn''t make out what they were saying. Afterward, he entered the tent, and not a moment later, he came out with another man in tow¡ªa middle aged mustachioed man dressed in a well-polished chainmail armor. Before we could say anything, he took the initiative and started the conversation. ¡°Well met. I assume you¡¯re here to assist us with the necromancer problem?¡± His voice was silky smooth with a tinge of snobbery into it. ¡°Then you would be welcome to join your other, fellow adventurers. For B-ranks, your job would be to secure the already captured sections of the dungeon. As for you, the S-rank,¡± He specifically stared at me while he said those words. ¡°You are to go directly to the general in the frontline. You will serve as our frontline fighters. The details would be given by my subordinates. Ask around for directions for where the dungeon entrance is.¡± And just like that, he left. Wow, how rude. He doesn¡¯t even bother introducing himself. The soldier from before approached us again. "Apologies for the lieutenant''s attitude. He''s been real busy with this whole expedition. He barely gets any sleep so he gets cranky like that. Anyway, if you would, I will be your guide for the evening." He bowed. "Tell us everything." Anton spoke with a serious look. "Especially any information you know about the dungeon." Chapter 140: The Crimes of Felicia Myne A millennium ago, in the era where the Demon God ruled, demons proliferated through the entire world. They would transform natural caves and ruins into their own breeding grounds, where they could produce more monsters to be part of their army. In human tongue, those places would be called dungeons. For that purpose, they utilized magic of the dark, demonic variety, forging dungeon cores and placing them in the center of said places, slowly filling them with demonic mana and transforming them to suit their purposes more. One of such places was the mausoleum Felicia was currently hiding herself in. Once, before the kingdom of Fiania even existed, there was another kingdom. Its name was lost to history as the demons had wiped it off the map, not leaving even a single ruin behind. Only the mausoleum survived, as the demons decided to transform it into a dungeon instead of destroying it. However, over the years, thanks to earthquakes and storms that caused landslides, the whole place was swallowed by the earth, thus erasing the last remnant of the ancient nameless kingdom. How did Felicia discover the place, you might ask? Simple. By pure accident. She was traveling through the valley one day, looking for ingredients for her alchemic concoctions. The previous day, a tempestuous storm had caused a landslide on the area, and it actually opened just enough of the mausoleum that she could detect the demonic mana leaking from inside it. And so, with the help of Berault, her loyal knight, she dug through the rocks obscuring the entrance, only to reveal that there was an entirely undiscovered dungeon. Naturally, she decided it would be the perfect place to conduct her unholy experiments. With just the two of them, they entered the accursed mausoleum. Thanks to her expertise in dark magic and his expertise in the sword, they managed to make it all the way to the center where they met the dungeon boss and the core it guarded. It was a hard-fought battle, since it was an S-rank monster, but they managed to triumph over it. With the dungeon core in hand, she learned how to utilize and control it, just like the demons did. And thus, she gained control of the dungeon, becoming it''s de-facto dungeon mistress. It was perfect in every way. The abundance of demonic mana helped her necromantic research massively and its secrecy meant no one would know of all the dark experiments she did there. And she did a lot of them indeed. She would lure monsters from the outside to enter the dungeon using the core''s ability and then either kill them herself or make them fall for the many traps the dungeon had. And then, she would dissect them before turning them into her undead minion. It wasn''t just limited to monsters either. Once, a bandit troupe came into the region. As their first act of villainy, they raided a nearby village¡ªkilled some people, stole their harvest, and kidnapped their women. The news came to Felicia''s ears, and she decided they would make the perfect experiment fodder for her research. I do need a live specimen¡ªsomeone I can poke and prod while their heart is still beating. And what better candidate for such a purpose than a number of bandits no one would miss? And so, she and her loyal knight paid them a visit. "Look who we got here, boys! A mage and her knight in shining armor!" The bandit leader grinned. He was a dark-skinned, tall, and well-muscled man who only wore a red vest and black trousers. "Let me guess. You''re two stupid adventurers who think you''re hotshots who can win against a whole band of bandits. Or are you simply a poor lost soul who took the wrong turn and now found herself in a bandit fortress? Either way, the result would be the same. We ain''t gonna let ya'' off the hook even if you beg and apologize. Gotta keep this place nice and secret after all. And besides¡­" His grin turned into a lewd sneer as his eyes wandered towards Felicia''s braless chest and exposed long legs. "You''re just too pretty to let go." "Your looks¡­ you¡¯re a Westernese, aren¡¯t you? Interesting.¡± A grin appeared on Felicia¡¯s face. It seemed she had opted to ignore the bandit''s crude remark entirely. ¡°I heard the people over there have higher strength and vitality than the average humans.¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯ll show ya¡¯ our strength and vitality, alright,¡± the bandit leader replied, before breaking out into a roar of a laugh, followed by the rest of the bandits. "You''ll be so sore you won''t be able to walk anymore." It was clear that the mage was not threatened in the slightest by the bandit leader¡¯s threats. And yet, in their arrogance, the bandits still believed they were going to win. After all, she had just waltzed into their fortress in the middle of the valley, and now she had her and her companion completely surrounded. The bandits believed that no matter how strong she and her companion might be, there was no way they could win against fifty Westernese warriors. They were terribly, dreadfully wrong. The moment they decided to attack was the very moment they decided to seal their fates. In a flash, her knight took down five of them with a single sword move. Another five then fell as shadow tendrils appeared from their shadows and pierced them in their hearts. And so, with a hearty grin, she began the slaughter. To her, they were nothing more than beasts and monsters. Scum like them were more useful for the world to assist in her research in death than to live in their worthless, vile lives. However, she left the leader alive, for she had something special planned for him. "T-thank you! Thank you for sparing me!" The once proud and tall man was now reduced to a whimpering coward as he supplicated himself to Felicia. He was crying and his breeches were soaked with fear. Never before had he found an opponent as terrifying as them. To think that he would stumble upon a dark mage here of all places¡­ "Show me where you keep those kidnapped girls," Felicia ordered. "R-right away, Ma''am!" What she found then truly disgusted her. Only a few of them survived. The rest had died due to the roughness they received when the bandits had their way with them one by one, to the point that their womanhood bled. The survivors didn''t fare better. Their eyes were hollow and lifeless. They were broken. They had been captured for a whole month. Anyone would break under such a treatment for that long. Felicia cured whom she could. But, she didn''t have amnesiacs in her possession to cure their trauma. She wouldn''t know if it would even be right to just erase the memories of everything that had happened here. She told her knight to escort them home while she returned to her dungeon with the bandit leader in tow. Hearing that, the man began to grin, thinking that he had just escaped death. He even started to scheme to hit her captor on the back when she let her guard down. He would then ravish that whorish body of hers over and over before bashing her head on the nearby rock he could find. Of course, he would never get such a chance. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. -------- "Aaaaaahhhrggg!" The man let out a scream of pain before he puked blood on the floor. His legs soon failed him, and he fell down to the cold stone tiles of his prison. "Hmm, I see. Fascinating. Westernese physiology makes you more resistant to my poison for a lot longer than normal humans. Four minutes and twenty seconds to be exact." "K-kill me¡­ p-please just kill me¡­" "Now now I can''t have you quitting now, can you? I still need to do so many tests to you, my dear live human." "Y-you¡­ you''re a monster¡­" It had been a week since he was captured by Felicia. And yet, to him, it felt like an eternity. If he had known he would end up like this, he would have taken his own life back then for sure. He thought that she was an idiot to enter a dungeon with him in tow. But when he noticed that she navigated the place as if it was her second home, and how every single monster he saw avoided her entirely, he realized that he was dealing with something far beyond his capability. As a Westernese who was raised as a warrior from birth, he had no idea what kind of witchery she was using, but he knew there was no way he could take her off-guard. The difference between their strength was simply too much. And now, he¡¯s stuck being her personal experimental mouse. These past week, she had kept him in a pitch black room. Lights would only turn on when she entered and began her accursed experiments. Meals and drinks would only be provided on a whim, and they would appear out of nowhere in the dark room. He had scoured the place for any tunnels and such, but so far, every single stone there hid nothing. There weren¡¯t even doors. He had no idea how he even entered this room in the first place, since she drugged him and transported him here when he was unconscious. He looked at her right in the eyes with flames in her eyes. He believed that they were flames of courage in the face of evil, but the truth was, it was only the flames of desperation, for It was the only way he could give himself any sense of control. Never before had he ended up in a situation like this where he had to kowtow to others. Felicia¡¯s expression, on the other hand, was simple. It was one of pure glee. ¡°That would be all for today. Tomorrow, we shall move to the second stage. I want to observe just how humans handle losing their limbs. Goodnight, Sir Bandit.¡± With those ominous words, she left, disappearing in the dark just like the way she came. With whatever strength he had left, he banged his head over and over to the floor, hoping that he would be able to put an end to this torment. However, just like the other times he had tried to do the same, sleeping gas began to spread around the room. The moment he could no longer hold his breath was the moment he lost his consciousness. The next day, Felicia fulfilled her promise. She gave him a paralyzing agent first, making him lose control of nearly every muscle on his body. With a large knife, she chopped his right arm first, all with the same glee, or even more, when she poisoned him yesterday. He would scream in pain, but he could not even move his mouth anymore. She began scribbling, taking notes on the rate his blood left his body. He then injected a drug into the stump, stopping the bleeding entirely. ¡°Good. My Blood Coagulation potion is a success. It¡¯s effective even for a Westernese.¡± She then reached her palm forward, manipulating the blood to re-enter his body using her blood magic. ¡°Can¡¯t have you dying from blood loss after all~¡± she mumbled with a singalong voice. She proceeded to do the same with his left arm, followed by his right and left leg. And the man felt the pain. Every single bit of it. The drug made sure he wouldn''t pass out from shock as well. She took note of his pulse and heartbeat, undisturbed by the paralysis poison. If there was one thing Felicia absolutely despised, it''s people like him. To her, he had stopped being human the moment he did all those things to those village girls. He was now lower than an insect¡ªhe was a vile and wretched existence. And then, once all his limbs were gone, she lifted the paralysis drug, for she wished to hear his scream. She left them like that afterward, letting him die of thirst before turning him into one of her collections, just like his subordinates. In his last hours, he could only curse her over and over. He didn''t even know her name, nor did she know his. Felicia had no intention of giving him the pleasure of knowing who tortured him and she didn''t find it important to know his name. After all, what use was a name to a creature lower than an insect? It was the only time she ever did such a cruel experiment. But it was enough to take her necromantic arc to the next level. The old bastard has become too suspicious of me lately. He wants me to stay in the castle at all times, no matter how much I pleasure him in bed. He has to go. And I shall make his corpse be my puppet. Killing him was terribly easy. She just had to put some poison powder on her breasts as he loved sucking on them like an overgrown manchild every time they slept together. Afterward, she had the rest of the night to convert him into one of her so-called ¡°perfect zombies¡±. When dawn came, the king had become her puppet completely¡ªbody and soul, with no one knowing any better, for it was preferably for him to be a doll than a living man. Such was the fate of one so wretched in their act. She wouldn''t have done it if her daughter had professed any love for him. She would bear having to pretend to be his lover at night, no matter how disgusted she was at doing so. But after she revealed all her father''s wrongdoings to the princess, she agreed that someone needed to stop him. She even begged her to persuade him, thinking that Felicia was in the position to do so. Little did she know that the king only saw her as his bedwarmer and nothing more. And so she executed her plan. For no one was really inconvenienced by it. Now, the kingdom would be led by the prime minister instead, which was a much more reasonable man. Everyone would prefer if he was in charge. And so, everything went swimmingly for the necromancer. She could do her research as much as she wanted, having the freedom to do whatever she wanted and to go wherever she wanted to. She had not seen any Magocracy agents in years after she defeated that bubble girl. It was perfect. Until the Inquisition came. -------- Tch, why? Why must they come now? Now out of all times? And how do they even know this location?! Felicia bit her thumb with her teeth as she paced around in the circle¡ªan unmistakably distressed look drawn on her face. She was now in the heart of her dungeon, in her laboratory to be exact. Using her control over the Dungeon Core, she was able to transform part of the dungeon to suit her own needs. So now, she was standing in a large well-ventilated room filled with numerous alchemical equipment. The ventilation wouldn''t transfer the contaminated air to the outside though. Instead, it dumped it deeper into the earth. There, as she was doing her work, her knight arrived, delivering her the bad news. While she was absent, a group of Inquisitors had stormed the castle and exposed the king as an undead she was controlling. And now, the entire nation was marching here to have her head. "You should escape, Milady. Take Rowana and Miss Leila with you. I can give you a diversion." "No no no! I can''t leave now! I am so close! So very close in completing my very own Soul Gate! I''ll have to spend years constructing it all over again if I leave now!" Her thumb was now bleeding from the force of her teeth. To think that someone would be able to detect the dark mana emanating from that old fool¡¯s puppet. So that¡¯s the power of the Inquisitors. I have heard about them, but to think that they¡¯re not just a bunch of zealots who lack any brains whatsoever¡­ No, there¡¯s no possible way they can stumble upon my creation by accident. They should be on their way to the Demon Continent, that much I know. They would not make a sudden detour, unless something, or someone, gives them a hint that a necromancer is here. ...Don¡¯t tell me that¡­. No, their pride shouldn¡¯t allow them to do so. They want me alive, don¡¯t they? To be dragged and paraded among their citizens before being executed? They won¡¯t just decide to let the Church have the glory of finishing me off. Still, it¡¯s a possibility. They would already know where my base is, judging by the ambush they tried on me all those years ago. It doesn¡¯t matter. All I should be concerned about is how I should get out of this situation. She continued to pace back and forth, thinking to envision a scenario where she could come out on top. All the options she had however were unsatisfactory. She couldn¡¯t take the Soul Gate with her. And she certainly couldn¡¯t last against an entire kingdom¡¯s army and a group of Church Inquisitors who were no doubt well-trained to fight necromancers like her. Or could she? If I utilized the advantage I possess by being the master of this dungeon, then perhaps I still have a chance! I can thin out their numbers considerably by laying down traps and ambushing them from the shadows! And if I can take those Inquisitors by surprise¡­ A grin appeared on her face. ¡°Rejoice, Lord Berault. For there is no need for us to abandon our Soul Gate. Your wish of being reunited with your wife will truly be fulfilled as I have promised. You shall no longer have to content being with a mere replica.¡± ¡°I am gladdened to hear that, Milady, but it is unwise to¡ª¡± ¡°No, we have a chance. But you would have to do a lot of dishonorable combat. I hope you are fine with that, Milord.¡± ¡°But what about Miss Lelia? Surely we can¡¯t drag her into our fight.¡± ¡°True.¡± She bit her lip ¡°We would have to remove her from the premises.¡± Her little apprentice was currently sleeping right now in her room, together with her resurrected father. Naturally, Felicia had created their room to be as cozy as she could. The girl had been afraid of the place when she first arrived, but soon she found it to be akin to her own home back in her village. And in these past months, she had proved to her that she was brimming with magical talent, not just in alchemy but in dark magic as well. She had proved to herself that she had made the right choice. And Felicia had never been happier, for the necromancer was a lonely woman who always wanted a family. These past months, not only was she her master, but she also acted almost like her surrogate mother. She cooked her delicious food every day and read her books before bed, just so to see her smile. The poor girl was lonely as well, as she never had a mother in her life, as she died from birthing her. So it was the perfect arrangement. In truth, what she sought was not an apprentice necromancer. She just wanted a family of her own. ¡°We wouldn''t want her to see the carnage after all." She grinned. Chapter 141: The Siege Begins ¡°I don¡¯t wanna!¡± ¡°Now, Leila, don¡¯t be stubborn, we can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°If you¡¯re staying, then I¡¯m staying too!¡± Felicia held her hand on her forehead. Just as she feared, the girl was too stubborn to leave. After ordering her knight to prepare for their ¡°guests¡±, the necromancer went to the girl¡¯s room to speak with her. Just like her laboratory, it was a modified room, designed to be as comfortable-looking as it could be, for an underground room anyway. If the dwarves could learn to like it, then humans should be able to. The little girl never complained about it anyway, especially since every day she could go outside and play with her father, using the hidden shortcut that would take them straight to the surface from the depths of the dungeon. That shortcut was, of course, something she made herself as well, using the Dungeon Core. And, as she had feared, the little girl was less than receptive to the idea of leaving the place. ¡°If those Church bad guys are coming, then I wanna fight too!¡± The little girl had no love for the church. They never really cared about her people. They charged exorbitant money for their healing services. She still remembered how a wandering priest refused to help her father¡¯s back pains, while her dear Miss Felicia did it for free. That¡¯s why she quickly agreed to Felicia¡¯s teachings that the Church just comprised a bunch of power-hungry, money-grubbing, close-minded idiots. ¡°No, no, you cannot.¡± Felicia sighed her head as she took a seat beside her on the bed. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own safety.¡± She put her arm around her with a smile. ¡°The battle would be dangerous, so I can¡¯t have you around.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying¡­ I¡¯m useless?¡± Her eyes watered. Felicia responded with a gentle tap on her scalp. ¡°Naughty girl. That won¡¯t work anymore, you know.¡± She smiled. The necromancer, having spent four months with her, knew that she liked to use her puppy-like face to get what she wanted. ¡°If you¡¯re going to fight with me, then you should get better at your magic first.¡± Truth be told, the young girl¡¯s talent truly surprised her. In just the four months that she became her master, she could already cast Beginner-level Shadow spells, along with producing the most basic of alchemical compounds. She believed that she truly would be the companion she wished to have in her ambition to obliterate death from the world. The little girl wasn¡¯t bothered in the slightest when she was told that her father was actually a zombie reanimated by her spell. For her, as long as he was there, acting like his usual self, it was already enough. It was exactly the pragmatic, open-minded attitude she desired. ¡°Come. I¡¯ll send you and your father to hide somewhere. Give me a week at the very most and then I¡¯ll be there to take you back, alright?¡± She put her hand on her two little shoulders. ¡°Fine¡­¡± She pouted. ¡°But promise that you¡¯ll come back, alright? Miss Felicia¡­ you¡¯re just¡­ you¡¯re just like Mother! So I don¡¯t want to see you hurt!¡± She shouted. Now, the watery eyes were real. ¡°Good girl.¡± Felicia kissed her on her forehead. ¡°Now, pack your things. I¡¯ll send your father to help.¡± The place she chose for their temporary hideout was a certain unmarked cavern near the dungeon. She believed it was far enough to be safe from all the fighting while still being close enough that she could fetch them right away in case anything went wrong. She had a good reason to believe that the Inquisition wouldn¡¯t spare Leila if they caught her, even if she was just a little girl. Since when age would stop their zealotry? When she finished hiding Leila and her father, it was just hours away until the army arrived right in front of her footsteps. And when they did, she was more than ready. ---------- The soldiers soon arrived, and they immediately made their encampment in front of the dungeon. The general then took one hundred of his troops as a vanguard force, to see just how dangerous the dungeon was. Thankfully for him, the dungeon had a wide entrance, easily capable of supporting such an army. ¡°Welcome, good people of Fiania! Welcome to my humble abode!¡± When the soldiers first entered the dungeon, they would hear her voice echoing from the walls. It was yet another ability the Dungeon Core granted her. ¡°Go further at your own peril! I wish no evil on any of you, but if you insist on trespassing my domain, then I shall not hesitate to end your lives!¡± ¡°Silence, witch!¡± The general yelled back, his voice far louder than hers. ¡°To kill your own monarch, someone that had taken you in from the streets, you have done something unforgivable! As the general of this kingdom, I shall put you down like the snake you are!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure you would, General.¡± She chuckled. ¡°But what about your Inquisitor friends? Do they have anything they wish to say to me?¡± The Inquisitors were indeed there, standing with the general. They had kept their silence until now. ¡°We have nothing to say to a heretic,¡± the lady named Whitebloom said in a serene expression. ¡°Nothing? Are you certain?¡± Felicia replied in a mocking tone. ¡°You don¡¯t wish to tell me to repent or anything like that?¡± ¡°There is no redemption for you. You shall be burned at the stake and your soul shall be condemned to oblivion.¡± In the Milicis faith, the ultimate punishment was the destruction of the soul, forbidding oneself from being reincarnated altogether. Some believed it to be a complete cessation of existence, while others believed that the soul would wander in nothingness for eternity. ¡°Ooo, scary. Then, come and get me. If you could, that is.¡± No other words would come from her after that. And, as she had expected, they weren¡¯t backing down. They decided to march on, despite the warning she had graciously given them. ----------- The necromancer made true of her threats soon enough. ¡°Aarghh!¡± ¡°Ugyaahhh!¡± Another explosion. Another trap being triggered. And another squad of soldiers completely obliterated. The wide opening of the entrance didn¡¯t last long. The structure of the dungeon soon narrowed, splitting off into multiple small paths and branches. It wasn¡¯t just a two-dimensional maze. It ran on three dimensions, as the passages and corridors went up and down as well. And one by one, the necromancer thinned their numbers down. Using her alchemy, she had outfitted many of the rooms with explosives and poisonous gases. The soldiers, having no experience in tackling a dungeon, fell from them over and over. When the day ended, they barely made any progress, with most of that hundred soldiers becoming corpses. Thus the general, by the approval of the Inquisitors, opted for a retreat. ---------- ¡°Damn that woman!¡± The general slammed his fist on the table. He and the Inquisitors were now outside the dungeon, inside the command tent the soldiers had set up. They were having a meeting to decide what their next move should be, after their abject failure. ¡°There¡¯s no use of being mad, General,¡± Lady Whitebloom spoke with a disinterested expression. ¡°It is to be expected from a person abhorrent enough to use necromancy in the first place. If I were to suggest a course of action, you should recruit adventurers to scour this dungeon. They¡¯re more well-suited for this kind of expedition than your army.¡± ¡°Adventurers?¡± He paused, looking towards her with a displeased frown. ¡°Lady, I do not take kindly to that statement! I¡¯ve raised my soldiers like they¡¯re my own flesh and blood! I will not let a bunch of untrustworthy sellswords steal their glory¡ª¡± ¡°Your glory is irrelevant. What matters is that we caught that woman, and to do so in a timely manner.¡± She stood up from the rickety chair she was sitting on. ¡°I can feel it¡ªdark magic gathering into one great singularity. She¡¯s preparing a dark ritual of some sort. And I would rather not have her complete it, wouldn¡¯t you agree, General?¡± She was now staring right at the General¡¯s eyes. Even though she was shorter and daintier than him, the general couldn¡¯t help but feel intimidated by her. She reminded him of his overbearing wife, only ten times worse. He knew she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill him if he ever stepped out of line¡ªsomething she could do as an enforcer of the Church. ¡°Fine.¡± He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll send a messenger to announce the recruitment.¡± ¡°Limit it to B-rank at the very least,¡± she ordered. ¡°We don¡¯t need inexperienced buffoons to make things more difficult.¡± As the general summoned said messenger, she stepped outside, moving her gaze towards the dungeon entrance below the cliff they were currently on. Ever since she was little, she already had great sensitivity towards dark magic. When she was five, she could already point out a heretic that secretly practiced dark magic, even though she could only cast Beginner-level Holy spells at the time. And when her accusation was proven to be true, and not just a silly rambling of a little girl, the Church acknowledged her talent as an inquisitor, so she was given the best inquisitorial training that they could afford to give her. This, naturally, granted much prestige and honor to her family. The Whitebloom family was never amongst one of the so-called ¡°top dogs¡± of the Church, thus for her to be a Vice Head Inquisitor like this, it was a great boon to them. Not to mention that it led her marrying someone from the house of Norn, which was one of those so-called top dogs. He was the one who asked her to be his wife too, which was an even bigger honor. All thanks to her ability as an Inquisitor. The moment the news spread that she could cast her very first Grandmaster-level spell, he proposed to her. Was she happy? Of course. She had always admired his dedication to the Saint and the Church. Just like her, he was a man of holiness who chooses to use his life to do good and vanquish all that is evil, no matter what form they took. She still remembered how he coolly brought to justice a benefactor of his who had made a pact with demons in secret. He didn¡¯t care that he had trained him for years as an Inquisitor, or how he only summoned a demon to cure the illness of his wife. He knew that no matter the person or the reason, evil is evil and it must be rooted out of existence without mercy. The fool believed that a life corrupted by dark magic is better than death in purity. Does he not believe that the righteous shall enter the paradise of Sher where illness took no hold? And so, both he and his wife had to be cleansed by the fires of judgment for it. And now, it was her chance¡ªto prove that she was worthy of being his wife. This necromancer was the perfect great evil for her to slay. ---------- sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hugo ¡°So this is the dungeon, huh? I have no idea how they couldn¡¯t find it earlier before now.¡± In front of me was a towering gate-like structure made of white bricks. It was about as tall as a three-story building, but its wideness was far more than that. A hundred soldiers could indeed enter the place, as that soldier had told us. It led straight into the tall cliff behind it, though according to the soldier as well, the dungeon also went downwards, ever deeper into the valley we were currently standing on. ¡°Like I¡¯ve said, this entire cliff side used to be buried by rocks. Not to mention that there weren¡¯t that many people traveling here in the first place,¡± the soldier explained. ¡°Anton, have you ever been to a dungeon like this?¡± I turned around to face him. ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, haven¡¯t I? Every dungeon is unique. It¡¯s unwise to assume that one dungeon is akin to another, even if they might look so,¡± he replied with a frown. ¡°That¡¯s why normally, it would take a long time to clear one. If we adventurers are to keep ourselves alive, we need to take it slow. We have to make a map, deduce the manner of traps the dungeon likes to use, notes the manner how the monsters operate, and so on, and so forth. It¡¯s not a simple matter to clear a dungeon.¡± ¡°But if it¡¯s Hu¡ªI-I mean Charles, he can do it with his eyes closed, can¡¯t you?¡± Amelie grinned at my direction. ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot,¡± Anne countered. ¡°He might be strong against monsters, but without us to keep an eye for him, he¡¯ll just walk right into a trap and die from it.¡± ¡°H-hey, I¡¯m not that clumsy, you know,¡± I protested. ¡°So, you came.¡± I looked behind me and saw a person walking down from the nearby hill. Silver hair, long ears, and a dispassionate expression¡ªthere was no doubt about it. It was Ilymhyrra. ¡°I expected to see you here. Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d drag your friends with you though.¡± She gave a momentary glance towards Anton and the others. ¡°Come. I wish to speak to you in private.¡± It took me a few seconds to process her more-than-sudden appearance. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the elf that saved us back then, weren¡¯t you?¡± Anne approached her with a smile before offering her hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t get the chance to thank you back then.¡± The elf gave her a confused look but shook her hand nonetheless. ¡°W-why are you here? I thought you¡¯re going to the Magocracy!¡± I finally managed to speak. ¡°You promised, you know!¡± I put on my angry look. ¡°And where is she? The one you¡¯re supposed to keep your eye on?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fret about her,¡± she replied, still keeping her neutral expression. ¡°She won¡¯t do any mischief. I made sure of that. And she¡¯s with me if you want to confirm it in person.¡± She turned towards the hill. Sure enough, at the distance, I could see a girl standing there with a tall witch¡¯s hat. ¡°Come. I need to speak with you,¡± she asked again. I had no choice but to obey. After what she did to me back then, I had gained a certain amount of fear towards her. I knew for sure that she completely outclassed me in every way. If I didn¡¯t comply, she might just decide to knock me in the back of the head before taking me anyway. I gave a nod towards Anne. ¡°I¡¯ll go. You guys stay here, alright?¡± I looked at Anton and Amelie as well. Anne gave me a questioning look but said nothing. The elf then took me toward said hill. Once we left the encampment, she began speaking once more. ¡°Do you think of saving her?¡± ¡°Her? You mean, the necromancer?¡± ¡°Yes. She¡¯s your friend, is she not?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. She¡¯s just¡­ an acquaintance.¡± ¡°Truly? Then why are you here? To slay her?¡± ¡°Do I really have to answer? It¡¯s none of your business, is it?¡± I could hear my voice rising in tone. I wasn¡¯t sure why myself, but I was getting angry towards her. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. She turned around and looked me right in the eyes. ¡°If you think of saving her, then I suggest not doing so.¡± ¡°Why not? Just because she¡¯s a necromancer?¡± She didn¡¯t answer right away. Instead, her glare intensified, seemingly burning straight into my head. I think I might have angered her. ¡°Necromancy is a vulgar and disgusting magic. It is only used by vulgar and disgusting people. Making puppets out of the dead¡ªall living things should see it as abhorrent.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s done on monsters, then I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°But she doesn¡¯t only use it on monsters, does she?¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Other than the king ,how many other humans do you think she had turned?¡± ¡°He¡¯s an evil bastard so I don¡¯t particularly care.¡± I answered her frankly, even though I knew my answer didn¡¯t really make me look in the right. It was a childish answer, placing the king as this pure evil person with no redeeming qualities. There is no such thing as pure good and pure evil, no matter what world you¡¯re in. Still, that was what I felt. And so I spoke it to her. To my surprise, instead of lecturing me about how na?ve I was, she instead opted to ask me another question. ¡°And you believe she is a better person?¡± ¡°Hey, she¡¯s not the one who executed his own wife just because she gave birth to a disabled daughter. And she¡¯s not the one who forced girls to sleep with him. She¡¯s the one who cured plagues. And she did it for free too. She might be a necromancer, but I don¡¯t see that as an evil thing. Unlike you, I think it¡¯s not inherently good or bad. It¡¯s just another form of magic after all. It¡¯s like saying if a sword is good or evil.¡± Those words seemed to hit her even harder. As her glare intensified even more, her grip on her staff tightened. For a second, I readied my hand on the hilt of my sword, as I felt she was going to hit me with it. ¡°I remember.¡± She spoke. ¡°There was a certain someone saying such things a long time ago. That person ended up causing great suffering for everyone around them. She didn¡¯t become a savior for anyone, not for him, or the world, or even herself.¡± I had no idea who she was referring to in that sentence. Great suffering? Might she be talking about the Necromancer King? But it¡¯s a ¡°king¡± so it should be a ¡°he¡±, not a she. She then took a few steps towards me until she stood right in front of me. ¡°If you believe that she is worth saving, then I won¡¯t stop you. But know this. If she remains on the path she¡¯s currently walking, she will only become another calamity upon this world.¡± She turned around, walking away for a few steps before stopping, resuming her speech but without sparing a glance towards me. ¡°Necromancy is an accursed magic. It is a demonic art that humans should never learn or use. One of the Demon Lords of old used it extensively against humanity back in those days. They would use it to make us fight against our own dead comrades and families, for they enjoyed the pained looks we would have. If you truly care for your friend, you would tell her to stop. After all, she doesn¡¯t really need it. She¡¯s a perfectly serviceable alchemist already. Tell her that it¡¯s a fool¡¯s errand to believe that one can overcome death.¡± With those words said, she resumed her walk. And she refused to say anything else until we reached the top of the hill. Chapter 142: Hugo’s Resolve "Well well well, we meet again." When we reached the top of the hill, I was greeted by, who else, Elun. She stood with a smug grin on her face¡ªsomething that immediately triggered my desire to punch her. "Aw, what''s with the frown? Don''t worry. I''m no longer after your head. Master Ilymhyrra would never let me hear the end of it if I break my promise to her." sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Master¡­ Ilymhyrra? "Stop it. I''m not your Master," the elf interjected. "Oh, come on now, Master Ilymhyrra! I have declared my intent to fully devote myself under your tutelage! You can''t just reject me like that!" she replied with a playful smile. "Yes, I now have acknowledged her as the Founder''s Master." She turned to face me again, putting one hand on her waist. "These past month, my observations of her conclude that yes, she''s indeed the person whom she spoke of. Naturally, this means I should grovel on her feet to make her accept me as an apprentice." "I''m not teaching you anything," the elf interjected with a glare.¡± "Don''t worry. She''ll get around, eventually.¡± The blue-haired mage ignored her statement completely. ¡°More importantly," She suddenly walked up close to me, making me take a few steps backwards in apprehension. "You, Hugo Greenwood, you are truly a madman, aren''t you? You''re thinking of saving Felicia, knowing full well that the Church will make you a heretic for it. Have you fallen for her charms? I know she''s quite the looker." "I''m not," I replied with a frown. "I just want to talk to her." "Ha! As if I''m going to believe that! But it''s fine. I like your gumption, boy." She smirked. "Are you sure you don''t want to become my husband? I want that kind of man to be my significant other. Though you''re just a boy right now." "Not interested." "Are you sure? Let''s give that a test, shall we?" She twirled her index finger, and suddenly¡ª *WOOSH* A gust of wind suddenly appeared out of nowhere, lifting the blue-haired mage''s skirt. Its hem flew all the way upwards, revealing the blue-striped underwear she wore underneath. They clung tightly to her womanhood, adding a lot to their seductiveness despite being plain otherwise, especially compared to the fancy lace panties the princess showed to me just yesterday. Naturally, they immediately charmed my poor, virgin eyes. ¡°Like what you¡¯re seeing?¡± She had her hands on her waist, her skirt still fluttering to the wind. ¡°Just so you know, I have a lot of suitors back home. None interests me though. They¡¯re all inferior to me in the art of magic. But you. You are different. Even though you¡¯re still so young, you are already capable of defeating me. If that¡¯s not a sign of an unpolished gem, then I don¡¯t know what that is. And so, I want you to become my husband. Under my guidance, and Mother¡¯s, you will become the great mage you are always meant to be. I have no doubt about it whatsoever.¡± I nodded, barely hearing what she was spouting out of her mouth. "Hey, are you even listening?" She pouted. The wind finally died down, allowing me to regain my senses. "I see it now." She smirked. "The rumors of you being a perv were right after all." To be honest, it wasn''t the first time I saw her undergarments. When we fought before, she didn''t really attempt to hide them either. With how short her skirt was, it was only natural I got a view or two. "Eh, I''ve seen better," I put on my mocking smile. It''s true. In terms of lewdity, that princess'' lingerie was still lewder. She huffed, crossing her arms. "From who? That blonde girl you''re with? I doubt it. My panties are my biggest charm point. I''ve seduced many men by showing them off." "Then they just have a low standard in panties," I fired back. Now, I wouldn''t say I''m a panty-connoisseur per se, but upskirts were certainly one of my favorite ecchi tropes. And to think I could indulge in them this much in this second life, aah, it''s truly a blessing. "Hmph. I see you''re not cultured enough to appreciate a good striped panties. Fine. How about this then?" She twirled her index finger once again. And just like before, a gust of wind blew her skirt upwards. Only this time, she added some hefty acting on top of it. "Iyaahh!" She let out a painfully obvious fake screech as she tried to both keep her hat in place and her skirt down. Ever so slightly, she turned her butt to my direction, allowing me to see her panties in a completely new angle from before. "T-the wind! I-it''s not stopping!" The striped fabric didn''t cover her buttocks completely, leaving a visible buttcrack in the middle. They were indeed a good pair of low-rise shimapan. After a while, the wind stopped. "Kyaah, such a perverted wind¡­ I''m lucky no one is around to look¡­¡± she said as she gave a smirk towards my direction. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that level of bad acting won¡¯t work.¡± I folded my arms and shook my head. ¡°We both know you¡¯re shameless enough to not feel any embarrassment whatsoever when people can see your underwear. Unfortunately for you, my type of girl is the shy, innocent kind, precisely the kind of words I won¡¯t use to describe you.¡± That¡¯s a lie, of course. I¡¯m into lewd, promiscuous girls as well. As a guy who¡¯s afraid to make the first move, I certainly want a teasing girlfriend who will throw herself at me. Not her, though. I might be a perverted virgin, but I¡¯m not a naive one. She just wanted me for my magical talent. And my seed, if I had to imagine. To raise a child strong in magic so the strength of her family would be bolstered¡ªthat¡¯s exactly what Vera wanted with Marina. I¡¯m not going to fall for that! She let out a huff once again, before putting up another act. This time, it was the classic puppy eyes. ¡°Really? You¡¯re not attracted to me in the slightest?¡± ¡°Nope. Not even a little.¡± She let out a long sigh. ¡°Fine. I guess I¡¯ll have to use my ultimate weapon now.¡± Ultimate weapon? What is she¡ªW-whoaaa! My heart nearly popped out of my chest, for she started to pull her striped panties downwards, right in front of my very eyes. Noticing my reaction, she gave a victorious smirk, before continuing with the process, teasing me as the fabric slowly traveled down her luscious thighs. Until a certain person stopped her anyway. *SMACK* ¡°Ooww! What was that for?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m not here to see you flirt with him.¡± It was Ilmyhrra, of course. She had hit her with the end of her staff. ¡°Fine.¡± She grumbled, lifting her underwear back in place. "Tell him." "Ah, right, I guess he deserves to know." She put her hands on her waist, her usual smug smile forming on her lips. "You see, I have a confession to make. I was the one who gave the hint to those Inquisitors of Felicia''s presence." My stomach suddenly churned. "It was simple, really. I knew they were passing by, so I sent them an anonymous letter, detailing everything that she had done. The zealous fools wouldn''t be able to ignore it, of course, and when they sent their men to investigate, they would find that the letter was speaking the truth. And so, they would take care of her. I didn''t have to do anything other than providing the information. Isn''t my plan genius?" She grinned. "Originally, I wanted to bring her back to the Magocracy, but now, my orders were to kill her by any means necessary. So I chose this. Less exciting, for sure, but I don''t have to risk making the kingdom send a complaint to the Empire about our presence here." I suddenly remembered her words after we first fought. "You might want to check on your redheaded friend." I didn''t realize it back then, but it was clear now that she was referring to Felicia. That was her other goal¡ªthe one she had accomplished. "You''re quite the snake, aren''t you?" I said in a surprisingly cold tone. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment,¡± she replied, patting herself on the chest. ¡°As one of the spies of the Magocracy, I have to take care of its possible future enemies after all.¡± ¡°What about me? You think I won¡¯t become an enemy in the future?¡± I confronted her. ¡°According to my assessment, you would.¡± She still kept her grin. ¡°But, you have gained the protection of Master Ilmyhrra. And I¡¯m not going to go against her wishes. Nor would the Council, if they believed her statement, which, after a few demonstrations, they should. After all, she¡¯s the master of our Founder.¡± I turned my attention towards Ilymhyrra. "And I guess you don''t want to grant her the same protection?" "Why would I?" the elf replied with a questioning look. ...Yeah, of course not. "Is that all?" I returned towards the blue-haired mage. "Got any other schemes or plans you want to tell me?" "Nah, that''s all of them." She smiled. "Though I have one more thing to say." "And that is¡­" "If you really want to do something stupid like killing the Inquisitors, then I suggest you get stronger. Much, much stronger. As strong as a Council member, at the very least. Or else you won''t survive when they come after you in full force." "Do you think I don''t know that?! Why do you think I kept up my training every day?!" Before I realized it, I had raised my voice. "And why are you telling me that anyway? You don''t want me to be around, do you?" "Just a simple friendly advice, nothing more." She smirked. "You might think you''re a hotshot after beating me, but there are people much stronger than both of us out there. After this, I would return to my training. As someone who would inherit the Brine family name, I still had a long way to go, if I can still be beaten by a kid half my age." My eyes went to Ilymhyrra. People like her. "Why are you guys here anyway? Just to give me advice that I already know?" I asked the elf. "I simply wish to observe, that''s all," she replied. "Observe? You''re not going to interfere?" "Interfere? My days of interfering have long passed. I am now just a simple wanderer, nothing more. Though I do have another advice for you." She walked closer towards me. "The way you''re living right now¡­ you''re going to dig your own grave, sooner or later." "I''m going to live however I want, thank you very much,¡± I readily answered. I could feel I was starting to get annoyed by the sanctimonious way she spoke. ¡°It¡¯s better to die early than to rot away living a life you don¡¯t want.¡± Like my old self. ¡°So you wish to play the hero.¡± A look of disgust came onto her face. ¡°Who are you to do so? You¡¯re not chosen by the Heavenly Dragon. You¡¯re just a kid who thinks he¡¯s special, just because he¡¯s a little better in magic than the average people. You should learn your place, before the world forces you to.¡± Yeah, that''s it. Now she''s really seriously annoying me. "I know I''m not special. I know I''m not like you who got to be the mentor of the Great Archmage herself. I know I can''t even land a scratch on you at my current strength. But know this. I''ll fight for what is precious to me, no matter who the opponent might be. That''s how I''m going to live my life." I stared right at her eyes without flinching. " What about you? You''re a thousand years old. Maybe even older. What have you done with your life? If you spent all those years just wandering around without purpose, just observing things without actually involving yourselves into them, you''ll only regret it once you left this world.¡± In my old life, I would laugh cynically at people who dreamed big and tried to change things. Activists, politicians, or even wide-eyed newbies who devoted themselves to the company I was working under. I believed myself superior to them, as in my cynicism, I believed that all their efforts were for naught. I scoffed at the idea that it¡¯s better to try and fail than never try at all, while at the same time, hypocritically feeling jealous towards those more successful than me. I was just being a coward. I was afraid to put myself out there, outside my comfort¡¯s zone. So I remained a mere observer, having nothing to be proud of in my own life, while criticizing others¡¯ life as if I had the right to do so. It was an empty and hollow existence. ¡°Though perhaps that doesn''t apply to your kind, being immortal and all,¡± I added with a bitter smile. ¡°We humans don¡¯t have that luxury, unfortunately. So keep your platitudes to yourself.¡± I then realized what irked me about her statement. It was the same words given to me by those bullies back in my old life. I still remembered it clearly, even if it happened a long time ago in another life. I had stood up to a girl who was being harassed by them. I was really naive back then, with no idea on how cruel other people could be. I didn¡¯t know that they already hated me, thanks to how popular I was with the girls. It was a memory I would rather forget. -------- ¡°Ahahahaha! Look guys! He¡¯s pissing himself! Some Hero of Justice, you are!¡± ¡°P-please, s-stop¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that? I can¡¯t hear you! Speak louder, you idiot!¡± Another kick to the stomach. ¡°Uurghhh!¡± My stomach retched. I puked out what I had for lunch. That fateful day, we were behind one of the large buildings in the school complex, hidden away from the eyes of the public. After I tried to stop them, I was dragged here by force, before they started pummeling me over and over. I tried to fight back as best as I could, but naturally, with them bigger and older than me, I couldn¡¯t do anything. It didn¡¯t take long until I was on the ground, paralyzed from the pain. ¡°Pathetic, isn¡¯t it?¡± The one who spoke was their leader. Unlike his subordinates, he wasn''t as big and muscled as they were. If I had to compare his face, it was akin to that of a rat, with two teeth too big for their own good at the front. He wore a pair of thick, unfashionable glasses. Add his bowlcut of a hair, it was clear that he wasn¡¯t the fashionable type. Fujiki Chiyama. It was a name I would rather forget as well. He crouched near me with a vile, victorious grin on his face. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve hated you ever since you came to this school. Just because you have good looks, you think it gives you the right to pick up any girls you wanted. Don¡¯t you understand how it makes the rest of us feel? Us who are not blessed by your looks?¡± He stood up and placed his right foot on top of my head.¡± Now you see that you¡¯re nothing special. You¡¯re just a nobody. Just from some upper middle class family who thinks they¡¯re good enough to enter Tenjouin. They didn¡¯t get the memo that this is supposed to be a school exclusive to rich and influential people. Like me, the son of the owner of Chiyama Incorporated. And so, even though I do this¡ª¡± He kicked me in the face once more. ¡°I won¡¯t get into any trouble in the slightest. You know why? Because I am important while you are a nobody. Without my father¡¯s support, this school wouldn¡¯t thrive as it is right now. And if you¡¯re involving the police, then I have an army of lawyers that can protect me, something you certainly cannot afford.¡± After another kick to my stomach, he left the rest of the job to his goons. I was beaten black and blue until I soiled myself as well. And then, I was thrown to the middle of the school grounds, just in time before the afternoon bell to ring. The whole school saw me in that humiliating state, exactly what he wanted. And when I returned a year later, my popularity had vanished into the wind, and my spirit with it. --------- He believed I wasn¡¯t special, that I was just a nobody. He was right. Just like how Ilmyhrra is right. I am not the hero of some isekai story with their cheat powers. I am just a guy who somehow reincarnated into a fantasy world where I was given a second chance in life. Still, it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to debase myself in front of these ¡°heroes¡± and ¡°Chosen Ones¡±. I have my own life to lead, even if it means crossing their paths. ¡°Elun.¡± I turned to the blue-haired mage. ¡°Use a spell. Just a basic one.¡± ¡°Hmm? A spell? What for?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show her.¡± I gave a glance towards the elf. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten stronger since the last time we met.¡± ¡°Ooh, interesting!¡¯ She grinned. ¡°Alright then! One simple bubble spell coming up!¡± She opened her right hand. I walked closer to her and reached out with my own hand near hers. And then, I could feel it¡ªthe shift of mana near said hand. I responded quickly, sending my own mana to disturb hers. ¡°Hmm?¡± She continued gathering mana, only for me to scatter it, over and over and over. Her grin now turned into a nervous one. ¡°N-no way¡­ You learned it, didn¡¯t you? Master¡¯s technique¡­¡± I looked at Ilmyhrra from the corner of my eyes and saw her surprised expression as well. ¡°I learned that, just by remembering when you used it on me a month ago.¡± I faced the elf. ¡°Sure, the range is still really short right now, but eventually, it¡¯ll reach your range.¡± I walked closer to her. ¡°Know why I did it? Because I don¡¯t trust you. Maybe you¡¯ll come after me and those I care about one day with your full, terrifying strength. I would curse myself forever if I don¡¯t prepare myself for that day. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re Mira¡¯s master or whatever. I¡¯ll fight you with all my unimportant, insignificant self.¡± She returned my gaze with her own. We stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, until she broke hers. ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have shown it to me, you brainless buffoon.¡± To my surprise, a smile appeared on her lips. ¡°That¡¯s what I used to call her. In a sense, you are terribly alike to her. You both have the same flaws and strengths. You both have hero complexes. You both like to charge into danger without thinking first. You both have foolish pride towards your magic, even when you''re not that good at it. You both can''t stand it when you''re being underestimated. You both want to prove yourselves very badly. And of course, you two are already this strong even at such a young age. I still remember that day when I found her in the flaming rubble of her town. She had managed to take out the Demon Lord that invaded it, all by herself, without anyone ever teaching her magic beforehand. She was just around your age." She gave me a mischievous glance. "Though a dragon might not be on that level, for your case." I could only stand in silence. The sudden change in her behavior really took me by surprise. She averted her eyes once more. "I shall be watching you, Hugo Greenwood. You and your short, human life." She started to walk away. "I''ll be observing you. I wish to know what kind of life you will lead." With those totally-not-ominous words, she and Elun departed, with her short tale still echoing inside my mind. Me? Similar to Mira? Perhaps the heroes of old are more human than I thought they were. I watched them disappear into the horizon. She¡¯ll be watching me. Until the day I die, I presume. To me, that¡¯s a lifetime of stalking. But to her, it¡¯s probably just a short note in her long history. ...Welp, I think I just picked up quite the troublesome person to be interested in me. But I¡¯ll show her. And my own self for that matter. That I wouldn¡¯t waste this second life of mine. I looked towards the entrance to the dungeon where Felicia had hidden herself. Starting from her. Chapter 143: Glory Seekers This is it! This is my chance to regain my glory! Such was the thought that flew inside Arcturus¡¯ head when he heard the news about the necromancer. It turned out that the bitch who had scorned his advances was a necromancer all along and now the kingdom put a bounty for her head! And that bounty was open to them high-ranking adventurers! He quickly gathered any members of his clan who hadn¡¯t left the capital. After his honestly not-that-big-of-a-deal minor mistake, a lot of the member parties had left, unfortunately. Still, he managed to gather about 20 people, give or take, including his best friend Red. Not his own party, though. They had all left him¡ªthose traitors. And now, after reporting to the castle, they were on-route to the dungeon, with Arcturus and Red leading at the front. ¡°Tch, to think that she would be a necromancer¡­ how dare she try to seduce me to sleep with her back then?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you were the one who wanted her to sleep with you,¡± Red replied with a sigh. ¡°Oh, shut up! You haven¡¯t heard how she seduced the king to get her position in the first place? And look at how she dressed. She¡¯s asking for men to leer at her.¡± Red could only shake his head in response. He thought that after his blunder with the dragon, he would change at least a little. Apparently not. Another reason why I need to watch over him. To be honest, Red himself wasn¡¯t really that interested in taking down the necromancer. If not for the large payment they were promised, and the fact that he wanted to watch over his friend, he wouldn¡¯t have taken the job. He too was disappointed that Felicia was revealed to be that kind of person. Though if he were to be honest, she already gave that shady vibe ever since he met her. ---------- They promptly started their dungeon exploration once they arrived, after reporting to the general. They were given authority to make their way through the dungeon on their own, with no supervision from the army or the Inquisitors. Of course, they were led through the already discovered and secured part of the dungeon, until they were left on their own, as vanguards of the capture effort. There were, of course, a couple of other adventurer parties that had taken on the offer, but none were as numerous as their group. Most of them were just B-ranks, with only a few even reaching A-rank. For them, their tasks would mainly be to secure the already conquered paths of the dungeon, to make way for the rest of the army to travel through, once they could decipher the exact route one should take to get to the center of the dungeon. Red quickly took charge of the group, assigning roles and positions and such according to his wisdom as an experienced adventurer who had ventured into several other dungeons before. Arcturus tried to do the role, but judging by the distrustful looks on the other adventurers, it was clear as day that they preferred Red to be their leader instead. Damn it! Just you wait, you shitty necromancer! I¡¯ll claim your head and regain my honor! I swear on my adventurer pride! Once again, Red could only sigh at his fallen friend. ----------- An hour into their exploration, it was all-too-obvious to Red that this was no ordinary dungeon. The way it laid down its traps and monsters¡ªit was far more intelligent than the usual dungeon. Just before, they were ambushed by a rain of acid, right as acid slimes, who were naturally immune to said rain, surrounded them. Before that, a band of goblins tried to flank them, while baiting their group to separate with each other, using the small and winding corridors they had to go through. And before that, a pitfall nearly swallowed them whole, if not for the rogue of their party noticing that something was off at the floor they were standing on. It was easily the most treacherous dungeon Red had been in. ¡°Alright everyone, let¡¯s take a break, shall we?¡± He told the group. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They were currently inside a large stony room, filled with statues of ancient figures none of them recognized. They weren¡¯t informed on the history of the place, nor they particularly would care. The place didn¡¯t seem to have any traps or monsters, so it was the perfect place to take a break. They sat down for a bit, tending to any wounds they might have and to catch their breath. Just when they were about to relax, however¡­ ¡°What¡¯s this? Having a picnic, aren¡¯t we?¡± Immediately they stood back up, drawing their weapons while standing with their backs touching each other. And then, from the ceiling in front of them, black shadows crawled down through the air, before manifesting into a redheaded woman they were already familiar with. ¡°Greetings, adventurers,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯m sure you still remember who I am, so let¡¯s skip the formalities, shall we?¡± Red promptly leaped forward and moved his fists downwards towards her, only to find that it was merely a shadow, and not the real person herself. ¡°Come on now. Do you truly believe I would actually be here?¡± She laughed. ¡°You bitch! I should¡¯ve known you were evil all along!¡± Arcturus yelled. ¡°Come out here and stop hiding like the coward you are!¡± ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s the idiot who wanted to sleep with me.¡± She giggled as she turned to face him. ¡°What a disappointment you are. To think that a fully grown man can lose to a boy barely out of puberty.¡± ¡°J-just you wait! I¡¯m going to defeat you and I¡¯ll become even more famous than he is!¡± ¡°Ha¡­ ahahahaha!¡± The shadow held her stomach in pain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s never going to happen!¡± She suddenly vanished, before reappearing on top of one of the enormous statues, standing on its head. ¡°Hear me, adventurers! I have no qualms against you and your kind! So I warn you. You¡¯ll never be able to kill me, even if you use all your strength! If you had such trouble against a mere Frost Dragon, then you have no chance whatsoever in fighting my elite minions. So leave! Spare yourselves painful and untimely deaths!¡± ¡°As if the likes of you could intimidate us!¡± Arcturus yelled back. ¡°Then so be it. Let it be known it was your own foolishness that led you and your friends to your early graves.¡± The shadow disappeared, leaving nothing but murmurs amongst the adventurers. ¡°H-hey, maybe she¡¯s right.¡± A skinny-looking man spoke in a hushed tone. ¡°Maybe we should just quit this entire goddamn job. I don¡¯t like the vibe of this place. Not in the slightest.¡± ¡°Ah, being your usual cowardly self again, aren¡¯t you, Grey?¡± His fiery lady friend pat him on the back with a grin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Unlike last time, Red is the one leading the charge!¡± Similar opinions spread all around the room, with one side still wanting to continue on and the other wanting to leave. ¡°W-what¡¯s wrong with you guys?!¡± Arcturus shouted with an exasperated, sweaty face. ¡°We can make it through this! None of the monsters or traps are too much for us!¡± No one listened to him, however. They continued speaking and arguing with each other, to Arcturus¡¯ chagrin. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± It was another matter entirely when his friend spoke. ¡°If anyone wants to leave, then leave. I won¡¯t hold it to them. But me? I¡¯ll continue. That woman was merely bluffing. Didn¡¯t you remember how she barely did anything back then while Tempest did all the work? She¡¯s not as strong as she made herself to be. No matter what tricks she used against us, as long as we work together as a team and watch each other¡¯s backs, there is nothing we can¡¯t overcome. Haven¡¯t we conquered both the Serpent¡¯s Spine and the Dragon¡¯s Graveyard¡ªtwo dungeons no other adventurers could conquer? Have faith in our strength!¡± This brief speech, combined with the passionate and heroic way Red delivered it, was enough to rouse their confidence. ¡°That¡¯s right! This dungeon isn¡¯t that dangerous compared to those two hellholes! And we can overcome them just fine!¡± ¡°Yeah! So what if she¡¯s a necromancer? It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t fought off a swarm of skeleton soldiers before!¡± Arcturus looked at his friend in a mixture of awe, disbelief and anger. Damn it, Red! That¡¯s supposed to be my moment! And he stole it right under my nose! Still, he was thankful to him. Thanks to that speech, everyone present was willing to continue on deeper into the dungeon. Loathe he was to admit it, he had a hunch that he would need every single person there to even make it to where the necromancer was hiding. ---------- The group marched on deeper and deeper, making their own map that they would share with the soldiers if they ever met with them. They were currently traversing an entirely different section of the dungeon. The place was really much bigger than it looked from the outside. No one knew whether the original construction was already like this, or the dungeon simply grew over the years thanks to its Core. After another hour of traversing endless rooms and corridors, fighting off traps and monsters as they did, they stumbled upon a series of stairs leading downwards, hinting that they were going on the right path. After all, most dungeons¡¯ last floors where the Dungeon Core should be located were their deepest floors. It was the same with those two dungeons they had conquered before. They were confronted with a problem, however. The staircase corridor was narrow¡ªso much so that only one person could enter. If they were all to enter using it, they would have to walk on a long line. And naturally, it wasn¡¯t something they would want to do. Imagine how easy it would be to ambush them when they were in that state. So, they looked for another option first, to Arcturus¡¯ annoyance. To save time, they opted to split the entourage. Each party would go on their own, mapping their path as they went. And then, after one hour or when they found another set of stairs, they would return to the appointed place. Arcturus went with Red¡¯s party, having no party of his own. ------- Seeing this development, a certain necromancer let out a sigh. The fools¡­ they really want to lose their lives, don¡¯t they? She was inside the dungeon''s figurative heart, inside a small circular room where there was only a pitch-black crystal ball and the thin pedestal that prepped it up. There was also a chair she used to sit on, but that wasn¡¯t originally part of the room. It would be too tiring to stand there for hours after all. The pitch black crystal ball was, of course, the Dungeon Core. It was a small object, fit into one¡¯s palm, yet it could hold so much power. Using her affinity with dark magic, she controlled it as its new mistress. It used to serve demonkind, but now it served her. After being so long without a master, it was overjoyed that it could once again be of service to one who held so much dark mana inside of her. It felt that it had regained its purpose. Indeed, the Core was sapient. Perhaps closer to the intellect of a dog than a human, but it had the capability for thinking and feeling, however simple it was. And Felicia could synchronize with its very being, allowing her to oversee and change the layout of the entire dungeon as she saw fit. Fine. Then I shall take care of them first. They¡¯re the closest to my current location now, and I don¡¯t need them to join forces with the army and those Inquisitors. I have to dispose of them now, while they¡¯re separated like this. I feel bad for them, but it is their choice to march here like this, despite all my warnings. Those fools. They¡¯re blinded by the promise of riches and glory. Just like how the soldiers are blinded by their sense of duty and how the Inquisitors are blinded by their zealotry. I had done nothing but good using this power, yet they still think I¡¯m evil. No matter. Once the Gate is complete, I can finally show them¡ªthe power that could transcend death itself. Once again, she rested her right hand on top of the crystal before closing her eyes. Bring me once more to those adventurers. The Core obeyed, and it showed her a vision of Red and his party heading down to a certain room she was well-familiar with. Perfect. I¡¯ll begin with them then. ------------ The room Red and his party entered was a long and narrow corridor, filled with statues to the left and right of them. Unlike the previous statues, however, who were decidedly humanlike, these were more demon-like, with horns, wings, and tails, similar to the classical portrayal of how gargoyles looked like. ¡°Mirth, lead the way,¡± Red ordered. ¡°You know what to do with these statues.¡± ¡°A¡¯right, boss.¡± Mirth was the group¡¯s expert on dungeon traps. He was a beastman of the dog variety, and his sensitive ears and noses could always tell where a trap lied in wait, or so he claimed. He took point at the group¡¯s formation, sniffing and twitching his ears around as his eyes swept through the room. He had aid from the party¡¯s cleric, Majorka, who cast the light spell that gave illumination for the otherwise pitch black dungeon. ¡°Mmm, n¡¯thing odd. We can go.¡± The party continued that way as they slowly made their way through the long corridor, stopping every time the beastman signalled them to stop. It was one reason why dungeon crawling took a really long time if you wanted to be extra careful, which you should, if you know what¡¯s good for you. When they were in the middle of the corridor, however¡ª *CLICK* ¡°Majorka, barrier! Now!¡± ¡°R-right!¡± With high speed, the cleric erected a translucent Barrier around her party members, under Mirth¡¯s order. With his sharp ears, he could hear the click from a mile away and there¡¯s only one thing a sudden click could mean in a trap-infested ruin like this. They just triggered a trap. ¡­ ¡°Hmm? Nothing is ¡®appening.¡± Mirth looked around in confusion. *CRACK* *THUD* ¡°Across ¡®ere room! Two of them!¡± Without hesitation, he drew his bow and fired an arrow towards his front, even before the cleric could shine her light on who their assailant could be. The corridor was really long, so when they were in the middle like this, they couldn¡¯t see what was hidden behind and in front of them. And then, he could hear it¡ªthe sound of surging water coming from both behind and in front of them. ¡°Water! They¡¯re going to drown us!¡± ¡°Ilfridil! Freeze the water! Don¡¯t let them get to us!¡± Ilfridil was the mage of the party. He was a tall, well-groomed elf who barely ever said anything. He nodded and readied his frost spell. In the meantime, Majorka strengthened her shield, ready to protect the party from the oncoming wave. ¡°Cold Blast!¡± The elf fired his Advanced-level Ice spell in an attempt to freeze the torrent of water rushing in. It worked, but only on one side. He wasn¡¯t fast enough to cast another Cold Blast to stop the other side from reaching them. The cleric gritted her teeth as she felt her barrier being pushed back by the force the water exuded. ¡°Hold steady!¡± Red yelled. ¡°Arcturus! Duke! Grif! Break the floor! It¡¯s the thinnest side we can escape to!¡± The floor was their only choice, since the walls were already underwater now. Duke was the tank of the party. He was a big, well-muscled bald man, only dwarfed by Red himself. The man wasn¡¯t wearing any armor, however. He was content to wear his short-sleeved blue tunic that showed off his bulging muscles. His weapon of choice was an enormous axe he wielded with two hands. Grif, on the other hand, was the lancer of the group. His job was to flank enemies from behind, wounding them mortally as Duke caught their attention. He actually wore armor, though not with a helm. He was a handsome man with silver hair and teeth as white as pearls. But now, their job was one and one only¡ªto make a hole they could escape to. ¡°Beast King Fist!¡± *BOOM* The stone floor shattered when Red¡¯s fist landed. However, thanks to its thickness, it wasn¡¯t enough to make the hole they wanted. Thankfully, Duke and Grit were there¡ªall heavy hitters of their own right. The former followed with a strong cleave of his axe, while the latter pierced it with his spear. It continued like that over and over as they made their way through the stone floor into the hard soil underneath. All the while their cleric struggled, as the water became heavier and heavier, pressuring her barrier with its pressure. ¡°The water! I-it¡¯s not normal!¡± She gritted her teeth as cracks formed on her barrier. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare let go, woman! I¡¯m not dying in a place like this!¡± Arcturus yelled as he frantically swung his sword downwards. *CRACK* The soil finally gave way, causing them to fall into the corridor down below, just in time before the barrier shattered. ¡°Majorka! Keep it together!¡± The woman had fallen unconscious, so it was up to him to grab her before the current separated them. And he did just that, right before the powerful stream carried them across the corridor, ferrying them to God knows where. Eventually, however, after a painful few minutes of being taken for a ride, they were dumped into an even larger body of water. It was the dungeon¡¯s very own artificial underground lake. Using their underground monsters, the monsters had dug into the nearby underground rivers. They cleverly gathered their water here, where they could use the water as they wished. Demons needed water to drink too, after all, with some even wanting to take baths. ¡°Gwaahhh!¡± Red surfaced first, followed by Arcturus before the rest of the party followed. They were lucky that none of them got hurt through all that. Still dazed and confused, they immediately looked around for dry land. The doorway into the corridor they had been through was still raining down water into the lake they were currently in so they couldn¡¯t use it. ¡°Ilfridil! Cast a fire magic! Majorka is unconscious!¡± Red yelled. As his feet paddled in place, he tried to keep the young woman¡¯s face above the waterline, just so she wouldn¡¯t choke on the water.¡± The elven mage nodded, before sending a ball of fire that hovered above them, sending illumination across their surroundings. Only then they realized they had stumbled into an underground lake of some sort. That, and the fact that there were two other people there that were not part of their group. They eerily stood on the water¡¯s surface, wearing ragged and tattered mage¡¯s robes. Looking at their faces, they had exactly the same look and expression¡ªa blank one. They differed in gender¡ªone was a man and the other was a woman. They were teal-haired twins of opposite genders. The man wielded a wand while the woman wielded a staff. ¡°Who are you?! Identify yourself!¡± Red shouted. They didn¡¯t respond. Instead, they started casting their spells, aiming them right towards the now weakened group. The two were Felicia¡¯s creations. They were Elun¡¯s original compatriots who had fallen in battle when she first tried to assassinate her. And now, she had reanimated them to be her loyal puppets. Chapter 144: Slaughter ¡°Ilfridil! Freeze the water so we can stand on it, goddamnit!¡± Red immediately recognized the precarious position they were in. Without their cleric, they had no capability to erect a protective barrier, meaning, they would be really prone to attacks. And with their feet being underwater instead of on the ground like this, their mobility would be severely limited, screwing over attempts to dodge any incoming attacks headed their way. ¡°Grif! You attack the woman! I¡¯ll handle the man! Duke! Revive Majorka! Use the reviving potion we got in your back! Arcturus! Stay here and guard her!¡± After giving out his orders, he let out a roar before catapulting himself towards one of the zombified mages. Using the sheer strength of his legs, he managed to leap all the way to the man. Grif did the same, with the two launching their assault near simultaneously. They knew if they didn¡¯t interrupt their casting, they would doom their entire party to their spells. ¡°Beast King Fist!¡± ¡°Swift Thrust!¡± Their blows landed inside the mages¡¯ respective stomachs. Red left a gaping hole inside the man¡¯s stomach while Grif¡¯s lance pierced through the woman¡¯s abdomen all the way through. However¡ª As if nothing had happened, the mages finished their chants. It was too late for either of them to dodge. Light filled their eyes merely milliseconds before thunder struck their bodies. ¡°Gwaaaahhh!¡± Red fell from the air first, plunging downwards towards the bottom of the reservoir. Grif followed as he lost grip of his lance. And just like that, another two of them fell. ¡°Red! Dammit!¡± Arcturus yelled. Ilfridil had barely finished freezing the water when the inconceivable happened. Duke then yanked the rest of the party to above the ice before using the reviving potion as instructed. ¡°Stay here! I¡¯m going to go after him!¡± Without even waiting for a response from Duke, Arcturus dived into the water towards Red. He can¡¯t just let his friend die, can he?! Seeing his heroic action, Mirth, the rogue, decided to do the same, going after Grit instead. ¡°Damn it, you two!¡± Duke cursed under his breath. He knew those two were being reckless, but there was no other choice they could make if they were going to save Red and Grif from drowning. ¡°Come at me, you bastards!¡± He then yelled as loudly as he could, hoping to attract the attention of the two mages. He was the tank of the group, so this was a frequent routine for him. The twin mages did exactly that, turning themselves to face him. It was now obvious that they weren¡¯t human, but zombies instead, as no blood poured out from the wounds they had sustained. ¡°Ilfridil! Make another platform!¡± He ordered his friend. He was ready to sacrifice himself to the barrage of their spells as long as he could keep the rest of the party safe. It was his role, after all. The mage nodded as he began casting. The two zombie mages started to cast their next round of spells as well. Ilfridil finished his spell first, allowing Duke to jump away from their platform to an entirely new one. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! Fight me, you rotbrains!¡± He readied his axe in a defensive stance. Only to find out they had no intention to attack him. They fired their lightning spells downwards, right at the water of the reservoir. The electricity spread like a wildfire. Thanks to the ice platforms being poor conductors, Duke and the others barely felt the shock. But for those who were under the surface¡­ ¡°Red! Grif! Mirth!¡± He could only yell in horror as he saw electricity crackling on the surface of the water. ¡°U-urghh¡­¡± The potion finally kicked in, making Majorka regain her consciousness. She shakily stood up, tried to cast another Barrier spell, only to lose her balance. She would¡¯ve fallen into the water if not for Ilfridil catching her mid-air. Even if she was back at full strength, it was too late. There were only three of them now, against two zombified mages that could bombard them with ease from the distance. Suddenly, Ilfridil, who had kept his silence all this time, spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s enough! We surrender!¡± He yelled. ¡°You won! We¡¯ll leave this blasted dungeon at once! So please, let my friends go! You can hear me, can¡¯t you, you damn necromancer!¡± He couldn¡¯t keep it in any longer. Normally, he would be the last to complain when things got tough, but he knew there was no chance for them to win from their current situation. ¡°Ilfridil, what are you doing?!¡± Duke yelled back at him. ¡°Surrender?! Have you lost your mind, boy?!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see? We can¡¯t win anymore! Look at Majorka! She can barely stand!¡± The elf shouted back. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, Ilfridil,¡± she whispered weakly. ¡°I just need to¡­ regenerate my mana a bit¡­ A-and I¡¯m sorry¡­ for being so weak¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t blame yourself.¡± He held her tighter. Indeed, the two were seeing each other. They just hadn¡¯t made their relationship public yet. ¡°Cordelia Flameu! I beseech you! Forgive us for our arrogance!¡± For the safety of his love, he was willing to throw his pride away. At first, there was no response. However, the twin mages just stood there on top of the water surface as they halted their assault. And then, black shadows fell from the ceiling, forming the figure of the necromancer right in front of the elf and his lover. Naturally, he took a few steps back out of fear, nearly slipping on the ice in the process. ¡°Oh? Now you want mercy? After you¡¯ve been defeated?¡± She gave a victorious grin. ¡°How convenient.¡± ¡°P-please! Forgive us!¡± He released his grip on the cleric before kneeling down, prostrating himself before her. ¡°Boy! Don¡¯t humiliate yourself like that! Do you really believe that she will let you go? If we¡¯re going to die, then we will die in battle! Not like this!¡± Duke yelled before jumping back towards the elf¡¯s ice platform, swinging his axe at Felicia¡¯s shadow. Naturally, it only passed through. ¡°Well, I see your friend here still wants to fight.¡± She continued to grin. ¡°How about this then? You kill him and I¡¯ll spare you and your girlfriend¡¯s life.¡± The elf¡¯s expression turned into one of shock, and horror, as he froze in place. ¡°See?! She¡¯s a snake, through and through!¡± Duke yelled. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Not good enough for you? Very well, then. I¡¯ll make the deal sweeter.¡± A quake suddenly shook the room, nearly knocking the two off their balance. It was then followed by the sound of rushing water, as the reservoir drained itself. Before long, it dried up entirely, revealing Red and the others¡ªall unconscious on the floor. ¡°Everyone!¡± The cleric yelled. She immediately bolted to the nearest person until Felicia blocked her path. ¡°Do you think I would just let you heal them? Your boyfriend over there has to do his little task first, then you might just have a chance to save your adventuring friends.¡± S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°She can¡¯t hurt you, woman! Just run through her! It¡¯s just an illusion!¡± Duke yelled. ¡°Perhaps.¡± She chuckled. ¡°But they could.¡± The two mages promptly closed in with their water jet spell towards the cleric, earning an ¡°Eek!¡± from the poor, easily frightened woman. The woman grabbed her from behind while the man aimed his wand at her neck. ¡°Get away from her!¡± Ilfridil yelled. He ran towards her, only to stop in his tracks as Felicia appeared in front of her. ¡°Move any closer and I¡¯ll tell them to slit her throat.¡± ¡°G-gaah!¡± The elven mage could only watch in anger as his lover cried in fear of the cold arms that grabbed her from behind. ¡°You cowardly bitch!¡± Duke yelled. ¡°Fight fair and square for once, you corpse-loving whore!¡± Unfortunately for him, Felicia wasn¡¯t one of his monsters that could be taunted into charging straight on towards him. His cheap insults merely fell to deaf ears. ¡°Do it.¡± The necromancer smiled, full of satisfaction and triumph. ¡°Kill him.¡± ¡°Tch!¡± The elven mage could only curse under his breath as he turned to face Duke. ¡°Fine! Come, boy! Give me your best spell! I can take it!¡± The bald man held his axe forward as he flashed him a bitter grin. The elf nodded and with a face that sweated profusely, he started his chant. ¡°O great fire spirit of volcanoes, grant me the strength to burn my foes into ash. Flame Strike!¡± Fire burst forth from the tip of the staff. It flew like a fireball would, going straight towards the bald man, hitting him face first as he had no intention to dodge. ¡°Aarghh!¡± Or so it would, if he didn¡¯t spin his axe and deflected the fire towards the two zombie mages and the cleric. Ilfridil could only watch in horror as the spell flew towards his beloved. Duke, however, had a grin on his face. ¡®Tis a shame, but it was the only way to get out of this predicament. The spell would either hit all three, giving them victory, or the mages would block or dodge it with the girl, allowing him to follow up with a close range attack. He didn¡¯t care if the woman died. He always thought she was a deadweight in their party. She was too weak to even be an A-rank. She should stay as a B-rank and never join their party in the first place. And if Ilfridil didn¡¯t like it, then so be it. He was a weak mage as well, in his humble yet true opinion. People die all the time in this occupation. It¡¯s her own fault for being too weak, to the point of making him have to resort to an underhanded tactic like this. The man jumped forth, raising his giant axe above his head. He¡¯ll take them both down in one powerful strike. ¡°Pathetic.¡± Felicia¡¯s shadow vanished. Shadows burst forth from the darkness of the room, forming a shadow barrier that protected the zombies and the cleric. The fireball exploded into a large burst of flames, but the barrier stood on. Only for it to be split open with Duke¡¯s axe. ¡°Primal Blow!¡± The hardened shadow dissipated, revealing its occupants. The bald man grinned as he moved his axe for a second round. At this range, and with his speed, there was no way the mages could defend themselves. ¡°Dragon Cleave!¡± The female mage responded by releasing her grip at Majorka and the male followed by kicking her out of the way, protecting her from the incoming attack. Just in time before the two were cleaved into two at their stomachs and arms. *plop* *plop* *plop* Their bodies fell apart into pieces. Without the needed connections, the zombies lost their capability to move as well. He wasn¡¯t finished, however. Using his trusty axe, he chopped them up into more little pieces, making sure that they couldn¡¯t just come back up. He had heard of undead skeletons still being able to fight, even if it only had its ribs and legs (by ramming itself into its opponent). So he couldn¡¯t be too careful. ¡°Damn it, woman! Don¡¯t just sit there! Heal the others!¡± He yelled at the cleric. She responded with a whimper and a nod before running towards the nearest unconscious body, starting her healing chant. ¡°You¡­ you scum! You could¡¯ve killed Majorka with that!¡± Ilfridil yelled. ¡°Oh, shut up, pretty boy. I did what I had to. It was the only way to get us out of this predicament.¡± ¡°I know you are a selfish brute through and through! Wait until Red hears of this! He¡¯ll kick you out of the party for sure!¡± ¡°Heh, you think he will?¡± He returned with a grin. ¡°You¡¯re just a young¡¯un who¡¯s only with us for a year. You think he would heed your na?ve call compared to mine, who¡¯s the third oldest member of this group?¡± The elf had more than a fleeting thought to burn him to a crisp right then and there with his spell. But he stopped himself. This needed to be decided by their leader, and not now, when they were in the middle of a dungeon like this. ¡°U-urghhh¡­¡± Red slowly sat up as he regained his consciousness. He looked around and saw that the fight seemed to be over. The last thing he remembered was getting a lightning spell right to his face, and damn, that certainly hurt. ¡°W-what happened? Where are those two mages? And the water¡ªit¡¯s gone!¡± Majorka wasn¡¯t there to answer, as she was busy healing the others. She was still weakened from before, so she had to drink multiple mana potions in the process. Ilfridil walked forward and opened his mouth, but Duke beat him to the punch. ¡°We took care of them.¡± He grinned. ¡°As for the water, the bitch got arrogant and drained it on her own. She thought she already won so she came here to brag about it. You should¡¯ve seen elf boy.¡± He jerked his head towards Ilfridil. ¡°He begged her to save him, to the point that he agreed to kill me according to her order. I used the opportunity to land a surprise blow on her puppets, though. So the idiot bitch dug her own grave, pun not intended,¡± he added with a smug grin. ¡°Is that true?¡± Red turned to face the mage with a frown. ¡°Then you disappoint me. We never betray our comrades. That is the one rule our party, the Desert Bandits, is founded by.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­ H-he tried to kill Majorka as well!¡± The mage pointed towards the warrior. ¡°Really, boy? Now you accuse me of such a vile deed, just to make yourself look better? I¡¯m fine with you whimpering like a coward, but this crosses the line.¡± Ilfridil could only reply with a glare. Of course Red was going to trust him more than himself. ¡°Hey, Majorka!¡± He yelled across the room. ¡°Say something! Tell them how he didn¡¯t care in the slightest from hitting you with that big axe of his!¡± No response. The cleric stood there with her back turned from the rest of the group, seemingly frozen in place. She was looking towards the limp, unconscious body of Mirth. ¡°M-Mirth¡­ h-he¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s not waking up¡­¡± Shaking heavily, she turned to face the rest of the group. In quite the horrifying sight, enhanced by the dim lighting of the room, her eyes were rolling in their sockets wildly, as tears seeped from the eyelids. ¡°He¡¯s not¡­ he¡¯s not coming back¡­ I-I¡¯m too late¡­¡± The realization dawned upon them. The beastfolk was dead. ¡°A... aahh... aaahhhhhhh!¡± Majorka broke into a scream, followed by a loud, sobbing mess. It was the first time she had faced the death of a party member. All these years being a healer, she had never suffered a failure in that department, so this took the poor young woman hard. She knelt down, burying her face in her hands. Just as the party was paralyzed by the revelation, the room suddenly turned pitch-black. Shadows had once again dripped down from the cracks in the ceiling, snuffing the floating fireball the elven mage had conjured to illuminate the room. And before they could do anything¡ª ¡°Gaaahhhh!¡± Another scream filled the room, only this time, it was a scream of pain. Quickly, Ilfridil cast his illumination spell back, only to reveal that a blade had stabbed Duke right through his stomach. That, and the necromancer was standing right behind him. ¡°Isn¡¯t it sad?¡± She pushed the blade to the side, bisecting the abdomen of the warrior cleanly before he fell down to the ground. ¡°Us mortals are fragile. Too fragile. Even with his supposedly stronger constitution as a beastfolk, he died from a simple thunderbolt spell. I suppose his heart was weaker than the rest of you. Or perhaps he was simply unfortunate enough to take the brunt of the spell as it spread through the water.¡± She stood there with a grin on her face, not even caring that blood had stained her dress and face. Her sword had vanished, as it was a mere spell blade, made by her shadow magic. ¡°But the undead? They¡¯re so much more resilient than us.¡± As a dark light shone from the tip of her staff, the unmoving corpse of Duke suddenly began to move. It lifted itself up before standing beside the necromancer, drawing his axe as he looked blankly to the rest of the group. It wasn¡¯t just him, however. The fallen beastfolk she spoke about also stood, along with the two diced up zombie mages. Their body parts had assembled and linked themselves together on their own, no doubt aided by the necromancer¡¯s dark magic. ¡°Thus, to relieve the world from the curse that is death, I took on this mantle. I shall create a world where we could all live as undying immortals.¡± ¡°And you.¡± She turned to face Red and the others. ¡°You stood against that dream, foolish adventurers. I have given you clemency, but in your arrogance, you believe that you can face me and triumph.¡± Her staff shone once again before she melted into a puddle of shadows, retreating to the other side of the room before reforming back to her human self. Her staff shone once more. And then, a pile of corpses manifested out of thin air, raining down to the floor. And, to their horror, they were corpses of people they were well-familiar with. ¡°Indeed!¡± She gloated. ¡°These are your friends! My loyal knight had taken care of them, one by one! Just like you, I told him to show mercy, but they insisted on fighting. And so, they all fell down to his blade. For the rest, who were smart enough to know their weakness, they¡¯re making their way out of this place right now. Yes! They have chosen to abandon you all!¡± Her laughter echoed across the large room. Red could only respond with a furious growl. Looking at his zombified friends, and all the dead faces on those corpses, it filled him with rage like he had never felt before. If he wasn¡¯t as levelheaded of a person as he was, he would¡¯ve run across the room to punch her in the face. But he very well knew they were in a grave disadvantage yet again. But, there was still a chance for victory. He had a hunch the person who stood there across the room was her in the flesh. If he could just get to melee range, he could crush her head with a single blow. And then, this nightmare would be over. He just had to create that opportunity for himself. Chapter 145: Honorable Fool ¡°I¡¯ve misjudged you, Cordelia Flameu.¡± Red spoke, his voice seeping with cold fury. ¡°I once believed you an honorable woman. But it¡¯s clear I was mistaken.¡± ¡°You know nothing about me, Sir Red,¡± the necromancer replied with a smirk. ¡°I am a black-hearted necromancer through and through. And I would not hesitate on doing what necromancers do best, making you fight your own dead comrades.¡± As they spoke, both Duke and Mirth had moved to join her side. And one by one, the corpses she had brought with her began to stand up as well. It was clear as day that they were now outnumbered. ¡°I really do not wish to kill any of you, you know,¡± she continued her speech. ¡°Well, that bald man over there deserved it.¡± She glanced towards Duke. ¡°The elf mage was right. He nearly killed that whimpering cleric over there.¡± She looked at Majorka, who was now kneeling down, looking with tear-filled horror at her direction. ¡°I saved her, you know. Told my puppets to push her out of the way.¡± ¡°Y-you did?¡± The elf mage looked at her with an expression of disbelief. ¡°You witnessed it yourself, didn¡¯t you? Don¡¯t lie to yourself now. I won¡¯t hesitate in killing someone, but I¡¯m not wasteful. I took lives for a purpose. And that girl? She¡¯s no threat to me whatsoever.¡± ¡°Then why are you doing all this, huh?¡± Arcturus, who had been frozen with fright all this time, finally gathered enough courage to speak. ¡°You killed the king, you killed our friends, and you killed all those soldiers. You just want to feed your selfish greed for power. Using your necromancy, you¡¯re planning to take over this kingdom, don¡¯t you?¡± He pointed his left finger in the most accusatory manner. The necromancer turned to face him, before bursting into a shrill, witch-like laugh. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! Why don¡¯t I use my zombies to conquer this pathetic little kingdom?¡± Her laugh disappeared. ¡°No. My goal is much grander than that. But you would like it, don¡¯t you? To believe that I¡¯m a simple bad guy, to be slain by a hero such as you.¡± A look of disgust flashed on her face. ¡°No, you are no hero. You are but a foolish glory-seeker. And I couldn¡¯t be happier to know that your little band of friends had abandoned you.¡± Unbeknownst to the man, Felicia had kept somewhat of a close eye on him. She knew that before this, he had spent the last few months simply drinking his sorrows away as his party and clan distanced himself from him. Only Red was willing to give him a second chance. ¡°S-shut up, you witch!¡± He yelled back in anger. ¡°Thanks to you and that little friend of yours, I¡¯ve lost everything! And now I¡¯m going to take it back by cutting off your head!¡± In a reckless act only befitting the most novices of adventurers, he charged forward, performing a forward sword slash, sending a wave of energy towards her direction. It never reached her, however, as she used the corpses to block the incoming blow. Still, Arcturus continued to run, before jumping upwards and raining down more slashes towards her. ¡°Damn that fool!¡± Red cursed. More corpses sacrificed themselves to protect their mistress, but Arcturus¡¯ assault had just begun. As many as his character flaws might be, he was undoubtedly a good swordsman of the Lancelot variety. Duke jumped as well to protect Felicia, but Grit pierced him with his lance. Mirth followed as well, only to receive a blow to the head from Red¡¯s fist. ¡°Aaaaaahhh! Take this, you evil bitch!¡± The length of his sword suddenly increased tenfold, with the added length made of his aura. Covetous Longsword. It was a Lancelot-school technique that allowed a massive increase of the range of one¡¯s sword. With it, one can cut through an entire army with a single swing. Well, if you can get it big enough, anyway. For Arcturus, this was his ultimate attack. He would¡¯ve used it more liberally against the swarm of drakes that ended his reputation, but with the terrible visibility granted by the blizzard, and the fact that the drakes had broken up and scattered their formation, he couldn¡¯t use it without killing his allies as well. Arcturus brought the massive horizontal slash down onto the necromancer, not caring that his comrades might be caught in the move. It bisected the rest of the corpses into two. As for Felicia herself, however¡­ ¡°Come forth, o spirit of sorrow!¡± A figure manifested out of darkness, blocking the move with what bizarrely looked to be an opened parasol, with the help of Felicia¡¯s Shadow Wall. It was a woman, wearing what could only be described as a pitch black noblewoman¡¯s dress (though a tad more revealing). The parasol she held had a similar color as well. She had absurdly long silver hair, tied in a single thick braid all the way down to her feet. Her eyes were red and she was floating in mid-air, giving the impression that she was not human. ¡°You called, Milady?¡± She spoke, her tone tinged with pride and amusement. ¡°Yes,¡± Felicia replied. ¡°Kill that man, will you?¡± ¡°Of course, Milady.¡± Even with his attack being repelled, however, Arcturus had no plans to let up. Like a drill, he spun both his body and his sword as he plunged downwards towards the necromancer. And once more, he was blocked by the woman¡¯s parasol, combined with the necromancer¡¯s Shadow Wall. ¡°Graaahh! Just die already!¡± ¡°I¡¯m already dead, you silly man.¡± The woman giggled. Arcturus gave an irked glance to his friends. Red and Grif were occupied with fighting zombified Duke and Mirth, while Ilfridil had gone to Majorka¡¯s side, choosing not to take part in the fight. Those useless bastards! At last, he regained a bit of his sanity back. He jumped backwards and began bombarding the pair with ranged sword slashes, trying to poke and prod their weakness. He cursed the fact that his strength wasn¡¯t enough to break their defense in a straightforward manner. They ran an ever stronger shield than a dragon¡¯s scale. ¡°Arcturus! Don¡¯t be reckless!¡± Red yelled. ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon!¡± He dodged a swing from Duke¡¯s axe before countering with his foot, sending the zombie flying to the other side of the room. Before he could rejoin his friend, however¡ª ¡°Oh, no you don¡¯t!¡± Felicia spoke. Feeling a sense of danger coming from behind him, Red sharply changed the direction of his run, sidestepping instead of going straight to where Arcturus was. It saved him from being bisected by the water blades the twin zombie mages had conjured. ¡°Tch!¡± Red gritted his teeth. He had to take care of them as well if he was going to come to Arcturus¡¯ aid. He gave a glance towards Duke. As he expected, he still failed to keep him down for any significant amount of time. The zombie was slowly standing up, even with all the holes he had made in his body. Exorcism magic would be really handy to have right now. ¡°Majorka! Ilfridil! What are you doing over there?!¡± Grit yelled as he planted his lance into Mirth¡¯s head for what must be the third time. The zombie fell backwards, only to stand up again, even without a head. ¡°We need you here! Ilfridil! You have to burn these corpses if we¡¯re going to survive!¡± ¡°I would suggest not heeding their words, Sir Elf,¡± Felicia interrupted with a grin. ¡°For I am still willing to spare you and your lady friend if you stay out of this. Think about it. Do you believe that they¡¯re worth risking your life and your lady friend¡¯s life for? Remember how they treated you two before. If I had to guess, you¡¯re probably the newest members, which meant you are expendable to them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Red shouted back as he hit the ground with his fist. It would have pulverized one of the mages if not for the fact that he managed to dodge by propelling itself away with a water jet. In the end, the attack only left a decently sized crater behind. ¡°You two are a valuable member of Desert Bandits! You think we could¡¯ve gotten this far without you two? Don¡¯t listen to her lies!¡± ¡°It is your choice, Sir Mage.¡± Felicia continued. ¡°Like I¡¯ve said, I do not take lives meaninglessly.¡± A blow finally landed on one of the mages, sending her spinning upwards before crashing down to the ground. Red then tried to make his way to Arcturus once more, only for Duke and the other mage to block his path. To make matters worse, the other zombies¡ªthe other members of their clan, had risen back up once more, after they finished sewing themselves together once more, repairing the damage Arcturus¡¯ long sword technique had done. It had been a grave mistake, not having an exorcist-specialized cleric with them. But how could they be blamed? They had fought undead before but none had ever been this resilient. They couldn¡¯t just reattach themselves together like this! ¡°Well, let¡¯s end this little game of ours, shall we?¡± Felicia spoke again. ¡°I still need to take care of those Inquisitors, you see. To be frank, now that I see how you and your friends are up close like this, they are clearly much more of a threat than you are. You simply don¡¯t have the tools or skills necessary to fight against a necromancer of my caliber.¡± She bragged with an all-too-proud smile as she placed a hand above her chest. ¡°S-shut up, you evil witch! I swear on my honor I will defeat you!¡± Arcturus¡¯ expression betrayed him, however. His breath was short and labored and an unmistakable display of fear was plastered on his face. His most powerful attack had just been repelled and he had tired himself from all the rapid attacks he had been making. ¡°Hey, you damn useless bitch! Stop sitting there and heal me or something! My stamina needs some refilling here!¡± He yelled at Majorka, not caring in the slightest that Ilfridil was also there. ¡°I-I can¡¯t¡­¡± She whispered back. ¡°My spells can¡¯t restore your vitality. They can only heal your wounds.¡± ¡°What?! Speak louder! I can¡¯t hear you from all the way here!¡± ¡°You shut your mouth, you imbecile!¡± Ilfridil stood up in anger, aiming his staff at him. ¡°Arcturus! Stop it! That¡¯s my party member you¡¯re talking to! You don¡¯t have the right to order her around!¡± Red growled as he dodged a spell coming from the twins. Witnessing all this bickering gave joy and disgust for the necromancer. Joy that she was proven right and disgust from what she was seeing. What a truly pathetic band of people. Better if I put them out of misery. ¡°Diona, use that attack, if you would. The thing we talked about.¡± ¡°Of course, Milady.¡± Felicia then melted into the shadows once more, just in time before the woman took a deep, deep breath¡ª To let out an inhumanly high-pitched, ear-splitting scream. ¡°GYAAAHHHHHH!¡± The scream took everyone else in the room by surprise. ¡°W-what? What was that?¡± Arcturus was the first to respond. ¡°W-what? M-my hands¡­ m-my legs¡­ they won¡¯t¡ªthey won¡¯t move¡­¡± ¡°G-gah, t-that scream¡­ damn it, that woman¡¯s a banshee?!¡± Red followed The adventurers had no idea that it was coming, thanks to the fact that the woman¡¯s banshee nature eluded them. They believed she was just a ghost she had summoned with her dark magic, as banshees looked nothing like her. They wouldn¡¯t look like a fully dressed humanlike woman. Instead, they would be misty and transparent, as if they were made of swirling fog¡ªa bodyless creature, possessing only faces in the middle of said fog. A ghost on the other hand could indeed appear with a fully human like form like that. Little did they know that Diona was indeed a ghost, but one that had gained the ability of a banshee. Felicia reformed behind Arcturus¡ªa victory smile on her face. ¡°Well, you¡¯re first, Arcturus.¡± She whispered to his ear. ¡°Too bad instead of penetrating me, I¡¯m the one penetrating you, huh?¡± ¡°W-wait, I-I give! I surrender! P-please! Spare my¡ªguaahh!¡± His plea fell into deaf ears as Felicia stabbed his stomach from his back, just like she did with Duke. ¡°I¡¯m sick of men like you, to be honest.¡± Felicia continued, pure venom in her voice. ¡°Vain, unfaithful, and perverse. People like you do not have a place in my new world. So goodbye and enjoy watching from the afterlife as I made you my lovely, obedient puppet.¡± His last moments were spent looking at Red¡¯s direction with tears in his eyes. ¡°H-help me, friend¡­¡± He fell over, blood pouring out from his corpse, forming a puddle that barely avoided touching Felicia¡¯s slippers. ¡°Graaaaggghh!¡± Red exploded with fury, slowly but surely moving his arms and feet before flinging himself towards the necromancer. It seemed his anger had given him strength to break free from the paralysis, and now the only thought he had in his mind was to avenge his friend¡¯s death. They had been through a lot. He owed him a life debt as their first meeting was Arcturus saving him. That day, he nearly lost his life from a poison a snake monster had given him, and Arcturus just so happened to find him crawling in pain in the wilderness. Without asking for anything in return, he immediately searched for the antidote, abandoning his original purpose of climbing that mountain. He was so different in those days. His strength and fame had gotten to him and Red had failed to steer him away from that path. Still, like a true beastman, he intended to keep his promise for the rest of his life, that he would come to his rescue whenever he needed it, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. And so, he got exactly what he wanted. ¡°Aargh!¡± A spear made of blood¡ªhis friend¡¯s blood¡ªhad impaled him mid-air as he tried to land on top of Felicia. The bearkin let out a roar of pain right as he whiffed his attack. Felicia had barely managed to melt herself into the shadows before his blow could land. He was too late. If he had been just a millisecond faster, he would have gouged her head open. But now, he was lying down on the ground, gravely wounded from the gaping hole he had on his abdomen. ¡°Red!¡± Grit yelled. ¡°Damn you! Haaaahhhhh!¡± Slowly but surely, he started to break himself from Diona¡¯s paralysis. Inch by inch, his legs and arms began to move again. Until Duke decapitated him with a single swing of his axe. His head rolled around like a morbid wheel around his collapsed body¡ªa pure look of horror frozen to its face. Felicia then reshaped herself over the beastkin with a sorrowful look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s a shame it has to end like this. Alas, you are too stubborn to let go of your pride. An honorable fool through and through.¡± ¡°Y-you¡­ gah!¡± He coughed blood as he looked up to her. ¡°Grit too¡­ Damnit¡­ Damnit!¡± He punched the ground with his fist. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a surprise.¡± A smirk grew on her face. ¡°You still have strength to be angry. I was pretty sure my blood spear had pierced your heart. A beastfolk really is as durable as they say.¡± He replied not by words, but by spatting the blood in his mouth to her feet. ¡°... I see. Too bad I¡¯m already used to having blood in my hands and feet.¡± A dark blade pierced through his head, ending his life instantaneously. And, for just a short moment, pain and sadness flashed across her face. She then walked towards the elven mage and the cleric who were now huddled together in the corner of the room. Diona¡¯s paralysis hadn¡¯t affected them much, as they were further away than the rest of their party when the ability was used. ¡°S-stay back! Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± Ilfridil stepped forward, aiming his staff towards her. ¡°You can take my life, but I will not allow you take hers!¡± ¡°Truly? Even after all that, you still wish to fight me?¡± The necromancer returned with an amused smirk. ¡°I-I don¡¯t care! I will not let you harm Majorka!¡± ¡°A-and I won¡¯t let you harm him either!¡± To Felicia¡¯s surprise, the meek cleric had gained some courage as she stepped up, taking out her staff as well. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Hoo? What¡¯s this? The cowardly pair finally stood up for themselves? How cute. Perhaps you should have done this stunt earlier, when your friends were still alive.¡± She slowly inched further and further, seemingly enjoying the display of fright the two were displaying. ¡°O lord of volcanoes, burn my foes into ashes! Flame Spout!¡± The elf fired the spell point blank, bathing the necromancer with flames coming out from the tip of his staff. Or he would have, if not for the shadows protecting her. ¡°Come now, do you think I wouldn¡¯t prepare myself beforehand?¡± Her smirk grew larger. ¡°This level of spell could never pierce my shadows. Not in a million years.¡± ¡°O Lord of Light! Grant us your protection so we might survive the evil that blights our path! Barrier!¡± The cleric managed to put her barrier up, just in time, before the necromancer could cast a counterspell. ¡°And now, the barrier. Not something I couldn¡¯t pierce through.¡± She raised her left hand as once again, a blade of shadow manifested in her hand. She brought it down to the barrier, using the tip to stab into the tough force field. Crackles of holy energy burst forth, but she didn¡¯t falter. She continued pushing and pushing until¡ª *CLANG* The sword pierced through before the barrier shattered into pieces. ¡°Aahh!¡± The cleric took a few steps backwards. She didn¡¯t lose her consciousness this time around, but she nearly lost her balance. ¡°Weak. Not structurally sound enough. If I have to guess, you never properly spread your mana around.¡± ¡°Damn it! You¡¯re not getting any closer!¡± Ilfridil fired a simple fireball that did nothing. He then charged forward to hit the necromancer with his staff, only for her to trip him with her shadows, causing him to fall down to the floor in the most pathetic manner. ¡°You. I like you. I¡¯ll let you and your girlfriend live after all.¡± At her words, the two¡¯s expressions considerably brightened. The elven mage stood back up and asked, ¡°T-truly?¡± His expression was one of a mixture of hope and fear. ¡°Of course!¡± Felicia replied with a smile. ¡°Have I ever lied to you before?¡± They then exchanged looks. Neither of them really trusted the necromancer¡¯s words but it was clearly the only hope they had to leave this hell alive. ¡°But, before I do so, I would have to ask for you to hand over the map you and your friends have made of this place. You have it, don¡¯t you? You were on map duty after all.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯ve been spying at me?¡± the elf replied. ¡°Not just you, but everyone else in your little band of adventurers. Just so you know, I can see everything that occurs in this dungeon.¡± He complied, taking out the map from his dimensional storage. He threw it to the ground in front of her. She picked it up, and sure enough, it was a well-detailed map of the dungeon. ¡°Nice drawing. Almost a shame I would have to burn it.¡± A spark appeared from her hand. She let the map fall as the flame consumed it, turning it into ash. ¡°And one more thing.¡± Her smile grew larger. ¡°Tell your other adventurer friends to leave this place. Whatever the prime minister promised to give you to have my head, it¡¯s simply not worth it. Unless they wish to be turned into one of my monstrosities.¡± He frantically nodded. ¡°Good. I see we now have an understanding. Then, I would ask you two to sleep.¡± ¡°S-sleep?¡± The last thing they remembered was the scream coming from behind them. The two fell to the ground, unconscious. As Felicia expected, in their current mental state, they wouldn¡¯t be able to resist her familiar¡¯s scream. Diona had sneaked behind them, and with one scream, knocked them out both. ¡°Mistress, you will not kill these two?¡± she asked. ¡°No,¡± The necromancer smiled. ¡°I have no use for weaklings like them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± She pouted. ¡°You¡¯re just being nice. I say kill them both. If they¡¯re willing to fight you just because you got rid of that monster, then they¡¯re just as guilty as he was!¡± She suddenly yelled as she pointed her closed parasol towards them. Felicia didn¡¯t reply. She instead only looked at her familiar with a wistful gaze. Ah, my vengeful spirit, Diona. I wonder if you would ever find peace one day. After what you have suffered, perhaps you never would. Chapter 146: The Knight’s Truth Hugo After my little chat with Ilymhyrra and Elun, I made my way back to Anton and the others. ¡°Finished?¡± Anne was the first to greet me, with her usual ¡°folded arms¡± pose. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re finished,¡± I answered. ¡°What were you guys talking about, anyway?¡± Amelie asked with curiosity. ¡°Nothing much. Just her basically telling me to be careful.¡± ¡°And you¡¯d better be heeding her advice,¡± Anton came in with a worried look. ¡°Honestly, I got a bad feeling about this whole thing. You say that she¡¯s a good person, but all the soldiers she had killed and zombified certainly would say otherwise.¡± ¡°Zombified?¡± ¡°Yes, zombified,¡± the soldier that had been attending to us spoke up with a grave look on his face. ¡°Not only would she set up traps and monsters to kill our good men and women in the dozens, she would also steal their corpses right before our eyes, before reusing them later on as part of her accursed undead army. Truly horrid stuff. Thankfully, we have the Inquisitors who could purify those zombies, bringing them the rest they deserved.¡± ¡°...I see.¡± That¡¯s exactly something a bad necromancer would do. ...Maybe she really is evil, after all. But on the other hand, with her being this terribly outnumbered, it would only make sense for her to use her necromancy that way. Pragmatism over idealism. If I were in her position, I would do the same, so I can¡¯t exactly blame her, can I? ¡°Anton, you can¡¯t cast any of those purifying spells, can you?¡± ¡°No, I cannot.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Like I¡¯ve said before, the only Holy spells I know are the low-level healing spells.¡± ¡°Are fire spells effective on them?¡± I asked the soldier. ¡°The reports show that they are indeed effective,¡± the soldier replied. ¡°It¡¯s better than just cutting their heads or arms since they could still move afterwards.¡± ¡°Good. Then Amelie, you know what to do.¡± ¡°Yep! Don¡¯t you worry about it!¡± She patted her chest. ¡°Well, take us to the dungeon. We¡¯re ready to go now.¡± I told the soldier. He nodded. ¡°This way.¡± ---------- To be frank, we didn¡¯t need to be guided by the soldier, as it was all too obvious where the dungeon entrance was. From afar, you could already see the large doors, not to mention the crowds in front of it. Hmm? Crowds? ¡°Everyone! Please listen! Do not throw away your lives! This necromancer is too strong for any of us!¡± In the middle of the crowd was an elven man. Judging by his attire, and the staff he held in his right hand, he seemed to be a mage of some sort. The guy clearly had seen better days. His hair was all over the place and his face was ghastly white. Not to mention the way his entire body was shaking. Behind him was a human woman, around in her early twenties. She was hugging him¡ªher eyes glanced frantically at the people surrounding them. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± I asked one of the guys in the crowd. ¡°Just some poor sods whose party got wiped by the dungeon.¡± The man sighed. ¡°Lost their minds in the process. Now they¡¯re trying to tell us not to go inside. And they weren¡¯t the first too.¡± My gaze went back to the two. Those expressions on their faces¡­ I don¡¯t think one could fake them even if they tried. ¡°Maybe we can get some valuable information from them.¡± Anton suggested with a nervous look. ¡°No dice.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°They said they couldn¡¯t remember how the necromancer slaughtered their party. The fright must have chased all the memories out of their brains. No maps or useful notes either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate,¡± Anton replied with a sigh. Yeah, information on what Felicia¡¯s capable of would naturally be really valuable, along with the layout of the dungeon and all the traps that waited. We decided to move away from the crowd before resuming our conversation. ¡°What do you guys think?¡± Anton asked. ¡°Should we just abandon this whole thing?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave this guy on his own then.¡± Anne pointed her thumb at my direction. ¡°This guy¡±? That¡¯s pretty rude. ¡°Yeah! We¡¯re sticking together, no matter what!¡± Amelie followed, in her usual spirited manner. ¡°You¡¯re fine with this, Hugo?¡± Anton looked at me with a frown. ¡°You¡¯ll have to protect us, if your friend really is evil all along. As you no doubt know, we¡¯re nowhere near as strong as you, unfortunately enough.¡± I paused for a bit, thinking for my answer. ¡°... You¡¯re right. I think I should go on my own after all.¡± ¡°Hugo!¡± Anne and Amelie protested near-simultaneously. ¡°No, it¡¯s just about you being weaker than me.¡± I quickly explained. ¡°You guys are plenty strong already, especially after the training we did this past month. It¡¯s just that¡ªI think Flameu will be more willing to talk to me if I¡¯m on my own.¡± ¡°Then, what do you want us to do then? Just stay outside and twiddle our thumbs?¡± Anne fired back. ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡± I smiled dryly. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this!¡± She tossed her head to the side. ¡°I know that you¡¯ll end up helping her! You¡¯ll die to the Inquisitors, you know that?!¡± ¡°You know, you can stand to view me more charitably, after all we¡¯ve been through.¡± ¡°What?! So you¡¯re saying you won¡¯t help her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that if I¡¯m going to fight, then I¡¯ll do it to win. I¡¯m not some suicidal hero. I know my limits. I won¡¯t pick up fights against an opponent I can¡¯t win against just because of some woman I barely know.¡± That¡¯s not exactly true, though. I fought against Vera, after all. I had to, for Marina¡¯s sake. Anton put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Trust him, Anne. And you too, Amelie.¡± He gazed towards the other girl, who was also glaring at me. ¡°And besides, I can¡¯t die before meeting Sherry again, can I?¡± I gave them my brightest grin. Anne and Amelie huffed simultaneously, with the former adding an eye roll on top of it. ¡°Yeah yeah, your girlfriend. I forgot about her.¡± Anne put her hands on her waist. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll leave it up to you. We¡¯ll just stay here and wait. But don¡¯t you dare lose your life, alright? If you¡¯re going to reject me for that Sherry girl of yours, then you¡¯d better get to her at one piece!¡± sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Yep! I agree with Anne!¡± Amelie chimed in with a smile. ¡°A gentleman like you should prioritize her lady above anyone else!¡± Listening to the two¡¯s response, I couldn¡¯t help but think how odd it was for them to accept their loss gracefully. They certainly had a month to sort it out for sure, but usually, girls would hold grudges about this for far longer, right? Not that I¡¯m complaining, of course. ¡°I promise.¡± I smiled, hopefully in a reassuring manner. ¡°I¡¯ll make it out alive and well.¡± ¡°Then, may fortune be with you.¡± Anton rested his hand on my shoulder. ------ Meanwhile, deep inside the dungeon, the slaughter continued. ¡°Aarghh!¡± ¡°Gaaahh!¡± ¡°Guwaahhh!¡± Soldiers fell to the wayside one by one as arrows rained down upon them. ¡°Retreat! Retreat!¡± Those who survived tried to make their way to the door they came from, only to find that there was now a horse of zombies waiting for them there. ¡°Damn it! We¡¯re surrounded! Those guys from the 11th were supposed to secure our escape route! What the hell were they doing?¡± ¡°S-Sir! Look closer! They are the 11th!¡± Indeed. Amongst the zombies that had pincered them were their own comrades, turned against them by the foul magic of the necromancer. ¡°We¡¯re doomed! We¡¯re doomed!!¡± ¡°I-I should¡¯ve listened to her! Why am I wasting my life away for a king I don¡¯t even know about?¡± ¡°Silence! I will hear none of those cowardly talks in my platoon! We¡¯re going to fight ¡®till the end, even if it¡¯s the last thing we do!¡± The lieutenant in charge tried to boost the morale of his men, to no avail. Even he himself knew going down here was a big mistake. He had family back home, goddamnit, with a beautiful missus who just bore his child. He didn¡¯t want to die here and become a zombie! Just when they thought all hope was lost, however¡ª *KABOOM* With the sound of something heavy smashing pure stone, the ceiling underneath the 11th platoon zombies collapsed. ¡°W-what?!¡± ¡°Teehee, that was a bit too strong, wasn¡¯t it? Or was the floor just too weak?¡± Standing on top of the rubble was one of the Inquisitors. She was the silver-haired nun, and she was wielding a large mace in her right hand. ¡°Huh, I¡¯m surprised the floor actually gave way. You tried hitting the wall before but you didn¡¯t even manage to dent it.¡± A young man then jumped from the hole above. He was part of the Inquisition as well¡ªthe dark blue-haired youth. His weapon of choice was a¡­ book? ¡°Rrrhhh! Graaahhhh!¡± The zombies, of course, were not defeated by mere stones falling down their heads. They began lifting the rubbles off themselves with some trying to claw and gnaw at the two Inquisitors. The young man sighed. He opened his book¡ªan ordinary looking one except for its larger-than-usual size and the white rune-covered cover, before starting to chant a spell. ¡°O Saint Milicis! Grant these poor souls rest! Turn Undead!¡± A circle of light emanated from the man in a large radius. And then¡ª ¡°Uaarrgghhhh! Aarghhhh!: One by one, the zombies underneath the rubble turned into dust. And just like that, the entire zombified platoon was put into rest. ¡°O-oh, thank you! Thank you for saving us!¡± The lieutenant ran forward and bowed profusely at them. ¡°We¡¯re not helping you though?¡± The nun slung her mace over her back. ¡°We were just fighting upstairs and I accidentally destroyed the floor in the process.¡± She shrugged. ¡°R-right¡­¡± The lieutenant couldn¡¯t believe that the dainty-looking girl could be that strong. ¡°Give us your map, lieutenant.¡± The young man spoke with an annoyed look. ¡°Afterwards, you and your men are to reinforce our platoon.¡± The Inquisitors had been granted the authority to order them around by the general. ¡°A-apologies, Milady, but our numbers are too exhausted to be of use to you, not to mention the number of our injured. We would prefer to be allowed to retreat instead.¡± The lieutenant gave his most polite smile, hoping that they would agree with his words. ¡°Oh?¡± The nun smiled. ¡°Are you and your men running away?¡± ¡°N-no!¡± The lieutenant quickly denied it. ¡°W-we simply don¡¯t believe¡ª¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you believe, lieutenant.¡± She took a few steps forward as her smile grew bigger, intimidating the older man to the point that he took a few steps backwards in response. ¡°All you need to do is to obey your orders. Anything else would be insubordination. And for us in the Inquisition¡ª¡± She smashed the tip of her mace to the ground mere inches from his feet. ¡°That would mean death.¡± Her face was now right in front of his. She was shorter than him so she had to strain her neck upwards. Still, it didn¡¯t lessen the fear she struck into the lieutenant¡¯s heart. ¡°R-right. Understood.¡± He gulped. ¡°Great!¡± The nun¡¯s cheerful smile returned. ¡°Then, tell your men to get ready. We¡¯ll create a makeshift stair through that hole so our men could go down here.¡± The poor lieutenant and his men simply couldn¡¯t catch a break. ------- Felicia Tch, they¡¯re really closing in. Soon, they¡¯ll get here and I¡¯ll have to fight them for real. The necromancer was once again pacing back and forth in the central room of the dungeon, biting her thumb in the process. At the very least, I want to kill at least one or two of them. But they¡¯re smart enough to not fall for any of my traps. Should I really take care of them personally, like with those adventurers? ¡°Milady?¡± She was broken out of her thoughts by the voice of a certain woman she was well-familiar with. ¡°Oh, hello Rowana.¡± She broke out into a smile. ¡°Is there any reason why you¡¯re here instead of in your room?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Milady, but I¡¯m simply too worried to stay there, you see. Would you mind if I inquire on the location of Lord Berault?¡± Hearing her question, a lonely smile appeared on Felicia¡¯s face. Ah, the pure love of a wife to her husband. I truly created her well, even though she was my very first Perfect Zombie. She still remembered as if it was just yesterday¡ªthe day where she first laid her eyes on Berault, the Black Knight of the Fiania Kingdom. She heard the gossip¡ªhow he fell into deep sorrow when his wife, whom he just married, perished from her illness. Never again he showed his face (supposedly quite handsome) ever since, covering it with his helmet in all his public appearances. Their tale of love was one fit for the bards. The man was originally a commoner who fell in love with a lady of a noble standing. They were childhood friends, with him sneaking into the courtyard of her large mansion to play with her. They first met when she got lost in town after being separated from her attendants. After tearfully stumbling around the city, and ending up being surrounded by a pack of wild dogs, she met him. Like a knight in shining armor, he shooed away all the dogs, saving her in the process. Naturally, it was pretty much love at first sight. The boy was no fool, however. He knew that he could never marry her, not when he was still just a filthy commoner. And so he declared to her he would go on a journey to become stronger. And when he returned, with that strength, he would become a knight¡ªone that was worthy of her hand. She cried herself to sleep that day. But she believed with all her heart that he would return. And indeed he did. He returned as a mercenary. And, as if Fate itself smiled on him, he received the opportunity to prove himself to the king right away. And so he earned his knighthood, and he was finally worthy of marrying her. She accepted without a second thought. Alas, his happiness didn¡¯t last long. Months after their marriage, Rowana fell ill. It was an illness no cleric or alchemist could cure. In just three days of terribly high fever, she passed away. Truly the prime example of tragic love. And so, she offered her help¡ªher expertise as a necromancer. She told him she could bring back her darling wife. Why? Once, she believed it was simply because he wanted a knight to be her loyal servant, and an ally in the Fianian courts. However, now she had accepted the fact that she simply was touched by his story. He wanted him and her to be happy. Such pure love should not perish from this world, she thought to herself. And so she was willing to risk her identity as a necromancer, for his sake. And it was a risk that paid off. More than she expected. Her first Perfect Zombie was a success. It didn¡¯t matter if she had to replace some of her decaying body parts with the parts from other corpses. What mattered to him was that she acted just like she would while she was still alive. It was all thanks to the part of her soul that she lent to the corpse. With her dark arts, she ordered it to act just like Rowana would. She had learned enough of her personality and mannerism from the knight, and so, she could make her be the ideal, loving wife he desperately desired to be with. It was the same with Leila and her father. She knew enough about him that she could order another part of her soul to act just like he would in front of his daughter. The same fact applied to the king¡¯s zombie as well. Still, she knew she couldn¡¯t do this forever. She would hit a limit of the chunk of soul she could lend eventually, and when that happened, she could no longer create more Perfect Zombies. Thus, she came up with the next step of her necromancy. The Gate. She first learned of it from the book she stole from the Magocracy. It was written in an encrypted language that she could barely even decipher. It was a ritual that allowed a necromancer to summon a soul from the beyond and bound it into a vessel¡ªa corpse. It took her years to gather and refine the necessary amount of dark mana to activate it, not to mention all the other materials. She needed the concentrated, crystallized form of said mana, which she had slowly and painstakingly built over the years she was in this dungeon. And now, when she was this close to activating it, those Inquisitors just had to come and ruin everything. ¡°Rowana, go back to your room.¡± She ordered the zombie. ¡°They¡¯ll come soon and you¡¯ll only be getting in our way. Your darling won¡¯t be able to fight in earnest if he has to worry about you.¡± She had suggested to her to leave the dungeon as well. But she refused, telling her that she would rather be close to her lover. And since Berault agreed, there was nothing she could do to change her mind. ¡°A-alright.¡± She looked down with a somber expression. She turned around and made her way back until she suddenly stopped and faced the necromancer once again. ¡°Milady?¡± ¡°Yes? What is it?¡± ¡°I beg of you, please! Protect Lord Berault!¡± She clasped her hands together as she began to tear up. ¡°He¡¯s fighting for my sake, yet I can only hide in my room like a weakling and a coward! I can¡¯t be of any help for him whatsoever! Unlike you, Milady! You are a great mage! You can help him! Please tell him that he shouldn¡¯t die for my sake if things go bad! I-I know those Inquisitors would want an undead like me to be purified! I-if¡­ if I had to¡­ I would be willing to hand myself over to them!¡± The necromancer¡¯s expression softened. She walked over to her and gave her a hug and a pat on the head. ¡°Do not worry. I promise. I won¡¯t let anything bad befall him.¡± Up close, she could see the many discolorations on her skin. Thanks to the less-than-ideal condition of her corpse when she got her hands on it, she had to improvise by utilizing body parts from other corpses. And yet, the knight was still fine with it. To him, she was exactly the same as her late wife. He was even willing to make love to her, knowing full well that she was a cold, chimeric corpse. It reaffirmed her belief, that if humans were to open their minds and see the truth, they would have no problem with the undead walking beside them. She released her hug with a comforting smile. ¡°Now go. Hide in your room until it¡¯s all over.¡± The zombie¡¯s smile returned as she nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do as you ask, Milady.¡± Felicia watched as she made her way to the door. Just as she closed it behind her, however¡ª ¡°You sure are having fun playing with your dolls. And I thought human girls at your age had outgrown them.¡± It was Ilymhyrra. Chapter 147: The Elf’s Warning Felicia¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°You!¡± She readied her staff as she took her fighting pose. ¡°H-how did you get here?¡± ¡°With my magic, of course. It really wasn¡¯t that hard to sneak all the way here without you noticing, especially when you¡¯re preoccupied.¡± The elf walked forward, not a smile seen on her lips. ¡°S-stand back! I warn you! I¡¯m not afraid of killing you on the spot if you get closer!¡± The necromancer was, understandably, in a state of panic. How could someone just waltz in without her noticing? ¡°I see it now.¡± The elf stopped in her tracks, glancing towards where Rowana had left. ¡°Why that boy believes you¡¯re a good person. That zombie you created¡­ you infused her with your own soul, I assume?¡± The necromancer didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she sent a swarm of shadow tendrils towards the elf. None landed, of course, as she was protected by her beehive barrier. ¡°Relax. I¡¯m not here to kill you. I disagree with you being a necromancer, but my days of going around playing the hero are long gone.¡± ¡°Then why are you here?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here as an inspector.¡± ¡°A-an inspector?¡± ¡°Correct. I¡¯m here to determine just how much of a threat you and your necromancy pose to the world.¡± Silence. Felicia had no idea how to respond to her words. ¡°And I have to say, I am not impressed. That Gate of yours¡­ it is incomplete.¡± ¡°Incomplete? What do you¡ª¡± ¡°It means it will not work the way you want it to work. All you would achieve if you activate it is to flood this region with the dark mana you have gathered.¡± This, of course, took Felicia by surprise. ¡°N-nonsense!¡± She yelled back. ¡°What do you know about the Gate? You¡¯re not a necromancer! You¡¯re just some high elf who¡ª¡± ¡°I am indeed not a necromancer.¡± She impatiently interrupted her. ¡°But I¡¯ve seen a Gate before. And I know yours are faulty compared to it.¡± Another silence. Felicia was sweating profusely, her entire body shaking. Her work for these past years wouldn¡¯t work? Inconceivable! She had gone through the calculations so many times there was no chance whatsoever she was wrong! ¡°Where did you learn it? A book? A mentor?¡± ¡°S-silence! I am not wrong! I deciphered the method myself from a book written by the Necromancer King himself!¡± ¡°Oh? Show me that book then.¡± ¡°Do I look like a fool to you?!¡± ¡°Yes. Yes, you are. You are just a foolish, scared little girl who¡¯s way over her head.¡± The elf walked closer, and, once again, Felicia backed away. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re the first? To selfishly believe that she could overcome death through the dark arts? Nay. You¡¯re merely a failure in a long line of failures. Just like the Necromancer King. Just like her.¡± Hearing that, Felicia exploded in a ball of fury. ¡°I will not fail!¡± The necromancer yelled. ¡°I have sacrificed everything for this! I have given my body and soul for it! This is all I have! And I will not let you make a mockery out of it!¡± Before she realized it, tears trickled down her reddened cheeks. Ilymhyrra paused her steps, staring at the glossy eyes of the necromancer. ¡°What a shame. I can see that you have some good in you. That zombie, created by a part of your soul, she¡¯s a good woman. A loving, loyal wife. One cannot create a zombie with that perfect of a personality without sharing the same traits as the creation. So you are just like her, or rather, you want to be her. You want to be a loving wife to a husband that loves you back. You want a family.¡± Felicia was taken aback by the sudden switch of subject. ¡°H-huh?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t really want this. And you¡¯re too blind to see that.¡± ¡°S-shut up! You have no idea what I really want! I want a world of immortality! I want a world where no one will suffer from death or illness!¡± The elf didn¡¯t respond right away. Instead, she locked her unblinking gaze at the necromancer¡¯s wavering eyes. ¡°...Then I shall leave you to your fate.¡± With those words, the elf turned around before she started to walk away. ¡°T-that¡¯s it? You¡¯re just going to give me your sanctimonious speech? Just who are you anyway? You¡¯re a powerful mage, aren¡¯t you? Some high-ranking mage from the Forbidden Land?¡± Her feet stopped in place. ¡°I am Ilymhyrra, just a simple wandering elf.¡± Felicia could only watch as she disappeared into the dark corridor at the other end of the room. The necromancer quickly used the Dungeon Core to track her movement, only to find that the Core could not detect her presence. She had left exactly in the manner she had arrived. Damn it damn it DAMN IT! She bit her thumb until it bled. Just who is she? And how dare she insult my work?! ...Wait, if she had sabotaged my Gate¡ª She hurriedly made her way downstairs, to where she had built the yet-to-be-finished Gate. It was a large cavern, with thousands of stalactites and stalagmites at its edges. The place was not part of the mausoleum itself. It was simply a natural cave that she had linked with the mausoleum, so she could use the spacious room for her Gate. On the ground, one could see an awfully complex runic circle, around 500 meters in radius or even more. It took her months to draw it according to the instructions of her book, and she had followed it to the letter. Crystals made of pure darkness were placed in specific places inside the circle, to act as fuel for the ritual. And in the middle¡­ There was nothing. Only a small circle inside the large one where every inch of the rune converged into. It was where the Gate would open. Felicia began frantically examining the place, making sure that nothing was amiss. Nothing. Everything was exactly the same as she had left it. She took a deep, relieved breath. She didn¡¯t tamper with any of it. So she really was here just to speak to me. Just in case, however, she stabbed her staff at a certain spot in the circle, allowing it to act as its control rod. 99.99% of the necessary mana. Just a sliver more and then I can activate it. She could sense the circle slowly absorbing and crystallizing the ambient Mana coming from the dungeon above. This was how she had created all those crystals all these years. That function was still going as she expected it would. Just a little more¡­ just a little more until I can activate it¡­ There¡¯s no way it¡¯s faulty¡­ I¡¯m no clumsy fool¡­ I¡¯ve rechecked again and again and again¡­ She bit her thumb until it bled once again. ------- As the necromancer was troubled by the sudden visit from the elf, the army, along with the Inquisitors, was encroaching closer and closer. They had made significant progress in traversing the maze, thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of the soldiers and adventurers who they had sent ahead of them. With their path clear, they were free to make it to the center of the dungeon where their enemy awaited. The general was traversing the corridors with the vice head Inquisitor and her aide. They stayed in the middle, protected by around a hundred soldiers to their front and back. The sound of their marching footsteps could be heard from a mile away. They had found a sizable enough path that could bring them to the heart of the dungeon, thus they could afford to deploy such a force. ¡°Your Holiness? If I may...¡± The aide suddenly spoke. ¡°Speak. Eldan.¡± His superior responded. ¡°If I might ask, why are you holding back? With that spell, there¡¯s no need for us to trudge through this place like this, right?¡± ¡°I do not wish to,¡± she replied swiftly. ¡°I want this necromancer alive, so I can have her burned at the stake. That is the proper way to deal with a heretic. Not a painless death, but a slow and torturous one.¡± Her aide went silent for a bit before replying, ¡°Is it worth it? Sacrificing all these men for that?¡± ¡°Sacrifice? They should be glad they could give their lives to the cause of the Church. They¡¯re martyrs that shall enter Valhalla. What better outcome there is for them?¡± S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°...Of course, Your Holiness.¡± Unlike his superior, Eldan Firmshield was more of a practical man. He didn¡¯t share the same religious fervor that the Vice Head Inquisitor had. He believed in the teachings of the Church, of course, just not to the extent as she did. Thus, to condemn so many men to their deaths, just to capture a heretic alive, he couldn¡¯t agree with it. But, it wasn¡¯t his place to disagree. She was his superior, which meant that he was duty-bound to serve her without question. That is how a knight of the Church should be. The main army soon reached a large intersection. They were given a choice¡ªleft, right, or forward. And since they were in entirely new territory, they didn¡¯t know immediately which path to take. ¡°General, split your forces.¡± The vice head inquisitor ordered. ¡°Tell them to scout ahead, as usual. And tell your men to set up my tent. I tire and in need of rest.¡± Her order was something the general was all too familiar with. The vice head inquisitor had kept a barrier around her proximity throughout the entire dungeon, making her require frequent rests in order to charge her mana. Whenever they stumbled upon a spacious enough place like this intersection, she would order them to set up camp so she could rest in it. The general couldn¡¯t help but think she was acting too spoiled for a supposed member of the Inquisition. Not that he would dare saying that to her face, of course. And so, as the general¡¯s men scouted ahead, the main force took another break, delaying it from reaching Felicia¡¯s place yet again. Lucky her. --------- As the vice head inquisitor had her nap, the rest of her associates¡ªthose that didn¡¯t accompany her¡ªwere still trudging inside the dungeon. They were actually heading right where the main force set up their camp. Not that they would know it, of course. ¡°M-Milady! We can¡¯t possibly¡ª¡± ¡°Shut your trap and charge on. I¡¯ve said it before, haven¡¯t I? I¡¯ll heal you over and over, until the enemy¡¯s dead.¡± One of the groups was facing an entire tribe of goblins, numbering around a hundred, or even more. The group had walked into an ambush, and now the goblins had them surrounded. And yet, the two Inquisitors, who were the de facto leaders of the group, showed no signs of distress. They simply raised a barrier around themselves, letting the soldiers outside do all the fighting for them. ¡°Hmph, not going to waste my strength fighting against small fries like them.¡± The cocky-looking blonde youth proudly declared. ¡°My barrier is enough. Let small fries fight against small fries, I say.¡± Her partner, the redhead, could only roll her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s that look for? If you had known Turn Undead, we could finish this nuisance faster.¡± ¡°Says someone who doesn¡¯t know the spell either.¡± The blonde youth had in his possession what you would call a holy sword. It allowed him to cast Holy magic, as if he was holding a staff in his hand. Instead of using it to wreak havoc on the goblins, however, he felt it was beneath him, and so he stayed his blade. The redheaded girl, on the other hand, was what you would call a pure support cleric. Her specialty was that of healing and succor, not fighting. So even if she wanted to, she couldn¡¯t fight back against the goblins effectively. ¡°Uaarghh!¡± ¡°Aarghh!¡± A group of soldiers were burned alive by the goblin shamans¡¯ fire spells. Another group received a rain of arrows from the goblin archers. ¡°Don¡¯t stand in the line of fire, you idiots!¡± The redhead yelled. ¡°Urgh, I can¡¯t believe this. Amateurs, all of them¡­¡± She began chanting, and then¡ª ¡°Mass Heal!¡± A warm light enveloped her surrounding, closing the wounds of any soldiers that happened to bathe in its embrace. ¡°Fight! Don¡¯t you dare let up!¡± And so, the soldiers, some with arrows still sticking out their bodies, pushed on against the goblins. It wasn¡¯t an easy task, for the goblins were also regenerating like them. They were zombified goblins, much more durable than normal ones. The redhead continued to cast Mass Heal over and over. The soldiers were, in a sense, another undying army thanks to her. The only difference was¡ªof course¡ªthe soldiers could feel pain. ----- Hugo ¡°Felicia? Felicia? Are you there? I want to speak to you.¡± ...No response yet again. I sighed. Great. Do I have to do this the hard way? It had been an hour or so since I entered the dungeon. And so far, it has been a miserable experience. Damn it! Have I ever been to this corridor before? I feel I¡¯ve been to this corridor before. I knew I should¡¯ve just followed the map they gave to me. I, like any other adventurer that decided to participate in the venture, was given a map that described the route they had taken and cleared so far. I was supposed to follow said map, but I opted not to, as I wanted to speak with Felicia directly, away from the ears of the soldiers and other adventurers. They said that she could watch and communicate with them even when she wasn¡¯t there in person, so I figured it was worth a shot. As for why I decided to take the detour, I couldn¡¯t have them suspect that I was consorting with her after all. Unfortunately for me, she wasn¡¯t responding at all. Oh God, this is so boring. There weren¡¯t any monsters or traps to be wary about. None. The soldiers must have cleaned all the side routes as well. I was tempted to try to make a hole downwards with my spell, but I was afraid it might end up causing a cave-in or something. Not to mention that it might make Felicia think I was here for her head like the rest of the adventurers. I sighed. Guess I¡¯ll just retrace my steps and return to the designated path. ¡°You! Why are you here?!¡± Just when I was about to turn around, I heard a voice coming from behind me. Quickly, I turned with my wand drawn. Only to find the necromancer standing in front of me. ¡°Are you here for my head as well?!¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t get the wrong idea! I¡¯m just here to¡ª¡± ¡°To what? Are you saying that you want to help me?!¡± ¡°No, not exactly. I¡¯m here to¡ª¡± ¡°Then leave,¡± she spoke with a bitter tone as her eyes narrowed. ¡°I might admire your pure desire for heroism but I shall not hesitate to strike you down if you interfere with my work.¡± Her figure then scattered into the four winds, revealing that it was merely a shadow clone, most likely made from her magic. ¡°Wait! Oh goddamn it!¡± My words fell to deaf ears. If I had to guess, she was busy repelling the soldiers so she had no time to speak with me. That¡¯s why she seemed so uncharacteristically irate. Mmm, should I have lied to her? Probably not. It would only cause more problems down the line. I feel she¡¯s the type that doesn¡¯t take kindly at being deceived. Fine then. Guess I¡¯ll have to follow the main route like everybody else. And I better hurry. -------- Felicia ¡°Damn it, why is he here?¡± The necromancer bit her thumb yet again. ¡°Is he a friend? A foe?¡± ¡°Milady?¡± ¡°Shut your mouth, Berault! I¡¯m thinking here!¡± ¡°Apologies, Milady, but the main force is approaching fast. And the side forces are going to rejoin them soon. We should strike now before they could do so. Thin out their numbers.¡± The necromancer didn¡¯t seem to listen to her knight¡¯s plea. She wandered back and forth with a distraught expression, all thanks to Hugo¡¯s sudden appearance. Should I beg him to join my cause? No. After all I¡¯ve done, there¡¯s no way someone like him would be willing. Should I kill him then? No! I don¡¯t want to! Not him! ¡°Please, Lady Flameu! Listen to Lord Berault!¡± Rowana was there too. Somehow, she could sense her husband returning and so she left her room to greet him. ¡°Milady, we have to move soon.¡± Felicia continued to walk in a circle, ignoring the pleas from them both. ¡°... You¡¯re right.¡± She abruptly stopped. ¡°We have to cull their numbers.¡± She turned to face the knight. ¡°Let us depart. We¡¯ll start from the group with the nun.¡± ¡°Of course, Milady.¡± He returned with a bow. ¡°Oh, please do be careful!¡± Rowana clasped her hands together. The knight halted his steps. He turned around and lifted his helmet from his head, revealing his dark hair and handsome face. With a smile that would melt any woman, he told her, ¡°Do not worry, my love,¡± the knight returned. ¡°I shall protect you from those men and women.¡± He knew that if he and Felicia failed, his lovely wife would die once again. And he had no plans on suffering the same grief twice. He put his helmet back on, once again returning to his stern and stoic persona. His smile was reserved only for his dear wife. He never even gave it to Felicia, the woman he had sworn to serve. Watching this, the necromancer felt a pang of jealousy in her heart. She wanted it. She wanted to be loved, just like Rowana was. Alas, no one would love a person as horrible as she was, would they? One that had desecrated a mountain of corpses and sacrificed her own dignity to further her own goals. Good men loved pure women like Rowana, not a filthy and corrupt whore like her. ¡°The only happiness I will get is when the entire world becomes undead¡±. It was a fact she had accepted in the deepest folds of her heart. Chapter 148: Chaos "W-water! Water is rushing this way!" "B-behind too! We''re trapped!" The Inquisitor youth with the book sighed. Those fools had triggered some sort of a trap and now they had to pay the price. ¡°Hey, Tina, break a wall or something.¡± ¡°Hey, since when you¡¯re my boss?¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± He sighed. ¡°Do you want us to drown?¡± With a shrug, the nun slammed her mace onto the nearby wall. It left a dent on the wall, but it didn¡¯t create the hole that she wanted. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s tougher than I thought.¡± ¡°Then smash it again.¡± She did once, twice, thrice more, yet the dent barely went any further. ¡°I think it¡¯s being reinforced by the Dungeon Core,¡± the nun gave her assessment. ¡°That heretic knows we would try something like this to escape her trap.¡± The young man sighed again. ¡°Fine. A barrier it is.¡± He then opened his book before he began his chant. A barrier manifested out of thin air, surrounding them both. The soldiers around them, naturally, took notice of the fact. ¡°A-a barrier! Oh, thank the Saint! Everyone! Get inside!¡± One of the soldiers, the platoon''s lieutenant in fact, ran towards it, only to crash into the hard forcefield. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the youth spoke with a cold look. ¡°But we have no intention of bringing any of you along. This barrier is only designed for two people, you see.¡± ¡°W-what?!" "It''s your own fault, you see. You and your men fell into the trap. So now, you would have to pay the price." *CRASH* "Aahhhhh!" "H-help! Help! I-I can''t swim!" One by one, the water swept the soldiers away, right towards the barrier. Like a stack of fishes, they crashed into the hardened light, banging their bodies at high speed. Some snapped their necks entirely, some broke their arms or legs, and some painfully choked on the water until they lost consciousness. The blue-haired youth didn''t flinch in the slightest when some soldiers banged on the barrier, begging to be let in. Why would he? They would enter Valhalla once they perished. And just like that, the entire platoon was wiped by the flood, leaving the two Inquisitors on their own. The assault wasn''t over, however, as the water soon electrified. Thankfully, the barrier held firm nonetheless. Faye continued hitting the wall, ceiling, and floor, trying to find a weak spot she could make a hole with. ¡°Ah, this seems to be the spot!¡± She then proceeded to smash said spot, located on the ceiling, over and over and over again, all the while the youth maintained the barrier. The electricity didn¡¯t seem to bother him in the slightest. Compared to Majorka from before, it was clear as day how much stronger his barrier was. Eventually, the ceiling crumbled, running down rubble on top of their barrier, which it easily deflected. The two quickly jumped upwards through the hole. It opened into some sort of a chamber. There was nothing inside except the scent of mold and decay¡ªa scent that permeated through the entire dungeon. The water quickly filled the chamber. As the only exit was a passage going downwards, they decided to try the ceiling once again. "Can you make another hole up there?" The youth spoke to the nun. "Hmm, let''s just hope we don''t end up burying ourselves in dirt." She began swinging her mace upwards, sending shockwaves that hit the ceiling wall almost as hard as if she landed the hit on melee. "Looks pretty sturdy. I don''t know about this," the nun spoke in a casual, almost playful tone. "Just keep looking," the youth replied, his tone one of annoyance instead. Dirt and rocks began to leak from the ceiling, showing that above them were not another room, but instead part of the soil in-between the dungeon, yet to be developed. ¡°Uhh, don''t think we can go up, chief." "Continue. I''ve read the map and there should not be that much soil above us. My barrier can take it. And all the dirt and rocks can help plugging this water as well." "Alright then. Whatever you say." The nun smirked. She resumed hitting the ceiling, until eventually, it gave through, letting an avalanche of soil into the room. The barrier held, just like the youth said, and the two began their dig upwards, into the next room above them. Right into where Hugo was. ------- Hugo I made my way to the center of the dungeon, following the route on the map I was given. As expected, I didn''t encounter anything. The route was already stripped clean of all it''s dangers. I entered a large, pitch-black room. Using flame magic, I fired a flare to the ceiling of the room, revealing a bunch of tall statues of what looked like knights. They were around 10 meters tall, give or take. And then, I felt it. The thumping motion coming from under my feet. Hmm? This trembling¡­ an earthquake?! No. It''s more like a thumping. From down below. Something''s coming! Believing it to be a monster, I jumped backwards to the corner of the room, readying my wand for the creature that might pop out. The middle floor burst open before something jumped from the hole, revealing the identity of the culprit to be¡­ A nun? "Oh? What''s this? Hey, Asan. We got a kid over here!" Another person jumped out from the hole. This time, instead of being a silver-haired nun in her late teens, it was a blue-haired young man around sixteen or so, wearing a formal black priest robe. "Hey, kid." He called on me. "You''re an adventurer? Where''s your party?" Kid? Hey, I''m not that much younger than you, you know! Before I could answer his question, however, two more figures burst forth from the hole, followed by a water spout that splashed water all over the room. I dodged it in time but the two certainly didn''t. Ignoring the fact that the nun''s white outfit had just turned translucent from the wetness (revealing the fact that she wore matching teal bra and panties that day), my attention immediately turned towards the next two figures who just made their dramatic entrance. Mages? A man and a woman? And they''re twins! "Adventurer." The young man spoke with a noticeably bossy tone. "Aid us. Those two are zombified mages, vile creations of the necromancer." "Wait, zombies?" I replied. "They don''t look like one though." With a sigh, he replied, "Just shut up and do your job." Ah, of course. Too high and mighty to explain anything to this humble adventurer, huh? If I had to guess from their outfit and attitude, they must be the inquisitors that started this whole thing. The zombies made their first move. The male conjured a rain of spears made out of water while the woman fired blasts of water at high speed akin to water cannons. ...Yeah, I¡¯m not participating in this. I slowly walked backwards, trying to not attract the attention of the two zombies. ¡°Tch, running away, are we?¡± The youth said after he erected his barrier. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped, I suppose. You¡¯re just some kid adventurer after all. Go. We¡¯ll handle this.¡± Normally, I would take offense on this, but I knew better than to get angry. It¡¯s better this way. They might think I¡¯m siding with Flameu if I were older. ¡°If you¡¯re not with us, then you¡¯re against us.¡± I just had a hunch they were that kind of people. Before I could make my way out of the room, however, the passage behind me suddenly closed itself, with a stone slab sliding down from the ceiling. ...Oh crap. I turned my sight across the room. Sure enough, that passage was closed as well. I was trapped. "This shall be your tomb, inquisitors." The flare I had fired was snuffed out as pitch-black shadows quickly covered the ceiling, seemingly seeping out from the corners of the room. That voice! It''s Felicia''s voice! The shadows now dripped down from the ceiling, in quite the disgusting manner, if I might add. The nun activated her light spell, only to find that the light could pierce the shadows that swirled around their barrier. And then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Stay here. I''ll take care of them." I jumped, turning around as fast as I could. It was Felicia. "I''ll show you how a necromancer fights," she said with a confident smirk on her face. Beside her was her knight. I had no idea how they suddenly appeared out of thin air, but they did. "Come, Lord Berault. Let us put an end to these two." The knight moved first, dashing forward with his blade readied towards the barrier. His mistress on the other hand started chanting. Light burst forth from the barrier, halting Berault in his steps. The shadows surrounding the two inquisitors were dispelled by the searing light. "I see." The youth spoke coldly. "You intend to finish us now, while we''re at our weakest point." "Ha, the venomous snake is out from her nest, I see." The nun sneered towards Felicia. "And that knight over there is that Berault guy. What about that boy though? Why haven''t you killed him yet?" "I remember him," her partner answered her question. "Charles Pendleton. The famous Divine Tempest. He helped her for a short while. And now, he had shown himself to be her ally once again." "W-wait, don''t get the¡ª" "That''s right." Felicia interrupted. "He''s a friend of mine." "Damn it, why do you have to say that?!" "It''s the truth, no?" She smirked at me. ...I see it now. She''s trying to make me fight for her, by making the inquisitors think I''m on her side. That''s a bad guy move, right there. "Don''t listen to her!" I yelled. "I''m just here to speak with her, not to fight with you or any of the other inquisitors!" ...Yeah, they''re not going to buy that, are they? The battle resumed, four against two. Felicia manipulated shadows to attack them while the two mages utilized water instead. The nun fought against Berault, her mace clashing with his blade. His swordplay was faster but the nun had more strength with her every blow. Not to mention that she would weave quick holy magic every now and then into her melee-oriented fighting style. This is¡­ this is amazing! I couldn''t help but be impressed. Never before I saw the utilization of holy magic in such a manner. She did acrobatics as well, firing spells right in mid-air. I was so slack-jawed I barely noticed her flashing her panties every time she did. The other guy was no slouch either. Instead of a staff, he was using a book as a tool for his magic focus. I didn¡¯t even know that was a possibility. ¡°Holy Barrage!¡± A swarm of bolts of light came out from the book, disrupting the casting of both zombified mages and Felicia. It was similar to the spell Renee once casted, only that the bolts chased after their targets much better. All three had to spend a lot of time getting out of the way before they were safe from the Master-level spell. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Oh, and he was also capable of Dual Casting, allowing him to both keep up his barrier while at the same time attacking with offensive spells. Judging by those two facts, the 16-year old boy was already a better cleric than Mother could ever be. Sorry, Mom, but that¡¯s just the fact. I guess he¡¯s what you would call a prodigy of holy magic. ¡°Diona! Come out and freeze them in place!¡± A woman dressed in what you would call a gothic lolita fashion manifested out of thin air from a cloud of darkness. She promptly let out a scream that filled the entire room. My hands instinctively went to my ears to cover them, only to find that I could no longer move an inch. A-a paralysis scream?! It had no effect on the two inquisitors however. ¡°Ha! A cheap trick like that wouldn¡¯t work on us!¡± The nun bragged with a grin as she was in the middle of her fight with Berault. ¡°We are the chosen of the Saint! Curses won¡¯t affect us!¡± A-a curse! Damn it! I don''t have any spells that can dispel curses! Knowing that her scream wouldn''t work, the summoned woman (Diona was her name, I assume) switched into melee, aiding Berault against the nun. To my relief, my paralysis didn''t last long. I could move my body once more after waiting for a minute or so. That relief soon disappeared, however, when the stone slab blocking the other entrance was sliced into two. "Hey, evil witch! Your opponent is me!" A young man, around seventeen or so, came charging into the room. With a sword in his hand, he jumped straight towards Felicia. She managed to dodge by submerging herself into a puddle of shadow, thankfully for her. "Soldiers! Charge! Protect the inquisitors and capture the necromancer!" It wasn''t just him who had come. A swarm of soldiers marched in with their swords and spears drawn. Seeing this, the twin mages attempted to attack the soldiers, only to be blocked by a barrier generated by a redheaded girl leading the charge. Another inquisitor, if I had to guess. The tables had turned. Now Felicia''s the one being cornered. I''d feel bad for her, but I was still irked by her trying to drag me into her mess, while refusing to talk to me like a decent person. I sighed. She''s not winning me to her side at this rate. "Hold! Don''t anyone move an inch!" I suddenly felt cold steel in my neck, along with two soft mounds touching the back of my head. I tried to move my hands and feet, only to find that they were bound by a bunch of shadowy tendrils. Didn¡¯t even notice they were there until now. It was Felicia and her boobs. And she had decided to make me her hostage. I was too distracted to notice her presence behind me before it''s too late. "Or I would kill this little boy!" She pressed the knife a little deeper. I sighed again. "I''m disappointed in you, Felicia. I thought you''re a better person than this." "Hmph, you know nothing about me!" She fired back. "You don''t know the things I''ve done to get this far! I do not wish to harm a good kid like you, but if it''s the only way i can achieve my goal, then so be it!" And then, she whispered, "Play along. I''m clearing your name right now." "...Ah, I get it," I whispered back. I put on my best acting muscles and followed suit. "H-help! I don''t wanna die!" I yelled. I even used a stealth water spell to pretend I was crying. ("You know, this is pretty embarrassing.") ("It''s your own fault, coming here in the first place. What do you want, really?") ("Nothing special. Just a nice chat with you, maybe over a cup of tea and all that.") ("Hmph, maybe after I dispose of these people.") ("Should''ve planned this better. Now you have to fight two groups at once.") ("I can''t help it. I thought they wouldn''t be crazy enough to dig through the soil. And yet they did.") "You cowardly witch! Unhand him at once!" The blonde man pointed his sword at him. "Don''t be tricked, Peter. He¡¯s an associate of hers,¡± the book-wielding youth spoke. ¡°Just cut her along with him.¡± ¡°N-no, please! I-I¡¯m innocent!¡± Damn it, that kid is merciless! (¡°Wet your pants.¡±) (¡°What?!¡±) (¡°I¡¯ll push my knife right up to your jugular. Then you¡¯ll show them that you¡¯re just a scared little kid that has nothing to do with me, the scary necromancer.¡±) Before I could consent, she performed the move, pushing in the blade of her knife close enough that I started to bleed, but not deep enough that it became a fatal wound. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m bluffing? I¡¯ll slit the throat of this boy and the guilt will lie under your feet!¡± ¡°H-help! P-please help!¡± Using my water magic once more, I, with great shame I had to add, did as she instructed me to. I was just glad that I was skilled enough to do something like this with my magic, instead of, you know, actually doing it for real. I could certainly do it, with me having not emptied my tank for the last few hours, but I''d be damned if I had to do it. ¡°Aww, look at that! The scared little kid is having an accident! Where¡¯s that courage of yours when you slayed that dragon, huh?!¡± Wow, that grin of hers looks almost authentic. She¡¯s really great at playing the villain. Or maybe she is a villain all along. Isn¡¯t it a bit too much though? It¡¯s like she enjoys seeing me humiliating myself like this¡­ "I-I''m sorry! Please don''t kill me!" "...Fine. Peter, if you could, try not to hit the kid." Wait, "try"? That means he''s going to¡ª The blond swordsman dashed forward with his blade drawn. Felicia countered by conjuring what could only be described as the dark version of the Barrier spell those inquisitors were using. I used the opportunity to release myself from Felicia''s embrace. His blade crashed down into her shadow barrier. However, the swordsman (Peter, I assume) continued pushing through, his blade pulsating with what looked to be holy energy. It began corroding away at the barrier. It was enough time, however, for Felicia to use her trump card. ¡°O great power of the dark! Come forth from the abyss and honor the pact I have made as your master! Necrosummon!¡± What appeared afterward was beyond my expectation. And anybody else¡¯s expectation in that room. A massive dragon, made out of bones, had manifested itself right in the front of our very eyes. ¡°Behold! My ultimate creation!¡± I looked at her as she proclaimed those words. That grin was fit for the Devil himself. Chapter 149: Divine Judgment The dragon began its rampage. With a sweep from its bony tail, it bisected the soldiers behind it. Only those who stood behind the redheaded inquisitor survived, thanks to her barrier. It then flapped its wings, sending a shockwave of wind that knocked everyone in the room onto the walls. Well, almost. Anyone on Felicia''s side, including me, was kept in place by her shadow hands coming out from the ground. The dragon then let out a roar right at my direction (quite the frightening experience if I might add) before it started to stretch itself. It had been summoned into a cramped space so naturally it wanted to make the space around it bigger. And thus, the entire room began to shake as it strained against the powerful force the dragon was exerting. Yeah, don¡¯t think this is a good idea. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking, summoning something that big to an underground dungeon like this. Yep, I better scram. I drew my wand and blasted a hole onto the stone slab blocking my passage. Before I left, however, I gave a glance towards Felicia. ¡°Go. I¡¯ll be fine. Leave this place.¡± She spoke, without looking back. Yeah, what am I worried for? After what she just did, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to help her after all. And so, I ran, just in time before the entire room came crumbling down. It set up a chain reaction, causing the corridors connected to it and the other rooms surrounding it to crumble apart as well. I let my legs carry me as fast as it could. If a camera was at me, I would probably look like Indiana Jones running away from a crumbling ruin. Uhh, not that I was insinuating I was anywhere as cool as him though. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t bring in those three. I¡¯m not confident enough that my Wind Wall can survive all that rubble falling on top of it, not to mention the problem of being buried by them afterward. When the dust settled (I blew them away from my location using my wind magic), there was a massive rubble behind me. Stone and dirt piled up like mountains with the massive bone dragon standing in the middle of it all. It let out another roar as it shook all the rubble from on top of it. It looked completely unharmed too. The ceiling still remained, preventing sunlight (or moonlight, come to think about it) from pouring down. As for the floor, it had collapsed entirely, creating this chasm that allowed the dragon to finally have the freedom of movement it wanted. If I had to guess, half of the entire dungeon had collapsed thanks to it. Hmm, looking at it now, its size was about the same as that ice dragon I beat months ago. Makes sense for all dragons to be about the same¡ª ...Oh. It hit me. It wasn¡¯t that it was a different dragon. It was the very same dragon I had defeated. Felicia, whom I left its bones with, had resurrected it using her necromancy. And not only that, she had bound it to be her summon as well. I¡¯ve been had. Felicia and Berault were nowhere to be seen. The same applied for the inquisitors and the soldiers. Had they all been buried by the rubble? No. It can¡¯t end that undramatically, can it? And the dragon hadn¡¯t disappeared so at the very least, Felicia should still be alive, if we¡¯re following the usual summoning rules. Hmm? What are those? I then noticed them, on the bottom of the chasm, large crystals around the size of an adult man, with some being taller, were scattered all over the floor. They were pitch-black in color. Squinting my eyes, I could see another peculiar sight. There was a massive magic circle etched onto said floor. None of the rubbles and dirt fell inside said circle, giving me the impression that it had some sort of a barrier of its own. Those crystals¡­ they¡¯re mana crystals, aren¡¯t they? They¡¯re powering that magic circle, most likely. I had read about mana crystals before, though this was the first time I saw one in the flesh. They were valuable mining goods as they could be used for various alchemy and magical crafting-related purposes. Essentially, they were ambient mana, concentrated into crystallized form over the ages. They weren¡¯t supposed to be black though, so if I had to guess, they were concentrated dark mana instead. Putting two and two together, it was only a natural conclusion to take that Felicia may have something to do with it. That, or it was something the demons set up a millenia ago when they first turned this mausoleum into a dungeon. Hmm? Someone¡¯s coming! At the distance, across the chasm, I saw figures stepping out from an archway that were still intact. It was another mass of soldiers, with what I imagine was the general and two more inquisitors leading them. They weren¡¯t exactly blending in, what with the general¡¯s cape and large double-bladed axe and the woman¡¯s blue dress. The other man beside the woman wore white as well, which didn¡¯t match with the dull green and silver the rest of the soldiers wore. I hid myself behind a stray rock. Didn¡¯t want them to suspect I was siding with Felicia yet again. The bone dragon let out another roar before flying from the chasm and towards the soldiers. It landed with a tremor, and it didn''t waste time before blasting them with its cold breath, only to find that it was blocked by the inquisitor lady''s barrier. As the two sides fought, I moved my attention back to the chasm. I had a hunch that whatever that magic circle was for, it was related to Felicia''s goal. And I wanted to know what that was. To my surprise, however, there was already another battle going on down there. As expected, Felicia and Berault were still alive. And so did the four inquisitors. None of the soldiers made it though. I climbed down slowly, taking care not to alert them with my presence. I hid behind another large piece of rubble, until I was close enough that I could hear their voices. ¡°Stop her! She¡¯s activating the circle!¡± The blue-haired youth shouted. Sure enough, Felicia was standing right in the middle of the circle. She was stabbing her staff to the ground, holding it with both hands as she closed her eyes and chanted. Meanwhile, her subordinates, Berault and Diona, protected her from the four inquisitors, while the dragon distracted the soldiers above. ¡°O Great Power of Darkness! I offer thee these foolish souls so you would grant me the key!¡± The circle began to pulsate, and the four inquisitors immediately yelled in pain as they fell down to their knees. It didn¡¯t need to take a genius to figure out what she was doing. She¡¯s sacrificing them! She¡¯s sacrificing them for her ritual! A surge of dark mana surged forth from the circle, concentrating itself at the center, right at the tip of Felicia¡¯s staff. ¡°I offer thee my words! Ha¡¯atu! Ren¡¯ah! Trillium! Eredion!¡± She raised her staff upwards, firing said dark energy to the ceiling. It tore through the stone, going all the way to the outside. ¡°I offer thee my body! My flesh, blood and skin shall be shrines to the dark!¡± At this point, shivers started to form at the back of my neck. The amount of mana she was channeling was unbelievable. It was as if I was staring at the fountain overflowing and bursting with magic power, and me, having some sensitivity towards it, felt as if I was being suffocated by it. ¡°I offer thee my soul! So grant me thy key and open thy gate! Manifest the truth upon this world!¡± More dark mana flew towards Felicia as slowly but surely, the crystals containing them vanished into the wind. I instinctively raised a Wind Wall, as I didn¡¯t feel comfortable facing off against that much surge of power without having any protection. Holy shit, is she serious?! What kind of spell is she casting that needs this much power?! ¡°Come forth! Grant my wish and break the barrier between life and death!¡± The spell reached its apex. The mana now actively swirled around her like a tornado. More and more of the ceiling was being consumed by it as she fired the mana towards the skies. But then, something happened¡ªsomething that made the mana she had gathered to not fire towards the skies like she wanted. The mana started to shower, raining upon the area instead of continuing its journey upwards. And then, I saw it¡ªthe pulsating magic circle she stood on slowly dissolving itself away. Uhh, this isn¡¯t good, is it? My suspicion was confirmed by the panicked look drawn on Felicia¡¯s face. ¡°N-no! T-the ritual¡­ i-it¡¯s not stable enough! I-I¡¯m losing control!¡± *CRACK* *SHATTER* Her staff, unable to bear the unstabilized power coursing through it, shattered into a million pieces, sending her tumbling down to the ground. The spell, however, refused to end on its own. It continued drawing more and more power into itself from the dark crystals, before spreading it around in a shower of darkness. Some headed at my direction, but thankfully, my Wind Wall was there to protect me. Yep, this isn¡¯t good at all! I noticed out of the corner of my eyes the four trapped inquisitors. Now that the magic circle was severely weakened, they once again regained their movement, and wisely, they used it to run away from Felicia as quickly as they could. And I really better do the same. I swiftly ran back upwards to the outside of the chasm as fast as I could. I took one last glance towards Felicia. She was now stuck inside the spell¡¯s shredding tornado, with Berault and Diona beside her. Sorry, but you¡¯re on your own for this one. Using my Wind Step, it was an easy matter for me to reach the top of the chasm once more. When I did so, however, Hmm? What¡¯s that? I noticed something peculiar from the corner of my eye. Looking upwards, I noticed that the once pitch black sky had instead been infused by light. The two were fighting against each other for dominance. And then, I saw it¡ªacross the chasm, the lady in the blue dress¡ªshe too was in the middle of chanting something, as she was raising her matching blue staff to the sky. Wait, where did the dragon go? She couldn¡¯t have defeated it in that short amount of time, could she?! I looked back upwards. And then, it hit me. ¡°Wind Wall!¡± I immediately hardened the wind above me as I braced for impact. ¡°Fairies! Come out and build me the strongest wall you could!¡± The two girls promptly responded to my call. Earth Sprite raised a hut made out of hardened mud around us while Spring Fairy covered it with her water wall. ¡°W-what¡¯s going on, Master? All these mana¡­ I-I¡¯ve never seen anything like it!¡± Spring Fairy spoke with a panicked look on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. But I know for sure that a big attack is coming our way, from above.¡± Why did I think so? Because I realized the light that was up on the clouds was forming a magic circle of its own. That woman¡­ she¡¯s going to bathe this whole place with her holy light. A powerful spell that rained light from the heavens. If I had to guess, it¡¯s a Grandmaster-level spell. I still remembered like it was yesterday, when Vera used two spells of a similar caliber. No, perhaps this was even stronger. Vera had to split her mana into casting two at once after all. I put every bit of my mana that I could fit into my spell. There was no escaping this. The range was simply too big. And then, it fired. A massive beam of light descended from the heavens. I closed my eyes and focused everything I had on my spell. ¡°Graahhh!¡± The moment it touched my Wind Wall, I immediately felt the immense pressure bearing down onto me. T-this is¡ª this is too much! I can¡¯t possibly defend against this! ¡°M-Master! I-I can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°U-uhaaaaaa!¡± My two summons were clearly struggling as well. It was immediately clear to me that even with us three, we couldn¡¯t withstand such an attack. Even so¡ª ¡°Use my mana as much as you want!¡± I yelled to them. Grghh! It''s no use! This spell¡­ it''s too powerful! "M-Master! I-I can''t¡ª I-I''m sorry!" The fairy vanished, taking the water wall with her. It was now only us two. Graahhh! I''m not¡­ dying here¡­ not before I apologized to Marina and Erika¡­ not before I met Sherry again! ... Wait! I can¡ª I can use that! If I can nullify the spell, just like she did! I gritted my teeth. Using the strength I had left, I began channeling my raw, untransformed mana in a way that could deconstruct other spells back into scattered, harmless mana. I only managed to do it once before, with the help of Amelie, but it was no time to doubt myself. It was either that, or I die, right here and now. I would have wasted my second chance in life. And that, I refused to do, even if I had to bleed for it. "Aaaahhh! Deconstruct Magic!" My Wind Wall shattered. Now there was only Earth Sprite''s wall to protect me. "U-uuuuu...aaaahhh!" I didn''t need to look at her to know how much she was struggling. The girl might not talk much, but her determination to aid me was unmistakable. I didn''t know what made her so loyal to me, but I was thankful for it nonetheless. I-it worked! I could feel it. My Deconstruct Magic was now aiding her wall, weakening the light before it could hit it. However, it wasn''t enough. The spell continued to rain down, unrelenting. And I knew Earth Sprite was at her limit. "Must¡­ not¡­ falter¡­ must¡­ protect¡­ Master¡­" This girl¡­ "I-it''s alright. If it hurts you too much, then you can leave." I wasn''t sure why I said those words. I knew I would die if her wall crumbled. But, seeing her like this¡­ no, not just seeing. Feeling. I could feel the great pain she suffered by keeping her wall intact. Perhaps it was our contractual bond at work. Or perhaps I simply didn''t want to make a little girl like her suffer for my sake. "No.. not leaving¡­ Master¡­" "It''s fine. I''m¡­ not that good of a human being anyway." I gave her a grim smile. Aah, I didn''t want to die here, being turned into ash by some holy light. I want to die on my bed as an old man, with a loving family at my side. I would have my wife, my children, and even my grandchildren. But, it seems that''s not going to happen. Sorry Anton, Amelie, Anne. I ended up doing something stupid anyway. I just hope you guys aren''t nearby when this spell rains down from the sky. "D-don''t¡­ don''t give up¡­ I¡­ become stronger¡­ strong enough to protect Master¡­" And then, the brown-haired sprite began to shine. My eyes went wide as the child-sized figure grew to be a tall woman. Her outfit changed completely as well, from a modest robe to a skimpy brown-colored two-piece bikini. Her legs and arms were covered with little stone bricks, or rather, they were her new, not-human skin. Her brown hair reached all the way to her behind. She just evolved from a little girl to a sexy woman. "I have grown, Master." She gazed at my speechless self. "I am now a Sprite of "Sacred Stones." The hut she had erected evolved with her as well. It was now made out of solid, glowing bricks. I could feel Holy mana emitting out of them. Thanks to that fact, it was now much more durable against the holy light hammering it from the outside. And thus, with the last remaining inch of my strength, I kept up my Magic Deconstruction anti-spell until the barrage was finally over. We made it. Barely. I fell to my feet, panting. My clothes were now drenched by my sweat. ¡°M-Master, are you alright?¡± ¡°Y-yeah, I-I¡¯m fine. My mana¡­ I just need to recharge them, that¡¯s all.¡± I gave her a reassuring grin. The girl, no, woman, immediately brightened by my response. "I''m glad! Now I can be more useful to you, Master! As you grow stronger, so would I!¡± ¡°R-right¡­¡± I eyed her up and down. God damn, she¡¯s a bombshell right now. I don¡¯t think having a summon this attractive is healthy for my perverted self, especially since she keeps calling me ¡°Master¡± and all that. ¡°Master?¡± ¡°A-ah, nevermind.¡± I quickly averted my (no doubt) lecherous gaze. And yet, her mind is still as naive as that of a child. Dangerous. That combo is dangerous. If I¡¯m less of a good person, I could easily take advantage of her and do all sorts of stuff to that hot body of hers. I told her to remove her rocks. Still weak, I stood up gingerly before examining the aftermath of the spell. Holy crap¡­ What I saw took my breath away. Gone was the dungeon we were in. Surrounding us was a massive hole around the size of a city. Only the small patch of ground we stood up survived, thanks to us blocking the spell from vaporizing it away. Thus, we were now standing on top of a tall ground pillar in the middle of said hole. Far away, in front of us, was another pillar. The blue-dressed woman stood here, unharmed by her own spell. The same couldn''t be said by the people accompanying her, however. They were gone, perished in the spell I presumed. Only she and the man standing beside her survived, and he should be another inquisitor just like her. I had no inkling to how they survived it, but it''s probably related to their barriers. They might be zealous enough to kill innocents with their spell, but they wouldn''t be dumb enough to kill themselves. As for the darkness, it had vanished as well. To my surprise, however, Felicia and co. managed to survive at the very center of the hole. Not only them, too. The four inquisitors survived as well. Clearly, they had a spell designed to keep them safe from that powerful holy magic. The woman and his aide descended off her pillar, using the same barrier stair technique Mother once used. I''d better get off as well. Who knows how long it would remain stable? I told Earth Sprite of my intention and she nodded. "Then, I shall rest for a bit. Please call me if you ever need me with anything." She sure has gotten a lot more talkative since her evolution. And I soon realized she had gotten more forward as well as instead of asking first, she grabbed me and forced me into a hug, burying my face in her lovely bosom. Aah, heaven! This is what heaven is like! "Master is so little! I''m bigger than Master now!" Yeah, something''s definitely bigger alright. It didn''t last long, however, as after taking her payment, she disappeared with a smile, leaving me on my own once again. Probably with a perverted grin as big boobs really are a weakness of mine. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With her gone, I descended down the pillar, using my Wind Step magic yet again while keeping myself out of sight. I just hope that lady in blue hasn''t noticed me. Once again hidden away from sight, I continued to examine the situation for a safe distance. In retrospect, I probably should have run away instead, especially after that near death situation I just brushed with, but I just had to know how this whole situation would be resolved. It was all-too-obvious that Felicia had been defeated. Whatever that ritual was intended to do, it had failed. Terribly. Not to mention that it had broken her staff into pieces in the process as well. And with the inquisitors surrounding her like this, I don¡¯t believe she could escape. ------- Felicia "W-why? Why did it fail?! It shouldn¡¯t have failed! It shouldn¡¯t!¡± All my labor these past years¡­ disappeared into the four winds, just like that. She was right. That elf was right. The ritual was indeed flawed. It wasn¡¯t stable enough. It couldn¡¯t contain all the mana it needed without imploding on itself. But, even without that, it would¡¯ve failed anyway. That searing holy light from the heavens would have destroyed the Gate the moment it came into being. Somehow, I survived that, thanks to the swirling darkness protecting me from it. I wish I hadn¡¯t. ¡°Foolish woman! What do you think you hope to accomplish by that spell?! If it weren''t for my Divine Judgment, this whole region would have drowned in demonic mana! I see it now! You wish to flood the kingdom with monsters, don''t you? To destroy it and turn its citizens into your own personal undead army. Truly, you are beyond salvation." Those harsh words made me look to the side. There she was¡ªthe Vice Head Inquisitor herself, the one responsible for all my troubles. She was the caster of said spell. A Grandmaster-level Holy spell. I hadn¡¯t foreseen that. I didn¡¯t believe she would be capable of such a spell. She could¡¯ve easily destroyed the entire dungeon with it from the start. If I had known, I would have abandoned this whole place, even if I had to lose years worth of progress on my research. But now¡­ ¡°Milady! Stand up! It¡¯s not over yet!¡± It was Berault. He drew his blade, guarding me from the inquisitor. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you time for your escape, so please! Do not lose faith! You can always try again!¡± ¡°B-Berault¡­¡± I returned weakly. ¡°I believe in you! You! Who returned my dear Rowana to me once more! And make no mistake! I have no plans to die in this battlefield either! They¡­ that woman¡­ she took away my beloved Rowana once more with that accursed light! But you! You can resurrect her again! And the next time, it would be her own soul returned to this world! Not a chunk of your soul masquerading as her!¡± ...I was left speechless. Never before had I heard him being this passionate before. "No, I don¡¯t deserve your trust.¡± I gave a bitter smile. ¡°All this time, I''ve only been using you for your strength. I didn''t resurrect your wife out of the goodness of my heart. I did it to gain your gratitude and loyalty. Same with you, Diona.¡± I looked to the side towards my ghost familiar. ¡°I only made a pact with you as you shared the same hatred I possessed towards the king. No, your hatred is much, much bigger. I came to him and gave my body willingly. But you¡­ you never had a choice in the matter.¡± Diona was born out of the lingering hatred and regret a certain commoner girl once had. She had received the fancy of the king, and as a result, was forced to serve him as his maid at the castle. Of course, she had no love for him. She already had a lover of her own. And they were perfectly happy, until that one fateful day where the king, who would often do a visit to the capital¡¯s brothels, laid his eyes on hers. Before she knew it, she was forced by her soldiers to go back with him to the castle. At first, she reluctantly gave him what he wanted. He promised to her that once he was satisfied by her, he would let her go. It wasn¡¯t like she had any other choice. She had begged the people in the castle to help her, but naturally, none came to her aid. She was even lectured by the head maid, an old, decrepit, and generally unpleasant woman, that she should be honored to give her body to the king, being the commoner that she was. And a lot of the people in the castle held the same belief. Especially that general, who would willingly die in service of his corrupt king. He believed in the absolute power of a monarch, and how a knight like him should only obey, and not think for himself. Well, he¡¯s dead now, I presume. A silver lining in these storm clouds I found myself in right now. And so, the poor maiden lost her innocence to him, not to the lover whom she adored so. They were believers of the purity doctrine of the Church, so they decided not to share a bed until they could afford enough money to be married. Her lover, defying all common sense in the name of love, decided to infiltrate the castle to rescue her. Only to find himself captured, and then tortured, right in front of the poor maiden. The king was having a bad mood that day, so he was especially cruel with it. The poor maiden was forced to watch as her lover screamed in pain for hours on end, until eventually, her mind broke and she opted to take her own life by stealing a guard¡¯s sword and stabbing herself with it. Her spirit wandered the castle¡¯s dungeons from that day, until I made a contract with it. And that spirit was Diona¡ªa malignant soul that had denied the cycle of rebirth by its sheer sorrow and hatred it possessed. ¡°Mistress Felicia! Please do not give up! You have given me my revenge and so I swear to serve you until the day you die! So get up and flee! There is still time! You can try again! Bring me back my lover like you promised me too!¡± Her expression was wholly earnest. She genuinely still believed in me, even after my failure. ...S-she''s right. I can try again. I still have a chance. Even if I have to run away once more, even if it takes many more years, I can do it! I must do it! I''ve sacrificed so much to give up now! Gingerly, I stood up. That inquisitor and her aide were getting closer. And at the corner of my eye, I could see those other four inquisitors recovering themselves. Somehow, they managed to survive that light, though it seemed to take a lot out of their energy. I just need to¡ª I just need to figure out my escape route¡­ Chapter 150: Punishment Hugo The one who attacked first was the aide. The large man leaped forward, greatsword in hand, going straight towards Felicia. Of course, Berault wasn''t going to let it happen, so he blocked his sword with his own, straining under the sheer strength and weight the large man was giving. Then, it was the blue dress lady''s turn. She summoned a swarm of holy chains from the ground. Some went towards Diona while others went towards the necromancer herself. Felicia, having no staff at hand, could only rely on the ghost lady to defend herself. The only option she had was to dodge the chains physically, running away as fast as her feet could take her while dodging left and right. Diona on the other hand opted on the offensive approach, by flying towards her while letting out a scream with the intent to disturb her casting. It didn¡¯t work, of course. The woman also possessed a resistance to curses like the other inquisitors. So she decided to instead hit her by her parasol as hard as she could. Naturally, that plan didn¡¯t work. She wasn¡¯t fast enough to get to her before the chains wrapped around her and bound her in place. That fate was soon shared by her mistress. Without her magic, Felicia¡¯s mobility decreased dramatically. No longer could she use that ¡°melt into shadows¡± magic she liked to use. ¡°Lady Felicia!¡± Berault yelled once he noticed the precarious position his master was in. He would move to her aid at once, but the large man was more than a match for him. ¡°Where are you looking? Your opponent is me.¡± He slammed his greatsword to the ground, exploding the ground around it in a symbol of a dragon. Dragon Cross. It was a sword technique specifically utilized with greatswords. Berault barely managed to get out of the way with a Grateful Step backwards. The large man followed by a forward sweep of his greatsword. Berault blocked it with his sword, but he was flung away by the sheer force he exuded. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good!¡± The large man grinned. ¡°Name¡¯s Eldan Firmshield. Nice to meet you, Lord Berault,¡± he said in a lightly mocking tone. Once again, he stood between him and his mistress. And judging by his expression, there was no way he was going to let Berault pass. ...Yeah, it¡¯s over for her. ¡°Halt! Move another step and I shall kill your precious necromancer!¡± As I predicted, the blue dress lady decided to use Felicia¡¯s capture to force Berault to stand down. And he did. He had no choice in the matter after all. "Now, how should I deal with you?" The blue dress lady walked towards Felicia with a subtle satisfied smile on her face. Felicia could only watch helplessly as the chains pulled her upwards and stretched her arms. Her pose was now exactly like those captured female knights in those doujins I used to read in my old life. Thankfully for her, the blue dress lady wasn¡¯t some perverted, big membered male priest, so she wouldn¡¯t be violated terribly before she got killed or turned into what they called a ¡°c*m sl*t¡±. Though I don¡¯t think the latter is realistically going to happen. Unless if the rapist is an incubus, I guess, since from that demon encyclopedia I read (courtesy of Marina, whose curriculum doesn¡¯t shy away in talking about them), incubi demons could make females they slept with became addicted to their member; its taste, the way it thrusted, etc. Same with succubi demons. That¡¯s why it wasn¡¯t recommended to try and summon them, no matter how horny of a teenager you might be. But then again, if she brought her back with her like this instead of killing her at the spot, the guards who kept watch of her would probably violate her anyway. They did that with Joan of Arc, didn¡¯t they? "Cordelia Flameu, the court mage of the Fiania Kingdom. Guilty as charged for practising necromancy and to fight against agents of the Church. What say you in your defense?¡± Instead of answering her question, Felicia answered with a laugh. ¡°Nothing! I say nothing in my defense! For I am not wrong! What is wrong in wanting a world where everyone no longer fears death? What is wrong in fighting dogs of the Church who are willing to murder hundreds in their charge? Look at this wasteland! Your oh-so-holy spell did this! How many soldiers you killed by doing this, huh? You don¡¯t care! That¡¯s the unavoidable proof of your zealotry!¡± Felicia panted, out of breath from her burst of rage. She had a creepy grin plastered on her face. She knew it was over for her, but she refused to show any weakness in front of her tormentor. So that grin was the result. A horribly forced grin that only showed how desperate she was feeling. ¡°...I see. So you won¡¯t even beg for forgiveness. Not that you would have any, of course.¡± The blue dress woman turned her back at her to look at Diona, who was still kept in place by her holy chains. Unlike Felicia, she was visibly pained by it. She was a ghost and the chains, being holy, had an exorcism effect on her. She was burning. And yet, just like her mistress, she refused to show weakness. ¡°O poor wayward soul, unable to return to the embrace of the Heavenly Dragon, enslaved by the dark arts of a necromancer.¡± ¡°I am not enslaved, you ignorant whore! I served her willingly! She has given me my justice! My revenge! Two things that you Church sheep never gave me!¡± The inquisitor lady shook her head. ¡°Poor soul. She even influenced your mind as well. But don¡¯t worry. I shall return you to His embrace right away.¡± Her staff shone, light radiating from the tip. ¡°N-no! Noooo! I-I¡¯m not¡­ I don¡¯t want to go!¡± The ghost screamed as she struggled with all her might to free herself from the chains. Alas, her strength was nowhere near sufficient. As the light continued to shine on her, bit by bit, she disappeared, starting from her feet, all the way until her head at the very last. ¡°M-Mistress Felicia¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± With those last words, the ghost disappeared in a burst of light. ...Yeah, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s coming back from that. If expressions could kill, then Felicia would have killed the inquisitor lady on the spot. She then turned her attention towards Berault. ¡°And what about you, black knight? You are just as guilty as her. Aiding a necromancer is the same as practicing necromancy in the eyes of the Saint. What say you?¡± "I say nothing. My path is true, and I shall not bend to your misguided self-righteousness." "Just as stubborn." She sighed. "Truly, none of you deserved salvation.¡± ¡°Your Holiness, if I might make a request.¡± Suddenly, her aide spoke. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°I wish for you to grant me an opportunity to fight him to the death.¡± ...Well, that¡¯s unexpected. Let me guess. He finds him a worthy opponent so he wants to fight him fair and square. ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t got an opponent like him in a while.¡± He grinned. ¡°I feel my skills have gotten a bit rusty lately so I want to polish it with him.¡± Yep, exactly as I expected. The lady inquisitor paused for a bit, before answering, ¡°Fine. Fight him. We have time.¡± Seriously? She¡¯s really casual for someone who just obliterates a kingdom¡¯s army. I guess when you¡¯re connected with the Church, there¡¯s nothing a mere puppet state of the Empire could do against you. The Empire itself doesn¡¯t really care much about the well-beings of their outer territories, so they won¡¯t go out of the way to put a formal complaint to the Church. At least, that¡¯s what I expect from what I learned from Fiora. ¡°But if you lose, I¡¯ll cut off an arm so you would be stuck teaching those acolytes for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°Heh, don¡¯t worry, Your Holiness.¡± He swung his greatsword to the ground. ¡°I¡¯ve got no plans to retire yet.¡± The lady inquisitor then moved Felicia and herself away from the two, giving them more space to fight with. ¡°Don¡¯t you lose, Berault! Kill him and then her! Don¡¯t you dare throw the match just because of me!¡± Felicia shouted. Her tone was understandably angry, and she cleverly anticipated that the inquisitors would just force Berault to lose to the big guy if he actually started winning by using her as a hostage. After seeing all the things they¡¯d done, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they actually ended up doing something like that. ¡°Whew, things certainly got heated. Wish you would leave some to me, Your Holiness. You¡¯re really strong as always.¡± The four other inquisitors finally joined up with her, with the cocky-looking blonde teenager (I think his name was Peter?) taking the lead with a grin. The blue-haired youth and the redhead looked quite a bit worse than the other two. They were lagging behind Peter and the silver-haired nun, looking awfully tired as if they hadn¡¯t slept in two days. If I had to guess, they were probably the ones responsible for protecting themselves and the other two from that terrible spell. ¡°I-I thought you weren¡¯t going to use that spell,¡± the blue-haired youth spoke with a light pant. ¡°Y-yeah! That was really scary, you know! Our barriers nearly failed to block it!¡± The redhead followed, panting as well. ¡°Look at this!¡± She brought out her staff. ¡°My staff is cracked all over!¡± "My book is in a less than ideal condition as well." The blue-haired youth commented. "Really, your spell is just too powerful. No wonder they call you Milicis''s Blinding Light back home." They sure are really casual with her. "So, she''s the necromancer, huh?" The blonde man grinned towards Felicia. "What is up with female heretics always being hot chicks? The last dark elf we executed was really hot as well." "Hold your tongue, Sir Graffeu." His boss spoke. "Such a speech is unbecoming for an inquisitor." "Right, right, no lustful gaze, speech, or though, right? Don''t worry. Redheads aren''t my type. Too bright for my taste." He shrugged with a smirk. Naturally, his redheaded coworker flashed him an angry glare. Seeing this scene made me feel weird. These guys were acting like ordinary teenagers, but they were alright with their boss chaining up Felicia and killing hundreds of soldiers for no good reason. I guess to them, anyone who wasn''t them was disposable to their goal. The fight then began, with the lady inquisitor being the "referee" that signalled the start to your match. At first, it was clear that the two were equally matched, with Berault having the advantage of speed and mobility while the large man having the advantage of strength. For someone who was wearing a full knight¡¯s armor, Berault was surprisingly mobile. Though his main strength was from his parries. He could use the large man¡¯s strength against himself. Instead of receiving his blows head on, he would always push it to the side to try and unbalance the man, opening a chance for him to counterattack. His style wasn¡¯t as elegant as Fiora¡¯s, but I could tell that he shared the same school as her. The large man, on the other hand, seemed to belong to the Lancelot-school instead, as he loved to use heavy attack with a huge reach. With one swing, he cut the pillar the lady inquisitor and himself once stood. It shouldn¡¯t be an easy effort, seeing how the thing was at least 10 meters radius-wise (it was thicker at the bottom), made out of the solid stone the dungeon was built of. But then, Berault received a swing of his sword, sending him flying a good twenty meters away until he landed on the dirt. ¡°Hah! Finally! You¡¯re quite the sneaky bastard, aren¡¯t you?¡± The large man grinned. To my surprise, Berault immediately stood up. His armor was exposed in the abdomen, revealing the large bloody wound on his stomach. He must have protected himself by Fortissimo at the last moment. There¡¯s no way that swing wouldn¡¯t have cut him in half. ¡°Still roaring to fight? Good! I¡¯m still itching for some more excitement!¡± The large man charged forward with a bloodlust-filled expression. Berault readied himself, switching to his defensive¡ª Wait, that stance¡­ that¡¯s a different stance! The large man swung his greatsword in a massive half-circle. Only to find that Berault had jumped high on the air, missing his attack entirely. In a single moment, the knight barraged him with what could only be described as a thousand sword thrust at a single second. I had seen that move before. Fiora used it to instantly cut a giant boulder into tiny little rocks for my training. It was the first time Berault used such a move though, and it clearly took the inquisitor warrior off-guard. He tried to defend himself by doing a backward dash, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough. When the move ended, his decapitated head plopped down to the ground. *CRASH* And just like that, Berault had won. He didn¡¯t waste any time. Before the rest of the inquisitors realized what had happened, he ran as fast as he could towards the head inquisitor lady, no doubt intending to strike her down to free his mistress from her chains. He swung his sword. Rattles of chains cacophonied through the air as they rushed to defend their own mistress. He missed its mark. His sword was merely inches away from his goal. The chains slammed him down to the ground, pressing him tightly and binding him like they never binded before. ¡°You truly are a fool.¡± The lady inquisitor stood before him, seemingly unfazed with her near-death experience. ¡°Do you think I was so foolish that I did not expect this from you? Taking a hit, feigning weakness so Eldan would lower his guard. It was something only a knight with no honor would do.¡± He responded by a spit to her feet. "..." In a flash, she conjured a blade of light and stabbed him straight through his head. "Berault!" Felicia yelled. Holy shit she just did that! I gulped. She''s definitely not someone you want to mess with. And then, I noticed it¡ªtears trailing down Felicia''s face. The lady inquisitor noticed this as well. "Those tears¡­ they are for him? Are you perchance his lover?" She didn''t reply. "It is merely tears of despair then. Your last ally has left you and now you are all alone in this world." Her tears¡­ they''re real, aren''t they? She really felt sorry for his death¡­ My grip on my wand tightened. ...N-no, I should not. That lady is a Grandmaster-level cleric. Remember the last time you fought against someone of her caliber? Didn''t go well at all. And besides, even if I win, I''ll be branded a heretic by the Church. It''s not going to be just me who gets hunted by them. Sherry, Marina, Erika¡ªeveryone I care about wouldn''t be safe. Not to mention that it''s already too late. I''ve let her ghost familiar and Berault die. Even if I save her, she would blame me for their deaths. And what do I owe her really? It''s her own fault for being a necromancer. If she sticks with her alchemy, all this would never happen. I''m no hero. I''m just an overweight middle-aged guy in a kid''s body, trying to live his best life after given a second chance. My obligation is to my family, not strangers I barely know about. And then, she appeared. ------- Felicia My tears¡­ I don''t know why they''re falling. Do I love Berault? No, I am not so shameless to impose on his marriage with his darling wife. His heart belongs to her and her alone. But, I do wish that someone would love me just as he loves his wife. My secret dream is to have an honest, good man like him to shower me with his affection. I''ve promised him to bring back his love who had been taken unjustly from this world by fate. And yet, I have failed that promise. I''ve led him to his death instead. ...I truly do not deserve anything. I am just a wretched soul that should burn at the stake. My hopes¡­ my dreams¡­ my promise to them¡­ they''re all gone now. "W-wait! Waaaitttt!" A familiar voice entered my ears from the far distance. I then saw her, the very last person I wanted to see in this state. It was Leila. And she was running straight towards me. W-why? Why must you come? I told you, didn''t I? Stay away from the fight. That light! Her spell must have attracted her attention! That spell was so big it should¡¯ve been seen for miles. And seeing that I didn¡¯t hide them that far away from here... N-no¡­ Nonononono! "LEILA! RUN! DON''T COME HERE!" I yelled with every bit of my strength. She didn''t listen. Her zombiefied father was running after her but he wasn''t fast enough. Had he grown weaker because I was weaker as well? Or had she somehow gave him the slip? "YOU IDIOT! DON''T YOU REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU?!" It''s no use. Even if she would turn around and run the other direction, she would not be fast enough to escape from the inquisitors. "DON''T YOU DARE HURT HER!" I yelled at my captor. She didn''t react in the slightest. Her subordinates moved in to apprehend them but she gestured to let them come. The little girl was now standing in front of the golden-haired inquisitor, out of breath from all the running she just did. ¡°Please¡­ please do not hurt Miss Flameu.¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°And who are you again?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m Leila. And please, I beg you, Miss Inquisitor! I know you think Miss Flameu is a bad necromancer but she¡¯s not! She cured me and my village from a terrible sickness! And not only that, but she reunited me with my father again! Father! Say something to her!¡± She turned towards the zombie. He could only nod in response as he was far more frightened by the presence of the inquisitor. ¡°L-Leila, we shouldn¡¯t be here. Remember what Miss Flameu told you? That we should stay away from¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! Look, Father! She¡¯s being all chained there! That must hurt! If they¡¯re going to take her away, then I¡¯m not going to let them!¡± She then put herself between me and the inquisitor, opening her arms wide as if she could protect me from her. W-why? Why must you be so naive, you stupid little girl?! You¡¯re going to lose your life! She doesn¡¯t have any sympathy to anyone she deems heretical, even a little girl like you! "No, please! Don''t harm her! I-I''ll do anything! Anything you want! She has nothing to do with me! I-I don''t even know her!" I shouted. I pulled and pulled and pulled but the chains only dug even deeper into my skin. I didn¡¯t even notice the pain and the blood. All I wanted was to keep her safe. I knew very well it was a terrible lie. But I had to try. Enough blood had been spilled because of me, and if Leila lost her life as well¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have been so foolish. Why did I think it was a good idea to make a little girl like her be my apprentice?! You¡¯re a fool, Felicia! A fool amongst fools! The Inquisitor, instead of continuing her attention towards her, now turned to eye her father up and down instead. "Little girl, your father is an undead. You do realize this, yes?" A pause, followed by a gulp. "Y-yep! So what if he¡¯s an undead?! He doesn''t smell like one! Sure, he might be a little cold, but in every other way, he¡¯s just like Father! " ¡°I see.¡± I saw it coming from a mile away. In one swift move, she stabbed him on the chest with the tip of her staff. ¡°FATHER!¡± ¡°R-run, dearie, run¡­¡± Those were the only words he could utter before he disappeared, leaving only a pile of ash as his body erupted into flames. ¡°NOOOOO!¡± Witnessing the second death of her father, the poor girl broke down completely. She rushed into her father¡¯s remains, kneeling down as she tried to gather the ash in her hands, to no avail. ¡°LEILA, RUN! THERE¡¯S NOTHING YOU CAN DO HERE! FORGET ABOUT ME AND RUN AS FAR WAY AS YOU COULD!¡± No use. My voice couldn¡¯t reach her anymore. And that accursed inquisitor, still with her cold, uncaring gaze, moved to be right behind her. ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE! SHE¡¯S JUST A CHILD! SHE DOESN¡¯T KNOW ANYTHING!¡± She produced a blade of light in her left hand. ¡°YOU CAN¡¯T! YOU¡ª¡± With a single swing, it was over. Her lithe body fell, separated from its head. The latter rolled to my direction, showing me her last despair-filled expression before she lost her life. ¡°This is my mercy. She will not suffer in the flames.¡± Her staff glowed and the corpse disappeared, turned into dust with her spell. ¡°You truly are beyond redemption¡ªto corrupt a child to do your dark biddings. I shall make sure you would burn for seven days and nights once the time for your punishment comes.¡± ... I could only scream. Chapter 151: Escape Felicia ¡°Aha...ahahahahahahaha!¡± Tears and laughter erupted from my eyes and mouth at the same time. I have failed. I have completely and utterly failed. Not only I have failed in opening the Gate, but I have failed in everything else as well. I have failed as a human being. Leila¡­ she died by my own hands¡­ by my arrogance, who believed I could protect her from those that would come after me¡­ Berault¡­ I have failed him as well. I have failed to bring back his real wife. I only gave him a puppet made of my own filthy soul as a replacement¡­ All those years degrading myself¡­ all those sleepless nights I spent on my research¡­ it was all for naught¡­ I couldn¡¯t bring my ideal world¡­ I couldn¡¯t even save a little child from myself¡­ and I couldn¡¯t keep my promise to them. Father¡­ Mother¡­ Aaron¡­ Pip¡­ Bryn¡­ Elt¡­ Granny Yan¡­ I¡¯m sorry... If it exists, I wouldn¡¯t even get to see you all in the afterlife, for my wretched soul only belongs to the void... I laughed and laughed and laughed. I laughed through whatever that inquisitor had to say to me. I laughed until I could no longer laugh. And then, I cried. --------- Hugo When I saw her come, I knew what was going to happen. I readied my staff, aiming it towards the lady inquisitor. All I needed was just one good hit, then she would be taken out of the equation. And yet, I couldn''t do it. My hands shook. My heart raced like it never did before. "Don''t do anything stupid, Hugo. If you go against them, then you''ll make an enemy out of the entire Church. She brought this on herself." "Are you going to play the hero? You know the consequences, I presume." Anton and Ilymhyrra''s voice rang in my ears, aiding my own inner voice that told me not to pull the trigger. I shouldn''t be doing this. Surely she wouldn''t be so callous to kill a child? It wasn''t just that that made me hesitate. If I fail to take her out, then I would be facing against a Grandmaster-level mage. And her four subordinates. All at once. On my own. What are my chances on winning? Zero to none. Attacking her would be me doing something stupid. I''m no shonen protagonist. I won''t get a miraculous power-up mid-battle. I would die and that would be the end of it. It was only luck that I could survive her spell. And I don''t have enough mana to do it again. I¡­ I don''t want to die. And so, I remained on my spot, unmoving, with my heart seized with fear. When I saw her kill the father, the girl''s scream snapped me out of my fear. I aimed again. But once more, my hand shook wildly. I couldn''t do it. I couldn''t pull the trigger. Images flashed in my brain, of Vera freezing Alan and Renee, of them shattering into a million pieces. She would''ve killed me too, if not for Alan sacrificing himself. I thought Fiora had drilled into me her courage and bravery. I was wrong. I was still my old, cowardly self. The lady inquisitor walked behind the weeping Leila. She''s going to do it. She''s going to kill her too! Hugo! Are you just going to let this happen? It''s not your fault. It''s Felicia''s fault. She''s the one who dragged her into this mess. If she dies, her blood is on her hand, not yours. Hugo! Haven''t you promised never to be afraid of doing what you desire? You want to save her, don''t you? ...N-no, I''m¡­ I''m no¡­ You saved her once! And you''re going to save her again! It''s not about being a hero! It''s about being a decent person! I clenched my teeth. I formed my mana, preparing to cast my Boom Rifle. Stop this idiocy! You can''t even aim right! You''re going to hit her instead! I held my right hand with the other one. You''re dooming Marina and Erika to a life of a fugitive! Two great powers of this world would be after them! Is the Magocracy wanting them dead not enough for you?! "D-damnit!¡± I couldn¡¯t do it! I couldn¡¯t pull the trigger! And then, it happened. Just like I knew it would. In a flash, the inquisitor sliced her head off her neck, with me unable to do anything to stop anything. No, I was able to. I simply chose not to do it. As her limp body fell to the ground, as Felicia¡¯s scream echoed through the air, bile rose from my stomach. "Uurghh! I gagged and retched as tears fell from my face. Disgust. Anger. Fear. All that swirled in my stomach, before bursting out in a pile of puke. ¡°Uoorghhh!" It was enough to wake me up from my slumber. If you let her die too, you¡¯ll regret it for the rest of your life. Another regret to the pile of regrets you already have. Quickly, I aimed my wand once again. You¡¯ll never be able to look Marina or Sherry in the eyes again. I didn¡¯t have enough courage. So I could only use my rage to overcome my fear. They¡¯ll be disgusted with you. Just like you¡¯re disgusted with yourself now. I decided on a Boom Rifle. It was faster and there would be less chance of me accidentally hitting Felicia since the lady inquisitor was standing right beside her. So shoot. Shoot that vile woman who took the life of a child like slaughtering a cattle. The spell flew through the air, faster than any of them could notice or react to. It pierced through her head, and she collapsed to the ground. I heard loud yelling, as two of her subordinates ran to her side while the other two looked for me. Go. Kill them all. I couldn''t hear what they said. It didn''t matter. I knew what I had to do. I ran forward and fired a Boom Grenade at the latter two. They split up just before the spell could hit them. I summoned Earth Sprite and told her to chase after the nun, while I remained on my trajectory. The blonde man moved in to block my path. He used some sword skill that extended the length of his blade. He also yelled some things about me being an evildoer. I don¡¯t know. His voice barely even registered in my mind. I leaped forward with Wind Step to dodge his sweeping slash entirely. And then, still in mid-air, I drew my sword. Using another Wind Step, I gave myself a strong downwards force, before plunging the mithril blade into his head. One down. Another series of muffled yelling entered my ears. I continued making my way towards the other two. They would heal her and I couldn¡¯t allow that. I fired a Boom Grenade at their direction. However, the two already erected a barrier. It was twice as powerful as a normal barrier as they were layered on top of one another. My spell was easily deflected by them. It didn¡¯t matter for long. Once I got close, I touched their barriers with my left hand and dissolved them as they were butter. Ilmyhrra¡¯s technique. Once again, it had proven useful. I cut them down with a single swing of my blade. Just before I could do the same to their boss, however, a light burst forth from her unconscious body. I had failed to finish her off. I fired a Boom Cannon, only for it to evaporate as it hit the light. The light continued to grow and spread as it made what looked like a construct around the inquisitor. I reached out my hands to try and dispel il, but it wasn¡¯t working. It was a far sturdier spell than the two barriers I just eradicated. I opted to retreat as it continued to grow until it towered over me. It was a statue. It was a statue of a woman wearing a cleric¡¯s long robes and holding a staff. Her size? As massive as the Forest Treant I fought off before. She was as large as a skyscraper. In the middle, inside where her heart would be, was the lady inquisitor, visible from the outside thanks to the construct being transparent. No longer did she have her cold, unbothered look. Fury seethed out of every inch of her countenance. She first mocked me for my failure, saying how she wielded the protection of the Saint that allowed her to recover from my attack. She then said something about me being a coward, and how she would now enact divine justice onto me and Felicia, using the Avatar of Milicis herself. I didn¡¯t respond. She was right. I am a failure and a coward. I heard Felicia¡¯s voice, begging me to run away¡ªto abandon her worthless self. Heh, why would a trash abandon another trash? Looking at the towering monstrosity in front of me, I chuckled. How would I defeat something like this? But, before I did anything, I had to make sure she¡¯s safe first. So I ran to where Felicia is. I ignored her protest and swept her off her feet. The construct¡¯s staff shone, moments before a beam hit the place we once stood, creating a large crater in its wake. I ran as far as I could from the construct, carrying Felicia in my arms. She begged me to leave her behind, but once again, I refused to do so. In the end, she could only sob into my chest. It was the only respite I could give to her. I saw Earth Sprite out of the corner of my eye. She was holding her own against the nun. Her mace didn¡¯t seem to be dealing much damage against her defenses. I ordered her to retreat as well. The construct began to chase after me. However, its movement was slow and sluggish. It couldn¡¯t really keep up with how fast I could move, even with Felicia in my arms. It might be some Grandmaster-level monstrosity of a spell, but it¡¯s a defensive-oriented spell. It¡¯s really bad at chasing fleeing enemies. And so I continued to run, even as it rained down more holy lights onto my direction. My feet took me out of the city-sized crater. I didn¡¯t stop there. I continued to make my way to the cliffside at the distance. My intention was to dig a hole using Earth Sprite¡¯s magic where I could hide from the construct. And then, I saw them¡ªthe companions I had been travelling with for months. They were standing in the distance, along with the surviving adventurers and soldiers. And they were looking right at my direction. Both Anne and Amelie were yelling at my direction, but I couldn¡¯t make out their voices. Heh, it didn¡¯t matter. After what I did, I would be a fool to drag them into my mess. A glance. That was all I spared them as my departing message. ----------- Around fifteen minutes had passed since then. I recalled Earth Sprite to my side once I arrived on the cliff. Using her ability, I hid myself inside said cliff, making sure she also built a little breathing hole for air to come in. Using her expertise, she led me as far as she could before she had to vanish from her time limit. We ended up coming out inside a forest. If I remembered my map correctly, it was the neighboring forest just beside the valley we were at. I put Felicia down as gently as I could. An hour of carrying someone of her size and weight (not that I''m implying she''s fat or anything) certainly had taken its toll on my arms and hands. Through most of that hour, she had remained mostly silent, only whispering the occasional "Why?" over and over. She didn''t even react when I grabbed and pinched her butt. She really was broken by what just happened. I wouldn¡¯t blame her. I would feel the same in her position. Especially since it was my own inaction that led to the deaths of her companions. I didn¡¯t know why Leila was there, but I would be shameless to blame her for her death. Unfortunately, this was no place for me to have a chat with her. We¡¯re still far too close from that inquisitor to be safe from her. She probably was going on a rampage right now, looking for us. ¡°So, you did it after all. But you did it in the worst possible manner.¡± I sighed. At this point, that voice was all too familiar with my ears. And not in a good way, I¡¯m afraid. ¡°What do you want?¡± I turned around. As expected, I found Ilmhyrra staring at me with the usual dispassionate look on her face. Behind her was Elun. And to my surprise, her two underlings were there as well. ¡°I thought I killed you back then.¡± I spoke to the fishman. ¡°Lady Ilmyhrra saved me when I was on the brink of death,¡± he replied. ¡°¡±And I have to thank you, Hugo Greenwood, for opening my eyes on how weak I still am. I shall redouble my training once I return back.¡± His sharp eyes and scowl weren¡¯t expressing any gratitude, however. Instead, I could sense enmity emanating out of him. ¡°I see you have a new underling.¡± The slime girl noted with a smirk. "Or perhaps she''s the same one you had before? Only evolved?" The sprite walked forward, putting herself before me and the slime girl with a look that said "If you even touch a hair on Master''s head, I''ll bludgeon your head in with my fists!" "You''ve been watching me, haven''t you?" I spoke to the elf. "I thought you''ve left already." "I thought I''ll be able to watch something interesting." A small smirk appeared on her face. "So I stayed. Using my magic, I could see you and those inquisitors clearly from a safe distance." "I see. I hope what you saw amused you." "It certainly did." With her power, she could easily fight off the inquisitors. Yet she chose not to, to the point of letting a little girl die. But I couldn''t criticize her for that, could I? Not when I hesitated to save her myself, like the coward I was. Her smirk disappeared before she resumed her speech. "You chose to save her, but not before you let those other three die. You were shaking and whimpering. You couldn''t keep your wand steady. You even puked. And yet, you did it anyway, after it was all too late. If you ask for my opinion, then you should''ve let her be instead. You don''t have enough courage or resolve to take this path." I said nothing. I could only look away. "You''re just a kid who thinks he''s a hero of justice. With that half-baked bravery of yours, you''ll only get more people killed in the future." Half-baked bravery. Heh, that describes me to a T. I''m only pretending to be brave. I was never brave. Bravery was never in my bones in the first place. "And yet, I have to praise you. You really have learned how to dispel magic on your own. That takes talent." Talent? I''m talented? S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Talent doesn''t mean anything. Not when I am too much of a loser to use it properly. "I would ask of you not to teach it around, however. It''s a secret elvish technique unbeknownst to mankind. And I would prefer to keep it that way. Human magic has no need to be even stronger than it already is.¡± "Is that all? We have to leave before they catch up to us." She glanced at Felicia, who now sat with her head buried in her knees. "Would you take her with you?" She looked back at me as she asked. "I''m sure you realize if you leave her here, she would only get captured by them." "I¡­ I''ll take her to a safe place first. We''ll decide then." A disappointment frown appeared on the elf''s face. "Indecisive. That part of you has yet to mature. You do things without thinking about its consequences." I looked back at Felicia, where our eyes met. "...L-leave me. I-I don''t¡­ I don''t deserve to live¡­" She averted her gaze. And then, all of a sudden, she burst into a rage. "WHY DID YOU SAVE ME?! YOU SHOULD''VE SAVED THEM INSTEAD! LEILA! BERAULT! DIONA!" Before bursting into tears once more. I felt Ilymhyrra''s gaze at me. She wants to see what I would do now. "Ahhh, to think that the person who killed two of my dear subordinates would end up like this¡­" Elun suddenly spoke. She had a pleased grin, her hands folded under her chest. "If you want to die, then come with me to the Magocracy instead. We won''t burn you at the stake, I promise. We''ll just hang you after parading you around for a bit." Felicia didn''t respond. She only continued her sobbing. Elun sighed. "Necromancy. Only crazy people want to learn it. What''s so fun about controlling corpses anyway? I heard you can''t actually revive people with it so if you want to bring back a loved one, you''ll only create a pale imitation of their living self." And then, a smirk formed on her lips. "I see it now. You want to revive your family. Terrible plague, I heard. Though since it only affects folks who can''t use magic, it''s not really a big deal. After all, they''re mostly useless to our great nation of magic." "That''s enough!" The words escaped my mouth before I could stop it. "I''ll take her. I''ll take her with me." I looked at Ilymhyrra. "You''re right. I''m just a little kid that doesn''t know anything. But I always finish what I started.¡± I turned back to face Felicia. ¡°I¡¯ll take you with me, if you agree with travelling with someone who let a little girl die just because he¡¯s afraid.¡± ¡°N-no! Don¡¯t blame yourself, Milord! I-it¡¯s my fault¡­ it¡¯s all my fault that all this happened in the first place¡­ if I hadn¡¯t taken her in as my apprentice¡­ if I wasn¡¯t so deluded to think I could ever have a family¡­ this wouldn¡¯t¡­¡± Her voice petered off. She looked away once more, sniffling before blowing her nose using her skirt. ¡°...A second chance it is.¡± Ilmyhrra walked over to her. She grabbed her chin and forced her to look right into her eyes. She remained like that for a few seconds before she released her. ¡°Take it out¡ªwhatever tome or book or grimoire that taught you necromancy, especially the ritual to open that Gate. Use my staff since you¡¯ve lost yours.¡± She weakly nodded, moving her right hand to grip the bottom half. A book popped out from her Dimensional Storage, landing right on Ilmyhyrra¡¯s hand. She gave a cursory look at it before making it disappear, storing it in her own Dimensional Storage. ¡°Promise me that you won¡¯t ever perform necromancy again. If you¡¯re truly a good person like he believes you to be, then you have no need for it. It will only bring calamity and sorrow to yourself and the people you love.¡± She weakly nodded once again. Satisfied with her answers, she returned her attention to me once more. ¡°She¡¯s your charge now. I expect you to take responsibility for her well-being. If she goes down this self-destructive path once again, then you only have yourself to blame.¡± Suddenly, a question entered my mind. ¡°Ilmyhrra?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°The hero. Arthur. How was he like?¡± She raised her eyebrows. ¡°Do you want to compare yourself to him?¡± I fell silent. ¡°He¡¯s a much more determined man than you would ever be.¡± She looked upwards, averting her gaze from me. ¡°When he made a mistake, he would be sure to fix it. Once, he let a demon child go. A mere little girl. He believed he wouldn¡¯t do any harm.¡± A bitter smile manifested on her lips. ¡°He was wrong. The child went on to kill the human family that had taken her in.¡± Crunch. Her boots snapped a twig into two. ¡°He blamed himself, of course, but after he cut her through without hesitation. And he didn¡¯t linger on that mistake like a sentimental fool would. He took the lesson he learned to heart and since that day, he no longer trusted demons.¡± She turned her gaze back to me. ¡°That is enough for me. No one is free from mistakes. Not even us long-lived elves. So instead of moping around for the rest of your life, you two should live on to redeem your mistakes.¡± ¡°You.¡± She moved towards Felicia again. ¡°You¡¯re a good alchemist, are you? Maybe you should consider that line of work instead." She walked back towards me. "As for you, the indecisive coward who can''t keep his wand steady¡­¡± I gulped. What¡¯s with the ominous pause? "I have nothing. I don''t know how to fix someone like you." ...Eh? "Mira was never as cowardly as you. She might be reckless but she never was indecisive. All I could say that you might grow out of it once you get older." ...Right. Tried that once, didn''t work. "What''s with that frown? It''s your problem, not mine. I''m not your babysitter. There is no easy way to change someone''s personality. I tried making Mira less of a blockhead, but I never succeeded, even after she became a powerful mage." A blockhead? To say that so casually to one of this world''s legendary heroes¡­ "I know the solution!" Suddenly, Elun spoke up. "You''re afraid of opponents you think are too strong for you, to the point that your own body trembled in fear. If I had to guess, it''s the trauma you got from Vera. Back then, you probably barely survived her Grandmaster-level spell as well, just like today. And so you thought you''re facing against her all over again. You saw your parents die in her hands (they probably even died protecting you!) so that primal fear crept into your fear, never leaving from its premises." D-did she just psychoanalyse me? "My suggestion? You find another Grandmaster-level mage and fight against them, over and over again. A magic spar. They wouldn''t actually kill you but they would scare you enough that you think they might." "And how would I find someone like that?" "Why, my mother, of course! Marry me and she''ll definitely be willing to be your sparring partner!" "You''re still on that?" That smirk¡­ I really want to punch her in the face. "You have a good point.¡± Ilymhrra followed with an amused smirk. ¡°Perhaps all he need are more life-or-death battles. Not easy fights where he can win in a comfortable margin.¡± ¡°Hmph, easy for you to say when you¡¯re that strong,¡± I replied. Her smirk vanished as fast as it came. ¡°I¡¯m serious. One day, you might lose someone important to you if you hesitate in their defense. Today, you let three people you barely know die. Would you do the same if it were your demon girlfriend instead?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t answer her. I no longer had any confidence in myself, not after what happened. ¡°...The next time we meet, I hope you already found your answer.¡± The elf paid another glance towards Felicia, before she walked away from the scene. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. Rest assured that I would speak in your stead once I made my way to the Magocracy. And your sister too. And even that necromancer.¡± ¡°I dunno about the last one,¡± Elun shrugged. ¡°There would be a bunch of really angry mage houses if we just let her go. She killed their darling little kids after all. And my favorite twin subordinate.¡± ¡°...I see. Then perhaps not her.¡± As they walked out of sight, I realized the truth¡ªthe thing I needed to do if I were ever to be free from Vera¡¯s shadow. I need to go back. I need to go back to the Magocracy and face against the Council head-on. I will make sure that I can build a proper grave for Alan and Renee up on that mountain, undisturbed by their machinations. And I would not let that mountain be used by another Council member as their headquarters. ...But not now. I am still too weak. I need to become stronger. Not just physically, but mentally as well. I need to seek stronger opponents and greater challenges. Even if I have to suffer for it. And I want them to be present. Sherry, Marina, and Erika. They deserve an apology from them as well. And if they refused, their deaths. Only then I would be able to truly free myself from my failure. ¡°Master, I have to go. Would Master be alright on your own?¡± Earth Sprite¡¯s voice brought me out of my thoughts. ¡°Yes, I would.¡± I gave her a smile. ¡°Come. I¡¯ll give you your hug.¡± Once I did, she vanished, as usual. I then turned my attention to Felicia, who was still sitting there, looking as pitiful as she did. ¡°Can you stand up? We should walk further away from this place.¡± I offered my hand. She did not take it however. ¡°Y-you shouldn¡¯t¡­ you shouldn¡¯t have... saved me¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t want to hear about that. You should be angry with me instead, not weeping around like this." "B-but¡­" "If you want to chat, then wait until we get further away. For now, just follow me and stay close at my side. You don¡¯t have your staff anymore so you can¡¯t do anything if a monster appears and attacks you." She fell silent for a few seconds before she took my hand. I pulled her up and helped her stand. "Now, come. Can you run?" "N-no, I''m never good at that kind of stuff." "Then it can''t be helped. I''ll carry you again." "E-eh?" Her cheeks grew red. "A princess carry like before?" "I could do a shoulder carry instead. Might be awkward though, since you''re taller than me." "T-then I''ll take the princess carry!" And so, once again, I swept her off her feet, earning a cute yelp from her that belonged more to a teenage girl than a woman of her age. I gave her a reassuring smile before I dashed forward. We have a lot to talk about. But this is not the place nor the time to do so. Chapter 152: Runaways Anne Hugo, you idiot! I watched him disappear into the horizon, with that necromancer in her arms, unable to do anything to stop him. For the second time, I had lost to another girl. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She chose her over me. Over us. Us, who had traveled with him for months. And me, who had bared all my feelings towards him. Just for some woman he was far too young to be with, for some woman that practiced necromancy, for some woman who he barely knew about. I''ve told him¡ªbegged him not to do anything stupid. And yet, he did it anyway. He''s now a bonafide enemy of the Church, and he would be hunted down by them for the rest of his days. The worst part was how he didn¡¯t even bother to say goodbyes to us. He only spared a glance. A single, short glance. I know why. He didn¡¯t want to involve us in his crime. But still, after all we¡¯ve been through, I just cannot accept it! Amelie, being the girl that she is, nearly chased after him. I stopped her on her tracks, telling her that there¡¯s nothing she can do for him, that she would only be a burden. All of us would be a burden. That¡¯s right. Even though we had gotten a bit stronger thanks to his training, we¡¯re still nowhere near his level. I saw him survive that massive light. If the spell wasn¡¯t so obvious, having that giant magic circle on the sky before it fired, we would¡¯ve died to it. No question about it. It was the first time I saw a magic that powerful. It erased the dungeon and everything else around it, including the camp the soldiers had set up, leaving only a massive crater behind. And now, the woman who cast that spell was going in a rampage. After realizing Hugo had escaped, she immediately ordered us and pretty much anybody else present to search the area for him. We complied, of course. We didn¡¯t want to tell her the direction where he went, but there were other people who saw him as well and they had no reason to lie. To my relief, when we got there, to where the tall cliff was, he was already gone. He got away. Anton and I knew not to start smiling, but I had to make sure Amelie was on the same page. She would no doubt be suspicious if we had relieved grins on our faces when we reported that we couldn¡¯t find him. We were interrogated afterwards, being the one closest to him. We let Anton do all the talk, and to our relief, he managed to convince that woman that we had nothing to do with Hugo. In fact, he managed to assure her that we were terribly disappointed by what he did today and how it was a betrayal he didn¡¯t see coming in the slightest. He even offered his aid on finding him, as he wanted revenge for said betrayal. It¡¯s painful, having to lie about your friend like that. But it wasn¡¯t like we had any other choice, did we? Hugo didn¡¯t say his goodbyes to us to keep us safe. We couldn¡¯t waste his goodwill in the slightest. We were then deployed to search for him at the nearby forest, where she suspected he had escaped to. We went there and did so, but found no tracks of him after several whole days of searching. When we returned to her, we knew that the other adventurers didn¡¯t have any luck in finding him as well. As for the soldiers, I overheard how they didn¡¯t even want to bother helping her anymore, after what she did to their comrades, with that grand spell of hers. So they only did the barest searches, just so they wouldn¡¯t suffer her wrath. In the end, the woman, and her only surviving subordinate, decided to hunt down Hugo on her own. She believed he wouldn¡¯t stay around in the country for long, and that he would be heading somewhere else where the Church couldn¡¯t reach him. And, if I had to guess, she¡¯s thinking the same thing as he does. The Demon Continent. I could only hope he could make it there before she reached the port town and announced for his search. That, or he decided to go west instead to the Feuding Kingdoms region. The Church had little influence there as well. And if he did, then we could¡ª I shook my head. No, he would never abandon his plan to be with that Sherry girl. Hmph, thinking about it, with him having a demon girlfriend, he might be more at home there living with the demons there compared to with us humans. I sighed. Maybe I should make my way to the Demon Continent too one day. Not now though. I¡¯m still too weak for that. We then returned back to the capital, where we received our pay for our participation in this whole mess. The prime minister kept his promise, and we were indeed paid handsomely for our reward. And then, it¡¯s time for us to decide what we would do from here. ---------- After we made our visit to the castle, we went to the usual tavern at town. The sun had already set already and we intended to have our dinner there, as well as to discuss where we would go next. Anton always said that he wanted us to go west to the Feuding Kingdoms region, but he hadn¡¯t said any specifics about the matter. The place was as busy as usual. Thankfully, we managed to procure a corner table, allowing us privacy from the rest of the patrons. Anton and I decided to order some meat soup. It was usually a pricey dish, but since we just got a lot of gold coins, we figured that we could splurge a bit for the night. Amelie didn¡¯t say anything, only nodding when I asked her if she wanted some meat soup as well. After a short time waiting, the waitress arrived with our bowls. Anton and I immediately partook in it, enjoying the fresh contrast between the supple meat and the spicy broth it was served in. The waitress proudly said that the spices were imported from Laudgar, and it might just be true for once. Midway through my bowl, however, I noticed that Anne had yet to touch her bowl. Not even a single spoonful had entered her mouth. ¡°Hey, Amelie. Your soup is going cold, you know.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Amelie! You know how expensive this soup is. I¡¯m not going to let you just waste it! If you don¡¯t want it, then I¡¯m going to eat it for myself!¡± I took the bowl off her side of the table. And yet, she still didn¡¯t respond. She continued to sit there with her hands propping her head, staring into the distance. ¡°...I wonder where he is right now¡­¡± ¡­ This spoiled brat! "...Alright, that''s enough! I''m sick of you moping around like this! Do you think you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s worried about him?!¡± The blonde airhead had been like this ever since he left. At first, it was understandable but it¡¯s already been a week since then. She should just get over it like Anton and I had! No need to bring our moods down with her! ¡°If you want to be with him so bad, then just go to the Demon Continent on your own! Not that you would survive there for long, of course! The moment you stepped out from the human cities there, a demon would just snatch your pretty little head off.¡± ¡°Anne¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, Anton! I¡¯m tired of this princess here pretending that she¡¯s the only one suffering!¡± "Umm, excuse me¡­" Our argument was interrupted by a face we were all too familiar with. ¡°Is this a bad time perhaps?¡± ¡°Yes! Yes it is! No one of us is in any mood for your interviews!¡± It was the elf bard¡ªthe nosy one who kept giving us questions about him a few months back. To think that tonight, she would be here of all places¡­ my luck must be rotten or something. ¡°R-right,¡± she replied in a seemingly apologetic tone. ¡°I-I just¡­ I just want to ask about him. I-is it true? That he¡¯s a heretic who helps that court mage-turned-necromancer ran away from the Church?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s true." I sent her a glare. "Now leave us alone.¡± "Wow, that''s amazing! What a romantic story! The hero has fallen for the evil lady, but he never gives up her! And so, she saved her, even if it means becoming the enemy of the entire world!" Her eyes shone and she was clasping her hands together. ...And I am seriously considering punching her in the face. "Listen here, you delusional bard! There''s nothing heroic or good about that! He''s just a stupid little kid who gets seduced by a woman far too old for her!" "O-oh, I''m sorry! I forget that you''re one of his lovers!" "What did you say, you pointy-eared bard?" I leapt from my seat and grabbed her by the cuffs. "I never liked him, alright? I just admired him a bit! That''s all there is to it! And now, after he betrayed us to be with that witch, the only feeling I have for him is hate. So don''t you dare even think that I''m part of his posse or something!" I bolted out of the room, earning confused looks from the other patrons as well as Amelie and Anton. I ran for one reason, and one reason only. The water trailing down my cheeks. I never finished my soup that night. I ran back to my room and buried myself under my sheet. And of course, he had to show up in my dream, apologizing for what he did. He the flashed that stupid grin of his and told him that he wanted to marry me. He even knelt on his knee and gave a ring adorned with a gem of ruby. Said that it matched the color of my hair. Before I could answer him, I woke up, with the sun already beaming through the window. I never really got over him. Even now, I still wanted to be him. Amelie no doubt felt the same. She simply wasn''t as good as me at hiding it. I hated it. I hated this feeling, wanting to chase after some kid who already had a girlfriend. And maybe two, if that witch ended up seducing him, which, knowing how perverted he was, would happen sooner or later. Since when I liked younger guys anyway? If it weren''t for his stupid smile, and his occasional cool moments, and the awkward yet charming way he talked to me, not to mention his good looks¡­ Aaargghh, it''s not fair! You can''t expect a girl to not fall in love with a guy when he saved her twice! ¡­ "Haaahhh¡­" I stood up, did a short stretching session before staring out the window. It was already bustling outside, with people going back and forth on their business. Life went on. Whether we wanted to or not. ...I would get over this feeling in time. I would fall in love with another guy then I would forget about him. But, if somehow, knowing how vast the world was, I ended up meeting him again one day, with my heart still beating rapidly for him¡­ ¡­ I had no answer then. I could only continue on with a smile, trusting in myself and the future I would walk. ---------- Hugo We didn¡¯t stop our stride until we escaped the forest some hours later. I didn¡¯t carry Felicia all the way though. My hands eventually grew too tired to lift her. So I had to drop her down once we left the forest. "There we go." I noticed the disappointed look on her face. "What''s the matter?" I smirked. "You still want more?" Her cheeks colored themselves again. "N-no! I couldn''t possibly¡ª" "It''s fine! You''re not as heavy as I thought you would. And I got something out of it too." She tilted her head, until a lightbulb lit inside it. "Oh! You mean your hand squeezing and pinching at my butt wasn''t an accident?" "That, and me peeping at your chest." I grinned. "With no bra on, they bounced all over the place. I could even see their pink cherries from time to time." She was brought speechless by my blatantly perverted admission. That''s right. That''s how it should be. "And that''s how I truly am¡ªa worthless, cowardly pervert. I am no hero. Nor am I some noble gentleman either. I am just Hugo Greenwood, a kid who left his family just because he was too scared to apologize." My smile turned bitter. Hate me. Despise me. That''s what I deserve. "Milord¡­" "Stop calling me that. Just call me Hugo. Or Trash. That works too." "Please! Stop blaming your¡ª" "No. You should. I''ve let a little girl die on my watch. I had her, you know¡ªthat inquisitor. Right in my sight. I could pull the trigger before Leila died. But I couldn''t. My hands¡ªthey shook. Terribly. I couldn''t bring myself to do it. Not when it mattered. After I experienced first hand how strong that lady was with her holy light¡­" My hands clenched themselves. I looked away from her gaze. "...Milord¡­" "Oi, ye two! What are ye'' doing in mine''s farm?" I looked up. A burly, slightly overweight man jogged at our direction. I looked down. Oh. We were really standing inside someone''s field. The soil we stood on was already prepared for planting. And we might have ruined it by standing here. Quickly, we relocated where we stood. "Adventurers, ain''t ye? Came out from the forest? Got lost? Ain''t gave you the right to trample on mine property." "A-ah, apologies. Like you''ve said, we are indeed lost adventurers. We didn''t mean to trespass." I took the initiative and gave a bow towards the farmer. Felicia, noticing what I was doing, followed suit. "Heh, at least ye got some manners." He spat to the side. Seemed like he had been chewing some sort of leaf. "Closest village is that way." He gestured with his thumb. "Now go. Don''t wanna see yer faces around. Damn adventurers¡­" Grumbling, he turned his back and walked away. Suddenly, an idea hit my head. "Wait, Sir!" I yelled. "What?" He turned. "Do you have a carriage we can buy?" "A carriage?" He raised his eyebrows. "I do have one. Not for sale." He resumed his walk. "I''ll play twice the usual rate!" He stopped again. "Make it thrice and ye have a deal." And so it was that we got our getaway carriage. --------- The man then told us to follow him to his house, which was located on a short five minute walk from where we were. His little farm outright bordered the forest so you could see the small building from a distance. As we walked, with him quite a bit ahead of us, Felicia asked me a question. "Milord, are you truly serious in taking me along with you?" "I am. If you want to anyway, being with a perverted loser like I am." "H-how about yourself, Milord? Why would you want to be with me¡ªsome wannabe failure of a necromancer who thought it''s a bright idea to make a little girl be her apprentice?" "Like that haughty elf said, we all have our failures." I flashed her a somber smile. "You and I¡ªwe''re both failures. So we should stick together." "B-but you''re just a child, Milord! And I''m a full-grown adult! My mistake is much, much worse because of that!" "Hey, I already got my wet dream a year ago. I might still look like this, but I''m just as perverted as your average adult man, maybe even more. And I don''t have time to pretend to be a child anyways. If you''re an orphan, you''d already be kicked out from your orphanage at this age, especially if you''re a guy." I learned that fact from Renee when we got to chat about orphanages, thanks to Sherry. "Not to mention how dukes and earls would already be telling their sons to shop around for their future wife. Hell, I even heard a rumour of a certain duke who told his sons to buy female slaves on the market just so they could use them as training against women¡ªto not fall for their charms easily, apparently." This fact I learned from Fiora, as an example on how the Holy Empire''s nobles treated their slaves. Damn, already leaving the land of virginity at such a young age¡­ I''m jealous¡­ "I actually have some noble blood in me by the way. Though it doesn''t matter since my father got disowned by his father." "What happened?" Felicia''s eyes twinkled in curiosity. "Not sure." I shrugged. "Father won''t talk about it. Doesn''t matter though. I don''t really want to be a noble." "Why not?" "Because I can''t be an adventurer if I become one." I smiled. ------- We arrived at the house. It was your usual farmer house, made out of wood but with a straw ceiling. There was no floor, just straight up dirt from the land he built it on. I wonder if it was really his house, or it''s just a makeshift place he built while he had an actual house in the nearby village. Ah, that''s my privileged, modern era mind talking. Back home at Father''s village, there are many houses with no floors as well. They were perfectly happy with it. Father didn''t see the problem either, and he''s the kind of guy who would rush to help them if they ever were in need of anything. The farmer had gone to the barn behind it, but instead of following him, we decided to just sit on the chairs at the veranda. We could use some rest after all. "You know, you don''t have to go with me all the way. I can drop you off on the Demon Continent once we get there. I assume that''s the safest place to be from those guys." "R-right¡­" She looked down, all dejected like a little puppy. "I would just be a burden¡­ you already have someone after all." "...Yeah, Sherry''s not going to be happy if she sees you latching on to me." I chuckled. "She''s the jealous type, you see." "Then please!" She slammed her hands on the table. "Take me as far as you could!" She leaned forward, tears glimmering inside her eyes. Her cleavage hung low, making my own eyes wander. "I-I don''t have anything or anyone else to live for¡­ My life purpose¡­ it''s gone now¡­ I can only repay the kindness you have given me, Milord!" "Kindness?" I chuckled. "I''m not that kind. Do you know why I didn''t come to your side earlier? Because I didn''t want to. I saw you as a stranger who wasn''t worth saving. I even thought you might deserve holy judgment from them." I didn''t bring up Anton and the others begging me not to save her, nor did I bring up the fact that Ilymhyrra persuaded me ever so slightly to see her as evil. There''s no use pointing fingers and blaming others. It was all on me. "Then¡­ then why did you¡ª" "Because after they killed Leila, I knew for sure who was truly in the wrong. No good men or women would do that to a child. If I hadn''t saved you, then I would feel even guiltier than I already am." I chuckled dryly. "So no. I''m not some hero of justice you think I am. I''m just a loser who wants a good night''s sleep, though, after failing to rescue her, I''m sure to have nightmares for some time. Just like when I failed all those other people before." "Other people, Milord?" "...Ah. I haven''t told you about my past, have I? You know, I tell you my past and you tell me yours. How about it?" I flashed her a grin. Before she could answer, the farmer returned, driving the carriage along with him. It was a simple farmer¡¯s carriage, intended to carry produce instead of people. There was only a roofless box behind the carriage seat and only a single horse was pulling on it. As expected, its state left much to be desired. The contraption was terribly worn and rickety, not something I would even consider buying if we weren¡¯t in such a tight spot. Even the horse looked a bit sickly. Not to mention that I had to pay thrice the ordinary amount for a carriage. I did have the gold from all the quests I had done these past months, but it didn¡¯t mean I was all that willing to part from it. We climbed up the carriage immediately once I paid him in full (he didn''t even try to hide his greed-filled grin). We knew that if we dallied around, we still could get caught. That man would obviously tell them about us if they asked him, no doubt about it. And Felicia naturally realized it as well. "Milord, that man¡­¡± she whispered as she sat beside me on the carriage seat. ¡°He''s going to inform them about us for sure. Should I¡ª" "No. There''s no need. We''ll be long gone when they get here." ¡°I-I know you¡¯re too nice for it, but to keep you safe, I-I¡¯m willing to dirty my hands! So please! Allow me to¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re turning a new leaf, aren¡¯t you? Then stop thinking like that. I want you to start thinking for yourself, for your own future. I might have saved you but I didn¡¯t do it for you to act like this. And I¡¯m done with people sacrificing themselves for my sake. If they¡¯re going to come, then let them come. I¡¯ll protect myself and you as well when that happens. That¡¯s the least I could do to redeem myself.¡± She fell silent under my glare. She looked downwards to her lap, giving me a glimpse of her watering eyes yet again. ¡°There¡¯s something you can do for me though,¡± I added with a nervous grin. ¡°I¡­ never really drove a carriage before.¡± She looked back up, now with a smile on her face. ¡°Then, let me take the reins, Milord.¡± With a whip of her arms, we departed. Despite its looks, the horse could pull on our vehicle just fine. I heard the farmer thanking us for the money once again from a distance. I didn''t bother to respond though. "I learned this from my father, if you care to know." Felicia suddenly spoke. "He told me to be a farmer. I wasn''t interested though. I wanted to be an alchemist instead." A wistful smile appeared on her face. She didn''t need to say anything. Something bad must have happened to him. "You said you wanted to hear about my past. Then, I shall tell you. Every single bit of it. When I''m finished, you would know just how rotten I really am." "Fire away. Tell me every bad thing you did. I''ll do the same. Then we''ll see who is the most horrible person sitting on this seat right now." She gave a light chuckle. ¡°Then, I shall tell you, how the person sitting in front of you now came into being.¡± Chapter 153: The Girl Named Felicia Myne (Part 1) Once upon a time, there was an ordinary girl named Felicia Myne. She was the eldest among her siblings, which numbered five in total. Aaron, Pip, Bryn, and Elt¡ªthose were their names. Each was separated by just a few years in age. They were a family of farmers, so having that many male children was a welcome surprise. Not that her parents specifically planned for it. They simply were too much of a harmonious couple that they couldn¡¯t help having more kids every few years. Contraceptive potions were too expensive for them to buy after all. They lived in a village so small and insignificant it didn¡¯t even have its own name. They knew however that they lived inside the Vehta territory, under the rule of Monas Vehta, one of the members of the ruling council of the Magocracy. All they knew about him was that he was this great Earth mage, and that they should all be thankful of his benevolent rule, though the insignificancy of their village meant other than the usual yearly tax, said rule didn¡¯t really reach them. They didn¡¯t have any provincial guards walking around. Any crime that happened would be dealt by the village elder instead. Felicia Myne was a pretty little girl, with striking red curls on her short shoulder-length hair that only enhanced the innocent look she had. She wore a dull and discolored grey knee-length dress with miscolored patches sewn all over it, a common choice for clothing for girls in her village. It was already too small for her, showing an uncommonly high amount of ankles. Her mother had promised to sew in more fabric at the hem, as well as enlarging the already somewhat tight waist and shoulders, but alas, she hadn¡¯t been able to procure the necessary scrap fabrics to do so. With the last harvest being so terrible, it only made it more important for her to cut any unnecessary expenses. There was one thing that wasn¡¯t dull and terrible on her, however. It was the hair accessories she often wore on her head. They were made out of the wild flowers that grew on the base of the nearby mountains and she would often make it herself whenever she had to go out there to gather some medicinal plants for her alchemy. Oh yes, she was already a budding little alchemist, even as her tender nine-year old self Instead of following the path of her father and mother in becoming a simple farmer, she instead showed great interest in the art of alchemy, thanks to the village¡¯s doctor. She wanted to help and cure people, just like she did. She would¡¯ve lived a simple and happy life. Alas, Fate had other plans for her. -------- "Aaron, you''re burning! Why didn''t you tell me sooner?" "Ehehehe, sorry, Sis," he gave her a bashful smile. "It''s just a little cold. I don''t want to worry you, so I thought it''d just sleep it off." It started that fateful night when the family was having their dinner. As usual, they did it in their living room, sitting together on the dirt floor in a circle. Even though there were seven of them in total, they only had two rooms in their tiny, cramped house¡ªthe living room and the bedroom. ¡°Come. I¡¯ll take you to bed. I¡¯ll make you some nirnroot juice as well.¡± Nirnroot juice was a simple alchemical concoction even she could make. It¡¯s the common go-to medicine for fevers and colds. She had learned the process to brew it from the village¡¯s healer, who was more than happy to accept her as her apprentice. She took her brown-haired little brother to the bedroom, laying him down on the straw bed before covering his body with a thin blanket. She then went back to the living room and began cooking the brew using her mother¡¯s cooking pot. Thankfully she still had some nirnroots laying around that she could immediately use. ¡°Aah, look at her. She¡¯s such a good girl, isn¡¯t she?¡± As she worked, the rest of her family watched with an impressed look, especially her mother, who had a dreamy look on her face. It was clear that the little girl got her cuteness from said mother. Despite the ragged dress she wore, she was still what you would call a breathtaking beauty. Her slim waist, full chest, and striking wavy red hair was something her daughter would inherit in the future. She used to be the village beauty, and her husband was very lucky to have her indeed. "Felicia! You''re done with your dinner?" "Yes, Mother!" Their dinner tonight was a bowl of vegetable soup. It wasn''t all that nutritious or delicious, but it was the best her mother could afford with the funds their family had. With how high the tax on their produce was, they didn''t have much to spend on themselves. "She''s just like you, honey." The father placed his hand on the wife''s shoulder with a smile on his face. "Always working so hard for the sake of her family." "Oh no." She responded by leaning herself towards him. "I''m never that smart. She¡¯s more like you in that department, dearie.¡± She then landed a short kiss on his cheek. With loving parents and siblings, Felicia didn¡¯t want for anything else in this world. She was perfectly content in growing up like a normal girl, raising her little brothers and maturing alongside them, and perhaps even becoming the successor to the village¡¯s healer, as the old woman wanted. If only she knew the storm that was about to come. ---------- ¡°Pip? You¡¯re burning up too?!¡± ¡°I-I guess I am, Sis.¡± He coughed with a weak smile. ¡°Got it from Aaron, I reckon¡¯. I played with him all day yesterday, after all.¡± The next morning, Felicia went into panic mode once more. Pip had fallen ill as well, while Aaron¡¯s fever wasn¡¯t dying down in the slightest, even after she gave him the juice. ¡°Just you wait, alright? I¡¯m going to Granny Yan right away.¡± ¡°W-wait, there¡¯s no need to¡ª Ah, she¡¯s already gone. Aaron, this is all your fault, you know! When you pinned me to the dirt yesterday, you coughed on me and gave me this illness! Now you¡¯re making me make Big Sister worry!¡± ¡°Hmph! That''s your fault! You stole my flower!" "Your flower?! That''s my flower! I was the one who found it first!" "No, I did!" "You didn''t!" "I did!" "You didn''t!" "Alright, that''s enough, you two! Go back to bed at once!" The mother stopped their argument by gently knocking the top of their heads. Like the good kids they were, they could only obey. Their mother could get really scary when she''s mad, after all. Their fight started by a simple, frivolous matter. They had played at the base of the nearby mountain yesterday and by pure accident, they found a rare flower that normally was only found at the higher reaches on said mountain. Knowing that their sister had a fondness of rare flowers in general, they got into a fight on who should take the credit for finding it. In fact, both had somewhat of a rivalry on her affections. The two were only a year apart age-wise from each other and it showed in their interactions. In their childish minds, they even wished to marry her once they grew older. But now, that rivalry had to be put on hold, as none of them dared to incite more of their mother¡¯s wrath. That, and they wanted to rest as much as they could so they would be the first to get better. All for the sake of their big sister, of course. -------- Felicia made her way to the small hut at the edge of the village, going as fast as her small legs could take her. It was where the healer of the village lived. Known only as Granny Yan, she had lived there pretty much forever. She apparently used to live in the nearby town when she was younger, but no one knew, nor cared, about the details. To the rest of the village, she was like their own grandmother, albeit a grumpy and slightly odd one. Once she arrived, Felicia opened her front door at once, not even bothering to knock beforehand. "Oh, Granny Yan! Thank the Founder you''re here!" She found the old woman hunched over in the front of her cauldron, performing the oft-forgotten branch of alchemy called cooking. At her words, the old woman turned to face her visitor. The first impression one would get from her was that she''s some sort of a witch, thanks to how wrinkled her face looked and how hooked her nose was. She was a hunchback, thanks to her spine bending as she grew older with age. She wore an all black dress though not with the classical witch hat. Instead, she wore a black bonnet that covered her greying hair. "Hmph. It''s you. Nosy Redhead." Her voice was raspy and thin, adding ten more years to her appearance. "Granny Yan! I need your help! Aaron and Pip are sick and my medicine wouldn''t work!" The old woman stared into the young girl''s wettening eyes. Sighing, she replied, "Just make them rest. No medicine works right away." "I already gave the potion to Aaron yesterday night! Usually, that would be enough time for it to kick in!" ¡°Silly girl! You messed up the brewing again, didn¡¯t you? I told you before! Three times clockwise and then three times counterclockwise once the liquid started to boil! If you performed it backwards and did the counter-clockwise first, that potion would lose its efficacy completely!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mess it up!¡± She fired back. ¡°I know what I did! Do you think I wouldn¡¯t be careful when it¡¯s for Aaron?! You said it yourself! Alchemists killed more people by failed potions than mages did by stray spells! You said it so much I can''t get it out of my head!" The old woman rested her gaze at the angry young girl in front of her, before shaking her head. "Fine. I''ll make your potion. But after I finished cooking this blasted soup." Felicia clasped her hands, a bright smile forming on her little face. "Oh, thank you, Gran! I''ll fetch you some fernleaves as payment! You always need them, don''t you?" Before the old woman could say anything, Felicia already ran off from her house, earning yet another sigh from her wrinkled old lips. "I do need them for my poor old bones¡­" --------- When Felicia returned with the leaves at noon, the old woman was already ready with the fever potion. She gave it to her, received the potion in exchange, and made a mad dash back home to where her two sick brothers were. "Here! Drink this, you two!" Without stopping to talk or even catch her breath, she administered the medicine to each of them. They would''ve groaned at how bitter it was, but they kept their tough act, not wanting to cause trouble for their big sister who had done so much for them. Her dress clung to her skin from sweat, and she had skipped her breakfast to fetch their medicine. Only after she did so that she sat down, smiling with relief. There was no way Granny Yan''s potion could fail. She believed it with all her heart. But of course, it did. --------- The next day, their fever still continued. And to make matters worse, the other two brothers, Bryn and Elt, showed signs of being feverish as well. She made her way to the old woman¡¯s dwelling once more. She told her what had transpired. ¡°...I see.¡± A shadow fell on the grump¡¯s face. ¡°...I shall make a visit to a friend of mine at Karkala. You stay here and help them as best as you could.¡± ¡°W-what? What do you mean? You¡¯re just going to leave us here?!¡± ¡°Silence, girl! There¡¯s something important I need to check there! You want to be an alchemist, don''t you? Then use that pretty little head of yours and make the cure yourself!" And just like that, the old woman left Felicia on her own, slamming the door behind her as she made her way to the village''s carriage driver. Felicia knew where Karkala was. It was a small town to the southeast of the village. It wasn''t that far so she could only hope the old woman could return soon. That''s right! I shouldn''t be so dependent on her! Look at all these books she has! One of them must be the key to curing this strange fever! With a renewed resolve, she rummaged through her house, reading any alchemy books she could get her hands on. She wanted to know how to make even better fever potions so she could heal her little brothers. She spent her entire day there before finally finding what she wanted. The only problem was that one of the ingredients she needed was a rare ingredient that she could only find at the peak of the nearby mountain. It was an egg of a bird species that only lived at such a high altitude. She had no choice. She had to ask the village¡¯s hunter to aid her in her quest. There¡¯s no way she could defend herself against the monsters and the treacherous terrain she had to traverse through to get there on her own. Unfortunately for her, when she came to his dwelling, his wife came out with the news that he too had fallen sick. And not only that, it was with the very same symptoms that his little brothers suffered. N-no, this can¡¯t¡­ A-a plague? Could it be?! She had heard of what the adults called a ¡°plague¡± before. It was some kind of a terrifying sickness that could transmit itself from one person to another. I-it all makes sense! That¡¯s why it¡­ Oh no ¡­ She ran as fast as she could back to her house. "Mother! Father! We have to¡ª" "*cough* Where have you been all day? *cough*" She was greeted by the sight of her mother, coughing as she was cooking dinner. Her face was flushed and she seemed to be shivering in place. Felicia rested her hand on her arm, and it was immediately obvious that she was burning up. Her worst fear had just been realized. "Mother! You''re sick! You should be resting!" "Then who would cook food for your father and brothers? They''re all sick as well." She coughed again. "This really is a bad cold, huh? Spreading around like this?" She forced a smile. "Mother! Let me do it! You just rest with the others, alright?" "N-no. You should *cough* you should stay at Molly''s for a bit, so you won''t catch this illness too." Felicia shook her head. "Don''t be silly, Mother! I''m tougher than I look! I won''t get sick from a mere cold!" The redheaded woman sighed. ¡°Alright, if you insist. Don''t burn anything now.¡± She ruffled her daughter¡¯s head with a smile. Nine year old and she was already this responsible. A mother could not ask for a better daughter. The woman then went to the bedroom before sleeping in the bed with his husband, trusting Felicia to wake her and the others up when dinner was ready. Felicia was about to tell her to keep her distance from her sick brothers, but clearly it was already too late for that. As for herself, she didn¡¯t know why she hadn¡¯t caught it as well. Was it really just because she rarely got sick in the first place? Truth be told, the last time she got sick was as a baby. The illness would¡¯ve killed her if not for Granny Yan¡¯s help. Ever since that grave illness, she had never been sick ever again, not even when her sniffling brothers cough in the front of her faces. It didn¡¯t matter though. She thanked the Founder for not being sick. That meant she could still go up the mountain to take those eggs she needed for her potion. She had to cure them. Fast. Before the disease spread to the rest of the village. She had heard tales of entire villages or even towns being wiped out from plagues. And as long as she breathed, she would never let that happen! ---------- The next morning, she woke up early. After cooking her family breakfast, leaving it on the only table they had, she departed. With the hunter gone, she had to ask for other people¡¯s help. She knew that it would be foolhardy for her to go on her own. Only to find that none of the adults were willing to help her. ¡°G-go up the mountain? Are you crazy, young lady? Do you even know what kind of horrible monsters are up there?¡± ¡°What? Where¡¯s that Granny of yours? She left? Then just wait. She¡¯ll be back with your cure. Or just sleep it off. That¡¯s what I did when I got a cold last time. Slept for seven nights straight.¡± ¡°A plague? Don¡¯t be silly! You say they only got fevers and coughs, right? That¡¯s no plague! That¡¯s just cold! Come back when you see boils on their skins!¡± No use. Not a single one would come with her to the mountain. They got a point. It still could just be cold. Every story she had heard of plagues always had its sufferers experience itching all over their body. Strange bumps and sores would pop up everywhere and they would start puking and coughing blood. Compared to that, what her family was experiencing couldn¡¯t really be called a plague. And so, she had no choice. She had to go up there on her own. ---------- ¡°Grrrrrrgrrrrr¡­¡± Wolves! Halfway up the mountain, she encountered her first great problem. Mountain Wolves. She had alerted one of them of her presence and now she had to climb up a tree to keep herself safe. She hugged the large tree branch she was on, staying as still as she could as the wolf tried to sniff the scent she left behind. Soon, however, the monster gave up, making her take a huge sigh of relief before thanking the Founder for her luck. She was lucky she was clever enough to think up the plan of rubbing herself all over with the leaves of the Forsen tree she had met on the way. It was a tree with leaves that had a strong leaf-like smell to them, to the point that if you would rub your hands with them, your hands would smell like leaves for a good few hours afterwards. So now, she smelled just like the leaves that surrounded her. It was enough to fool even the sharp nose of a Mountain Wolf. Once she was sure that the wolf was gone, she climbed down and resumed her journey. She was not backing down just because of one small danger. ------------ She continued climbing upwards that way, hiding herself from any monsters that might notice her presence. Granny Yan never really taught her this skill. She instead learned it from how her little brothers would conceal themselves in the base of the mountain whenever they played hide-and-seek there. Even though they were the son of a farmer, that didn¡¯t mean they had no interest in hunting as well. They would frequently catch rabbits to be cooked for their family, which was certainly welcome since meat was really expensive to buy after all. The village hunter would rather sell his meat to Karkala where he could get paid for a lot more instead of selling it cheap to the other villagers. Ignoring the monsters, it still wasn¡¯t an easy climb. Many times she would trip on vines or roots, or the hem of her dress would get caught on some branches or bushes. And with how old and ragged it was, it didn¡¯t take much until her ragged dress grew even more ragged, with tears and holes appearing all over the place. She didn¡¯t care though. Even if she had to climb this mountain, she will get those eggs and cure her family from their illness! Eventually, she heard it¡ªthe characteristic chirping of the birds whose eggs she was after. The book was kind enough to tell her how it differed from ordinary birds. She pinpointed which tree the sound came from and, as if she was a boy, she climbed it with no hesitation. It was a large and tall tree, difficult for a small girl like her to climb on her own. She had to be really careful with¡ª ¡°Aaah!¡± She let out a scream as she fell. Her butt hit the ground first. ¡°Uuu, it hurts¡­¡± She rubbed her aching behind. She was lucky she didn¡¯t fall head first. That¡¯s it! I can use that! Using her clever little brain once again, she pillaged all the leaves from the nearby bushes to create a bed of leaves under the tree. That way, if she fell down once more, and from a higher height, she would be hurt less from it. And so, she climbed. And fell. And climbed. And fell again. And climbed again. And fell yet again. It was now not only her butt that was sore, but her entire legs and arms as well. She cursed herself. She could¡¯ve learned to be a better tree climber from Aaron. And yet, she thought tree climbing was something a girl shouldn¡¯t be doing (an opinion her mother shared). She gritted her teeth. No, she¡¯s not going to give up! She was so close! She just had to jump a little bit further so her arms could reach that final branch! And so, she climbed for the very last time. And she did it. She managed to get to the branch where the birds had their nest. She hugged it as tightly as she could, thanking the Founder over and over with tears in her eyes. Once she calmed herself, she looked forward to said nest. It was located right at the edge of the large branch. She merely just needed to slowly crawl there. Her heart beat like it never before. With a gulp, she did just that, praying that the birds wouldn¡¯t decide to attack her. She had to empty the whole nest too, in case she messed up with her potions. Once she got there near the edge, she looked above the nest. To her relief, Father and Mother birds weren¡¯t there. They were only the little chicks. Please¡­ little birdies¡­ forgive me for this¡­ but I really really really need your eggs to save my family¡­ As gently as she could, she reached her right arm forward. She didn¡¯t want to startle the birds with her movement. Got it! She grabbed a whole palmful and then slowly lifted her hand upwards, ignoring the chicks that were there on the nest. Only to find that they immediately became hostile as they realized their unborn siblings were being stolen by this large hand coming from the outside. ¡°O-ouch! Ouuuuuuch!¡± All of them, about ten or so, began biting on her hand. They might be small but thanks to their beaks having teeth in them, it was really painful for the poor girl. She promptly sat upwards, shaking her right hand as fast as she could so she could take them off her hand. No dice. Their beaks¡¯ grip was far too strong. Her left hand reacted, trying to peel off the birds one by one. Only to find that they bit so strong she would pretty much have to tear a chunk of her own flesh if she was going to do so. "Aaahh, get off! Get off!" Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She could only endure the pain as she put the eggs inside her satchel. Once she did, she slammed her right hand over and over to the branch she was sitting on. If she couldn''t peel them off, then she would crush them and kill them instead. Mercy was far gone in her mind thanks to how painful their teeth were. *CRACK* And thanks to that, the branch snapped, sending her flying downwards. *CRASH* The last thing she saw was a large branch meeting her face. Chapter 154: The Girl Named Felicia Myne (Part 2) When she woke up, the sun already fell. She didn''t know how, but she survived that fall relatively unscathed. Her body ached all over, and her right hand was awfully red with bite marks everywhere, but other than that, she was still capable of making the journey home. Miraculously, the eggs had survived the fall. The combination of the leaf bed she had made and the protection of the satchel managed to keep them intact. That, the natural hardness they already possessed on their own. They were certainly harder than chicken eggs for starters. The girl stood up, looking around to see how everything around her was nearly pitch-black; the source of light being only the full moon and the stars. Fear crept into her mind. How could she go home now, without getting lost in the way? "Awooooo!" Chills crawled down her spine. Her eyes nearly popped out from their sockets as they widened from pure terror. There was nothing more she wanted now than to run to the embrace of her parents, receiving their warmth as she cried into their bosom. ¡°Uuwaaaa! Father! Mother! It¡¯s too scaryyyy! I can¡¯t possibly go down from the mountains on my own!¡± ¡°Shh, it¡¯s fine now, dearie, it¡¯s fine. We¡¯re here now. So you don¡¯t have to be afraid of anything, alright?¡± She sniffled. Her eyes started to wet with her tears. But she held strong. Clenching her fists, she declared to herself. She wasn''t a baby anymore! She''s a big sister now! She''s going to go back, brew that potion, and save her family from that illness! She couldn¡¯t let her fear of the dark and those wolves hold her down! With a renewed determination, she made her way down the mountain as best as she could. She remembered something her father told her once, how hunters and fishermen would use the stars as their guide. She gazed at those celestial lights, moving those gears inside her head until she found a certain constellation that could guide her on the proper direction to take. The mountain she was at was to the west of the village, so she only needed to go east to find her way back. There it is! The Enchantress! It was a cluster of stars shaped like a female wearing a long robe. The constellation could only be found in the eastern sky, which meant as long as she followed it, she would be back in her village in no time! Or so she naively believed. --------- N-no! This clearing¡­ I''ve been here before, haven''t I? Two hours later, she accepted she had lost her way. Thanks to the thickness of the greenery surrounding her, more often than not, she couldn''t get a clear view to her guiding stars. And she had enough of climbing up trees for the day. Her tendons and muscles still ached from the fall. To make matters worse, the howling of the wolves sounded like it was closing in on her, and she couldn''t find any Forsen trees she could mask her scent with. If she were to be caught by them, then that would be it. She doubted she could run fast enough to flee from a mountain wolf. "Kyaah!" Her feet slipped, making her tumble down the small hill she was on. She rolled for a good few seconds, all the while having branches and roots tear into her dress and skin. Once again, she felt she was about to cry. "Grrrrrhhhh¡­" She gasped. Lifting her head from the dirt, she saw it¡ªa pair of crimson eyes staring at her from the shadows. It''s a wolf. Tears burst forth from her eyelids, but she kept her silence. Her lithe body shook, and she would no doubt wet herself out of fear if she hadn''t relieved herself a few minutes ago. Havetostayquiethavetostayquiethavetostayquiet¡ª The wolf slowly got closer, seemingly sniffing for her scent. Blood! It''s sniffing for her blood! Thanks to her fall, her ankles were bleeding now, and that attracted the creature to her! If only, if only she could cast magic! Just a simple fireball is enough! She could fire it right at its head when it got close and that would be enough to allow her to escape! "Grrrrrhhhh!" It crept closer and closer. Now it was merely inches away from her head. She could feel its labored breath as its snout hovered over her. Founder, please! Just this time, grant me your blessing! She closed her eyes and prayed like she never prayed before. Every child born in the Magocracy would know about the Great Founder, Mira. In a way, she had taken the place of Milicis in the hearts of the citizens of the magic-worshipping country. She didn''t know a single thing about magic, but she knew just how great of an existence the Great Archmagus was. She held her breath. Droplets of the wolf''s spit were hitting the back of her head. And then, it pounced, moving its jaw to bite the girl''s head off. Only for a pitch-black spear to pierce its abdomen, mere moments before its sharp teeth could give her a swift death. The wolf whimpered, before falling down to the ground¡ªblood pouring out from its wound. She didn''t know then, but it was the very first time she ever used a magic spell. She had become a mage. ------- She ran as fast as she could, not even bothering to look back at the dead wolf. The wound on her feet stung terribly but she didn''t stop. Not until she ran out of breath completely some minutes later. W-what was that? Who saved me back then? Who attacked that wolf? She gazed down at her trembling hands. W-was that? Was that me? Did I just cast a spell? B-but, what was that spell? It wasn''t a fireball. It was¡­ something like a spear? Am¡­ am I a mage now? Me, who doesn''t have any mage relatives? How can that be? In the Magocracy, it is a widely accepted fact that to be a mage, one must be related to another mage by blood. So, for a complete commoner like her to suddenly awaken her magic talent, it was a rare event indeed. Normally, if something like that were to happen, the child¡¯s family would throw a celebration, as their child was now almost guaranteed to have a better life and a brighter future than their parents. With magic, many gates would open to you that would be closed otherwise. But now, she had no time to look forward to that. The only thought in her mind was to get out of this mountain, brew that potion, and save her family from that plague. After she regained her breath, she marched onward. Lucky for her, that little bout of running brought her to a clearing where she could find the Enchantress once more. --------- When she reached her village hours later, she didn¡¯t spare any time to rest or to even change her clothes. She ignored the fact that she was terribly sleepy, and how her dress was pretty much in tatters and possessing quite the awful odor. She went straight to Granny Yan¡¯s place and started brewing immediately. What followed was another couple of hours of cooking the eggs, grinding the leaves and bones the old woman already had in her storage, and throwing it all into the boiling hot cauldron. She then spent an entire hour standing in front of it. The cauldron was almost as large as she was so she had to tiptoe through the entire process as she carefully mixed the ingredients together, making sure that she did everything as the book instructed. And then, only when it was time to let the mixture rest, she let herself rest as well. She fell asleep the moment she sat down on the nearby sofa. And that was when the sun was already climbing outside. -------- This foolish girl¡­ she actually did it... just by reading my book nonetheless¡­ The old woman sighed, shaking her head. She had arrived back at her cottage this morning, and what did she find? Her little pupil, slumbering off on her favorite chair. That, and a cauldron full of a bluish liquid she immediately recognized as Cool-Me-Down potion. It was a difficult potion to make for her, much less a beginner, but her pupil managed to do it nonetheless. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If there was ever any doubt of her talent, that doubt was completely gone now. Glancing once more at the slumbering girl, she noticed her torn up dress and the many scratch wounds on her arms and legs, especially at her ankles who outright had a large and swollen bloody gash¡ªa proof that the girl had climbed the mountain for the one remaining ingredient she didn''t have. It''s a miracle you haven''t died. I would have to scold you later for this, but now, rest. I''ll take care of your potion. She turned to face the cauldron. ...Even though it won''t do any good. After throwing a blanket onto Felicia, she began to work. ------- ''U-uuhhhhh¡­" Felicia groaned. She softly shifted on the sofa before sitting up with a spring. "The potion! I have to¡ª" "Here. I''ve finished it for you." As she was currently facing the wall, she had to turn to see where the voice came from. "G-Granny Yan?! You''re back?" "Hmph, just arrived this morning. And what did I find? My foolish pupil risking her life foolishly." "I-I''m sorry¡­" Felicia looked down. She never enjoyed being scolded, especially when it''s from someone she respected. "We''ll talk about that later. For now, go to your family and administer the potion.¡± The old woman pointed at the large bottle she had put on the table. It was one of her magical bottles, capable of storing an entire cauldron worth of potion in just a bottle. ¡°Shoo! You¡¯re dirtying my couch, sleeping there with your dirt-covered dress.¡± She gestured with her hand. Felicia looked at the bottle, and a bright smile blossomed on her face. ¡°O-oh, thank you so much, Granny Yan! I¡¯m going to take it to them right away! With this, they can finally be cured!¡± With her childish naivete and innocence, she grabbed the bottle before running straight outside, back towards her house. The old woman sighed and shook her head. That potion will only dissipate the fever, not cure the illness itself. There is no curing them, for there is no cure. This illness¡­ no, this plague¡­ It''s something that no alchemist can cure¡­ She pulled the sleeve of her wrinkled right arm, revealing little white crystals, growing like tumors from her skin. I¡¯m sorry, little one, but you would soon find that you are very alone in this world¡­ not even I was spared¡­ She chuckled. I suppose this disease really is selecting for the pure breeds. A country founded by magic has no need for magic-deficient humans and inferior mages like us alchemists. Her journey to Karkala revealed one thing, that the plague didn''t just exist in this humble little village. It was everywhere. It had spread all over the province like a wildfire, killing all the non-mages in droves. The province''s mage ruler, Vehta, had declared a state of emergency, and that all infected people should be quarantined away from the rest of the populace. The whispers on the streets, however, told a different story. The corpses of those afflicted and succumbed to the plague, instead of being put into a mass grave, was instead being carried off somewhere else. And apparently, it was done by the orders of the mage lord himself. Some believed he was the one who engineered the plague. After all, it only targeted those with no talents to be a mage, and the plague would grow mana crystals on the victim''s body, which were a very valuable commodity. Combined with the rumors how he had been gathering the same Mana crystals for these past few years, one could easily assume the worst to him. After all, he was the least popular mage in the Council. In contrast to the likes of Selendia, who was treated akin to a goddess by her people, Vehta never made any public appearances, and there were a lot of shady tales swirling around him. With what she knew about him, she was inclined to believe that rumor. To her, none of the Council mages were to be trusted, especially in matters regarding non-mages. To them, non-mages were nothing more than dogs¡ªto be praised when they obeyed but to be disposed of when they rebelled. And Vehta was the worst of them, if these rumors were true. Killing thousands of people for your magic crystals. Only a Council mage could do that, she thought with a grin smile. -------- When Felicia returned, she promptly gave the potion to her entire family. One spoonful every four hours¡ªthat''s what the book instructed. To her joy, she immediately witnessed the difference. Their fevers decreased in intensity and they were no longer coughing as often. It works! It actually works! She didn''t hesitate. After her mother said to her that she was feeling better, the girl threw herself into her embrace, crying profusely on her buxom chest. "Oh thank the Founder it works!" "Oh, silly girl¡­ of course it would! You made it yourself, my genius little alchemist! And you did it after climbing the mountain on your own! I would scold you for that but I''m just glad you came back to us safe and sound," she replied with a shaking voice. She too was crying¡ªcrying in tears of happiness and relief. Her father soon embraced her too. And then Aaron. And Pip. And Bryn and Elt as well, even if the latter didn''t understand what was going on, being too young for it. No one cared that Felicia was dirty and smelly, not until the mother teasingly brought it up to her, telling her to go take a bath in the nearby river. Aaron and Pip declared they wanted to go too, but she told them to stay and sleep some more, since they still hadn''t recovered completely. After she cleaned herself, she made her way to the hunter''s home and any other people who suffered from the safe fever as her family. It was a good thing she made extras as it turned out that pretty much everyone had been infected by it, even if the symptoms had only manifested as a light fever. Just in case, she gave it to everyone. It was the last day of Felicia''s happiness. ------ "Granny Yan! Granny Yan! Something''s wrong with Aaron!" The next morning, the girl made her way to the old alchemist''s house once again. This time, however, she didn''t find her in the middle of her breakfast cooking. Instead, the aged woman was lying down on the sofa, with her wrinkled face straight right at the low straw ceiling. "Aaron, he''s¡ª there are crystals growing on his arms." "...And so it begins." "I-it begins? W-what do you mean, Granny Yang?" The old woman sighed before fostering enough strength to sit up and look at the panicked, fearful face of her pupil. "I have hidden something from you yesterday¡ªsomething I learned about this¡­ sickness. Come." She weakly patted the armrest of the coach, gesturing for her to come over. "Sit down." The confused young girl could only nod obediently, kneeling in front of the old lady as she was instructed to. "I''ll tell you the truth, as far as this poor old woman knows anyways." She didn''t hold back in the slightest. She told her everything, from how Karkala was filled with people falling prey to the Crystal Plague¡ªthe name the people had dubbed to the strange illness¡ªto how it only affected those with no capability to cast spells. She didn''t stop there. She told her with a bitter voice how the mage lord of the city was rumored to carry off the bodies of the deceased somewhere else instead of burying them, and how the corpses might be harvested for the mana crystals growing inside them. She then told her not to believe what she had been taught all her life, how she, as a non magic user, should praise and worship Monas Vehta, for the man could be behind the plague. He had been amassing magic crystals for years, and she believed he had grew impatient, thus using his own subjects he viewed as expendable as fodder for more magic crystals. Felicia, naturally, was terribly overwhelmed by this revelation. "W-what are you talking about, Granny Yang? N-no one can just create a plague! A-and Lord Vehta has guided and protected us! We owe the growth of our crops from his magic! We have the most bountiful soil in the entire continent!" The old woman simply chuckled at her words. "Aah, my poor, foolish pupil¡­ you know nothing about this country¡­ nothing at all¡­" She then proceeded to tell her something that bewildered her even more. "Do you remember your history lesson, little one? The Urkmuth rebellion. How many years ago was it? I can¡¯t remember¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ I only remembered a little¡­¡± she answered. ¡°Some years ago, a group of non mages tried to rebel against Lord Vehta¡¯s rule. They were selfish and greedy, refusing to accept their station and contribute to the province in the way they could. They desired to be treated the same as mages, even though they had neither the brains nor the wisdom for it. And then¡­¡± She suddenly paused. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the matter, girl? Continue.¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t remember. I suppose Lord Vehta put an end to their corrupt ambition in the end. Father only ever spoke of it to me once, when he told me why he was proud to devote his entire life as a farmer. He knew that he wasn¡¯t smart, so he wanted to be useful to those smarter than him, and supplying food and vegetables to the mages that protect us and keep us safe are exactly that.¡± The old woman burst into a weak, wheezing laugh. ¡°G-Granny Yan! Please do not overextend yourself!¡± ¡°Oh, my poor Felicia¡­ you kowtow to the mages so much, even though you share their blood. The blood of a mage, you have it, more than me, this poor old alchemist. I can only use magic in my concoctions, but you, you can do so much more. I¡¯ve no doubt of it. If you couldn¡¯t, you would¡¯ve suffered from the plague as well.¡± Felicia was about to deny her declaration, but she immediately remembered what she did two nights before. She had slain a wolf using her magic. It was true. She was a mage. The aging alchemist grinned. ¡°So you did it. You cast your first magic, didn¡¯t you? Tell me, what was it? A fireball? A lightning strike perhaps?¡± ¡°I-it was¡­ it was a shadow blade." The old woman''s grin widened before she burst into another laugh. "Ha! Darkness! That''s your affinity! Oh, how could a naive girl like you be gifted such an element?! The Founder must be laughing at us from above!" "D-darkness? I-I''m¡­ I''m a mage of darkness?!" Her entire body shivered. She had heard the tales, how dark-aspected spells were full of terrifying and horrible spells. Especially necromancy, the most terrible of it all. This nation nearly ended because of it. "T-that can''t be! I-I don''t want to¡ªI don''t want to be a dark mage!" She shouted in tears. "Hold your tongue, you stupid girl! Do you not realize what a gift you''ve been blessed with? I would trade an arm and a leg to have your talent!" The old woman had yelled, frightening Felicia into silence. "Let me tell you something. I was there when our virtuous and generous Lord slaughtered my comrades one by one without mercy. That''s right! I was one of those rebels! I stood with our comrades who wished for freedom¡ªfreedom from the yoke of that tyrant you call a Lord!¡± ¡°G-Granny Yan¡­ used to be a rebel?¡± Felicia asked with her mouth wide open. The old woman replied with a chuckle. ¡°Back then, I was a much younger and attractive lady. Like your mother, though not as blessed in the chest department, unfortunately enough.¡± She chuckled again. ¡°I was an alchemist, one of the many who provided potions and any other magic items we could create for the sake of the rebellion. I¡¯ll spare you the details on why we decided to rebel, but rest assured that if I were to be back there again, I would do it all over again without a second thought.¡± Felicia gulped. In the back of her mind she felt a strong desire to run away from her master. ¡°A rebel is a bad person and good girls don¡¯t talk to them¡±. Such was the lesson taught to her by her parents. And yet, she couldn¡¯t think like that for Granny Yan. Sure, she was sometimes too grumpy for her liking, but she had been nothing but good to her. Surely, she can¡¯t be a bad person, can she? ¡°Alas, I was just that, an alchemist. I couldn¡¯t fight alongside my comrades on the front line. And so, I could only run like the coward I was when I heard the word that they had all been massacred by Vehta. I hid myself away in this village, and somehow, I managed to live this long, until I am now just a decrepit old lady like this.¡± Suddenly, she put her left hand on Felicia¡¯s shoulder, making the poor girl jump. ¡°It¡¯s all up to you now, Felicia. I won¡¯t tell you to follow my path and seek the truth with your own eyes, for that is a thorny path. This nation has stood for a thousand years and not a single person would be able to change that by her own. You will have my blessing if you wish to join your own kind and forget about everything I had said here. However,¡± She broke out into a dry grin. ¡°You will find that even if you¡¯re a mage, they will still not treat you as an equal. You, who wasn¡¯t born to a mage family, will be discriminated against. I am sure of it. But, if you can bear it, then even as a dark mage, you will still be able to make a decently happy life for yourself.¡± The woman paused with a sigh. Suddenly, she felt a terrible dryness inside her mouth. ¡°Whatever your choice is, my only hope that it¡¯s a choice you won¡¯t regret.¡± Felicia stayed silent. Her brain had no idea how to process all this information her mentor had poured. ¡°G-Granny Yan, w-why are you talking all that nonsense?¡± She forced a smile. ¡°T-the cure¡­ s-surely you can¡ª¡± Air escaped her lungs with a gasp. The old woman had pulled the sleeves of her right hand, revealing the innumerable crystals covering her skin from her fingers all the way to her shoulder. ¡°As you can see, I am not long for this world.¡± She granted her a grim smile. ¡°And neither are your family, nor the rest of this village. I don¡¯t know how long it would take until the crystals overtook our organs, but once that happened, we would lose our lives. And it would be very painful, I¡¯m afraid, so if I were you, I would leave this village and go to Karkala. There is nothing else you can do here, other than waiting for their inevitable deaths. Though I have no idea where you should go there. Never have any relatives or friends that are willing to take in a little orphan girl.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Just don¡¯t do something dumb like becoming a beggar or a whore. You¡¯re too clever for that. You¡¯re an alchemist and a mage. Surely you can find proper employment somewhere., in this country of mages.¡± ¡°B-but that¡¯s¡­ no! I refuse to believe it! Y-you can¡¯t just give up! You might be sick but I can still be the one brewing the potion! Just tell me how to do it! I-I¡¯ll even go back to the mountains if I have to!¡± The old woman looked away, still keeping her grim smile. She lowered her body, returning back to laying down on her back on top of the sofa. ¡°Silly girl. So many diseases and illnesses out there are incurable by alchemy. If we have some of those clerics from the Holy Continent, perhaps the story would be different¡­ Oh, who am I kidding? This plague¡­ if it¡¯s really created by that bastard¡­ it won¡¯t be cured by just a simple healing spell either.¡± She paused, saying nothing as she stared at the ceiling once again. ¡°But you, as a dark mage, you might just be able to. But not the girl you are now. No, you have to blossom and mature. You might not believe me but dark magic can be used for healing purposes as well. With blood magic, you can halt someone¡¯s bleeding and extract poison from their bloodstream. And with necromancy, why, you can revive the dead themselves! No alchemy or holy magic can do that!¡± She burst into a laugh once again. ¡°But no.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Not now. Your family¡­ and this whole village¡­ there¡¯s nothing you can do to help them.¡± Felicia fell silent. Slowly, she backed off from the old woman. Her entire body was shaking, tears streaming down her eyes. And then, she ran. Chapter 155: The Girl Named Felicia Myne (Part 3) ¡°You cannot do anything.¡± ¡°There is no salvation for your family.¡± ¡°They will all die agonizing deaths and there is nothing you can do to stop it.¡± Those were the thoughts that wriggled inside her mind for the rest of the day. Unavoidable and unabating, they crashed over and over against the barrier of self-lie she had put up. G-Granny Yan is wrong! They must be¡­ they must be fine! L-look, their fevers are down! So what if there are a handful of tiny crystals growing on their arms? They don¡¯t even say they are hurting from it! It was what the poor girl could only do as she spent the rest of the day with her family, playing with her little brothers. Aaron and Pip, rejuvenated by their big sister¡¯s potion, begged their mother to be allowed to play outside their house. And their mother, seeing their puppy smiles, relented. Felicia tried to object, but they too won her over. She never told any of them the truth. It was simply too painful for her. Or rather, she refused to even acknowledge it. She began to delude herself that her mentor was wrong and mistaken, and that this crystal disease would eventually settle itself on its own. Even if the crystals wouldn¡¯t leave their bodies, it wouldn¡¯t take their lives away. After all, they felt no pain from it, so what was there to worry about it, so she told herself. The four brothers decided to play a simple hide and seek game around the village. It was a simple game that wouldn¡¯t tire them much. Of course, as usual, Felicia was designated to be the ¡°It¡±. Aaron and Pip had their own private rivalry where they counted the times they had been found by her every time they played this game. But for today, they decided not to do anything crazy like hiding on the roof of the village chief¡¯s house. They didn¡¯t want to make their big sister worry. The two noticed the scared looks she kept giving to their direction. And they believed she was just being a good big sister, worrying the fact that the two (Pip was soon revealed to suffer the same ailment) had these tiny crystals growing on their arms. At first, they were scared of the fact, but the crystals didn¡¯t even itch, so they quickly got over it, believing that whatever disease caused it, it would eventually be cured as long as they continued taking their big sister¡¯s super amazing and special potion as she had instructed. Felicia, still in denial, followed along with them. She went all around the village to look for them, all with a forced smile on her face. On the way, she met with the villagers¡ªpeople whom she had ¡°cured¡± with her potion, and they all thanked her for it with smiles on their faces. She could only lie to them in response. After multiple rounds of the activity that was only interrupted by their humble lunch, Felicia was, as always, declared the victor, as she never failed to find a single one of them. However, hiding time wise, Aaron had won. He managed to elude his big sister for a good hour and a half, as he hid inside a stack of hay and then fell asleep there and then, giving Felicia quite the unfortunate scare. After that, they all returned back to their house. The sun was already sinking on the horizon and, as usual, their mother wouldn¡¯t want them to be out and about when the night fell onto them. They washed themselves, had their dinner, and then went to bed. There was not a single complaint coming from their mouths, a fact that only reinforced Felicia¡¯s delusion that there was really nothing wrong with them. Come the next morning, however, that delusion was promptly crushed by reality itself. ¡°I-it hurts¡­ B-Big Sis¡­ my chest¡­. I-it hurts so bad¡­¡± "M-my stomach¡­ it¡­ it''s burning, Sis¡­" Aaron and Pip were the first to suffer. The two cried profusely as the former clutched his chest and the latter held his stomach. N-no¡­ this can''t¡­ this can''t be happening! To Felicia who had been denying the truth, it was a wake-up call back to reality itself. "H-here! Drink!" She gave them more of her potion. It was the only thing she could do in the situation, even though she knew it was completely useless. They didn''t have any fever after all. And then, she ran, ignoring the calls of her parents who were panicking just as badly as her. I-I have to¡­ I have to ask Granny Yan for her help again! Even though she knew the alchemist had decided it was a lost cause. S-she can¡­ she can fix this! Y-yeah, she can fix this for sure! Her eyes went wild as an eerie smile plastered her face. She burst into the house. The old woman was sleeping on the couch. She shook her body to wake her up. No response. And then, she realized just how cold her body was. N-no¡­ Nonononono! She shook again, and again, and again, to no avail. The old woman was dead. She had been shaking a corpse all along. She stumbled backwards, tears pooling in her eyes. Her only salvation¡­ it had been taken from her. ---------- S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After telling the village chief of Granny Yan''s death, she tended to her two ailing brothers for the rest of the day, giving them comfort as much as she could. And by that, I mean giving them no comfort at all. No matter what she tried, what potions she brewed, there was nothing she could do to lift the pain they suffered. Their eyes who begged for her help, and the eyes of the rest of her family who cried for them¡ªthey all judged her as a failure, not only as an alchemist, but also as an older sister. If only¡­ if only I had learned my magic¡­ dark magic¡­ I might be able to do something for them¡­. The voice of her mentor rang inside her head. Even if it meant making her be the one who suffered in their stead, she would do it. She didn''t care if she had to sacrifice her soul for it, as dark mages often did. And then, it happened. "S-Sis, I-I can''t¡­ I can''t breathe¡­" "M-my stomach¡­ i-it''s¡­ I''m going to¡­ bluarghhh!" Pip puked blood all over himself, while Aaron gasped for breath, wheezing and coughing as his body tried desperately to obtain more air inside his lungs. After suffering for an entire day, their symptoms worsened all of a sudden. It was all too obvious to anyone that if they didn''t get the help they desperately needed, they would no doubt perish from it. But what could their family do, other than to wait for the inevitable? Their Father and Mother had left the house, looking for any help they could get from their neighbors. When that wasn¡¯t enough, the father left the village to run to Karkala for help. And Felicia¡­ Felicia could only sob and cry as her little brothers suffered. She wiped the blood and puke off Pip¡¯s clothes, while she tried giving Aaron help by pumping her chest. After half an hour of unending pain, they stopped moving. Just like that, she had lost two of her siblings. The horrified and pained look on them that was carved to their corpses, she would never forgive it for as long as she lived. --------- It didn''t stop there. Oh no, it didn''t. Fate was nowhere near finished with her. The next to perish was her two other little brothers, Bryn and Elt. The former suffered from an awful headache while the latter found his neck to be covered entirely in crystals starting the next morning. They didn''t have time to bury Aaron and Pip, so they simply kept their body inside at the living room. At this point, her mother declared that it had to be a plague, for the other villagers were suffering the same way. She begged Felicia to leave and run, even preparing a pouch of money and a bag of clothes for her. The girl, of course, insisted on staying. "There is nothing you can do here, you foolish girl!" Her mother yelled with tears. "You''re the only one here who isn''t infected so you shouldn''t even be around us in the first place!" "No Mother, I refuse to abandon Bryn and Elt! I''ve lost Aaron and Pip and I''m not going to lose them too! I''m immune to it because I''m a mage! That''s what Granny Yan said!" "Y-you? A-a mage? B-but how¡­ we don''t have any mage blood in our family!" "I-I don''t know either!" The mother bit her lip. "Fine. You can stay. Normally, we''ll celebrate for that, but now, we have to hold on until your father comes back with a healer." Felicia nodded as she returned to caress and kiss Bryn''s head, in the hope that it could calm his headache. When the father returned, however, he didn''t return with hope. He told his wife how Karkala was being ravaged by the same plague, and that no healer was capable of curing it. And so he was told to return and savor the last moments he had with his family. This realization broke his wife. She fainted then and there, just in time for him to catch her. And Felicia, who overheard all that, could only cry once again. -------- Bryn and Elt passed away that night, just like Aaron and Pip. The former had a crystal piercing out of his skull while the latter had his little neck perforated by a ring of small crystals. It didn''t stop there. Her father and mother had fallen ill as well, with the former suffering from sudden blindness and the latter losing all feelings to her body, being unable to move even an inch. Felicia tried to get help from the other villagers, but there wasn''t a single one who wasn''t infected. Only she remained healthy and uninfected. She was alone. She cursed her fate. She yelled to the Founder, asking her why it was only her who was given the gift of a mage. Why couldn¡¯t it be one of her families instead? She didn¡¯t need it. She would rather die with them and to live on her own with no one to love or be loved with. She cried and cried and cried in her father¡¯s embrace until she could cry no more. He was sitting in the living room, right where the corpses of his four children were. ¡°Shh, Felicia, my dear Felicia, listen to me,¡± he whispered. ¡°Do not hate the gift the Founder has bestowed onto you. That only means you¡¯re special, my dear. She has deemed you worthy to be saved compared to us.¡± ¡°W-worthy? B-but that¡¯s stupid! How can she do that?! Why would she save me and me alone?! You and Mother and Aaron and the others¡­ you all deserve to be saved more than me! I¡¯ve done a lot of naughty things! I-I still remember when I slapped Aaron that one day! He cried from it!¡± The father chuckled. ¡°And he deserved it. He put bugs into your clothes as a prank, even though you have told him many times not to do it. After that, he treated you better, right?¡± Gently, the man rubbed her back. He knew his death was inevitable so the least he could do was to make sure his daughter would be able to live once he was gone. ¡°Felicia, listen carefully. Your gift¡­ the gift of a magus¡­ use it well. The Founder¡­ she must have chosen you for a reason. You, of all the people in our village. You, who are born to two people who don¡¯t have a drop of mage blood inside them. So please, do not curse that gift. Once we¡¯re gone, I want you to live the best life you could using that gift. I know, that with your diligence, one day, you will be a great mage¡ªone that the whole Magocracy¡ªno, the whole world¡ªwould acknowledge. You might even make it to the Council seat. If you¡¯re talented enough, then they would welcome you for sure.¡± Felicia remembered what her dead mentor had said. ¡°The Council was not to be trusted¡±, and how this plague was brought into being by Vehta, one of its members and the mage that ruled over this province. She was about to tell him this fact, but relented. She didn¡¯t want to ruin the belief of her father, not when he was like this. He had worked so hard all his life as a farmer, so that he could provide for the mages. What would he feel if she revealed it was all for naught, that the magelord he so admired was an evil man all along? And so she held her tongue, falling silent as she couldn¡¯t bear to agree with him. "Seek Lord Garza. He''s the mayor of Karkala. Go there and tell him about your plight. Since you''re a mage, he should take you in." "L-Lord Garza? But I''m just¡ª" "He''s a kind and just ruler. He would not mistreat you, I''m sure of it." He flashed a comforting smile. "A-alright¡­" To beg help from someone she didn''t know¡­ she couldn''t look forward to it. But it wasn''t like she had any other choice. She had no other relatives, after all. "Now go to your mother. She wants to speak with you, I''m sure of it." Felicia nodded and moved herself to the bedroom. She then gently hugged the woman laying on the bed, tucking herself with her in the process. "Dearie." She smiled. She could still move her head. It was only the rest of her body that was unresponsive. "Come closer. Oh, how I wish I can hug you right now." "My dear, I want you to promise me one thing." ¡°P-promise, Mother?¡± ¡°That what happens now wouldn¡¯t prevent you from looking for your own happiness. We all might die, leaving you all alone, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t be happy. You¡¯re still young, so young. And you¡¯re a mage too. Your future¡­ I can see it¡­ it will be very bright indeed. With your alchemy and magic talent, you will make your way up in the Magocracy. In one year, you would be ten, and then you¡¯ll be able to enter the Magic Academy at Mira. They give out scholarships there, for those who have the talent but not the money to attend. My wish is for you to go there and learn. Learn and learn and learn as much as you could. Those who are learned in the ways of magic could go so very far in this kingdom of mages.¡± Felicia kept her silence, listening to every word her mother was saying. For all she knew they could be the last she uttered. ¡°But, more importantly, you should look for a good man to be your husband.¡± She smiled. ¡°Your father¡­ he has been really good to me. So, I want you to find a man as kind as he is." "M-mother, why are you talking about this all of a sudden?" Felicia pouted with a blush, while at the same time teary-eyed as well. ¡°The witches in those fairytales¡­ they¡¯re all ladymages who never get married, aren¡¯t they?¡± She let out a short giggle at her own joke. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be like them, alright? I want you to have your own family. Being all alone in the world¡­ no one deserves that fate.¡± Alone. Only now, as it loomed down over her, that she feared those words. Sometimes, she would feel that her little house was too crowded, and how it would be nice to have her own room. She would also feel how her little brothers could be too tiring to take care of sometimes. Her mother wasn¡¯t always there to keep them in line so that role had fallen to her. If only¡­ if only she could go back to those times¡­ she would never complain about them, ever. ¡°Oh dear, you¡¯re crying again. Please do not cry. You¡¯re far prettier when you smile, you know. Just like your mother. If only I could pat your head¡­ that always stops your tears¡­¡± ¡°...Mother! Mother! Please do not go, Mother!¡± As her daughter buried her tear-filled face into her bosom, she realized just how painful it was for a mother not to be able to comfort her own daughter. It brought her to tears as well. ¡°Felicia¡­¡± ¡°Oh... ¡° She looked up, seeing her husband standing in the doorway. ¡°Come, my dear. She needs you. In fact, let¡¯s sleep together, just this time. Like the old days.¡± Slowly, the blind man made his way to the bed, guided by the many years he had spent inside the small lodging. And then, he picked up Felicia, hugged her, before resting beside his wife, putting their daughter in-between them. ¡°There¡­ there¡­ let it all out¡­ I won¡¯t tell you not to cry, for you will not have anyone else to cry to.¡± He patted her head, feeling the warmth of her daughter¡¯s hair between his fingers. His only regret was not being able to see her face one last time before he¡¯s gone. Eventually, the little girl fell asleep, leaving only two of them awake. ¡°Dear¡­¡± He heard his wife¡¯s voice. ¡°Now that she''s asleep, can you please kiss me again? Oh, and hold my hand too. If I''m going to die, I want it with you by my side." The man chuckled. "Now, my dear?" "Yes, now. If not, I''m going to cry. This pain in my heart¡­ only you can soothe it, my love." He sighed. "You''re right. I''ve been staying strong for Felicia''s sake, but inside, I want to cry as well. Four sons dying in two days. And in such a horrible way too, from a plague that our mages cannot cure. What are the odds?" "Do not blame yourself, my love," she replied. "We, powerless, magicless people, can only accept the cards given to us. But Felicia, she''s different. She''s going to outlive us and become a great mage." "That would be nice," her husband replied with a smile. "Let us pray to the Founder that it comes true." The two shared their one last kiss, before linking their hands together with Felicia in the middle. When Felicia woke up the next morning, she woke up to the smiling faces of her beloved parents¡ªsmiles that they had kept even as crystals perforated the father''s eyes and the mother''s back. Now, she was truly alone. --------- With the words of her parents ringing in her ears, she began her work. Using a shovel she had procured, she began digging two large rectangular holes and four smaller ones. Graves. She was digging the graves for her own family. The rest of the village had gone quiet. They all had perished from the plague as well, leaving her as the only survivor. It would be impossible for her to build a grave for everybody else. But, at the very least, she wanted to send her family to the afterlife in a proper manner, before she made her way to Karkala. And so, using what strength a nine year old girl could muster, she stabbed the far end of the shovel into the dirt. Immediately she found that the process was harder than she expected. She wasn¡¯t going to give up though. She would give them the graves they deserved. It was the least she could do. So, through the tears clouding her eyes, she continued her work. It took her an entire day and night to finish the job. She collapsed on the dirt once she did, luckily not going into one of the holes she had built. When she woke up, she promptly returned back inside her home and carried the corpses of her family. One by one she did it, even if she had to drag her father and mother¡¯s corpse on the dirt. Her stomach growled. She hadn¡¯t eaten anything at all. Her mother had put some dried bread onto her travel bag, but she refused to eat it. It was for the road, not for when she was still here. In retrospect, it was a miraculous feat, for a girl of her age to be able to do something like this on her own. But her determination had led her to do the impossible feat of climbing the mountain on her own and returning back safely. This was nothing compared to that. First, she put Aaron and Pip side by side in their respective burial holes. The two had been dead for a while so they began to stink, but it didn¡¯t bother her. In fact, ever since this day, the smell of corpses no longer bothered her in the slightest. Then, it was Bryn and Elt''s turn, an easy task knowing their light bodies. Last but not least, her parents. She began with her mother, then her father, dragging them by their hands as strongly as she could. To make sure they fell properly, she pushed them instead once they were close to their holes. Still, they fell head first, with their arms and legs in awkward poses. She hated it, but it was the best she could do. And then, after saying her goodbyes to them, she began the next step, bursting into tears as their faces disappeared forever under the dirt. The process took her half a day, and when she finished, she wailed in front of their graves, promising them that she would not disappoint them, and that she would be a great mage when she grew older. ¡°Oho? What is this? A graveyard?¡± ¡°Seems to be freshly dug. Don¡¯t tell me that little girl was the one who did it?¡± ¡°On her own? Don¡¯t be silly. Unless she uses magic, it¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Look. She¡¯s the only survivor. That means she has the potential. Maybe she does use magic after all.¡± Her tears only stopped when she heard voices coming from behind her. It was an entourage of mages. Chapter 156: The Girl Named Felicia Myne (Part 4) M-Mages? They were a group of men and women, numbering at five, standing at some distance away from her. Felicia warily stood up, taking a step backwards. They wore brown robes, the kind that magicians liked to wear. And attached to their belts were holsters for their wands, proving to her that they were indeed mages. Not native to the village, obviously, as there weren¡¯t any mage residents here. ¡°Oh look, you¡¯re scaring her.¡± One of the women threw a short glare to one of her companions. ¡°Hey, little one!¡± She put up an awfully obvious fake smile as she walked closer to her. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid! We don¡¯t bite! We¡¯re just officials from Karkala, here to check on the plague. And as you no doubt already know, this whole place has been infected by it. Except for you, that is.¡± Her smile suddenly became a lot more genuine. ¡°You are a mage, aren¡¯t you? Or a mage hatchling, someone who simply has the potential, but not the training. I don¡¯t know how there¡¯s a mage child all the way out in these boonies, but I suppose you¡¯ll have to come with us.¡± Felicia took another step backwards. She looked as if she was ready to bolt into a sprint at any time. ¡°Those graves behind you¡­ they¡¯re your family, aren¡¯t they? I happened to overhear your wailing when we¡¯re walking here. What a shame. None of them shared your potential even though they shared your blood.¡± The way she talked about her dead relatives so dismissively¡­ it immediately made the little girl hate her. ¡°So come. We¡¯ll take you to Karkala. The Lord is always interested in budding young mages such as you.¡± ¡°T-The Lord? You mean, Lord Garza?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± The lady smiled. ¡°I see your parents have taught you well.¡± Felicia thought to herself. She was supposed to see him, right? So she should be going with them. The road could be dangerous after all. And she might get lost in the city. Even though she disliked this lady, she should still go with her. ¡°A-alright. I-I¡¯ll come with you.¡± ¡°Perfect. Then wait there with my colleagues.¡± She gestured to the other mages. She nodded, warily walking to where she had instructed her to. She was greeted by a smile from an older-looking, bushy-bearded gentleman. ¡°Hello, little one. Your name?¡± ¡°F-Felicia, Sir.¡± ¡°Ah, Felicia. That¡¯s a good name. A good name indeed.¡± When she turned to see the woman she had just spoken to, she flinched from the two large hands that suddenly rested themselves on her shoulders. She looked behind her and saw the man smiling at her. Perhaps he was trying to comfort her, but somehow, it only made her more anxious instead. ¡°Now boys, we have a job to do.¡± The woman spoke. The rest of the mages walked forward, leaving only the old man to keep Felicia company. When Felicia saw that they brought their wands out, she immediately knew something was wrong. She lurched forward, only to find that the man was keeping her in place. They began chanting. She didn¡¯t know what the words meant, but why were they doing it in front of her graves? And then, they aimed their wands right at said graves. ¡°Earth Rise!¡± What happened next shocked her to the core. The graves she had dug so hard¡­ were destroyed in just a single spell. Platforms burst out from each hole, carrying with them the corpses of her family. ¡°NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?¡± She struggled to free herself from her handler¡¯s grasp with all her strength, but it was completely futile. His grip was simply too strong for her. ¡°GET AWAY FROM THEM!¡± ¡°Relax.¡± The woman turned back with a smile to face her. ¡°You don¡¯t need their corpses anymore, do you? The Mana crystals growing inside them¡­ they would provide great value for this province, so we¡¯re taking them. And besides, you¡¯re a mage, aren¡¯t you? You should stop being so attached to your old, non-mage family.¡± Felicia remembered the words of her mentor. ¡°The mages of this country do not care about the lives of the non-mages in the slightest.¡± She thought she was just exaggerating, but now¡ªnow she witnessed it, and suffered from it. Anger filled her chest. Power surged inside her. It was the same power she felt when she had to fight against that wolf back on the mountain. She gathered that power to her palm. She had to protect her family, no matter the cost. Only for the man to punch her on the head. She was knocked down with that single blow. The man barely reduced his own strength. He could sense the mana brimming inside her and how she was going to cast a spell to attack him. Gone were his smiling visage. He was now looking at her with a grim, disappointed look. ¡°Ha, that¡¯s a feisty one alright.¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°Alright boys, like usual, store them in your dimensional pockets. As for the kid, drug her with some anti-magic drug and tie her up.¡± ¡°N-no, please¡­ I beg of you¡­ Don''t take them away¡­" To their surprise, Felicia remained conscious. She had fallen face first to the dirt, and now, she was slowly lifting herself up, only to find that her arms and legs refused to cooperate. ¡°Father¡­ Mother¡­ Aaron.. Pip¡­ Byrn¡­ Elt¡­ please¡­ let them rest¡­ d-don¡¯t¡ªdon¡¯t defile their bodies¡­¡± The woman responded by a roll of her eyes. ¡°Defile? Ha! There¡¯s nothing to defile here! They¡¯re dead! We¡¯re not like those superstitious fools at the Holy Continent who believed a grave is sacred! We ran only by logic and wisdom here, not some belief in some morals bestowed by a higher being. The only morals a mage should have is the desire for more knowledge. And these crystals¡­ Lord Vehta is going to use it for exactly that¡ªa far better purpose than just to let them rot in the ground.¡± ¡°L-Lord Vehta¡­¡± Felicia replied weakly, tears in her eyes. ¡°Did he¡­ did he really cause this plague?¡± Hearing her words, a scowl formed on the woman¡¯s face. She walked right towards her and threw a kick at her face, sending the girl rolling on the ground a good few steps away. ¡°How dare you accuse him of such a thing, you stupid child?! If you want someone to blame, then blame your ancestors for being mindless monkeys who can¡¯t cast magic! Yes, I see it now! You¡¯re one of those mutants who by sheer luck managed to obtain the talent to use magic! You¡¯re not one of us true magicians who shared the blood of the Founder!¡± Felicia could barely hear her voice. Weak from the fasting she had been doing, combined with the blows she had received, she was hanging on a thin thread, barely holding on into her consciousness. And yet, she still tried to rise up. With her small body, she slowly stood up, to the surprise of the mages. ¡°I-it¡¯s true¡­ E-everything she said¡­ i-it¡¯s true¡­¡± She wavered, nearly tumbling down to the side. ¡°T-the mages¡­ protecting us¡­ i-it¡¯s all¡­ it¡¯s all a lie¡­¡± She reached out her right palm. With whatever strength she had left, she gathered her mana for another spell. "I won''t¡­ I won''t let you take them¡­ I will protect¡ªAaaahhh!" Before she could finish her words, one of the mages fired a lightning spell at her. It electrocuted her, not enough to do any lasting harm, but enough to knock her out for good. The woman mage fired a glare of annoyance at the perpetrator, who was a man with a goatee and a bored look. "You''re getting too heated up, Larisa." He spoke. "You even spoke too much. We''re supposed to keep this whole operation a secret, you know." "Hmph." The woman threw her arms and shrugged. "These filthy non-mages don''t know what''s good for them. They''re lucky we let them live in our land, considering what they did to the Founder." The history taught to the people born in the Magocracy was that before the nation existed, magic users were persecuted by those without it. Only after Mira repelled the Demon God that magic slowly became more accepted and commonplace. She brought up magic users to be just as powerful as martial artists who could cut their opponents in a blink of an eye, by simplifying the chants and categorizing it into levels so it would be easier for her subjects to learn. "That was a millenia ago." The man sighed. "I truly don''t understand your obsession with her. For an outsider, you sure are quick to act like a native." "And this, coming from another outsider like yourself." The two were originally adventurers who were born on other kingdoms. They had become citizens of the Magocracy, after being recruited into becoming Vehta''s underlings. They were paid well and given the same privileges as natives who held the same position. And the woman¡ªshe had forgotten her origin, believing herself to be a pure-blooded Magocracy citizen. After all, she was a mage, and the Magocracy welcomed all mages. "Alright, everyone. Finish up here. And someone please carry that child. I''m not touching her." The other mages followed her words. The burly man ended up being the one responsible for Felicia. And thus ended the first chapter of her life, with her entire family dead and their graves being desecrated in the name of the Magocracy. The veil covering her eyes had been lifted. There was no going back to her old, ignorant self. From that day on, the old Felicia Myne, the daughter of a simple farmer, was gone. Now, she was Felicia Myne, the girl who held vengeance and suffering in her heart. ---------- When she woke up, she was in a completely different location to where she once was. The first thing she noticed was the ceiling above her. It was a wooden one, made out of shiny mahogany that only the rich could afford. The next thing she noticed was the bed she was sleeping under. It was soft and fluffy, far different from the straw bed she was used with. She slowly sat up, where she saw how she was wearing a completely different dress. No longer was she wearing the patch-filled dull-colored dress, she was now wearing a dress of pure white. The fabric felt so much softer than her old dress. And it smelt much better too, as it was perfumed with a pleasant flowery scent. She kicked the blanket off her body, revealing her one-piece dress to be reaching down her knees. Bewildered, she looked around: a fireplace, with a lit fire; two bookcases; a red carpet covering the floor; and many paintings of nature decorating the walls. It came to her at last. She was in some rich person¡¯s room. ¡°Good. You¡¯re finally awake.¡± She jumped. She had failed to notice the person sitting behind her, right beside her bed. It was a young woman with long, black hair wearing a blue maid¡¯s outfit, complete with the white cap and apron. Her dark eyes caught with hers, and immediately she pinned her as someone stern, just from the sharp way she was returning her gaze. ¡°Welcome to the residence of Lord Garza.¡± Her blank face suddenly transformed into a light smirk. ¡°Congratulations. He has taken an interest in you and he¡¯s willing to accept you as a servant.¡± ¡°L-Lord Garza?¡± The last thing she saw was the faces of those vile mages, and the lightning bolt that struck her from the side. She was about to fire a spell at them to¡ª ¡°Father! Mother! T-their bodies! I-I have to stop them!¡± She leaped off her bed and ran straight to the door Only for her to lose her balance and trip, as a pair of cuffs made out of hardened soil bound her ankles together. ¡°Earth Cuffs. A good method to keep ungrateful young girls like you in place.¡± It was the maid. She had pulled out a wand from her apron¡¯s pocket and fired the Beginner-level Earth spell at her. With a disgusted look, as if she was looking at a roach, she walked towards the girl; her boots¡¯ steps absorbed by the carpet. She then fired another pair of earthen cuffs, tying her hands together this time. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Let me go! Let me go! I have to¡ª I have to¡ª¡± ¡°Silence, girl,¡± she scolded her. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Milord¡¯s kindness, I would have been more severe than this. Your family is gone. And there¡¯s nothing you can do for them. Now, it¡¯s your duty to repay Milord by devoting your life to him.¡± And yet, Felicia continued struggling. She even tried to wiggle her way towards the door like a snail, anything to get out from this place. Of course, it was to no avail, as the maid picked her up with one hand and pushed her down on the bed. ¡°You are a mage, are you not? Then, once you are older, you shall serve him as one of his personal maids, just like me. He shall grant you education befitting of your status, something that your poor family could only dream of.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you talk about my family like that!¡± Felicia sent her a glare like she never sent before, but the maid was not impressed. Her brown eyes remained cold and dispassionate. And yet again, that disgusted expression returned, as if she was looking at a rabid dog only fit to be put down by its owner. ¡°You shall learn propriety and manners. You shall learn how to speak and write. You shall learn how to serve. And of course, you shall learn how to do magic as well. Unless you wish to join those scullery maids in their filthy and menial tasks.¡± Felicia barely listened to what she had to say, as she had started to cry once again. ¡°Stop your tears. Milord will prefer you to face him with a smile. Calm and ready yourself. I shall call for Milord and he would no doubt wish to meet with you right away.¡± The maid then turned and left the room, not bothering to undo the cuffs that locked Felicia¡¯s hands and feet together. The moment she closed and locked the doors behind her, the fiery-haired girl immediately tried to free herself from her chains. Alas, the cuffs were tougher than they looked. The maid was a capable Earth mage and she would not be beaten by the strength of a nine-year old girl. She then thought of just crawling her way out of the door, but she knew she wouldn¡¯t get far without her legs. And so, she could only stay there, sobbing at how weak and useless she was. Not only had she failed to save her family and village, she had failed to keep their rest from being disturbed as well. For what seemed like an eternity later, she heard a click on the door. And then, it opened, revealing a tall gentleman behind it. If she had to guess, he was around his late forties or early fifties. He wore a set of aristocratic-looking clothes, consisting of a brown jacket with a long coat tail, a white shirt beneath it, and a pair of brown trousers. He also wore a cravat, and she could see a handkerchief poking out from his chest pocket. He had a bushy sideburn on his slightly wrinkled face, connected together at his short beard in the middle. He didn¡¯t wear a hat, though she could imagine a top hat being a good fit for him. ¡°Esteena! What is the meaning of this? Why are you cuffing her like that?¡± His smile immediately turned into a scowl once he took notice of Felicia¡¯s condition. ¡°Apologies, Milord.¡± The maid placed her hands in the front of her skirt before bowing. ¡°She rudely tried to escape thus necessitating this treatment." "Bah, you really don''t know how to handle a kid, do you? Release her at once!" He ordered with a booming voice. "Of course, Milord." She bowed again before making a horizontal flick with her wand, disintegrating the cuffs immediately into dust. Noticing that she was free, Felicia didn''t hesitate. Once again, she tried to make a run for the door, only this time, the man was the one who swept her off her feet and stopped her in her tracks. "Whoa, hold it right there, little lady!" He chuckled. "Where are you going?" "Let me go! I''m going to save my family!¡± Felicia tried to free herself by hitting and kicking whatever body parts he could reach, to the man¡¯s amusement. ¡°Your family? What are you talking about? Aren¡¯t they all dead?¡± ¡°They are! But those evil mages stole their bodies! I have to return them back to their graves!¡± ¡°Ah, them!¡± His mouth formed a grin, showing off his pearly white teeth. ¡°They¡¯re already long gone though! You¡¯re unconscious for quite some time after all! And you shouldn¡¯t say they¡¯re evil! They brought you here after all!¡± Seeing that the little girl wasn¡¯t giving up, the man shook her head. ¡°I see why Esteena had to do that to you. You¡¯re still in shock. Poor girl. To hallucinate like this, your trauma must be great indeed.¡± ¡°H-hallucinate? It wasn¡¯t a hallucination! I saw them with my own eyes! With their magic, they dug up the graves of my family! I tried to stop them but I couldn¡¯t do anything!¡± ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, what would they gain by doing that? Their job is to seek out survivors of the plague, not to be gravediggers!¡± ¡°L-Lord Vehta! He¡ªhe wants to use the corpses for his magic research! A-and he was the one who spread the plague as well! ¡°Oh dear, that¡¯s not a very nice thing to say.¡± He shook his head again. ¡°I owe a lot to him. He¡¯s just an old man, albeit a bit eccentric. He would never do something so terrible, especially to his own people.¡± ¡°Shut up! You are a liar, just like the rest of this country¡¯s mages! I¡¯m not going to believe in your lies anymore!¡± She ended her outrage-filled speech by spitting at the old man¡¯s face. Naturally, that immediately drew the maid¡¯s ire. ¡°How dare you! I should shear your tongue and¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Esteena. This girl¡­ she just needs to be comforted, that¡¯s all. Leave us.¡± ¡°But Milord, she¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Do not make me repeat myself. Leave us.¡± That command, combined with the glare he gave her, was enough to make the maid surrender. ¡°...Very well. If, that is what you wish¡­¡± She gave another, reluctant bow before exiting the room, leaving the two of them on their own. ¡°Well, now that the evil witch is gone¡­¡± The old man placed Felicia back on the bed before sitting right beside her, causing the bed to sag and croak a little from his weight. Still with his gentle smile, he rested his left hand on her thighs, causing the poor girl to flinch. ¡°You can tell me everything, alright? No holding back now. You¡¯re now part of our family after all.¡± Felicia didn¡¯t know what to think. Looking at his smile, and the way he had been treating her, she couldn¡¯t help but feel she could trust him. He was just as gentle as his father and even though he was a lord mage, he didn¡¯t treat her like that maid or those evil mages from before. The only thing that differed was how big his stature was compared to the lanky and beardless man. But then, he said that she was just hallucinating. But there was no way that could be the case! She saw it all happened herself! With her own eyes! She even remembered how she got kicked and punched and even electrocuted by them! Was he just lying to her, trying to deceive her just like the other mages? "Come now, what''s with the silence?" "A-alright¡­" It wasn''t like she had any other choice. She wouldn''t be able to run away. And so she regaled him her tale, telling him everything that had befallen her. However, she omitted the truth her mentor had told her. She didn''t think it was a good idea to say all that anti-mage sentiment to a mage, especially one as influential as him. "I see. You''ve been through so much, my little angel¡­" To her surprise, he lifted her up and made her sit on her lap. "But don''t worry. Everything will be fine, now that you¡¯re with Daddy Garza.¡± And then, he licked her right earlobe, sending shivers all across her body. W-what? What is he¡ª "Relax, my angel. Don''t look so terrified. A girl is always cuter when she smiles, you know." His left hand then went to her chest, groping the two nubile peaks beneath her dress. H-he''s¡ª Fear gripped her small heart. She didn''t understand it, but she knew what he was doing wasn''t right. "W-what are you¡ª" "Shh, I told you to relax, didn''t I?¡± She could feel his warm breath behind her right ear. She tried to move, to run away, but his grip on her remained strong, far beyond what she could fight against. He began chewing and gnawing on her earlobe. She could feel something hard pressing into her thighs from underneath her. ¡°N-no! Stop! Stay away!¡± Once again, she struggled to free herself, pushing him away and pulling herself off him with all her might. Alas, his strength remained too much, even as she kicked him over and over with her feet. She even tried to use her magic, but she found she was unable to do so. ¡°Oh, my feisty little angel¡­ Do you have to make this harder than it should be?¡± With a laugh she would never forget, he pushed her down to the bed before he yanked her dress off. What happened next¡­ would remain in her nightmares for the rest of her days. -------- And so began the next stage of Felicia Myne¡¯s life, as a prisoner of the mage lord Garza. Oh, she wasn''t chained or confined into a room like a normal prisoner. She was free to walk around his mansion as much as she wanted. And unlike what the maid said, she wasn''t even forced to work around the house. The mage lord had declared her to be his adopted daughter, and thus, she was to be treated appropriately by the servants. However, she was not allowed to leave the mansion without supervision. She tried to run many times but every single time she would be caught by her supervisors, usually the maids and butlers attending to her. They were nice and respectful to her, but ultimately, their loyalty was to their Master. And, whenever her "father" wanted to meet her in his room, she had to comply. And every time, once he was finished with her, she would cry herself to sleep, as she prayed and begged the Founder to save her. And when she refused, a servant would come and drag her there. Usually, the task fell to that sour-faced maid. She lectured her on how she had to be grateful to him and to stop being so selfish. She knew. She and the other servants¡ªthey all knew. And yet, none saw anything wrong with it. To them, their master was a superior being, and it was the duty for an inferior being like her to satisfy all his wishes, even his bedroom desires. In public, the mage lord was a popular and benevolent ruler. But in private, he enjoyed the company of all sorts of females, from an older maid of his age to a young girl like her. He would grope and tease his maids freely even during the day, and they would respond with a joyful "Kyaaahh!" and "Aaahnn!" It made her sick to her stomach. And yet, she had no choice. She had to bear with it. Even if she could kill him or run away, preferably both, she would only end up ruining the only path she had to her dream. To fulfill the wishes of her father and mother, who wanted to see her grow as a great mage. To reveal the truth with her own hands and to seek revenge for her family¡¯s death. And, to prevent anyone from having to go through what she had suffered. To accomplish those goals, she needed him. She needed him and his power; his influence; his wealth. Esteena said that if she were good, he might send her to the Academy. And that¡¯s exactly what she needed. And so she dried her tears. She would hold the bile in her stomach and act just like those maids towards him. She would become his favorite, manipulating him to give her what she wanted. No one would save her. Not him, not his servants, and certainly not the Founder, whom she stopped praying to entirely since that day. The only person she could rely upon was herself. She and the talent she was bestowed upon. And thus was born the new Felicia Myne, the dark seductress and future necromancer. Chapter 157: Hugo’s Oath (End of The Necromancer Arc) Hugo I was speechless. To think that she had been through that much¡­ My suffering¡­ it was nothing compared to hers¡­ If it was me, I would¡¯ve lost it for sure... ¡°A-and then, what happened afterwards?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± She returned with a laugh, followed by a grim smile. ¡°Once I secured his promise to send me to the Academy, I killed him. With my very own poison that I brewed myself. None of them knew I was an alchemist as well. And not only that, I framed that sour-faced maid for it. You should¡¯ve seen her crying face as she begged to the authorities that she didn¡¯t do it. She tried to accuse me back, but as I was already a full-blown adopted daughter of that man, not to mention me being a young and innocent girl, nobody believed her.¡± Her grim smile widened, making it even creepier than before. ¡°They executed her publicly the next month, right before I left for the Academy. Her punishment? Being drawn and quartered. It¡¯s a shame I wasn¡¯t able to attend, to see her scream in pain in her last moments." She let out a soft laugh. ¡°Was it evil? Yes. It was revenge. I hated her with all my might back then. Do you know what she would say to me over and over again? ¡®Devote your life, body, and soul to Lord Garza''. She never listened to my plight, how painful and scared I was when he defiled me. It wasn''t just me too. There were others¡ªyoung adventurers who were told to work with him. He imprisoned them in the dungeon and used them before disposing of their bodies. The Guild never sent an official investigation. Heh, they were no doubt under his control as well." The carriage''s wheels hit a bump on the road, pausing her speech for a bit as she recollected her thoughts, her somber expression returning. "...Tell me, Milord. Was it wrong for me to kill him? As a mayor, he was a good ruler that cared for his subjects. He would mingle with them and listen to their complaints. And after his passing, with no heir as he couldn''t produce offsprings, the town was given another ruler by Vehta. He was a weak and inept ruler, thus the town fell in prosperity as a result." "That''s¡­" "Esteena said that a ruler deserved privileges that a subject deserved not. He could bed anyone he wished, as long as the town of Karkala ran smoothly under his charge. Just like how a subject paid taxes to her ruler, so they should not complain if said ruler forced her to his bed. She should be honored instead. So, tell me, Milord. Should I be honored that my virtue was taken by him?" "No. No, you shouldn''t." The words came flying out of my mouth. I couldn''t help it. For her to even entertain the idea, somehow, it made me boil with rage. "He''s not a good person. Just because you''re a good ruler doesn''t mean you''re a good person as well. If I were in your position, I would kill him as well." A monster that r*pes children. I might be a citizen of this world now, but my modern Japanese sensibility could never let that slide. "No, I wouldn''t, actually." I added with a chuckle. "I am nowhere near as clever as you are. I would be a coward that just obeyed his will for my own safety. Hell, I might even delude myself, to accept that sickening philosophy that maid professed." "T-that just means you are a good person, Milord! Better than I could ever be! Ever since that day, I turned wicked and evil, but you, who have a more righteous soul than mine, would not be broken by it!¡± I broke into a laugh. ¡°How many times do I have to say this? I am not a good person at heart. I am a cowardly, perverted bastard, just like that Garza character is. I¡¯m just better at keeping that perversion in check. Look, even now, I¡¯m stealing glances at those milky white thighs of yours, barely covered by your robes.¡± The ex-necromancer turned crimson, fixing her robe so it would cover more of her flesh. I chuckled at the sight. That was surprisingly cute. "And that is a sign that you''re just a pure maiden at heart." I gave her a grin "No! There''s nothing pure about me! How can you say that?! I''ve offered my body to multiple men before!" She let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°Here. Let me continue my story. So you can really see what a vile woman I have become.¡± Her melancholic stare returned as she resumed her story. "After Garza''s death, and me being accepted at the Academy, I moved to live there as a student. His estate might have paid for my tuition, but only for the first year. For the rest, I had to provide my own funds, as his relatives refused to facilitate my education further. Thankfully, I managed to prove myself worthy for a scholarship, thanks to my ability as an alchemist. That, and my talent in the dark arts. As for my living expenses, I provided it by working as an adventurer.¡± She paused for a bit, looking upwards at a slowly darkening horizon. The sun was setting behind us. Soon, we would have to set up camp. ¡°I lived like that for six years, trying to keep myself away from the eyes of the Magocracy as much as I could. I saw what they did to mages they believed to be especially talented, and since my talent was only in alchemy, they weren¡¯t that interested in me. Still, I received some bullying nonetheless, especially from that girl who was gravely jealous of me when I beat her in her alchemy lessons. Let¡¯s see¡­ What was her name again? Merinda or something?¡± Wait, Merinda? That¡¯s the name of¡ª ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve heard that name!¡± I spoke out, interrupting her. ¡°She was the bully who tormented Marina when she attended the academy!¡± "Marina?" She raised her eyebrows. "My big sister. She used to attend the academy as well." "...Ah, I think I know whom you''re talking about. In my last years there, there was this one girl who got treated especially bad by her. To think that she''s your big sister¡­" She laughed coldly. "I used to think she was an idiot, to be stubborn enough to flaunt her talent in the open like that. I was even glad she took Merinda''s attention away from me. I never bothered to help her. Shows just how much of a selfish coward I was." She paused, staring at the distance before turning to face me. "You say you''re a selfish coward. Then I am as well. Perhaps even worse, as I never helped her in the end, unlike you, Milord. So cheer up and stop being so hard on yourself." I fell silent. I didn''t know what to say. "...Marina, she''s a strong person, far stronger than I am. She went through those two years with a smile. As her little brother, I am proud to have her as my big sister." "And yet, I betrayed her." I then told her everything about the kidnapping incident, emphasizing my cowardice on running away instead of facing her and begging forgiveness for my failure. When I finished, Felicia''s fists were clenched, and she had a mixture of sadness and anger on her expression. "Another family¡­ destroyed by the Magocracy¡­ I''ll never forgive them¡­ But you, Milord¡­ you should forgive yourself. As one who used to be a big sister herself, I know she would have forgiven you." "Yeah, she has," I replied with a shameful smile. "She came to my dreams, telling me to go to where she was and how she and Erika had forgiven me." "Ah, a Dream Orb. That''s not an easy thing to find," she commented with a smile. "I''m happy for you, Milord. You still have a family to return to." Unlike her. "...O-oh no!" Her voice suddenly went into panic. "By saving me, you have doomed your family too! The Church will be after them as well!¡± I sighed. ¡°I know that. Ilymhrra warned me as much. But, I couldn¡¯t just let them have you. Not after what they did with Leila. I did it not out of some clear-minded sense of heroism, but out of simple rage.¡± ¡°T-then they should go to the Demon Continent as well, where the Church couldn¡¯t find them! But you don¡¯t have any Dream Orbs you could use to send the message, do you? Curses! Getting one is no easy matter too!¡± ¡°Relax.¡± I gave her a comforting smile. ¡°I used a fake name and background all this time. They wouldn¡¯t know who I really am or where my family is.¡± ¡°A-ah, right¡­ but still¡­ eventually¡­¡± ¡°Eventually, I wish to confront them. Just like I will confront the Magocracy. I will become even stronger, strong enough to win against their best warriors. Then they would have no chance other than to leave me and my family alone.¡± ¡°C-Confront them? A-and the Magocracy too?¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve resolved myself. To free myself from my past, I need to go back there. I will train myself in the art of magic and sword, so I may triumph against their Grandmaster-level magicians in a fair and honest fight, no matter how long it may take. I will kick them off the peak of that mountain and make a proper grave for Father and Mother.¡± ¡°And, after hearing what they did to you and your family, I¡¯ll pay a visit to Vehta and make him pay for his crimes. That¡¯s what you wanted, isn¡¯t it?¡± I sent her a smile. ¡°...Ah, but you probably won¡¯t believe my words. For someone who was too cowardly to save a little girl from her death, it¡¯s impossible to imagine he would be brave enough to take an entire nation on his own, let alone two.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s not true! You¡¯re still young yet you¡¯re already this strong! Ten years, no, five years! Just five years more and you would already grow up to be a strong and brave man, I¡¯m sure of it!¡± I chuckled. ¡°Heh, let¡¯s just hope so.¡± I looked at the terrain ahead of us. Still more grassy hills with no end in sight. I looked for some landmark we could have a shelter on, as we were rapidly approaching the night. ¡°I¡¯ve heard Marina talk about you, you know, as the necromancer who slew Merinda and a bunch of her underlings. I believe the incident happened during her second year at the Academy.¡± ¡°Which would be the sixth and final year of my time there,¡± she followed. ¡°I could¡¯ve graduated peacefully, if not for them discovering that I had been practicing necromancy in my free time. Yes, I suppose I should tell you how I seduced my own teacher to give me access to the forbidden section of the library, allowing me to steal the necromancy book written by the Necromancer King himself. It was all too easy. The old pervert already had his eyes on the more attractive female students in his class. And since, by that time, I was sixteen, I already had these full hips and breasts you are seeing now. Using them, I charmed him and slept with him. I didn¡¯t even hesitate. I viewed my body as just another tool I could use to achieve my goals.¡± She paused, a forced grin on her face. ¡°And so I closed myself from my secret dream, to marry a good man and have a family, just like my parents wanted. No good man would want to touch a girl who readily sold her body, unless she¡¯s in a pleasure house.¡± She chuckled. ...She¡¯s right. I can¡¯t imagine myself ever wanting to start a relationship with a woman like that. My old self would have called her names like a slut, a whore, or the classic 3D pig moniker. And yet, seeing her like this, I don¡¯t even have any disgust towards her. There is only pity. Heh, it¡¯s not like I am in any position to be sanctimonious, Mr. ¡°let-a-little-girl-die-because-he¡¯s-too-afraid¡±. ¡°I ran away, took care of my pursuers with a clever trap involving poisonous gas that they fell right for, and crossed the ocean. Once I landed on this continent, I gathered information, looking for a powerful figure I could seduce in exchange for his protection. I found Fiania, presented myself to that old creep, and once again, gave my body to him. No, not just that. My soul as well. Before I killed him and made him a zombie, I had to pretend to love him every single day, even in bed. No matter how much it wanted to make me puke, I could only bear it.¡± Suddenly, the carriage stopped. She turned herself to face me fully. To my surprise, there were tears pooling in the corner of her hazel eyes. ¡°If¡­ ignoring the fact that you already have a girl you love, I ask you to make me your wife¡­ Would you¡ªwould you accept me, Milord?!¡± ...A love confession. That was not what I expected in the slightest. ...No, in retrospect, I should¡¯ve known she was smitten by me, just from the way she acted when I left her back at that mountain. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I don¡¯t know why. It¡¯s the same with Anne and Amelie. I don¡¯t really know what they saw on me. I might have saved them, but that¡¯s not a good enough reason for a girl to fall in love with a man, is it? Not to mention how I¡¯m still young like this. I¡¯m growing in height for sure and my voice is getting deeper by the way, but I¡¯m still more of a kid than a man. And now, I have a woman who¡¯s a lot older than me be interested in me like this. Perhaps she¡¯s just a natural cougar, thanks from the trauma of losing her little brothers? ...No, it doesn¡¯t matter what her reason is. In any case involving love, honesty is the best policy. And I know how I feel towards her. ¡°...Yes, perhaps I would. Like I¡¯ve said, you¡¯re an attractive woman, and I would love to have you warming my bed. And I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a bad woman either. I believe you can achieve redemption, and I would be happy to accompany you in that journey.¡± A smile blossomed in her face. ¡°M-Milord, then¡ª¡± ¡°But, like you said before, I already have Sherry, and my obligation is to her, first and foremost. And she would not like me having another girl by my side.¡± ¡°I-I''m fine with being the second wife! O-or the third wife! Just let me be with you!" She took my hands and held it with her hands. Tears were now streaming down her cheeks. I released my hands and looked away. "You shouldn''t say that. You''ll only regret it if you force yourself to be my wife. I can''t imagine a woman that''s happy with sharing their beloved with another. You can do better than a kid like me." "No, I can''t! There''s no one else like you! You think there will be another out there who''s willing to save a filthy necromancer like me?" She yelled back, waving her right hand to the side. I could now sense anger permeating her voice. "... I understand. I''m too filthy for you, aren''t I? No good man would want to marry a dirty whore like me. Not to mention how old I am compared to you. Men like younger women after all¡­" "That''s not true. There are many men out there who chase after older, more experienced women." "Like you, Milord?" ...Oh great, I just stepped on a mine. Gotta be honest. I shook my head. "No, I prefer girls of my own age." And just like that, I had mentally punched her in the face. "I-I see¡­ So it is my age¡­ Aha...ahahaha¡­" Uh oh, she starts to laugh all weird now. "Look. You''re still beautiful. You''re in your twenties, right? You can''t call yourself old at that age. With your large boobs and killer thighs, you can easily snag any men you want. Trust me." I gave her a smile. "I know that!" She yelled back. "But who I want is you and you alone! Curse you and your faithfulness! You¡¯re attracted to me, right? Then use me as much as you want! Like this!¡± And then, she did something completely unthinkable. She stood up and yanked down her panties in one fell swoop, before lifting her dress upwards, revealing her womanhood right in front of my virgin eyes. My jaw dropped and I sat there staring at her perfectly trimmed labia. It lasted only for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity, before she let her dress fall down, covering her flower once more. ¡°See? Look at your pants! They¡¯re bulging like that! You might look young but you¡¯re as much as a horndog like any of those men I have seduced!¡± With a sigh, I shifted my legs, hiding my boner from her. "You know what? If you want to be my wife so badly, then you have to speak to Sherry and ask for her permission." "D-does this mean that you''re interested in me after all?" She clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling. "Yeah, yeah, I''ve said it before, haven''t I? You''re a good-looking woman I wouldn''t mind bedding," I replied with a light blush, averting my gaze. "And the way you took care of Leila, and how you begged for her life and cried when she died, I found that admirable. And attractive as well, since I do have a certain fondness of the motherly type," I added with a light chuckle. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, Milord! I promise, I¡¯ll reform myself and be the woman you wanted me to be!¡± She leaped onto me, burying my face in her cleavage. I could only sigh once again as I enjoyed the feelings of supple warmth and fullness and the nice feminine scent she emanated. Sorry Sherry. Once again I¡¯ve inadvertently made a girl fall for worthless old me. And this time, it seems I¡¯ll be taking her all the way with me to your place. If you don¡¯t like her, then that¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t touch her. But I won¡¯t abandon her either. I just have a hunch that if I leave her on her own again, she¡¯ll get even crazier than before. That, or she would end up taking her own life. She¡¯s lonely. Just like you used to be. And I wish to be her friend at the very least, to alleviate that loneliness, even if just a tiny bit. And I wish for you to be her friend as well. In exchange, I¡¯ll give you all the loving you want, so you would never grow jealous of her. That I swear. ...Oh, who am I kidding? After I told her what had transpired, she would grow to hate me for sure. Not just her, but Marina and Erika as well. Once again, I¡¯ve proven my cowardice. And this time, a little girl paid the price. ...I¡¯m fine with that. That is the punishment I deserve. If you no longer want me in your life, then so be it. You¡¯ll never see me again. With a grim smile, I imagined a future of me and Felicia living together on our own. It¡¯s not that bad, isn¡¯t it, to do it every night with a busty redhead? I chuckled. I really am a worthless pervert. I moved my right hand and began patting the back of her head. Then I¡¯ll be the best damn pervert a man can be. Vol 3 Recap (As Narrated By a Future Historian) An excerpt from the biography of Hugo Greenwood. Chapter 17 The Necromancer S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For all the praises the Mother of Medicine had garnered over her lifetime, little did the masses know that she used to be a despicable necromancer back in her youth. It was only thanks to Hugo Greenwood¡¯s influence that she turned her back from the dark path, devoting herself to the creation of alchemical medicine instead. And using the otherworldly knowledge she received from her dear husband, it led to the health revolution we are currently enjoying in this bountiful age. Life expectancy had doubled over the last hundred years and all the diseases and illnesses thought to be incurable became something a healer at your nearest alchemical shop could cure, for not only she revolutionized the science of medicine, but the techniques of alchemy as well. With automated factories mass-producing potions of all kinds day and night, some countries could even afford to give them away for free. And yet, such blindingly divine accomplishment came from a dark, cruel place, for as a child, Felicia Myne lost her entire family at an early age to an illness*, and she was forced to fend for herself**. With no ally on her side, she gravitated to dark magic, and eventually, necromancy, as she suffered from trauma from the deaths of her family and village, resulting in her desiring a world where everyone could live forever. It led to her exile from the Magocracy, her settling on Fiania to do her research, and then being hunted down by the Church¡¯s Inquisitors, as I have written in previous chapters. Suffice to say, without the presence of Hugo Greenwood, we would have lost a brilliant mage and alchemist that day, and we all need to thank his kindness and unprejudiced mind for that, who was willing to risk his life and reputation to save her, even knowing that she was a necromancer who had puppeted a living corpse as the king of Fiania all this time. Some said that all of Hugo¡¯s wives were outcasts in one way or another and they all fell in love with him because of his accepting nature, unlike the society that had scorned them. I believe Felicia exemplified this trait the best amongst all of them. Vol 3.5 Chapter 1 : Fiora’s Tale — The Gates of Galahad (Start of the Myriad Tales Arc) Fiora Hmph, that¡¯s the bridge? I expected something more.. daunting. I would even settle for more pompous, but alas. Behind all the towering greenery and white mist obstructing my sight, lied one of the three bridges that the Galahad Order was renowned for. If my memory is correct, as it always has been, it was baptized as Solum Bridge. It was the First of Three Bridges, separating the Five Sword Shrines of the Order of Galahad. Each shrine was located on a plateau of a great mountain, and at the utmost peak, was where the Sword Goddess herself resided. It was not some mammoth-sized diamond bridge or a gem-encrusted golden bridge like those you would often hear about in fairy tales. No.. it was a simple, unpretentious wooden bridge, wide enough for two carriages to cross at the same time. Accompanying it, like a chaperone of a maiden at her social debut, stood a wooden gate and a small enclosure made out of stone. And standing in front of said gate were two men, wearing what looked like bedroom attire. Each also possessed a sheathed blade with them, attached to their belts. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Adept-ranked sentries, I imagine. Each bridge and corresponding gate are supervised by two sentries, and the further inside you go, the higher their ranks would be. The second gate ought to have Expert-rank guards and the final gate should have Champion-rank guards¡ªeach presenting a significant upgrade in difficulty. To stroll along the bridges, without either pummelling said guards with overwhelming force or vaulting over the wall, which would trigger the sentries to chase after you, one must either be an exalted sojourner or be in possession of the necessary documents to pass through. Local farmers carrying food and other provisions would belong in this classification. Another method was, of course, to be part of the Order yourself, and to possess the Sword-rank qualifications necessary for the sentries to let you through. For the first bridge, it was mandatory to be at least an Expert-rank in Galahad swordsmanship. For the second, a Champion. And for the third, only the elite few Virtuosos are welcomed. So, naturally, they weren''t going to let, in their eyes a rug rat, go through. "Halt! State your business!" They drew their blades at me, not unpoised in the slightest by my abrupt presence. It¡¯s something I already anticipated. To them, I would inexorably display the presence of a fragile and meek little lady who could never stand to their blades. If I were to utilize a flower analogy, I would merely be a virgin lily, ripe to be plucked by their mighty shears. *sigh* How unfortunate Just by witnessing how excruciatingly sluggish they plucked their steels from their belts, I could already tell with absolute confidence that my victory was assured if we were to come to blows, even with this mere wooden stick instead of a proper sword. No need to sully the edge of my mithril sword with their blood. Once, I questioned my folly of surrendering that sword to him, but now, I recognized that the blade is residing in the grip of someone who required it far more than I did. Now that I was merely a few steps away from them, I witnessed their well-chiselled and hairy chests, displayed proudly by the sizable neckline of their robes, and how the loose trousers they wore were made out of light grey cotton. As for their swords, well the saying two peas in a pod would apply quite nicely here; long and thin, with a light curve in the middle. "Peacock School, I presume?" I smirked. ¡°The school that prioritizes agility over defence. Never seen wearing any armour in battle. Most fitting for my style." The two men exchanged looks in confusion. It seemed that in their arrogance, they didn''t expect for such bold and confident words to escape from the mouth of a 13-year old girl. "Silence! We ask you a question and you shall answer! If you believe we would show you lenience just because you''re young, then you are a fool! This is a holy land, built by Galahad himself! Only those who follow in his footsteps are allowed to enter!" I rolled my eyes. Not only was I having an audience with weaklings, but buffoons as well. "Business? Isn''t it obvious? I''m here to join your Order." "A brat like you? Don''t make me laugh! You don''t even have a weapon! And look at those fancy clothes! You''re just some runaway noble girl from the outside, aren''t you? Scram! We have no need of your kind here!" I had heard how the Galahad Order didn¡¯t take too kindly of nobles joining their ranks, for they never lasted long here, thanks to the gruelling training they had to endure every day. They couldn¡¯t bring their servants as well, meaning, they had to wash their own clothes, make their own bed, and dress themselves every morning. Hmph, to think they would lump me with those fools. I opted to respond with a confident smirk, firing back at them at the same time. "What''s wrong with these clothes? This dress is both fashionable and really easy to move in. And it''s really comfortable as well. I''d rather wear these than those dull clothes you''re wearing." As expected, my words roused their anger. "How dare you?! These are the type of clothes Lord Galahad himself wore when he was still alive!" Still keeping up my smirk, I ignored their mindless words and continued my taunt. "As for me being a noble, true enough. I''m glad you can tell just by my dignified appearance. As for my weapon though¡­" In a flash, I took out the wooden twig from my pocket and leaped forward, swinging it to the first man''s head, hitting him in just the right spot that it knocked him unconscious. My strike shouldn¡¯t be so hard that it caused a haemorrhage inside his brain. Hopefully. The other man, realizing that he was under attack, swung his blade to counter. Only to find a foot right between his legs, causing excruciating pain that only men could know. It knocked him out as well. I wasn¡¯t particularly proud of kicking men in their family jewels, but the fact remained that it was an effective manoeuvre. In combat, you are a fool if you believe your opponent will always play fair. The two hit the ground with near-simultaneous thumps. Just for added measure, I gave each of their heads a good kick with my right boot. No response. They were truly down for the count. ¡°Pathetic. Mere adepts really are no match for me anymore.¡± Anger, a detrimental emotion to have when in a fight. ¡°If you have to be angry, then hone that anger like a blade. Temper it and make it sharpen your senses, instead of blinding them.¡± That¡¯s what that woman always said. I pocketed the wooden twig back before taking a sword from one of the unconscious men. I also procured what looked like an ordinary block of wood from one of their pockets¡ªa key for me to continue my journey. I then walked up to the gate behind them and pressed the wood into the crevice in the middle. It matched perfectly. And then, with a creak that echoed through the silent mist, the wooden gate opened. ----------- The bridge was around the length of a thousand steps, and underneath it was a bottomless chasm, smothered with cloud-like fog, as if the clouds themselves had descended down from the skies and chose to settle there. They said that no one who fell into the chasm had ever returned, to the point that some even called the chasm a doorway to the afterlife. The remaining bridges had identical chasms under them, separating the mountain into three sections. The pleasant scent of morning dew entered my nostrils, carried forth by the wind blowing from the distant summit. It blew away the fog permeating the air, allowing a momentary reprieve from the sea of white surrounding me. The bridge gently swayed back and forth like a pendulum¡ªsomething that would terrify the hearts of lesser women. Like an ocean wave retracting and revealing seashells on the beach, I could see the pure white peak of the mountain in the far distance, before another white fog swallowed it. The mountain was called Galahad¡¯s Peak, named after the myth told throughout the ages, as the chosen resting place of the mythical/legendary warrior. He built himself a humble abode at the tallest peak/ledge, away from the affairs of men. Once he left this world, his students decided to build a sword school here in honour of him, and thus the Order came to be. I didn¡¯t dally once I crossed the first bridge as I made my way straight to the second bridge, bypassing the second shrine. That shrine was intended to train swordsmen and women of the Expert rank, and I had no need of such a facility, being an Expert-rank swordswoman myself. And since the building itself was located around thirty minutes from both bridges, it was all too easy for me to avoid it entirely, especially since there were barely any guards surveying the area. Only to find that there were no guards guarding the gate. I clicked my tongue. Well, this is troublesome. I considered just cutting the gate open, but that would be impolite, wouldn¡¯t it? I knew how these sword maniacs worked. If I were to be accepted, I had to prove my strength, fair and square according to their standards. I just did so by beating up those two Adepts from before, and now I was supposed to beat up two Experts here. And yet, they were nowhere in sight. Haah, I guess they just got bored standing here all day. I¡¯ll go check the shrine then. Turning back, I made my way to the large pagoda-like building I had avoided before. -------------- ¡°Haa! Haa!¡± "Put all your power into it! Don¡¯t laze around! Hey, you! Don¡¯t you dare loosen your stance! It¡¯s only been an hour and you¡¯re already tired? You¡¯ll never reach Champion-rank at this rate!¡± A chorus of spirited yells filled the morning air, followed by the ballad of swords cutting through the fog. It originated from the forty or so men and women standing in the building¡¯s courtyard. They were in the middle of their morning training, as they were required to practice their form for a good three hours before they were allowed to have their breakfast. This was the Shrine of The Cymbal, the Second of The Fourth. It was where the Order trained those who had reached Expert-rank swordsmanship. The students were of varying ages, from older men and women to their twenties and thirties to teens who were still full with their youth. The Order didn¡¯t really care about your age. You would be placed according to your ability as a swordsman or woman and nothing else. Standing in front of them, I assume, was their teacher, which made her a Champion-rank swordswoman, since her students were all Expert-level. She was a slim woman in her middle to late thirties, and judging by her attire¡ªa loose white robe with not a single armour in sight, she should belong to the Peacock school, just like those two I had just pummelled. I could just stop my journey here and ask her to accept me as her student, but it wouldn¡¯t be sufficient. I need to become a Virtuoso. No, I need to go beyond that. A Maestro, just like the Sword Goddess. So I could defeat the Imperial Knights and crown myself the Empress. "You know, it''s quite rude to just stand there and not introduce yourself." My heart leaped. She somehow made her way beside me with a smile on her face. A blink. That¡¯s all it took. If she were an enemy, she would¡¯ve sliced my head off before my hand could even touch my sword. ¡°Hmm, can¡¯t follow my movement, can you?¡± She giggled. It was adorable in a strange, somewhat awkward way. ¡°That¡¯s okay. Do you know what they call me around here? The Flash-Footed Peacock. Quite the grandiose name for a humble swordswoman, no?¡± "Flash-Footed¡ª but that''s¡ª" "Oh, so you''ve heard about me before." Her smile grew wider. "Yes, you are now speaking to Lady Frida herself¡ªthe current head of the Peacock branch of Galahad." ...I was terribly wrong. She wasn''t some Champion-rank swords woman. She was a Virtuoso¡ªone of the three. I didn''t hesitate. I knelt down and lowered my head. "Please, take me as your student!" If I had to sacrifice my pride, then so be it, for I needed another mentor. One who wasn¡¯t beholden to the throne, and she just so happened to be the perfect candidate. Her style matched mine to the letter, unlike the style of my old mentor. If she took me under her tutelage, I would be able to obtain even greater strength. ¡°...I see.¡± Her cheerful voice vanished, replaced with a severe speech of an experienced warrior. ¡°Pray tell, who are you exactly, miss? Another daughter of some noble who decided she was better-suited for the blade than the ballroom? Or are you someone else, someone with an exact purpose in her mind, someone with the determination to devote her body and soul to the way of the blade?¡± I gulped. I had thought about this oh so often throughout my journey, should I reveal my real identity or not. I had left Helen at the nearby village, so I could probably pass off as some no-name noble¡¯s daughter. ...No. I couldn¡¯t lie to her¡ªsomeone who would teach me for years. I had to be honest, even if it meant risking her and the rest of the Order throwing me out to not involve themselves with the politics of the Empire. I straightened myself, gazed at her azure eyes, and said, ¡°My name is Fiora Guinevere Pendragon, the Second Imperial Princess of the Holy Milicis Empire. But I arrived here not as an imperial princess, but as a student. I swore an oath, to my name and the Saint¡¯s, that I would do everything you ask of me without a single word of complaint, just like any other student of yours.¡± I then lowered my head and knelt down once again. I couldn¡¯t see her expression afterwards, but I imagined it was one of surprise, as she was made speechless from it. As I grovelled there, waiting for Madam Peacock''s reply, I heard footsteps approaching. Oh lovely. Someone is about to interrupt us. ¡°Who is this?¡± The voice, oozing with a crude volume of suspicion and hostility, came from a girl much younger than Frida''s. If I had to divine a guess, it belonged to someone much closer to my own age. I stood up once more, turning my gaze at the uninvited guest, finding the girl who spoke was a youth not that much older than yours truly. I shall ascribe her attributes to a blazing sun, as such was the impression she graced me with: flaming hair tied in twain, descending all the way to her thighs, and sharp scarlet orbs peering into me, unabashed and unreserved. The girl wore an outfit much different than Frida''s: leather vest, gloves, and boots (Frida opted to wear sandals), complemented with a sword attached to her hip. Black stockings adorned her long legs, ending at the short white skirt midway up her thighs. Hmm, makes one wonder if she doesn''t flash people with a skirt that short, not that there''s anything fundamentally or morally wrong with such an action. Giving the masses a nice view of your legs and buttocks from time to time could add to a maiden''s charm significantly, though you always had to be careful not to show too much, or else they would believe you''re a whore with loose morals. Most men don''t like whores except when they lied down with them. ...Hmm? You''re inquiring why I donned an ankle-length dress then? Hmph, it''s inconceivable for a lady of my stature to mesmerize the male sex in such a manner. They would have to perspire blood to even attain a glimpse of my knees. Akin to a thorny rose, one must injure their hands before they are permitted to pick me from the horticulture of aristocratic women. With the exception of Helen, only one boy ever saw me in my undergarments and he had certainly earned it, for he had beaten me in a fight. His wind spell, being too strong for me to block, shredded my clothes completely, exposing my frilly regal whites to his eyes and the rest of the world. Ah.. such fond memories I have of him. "Greetings." I smiled, for the sake of cordialness. "My name is Fiora. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± I bowed, pondering if she had caught my name. ¡°Cut the crap! You just said that you¡¯re an imperial princess! Do you expect us to believe that?!¡± Ah, so she did. ¡°You are correct. I am Fiora Guinevere Pendragon, the second imperial princess of the Holy Milicis Empire. But rest easy, for I shall not demand any preferential treatment. Interact with me as you would interact with the rest of your peers.¡± "Hmph, I see it now. You''re just the usual runaway noble brat. How did you get here anyway? Bribed those two guards?" "Why, I took them down. Fair and square." I gave her a haughty smile. As expected, it made her even more mad. "You expect me to believe that?" She yelled. "Now now, Sara," Frida smiled. "No need to be rude. If you don''t believe her words, then why don''t you test her strength on your own?" Oh? She''s suggesting a duel? Now this is interesting. The ill-tempered girl, however, was taken aback by the suggestion. "You want me to spar with her?" "Of course!" The sword master¡¯s smile widened. "As the sword genius who became the youngest and strongest Expert-rank swords woman in the entire Order, it should be an easy feat to teach her a lesson." She gave a mischievous glance towards my direction. Heh, she''s enjoying this. What a troublesome teacher. "I''m up to it. I don''t know about Miss Redhead over there though." I smirked. "O-of course I¡¯m up to it! Who do you think I am?¡± She drew her blade and pointed it at me. ¡°Fine! I, Sara of the Gazelle, challenge you to a fight!¡± I smirked. This is exactly what I wanted. Vol 3.5 Chapter 2: Fiora’s Tale – In Which Fiora Makes A Poor Girl Wets Herself In Public Frida announced our impromptu fight to the rest of the class, telling them to stop their training before instructing us to face each other on the rectangular courtyard. Naturally, confusion broke out among the rest of her students, questioning my uninvited presence there. But she readily told them to shut up (putting it harshly) and just watch the show. I looked at the girl I was about to fight once more. Sara of The Gazelle. Another one of the Three Schools of the Galahad Order. Unlike Peacock School, it preferred a balance between evasion and defense, making its practitioners wear some armor but not too much that it would impede their movement too much. In her case, she wore a leather one. ¡°Show her no mercy, Miss Sara!¡± ¡°Yeah, kick her butt!" From the small crowd, cheers of encouragement flooded towards her, making her beam with pride. How cute. She''s just like him. He''d be all smiling like that whenever I praised him. Though I am concerned how some of her cheerers were middle-aged men. It was now clear to me that the rest of the rabble feel the same way as her, that a stuck up, noble brat like me should be taught her place. Ha, too bad I won''t give them the satisfaction. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And it seems Miss Twintail here is quite the popular one too. So if I could win against her¡ªno, that wouldn''t be enough. I need to humiliate her thoroughly as well. That way, I would prove my superiority, and none of them would dare mess with me as a result. That is how you deal with your tormentors. I taught that once to a weak-willed girl, back when I still attended that academy, She never really acted on it though. Too kind for her own good, to the point of martyrdom. How fitting for a priestess-to-be. Frida then told us to put a distance of fifty steps between us. Considering the spacious nature of the inner courtyard we were in, it was an easy task to do. We were allowed to draw our blades and prepare our stances, but we were not to move a single muscle until she gave the signal. I opted not to do the former, making the girl send a death glare towards my direction. If I had to guess, her poor little honor was insulted by it, and she probably believed I wasn¡¯t taking her seriously in the slightest. Good. The more you¡¯re angry, the more you¡¯re going to be more predictable in combat. The crowd fell silent.. As if observing a decorum, they all sat down cross-legged on the sides, with only Frida standing as the referee of our match. She walked to the middle of the field between me and Sara and raised her sword to the skies with a smile on her face. ¡°Hear me, O Great Galahad! Bear witness to this spar between them and punish those who would dare defile your sacred traditions!¡± Ah, the classic pre-spar speech. I imagine they do this every time a duel like this happens, just to make sure that everyone involved will engage in it in an honorable way. Apologies, but I have no interest in fighting honorably. Not when I need to make an example out of my opponent. The moment Frida left the field, was the moment where our match began. As expected, the hothead took the initiative. She flew all the way to my side of the field, using Graceful Step to boost her speed considerably. I, however, opted not to move a single feet. Why should I? Let the opponent tire herself coming to you. That¡¯s how a wise swordsman would fight. ¡°Scattato! Turbulence!" Unlike my Scattato: Storm, this technique is noticeably slower. However, thanks to her larger sword, and how the technique sharpened the immediate air around said sword, she didn''t have to be so accurate with it to land a blow. Well, nothing that I couldn''t handle, of course. "N-no way! She''s¡ªshe''s dodging every one her blows!" "And she does it without even using her sword!" Whispers of awe and confusion spread around the crowd, granting a smile to my face. She probably heard them too, so I decided to twist the knife even more into her pride. "Well, this is disappointing. Your movements¡­ they''re just too slow and predictable." "SHUT UP!" My taunt worked. The girl now swung her sword around even faster, in her exasperation to land a hit on me. It only had the opposite effect though, as her swings became even more imprecise and predictable. "Predict the movements of your opponent by their eyes and muscle movement. Utilize your peripheral sight to see every blow, not just the one right in front of you. Feel the shift and twist in the air and learn of your opponent''s intention. React in an instant without hesitation. Imagine them as your dance partner in the ballroom. It''s your job to follow up to their every movement so their feet wouldn''t hit yours." Such was the words of my teacher when she forced me to dodge her blows over and over. Heh, she''s really a hard mistress, not even caring about beating up a small kid until she loses her consciousness day in and out. But, thanks to that, I can dodge these pathetic slashes and thrusts without any problem. Not to mention how I¡¯ve gotten even faster in my travels as well, thanks to his training. Comparing her sword to his spells, she''s a complete joke of a swordswoman. My honed motor skills and reflexes were simply too much for her to overcome. ...Oh, that might be too harsh. Sword to sword she''s probably around that boy''s level, objectively speaking, which is decent. But decent is never going to be good enough to defeat me. I sighed. I think it''s time I end this charade. It''s already enough time for her admirers to see how weak she is. I waited for an opening, which there were many, and struck back with lightning-fast precisition. In a millisecond, I drew my blade and parried hers. She, completely taken by surprise by my maneuver, lost her grip on her sword, sending her sword flying away from her hand. It landed on the ground ten steps away from her. Not that far of a distance normally, but in a swordfight like this, it¡¯s a clear sign of defeat. ¡°Gah!¡± I wasn¡¯t done however. Like I said, I aimed for her complete humiliation. She leaped towards her sword in a vain attempt to grab it back, but I prevented her from doing so by landing a kick on her crotch. Unlike what the common knowledge imagined, it still hurt terribly for a girl to be kicked in that spot, even without a male¡¯s equipment. She went flying for a short distance, whimpering from the pain I had inflicted on her. And yet, she still refused to surrender as she tried to roll herself towards her sword. I have to applaud her perseverance. Of course, I didn¡¯t allow her to do so. I kicked her pretty little face and thrust my sword right towards her forehead. Naturally, I didn¡¯t actually pierce her head with it, not wanting to actually kill her and all, but I gave her the illusion that I did, using my aura to convey killing intent. To cut the spirit without cutting the flesh. That¡¯s what my teacher said the technique was about. She flinched, closing her eyes out of reflex. She whimpered, tears of fear leaking out from her eyes. It wasn¡¯t just that who leaked out, however, as a stream of shame exited her crotch as well. And then, she stopped moving entirely. She had fainted. The crowd fell silent, their jaws agape by the sight in front of them. Their best student, the so-called young genius, had been defeated in the most humiliating manner by this disrespectful noble brat who had come out of nowhere without any invitation. Frida declared me to be the winner, before telling them to take the unconscious girl to the infirmary. She then came to me with a glare on her face. Understandable. She probably didn¡¯t take kindly to what I did to her pupil. ¡°Was it really necessary?¡± I smirked. ¡°Yes. To be accepted here, I have to prove my strength, no?¡± She sighed. ¡°The poor girl would be livid when she wakes up to be sure.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Though I have to thank you as well. She has gotten too confident for her own good lately. It¡¯s nice for someone to show her that her swordsmanship still has much to improve.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She drew her blade in a flash, pointing its tip right to my forehead, just like the way I pointed mine to that redhead. ¡°But so are you. If I choose to, I could humiliate you the same way you humiliated her.¡± ¡°Of course you could.¡± I kept up my smile, even though I flinched from how fast she did it. ¡°That¡¯s why I am here. I desire more strength. I want to reach your level, Lady Frida.¡± ¡°...Very well. Follow me. From this day onward, you¡¯ll be learning the blade from me personally. If Lady Solis wills it anyway.¡± My ears perked up. ¡°Are you taking me to see her?¡± ¡°Yes. Knowing who you are, I have to report you to her first.¡± A smile brightened my face. Of course I would be excited to meet her. My goal was to be trained by her, but I suppose Frida would do for now. --------- We made our way to the second bridge, running as fast as we could through the trees, jumping on the tree branches in the process. Well, I was the only one who did, as I knew she slowed down her movements so I could catch up. When we arrived there, once again, there weren''t any guards around. She didn''t seem to be bothered by it however as she took out her own key from her pocket, opening the gate on her own. ¡°You know, you can just jump over this wall. I wonder why you didn¡¯t do so. Looking at your skill, you¡¯re too strong to be training on the Cymbal Shrine,¡± the swordmaster asked me with a curious look. ¡°To show respect,¡± I replied with a smirk. ¡°I defeated the guards of the first gate fair and square. And I wanted to do the same with the second, to prove to the people here that I am worthy. And besides, my teacher told me I was around Expert-rank as a swordswoman, so I figured I would test if her assessment still held any water. And as you witnessed by yourself, I clearly had surpassed that level.¡± ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re a cocky one, aren¡¯t you?¡± she returned with a scowl, though it quickly transformed back into a smile. ¡°You¡¯re right though. Your skill back there¡­ you¡¯re already worthy of the Champion title.¡± ¡°Good. One more step for my goal to be a Virtuoso.¡± ¡°Then prepare yourself for my merciless training,¡± she replied with a smirk. ¡°You¡¯ll train day and night without rest for years. Are you ready for that?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I looked her right in the eyes, not showing any signs of weakness. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be here if I weren¡¯t.¡± --------- After we had our short conversation, we made our way across the bridge. The weather was windy, making it away more than one would be comfortable with. Well, if you weren''t a pair of skilled swordswoman, that is. For us, we ran straight across it, with Frida even running on the left rope, and not the bridge itself. It was an amazing display of balance from her. "Oh, do be careful." She yelled as she ran. "It''s not advised to utilize Feather Step to cross. It''s hard to step on the air when the wind is this strong." Her mentioning it only made me want to try it though. So I jumped and began to use the technique, only to slip immediately. I recovered nicely though, thankfully enough. I didn''t want to be seen by her landing on my face like a clumsy maid. That, and falling off the bridge. "The air is thin and slippery. You''ll need better control than that." She yelled again, followed by a chuckle. And of course, she then utilized the technique flawlessly, mocking me and my weakness. Once we made it across, we journeyed on even higher up the mountains. At this time, snow started to fall around us. "The snow here lasts all year, since this place is so high up," she explained. "And I expect you to do your training, even if there''s a blizzard." Hmph, if she thinks a mere blizzard will stop me, then she doesn''t know how stubborn I could get. Eventually, we made our way to the third shrine, the Shrine of the Harpsichord. Unlike the previous shrine, it consisted of three smaller pagodas standing near each other in a triangle. We decided to stop and rest there for a bit. Or rather, she decided so. Secretly, I was thankful for it. We had run all the way up here and I was now out of breath¡ªmy dress clinging into my skin with sweat. And yet, the swordmaster remained unruffled in the slightest. Another showcase on the difference between our strengths. "Three pagodas, representing the three prominent schools and families of the Galahad Order.¡± She began her tour-guide like explanation. ¡°My school, the Peacock, Sara¡¯s school, the Gazelle, and the Cassowary, whose practitioner you haven¡¯t met yet.¡± She sighed. ¡°To be fair, we have a problem in that department. After Gloria, who was supposed to be the inheritor of the school, left us to be an Imperial Knight, everyone who wants to train in the school would enter themselves in the Empire¡¯s Knight school instead, since she would actually train the people there.¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, I haven¡¯t mentioned it yet, have I? That my master is Gloria herself.¡± I couldn¡¯t help to add a proud smirk at the end of my sentence. ¡°Hmm, really?¡± She turned to face me and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Ah, I suppose it makes sense. If you¡¯re really the Second Imperial Princess, of course you can obtain such a privileged treatment. Though that makes me question why you choose my style instead.¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s what she told me to train in,¡± I answered with a shrug. ¡°She told me that I wasn¡¯t suited to her style, to wear heavy armor like her and to block attacks instead of dodging them. And I¡¯m grateful for that.¡± I added with a small grin. ¡°Wearing a full plate armor sounds much less comfortable than wearing a simple dress like this.¡± ¡°I see. Well, I agree with you. I too won¡¯t be able to bear lugging all that steel around." She gave me a smirk. We made our way inside one of them, the one on the left to be exact. The statue of two peacocks greeted us at the entrance, signifying the school the building belonged to. Just like the second shrine, there weren''t any people walking around in the entrance hallway, so we made it to the center courtyard without stopping for a greeting. "Here is where you would do your morning practice, along with other Champion-rank swordsmen. Well, truthfully speaking, there aren''t that many of them. And they''re all middle-aged men and women too. Hope you don''t mind," she added with a smirk. "As for where they are now, they''re doing an assignment I''ve given to them somewhere else. So yeah, the place is pretty empty." "I presume each school trains their students separately, judging from the three separated buildings?" I asked, out of pure curiosity. "Yes, you are correct. At this level, a swordsman has to have pledged their service into a house, and since we don¡¯t really openly share the teachings of our techniques with other houses¡­¡± She smirked, with an all-too-obvious expression of cockiness coloring her face. ¡°So, you want me to pledge some oath to you then. What, that I would spread the good name of the Peacock School all across the world? Hmph, if people know their empress belongs to that school, you¡¯ll get the promotion you wanted.¡± ¡°Empress?¡± She raised her eyebrows. ¡°Now that¡¯s a curious declaration. You have an older sister and a brother, if I¡¯m not mistaken. They should inherit the throne before you do.¡± I didn¡¯t need to answer. She put two and two together immediately, looking back towards me with a frown. ¡°To use our art in a civil war¡­ our Lady wouldn¡¯t like that to be sure.¡± ¡°I care not what she likes. For someone who¡¯s really strong like her, she sure is happy just keeping to herself like this, away from the world. With her strength, she can transform the world to be better. And yet, she chooses not to. Personally, I don¡¯t find that to be an admirable trait. It is the duty of the strong to rule over the weak. To refuse that over some naive idealism is foolishness.¡± In a flash, she drew her blade to my forehead once more. ¡°I would duly appreciate if you do not badmouth her in that way, little girl.¡± A demon. That''s what I saw in front of me now. Bloodlust filled her gaze, making my knees buckle in terror. I saw a vision¡ªof her piercing my head with her blade. I could even feel the steel tip piercing through, even though it didn''t actually happen. "Y-you''re right. I am sorry." "Good." She sheathed her blade. "I see now that I need to teach you what it means to be a Galahad swordmaster as well. I''m not teaching you if you''re just going to use my sword skills for evil." "Evil, huh?" I smirked, quickly recovering from my terror. "I don''t know about that. I want to rule so I can reform the Empire. That change won''t be easy, and a lot of people will suffer from it, but it is my will as their ruler." "...Hmph, you sure talked big for a kid." She wrinkled her nose. "What change are you talking about anyway?" "Oh, nothing big. I simply wish to eradicate all slavery, that''s all." She paused, seemingly surprised by my answer. "Call me surprised. An imperial princess, wanting to free slaves?" "I shall not tell you my reasons. You have to earn my trust first," I replied with a smirk. Earning me a hard knock on top of my head. "If you''re going to train with me, you''d better show some more respect, little girl." She scolded, before returning to a sigh. "Aah, now I am reminded of that tale. Of a knight in shining armor who stroke down evil wherever he went. He particularly despises slavers and would kill any slave merchants he met, even when they were just peacefully conducting their trade in the middle of a town." I shrugged. "Let me guess. It''s a cautionary tale at how one can go too far in pursuing righteousness, or something like that." "Hmph, I guess you''re too old to be taken by a simple morality play like that." She gave a small grin. "You''re right. In the end, he grew despised by the people, and so he chose to live as a demon, believing that we humans as a whole deserved his scorn." She rested her arms under her chest and looked to the distance. "Oh, by the way, this isn''t just some made-up morality tale to make kids behave. This is history, for that knight used to belong to the Order a really long time ago. Hundreds of years ago in fact." She turned back to face me. "Beowulf The Executioner. That was his name. Remember that well." She resumed her walk, towards the other exit on the other side of the courtyard. I followed, giving another series of glances towards the building before leaving it. Beowulf the Executioner, eh? Never heard of him up before. Wonder why she never even gave him a mention. And then, we made our way to the last bridge. Vol 3.5 Chapter 3: Fiora’s Tale – The Sword Goddess, Esther Solis We moved on to the next and final bridge, Caelesti, the one we had to cross to reach the final shrine, The Shrine of The Lyre. After running and climbing some more, through ever increasingly more difficult terrain, we finally made it to the gate. However, unlike the one from before, it wasn''t unguarded, for there was a figure sitting cross-legged in front of the gate. He was a dark-haired middle-aged man, wearing a leather armor with a sword on his hip and a buckler tied to his wrist. ¡°He¡¯s the Champion-rank guard, isn¡¯t he? Shouldn¡¯t there be two of them though?¡± ¡°Hmm, like you saw at the previous gate yourself, sometimes, the people who are supposed to be there aren''t there. It can¡¯t be helped. Guarding the gate is such a tedious job after all. Quite frankly, it is done solely out of tradition as there hasn¡¯t been a serious intruder in a long while¡± She shrugged. ¡°Well.. I guess it was my job to test the sentries right?¡± I asked back with a smirk. ¡°Hehe.¡± She giggled as she covered her mouth in one hand. ¡°I have to admit, it¡¯s really rare to see someone as bold as you, climbing up all the way here on your own. Most people who want to join the Order would wait for the entrance exam back at Orthard.¡± Orthard was the small village all the way back on the bottom of the mountain. It¡¯s also where the first shrine is located, where all the beginners have their training. Naturally, I refused to go there. I refuse to waste my time on it, even though it¡¯s the proper way to enter the Order. ¡°My maid decided she wanted to stay there though.¡± ¡°Your maid?" She raised her eyebrows. "Ah, of course! A royal princess would have a maid or two!" She clapped her hands with a smile. "Just one. The rest¡­ didn''t make it. If only I was stronger back then, I could''ve defended them better." Thanks to my out-of-nowhere somber speech, the atmosphere turned noticeably heavier. Her smiling face disappeared as well. "What happened?" she asked with a concerned look. "Oh you know, the usual royal family fued, assassins sent by my older siblings. They wish to prevent me from becoming a serious contender for the throne." I walked forward, leaving her behind. I wasn¡¯t pleased with the direction our conversation had gone. No one liked to be reminded of their failure. She quickly caught up, and out of politeness, she refrained from saying anything else. Probably because of the bitter look I most likely have right now. When we got close enough, we were greeted by a horizontal swing of the man¡¯s blade. He cut the grass in front of him in a half-moon fashion, leaving a bald, half-circle patch with quite the significant size. ¡°Ehh? Whoze there?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite bold, Carn, swinging your blade towards a Virtuoso like that. I would¡¯ve excused you from sleeping on the job, but now, I might just take it up to Lady Solis." "W-wait, please don''t!" The man immediately prostrated himself. Hmph, just looking at this made me lose respect for him. The swordmaster then covered her mouth with her sleeves as she giggled. "Alright, stand up, you lazy bum. Fiora, this is Carn, a Champion-rank swordsman of the Gazelle. Carn, this is Fiora, a candidate for a new Champion-rank swordswoman. For my own school, of course," she added with a smug little smirk. He stood up and froze the moment he laid his eyes on me. "This little girl? A Champion-rank swordsman? You gotta be kidding me!" "Oh? Do I just hear you saying you want to spar with her?" "N-no, not at all!" He waved his hands around. "M-my head! I-it''s killing me!" He put his right hand on his forehead while grunting. Frida and I exchanged looks. Yep. He''s faking it. "Alright." Frida narrowed her eyes, a look of disgust on her face. "We''re going to see Lady Solis now. You stay here and be a good little guard. This is part of your punishment, remember?" He moved to the side with an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head. "Punishment?" I asked after we''d walked past him. A scowl formed on the lips of the swordswoman. "He was caught sneaking into a villager''s house some months ago. He had forced himself on the young daughter that lived there. He was lucky he''s a Champion-rank swordsman in the Order, or else we would''ve banished him from the Order. That man is an irredeemable pervert and a coward!" Hmm, is it just me or is there something peculiar about her expression now? She reached into her pocket and opened the gate once more with her key. As it croaked open, however, I managed to catch a little whisper. "I can''t believe he''s the only man that has ever proposed to me¡­ Out of everyone¡­ Why must it be just him?" A grin formed on my face. I know what''s going on here. A middle-aged career woman can''t get a husband and secretly worries about it every day. And the only guy who ever proposed to her is so hilariously pathetic that she refused to even consider it. Hah, I''m glad I already have him as a suitable candidate. I refuse to reach her age and stay a virgin, that is for damned sure. Hmph, even if I have to negotiate terms with the flies that will surround him. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ------- We continued our ascend to the last shrine after crossing a bridge more turbulent than the last one. At this height, the air was noticeably thin. I could feel my breath getting shorter and shorter, with not enough air entering my lungs. "Hmm, you''re slowing down." Frida spoke with a giggle as I chased after her. "It''s hard to breathe, isn''t it? That''s another technique you will need polish on." As much as I hated it, I had to admit that she was right. I could feel my lungs trying to kill me and I had to slow down just to stay conscious. And eventually, I had to stop entirely, panting furiously like a dog during the height of summer. "Alright, we''ll take it easy from now on." She smiled, sitting on a nearby tree stump, crossing her legs as she waited for me to recover. And so, for the rest of the trip, we walked instead. ---------- Eventually, some hours later, after climbing sheer slopes and jumping over multiple cliffs, we reached the mountain summit. And there, at a small grassy clearing with a spring behind it, stood the final shrine, the Shrine of The Lyre. It was where Esther Solis, the Blind Sword Goddess herself resided. And yet, it was the smallest of the shrines. It practically was just a one-story house, with the same architecture as the other shrines. Apparently the style originated from a far-off miniscule kingdom where the founder of the order came from. That kingdom was no more, and all these shrines were made as a remembrance to it. It didn¡¯t take us long to find the Sword Goddess, for she was sitting right there on the terrace, having tea with herself as she sat facing the bonsai trees in the garden. I couldn¡¯t say the word ¡°gaze¡± for her, obviously enough. And then, when I had a good look on her, I paused. My breath¡ªit was taken away from me. The word "beautiful" doesn¡¯t do her justice. She was ethereal, almost like a fairy, with her long and flowing silver hair tied up in a bun behind her head. It was hard for me to decide on her age, for she simultaneously looked as young as myself and as old as Frida. On her back, she has her sheathed sword¡ªthe pommel adorned with a scale¡ªwhich certainly is an odd choice for a decoration. Her pale white hands were holding a cup made out of clay¡ªher lips sipping it elegantly. She broke the silence as she put the cup down with a grace that would shame even the most lofty of noblewomen. ¡°Frida, who is the young girl with you?¡± Young girl? How in the world could she know that? ¡°It¡¯s a long story, Milady.¡± She knelt as she gave her response. ¡°She¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°I would explain it myself, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± I interrupted her. I walked forward, kneeling down as well. I then told her everything, leaving barely any detail out. I had a hunch that I wouldn¡¯t be able to hide anything from her. Perhaps her senses were so sharp that she could tell when you¡¯re lying just by the irregularities in your heartbeat, even when you knelt twenty steps away from her. When I finished, she remained silent for a long while, taking another sip at her tea cup as an uncomfortable curtain of silence fell between us. "...Young one." I shivered, for her voice was akin to the chill of a snowy morning. "You should''ve gone to the Lancelot Order instead. We at the order of Galahad do not believe in gaining power just for the sake of more power," she replied with a smile. "Or do you believe you are fighting for justice itself?" "I am under no impression that I am some legendary hero like my ancestor," I answered, looking her straight in her dull, lifeless eyes. "I''m simply here to gain power to exercise my will¡ªto obtain the dream I had ever since I was little." "Your dream? For power?" "For reform. The Empire needs to change. And I''m willing to¡ª" "...If you shan''t speak the truth, then you have no place here, little one." I chuckled silently. She saw right through me, didn''t she? I stood up, putting on a brave smile and folded my arms together under my chest. "You want me to tell you my secret, my true reason for wanting the throne and to transform the Empire. Just so you know, I am only willing to share it to a friend¡ªsomeone I can trust. And you¡­ are not someone I trust. You might be the Sword Goddess or whatever, but that doesn''t give you the right to pry into my past." Frida immediately stood up as well, probably to chide me for my insolence, but the Goddess told her to stand down. Her smile remained unabated, and I had a feeling it was the same smile she would use when talking to an ignorant child, which probably explained why I felt a bit irked right now. ¡°Then, I have a different proposal. Fight me, child, and if you can make my feet move from where I am sitting right now, even by just a hair, I shall accept you as a disciple of Galahad. And don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t attack back, so feel free to attack me with all your might.¡± I sighed. Somehow, I already expected something like this to happen. It¡¯s a common thing you¡¯d find in those stories involving swordsmen and the like. The master would challenge the cocky pupil, and the pupil would heartily accept, believing it to be a doable task, only to find herself being completely humiliated by the sheer difference in strength. And now, I am that pupil. But I was under no illusion that making one of the strongest swordswoman in the world move would be a possibility, especially for someone like me, who¡¯s still leagues behind her in skill. But, it wasn¡¯t like I had any other choice. I had to go all out with my strength. Even if I failed, hopefully, she would acknowledge me for it. I drew my sword and gave a bow. As expected, she didn''t bow in kind. She still sat there on the wooden terrace, sipping her tea without even bothering to draw her own sword. I charged forward, opting to use Staccato Storm as the opening move. Without holding back, fully intent to harm or even kill her, I rained down slashes and thrusts at the speed of sound. Only for her to block every single attack. Not by taking out her sword from its sheath, oh no. but by simply moving her back around. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Your movements are all so terribly predictable, even a blind woman like me can see them coming.¡± I saw it¡ªthe small smirk drawn on her lips. She is taunting me. I resumed my assault, not letting my hurt pride get in the way of my sword skills. Anger in battle only leads to mistakes, and I could afford none if I were to triumph against a swordswoman of her caliber. I didn¡¯t even notice Frida watching from a distance, all with an amused smile of her own. ----------- Esther This child¡­ she¡¯s a tenacious one, isn''t she? It¡¯s been hours since we began our little play, and yet she still keeps going on it with all her strength. Surely by now she has realized it to be an impossible task, right? Or is she simply too stubborn and foolish to accept it? She is now drenched in her own sweat to the point that it steamed off her heated skin. Her breath is as ragged as an old woman affected by lung rot. And yet, she still refuses to give up. Is her dream of reform really that important to her? And yet¡­ Her blade¡­ it¡¯s terribly lonely¡­ It¡¯s a blade that does not belong to someone who desires power above all else. It seems my assumption is correct. She''s hiding her true intention beneath the mask she has put on herself. ...I suppose I will have to be the one to make the first move. The moment the young princess lunged forward for another round of her clumsy, slow attack, I countered, parrying the sword off her hand before hitting her stomach with my still sheathed sword. Her shocked expression said it all. She didn¡¯t actually expect me to break my promise. And she was right. By doing this, I have forfeited the match. The blow knocked her unconscious but I managed to catch her body before it could hit the floor. ¡°Frida, leave us. She will be staying here for the night." "O-of course, Milady." She bowed. Always a polite one. ¡°And send a servant with a change of clothes. I assume you want her to be wearing the same uniform as your other pupils. I¡¯ll send her your way the next morning.¡± ¡°Right!¡± She bowed again. ¡°Would that be all, Milady?¡± ¡°Yes. You may leave.¡± With another bow, one too much in my opinion, she made her leave. To an untrained eye, she would have disappeared, as she had used her well-polished step skill to move faster than even sound could. But I could still tell the direction that she ran off to. "Now¡­" I looked back at the girl whose arm I was holding, a smile forming on my face. "Let''s revive you with a good, nice bath, shall we?" ------------ Fiora ¡­.U-urghhh. What is¡­ this warmth¡­ I opened my eyes to a bewildering sight. What in the¡ª this is¡­ a hot spring? W-why am I here? And why am I naked? Out of an instinct any decent girl should have, I covered my chest with my arms. "Oh, you don''t need that. I''m blind after all." I yelped. I didn''t even notice the lady standing across me on the other side of the spring. It was her, the Blind Sword Goddess, in all her naked glory. If I were my brother and sister, who were all too fond of women, I would¡¯ve assaulted her. Her ethereal presence only grew as she stood there with her breasts and nipples shyly covered by her long silver hair. "...Right. You knocked me out. That was unfair, you know. You told me that you wouldn¡¯t attack. Though it¡¯s my own naivety for trusting you in the first place." After all, there is no such thing as fairness on the battlefield. "Yes, you¡¯re right,¡± she replied with a smile. ¡°I knocked you out and carried you here. Since you were so dirty, I thought it would be a good thing for you to take a bath here." "Dirty? How rude," I huffed. "Sweating is normal when a swordswoman exerts herself." ¡°To exert yourself against an opponent simply means you haven¡¯t been training enough.¡± She continued her smile. ¡°I haven¡¯t broken a sweat in a long time. And the little exercise you gave me certainly wasn¡¯t enough to make me do so.¡± ¡°Aah, yes, rub it in. The strongest swordswoman in the world bullying a little girl who can barely wield a sword.¡± ¡°The strongest? Hmm, I¡¯m not so sure of that.¡± She tilted her head, touching her left chin with her index finger. ¡°There¡¯s Ciaran Hrothgar, the Sword Demon.¡± ¡°Ah, the leader of the Lancelot Order. You believe he¡¯s stronger than you?¡± I smirked. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a hard thing to say.¡± Her smile returned. ¡°We haven¡¯t sparred in ages.¡± ¡°Fine. Second strongest it is. Still a long gap, no?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m the second strongest either,¡± she quickly refuted my suggestion. ¡°There are a lot of blademasters out there that are really strong, especially at the Demon Continent. Have you heard of the personage called the Demon of A Thousand Blades?" "Uh, no. Who''s that? Some high-caliber demon?" "Correct. Hundreds of years ago, she was a living legend, cutting through any demon that stood in her path, leaving a sea of blood behind her. She earned her title of Demon Lord. She belonged to the race called the Izurdians, possessing the ability to use each strand of their pitch black hair as a sword. If only she hadn¡¯t disappeared, I would very much like to spar against her some day.¡± ¡°Hmm, Izurdians, eh? Never heard of that type of a demon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. They are considered extinct these days. My hunch is, though, that they are merely in hiding, including their leader, the aforementioned Demon of A Thousand Blades.¡± ¡°In hiding? Why? If she¡¯s so strong, why hide away from the world?¡± She fell silent, only responding with a wordless smile. ...Ah, that also describes herself, doesn¡¯t it? ¡°Well, enough about me. Let¡¯s talk about you instead.¡± In a flash, she disappeared, only to reappear right behind me, wrapping her arms around my stomach before I could even react. "...What is this? Don''t tell me you''re some kind of a pervert?" "You''re warming up. You''re blushing." "In case you don''t realize it, we''re inside a hot spring right now." "I beg to differ. You see, my senses are much more honed compared to the average person. I can sense people''s movement by the slight shifts in the air. And when I hug someone like this, there''s nothing they can hide from me. You''re embarrassed, just like any other growing girl will feel when she''s being hugged by her mother at such an old age." "... Don''t you dare compare yourself to my mother." "Ah, anger. It seems I have offended you. Your mother¡­ she''s precious to you, isn''t she? Please, child, tell me all about her." She then started to gently pat my head. The worst thing about this wasn¡¯t the fact that she was invading my personal space and treating me like a child, but it was the fact that I enjoyed it. Her touch¡­ it was as warm as the touch of Mother back when she was still alive, or the touch of Helen whenever she comforted me. As shameful as it was to admit, she was right. I was still a lonely child at heart. "...I do this for her. I don''t wish to see anyone else suffer in my empire. Not like her." I told her the truth, how her life, her death, and her abandonment by my father led me to desire a nation where people like her would not be taken advantage of by others. I told her that I also desired revenge, against those witches who conspired her death. And against Father who had abandoned her to her fate. And, above all, I told her that I wished to fulfill Mother''s desire to see me as Empress. When I was finished, she hugged me even tighter, pressing her average-sized breasts against my shoulder. Nothing like Helen''s, but it still sent a wave of pleasantness in through me. "Little one, I see it now, why your blade is so terribly lonely." "My blade? What are you talking about?" "Every sword user swings their blade differently. I can judge a person¡¯s heart just by the swing of her blade.¡± ¡°Really? I find that hard to believe.¡± She responded with a giggle. ¡°I¡¯m the Sword Goddess here. Do you think I would lie about this?¡± ¡°...True enough.¡± I sighed. ¡°There are still a lot of things I don¡¯t know about the sword. It¡¯s my only talent too, unlike my sister, who¡¯s probably the most charismatic and beautiful princess in the whole world.¡± ¡°Then, you just have to polish that talent.¡± I paused. ¡°Wait, does that mean¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m accepting you as a student, or rather as Frida¡¯s student. You should train with her first. When you get better, then you can train with me.¡± She released her grip on me at last, and once again, she disappeared from my back, reappearing right in front of me in a flash. It was another movement technique my eyes couldn¡¯t follow. With a serious look, she stood in front of me, slightly towering over me due to our height difference. ¡°Fiora Guinevere Pendragon. I accept thee as a disciple of the Order of Galahad. I hergrant thee the rank of Champion. Do you accept?¡± ¡°I do.¡± She reached her right hand towards me, resting it on the top of my head for a few seconds before retracting it. ¡°Then, from now on, thou shall walk and swing your blade at the path of truth and justice, as our founder, Galahad, and his teacher, Arthur, once did.¡± And then, her smile returned. ¡°There. I am not much for formality, you see, so I would rather keep this short. Hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Ha, I can see that. Who does their acceptance ceremony butt-naked in the middle of a hot spring?¡± I returned with a grin. ¡°Now get yourself dressed. I¡¯ve told Frida to prepare a robe that will fit you as her student.¡± And so, from that day on, I was a student of the Galahad Order. I didn¡¯t know how many years it would take. But from this day onward, I would train without rest every single day. I needed to graduate as quickly as I could, before either of those two took down the other, thus consolidating the entire might of the Empire beneath them. The best case scenario would be for me to come back before any of them fell to the other¡¯s machinations, and before Father fell to his illness as well. The worst case scenario: Father would have died and one of them would have been crowned Emperor or Empress. ...Yes, it would be harsh and unpleasant. But it was necessary¡ªto gain the strength I needed. And besides, I couldn¡¯t lose to him. I just knew he would be so much stronger when we met again. And next time, I would be strong enough to beat him at last, even against his magic. After all, an empress must be stronger than her knight. That is the way of the Holy Empire, a nation founded by the most powerful warrior in history, the Legendary Hero himself. Just you wait, Hugo Greenwood. I¡¯ll make you fall in love with the adult and improved me, even with that pesky Sherry girl by your side. Vol 3.5 Chapter 4: Fiora’s Tale—Ars The Woodcutter The clothes given to me were robes somewhat similar to the ones Frida wore, though without all the fancy pomps and embroideries that decorated hers. It was made out of white cotton, designed for comfort and mobility over protection. The fabric seemed to be well-suited to absorb sweat as well, a necessary component in designing clothes you would wear in your training. Once I finished dressing myself, I had a light dinner with Miss Sword Goddess. Mrs? I don¡¯t think she¡¯s married. Just looking at her though, it''s hard to figure out what her age is. She looks young but at the same time, she feels old as well. It''s hard to put into words. We had our dinner on a low table that one must sit cross-legged to eat on. It was clearly a personal table she used whenever she had to eat on her own. I don¡¯t believe she even had a special dining room as we were eating at the terrace. As I looked around the place for a bit, it became clear that the shrine was as small as a tiny house. Truly the shrine of a hermit. Which meant her Virtuoso underlings aren¡¯t staying here. This really was just her personal property. Our dinner consisted of what was basically a plate of salad, making me wonder if she''s some sort of a vegetarian. I heard hermits tend to be that way. "No meat? That''s disappointing." "I don''t like meat that much," she replied, putting a piece of leaf into her mouth with her fork. "Too chewy for me." "Maybe you just don''t cook it right. You¡­ cook for yourself here, don''t you? I didn''t see any servants around." "Servants?" She raised her eyebrows. "Just who do you think I am?" "Well, you''re the head of an organization that trains powerful swordsmen and swordswoman, with a lineage dating all the way back to the Legendary Hero. The Imperial Knights all had their own estates and servants. Why shouldn''t you?" "The way of the sword does not care for the material world. Galahad spent the remainder of his days as a humble hermit, and I will do the same. " That scowl on her face¡ªshe''s clearly irked by what I was saying. "And that''s why I''m burning that dress of yours, along with the rest of your fancy clothes. From now on, you''ll only wear that robe alone, got it?" "Oh, this?" I pinched the fabric on the chest region with a little smirk. ¡°You know, I just noticed how the fabric on this thing isn¡¯t too thick. It might get translucent if it gets wet, like with sweat for example. So are you supposed to not wear any underwear while wearing it?¡± Her eyes narrowed as her scowl grew. For someone who was blind, she certainly reacted just like a person with sight would do. Perhaps this meant she used to be able to see in the past? ¡°You¡¯re supposed to wear them with the undergarments provided.¡± ¡°Ah, right, those white smallclothes. Yep, with those, I suppose nothing would show, since they are white as well.¡± I didn¡¯t actually wear them, however. Under this, I still wore a normal bra and panties, with a color that would surely show at the end of a vigorous training session. I blame him for this one. Ever since he disrobed me like that, a peculiar hobby seemed to have awakened inside me. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine then.¡± I gave her a smile, even though she couldn¡¯t really see it. ¡°As long as the clothes are comfortable and not hideous, I¡¯m fine with wearing them. In case you haven¡¯t noticed, I¡¯m not exactly like your standard-issue royal princess.¡± The rest of our dinner went smoothly, though the lady didn¡¯t speak a lot for the rest of the evening. She told me to sleep in the living room, which I complied with. No bed, just a thin mattress. I was already used to sleeping in poor conditions though, thanks to my travels. She woke me up really early the next morning, far before the sun ever crept above the mountain. She told me to depart to the third shrine and report to Frida for her morning training. ¡°So,¡± I started up a conversation with her as I put my boots on at the terrace. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not going to see you again for a while.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she replied with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re going to return here only after Frida deems you worthy, which could take many years with your current skill.¡± ¡°Heh, not holding back at all, are you?¡± I returned with a grin, standing up from the raised wooden floor. ¡°Is it always this foggy in this mountain?¡± I asked, looking at the road heading out from the shrine, going back downwards to the third plateau. ¡°You could barely see a step ahead.¡± ¡°Oh? Truly? It¡¯s always clear for me.¡± I looked back and saw an all-too-obvious smirk on her face. ¡°Hmph, I get it. This is part of my training, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be late. Arrive before the sun first peeks over the hill.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± And with that, I departed the domain of the Sword Goddess. ---------- A week has flown by since then. And the training with Frida was as harsh as I had expected. I was ordered to wake up awfully early in the morning and was only allowed to rest once it was far in the night. Every day she would only give me around four or five hours of sleep. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was healthy, to put a girl my age in such a strenuous lifestyle, but I wasn¡¯t going to complain. I swore to her that I would do whatever she asked me to, and so I would. The training? Why, it¡¯s something one would give for a beginner. From running, doing push-ups and sit-ups, and swinging my sword around for hours. She said that she wanted to start with the basics. By the way, the other Champions being taught by her, a group of mostly middle and older-aged men and women numbering around ten (a stark contrast to the number of Experts from before, that reached around forty), they didn''t have to do all that. Their training only consisted of fencing against each other, performing all their fancy techniques with Frida watching and correcting their mistakes. Yes, I was jealous. But like I said, I wasn¡¯t going to complain. I grit my teeth and bear it, for that was what I had promised. Oh, and they also had voiced their opposition with a kid like me being given the title of Champion. It was only natural. To them, who had spent much of their life climbing all the way up here, I was just a dirty cheater. But then, when Frida pointed out how I had slaughtered Sara, who was another young genius who was really close to the Champion title, they all clamped their mouths. They had no grounds upon which they could argue anymore. A shame. I would be interested in sparring against them. Such was the strength of what they called ¡°talent¡±. You could never reach the top without it, even if you worked your hardest every single day. It was just a fact of life that one should learn to accept. I could never compete with my sister in the ballroom of grace. But I certainly could compete with her in the battlefield of swords. The key to happiness is to accept your weakness and to focus on growing the talent you actually have, no matter how silly or useless you might think it is. ------------- One afternoon, I was given the task of gathering berries for dinner. Frida seemed to have deemed it fit to give the occasional menial labor tasks to me (a fate not shared by the other Champions, mind you). I wasn''t complaining though. I could use a little break, since I had been swinging my sword in one place all morning. The forest I was sent to was located quite some time away from the main path you would use to climb up the mountain, so I was warned to be careful of monsters when I went there. Ha! As long as it wasn¡¯t some dragon, I should be able to handle them just fine. The place was called the Black Diamond Forest. Not because it had diamonds growing on trees or anything, but because the forest belonged to a certain species of trees called Diamond Ebony, pitch-black, glossy-looking trees whose hardness rivaled or even exceeded that of diamonds. Apparently, with the exception of a couple other places in the world, the species could only be found here, thus making construction with them terribly uncommon. Well, there¡¯s the problem of processing them, considering that hardness. Naturally, I had the idea to try my sword against them. Only to find that my blade failed to even leave a dent on their wood. It just clanged off in the most annoying manner. I tried and tried and tried again, putting all my aura into my blade, but it wasn¡¯t working. The tree remained unharmed. I had to stop, unfortunately. I didn¡¯t want to nick the edge of my blade. This was technically not my own blade after all, since I stole them from that guard. Frida had quite the laugh when I told her where I got the sword from. I continued onward, this time focusing on just gathering the berries for my task. And this¡ªthis was when I met him. ---------- Hmm? That noise¡­ that¡¯s¡­ That''s the sound of an axe hitting a tree, is it not? But the only trees around here are these diamond trees, which means¡­ I ran towards the sound immediately. I was right. It was a young man swinging an axe to a tree. And, to my bewilderment, he was actually cutting through the damn thing. Not all at once, mind you, that would be even more insane, but he was making steady progress through the diamond-like thickness of the wood with every swing of his axe, using merely his left hand. Just who is this person? Looking at his outfit, he didn¡¯t seem to be a member of the order. He wore a brown tunic underneath a weathered wool jacket, dyed dark red. His trousers were made out of loose crimson hemp, somewhat similar in color as his jacket. His hair followed the color of his tunic, however, being light brown as well. It was an outfit one could see a peasant wearing, judging by how they weren¡¯t that well-preserved. My thought first went to him being a woodcutter, but surely, a mere woodcutter couldn¡¯t cut a tree this though, no matter how good they were at it. ¡°Hey, you, what are you doing here?¡± I called out to him. ¡°I don¡¯t believe a woodcutter is allowed to do their work in this part of the mountain.¡± I knew for a fact that the villagers at the base of the mountain were only allowed to gather at the part of the mountain before the first bridge. After that was private property of the Order, and only a few were allowed to trespass in it. He paused once he finished another swing. He wiped his face by the towel he had around his neck, before turning around to face me. ¡°You¡¯re a newcomer? Haven¡¯t seen your face around here. Just so you know, I¡¯ve gotten explicit permission to cut the trees around here.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± I replied, putting on a frown as I approached him. ¡°Then show me your key. It¡¯s the rule for any member of the Order to report any suspicious person that they met.¡± He sighed and took out the all-too-familiar block of wood from his pocket. ¡°Satisfied?¡± With just a glance, I could see the sigil of the Order, carved there like the key given to me as well. There were slight differences though, signifying that he was an honorary guest instead of actually being a member of the Order. ¡°Hmm, alright. You¡¯re in the clear. Apologies for accusing you. My name is Fiora Guinevere Pendragon. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± I offered him my hand with a smile. Switch to a more amicable tone after confirming your suspicion, so he wouldn¡¯t be too offended. Judging by his answer, and the manner he answered it, he no doubt had done this many times before. He wasn¡¯t some outsider as I was a week ago. To my surprise, however, he refused my hand, his eyes narrowing in response. ¡°Fiora. I¡¯ve heard that name before. You are the newcomer, right?¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me, alright! What¡¯s the matter? Got a problem with that?¡± ¡°So you were the one who hurt Sara.¡± His eyes narrowed even further. ¡°Thanks to you, she had been refusing to leave her room this past week. So why don¡¯t you do the decent thing and apologize?¡± A smirk grew on my face. ¡°Ho? Really? She¡¯s more of a pathetic weakling than I thought she is. Sorry, but I have no interest in kowtowing to a brat like her.¡± I shrugged, making sure to look as obnoxious as before. Oh yes, I was taunting him. Why? Because I felt like it. Whoever this young man is, he clearly has a relationship with that brat. A friend? Perhaps a crush even. I want to see how he would react if I badmouth his beloved. ¡°So, if I can beat you, then you¡¯ll be fine with apologizing to her, I presume?¡± He swung his axe in the quite intimidating fashion. Really? Does he seriously want to fight me? His stance doesn¡¯t even look like a proper one. Does this guy really not know anything about proper fighting? ¡°Oh ho, now this is interesting!¡± I drew my blade as well. ¡°Fine! I accept your challenge.¡± I could already sense that he wasn¡¯t just some lumberjack: from that stance and the fact that he could cut the tree when I could not. If I ended up being at the receiving end of a humiliating defeat as a result, then so be it. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare hold back now!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on it.¡± He was the one to make the first move. He performed a horizontal swing with his right hand. It was fast, but not fast enough that I wasn¡¯t able to leap over it in time. The force, after failing to hit me, landed on the tree behind me instead. Once again, it created a significant gash on its surface, signifying just how powerful the blow was. Yep. I can¡¯t get hit by that. Not even once. Should I try to parry it though? Next move was my time to counter. I gave him a horizontal slice of my own, only for him to block it completely by the blade of his axe. I then retreated, putting some more distance between us. And then, he put his other hand on the handle of his axe. He now wielded it with his right. Wait, this guy¡­ Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s¡ª ¡°Miss Guinevere, I lied. I have been holding back,¡± he spoke. ¡°But in the only way I know how to. You see, I am not a swordsman like you are. I am just a simple woodcutter. So to keep my strength in check, I use my left hand to handle this axe. My dominant hand is the right.¡± A simple woodcutter? Don¡¯t make me laugh! ¡°So now, after witnessing how you dodge my blows with ease, I know I can not hold back if I wish to win against you.¡± He charged forward, with a speed that surprised even me. And before I knew it, he was already at mid-air in front of me, bringing his axe downwards for a strong horizontal slash. Knowing how strong his attacks were with his left hand, I opted not to parry, instead moving my body to the side, just in time to dodge his slash entirely. Well, not completely, as he managed to graze against my robe, ripping some of the fabric. I used the opening he gave to release my counter. To my surprise, he didn¡¯t even attempt to block, allowing my sword to pierce through his right rib, just below the shoulder. Got him! He let out a groan of pain, as expected, and he staggered a bit, allowing me to continue abusing his weakness even more. At least, that¡¯s what I thought, until I realized he never decided to stop his attack. He merely shifted his axe to point sideways, before swinging it right towards my abdomen. Barely, I repeat, barely, I managed to kick myself into the air to save myself from a certain death. If it weren¡¯t for my honed senses, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed his attack in time. I pulled my sword out of him mid-air, before using Feather Step to put even more distance between the two of us. I dealt the first blow, and yet, I believe I was the one losing this fight. He stood there with rib bleeding, yet he kept standing proud with a serious look on his face. With the exception of his groan of pain, it was as if I never injured him at all. ¡°You¡­ this style.. I¡¯ve heard of it from my teacher, my old one, that is, It¡¯s the style barbarians would use in combat. Using their rage, they ignore all the wounds they suffer, continuing to chase and bite after their enemy without any hesitation. I believe the Lancelot Order also taught some of their students this style. However, it¡¯s completely unsuited to the more defense-oriented Galahad-style. So, I have to presume that you really are not taught by our Order in the slightest.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, Miss,¡± he replied. ¡°I never had any formal training in your martial arts. In fact, I have no intention to.¡± ¡°And yet, you are terribly strong. Mind explaining why?¡± He fell silent. ¡°Hmph, refusing to answer. Fine. I don¡¯t really care. I¡¯m just happy that you¡¯ve been proving yourself a worthy opponent so far,¡± I replied with a grin, flicking the blood off my blade to the side. ¡°Once again, I have to apologize, Miss.¡± He spoke again. ¡°Even with my right hand, I am still not going against you with my full strength.¡± His left hand then grabbed the handle of his axe as well. ¡°But now¡ªnow that I¡¯m using both of my hands, I am now truly fighting my full strength.¡± Ho? Two-handing it now? Just how strong you can get? This time, I took the initiative. I charged forward, closing the distance so I could utilize Scattato Storm to barrage him with the sharp end of my sword. He countered by dashing backwards while raising his axe above his head for a downward swing. Hmph, once again, he demonstrated how his speed could rival mine, something that should be impossible without any training. Unless he was some sort of a demon in disguise? Still, note that I said ¡°rivaled¡±, not ¡°beat¡±, as my speed was still superior over his. The only problem is, can I catch up to him before he launched his attack? The answer is, unfortunately, no. Mere breaths away from his flesh, I had to pivot to the side, barely dodging the insanely powerful slash he produced, nearly deafening me by just how loud it was. No doubt it was a swing far faster than the speed of sound.. I took one glance behind me to see the carnage and my jaws immediately fell wide open. Trees upon trees in a row had been cut in half¡ªtrees as hard as diamonds, trees I myself couldn''t cut¡ªwith a single slash of his axe. The slash also left a deep and large gash on the land, as if a massive sword had just slashed through it, displacing all the grass and bushes into dirt. One by one the trees fell, unable to keep their balance anymore, for even their roots had been destroyed. It caused a chorus of loud thumps and crashes that echoed throughout the forest. And then, it happened. *RIIPPPPP* A loud sound of fabric being torn entered my ears, followed by my robes disassembling itself, falling apart into little pieces, revealing to the world my orange bra and panties that I wore today. "Ah¡­" I looked down at my newfound nakedness, before looking back towards him. "Well, it seems I have been defeated." The attack from before had torn some of the fabrics off, and now, the sheer force of this attack had unraveled whatever was holding the fabrics together entirely. I sheath my sword with a smile, not caring that I was showing my body to him. Well, not quite. I still could feel warmth creeping on my cheeks. "Yes, I admit defeat." I crossed my arms. "I recognize your strength, and how it dwarves mine, as annoying as that may be. Take me to that girlfriend of yours so I can apologize." He replied by walking towards me and handing over his jacket. "...Apologies, Miss, for ruining your clothes like that. It wasn''t my intent." "Yeah, I know that. Your intent was to kill me. I would''ve died if I moved just a little bit slower back then." He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Like I said, I don''t know how to control my own strength. So when I use both hands to handle my axe, I always attack with my full strength." As I wore his jacket, which, by the way, still showed my panties thanks to it not being long enough, I noticed how he was completely unfazed by my state of undress. He looked away out of courtesy, but he wasn''t blushing or stealing glances like that guy would. Ha! He probably isn''t a perverted virgin like him then! My body isn''t that impressive after all, so only pathetic losers like him get all excited when they have something to look at. But still, I can''t help but feel a little annoyed by his cold reaction. Ah, the paradox of women, wanting men to lust after them while at the same time despising them for being perverts. "You, what''s your name, boy?" I asked once I finished. "Ars." "It''s a pleasure to meet you then, Ars." I offered my hand with a smile. This time, he actually accepted. "Now, we should return back to the Shrine of the Harpsichord. I have to change first before meeting with her, after all." I smirked. Ars, huh? I want him. I want him to be my knight as well. Vol 3.5 Chapter 5: Fiora’s Tale – News From The Outside Ars decided to wait outside the temple as I got myself a change of clothes. I earned weird looks from anyone that was fortunate enough to see me at my current state, but I managed to get back to my room without anyone stopping me for an interrogation. Thankfully, Frida was kind enough to give me some spare robes, so I could change right away without asking for a new set of clothes. Oh, by the way, she was off somewhere, thankfully enough, so I didn''t have to explain why I abandoned my chore. Once back outside, I let him take the lead. We crossed the bridge, pushed the gate open, as you only needed a key to get inside the order and we made our way to the second shrine. As expected, the brat lived in it as well, just like me. Once we arrived, he made sure to ask permission first from the Champion in charge before going to the dorms. It seemed back then, when I first arrived here, Frida was just taking his morning shift as his presence was required elsewhere. Makes sense. For a guy who''s not even a member of the Order to stroll into a girl''s room, yeah, really quite easy for a misunderstanding to occur here. Speaking of that, by how cordially the Champion addressed him by name, it was clear he was a regular. He actually sent more glares towards my direction. Understandable, since I was the person responsible for the current state of mind of his star pupil. When we reached the brat''s private room, as all experts and above have, Ars ordered me to be the one to knock. "Alright, if you say so. Don''t blame me if she isn''t answering though," I replied with a smirk. I walked forward, knocking on the wood loudly and shouting, "Hey, Sara! It''s me! The girl who trashed you the other day!" A rush of steps immediately erupted from behind the door, before flinging the door open, revealing hers truly behind it, in all her pajama-clad glory. "So you came all the way over here to rub it in, didn¡¯t you? Just so you know, you only won back then because you''re lucky! I wasn''t taking you seriously enough, that''s all!" Wow, this girl is loud. She''s yelling right in front of my face. "Oh?" My smirk grew. "Does this mean you want a rematch?" "Yes! I want a rematch! Right now! In front of everyone! Do you know how much grief you¡¯ve caused me because I lost to you?¡± She pointed her index finger at me. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not the losing that¡¯s the bad part, I presume. It¡¯s the ¡®losing your consciousness then wetting yourself¡¯ part.¡± ¡°Y-you! How dare you?¡± Her face turned red in a flash. ¡°That¡¯s it! When I am through with you, I¡¯ll not only beat you up to a pulp, but I¡¯ll also make you beg for mercy! Not only will I make you wet yourself as well, but I¡¯ll also strip you bare in front of everyone!¡± ¡°Feel free to do so. If you can, that is.¡± Watching her like this, I can¡¯t help but feel the urge to tease her more and more. It¡¯s like watching a really angry puppy. No amount of barks and growls can make it not cute and adorable. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. Fiora, you promised that you''d apologize to her, right? Don¡¯t taunt her like this.¡± The boyfriend finally decided to step in, producing a yelp from Sara who had not noticed his presence in the slightest. ¡°A-Ars? W-why are you here?¡± ¡°I was the one who fetched her here, Sara,¡± he explained with a frown. ¡°I¡¯ve made her promise to ask for your forgiveness. So apologize.¡± He threw a cold glare at my direction. ¡°You¡¯ve promised, remember?¡± ¡°Alright, alright. If the boyfriend says so¡ª¡± I shrugged. ¡°H-he¡¯s not my boyfriend, you idiot!¡± Her face now got even redder. Ah, I see what''s going on here. "Well then." I gave a deep bow towards the girl. "Apologies for humiliating you back then, Sara. I just had to make a name for myself, you know. The people here¡­ they won''t accept me if I don''t demonstrate my strength to them. And so you just so happened to be the perfect punching bag, and for that, I apologize." "P-punching bag? HOW DARE YOU?" Her hand went forward to grab me on the collar. Too bad I was ready with a counter. By simply dodging to the side and using my left foot to trip her, causing her to fall down face first to the floor with her buttocks up in the air. Naturally, in response to the laws of nature, her pajama dress flipped down. Revealing the fact that she wasn''t wearing any undergarments whatsoever. Oh my¡­ how lewd~ To think that my first time seeing another girl''s flower is from a brat like her... Fate sure works in strange ways. Hmm, I wonder how he reacts to this sight. I turned my head to the side and saw him bashfully looking away with blood trickling out of his nose. His face was beet red and as I looked downwards, I could see the tent that had formed in his pants. Hmph, he actually reacted. That''s annoying. He reacted to her but not to me. What, a princess'' panty-clad figure isn''t good enough for him? Though this confirms one thing. He most likely does have some attraction to the brat. Aah, what a shame. I suppose I can''t seduce him to be my knight, like I did with that perverted mage brat. Sara quickly recovered, with her expression now being an extreme mixture of embarrassment and anger. "Y-You! You did it again! You humiliated me again!" "Hey, it''s not my fault you decided to go commando today." "I-I didn''t! I just forgot to wear them, that''s all!" "Oh? Truly?" A grin grew on my face. "Perhaps you just wanted to seduce your boyfriend by forgoing to wear them? I understand. When I''m around my boyfriend, I like to tease him as well. Give little treats here and there~" "Shut up! I''ve had enough of you and your smug little face! Just you wait! I''ll hone my skill and I''ll reach Champion-rank in no time! And then, I''ll challenge you again!" She then ran back inside her room and slammed the door behind her. "Ah, there she goes." I folded my arms under my chest, still smirking. "And she just said she''s going to challenge me now. I guess not." I turned to face Ars. "This will be enough, right? She should now stop moping around and go back to her old self." He replied with a sigh. "Fine. Let''s go back. I guess you¡¯re the type that can never apologize in earnest.¡± ¡°Hmm, perhaps. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever really apologized seriously, with all the crying and stuff. I never have any regrets in all the things I did after all.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite the selfish girl, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course. You have to be one to be a future empress. Or else you¡¯ll let your subjects rule over you instead of you ruling over them.¡± And with that, our short visit to the brat ended. We made our way back to the diamond forest, where we resumed the tasks we each had. Ars didn¡¯t speak much afterward. I asked him why he hadn¡¯t become a swordsman with all his strength, but he just evaded the question. I asked him how he got so strong but he basically replied that he had been that strong his entire life naturally, which I didn¡¯t really buy for one second. I then jokingly asked why he hadn¡¯t asked Sara out yet but he just replied with a cough and a blush. Ha! He should already be at least sixteen years old but he¡¯s still this naive in the matters of romance! I¡¯m half tempted to be his matchmaker, just for the heck of it! Only later on, once I returned to the shrine and met up with Frida, that I finally got a clear explanation on his identity. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve met him. And you actually fought him too.¡± She shook her head. ¡°How reckless.¡± She then explained how he was indeed just an ordinary woodcutter. The Order had allowed him to cut down the Diamond Trees for his living. He lived at the base of the mountain, along with his mother and grandmother. ¡°Just who is he, really? Is he really just a woodcutter?¡± ¡°Yes, as far as I know, no one ever taught him how to wield a sword. Or an axe for that matter. He¡¯s just that strong naturally.¡± A smile then appeared at her face. ¡°Tell me, my pupil. How much do you know about the Legendary Hero? How he started, to be exact?¡± ¡°His beginnings?¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°As far as I know from the tales, he¡¯s just some no-name villager before he received the revelation to take arms against the Demon God.¡± ¡°So, does the Hero have anyone that taught him swordplay?¡± ¡°...No, you can¡¯t be implying¡ª¡± ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯m implying exactly that.¡± Her grin widened. ¡°That young man, Ars, he¡¯s one of those anomalies. Throughout the ages, there have always been people who held exceptional, almost miraculous talents in many subjects. A great mage who can cast powerful spells at a young age, just like Mira. A powerful swordsman who can beat veteran gladiators without a single day of training, like Arthur, when he first made his way to the capital. Such personages are extremely rare, but nonetheless, they always appeared at every beat of history without fail, bringing great change to the world every time they did. And Ars, he might just be such a personage.¡± ¡°...Hmph. ¡°I huffed with disgust. ¡°And yet, he refuses to take the sword. I wonder why. Is he simply such a dull man that he refuses to take the greatness that has been offered to his plate? Or does he have another reason that compels him to desire to stay becoming an ordinary woodcutter for the rest of his days?¡± "Well¡­" The swordmaster took a deep sigh. "Perhaps it''s because of his father. He¡­ was murdered by a member of our Order." I raised my eyebrows. "A group of drunken swordsmen, our swordsmen, had assaulted his wife one night on her way back home at night. In anger, he tried to retaliate on his own, only to be a target practice for the sharp end of their swords. Of course, we took action once we learned the truth, with Lady Solis ordering their execution, along with some reparative payments to their family. But the wound naturally never healed. And he grew up believing we were no different than them." The swordmaster turned around, showing her back to me as she gazed upon the rising moon, in quite the melancholic fashion, I might add. "Ah, that explains it. But how about Sara? How did he meet her?" "It was a complete accident." Her head turned to face me with a smile. "When she was five, she got herself lost in the village, separated from her father. He found her and ever since then, they have been good friends." Ah, the classic damsel in distress trope. And that is enough for her to fall for him. How simple. "Oh, by the way.¡± The swordmaster folded her arms under her chest with a smirk. ¡°Sara''s father is the head of Gazelle school, so you might want to be nicer to her." "Oh?" I looked up. "Truly? I''m surprised I haven''t been visited by him then." "Well," the swordmaster smiled grimly. "He''s not the type to do so. He''d rather have her learn from the experience and grow strong enough to beat you from experience." "I see." I smirked. "I am quite fortunate then." "Well, enough of standing around talking! Let''s have dinner, shall we?" And so the day ended, with me learning of the strange and curious existence of a young man named Ars. A bile of jealousy rose from my stomach when I thought how he got so strong without any training, but I had to endure years of harsh training just to get to where I was now. But I chastised myself. He may have a talent rivaling the Legendary Hero himself but if he doesn''t have the drive to use it, then it just becomes a worthless gift. I should be happy I was blessed with a strong and stubborn will, or I wouldn''t have gotten this far. Still, as I laid down on my bed, my mind played back the fight between us. And when it came to a close with him undressing me¡­ Haah, why am I getting turned on by it? If only it was him instead¡­ he would have ravaged me with those perverted eyes¡­ My right hand slid down between my legs. I began pressing into my panty-clad girlhood, using two fingers to rub it back and forth. Haah¡­ aahhmmm¡­ And just like that, I began pleasuring myself, imagining him ripping off my clothes over and over with his spells in various situations: in the middle of a fight, while I was relaying orders in front of my servants, in the eve of a ballroom, and even when I was making a public speech in front of my subjects. I believe this is what they call exhibitionism. Thanks to him, I have awakened to this hobby. I rubbed my labia faster, moving my hip up and down in the process. A girl needs her relief after all, and ever since I met him, it seems a lot of my fantasies ended up involving him one way or the other. How curious. I soon finished with a muffled sigh, feeling the wet stickiness spreading into my underwear and fingers. I sat up to inspect the damage. Hmph, there''s a wet spot on the front of my robe now. And so I opted to not change out of my wardrobe. Instead, I went for round two, this time while massaging my chest as well. I continued the process until I fell asleep with soiled clothes. Oh well, we were responsible for our own laundry, so there was no problem with me just washing them up the next morning. ---------- A year has passed since then. First of all, in just six months, Sara actually managed to climb up to Champion-rank. That resulted in her demanding rematches over and over, only to find that she was defeated every single time. After all, I was growing as well, as a swordswoman, and as a woman as well. Still, the gap between us was actually closing, which quite concerned me if I have to be honest. She too trained day and night, still keeping her resolve to beat me, whom she had declared to be her rival. As for Ars, he¡¯s still playing the woodcutter. No matter what I said to rouse his spirit, he wouldn¡¯t budge, even when I promised him wealth and fame if he were to become my knight and train himself properly in the way of the sword. Such a stubborn man. Every month, I was granted leave to visit the village at the base of the mountain. And there, I witnessed the progress of Helen and her swordsmanship. Or that¡¯s what I thought, until she told us that she had opted to hone her skill in daggers instead. Better for her to continue what she already knew instead of learning a new martial art skill entirely. And from who she would learn it, you might ask? Why, from the Order itself. It actually had a branch school of sorts that was dedicated to non-sword fighting, That included the art of daggers. However, since it wasn¡¯t focused on the way of the sword, it didn¡¯t have a place in the so-called holy mountain, so they had to build their shrine at the village. The irony is that Galahad himself used to be a bard before taking up the sword. That''s why the Four Shrines were named such, even though we weren''t learning any musical instruments there. Discrimination born out of foolish tradition? Perhaps. But I don¡¯t really care where you learn, as long as you still have a competent teacher. As her teacher was this fighting bard whose nicknames was the Bard of A Thousand Instruments. Not just musical instruments, mind you, but weaponry as well, including bows, chakrams, daggers, etc. They even said he could kill with just his lyre, though I had no idea how he could accomplish such a feat, other than playing a tune that was so bad it just killed his enemies. Well, I guess bashing someone¡¯s had in with a blunt object works quite well as well. As for Nicole, well, she had left a long time ago to resume her pilgrimage. I just hope she remembers everything Helen had told her. The road can be dangerous, especially to a kind and pure girl like her. There was one thing I wasn¡¯t pleased about, however. It was when my old master decided to come all the way here and pay me a visit. ------------- It happened around the first couple months from when I was accepted into the Order. When I was in the middle of my training with Frida, at the middle of the Peacock pagoda, she walked in without any fanfare, wearing her full set of silver armor as she always did. I first thought I was hallucinating. But when the other students all fell silent and went into whispers at her presence, followed by Frida walking up to her and starting a conversation, I knew she was real. The sound of her heavy armor was unmistakable. I¡¯ve heard that clanking of steel so many times before. Frida glanced towards me, before gesturing towards me to come. I kept my eyes on my old mentor, however, since I had a pretty good idea why she was here. ¡°What do you want?¡± I said to her once we got close. ¡°Came here by their order, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You are right,¡± she answered without a pause. As blunt as always. Her blank expression didn¡¯t even change a bit. ¡°I am here to bring you back to the Royal Palace.¡± ¡°Well, no, I¡¯m not going to. If I go back there, you know what would happen to me, sooner or later, don¡¯t you? How cruel, asking for your own pupil to die. But then again, that¡¯s what you knights do, don¡¯t you, just doing whatever your master bids you to do.¡± I sneered at the older woman. ¡°...I see. Then, I suppose I would have to bring you back by force.¡± The moment she finished uttering those words, two events simultaneously happened. I immediately backed off, putting as much distance between us as I could. And Frida¡ªshe drew her blade faster than one could blink, pressing the cold steel right at the woman¡¯s neck. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Gloria, but she belongs to the Order now. The Empire does not have authority over the Order, in case you don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°Frida,¡± the imperial knight replied, not the slightest look of fear drawn on her face. ¡°Does your mistress believe it is wise to harbor her amongst your midst?¡± ¡°Of course. We have no interest in your little power struggle. Anyone who has a love for the sword will be accepted here, even an Imperial Princess.¡± ¡°...Very well. Then I shall merely leave you this message, written by Lady Rhea herself." She took out a sealed letter from the small pouch she had on her waist. She then gave it to Frida, who promptly put it into her pocket. "Goodbye, Fiora." S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And just like that, she left, with her white cloak and long golden hair billowing in the wind. What''s inside the letter, you may ask? Why, just Rhea telling me that she misses me very much and that she wants me to return back home. It was written in such a sickeningly sweet way that it could only be one big ironic joke from her. ...Ha, I get it. She herself was the actual message, that if the Order were to stand with me, they would not hesitate to crush it with the full might of the Imperial Knights. Too bad I have endeared myself enough with Frida that she won¡¯t hesitate to defend me like that. -------------- Oh, right, it''s time for me to meet them. Since a year has passed, it was time for me to meet up with those assassins. I wonder what news of the world they have in store for me. I made my way all the way back to the bridge¡ªthe one we had our fight in. It was now fixed, thankfully enough, since merchants and travelers needed to use it to enter the Order''s territory. As promised, I went to the other side where they should be waiting. It was exactly one year since I decided to spare them, and around the same hour as well, judging by the sun. The moment I stepped on the other side, a familiar figure jumped out from behind the large rock to the side of the road. The blue-haired catfolk promptly kneeled though without lowering his head, as he flashed me a sight of his slightly yellowed teeth. And then, he began his report. First things first. To summarize, there were no significant changes in the Empire¡¯s political condition. My brother and sister¡ªthey were still locked in a stalemate of a sort, unable to really move against each other in any meaningful way. And it seemed they had abandoned the idea of assassinating me, at least for the moment. They knew they didn¡¯t want to anger the Order. The next important thing was, of course, him. To my surprise, he had made a mess out of himself in such a manner that defied belief. He had foolishly painted himself a big, fat target on his back by rescuing a necromancer from the clutches of the Church¡¯s inquisitors. ¡°I see. Was the necromancer a male or a female?¡± ¡°A female?¡± ¡°Was she pretty?¡± ¡°Very. She¡¯s well-known in the court for flirting her way into the position of a court mage. And she always wore outfits that emphasized her ample breasts and long, smooth legs.¡± ¡°...Ah, that explains it then.¡± I groaned. Oh, Hugo, you said you¡¯re going to be faithful to that girlfriend of yours, and now you¡¯re throwing your life away to save some random necromancer girl? I know you¡¯re a pervert, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a reckless idiot as well. This is going to make it much more difficult if I were to have you as my knight in the future. I need the Church¡¯s approval to gain the throne after all. How would I get them to forgive you after you killed a bunch of their elite inquisitors? ...Well, one thing comes to mind. If you, say, slay a Demon Lord, that might work. Ha! That means it¡¯s killing two birds with one stone then! I just have to make sure everyone knows it was us who killed them! Other than that, he had gained the nickname the ¡°Divine Tempest¡±, after he defeated a dragon and its horde on his own, saving an entire adventuring clan in the process. Well done! You¡¯ve gotten even stronger, didn¡¯t you, Hugo? ¡°And his current whereabouts?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to ascertain that, regrettably. But since there are no rumors about the Church capturing him, you can rest assured that he¡¯s still alive somewhere.¡± ¡°Good. Sent one of your men to the Demon Continent to keep an ear on him and his shenanigans. He should already be there if he¡¯s smart.¡± ¡°Of course, Milady.¡± After that, the topic moved to the general situation of the various kingdoms and nations that existed in the Holy Continent. Just the usual politics stuff a future empress like me had to pay attention to. We finished our talk a couple of hours later. The assassin-turned-informant then excused himself, promising that he would return the next year at the same place, day and hour. ¡°Hold on.¡± I stopped him before he could leave. ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask me for payment or anything?¡± ¡°You can do that later, Milady,¡± he replied with a grin. ¡°As long as you keep your promise, we are happy to serve you without pay. And besides, working as a spy has been far more interesting than we all expected.¡± ¡°Good,¡± I smirked. ¡°Then, you know your orders.¡± The assassin left, leaving me alone with my own thoughts. Hmph, a necromancer, huh? Do you have to go after the weird ones? Not to mention how old she is compared to you. The catman said she had a good reputation among the people, how she cured a plague and gave out medicinal potions for free. Perhaps that''s why you decided to save her? You were charmed by her kindness? Or did you fall for her seduction? Perhaps even to the point of losing your virginity to her? Just after I told you not to give it to some random girl you met on the road too¡­ I''ll be upset if you did, since this means I simply didn''t seduce you hard enough, out of respect for that girlfriend of yours. Still, killing a dragon, eh? I should do that too. Not sure if I''m strong enough for it though. Are there even any dragons around this region? With a smirk on my face, and a renewed spring on my steps, I made my way back to the mountain, sprinting all the way there as fast as I could. No time to stand around here. I have to continue refining myself. When we meet again, I shall be like a diamond, shining so brilliantly over any other jewels that he won''t be able to resist devoting his life to my service. And then, together, the Empire shall be ours. Vol 3.5 Chapter 6: Sherry’s Tale — Meeting With A Motherly Loli Elf ??? Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ must¡­ run away¡­ Veridian Peaks, a place a traveler seldom travelled to. It was located near the so-called Veridian Road, a long road across several countries that would take travelers to the very northeastern edge of the Holy Continent. For most people, they would just follow the road, ignoring the Peaks entirely, but for some, like the two, or adventurers hired by the locals to gather herbs and slay monsters threatening their villages, they had to make the climb, sometimes going all the way up to the peak. And there, near one of the said peaks, a certain girl was running for her life. She was a member of the elven race, around the age of eleven, if speaking in human years, possessing shoulder-length silver hair and dull pink eyes. A part of her bangs hung in front of her face and below her eyes, curling around her left eye. The rest of her bangs rested around the shape of her face, curling outwards at the very tips. She wore a white flower with green leaves on the left side of her head. Her outfit was a short, green and white dress that cut off at her thighs with gold trimming. She had a dark teal sash with gold trimming that she hangs loosely around the right side of her body. She also had opaque detached sleeves that fade from white to a pale green. Accompanying all that was a small, off-green bag. The only means she had to defend herself was the long lance she held. It was a weapon taller than herself, with a bright blue gem at its end. Alas, it wasn''t sharp enough to pierce through the monster chasing after her. *SCREECH* It was a furry-legged tarantula, it''s size easily deserving the size of the elven girl. ¡°Haa!¡± *SLASH* *SCREECH* In a single swing, the girl slashed the giant tarantula into two. It fell onto the ground with a loud thump, its green blood and innards spilling out from its bisected abdomen. The elven girl looked at her savior with a mixture of relief and surprise, for the girl¡¯s strength defied her looks. She was just a young girl around the age of ten, with jet-black silky hair that went down over her waist, reaching all the way to the back of her knees, a contrast to her tomboyish demeanor. Her outfit was ill-fitting with that impression as well, consisting of a simple one-piece dark blue dress reaching down to her lower thighs. The hem flew upwards as she brought her sword down on the insect, displaying a flash of white that could''ve been avoided if she had worn shorts instead. Her eyes were sharp and focused¡ªthe eyes of someone used to wielding a sword. The elven girl had seen them before, from veteran adventurers she had met in her travels. To think that a girl her age could already have the same expression... The sword-wielding girl grimaced looking at her sword covered in green, straight from the stomach of the unfortunate victim. She took the largest leaf from the trees near her, using it to clean the blade as best as she could. Once she finished, she sheathed her weapon back to its place, inside the plain wooden sheath hanging on the belt she wore on her waist. "Are you alright? Any injuries? I have a balm of healing you can use if you want." She approached the girl with a concerned look on her face. The elven girl couldn''t help backing away a bit, as the presence of the black-haired girl was too much for her to bear. Was it the proud way she walked, carrying around her sword like it was nothing? Was it the fact that she just fell a Furred Tarantula in a single swing? Or was it something else? Even she herself wasn''t sure. "M-my right ankle¡­ I-I think I''ve strained it¡­" "Then, let me help." The black-haired girl crouched down in front of her, taking out a small bottle from her belt pouch. Looking her up close like this, she couldn''t help but notice how big her forehead was, a fact she didn''t bother to hide, judging by how her hair parted in the middle. That, and the fact that she could see her white cotton panties from the way she carelessly opened her legs. It''s rude to stare at another girl''s undergarments though so she averted her eyes. "May I?" The elf girl nodded, moving her right leg forward. The black-haired girl undid her sandal before she began massaging the swollen ankle. "A-ah! Please be gentle." "S-sorry, I''m not that good at controlling my own strength." A hint of nervousness flashed on the black-haired girl''s face, making the elf girl feel bad she had complained. Her grip was indeed a bit too hard for her liking though. After she finished, the elf noticed that the pain on her ankle had vanished. Whatever salve she just used must be an effective one indeed. She stood up, disobeying the black-haired girl¡¯s plea for her to rest a bit more. ¡°A-apologies, but I cannot dawdle here. Theo¡­ he needs me. He¡¯s my son, you see, and he has a terrible fever right now. I went all the way out here to look for some herbs I could use for a cure, but it seems I had gone too deep into the mountains.¡± ¡°Y-your son? Y-you have a son?¡± The black-haired girl looked at her with her jaw wide open¡ªher face a mixture between one of surprise and disbelief. After all, the elf looked more like a little girl than an adult woman. How could someone like that have a son already? She covered her mouth and giggled. "Oh, it''s not like what you think. I adopted him." "A-adopted?" Now that makes more sense. But for a girl her age to already adopt a kid... w-wait, she''s an elf. I shouldn''t come to conclusions. "H-how old are you, if you don''t mind me asking?" "Huh?" She tilted her head. "I''m eighteen years old. I certainly don''t look like it, do I?" She giggled again. "Well, we elves have late growth spurts compared to most other races. I myself don''t know when I would have mine. It''s all up to the heavens." "I-I see¡­" I guess that''s just how elves work. She looked down at her own small and childlike body. I wonder if an Izurd will be like that too. I don''t want to go back to him still looking like this¡­ Secretly, she had always wished for a more mature look, similar to the one her adoptive mother and sister had. Not to mention that the boy she liked seemed to prefer that kind of a body type as well¡­ She took a shy glance at the elf¡¯s chest. They were already there, two small bumps visible through her outfit. But hers, they still remained completely flat. She sighed. Her mother said they would grow in time, but would they really ever grow as large as those bouncing monstrosities that she had? "Is something the matter?" The elf tilted her head, asking with a concerned look. "O-oh nothing, nothing at all!" She waved her hands, a blush coloring her cheeks. "Oh, that''s right!" The elf clapped her hands together with a smile. "I haven''t asked for your name yet, have I? My name is Tira. Tira Elfiel. It''s a pleasure to meet you." She offered her right hand. "R-right, my name is Sherry. Sherry Izurdia. T-the pleasure is all mine." She shook her hand in an awkward manner. She was never that good with introductions like this. Releasing her hand, the elf continued. "Then, if you''ll excuse me¡ª" "Hold on! I''ll escort you back to your son. These tarantulas¡­ There are many of them around here. It''s too dangerous for you to go back on your own." ¡°O-oh, but you can¡¯t!¡± The elf waved her hands. ¡°I don¡¯t wish to impose on your generosity any longer!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. If I¡¯m going to help you, then I¡¯m going to do it properly. I¡¯ll be your escort, don¡¯t you worry about it.¡± The black-haired girl returned with a reassuring smile. And so it was that the two traveled down the mountains together, making their way down back to the nearest village, which coincidentally, was the village Sherry had been staying in as well, and just as the sword-wielding girl had predicted, they were assaulted by more tarantulas on the way. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t lose her edge and managed to dispose of every single one of them with little to no difficulty, to the awe of Tira the elf. To Sherry, it was only par for the course, since the tarantulas were only C-rank monsters, no match for the level she was currently at. But for the elf, they were still beyond her capabilities. The demon girl would not hold it against her though. On her travels, she had met a lot of adventurers who were about her level in strength. When they arrived, they promptly made their way to the only inn around. The inn, much like the village, was old and small, a sign that the place hadn''t been developing much over the years. The houses were built out of wood and straw, including the inn, which just so happened to be the biggest building in the place, which didn''t say much. The building was just one story, with around ten rooms lent to the rare visitors to the village. The innkeeper was the daughter of the village elder, and the business was pretty much a family enterprise. However, before Sherry followed Tira into the front entrance, the demoness excused herself. ¡°You¡¯re not coming in? Theo would be happy to meet you, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°No, I have a companion, and I wish to fetch her first before I come back here.¡± ¡°Ah, right. The Myrilla woman, right?¡± The elf smiled. Sherry had mentioned her when the elf asked whether she traveled alone or not when they were making their way to the village. ¡°Of course. She would be welcome as well. Oh, do you two stay here by any chance?¡± "No, we¡­ made camp outside the town." "Why?" She gasped, covering her hand with her mouth. "Don''t tell me that you two are running out of money? D-don''t worry! I''ll lend some to you! That''s the least I can do to repay your kindness! Even though my purse is pretty empty too¡­" She trailed off with a sad look, touching her index fingers together. "N-no, it''s nothing like that! It''s just that¡­ this inn¡­ it doesn''t want to accept us as it''s guests." "Eh? What do you mean they won''t accept you?" "Myrilla and I are demons. And the owner doesn''t want any demons to stay in her establishment." Sherry''s face was decorated with a bitter smile. After traveling for so long with her companion, and guardian, she had seen with her own eyes how people would discriminate against their kind, especially Myrilla, whose nonhuman features were really pronounced. At first, she found it terribly unfair. She would become really angry, to the point of punching the culprit, but Myrilla told her to just ignore it, so they wouldn''t get in trouble with the authorities. "Their dislike is towards me, not you." So the demoness said. After all, her companion looked perfectly like a normal human girl. "That''s terrible!" Tira replied, anger drawn on her face. "How could they do that? Don''t worry! I''m going to talk to the innkeeper!" Before she could walk inside, however, Sherry grabbed her shoulder. "No, there''s no need for that." Sherry shook her head. "We''re fine just camping outside. And I don''t want you getting kicked out too. Theo needs you, remember?" She gave a reassuring smile. "...Alright then. If you say so." She sighed, followed with her own smile. "Come back soon, alright? I would love to cook you and your companion dinner." And with that, Sherry made her way back outside the village. -------- Her companion, Myrilla, was away on a different part of the mountain¡ªthe more dangerous part. The two had agreed to split up to fulfill the quests they had taken. One was to slay a certain species of monster and bring back their body part while the other is to gather rare herbs from the area. Myrilla took the first while Sherry took the second, so when Sherry found her companion, she was sitting on a corpse of a massive beast, using her telekinesis to make her knife do all the work without touching a thing. Sherry couldn''t help but stop and admire her from a distance. Once again, she displayed how strong she was. She was an S-rank adventurer, far above her who was still only B-rank. She could fight large monsters like this without breaking a sweat. The creature she was sitting on was a Berserker Gorilla, an A-rank monster. They had received a quest to take down the rampaging ape, as it was getting too close to the village for comfort. If she were to fight one, it would be a difficult fight. And yet, Myrilla could take care of them with just a few spells. And some of them were nothing like Marina or Hugo''s spells. When the young girl asked her about it, she only said that they were spells she created herself over the years she had become a mage. "...Oh, you''re here," she said with a deadpan tone, seemingly unsurprised by the sudden appearance of the young girl. " Which means you''ve gathered the herbs?" Sherry nodded. "I have someone I want to introduce to you." Myrilla raised her eyebrows. -------- When the two returned back to the village, the sun was rapidly sinking under the mountain. They made their way to the inn, though not before receiving some stares from the villagers they passed in the way. "Urgh, it''s that demon again. I thought she already left." "Look at those feelers. Is she some kind of an ant demon?" "Ha! Maybe she''s a cockroach! Look at how dark her skin is!" Some were expressing their astonishment, while others held far less kind opinions. There was one thing that they all had, however, and that was fear¡ªfear towards the demoness. Sherry could only grit her teeth in response. Myrilla told her over and over not to be offended on her behalf. But, as someone who had pride in her own demon blood, she could not stand having a comrade being badmouthed like this. If only¡­ if only more humans can be like him¡­ She remembered how the boy she loved, Hugo, made her proud of her heritage. He accepted her¡ªhugged her, even when she was bathed in the blood of the monsters she had slain in her anger. She used to despise her demon blood, and yet, he made it so she could accept who she really was. That was just one of the many reasons why she fell for him. Sure, he might be a bit too perverted at times, like when she caught him keeping his sister''s dirty panties, but it''s nothing compared to his virtues. She was even willing to indulge him in it, by giving him her own panties. There''s nothing wrong in doing that for a boy you like. That''s what her adoptive mother told her, that she should be more forward with her son if she really liked him in that way. He was the light to the night of this rabble. Oh, how terribly she missed him. And yet, she had to go on, for his sake too. She wanted to be stronger so she could be of use to him when they started their travels together. "Hey, the inn''s over here." "R-right." Blushing, she doubled back on her steps. Thinking about him had made her lose attention to her surroundings. "So, you want me to come in as well? The innkeeper won''t be pleased." "Oh, who cares about her? We''ll just go in and¡ª" "I told you before that I would rather not cause any commotion." Myrilla''s eyes narrowed. "You know if we provoke the innkeeper, she might just kick out your friend as well. And you know that son of hers is ill. He''ll need a proper bed." "Oh fine." Sherry huffed. "I''ll talk to her first. Stay here, alright?" And so, she entered the building on her own. It didn''t take long until she found the room where Tira and Theo stayed. All she needed to do was to ask the grumpy innkeeper, who responded by directing her to the room on the right, furthest to the back. As politeness demanded, she knocked on the door first before barging in. The doors here didn''t have any locks, unfortunately. "Tira? We''ve returned. Myrilla isn¡¯t coming in though since, you know.¡± ¡°A-ah, Sherry! Hold on a sec¡­¡± Almost in an instant, the door swung open, revealing the elf standing behind it with a big grin on her face. ¡°Come in! Come in! Look! Theo¡¯s all better already!¡± She didn¡¯t wait for Sherry¡¯s permission to grab her hand and pull her inside. The room was small and cramped, really only intended to be used by one person. Other than the bed, there were barely any other furniture in the room. It was truly a barebone room, yet the innkeeper was more than happy to charge a premium, since her inn was the only one in the village. Monopolies, something Sherry would not understand without Myrilla explaining it to her. Sherry¡¯s gaze immediately locked towards the boy sitting on the bed. He wore a green shirt and brown shorts, the latter sharing the same color as his hair. If she had to guess, he was a few years younger than her. ¡°You''re here!" To Sherry''s surprise, the boy jumped right out of his bed before running towards her, grabbing her hands and shaking it up and down with a vigor one would not expect from a sick child. ¡°Oh, thank you so much for saving Mother, Miss Sherry!¡± ¡°M-Miss?! Hey, I¡¯m not that old yet!¡± ¡°O-oh, r-right¡­¡± The genuine smile on his face vanished, replaced by an awkward one. "I¡­ I just thought I should call you that out of respect¡­ that¡¯s what Mother told me to do to strangers! Especially ones who have helped you!" He released her hands, scratching the back of his head with a faint blush on his cheeks. "Thanks to your help, Theo here already recovered from his fever!" Tira placed her hand on his shoulder. "It was worth it going all the way up there to get those herbs! I knew my medicine would be better than the quackery that nasty old woman made!" She huffed. "Nasty old woman?" Sherry raised her eyebrows. "Yes! The healer of this village! Can you believe she easily said that Theo''s disease was incurable and that he would die before the next morning? How stupid did she think I was to believe that?!" The elf continued her rant. The fiery way she said it, while her son stood beside her looking awfully uncomfortable, yet too afraid to say anything, it really reminded Sherry of her own adoptive mother. She too would be like that from time to time. A tiny smile decorated her lips. Guess mothers are the same everywhere, even when the mother is a young elf like her. "So!" Tira clapped her hands once she finished letting out her steam. "Let''s have that dinner I promised! Though I have to ask, where''s your companion? I don''t see her behind you." A tinge of bitterness tainted Sherry¡¯s smile. "She''s outside. She... doesn''t want to come in." ¡°What?! Why n¡ª oh, right¡­¡± The elf¡¯s enthusiasm deflated like a balloon that had been popped. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She quickly recovered however. "That''s right! You''re camping outside the village, right? Then we''ll just have our dinner there!" "But your son¡ª" "Don''t worry, Big Sister Sherry!" He patted his chest. "Like Mother said, I already recovered!" And so, Sherry had no choice but to accept Tira''s idea. -------- Once they were outside, they were greeted by the sight of a dark-skinned woman nonchalantly resting her back at the nearby tree. ¡°Ooh, look, Mother! That lady over there has those weird things on top of her head!¡± ¡°Shush, you¡¯re being rude! I¡¯ve told you before, haven¡¯t I? You can¡¯t just say something like that to a complete stranger!¡± Myrilla wasn¡¯t the first demon they saw. Before they got here, they had met a number of demon adventurers before on the road. ¡°Miss Myrilla! Miss Myrilla!¡± The boy ran towards the lady. ¡°Good afternoon!" He bowed. "My name is Theo! It''s nice to meet you!" Myrilla''s eyebrows raised themselves. Her gaze traveled to the rest of the group until it rested on Sherry. ¡°I see these are the people you mentioned.¡± Sherry nodded. ¡°Over here is Tira Elfiel, and over there is Theo Elfiel, her adopted son.¡± ¡°Adopted¡­ son?¡± The demoness looked back at the young boy, raising her eyebrows even further. Her glance then moved at the elf, producing a frown on her lips. ¡°Greetings, Miss Myrilla.¡± Tira bowed. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± ------------ The group then made their way out of the village, earning more stares from the villagers whom they happened to pass. The shared tent Sherry and Myrilla stayed at was located just around fifteen minutes of walk from where the village was, on a cliff overlooking said village. That night, they had quite the sumptuous feast. Tira offered roasted wild boar as the menu for the occasion, which Sherry readily accepted, being a big lover of meat dishes. Myrilla, on the other hand, who didn¡¯t eat meat, had to make due with a simple vegetable soup, to the elf¡¯s fervent apology. She might not be a strong warrior like the two of them, but if it¡¯s hunting a simple boar, she could do it just fine. As they sat around the campfire, Theo bombarded the two travelers with all sorts of questions, though mainly jubilant ones, like wanting to know what''s the strongest monster they had fought or what''s the most dangerous land they had ever been. It was all too clear that the boy was fascinated by adventurers in general. "So, I assume you want to be an adventurer once you''re older," Myrilla interrupted. "Yes! I want to become a great adventurer like you guys! And then, I''ll get rich and famous and marry Mother!" As if they were a pair of synchronized clocks, Myrilla exchanged questioning looks with Sherry. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be silly, dear.¡± Tira giggled as she placed a hand on her boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re going to find a girl you like and then you¡¯re going to marry her. You can¡¯t marry me, your own mother.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± He turned his puppy eyes towards her. ¡°I like you the most, Mother! I want to marry you and no one else!¡± ¡°Aww, I¡¯m so happy to hear that! Come here and get a hug from Mommy!¡± Both Myrilla and Sherry could only watch as Theo leaped into the elf¡¯s embrace, followed by the latter squeezing his cheeks and patting his head. The former sighed, before standing up and excusing herself for some fresh air. Sherry, however, remained there. ...It sure is nice having a mother¡­ Once again, her thoughts returned to home, how Renee would hug her so tightly she scarcely managed to breathe. To her shame, she tried doing the same with Myrilla in her sleep, hugging her while muttering ¡°Mommy¡± into her bosom. Even though Myrilla herself said she didn''t mind, Sherry hated herself for it. Why must she act like she was still a five year old girl who can''t do anything without her mother? Sherry smiled bitterly. If it were Hugo, he wouldn''t act like this. Even though he''s younger than me, he acts much more mature than a kid his age. Oh Hugo, am I ever going to be good enough for you? Vol 3.5 Chapter 7: Sherry’s Tale — Homecoming "So, where are the two of you traveling to?" Tira smiled, still letting her son sit on her lap. By this point, he had fallen asleep, using his lovely mother as his pillow. ¡°We¡¯re heading to the Demon Continent. To be more accurate, we''re going to Tierza. I have a letter of recommendation for a job there. It supposedly pays quite well so I can finally provide Theo the life he deserves." "You''re not an adventurer?" Sherry tilted her head. "Well, I am for now,¡± The elf smiled bitterly. ¡°Just so I can earn enough money for our travels. But I don''t want to stay as one. I''m not as strong as you or Miss Myrilla. I can''t even stand the sight of blood." A forlorn look swept over her face. "So that''s why I''m willing to take the job, even if it meant going to a different continent entirely.¡± ¡°What kind of job is it anyway?¡± ¡°Oh, just being a maid in a wealthy merchant¡¯s estate, nothing special.¡± The elf beamed bashfully. ¡°I met one of his colleagues on our way here and he told me his friend was always looking for an earnest worker at his estate. He even gave me a letter of recommendation! Isn¡¯t it wonderful?!¡± She clasped her hands together. ¡°I¡­ guess so.¡± Somehow, Sherry couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there was something suspicious going on with the whole arrangement. ¡°So, I presume the two of you won¡¯t be staying for the night?¡± Their conversation was then interrupted by the sudden return of Myrilla, who seemed to be finished with her ¡°taking some fresh air¡± walk. ¡°I suggest returning promptly then. I believe they¡¯re going to close the gates to the village soon.¡± ¡°A-ah, you¡¯re right. Come, Theo, we have to go back now.¡± She shook her sleeping boy, who promptly responded by sitting up and groggily releasing a loud yawn. ¡°Thank you once again for saving me, Miss Sherry.¡± She bowed. She then took her son''s hand before walking away. "W-wait!" Sherry yelled. The elf turned. "Is something the matter?" "You should come with us! We''re going to the Demon Continent too!" Myrilla sent a questioning look at her companion. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine!¡± Sherry smiled. ¡°The more the merrier, right? And she can cook for us! You know for a fact that her cooking beats mine and yours!¡± The demoness scowled. She did not appreciate her cooking being badmouthed like that. Sure, she couldn¡¯t cook meat even if her life depended on it, but there was no need for her to say it so blatantly like that. She turned to face the elf. ¡°Would you be fine traveling with us? With me, especially? You know how much my features draw unkind attention.¡± Her feelers lit up, and before the elf could answer, she already replied, ¡°I see. So you really are fine with it. Then it¡¯s fine with me as well.¡± The elf sent a confused look at Sherry. ¡°Oh, she can read minds, that¡¯s all.¡± She grinned. ¡°See how those two antennas on the top of her head light up? That happens whenever she uses her psychic ability. As a Nerthusian, she can do stuff like that. Feel free to tell her to stop if you don¡¯t want your minds to be read though. She can be quite uncaring to people¡¯s privacy at times.¡± Having traveled for quite some time with the demoness, Sherry had grown comfortable with her companion¡¯s uncanny demonic quirk. ¡°I-I see. Then, of course we would! It would be an honor to travel with great adventurers like the two of you!¡± She bowed once more, this time as deeply as she could. Her son showed zero interest in the conversation though, likely being far too drowsy to care. Myrilla moved closer to Sherry and whispered, "You know they would slow us down, right? And I thought you wanted to go to your homeland as quickly as you could." "It''s fine." Sherry reassured as she gazed at the mother-son pair walking towards the village. "Looking at them, it just feels wrong to abandon them. If I weren''t up there on the mountain, Tira would''ve died, and Theo would have no one else to take care of it. He would be an orphan, just like me." "Ah, I see. Camaraderie." "Not to mention that, if he was here, he would do the same." As her lips blossomed into the beautiful smile of a young girl. "Hmph, you really like that kid, do you?" "I do." Crimson now spread through her cheeks. "He''s a¡­ he''s like a prince from the story books." A disgusted look flashed through the demoness¡¯ face. ¡°Remember this. Not all stories end in a fairy tale. Especially when the princess is a demon.¡± Sherry didn¡¯t say anything back as Myrilla returned to their tent. To her, Hugo could do nothing wrong. He will grant her the happy ending, she¡¯s sure of that. She just has to be the princess who¡¯s worthy of his affection. -------- ¡°Uwaaah, it¡¯s the sea! It¡¯s the sea! Look, Mother, the sea!¡± Funded by the coin purse of Myrillia, ever diminishing due to extra fees for her appearance, they arrived after weeks of traveling by carriage at Vermouth, the port town at the northeastern end of the Holy Continent. It was the one and only port town that could take you to the Demon Continent, as any other route is forbidden by the sea race who ruled over the oceans. As you would expect, it was a vibrant and beautiful town, filled with adventurers ,sailors, fishermens, merchants and numerous other occupations. And not only that, one could also find pretty much any race in the world represented by the populace, from elves, dwarves, and gnomes to those of the demonic kind like lamias, centaurs and ogres. Most of them, however, weren¡¯t natives of the region. They were simple travelers, passing through to and from the port town. Exiting the coach house, they made their way to one of the many adventurer-oriented inns in the city. It was only after putting their luggage down in the inn that they began sightseeing around the city, with the exception of Myrilla, who would rather take a nap instead. "I assume I can trust you to not do something foolish in my absence, right?" Myrilla spoke to Sherry. "Don''t worry!" Sherry grinned. "I''ll be a good girl, I promise!" "No punching strangers just because you don''t like them?" "No punching, got it!" "No walking down shady alleyways?" "No walking down alleyways!" "No talking to strangers?" "Geez, I''m already eleven, you know! You can''t treat me like a kid anymore!¡± On their travels, the girl already had her birthday. Myrilla sighed. ¡°Alright then. But if anything happens, you come back here at once.¡± The demoness knew her companion was right. Even though she was her charge, that didn¡¯t mean it was good for her growth to always be with her all the time. She was growing up, and she needed to learn how to be independent. Better to start the learning process now instead of later. And thus, Sherry was given the pass to explore the city to her heart¡¯s wishes. ------------ Sherry did her exploration on her own, letting Tira and Theo go their own way. The latter two were heading to the markets, situated closely by the port, while Sherry preferred to go straight to the port itself. Using her naturally strong legs, she jumped from rooftop to rooftop, until she found the perfect vantage point from where she could see the entire coastline. The port itself was located on the lowest point of the city, so if she were to reach a place high enough, there would be nothing that could obstruct her sight. The sea was bright blue, almost the same color as the sky. Large ships, far larger than the ones she had seen before when she crossed the ocean to the Holy Continent, were moored in a neatly ordered row. She could see birds going to and fro around the masts of the ship. Seagulls, if she remembered correctly. Down below, inside the port itself, there were numerous people wandering around back and forth, almost like scurrying ants. A particular activity took her notice; barely-dressed, well-muscled men and women would lift up heavy boxes from land to the ship or vice versa. Porters, if she was not mistaken. One of them seemed to have made a mistake. She had dropped the cargo, and now she was being yelled at by her superior. Something else about her caught her eye, however, as her skin was bright red and she had a singular horn jutting out from the middle of her forehead. A demon, an ogre to be precise. Myrilla had bought her a book about demonic races for her to study. Along with a language book on demonic tongue, which would be the main language used by the demons on the continent they were going, the two were forced onto her by Myrilla. She never liked studying, but she did her best anyway. She wouldn¡¯t want to be lazy. If it was Hugo, he would surely absorb those two books like a sponge in an instant. That¡¯s right! Maybe I should try conversing in Demon Tongue! Just to see if I¡¯m already good enough at it! All this time, she had only been using it with Myrilla, but now, she had an urge to test it against a complete stranger. If she were to go to the markets, there should be one or two demon merchants there that she could speak with! She might even get a discount from it! With a confident grin, she leaped off the rooftop she was on, making her way there as quickly as she could. ---------- As one would expect, the market was bustling with activity. The streets were crowded from top to bottom, with merchants shouting over each other, trying to attract customers to their wares. Sherry had to weave in and out the crowds in order to even move around. Thanks to her small size, some didn''t even notice her until it was already too late. Thankfully, she could easily dodge any clumsy adult who would''ve crashed on her nonetheless, thanks to her speed and positional awareness that far surpassed the average folk. There! In the distance, she saw her target¡ªa lamia¡ªselling what seemed to be all sorts of gems and jewelry. She didn''t waste any time to make way to her stall. "G-good afternoon!" She greeted. In Demon Tongue, of course. "What''s this? A human child understanding our tongue? Call me impressed," the lamia replied with the same tongue, all with a curious look. "Do you understand what I''m saying, girl?" "Y-yeah!" Sherry beamed. "I-I''m still not that good at it though so I can''t speak any of the difficult stuff. A-also, I''m a demon, just like you." "You? A demon?" The lamia raised her eyebrows. "I don''t see any tails or horns or wings. Or are you one of those shapeshifters?" "No! I''m a¡ª" Do not speak of your Izurdian heritage to other demons, especially when they hail from the Demon Continent. She stopped herself. She nearly just broke her promise to Myrilla. "What''s the matter? Cat got your tongue? Well, it doesn''t matter either way. I don''t care whether you''re a human or a demon or even a goblin. As long as you buy my wares, that is," she lightly smirked. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The lamia then explained¡ªin Human Tongue, since Sherry''s vocabulary didn''t reach that far yet¡ªall about the gems she was selling. Apparently they were magical gems, each imbued with special properties. For example, the ruby gems held the power of fire, thus you could use it to spark flames. There were also enchanted pendants and amulets, giving blessings like enchanting your strength, improving your accuracy, or even just increasing your luck in general. Too bad Sherry''s coin purse was nowhere near heavy enough to afford any of them. "Really? So you''re just a window shopper?" The lamia''s eyes narrowed. "S-sorry! I-I just wanted to test my Demon Tongue, that''s all¡­" "Oh great." She rolled her eyes. "Leave then. Shoo. I don''t need any unpaying customers." Sherry did as the lamia told, feeling bad that she might have disturbed the woman''s business. Deciding that she had enough of the city for now, she headed back to the inn. ----------- The pair stayed in the port city for a while, as they needed to either obtain enough coins to buy tickets to board a passenger ship to the Demon Continent, or to obtain a quest acting as bodyguards for a voyage there. Even though the route was technically safe, away from the monster-infested regions that the rest of the ocean belonged to, sometimes, strays would still come and threaten ships from time to time, necessitating the employment of adventurers as guards. The two managed to obtain the latter. They were lucky enough that A-rank and S-rank adventurers were in short supply, so Sherry managed to get a spot, even though she was just a B-rank. As for Tira and Theo, the only recourse they had was to do the former, and so, to Sherry¡¯s remorse, she and Myrilla would have to leave them behind. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Tira smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll manage on our own. Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done. And I hope that one day, we¡¯ll meet again.¡± ¡°And when we do, I¡¯ll be a proper adventurer!¡± Theo¡¯s eyes glimmered. ¡°I¡¯ll be just as strong as you are!¡± Sherry didn¡¯t say anything other than giving him a smile. After all, she couldn¡¯t just tell him that his promise could never happen, since she would be a much stronger adventurer too when they meet again. ------------- Once the pair crossed the ocean, taking care of a kraken midway through¡ªwhere Sherry nearly drowned after being pulled down by one of its tentacles, if not for Myrilla¡¯s telekinesis¡ªthey arrived at Ul''nemo, the port town on the northwesternmost point of the Demon Continent. Its full name was The Free City of Ul''nemo. Like the name suggested, it was a city-state, run by a group of wealthy merchant families who had built the city from the ground up since hundreds of years ago. For simplicity, people just started to call them the Syndicate. The port city itself was larger than Vermouth, though not much. Tall stone walls surrounded the sides of the city not connected to the ocean, a necessity on the monster-infested Demon Continent. And, just like its neighbor across the ocean, you could find all sorts of races in its streets, especially demonic one. But, unlike Vermouth, a sizable chunk of those demons were actually citizens. The Free City welcomed any demons to stay within its walls, as long as they could bring profit to the town. "Here we are. Home." The moment Sherry took her first step on the continent, something clicked inside her mind, as a warm and pleasant feeling filled her chest. It was the feeling of homecoming. "Can you feel it? The Demon Mana permeating in the air? On the very ground you stand on? If you''re a demon, you should feel welcomed. As opposed to a non demon, who would feel a sense of unbelonging instead." "I-I feel it. So this is¡ªthis is the Demon Continent, the place where my father and mother came from." "We don''t know that. For all we know, only one of your parents was an Izurd." If a non-demon was to procreate with a demon, then their offspring should be a demon. It was another reason why demons received prejudice from non-demons. If demons were allowed to procreate with non-demons, they would eventually outnumber the latter, until eventually, everyone was a demon. Genocide through procreation. "Your village is located in the far southeastern part of the continent.¡± Myrilla changed the topic. ¡°From here, give or take, it would take us about a year of travel.¡± ¡°A-a year?¡± Sherry¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The Demon Continent is bigger than the Holy Continent. Not to mention it¡¯s more perilous as well. A year isn¡¯t that strange, if you take all those factors into account.¡± Seeing the unhappy expression on Sherry¡¯s face, the demoness put her hand on her shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s why you have to work hard once you arrive at your village, if you want to meet your dear Hugo again as quickly as you could. Though if you were to ask for my recommendation, I suggest you forget about him entirely, and live there instead, with your true family.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to betray my promise to him!¡± Sherry barked, throwing Myrilla¡¯s hand away, causing her to flinch. ¡°After I become strong and know the truth about Father and Mother, I¡¯ll go back to him! Then we¡¯ll have our adventures together! And there¡¯s nothing you can do to stop it!¡± Myrilla could only reply with her usual sigh. ----------- A year has passed since then. After many months of grueling travels through the continent, they finally made it to their destination. Sherry had grown older for another year, making her twelve. Her adventurer rank had increased as well, resting at a comfortable A. As for her swordsmanship, she had improved in that department as well, just by natural experience. She could now comfortably beat A-rank monsters on her own, at least, if she fought them one by one. ¡°Here we are. The Valley of Eternal Summer.¡± They were now on a tall cliff, overlooking a forest down below, who was drowned in white. It was akin to watching the clouds themselves, as not even a single foliage could escape the obviously unnatural fog covering the place. ¡°Eternal Summer?¡± Sherry raised her eyebrows. ¡°I don¡¯t see any summer down there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called that way because its ruler, the Archfey, holds the Ministry of Summer in the Fey Court. I¡¯ve told you before, haven¡¯t I, how your people made a bargain with the Fey so they would be protected from the outside world? That is the Fey they made a pact with.¡± Sherry nodded. She still remembered her words clearly. ¡°So, all of this is Fey territory?¡± ¡°Indeed. And we are about to enter it. You should already know how dangerous it would be, so stay with me and never, ever let go of my hand, no matter what you see or hear.¡± ¡°Now come. We go down the valley from there. Leave our Scarabs here. They can go back to their masters on their own.¡± The two were sitting on one of the more common methods of transportation in the Demon Continent¡ªgiant, cockroach-like bugs who were capable of traversing any kinds of terrains no matter how rocky or rough it might be. They were even able to jump and fly short distances by using their wings. Compared to horses, they were pretty much superior in every way. They dismounted from their Scarabs, which Sherry had grown accustomed to riding on her own, before sending them off, back to where they had rented them from. They then made their way down the cliff, entering the foggy forest and into the Feyland. The moment they stepped in, immediately Sherry could feel the change in atmosphere, as if she just stepped into a different world completely. ¡°Stay with me.¡± Myrilla whispered. ¡°Do not let go of my hand. Pay no heed to the voices.¡± ¡°Voices?¡± The demoness didn¡¯t answer. --------- Half an hour later, at least according to Sherry¡¯s estimate, they were still walking inside the foggy forest with no end in sight. Everything was white and they could barely see ten steps ahead from where they were. She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it ended up that they were walking in circles all this time. Everything looked the same. And the voices, Sherry finally started to hear them¡ªgiggles from seemingly just beyond her sight, coming from all directions. They were female in nature, almost like the giggles of young girls around her age. ¡°M-Myrilla, those voices¡­ they¡¯re fairies, are they not?¡± ¡°Yes. Pay them no heed. They will not harm us as long as we remain on the path." Unlike her companion, the demoness kept her composure completely. And then, all of a sudden, the fog cleared, revealing a scenery that was far detached from how a forest was supposed to look. "W-what?! W-where did the trees go?" They were now standing on top of a rolling hill, with green meadows as far as the eyes could see. Trees? There were only a handful. And their leaves were an unnatural bright pink. And then, they heard it¡ªa female voice much louder than the others. "What''s this? Mortals entering my domain?" "We came here as a friend." Myrilla spoke. "And I give you this offering, so you may let us pass in peace." She took out what looked out like a rose from her bag, only it was made out of crystal. It was aptly named Crystal Rose, a rare species of plant one could only find on the Demon Continent. ¡°Ooh, how lovely!¡± A warm breeze blew out of thin air, followed by a figure manifesting right in front of their very eyes. To describe her with words would do her injustice. If a poet were to write a ballad about the incarnation of summer, then she would be their very inspiration. Crimson hair as warm as the midday sun perfectly accompanied her sun-kissed light brown skin. A blue dress adorned with flowers and leaves that showed just enough skin to make things interesting, along with a crown sitting neatly on top of her head. Size-wise, she was bigger than the two, though not by much. It was enough, however, to make her feel intimidating for them. Another breeze blew, making the Crystal Rose fly off Myrilla''s hand right into hers. "I am also a friend of Quella The Heartbroken, and I came here to soothe her heartache." Sherry sent a confused look at her companion. What is she talking about? "Hmm¡­ ah!" The archfey clapped her hands. "You''re that Myrilla girl, aren''t you? It''s been a while! Was it yesterday or tomorrow that I last met you? How is it? Have you filled the emptiness in your heart yet?¡± The demoness chose not to answer. ¡°No? Ah, what a shame. What a shame indeed.¡± She giggled. ¡°But how about you, little blossom? Ooh, this one¡¯s heart actually beats with life!¡± Sherry took a step backwards. ¡°W-what are you talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly! I¡¯m, of course, talking about what you mortals call your ¡®significant other¡¯! You have one, don¡¯t you! Tell me all about him!¡± The fairy was now hovering horizontally right in front of Sherry¡ªher jovial face looking right at the little demoness, making Sherry take a couple more backwards steps, just so she could have some distance from her. ¡°Your Majesty, if you would, we would very much like to be on our way.¡± Myrilla sent a glare towards Sherry. Don¡¯t tell her. The fey turned her attention back towards Myrilla. ¡°Aaw, you¡¯re no fun! Fine! I¡¯ll send you two on your way!¡± She snapped her finger, causing a burst of wind to explode between the two, making Sherry close her eyes out of reflex. When she opened them, her surroundings had changed yet again. She was now on top of a large green hill. And, down below, after the numerous farmlands, she could see what looked to be a village. ¡°I-is this?¡± She looked towards her companion. ¡°Yes, this is it. This is your village. The last village of the Izurd.¡± Sherry¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She could scarcely believe it. At last, after nearly two years of travel, she finally made it. Home. Vol 3.5 Chapter 8: Sherry’s Tale — Reunion The pair descended the hill, with Sherry looking around like a deer in the headlights. She didn''t know how to describe what she was feeling. Happiness? Anxious? Scared? All those emotions and more were running wild inside her. On their way down, she could see some people working in the fields. No, not some people, her people. They all had black hair, and not only that, they used their hair to tilt the soil, manipulating it to form the necessary tools. And every single one was a woman. Just like Myrilla had told her, the Izurd were a matriarchal race. Female Izurdians were the only ones capable of manipulating their hair, making them stronger than their male counterparts. Male Izurdians still possessed the superhuman strength, but they would usually be the one taking care of the household. When they noticed the pair, they immediately dropped their respective tasks and ran towards the new arrivals. "Look! It''s Myrilla!" "And who''s that with her?" As a crowd formed around them, Sherry hid herself behind the Nerthusian. Being the center of attention of such a large crowd was something completely overwhelming for her. Only for Myrilla to nudge her forward, giving her a look that said "Come on, Introduce yourself." "R-right¡­" With her hands timidly placed on the front of her dress, she walked forward, allowing the villagers to get a good look on her. "H-hello everyone. My name is Sherry. And just like you all, I am an Izurdian." She bowed. Loud whispers broke out in the crowd. "An Izurdian? But that can''t be!" "No, remember Mystel? She might be her daughter." "If she''s Mystel''s kid, then where is she?!" "Excuse us. We have to meet with the elder at once." With those words, Myrilla made her way through the crowd, all the while grabbing Sherry''s hand, forcing her to follow. "Mystel?" Sherry''s eyes widened. "Is that¡­ is that my mother''s¡ª" "Not now. We make our way to the elder first." Sherry reluctantly agreed, and the pair resumed their walk, down into the village proper. Now that she could see it closer, she noticed how it looked just like any of the other villages she had stumbled upon in her travels. Same wooden construction, same straw roofs with the exact same design as well. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a tad bit disappointed, as she had imagined something more mystical. Then again, even the less humanlike races that she had met throughout her sojourn on the Demon Continent all had humanlike house, so this was only to be expected. There was, however, one peculiar building that took her interest. On top of the winding cliff to the north of the village, there was what looked like a shrine of sorts, separated from the rest. And it just so happened it was the place Myrilla was taking her to. After getting more Izurdians to spy on them from their windows and doors, the two finally made it to the top of the cliff. There, a figure stood in front of them, draped in black and golden robe that exposed a generous amount of her bust and shoulders. Like the other female Izurdians, she had long raven hair that reached down her waist. Her eyes were gold and she had a mischievous smile on her face. ¡°Myrilla, welcome. It¡¯s been quite a while since your last visit, is it not? Got any trinkets and jewels you would like to sell us?¡± ¡°Not now, Fran. I¡¯m here on another business entirely.¡± ¡°Ah, I can see that.¡± Her eyes wandered towards Sherry, making the girl hide herself behind the demoness once more. ¡°I assume she¡¯s one of us?¡± ¡°Indeed. And so, I would like to meet Quania.¡± ¡°Hmph, Mystel¡¯s daughter, I presume.¡± She folded her hands, emphasizing her already bountiful chest even further. ¡°She¡¯s the only one who left the village after all.¡± ¡°M-Mystel? Is that¡­ is that the name of my mother?¡± The two fell silent as Sherry finally obtained the courage she needed to speak up on her own. A smirk grew on Fran¡¯s face, before she replied with a question of her own. ¡°How old are you, kid?¡± ¡°E-eh? Twelve.¡± ¡°Then you might just be old enough to be her daughter. Mystel¡ªthat foolish girl, she left us twenty years ago to be an adventurer, never to return. Only once did she send a message to us, telling me and Quania how she had met a good man to be her husband. That was twelve years ago. Just in time for you to be born." Sherry froze. She didn''t know what she should say to this revelation. "That''s enough. If we''re going to talk, we shouldn''t do it standing like this." Myrilla''s interruption put a premature end to their conversation. "You''re right." Fran smiled. "Quania would want to meet her, I''m sure of it, even if she doesn''t want to admit it. Come, I''ll take you to her." The big-chested lady turned and began to walk towards the shrine. Myrilla was the first to follow, as Sherry was still overwhelmed by what she just said to her. My mother¡­ Mystel¡­ she really came from here¡­ ------- The inside of the shrine was dark. There were no windows to let the sunlight in, nor were there any candles. If one didn''t know better, they would think this place was desolated. However, the state of the place itself was clean, with no sign of disrepair. "Sorry about this." Fran spoke. "Quania prefers the dark." Prefers the dark? Like a bat? Sherry thought with curiosity. The group didn''t get much further than the first room as Fran opted to stay, gesturing to Myrilla and Sherry to do the same. "Quania!" Fran yelled. "We got visitors!" ¡­ ¡­ "Visitors?" A stern and cold voice came out from the darkness. The group then heard gentle footsteps coming from the darkness beyond, until it stopped, revealing a woman, not that much older-looking than Fran, standing in front of them. Since it was dark, Sherry could barely make out her features, other than her long, black hair reaching down to her waist and the red eyes that peered upon her, seemingly shining through the dimly lit room. "Myrilla. And¡­ who is that?" "It''s Sherry, Mystel''s daughter." Fran explained. "Myrilla had brought her from the outside." "... Mystel''s... daughter?" What happened next took them all by surprise. A surge of pitch-black hair came from the darkness, wrapping themselves around Sherry¡¯s arms and legs. The demon girl let out a frightened yelp as she instinctively tried to free herself, only to find that even her superhuman strength could not fight the tensile strength of the hair gripping her. ¡°W-what? What are you¡ª¡± ¡°Let me take a closer look at you, child.¡± A blur of dark dashed her way outside the building, passing through Myrilla and Fran who seemed unperturbed by the surprising turn of events. Now that she was under the sunlight, Quania lifted Sherry upwards, keeping her still as her ruby eyes gazed upon her. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°...Indeed. I see the resemblance. But those eyes¡­ they are not hers.¡± She let the young girl go, relaxing the tension on her unnaturally lengthy hair, dropping her down to the ground. ¡°So, what does the daughter of Mystel want with me?¡± Sherry had never seen a stare as cold as hers. ---------- The four of them sat down on the shrine¡¯s terrace, though that soon became three with Fran excusing herself to ¡°make some tea¡±, never returning to the discussion afterwards. Myrilla took the lead on explaining everything, from how Sherry was given to an orphanage as a baby, to how she went all the way here to meet with her kin. However, Sherry managed to gather her courage and interrupted her, saying that she wished to know everything about her mother and the reason why she abandoned her in the first place. "Then what I feared has come to pass. Your mother¡­ she is dead." "...Dead?" Sherry''s blood froze. "W-what do you¡ª" "She is dead. No Izurdian will ever abandon their child. The fact that she left you at the steps of a human orphanage, means that she knew she would die soon." Sherry''s body was now shaking profusely from top to bottom. Her eyes had grown so large it felt they were going to pop out from their sockets anytime soon. "N-no, but she can''t¡ª" "Her husband¡ªyour father¡ªthat filthy human¡ªhe betrayed her to be with another woman. That made your mother take her own life out of grief." "SHUT UP! THAT CAN''T¡ªTHAT CAN''T BE TRUE! MOTHER IS¡­ MOTHER IS..." Tears now drenched Sherry''s cheeks. She now stood up with clenched fists, sending a glare towards Quania, who responded by a dispassionate, soulless look. "That''s not very nice of you, Quania." Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Fran, who finally arrived with her tray of teacups. However, instead of serving them to her guests, she instead leaned on the doorway with folded arms, sending her own glare towards her friend "That''s just the vision that fairy told you. It''s not necessarily the truth. Just because your human husband betrayed you doesn''t mean all humans are like that." Hearing her words, Quania stood up and shot her a venomous look of her own. "This talk is over. Fran, make sure Sherry here gets the reception she deserves." "How cold. You have nothing to say to your own granddaughter?" "G-granddaughter?" Sherry''s tears stopped, her anger replaced by confusion. "You''re my grandmother?" "She is indeed." Fran was the one to answer. "This broken woman you see in front of you is indeed your mother''s mother. Mystel''s mother. If you were expecting someone better, well, sorry to say but her glory days are long behind her.¡± "Hold your tongue!" Quania hissed. "That''s true, isn''t it?" Fran fired back without skipping a beat. "Even after 500 years, you still can''t move on from that slaughter. You still make us cower here like rats instead of reclaiming the land stolen from us by those treacherous succubi and incubi." "SILENCE! YOU KNOW NOTHING, YOU FOOLISH CHILD! YOU WEREN¡¯T THERE WHEN THEY DECIMATED AND HUMILIATED US! THERE IS NOTHING¡ªNOTHING US IZURDIANS CAN DO TO WIN AGAINST THEM! THEY¡¯RE OUR NATURAL ENEMY¡ªOUR PREDATORS!¡± Quania panted. It had been a long time since she last shouted like this. ¡°If I may,¡± Myrilla, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly interjected. ¡°We can talk about this later. But for now, both me and her are tired from our journey. We would like to rest in our lodgings first.¡± She then sent a glare towards Sherry, pretty much telling her to retreat for the day and try again tomorrow. ¡°...You¡¯re right,¡± Fran sighed. ¡°We¡¯ve gotten too heated here. Let¡¯s give old Quania here some time on her own to cool down.¡± She then smiled towards Sherry and Myrilla. ¡°For now, you two can stay in my house.¡± She then walked past the still furious Quania, ignoring her entirely, as she gestured for the two of them to follow her. Sherry¡¯s eyes wandered towards Quania, and the two exchanged a short glance before Sherry faltered, unable to bear the anger she sensed hidden beneath those crimson eyes. She¡¯s my grandmother? Truly? My true family? ---------- Fran¡¯s abode was much more of a normal place compared to Quania¡¯s shrine. It had windows and was well-lit for starters, and it looked less like a shrine and more like a normal, two-story house. "Here we are.¡± Fran proclaimed with a smile when they arrived. ¡°It¡¯s not much but we do have an extra room the two of you could use. It¡¯s the same room you used before when you last came to us five years ago.¡± She looked at Myrilla. ¡°I do have a son though. But don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t bother you or anything. He¡¯s a good kid.¡± She now looked at Sherry. The woman opened the door without taking out her key, or rather, the door didn¡¯t seem to be locked at all. Entering the house, they were greeted with a sight of a humble and hearty home, not that much different from the house of your ordinary human villager. ¡°Your room would be the one at the second floor, at the end of the corridor. My son¡¯s room would be the one closer to the stairs and mine would be at the bottom. As for bathrooms, we have a communal outhouse you can use at the four corners of the village. Be warned though. The Fey don¡¯t take it kindly if you do your business anywhere else. Dirtying the soil, they say. And if you want to wash up, there¡¯s a river outside the village that you can use. You¡¯re not the type that¡¯s averse to communal bathing, right?¡± She smirked. ¡°N-no!¡± Sherry lied. In her long journey with Myrilla, she never really got completely used to bathing together with her, let alone bathing with total strangers. ¡°Good.¡± Her smirk remained. ¡°We¡¯re all a family here, are we not? So you should treat us like one.¡± Sherry¡¯s mind remembered a similar word coming from her adoptive mother. She loved to hug her whenever they bathed together and every time Sherry¡¯s face would turn beet red, especially since her well-endowed chest would bounce and press into her little body every time. Looking at the woman, and her own well-endowed chest, it only made the memory that much more vivid. "Myrilla, did you bring the usual with you?" Fran asked as she led them up the small stair. "I do." "The usual? What are you two talking about?" Sherry asked. "She didn''t tell you?" Fran smiled. "Myrilla is quite the merchant, you know. She brings trinkets from the outside world in exchange for our hair, which she then sells for a hefty price. You¡­ do know about the properties of our hair, right?" "Y-yeah. Supposedly it can be stronger than mythril, if the person possessing it is strong enough. I never knew about her selling it though¡­" "I don''t believe you should know, that''s all." Myrilla interrupted. "I''ve already sold all the hair I had before I fetched you so you had no chance to see me doing so. And, before you ask, your hair is nowhere near strong enough to be used by any smith. You don''t even know how to control it yet." "What?!" Fran turned rapidly, making her breasts jiggle (a sight that Sherry failed not to notice). ¡°You¡¯re an Izurd but you don¡¯t know how to manipulate your hair? Even a three-year old toddler could! It¡¯s like moving your own hands! You don¡¯t think about it, you just do it!¡± Sherry looked down in shame. "I-I don''t know. Until a few years back, I thought I was a human. Only my unnatural strength gave it away that I wasn¡¯t nor¡ªwhat I thought I was.¡± No, I am normal. I am an Izurd. And that¡¯s how it should be. But then, if I couldn¡¯t control my hair like the other Izurd¡­ What makes me then? ¡°Oh dear child, don¡¯t you dare give me that look!¡± Before she could do anything, Sherry¡¯s face already rested inside Fran¡¯s cleavage. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll teach you how to do it! You just don¡¯t know it because you¡¯ve been living with humans for so long!¡± And yet, it was not unpleasant. ---------- Myrilla didn¡¯t remain long in the village. After she finished selling off the dimensionally stored goods she had brought from the outside world , she left the village, telling Sherry that she would try to return every year to check on her progress, though she made no promises. Sherry reluctantly accepted. After traveling for so long with her, she knew she would miss her once she left. She was always there to watch over her, just like she had promised to her human family back home. Sherry also learnt that Fran was actually her aunt, as she was her mother¡¯s older sister. She refused to call Quania by the title ¡°Mother¡±, however, as she hated what she has become over the years. As for her son, his name was Emel, possessing black hair that went down to his shoulders, as well as the red eyes that his mother and grandaunt had. He was the quiet type. He didn¡¯t even comment anything on Sherry becoming a permanent guest of his household. Sherry awkwardly tried to make a conversation with him only to be greeted with a cold shoulder. He wasn¡¯t necessarily rude or anything. He was just¡­ disinterested. Every night, after dinner, he would return to his room, never to come out again until the next morning, where he would depart even before the sun rose. Fran told her that it was for his training. Even though the male was the weaker gender in the Izurd society, that didn¡¯t mean an Izurd woman would like their mate to be weak. In fact, there¡¯s a custom where if a male Izurd could beat a female Izurd in combat, then that male had the right to marry the female. Of course, throughout history, this rarely happened, as the ability to manipulate their hair granted female Izurdians a great advantage compared to their male counterparts. Her husband, named Graha, was almost a mirror of Emel. He too looked somewhat effeminate. Not having any muscles didn¡¯t help matters at all, a curse shared by all male Izurdians. He was what you would call a house husband since his wife was busy being the acting tribe chief because of the absence of proper guidance by Quania. He was a pleasant man though, always seen with a smile, unlike his grumpier son. Sherry had no problem with him whatsoever. Fran also told Sherry everything that happened in the past, how the once proud Izurdian race now regressed to the state it was in now. It didn¡¯t take long until they had the conversation, as it happened on the very first night Sherry stayed, after they had their dinner. Fran decided she wanted the conversation to be just between the two of them, thus she sent Graha and Emel to their rooms. ¡°Once, we were the uncontested rulers of the Demon Continent. No other races would dare to stand in our way. Everyone knew not to pick a fight with an Izurd, or else they would tear you limb to limb with their rage-fueled strength." Fran began her story with a nostalgic smile. "We were a wandering tribe, moving into another demon''s territory at will, as there was nothing they could do to stop us." She sighed. "But, eventually, we grew scorned enough for the other races to cooperate, forgoing their selfishness for a singular goal¡ªto destroy us.¡± ¡°The succubi and incubi?¡± Sherry asked. ¡°Yes, but not just them,¡± Fran answered. ¡°Other races were there too, like the ogres, centaurs, and orcs. Even the aloof Dragon Tribe decided to join in. However, the succubi and incubi¡ªor rather, their Demon Lords¡ªwere the mastermind of the whole operation. It wasn''t common information back then that our strength would be weakened if we were embarrassed or humiliated in combat, and naturally, their races, who were experts on such matters, would be the first to discover our weakness.¡± Sherry had a thoughtful look on her face. She already knew this weakness of her kind. It was why she could never escape Renee¡¯s grasp whenever she hugged her as she was too embarrassed to keep her strength. ¡°And so, our downfall began. They employed measures to sexually stimulate us on the battlefield, stripping us off our power so the other races could sweep in and kill us. Only a very few were able to resist their machinery, one being Quania, your grandmother. She would be so enraged in combat that no foul magic the two races used were effective against her. She nearly killed their Demon Lords in combat too. If only she had finished them that day¡­¡± Fran held a wistful look. ¡°And so, they plotted something different. If they couldn¡¯t get to her, then they would get to her husband.¡± ¡°...They seduced him, didn¡¯t they?¡± Sherry gulped. ¡°Oh yes, they did.¡± Fran smiled bitterly. ¡°The Succubi Queen herself came to him. And she was nothing like her underling. If it were just lust, I believe my father would still be able to resist, even if it meant chopping his own privates off. However, what she possessed was something far more terrifying.¡± Fran suddenly sat up from the bed, walking a few steps away from Sherry, looking not at her, but at the mirror hung beside the nearby wardrobe. ¡°No one knows the details, of course, as I imagine it¡¯s a well-kept secret of hers. But from the rumors I¡¯ve gathered throughout the years, and from herself, I can safely assume that Eros Philia, the self-proclaimed Demon Lord of Love, possesses an ability that can make people fall in love with her.¡± ¡°Fall in love? You mean like a love potion?¡± Fran turned to face her. ¡°No, much worse. Love potions can only induce lust despite the name. However, her dark magic allows her to make someone truly love her from the bottom of their heart. That¡¯s why when your grandfather was discovered to be fornicating with her in his tent by your grandmother, instead of apologizing, he instead asks her to allow the succubus to be his second wife. Naturally, she didn¡¯t take that well in the slightest.¡± ¡°A-and then?¡± ¡°They had a fight, of course. In her rage, your grandmother would¡¯ve killed him if not for the succubus queen¡¯s protection. However, in the end, she lost the fight, as her dearest husband declared right then and there that he no longer loved her and wished to be with the succubus instead.¡± Fran took a deep sigh, averting her gaze from Sherry once more. ¡°Her mind broke and she was swallowed by her sorrow. It was the start of our downfall as without her leadership and strength, we stood no chance in the war. Back then, I was only a child, so I knew nothing about the frontline, but it was said that it was a massacre. Our numbers decreased exponentially, either by death or by being charmed by the succubi and incubi. In short, we had to flee.¡± Fran took a seat beside her again. ¡°And then, as you might have guessed, we stumbled upon this valley. The Archfey, fascinated by the heartbreak of your grandmother, decided to make a pact with her, that if she gave her the sweet memories of her husband, all of it, she would, in return, give her people a safe place to hide in. And so our glorious history ended, and since then, we had never ventured back to the outside world. Well, with the exception of my dear little sister, of course.¡± She smiled at Sherry, who fell silent once her story finished. Gently, she patted her head. ¡°You know, you remind me of her a lot. She was always the shy one. Even so, she has a lot of adventuring spirit. This village was suffocating for her, she had this incessant desire to explore and experience the entire world.¡± ¡°...Tell me.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Tell me everything you know about her.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Fran smiled. ¡°Now where do I begin?¡± Vol 3.5 Chapter 9: Sherry’s Tale — Her Brutal Training ¡°You¡¯re awake. Finally.¡± When Sherry opened her eyes, she was no longer in her comfortable bed. Instead, she was staring at a near pitch-black darkness, with only a small light coming from a tiny window from above. No, she corrected herself. It wasn¡¯t a window. It was just a hole on the ceiling. Noticing the change in her location, Sherry gasped as she bolted from the floor, standing immediately before drawing her sword. Only to find that it wasn¡¯t holstered on her waist. She cursed as she remembered that she had taken it off before she slept. Usually, she would never do that, but since she was now in a safe village away from monsters or villains that would attack her in the night, she thought it would be fine to relax and sleep properly for a change. ¡°I stole you from Fran''s house so we could have a talk. Judging by your reaction, you are indeed a seasoned traveler. How long did it take for you to get here, at the edge of the world? One year? Two years? Three years? It¡¯s a long road from the human world to here.¡± She didn¡¯t need the voice to identify herself. Just from the voice she already knew who it was. Quania. ¡°What do you want?! You¡¯re the one who brought me here?!¡± She yelled to the darkness. ¡°You can¡¯t tell where I am? Why don¡¯t you use that long hair of yours?¡± She let out an ¡°Eek!¡± as she jumped, feeling hair brushing onto her ankles. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from Fran. That you came here not just to meet us, but also to become stronger.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s right! I want to become stronger! You used to be a really strong Demon Lord, right? Then please teach me!" Silence. It seemed Quania was deliberating her next words. "...You desire strength. For what?" "I want to¡ªI want to become a strong adventurer!" Sherry hesitated. Knowing what Quania was like, she wouldn''t be happy if she heard about Hugo. "A strong adventurer? What for? You''re never going to leave this village again." Sherry''s heart dropped. "W-what? What do you mean?" Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It means I am not allowing you to leave. The path to the outside is closed to you forever." "Y-you can''t do that!¡± ¡°I can. I am the one who made the pact with the Minister. She won¡¯t let anyone in or out that I don¡¯t approve of.¡± Hearing this revelation, Sherry bolted. She rammed through the shrine doors (an easy feat considering the sliding doors were made out of paper) and ran as fast as her feet could carry her to the far edge of the village, past all the farmlands she had arrived in. The further she went, however, mist began surrounding her once more¡ªthe very same mist that she experienced when she first entered the Valley. Eventually, she could see nothing ahead of her in the slightest. Ha! If she thinks some mist is going to stop me, think again! She continued running forward, not even caring that she didn¡¯t have her sword with her. She believed that as long as she kept running straight, then there was nothing to fear. She was here just to see the other see of the mist where the fairy forest should be. Look! The mist is receding! With a grin on her face, she hastened her pace. Only to find that once the mist disappeared, she was back right at the edge of the village. W-what? But that can¡¯t be! I was walking in a straight line! How did I get turned around? She tried doing the same again and again, in different directions and from different entry points at the outskirts of the village. Only to find the same result. Quania was right. She was trapped. She stomped the ground in her anger, leaving a small hole in the process. Damn it! This is wrong, all wrong! I shouldn¡¯t have gone here in the first place! ...Myrilla! She¡¯s¡ªno no no no, she¡¯s left! Damn it, damn it, damn it! There must be someone¡ªanyone here who knows how to leave! ¡°Give it up, child. You¡¯re not leaving without my permission.¡± She turned and saw Quania watching her from a distance. ¡°You¡­ LET ME OUT OF HERE THIS INSTANT!¡± ¡°Why? There¡¯s nothing for you out there. An Izurd should live here with the rest of her kind, not gallivanting about on the outside.¡± ¡°SHUT UP! I HAVE SOMEONE WAITING FOR ME OUT THERE!¡± Quania¡¯s expression soured. ¡°Someone? And who might that be?¡± Sherry hesitated, but only for a bit. ¡°HUGO GREENWOOD! HE¡¯S THE BOY I LIKE AND I WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH HIM!¡± She could feel it¡ªthe redness creeping into her cheeks. She was not the type of girl that could proudly admit that her lover was indeed her lover. Hearing her words, Quania¡¯s expression soured even more. ¡°A human?¡± ¡°SO WHAT IF HE¡¯S A HUMAN?!¡± ¡°Surely, Fran had told you about your grandfather. He too was a human¡ªthe filthy human that stole and crushed my heart.¡± ¡°I DON¡¯T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT! HUGO IS HUGO AND HE¡¯LL NEVER BE SEDUCED BY A SUCCUBUS OR ANY OTHER GIRLS!¡± Quania shook her head. ¡°Naive. So terribly naive. If I were to let you back to the outside world, you would only suffer the same heartache as I did.¡± ¡°DO YOU THINK I GIVE A RAT¡¯S ARSE ABOUT YOUR OPINION?! JUST MAKE ME STRONGER AND I¡¯LL BE ON MY WAY!¡± At this point, Sherry was panting. She had strained her vocal chords, shouting with all her might towards the older Izurd. She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if her voice was heard all the way back to the village. "...Very well. I''ll grant what you desire." Huh? "In exchange, I have a condition you have to fulfill before I allow you to leave this village." "Defeat me. You have to defeat me in combat before I allow you to leave. I don''t care if it takes you hundreds of years of training. I shall never let you leave until you can surpass me." ----------- And so, Sherry''s days of rigorous training began. The goal was for her to be strong enough to defeat Quania, a former Demon Lord. She knew it was a lofty, nigh-impossible task, and that Quania only gave it so she would never the village, but she''d be damned if she let that stop her. If it were Hugo, then he''d never give up! ¡ª she told to herself. They did their training in an isolated place away from the village called the Spire. It was basically a tiny mountain, built specifically by the Minister of Summer to be used as a training ground. The archfey was generous enough to give such a place without asking anything in exchange. The other Izurds had their own training ground they could use, but this one was for Quania''s private use only. They began by awakening the usage of Sherry''s hair, as it would be pointless to train anything else before it. As Quania explained, an Izurd¡¯s hair was akin to their limbs, and she would not be willing to train anyone who would only fight with one limb. And she did it in the most painful way possible. ¡°Aaaaahhhhh!¡± Sherry screamed, tears swelling in her eyes as she pressed the bleeding scalp on her head. "Stop screaming and start fighting back. You''re going to go bald soon if you don''t." ...Yes, the method Quania used was plucking off Sherry''s hair until she learned how to control them. Using her own hair, she could easily pull a handful without even moving an inch. "Gaaaaahhhh!" Sherry sobbed softly as another handful of hair was pulled forcefully off her head. It wasn''t just the pain that made her cry but the shame as well. A girl''s crown is her hair and for one who had grown to love her own, especially knowing Hugo liked them so much, she couldn''t help but feel miserable. "If you can''t fight back, then at least regrow them back. Us Izurdians can grow and ungrow our hair to whatever length we choose." Another scream as Quania snatched another fistful of hair from the young Izurd. She was now sniffling with a full nose and her tears had created a dark patch on the ground below. "Or do you wish for me to stop? Give up this whole foolish idea of returning out there again?" "N-no, don''t you dare¡­ I-I can take it¡­ it doesn''t hurt¡­" "Your tears betray you. But fine. I shall resume the training. Until there is not a single hair left in that hard head of yours.¡± ---------- In the end, at the end of that day, Sherry had to return to the village with a bald head. Never before she had experienced such overwhelming humiliation, especially since the other Izurds could see that her glossy long hair was nowhere to be found, causing whispers amongst them. Quania even told her that she should suffer in it so she would awaken to her Izurdian ability sooner. ¡°Oh my, look at her! That¡¯s hideous!¡± ¡°I feel sorry for her, really. Lady Quania must be holding nothing back on her.¡± ¡°Even though she¡¯s her own granddaughter? How horrible! She really hasn¡¯t been quite right in the head ever since that incident¡­¡± What broke her, however, was when Emel saw her after returning from his own training. And promptly broke down laughing as he never laughed before. ¡°Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!¡± He pointed at her with tears in his eyes, as his other hand held his stomach. ¡°Bald! She¡¯s bald! She looks like an overgrown baby!¡± Both Fran and Graha immediately sent panicked glares towards their son, telling him to stop his act. But it was too late. Sherry had heard everything. It was the last straw for her. ¡°Haaaaaa!¡± In a flash, she dashed forward and punched him right on the gut. ¡°Guwaaahhh!¡± It was a direct strike. He was too distracted by his laughter to block her blow. And just like that, she knocked him out in a single blow. Realizing what she just did, she immediately fled the scene afterwards, running back towards her room, slamming the door behind her. And then, she cried. ----------- Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Sherry was now burying her face in her pillow, tears dampening it considerably. Why did I do that?! Fran had taken me in out of her kindness and now I had to ruin it by punching her son! Stupid idiot! Why must you let your temper get the better of you again?! *knock* *knock* ¡°Sherry? Are you alright in there?¡± It was Fran¡¯s voice. She¡¯s here to kick me out, isn¡¯t she? Of course she is! I have been an awful, awful guest after all! ¡°Sherry, I¡¯m coming in!¡± There were no locks in the house so even if she wanted to, she couldn¡¯t keep her from doing so. She heard her footsteps, gently approaching on the wooden floor. They stopped right at her bedside. ¡°Oh Sherry, sorry for what Emel said. He really shouldn¡¯t have been so insensitive. Really, what kind of a man would insult a girl like that? That boy still has so much to learn about being a proper male!¡± She huffed. W-what? She¡¯s¡ªshe¡¯s not mad at me? Gingerly, Sherry peeked out of the blanket covering her body. ¡°Y-you¡¯re not¡ªyou¡¯re not angry?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± She smiled. ¡°If it were me, I¡¯d do the same¡ªbeat the ever living crap out of any man who dared insulting me like that.¡± Her tears stopped. She now had a confused look on her face. ¡°B-but he¡¯s your¡ª¡± ¡°Sure, he¡¯s my son, but that doesn¡¯t mean he gets to get away with being that rude to a lady.¡± She huffed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure he apologizes to you later.¡± Sherry did not expect this development in the slightest. To think that her bout for violence would be accepted here¡­ perhaps that¡¯s the difference between human culture and Izurdian culture? ¡°Anyway, enough of him. Your training¡­ to think she would be cruel enough to do that to your hair¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°Really, she should learn to hold back a bit more.¡± ¡°...No, this is¡­ this is necessary... I want to¡ªI want to become strong as quickly as I could. So I don¡¯t want her to hold back in training me in the slightest.¡± Fran fell silent with a surprised look before sighing. ¡°Fine then.¡± She patted her shoulder with a smile. ¡°I won¡¯t tell her to stop. But, I have to tell you¡ªafter she made her pact with that fey, she had lost whatever warmth she once had. She had grown heartless. So she wouldn¡¯t feel any pity if you were to bleed in the dirt by her training.¡± She turned around and prepared to leave. ¡°W-wait, the pact¡­ a fey would ask for something in return for their service, right? What did she give in return?¡± Sherry asked. Fran¡¯s smile vanished. ¡°I can¡¯t answer that. You have to ask her yourself.¡± ¡°A-ah, alright¡­¡± ¡°Good night, Sherry. Don¡¯t let the bed bugs bite you.¡± ¡°B-bed bugs?¡± Fran closed the door behind her. That night, Sherry made sure to scour her bed clean first before resting her head. ---------- Sherry¡¯s hair remained ruined for a good few weeks, still having no control over the growth of her hair. However, at the very least, her hair grew much faster than the usual rate you would see on humans. So when those weeks were over, she already had her long black hair back, still as glossy and smooth as ever. In the meantime, Quania trained her in other things not related to hair manipulation (even though she told her she wanted her to learn how to do that first). She made her do all sorts of physical activities, from push-ups, sit-ups, giant boulder lifting, jumping across a series of narrow floating platforms (about the size of one foot) over a gaping chasm, and even punching a cliffside until she could dig all the way through. She was already familiar with the first two, as it was the bread and butter of her sword training under Alan, but for the rest, it was certainly new territory for her. Just like Fran said, Quania was merciless. When Sherry slipped on the platform training, she simply fetched her with her hair as she fell, ordering her to continue the moment she was back on safe ground. And yet, Sherry was not going to have it any other way. She knew this all had a reason. She was training her strength, agility, precision, and endurance. It¡¯s fine if Quania didn¡¯t even start her sword training. This already would make her stronger, or so she believed. Once her hair was back, Quania declared it was time for her second try on hair manipulation. ¡°It¡¯s clear that you need to be pushed more in order to awaken the Izurd blood hidden inside you. And so, if you just would look down this cliff¡­¡± Sherry raised her eyebrows before doing as she told. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a monster. You¡¯re going to fight it. Feel free to punch or kick it, but without using your hair, you will never triumph over it.¡± The monster she spoke of was a giant bird made out of steel. Its body, feathers, and even his talons¡ªthey were all steel. Sherry had never seen a monster like this before. It was walking on the ground¡ªsomething to be expected from a bird that massive. It couldn¡¯t very much perch on a tree after all. ...No, in retrospect, she had seen a monster like this before¡ªyears back when she was still at her human home. Steel Rocs. They were also large birds with steel feathers. However, there was a stark difference between the two. This bird was, lankier, for a lack of a better term. Unlike the larger and wider Steel Rocs she already fought, this monster was smaller and slimmer. And it didn''t fly around, opting to walk with it''s two talons instead. "What''s the matter? Jump down there and fight it." "O-of course. You don''t have to tell me." Sherry did as she was told, leaping onto the bottom of the valley in one jump. Her Izurdian legs were strong enough to absorb the blow. The moment she landed, no, even before that, the monster dashed backwards, putting a good distance between them as it snarled and clacked its beak in a threatening manner. Sherry readied herself. The bird seemed to be able to move very fast so she had to move as fast as well. "Haaaa!" She leaped forward with all her strength, leaving a small crater where her feet once stood. She formed her right fist, intending to punch it right at its skull. Only for the bird to dash backwards once more, dodging her attack entirely. N-no way, it''s¡ªit''s faster than me? The bird then countered, dashing forward before kicking her right on her stomach. "Gaaahhh!" Sherry let out a soundless scream as she was flung onto the cliff wall behind her¡ªthe crash making a crater in the process. She instinctively held her abdomen. Blood. She was bleeding profusely. The bird had just pierced her stomach. "I told you, haven''t I? You can''t win against it without your hair." Sherry looked up and saw her teacher standing on the cliff above her. "That creature can move faster than the speed of sound. Your speed is no match for it. You have to set a trap with your hair." F-faster¡­ than the speed of sound? Suddenly, her mind remembered a conversation she had with Myrilla¡ªhow in the Demon Continent, there were monsters who were faster, stronger, and tougher than any of them combined. If they were ever to encounter such a monster, they had to run. I-is¡­ is this bird one of them? Before she could think further, the bird resumed its assault. It dashed forward with a sonic boom before raining down rapid kicks at Sherry who could only respond by blocking with her arms. "Aaaaahhh!" A sound akin to a machine gun firing filled the environment. The bird was landing around 100 kicks every second. Even if each kick was just a normal human strength kick, which it certainly was not, one hundred of them per second would be enough to wear down even the toughest of fully armored knights. Sherry, on the other hand, only had her demon toughness to protect her. It didn''t take long until her guard broke, allowing the bird to send her flying with an upper kick. She landed right beside Quania, who just shook her head at the miserable display from her granddaughter. "Lost your consciousness already. Pathetic." Her hair extended, wrapping themselves around her wounds to prevent her from losing any more blood. As she was about to bring her back to the village, however¡ª "Squaaawkkk!" The bird leaped out of the cliff, having climbed the 90 degree wall with little difficulty. It snarled towards Quania, ordering her to return its prey. ¡°Foolish bird. Know your place.¡± A glare. It was all it took for Quania to make the beast cower and run back down the cliff where it came from. ¡°That fairy just has to pick a ferocious one, doesn¡¯t she?¡± ------------ Sherry¡¯s recovery after her defeat was swift, at least for human standards. There were no healers in the village so she had to rely on her own regenerative ability. As a demon, ever since she stepped foot onto the Demon Continent, she already noticed how her wounds would heal faster than usual. It was already faster than normal human wounds before that, mind you. Myrilla explained how as demons, they could naturally absorb the ambient dark mana that permeated throughout the entire continent, leading to them being just a bit stronger there compared to other places. Still, it didn¡¯t mean that Fran didn¡¯t give her some medicinal salves to help heal her wounds. She also wrapped her wounds with her hair, as an Izurdian hair can promote healing if used as a replacement for bandage. Just one of the reasons why it was such a sought after material. In just a few days, Sherry was back in action again¡ªthis time with a renewed resolve. And the result? Why, another defeat, of course. It wasn¡¯t that easy to awaken her ¡°Izurdian blood¡±, as Quania put it. She fell unconscious yet again¡ªbruised, battered and bloodied. Once again, her grandmother had to bring her back to the village. This time, however, she recovered faster. It took her only two days to be back in top shape, in which she threw herself back in again, challenging the bird once more. Next time, a day. Then, twelve hours. After that, merely four hours. And then, she was ready for a prolonged battle with the creature at last. ------------- I¡¯m impressed. To think that she could grow this fast. She¡¯s more like me than her mother, growing rapidly in combat instead of outside of it. I thought I had to do the same thing I did to Mystel to awaken her tendrils. That girl would be distressed so badly by me cutting her hair that she awakened her ability out of fear. But she¡ªshe cared less for her appearance than her. She didn¡¯t hide herself when she was hairless. She walked proudly in our village even with all the whispers directed at her. Quania watched like a statue as Sherry once again had her match with the bird. The creature had stayed here all this time, unable to leave as the fairies wouldn¡¯t allow it passage. As a monster of the Demon Continent, it was capable of surviving for a long time without any food or drink. However, it didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t hungry, and that hunger only increased its ferocity towards Sherry, who still was forced to remain on defense all the time. Still, the young Izurd began to adapt slowly to its faster-than-sound movements and attacks. Every blow that the bird landed became less and less hurtful as her body raised its endurance beyond its limits. Even now, she remained on the field with one hand broken, using only her other hand to block its attacks. Quania didn¡¯t let her attention wander off, of course. If she sensed that the bird would perform a lethal attack that her pupil could not endure without lasting damage to her body, she would immediately intervene. For example, once, the bird had tried to pluck her eyes right off their sockets. There would be no recovery from that, so before it could land its blow, Quania wrapped her hair around the beast and slammed it to the ground. Thanks to that, the bird now knew it could not land such a blow towards its prey. *CRACK* Sherry let out a pained grunt. The bird had just pierced her left thighbone with its peak. And yet, she didn¡¯t fall. She kept standing, only now she did it with one feet, holding the injured one in mid-air. ...Just a grunt. Not a scream of pain anymore. The fight continued. Once again, the bird took the initiative, dashing forward faster than one could blink to land a spin kick into Sherry¡¯s right abdomen. Hmm? Only for Sherry to counter with a punch right to the bird¡¯s face. That was... The blow landed, dizzying the bird just enough for Sherry to land a counter blow. Only she couldn¡¯t. She lost her footing, falling down to the dirt as she panted, using her working hand to hold her right abdomen¡ªall white gritting her teeth in pain. That style... Instead of blocking the blow, she opted to accept it and counter right at the same time, finally landing a blow to the bird. A smile bloomed on Quania¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s late. Time for you to rest.¡± Sure enough, it was already nighttime. Sherry had been fighting against the bird for hours on end. ¡°N-no, I can¡ªI can still¡ªgo further.¡± Defying her expectation, Sherry stood up once more. ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish. Your only fine hand is bleeding. And if I were to guess, you have some internal bleeding in your organs as well, judging by that nosebleed.¡± ¡°N-nosebleed?¡± She rubbed her upper lip with her hand. Sure enough, there was now redness covering her fingers. ¡°H-huh. Funny. I-I didn¡¯t even notice.¡± She put up a grin. ¡°Why are you working so hard? Does that boy you like worth this much of your effort?¡± Sherry didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she flung herself forward back towards the bird, which was enough of an answer for the former demon lord. And yet, you share the sentimentality of your mother. ...No, this sentimentality is mine as well. There was once a time where I would do anything for him¡­ not that I could remember what that time was. Should I ask her to take her love as well? Vol 3.5 Chapter 10: Sherry’s Tale – Awakening Sherry¡¯s training with the bird continued, only ending when she either lost consciousness or was unable to move a single inch. Day by day, the young Izurd improved. After finding out that if she could just absorb the blow of the bird, she would have a slight chance for a counter if she were to be fast enough. She didn¡¯t care that the bird was really hard to the point that her knuckles would bleed whenever she punched it. She didn¡¯t care either that the damage she took from an unguarded blow was still significant enough to make her grit her teeth in pain whenever it landed. She just knew that if she were to get stronger, she must overcome this stupid creature with her own strength and determination. That¡¯s what her dear Hugo would do, when he finally managed to win against her in their third match. And then, that day finally came. The day where she finally awakened her "tendrils". ---------- In the illuminating light of the moon, two shadows could be seen clashing back and forth, both huffing and puffing on their shaking legs as one of the shadows fell back. "Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ come back here, you stupid bird!" Her knuckles were bleeding¡ªbattered and bruised from punching the extremely tough armor the bird possessed. She now realized it couldn''t have been steel. Normal steel should be nowhere near this tough. She could already snap a steel sword in half¡ªa story from a brawl in a certain tavern at the Demon Continent¡ªand this toughness was certainly on a whole other level. Her legs, once broken today, have regained their full functionality in just the span of a few hours. Showing the further awakening of her demonic body. The bird, seeing the sheer determination of the girl, let loose a low growl and spread its wings wide, it knew that it was either fight, kill, and feast to regain its strength, or scare its opponent away, as futile as the latter might be. It knew that right here, right now, it needed to make a final stand. Of course, if it had the choice, it would have ran away by now. Alas, it had no such luxury. It had made a mistake wandering into the Fey territory one day, and ever since then, it had become the damned plaything of the fairies. There was no escape. There was only survival. And to survive, it had to devour this girl. It hadn¡¯t tasted human flesh in a long time, but its mouth started to water from just the memory alone. But how, how would it do so without triggering the guardians protection? She always stood there, watching them like a hawk. She was the true threat. It knew that its life could be forfeit anytime she wanted to. Such was the difference between their strength. "Come here, you stupid bird!" Sherry dashed forward with a punch. The bird easily dodged out of the way. She didn''t let up, dashing a couple more times in desperation, not just in a straight line but in a zigzag pattern as well, in an attempt to catch the bird off-guard. It wasn''t so easily fooled, however. For the past few hours, the bird had opted for an evasive approach, just running and dodging to preserve its ever dwindling energy reserves. It had learned how the girl could counter its blow with her own and it could feel its flesh crying out. ¡°Arrrghhh, that¡¯s it! I¡¯m sick and tired of you running away! I¡¯m hungry, tired and I want this to be over with so stay put and accept my fists!¡± The bird didn¡¯t quite understand what the girl was yelling. But it knew it had upset her. Good. Upsetting your opponent would lead to an opportunity to feast, learned throughout its countless battles. ¡°If I catch you, I¡¯m going to cook you! That¡¯s right! I¡¯m in the mood for some roasted chicken right now!¡± *GROOOWWWLLL* Urgh, my stomach. I¡¯m seriously hungry right now. And that bird really starts to look delicious. Or I¡¯m just slowly losing it. I¡¯m glad Hugo isn¡¯t here now. I¡¯m all sweaty and dirty, to the point that the smell doesn¡¯t even bother me anymore. Blood, sweat, and dirt: all soiling this white dress I¡¯m wearing. It¡¯s all brown now. All because of that stupid bird. After giving her declaration, Sherry went back to the chase. All the while a new figure appeared above the cliff to watch her. ¡°The two of you are still at it?¡± It was Fran. She had opted to visit their training ground on her own volition. Occasionally, Quania would ask her for a spar, thus she was given access to the place. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. Blame her. I told her we should wrap this up for the day, but she still wanted to keep going.¡± Fran sighed, shaking her head. But she said nothing, at least not immediately, as she too watched Sherry from the cliff above. ¡°Still no signs of her awakening?¡± Fran asked. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°No.¡± ¡°...What if she¡ª¡± ¡°No. Don¡¯t even mention it. You can manipulate your hair just fine. Even with that bastard as your father.¡± Fran fell silent once more as her gaze returned back to Sherry, watching her chase after the beast, zigzagging across the battlefield, utilizing her leg strength as effectively as she could. She wasn¡¯t even standing anymore. She instead crawled down on all fours, using her arm strength as well to get a boost on her speed. ¡°That fighting style... She really is your granddaughter.¡± Fran smirked. Quania said nothing in response. ¡°Haah! Haah! Haah! STOP! RUNNING! AROUND!¡± Sherry screamed, bringing Fran¡¯s attention back to the battlefield. ¡°Oh my, it seems her temper has reached its peak.¡± Fran commented. ¡°So even at her maximum potential, she¡¯s still not fast enough to catch that beast. You¡¯ve designed this training well, Mother.¡± She smirked again. Sherry leaped again, landing just a few milliseconds late before her hands could strangle the steel bird. This time, however, instead of running away, the bird decided to counter. It knew that its opponent had lost a significant amount of stamina by her rapid movements just a few moments before, and decided that this was its best chance at flesh. A hand! It just needed a hand to swallow to regain its strength! And so, in a move so bold Sherry could not ever anticipate, it leaned forward and chomped on Sherry¡¯s left hand as strong and quick as it could. ¡°Aaahhh!¡± Sherry screamed¡ªa burst of blood escaped from her torn veins. However, her hand didn¡¯t end up in the bird¡¯s stomach. Even with the bird¡¯s powerful jaw, it could not decapitate it in one move. And then, she countered. She crashed her right fist into the bird¡¯s head. And it shattered its steel skin, hitting right at the soft scalp below, which, unfortunately for it, would be where its brain is. ¡°Kwaaa! Kwaaa!¡± The bird panicked. For the very first time in its life, it felt terror. Its brain had been decimated, and now, it was only running with its backup brain, located in its abdomen, a trait a lot of demonic beasts share. It immediately attempted to flee, releasing its beak from her hand and preparing its talons to dash away. There was no way it was going to engage against this demon child any longer. It would take it a whole month to regenerate its primary brain back. Only, Sherry was not having it. ¡°YOU STUPID BIRD! YOU THINK YOU¡¯D BE ABLE TO ESCAPE AFTER TRYING TO EAT MY HAND OFF?!¡± Before it''s dash could finish, a burst of black tendrils grabbed every inch of its body, tightly holding it in place. It was Sherry''s hair. It seemed that in her rage, she had finally awakened it. What happened next could only be described with that grim term humans like to use. A one-sided slaughter. Sherry leaped forward like a crazed animal and tore the bird apart with her bare hands. She punched, punched and punched, all the while her hair kept the monster in place. The bird couldn''t even mount a counter assault, as her attacks were just too furious for it to find any opening. It realized its end has come, cursing the damnable fairies that brought it to this place. When Sherry finished, there was only a bloody pulp in the ground, and the steel remains of the bird''s body. Sherry, panting, still remained on all fours. She was bathed in the bird''s blood, but she didn''t care. She had conquered the enemy, and that''s all that mattered. And then, she collapsed. If she had stayed conscious just a little longer, she would¡¯ve heard Fran¡¯s enthusiastic clapping. ¡°...She did it! She actually did it! You were right, Mother! Of course she¡¯d be able to do it!¡± Fran grabbed Quania¡¯s hands and swung them around with a big goofy smile on her face. The latter didn¡¯t respond to her enthusiasm, however, as she kept her cold look all the way through. "Take care of her." Quania ordered once Fran calmed down. "Bring her home and let her rest. Tell her to not do any training whatsoever for an entire day." When she walked away from the scene, however, a secret smile blossomed on her lips. She wouldn¡¯t admit it, but she was just as proud as her daughter about Sherry¡¯s success. --------- When Sherry returned to the world of the living, she was back in her room, dressed in clean clothes. And with Fran''s smiling face looking over her. "Welcome back, Sherry. And congratulations. You¡¯ve finally awakened your tendrils." "M-my tendrils?" Sherry stared blankly. "Your hair, silly!" Fran wrapped her arms around her, bringing her closer. "Your beautiful, Izurd hair!" She traversed her fingers down said hair. "Your training finally paid off! Aren''t you happy?" "I¡­ I guess I am." Sherry looked away. Not quite being able to process the revelation. But then, when she saw a plate full of boar meat sitting on the nearby table, a pang of hunger hit her stomach. Hard. Hard enough that her hair instinctively grew longer, grabbed the plate, and brought it to her as it shortened. I-I did it! I really can control my hair now! ¡°Eat.¡± Fran smiled. ¡°It¡¯s your reward.¡± It took her less than five minutes to devour the entire thing. -------- For her day of rest, Fran suggested that she made merry with the rest of the villagers. After all, they were her family¡ªher people¡ªand they would surely love to meet with one from the outside world. Having nothing to do due to Quania¡¯s order, she did exactly that, making her way to the village¡¯s communal farms since girls her age would already be working in them. In fact, most of the female villagers spent their days there, with only a few allowed to hunt in the territory of the Fey. "Oh? You''re Sherry, right? Fran''s niece? Can I help you with something?" One of the female farmers called her over when she saw her. Like all Izurd females, she was a slim and beautiful woman with long black hair going down to her waist. It''s impossible for an Izurd to be out of shape, owing to their excellent metabolism. And an Izurd would not grow old until the last few years of their remaining life either. "I¡­ I want to help." She stuttered. She had always been the shy, introverted type. Which was why she enjoyed Hugo''s company oh so much. He always took the initiative, greeting her with that bright and beautiful smile of his. "Help?" The woman''s eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, of course! Of course you can help! I''ll tell my dear Xanxia to show you the ropes, alright? Xanxia? Xanxia? Come here for a minute!" The woman promptly deduced that Sherry was here to make friends. She, along with the rest of the villagers for that matter, had known how every day, until late at night, she would exhaust herself training with the Izurd demon lord. For them, it was an odd thing to do for a female Izurd. After half a millenia of pacifist isolationism, they had lost the culture of brutal strength that once brought fear to every demon race. None bothered training themselves, with some female Izurds purposefully keeping themselves weak so they would be swept on their feet by a male Izurd who did train. The woman''s daughter quickly presented herself. She was a few years younger than Sherry, and her features were strikingly similar to her mother. And just like her, she wore a simple dress with an apron at the front. In general, the Izurd preferred simplicity in their attire, with the exception of Fran who always wore her fancy ogre robe as her daily attire. "Go play with her, alright?" Her mother smiled. "Her? Ooh, are you that Sherry girl Bug Lady brought from the outside?" "Bug¡­ Lady?" "Come on! You have to tell me everything about the outside world! Is it really as terrible as Mother says?" She walked forward and caught Sherry''s hands before dragging her along. And just like that, it seemed Sherry had made her first Izurd friend. ------- Sherry spent the entire day in the farms, telling tales of the outside to anyone that wanted to listen, not just Xanxia. It didn¡¯t take long until the other girls took an interest in her, to the point that they abandoned their work completely. Their mothers didn¡¯t seem to mind, however. They all agreed it was a rare occasion that should be cherished, knowing that Sherry would be soon busy with her training again. They had lunch together, consisting of rice and deer meat. Rice was a decently common food in the Demon Continent, akin to bread in human lands. Many species of rice existed, and they all came in many different colors, with different tastes. Sherry had eaten it plenty of times during her journey here, and, she had to admit, she started to prefer it over bread. Though of course, the taste of a juicy meat far trumped both. "Really? The outside world really is scary¡­ I''m glad we Izurd live here now!" Xanxia commented as Sherry finished another one of her stories, before chomping down on her meat. Sherry''s smile dimmed for a bit. The girls she spoke with really viewed the outside world as a dangerous place. Which was true, of course, but they spoke as if it was an uninhabitable wasteland. Then again, it might be her mistake that she began with the scary stuff. "Hey, the world outside isn''t that bad," she replied. "As long as you''re strong enough to face the dangers, you can experience all the wonders too! You''ll never see the hustle and bustle of a city or the endless blue of the ocean." "Is that why you''re always training with the Elder?" One of the other girls interjected with a curious look. she nodded, resolve drawn in her eyes "I need to be strong. Strong enough to become a great adventurer." For his sake. The conversation continued. She had never spoken this much before, and that realization took her a bit off-guard. However, they were all terribly enthusiastic in listening to her story, interrupting her with a barrage of questions during and after her story. And not only that, they would end up bringing their own lives to the table, telling her how you were supposed to grow the various paddy species that existed on the farm, since every species had its own unique quirks. The Izurdian''s main export was actually rice, along with a handful of other vegetables suited for the soil and climate. Where they would export it to, and how, she did not ask. And it seemed they didn''t know the details anyway. She had to ask an adult, if she remembered to anyway. It didn''t take long until she joined working on the farm, using her hair to do most of the work like they did. To her, it was difficult work, as her hair control was nowhere near good enough. Still, they remained patient with her, which was truly appreciated. When she finished, it was already sunset. After saying her goodbyes, she returned to Fran''s place with a smile on her face. She belonged here. Fran was right. They really were her tribe¡ªher family. ---------- The next day, Sherry''s training continued on to the next stage. With her ''tendrils'' awakened, Quania now focused her training to manipulate said hair. She would instruct her to lift large boulders and to climb tall cliffs with them. Her goal was to enhance their tensile strength, their durability, and their growth length. For Sherry, it was a really weird sensation, finally gaining control of her hair. It really was just like controlling a part of her own body, akin to having an extra arm that she could only move after a long and harsh therapy. I wonder how Hugo will react when he sees me like this, she thought as she looked at herself in the mirror, with her hair wriggling and twitching on their own as if they were alive. With a thought, the hair stopped moving, returning once again to their smooth, glossy look. Day by day I''m getting stronger. Soon, I''ll be back by your side. Just you wait. --------- "Quania! I challenge you to a sparring match!" One day, at their training field, She shouted those words to her grandmother. She was given a pair of raised eyebrows in return. "I want to know the difference between our strength! I have to surpass you to leave this village, right? So I demand the right to know!" "...Foolish child." Quania gave her a cold stare. "Not in a million years you''ll be able to defeat me at your current skill. Even landing a blow is as impossible as cutting the moon." "We don''t know about that!" she fired back. "Then, feel free to strike me with that sword of yours at any time. I''ll be sure to return the favor." Quania replied nonchalantly. She had started her training in the sword art as well, though her hair manipulation training still took priority. Thus, she was back to carrying her sword around at all times. Listening to that declaration,she didn¡¯t dare hesitate. She drew her sword and dashed forward, performing a horizontal slice aimed at her abdomen. Only to receive a punch straight to the face. "Gah!" She yelled. She was sent flying backwards, crashing onto the cliff wall behind her. What punched her was a fist, but not Quania''s own fist. It instead was her hair, formed like one. "Too slow," was Quania''s only comment. -------- Sherry continued her not-so-stealthy assault at Quania for the next few days. Every time she thought there was an opening, she would try to attack her, only to find a fist landing at her before her sword got anywhere close to her. She did it pretty much anytime during their training, but not even once had Quania show her any real openings, only false ones that invited her to attack. And so, it didn''t take long until she recognized the massive gap between their strength. She gritted her teeth as her attack was yet again repelled. It had been a week since her grandmother answered her challenge and she was not making any visible progress. "Give up. Focus on your training instead. Try again next year." "Fine." Sherry sighed. "You''re right. I can''t even compare to you¡ªthe way I am right now. I give up. But, like you say, I''ll try again next year. So don''t hold back in training me, alright?" She pointed her sword at her. "...Stubborn, arrogant child." Quania''s tiny smirk afterwards did not escape Sherry''s eyes. ------- A few months have passed since then. Sherry continued her grueling training under Quania, and the results quickly began to show. Unbeknownst to her, or Quania for that matter, that bird she defeated¡ª was an S-rank monster called Mythril Beak. Yes, that meant she had been punching mythril the entire time. It was considered amongst the weaker S-rank monsters, certainly weaker than a dragon, but on the outside, it was known to be a potent adventurer killer. A greedy adventuring party would challenge it, knowing just how much its mythril skin could be sold for on the market, only to find themselves overwhelmed by its faster than sound speed. Quania would call upon more birds like it every week, telling Sherry to kill them as fast as she could. It was a way for her to gauge the growth of her strength. Thanks to it, she learned how to use her hair more effectively in combat. Still, no sword was allowed. Or rather, Quania told her if she wanted a sword, she should just make it with her own hair. "An Izurd''s hair is sharper than any weapons." She told her. Sherry still couldn''t do it properly, however. The sword would just unravel when it made impact with the bird''s mythril. Her hair¡ªit needed to be much more rigid to be a proper weapon. And then, one day, Myrilla returned out of the blue, even though it hadn''t even been a year yet. And she brought with her a gift¡ªa gift that would brighten Sherry''s days for the rest of the week. A Dream Orb. "R-really?" Sherry looked in disbelief at the orb Myrilla had placed on the table in front of her. "I-I can speak to him with this?" "No, not speak." Myrilla corrected her. "Merely send a message to his dreams. You hug it as you sleep and think of the message and recipient." ¡°Where did you get this thing anyway?¡± ¡°Oh, I have my ways. I know you¡¯d want it badly, so I collected it for you.¡± And thus, she sent her first message to Hugo¡ªdone under while being extremely nervous, which meant her message wasn''t received clearly by him. It wasn''t just nervousness from how much she missed him, but the nervousness earned from the realization that she would not be able to return to his side on time. She was still far too weak to win against Quania. Hugo... Hugo.. T-this is Sherry. I-I¡¯m sending you a message through dreams, using a Dream Orb. I...I can''t go. I can''t go back home just yet. I¡¯m not strong enough yet. I can''t leave. I made a promise, not to leave until I¡¯m strong enough. I¡¯m so sorry. You and Marina¡­ you two should go without me. Don''t worry. I''m fine. I met my family here. My tribe. My aunt and grandmother. They¡¯re all really nice people. I¡¯ll catch up to you, alright? I¡¯ll find you. As soon as I¡¯m stronger¡­ Vol 3.5 Chapter 11: Marina’s Tale — Sophie’s Request Marina "So, what is it you wish to ask me?" It was the day after Marina utilized the Dream Orb. As promised, she would do Sophie a favor in exchange for the usage of the extremely valuable orb. They were now having their discussion inside Marina¡¯s greenhouse, which did not just include plants she grew as part of her experiments, but also a small study that she could use. ¡°Hmm, where to start?¡± The hobbit sighed, folding her arms. She was short enough that her legs were dangling off the tall chair Marina had, but she didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°You see, I have opened my own shop down south at Trine. Currently, it¡¯s just a shop for magical trinkets and the like, but I am planning on expanding my merchandise, which is where you come in.¡± Marina raised her eyebrows. ¡°I want you¡ª¡± The hobbit dramatically pointed her index finger at her face with a grin. ¡°¡ªto become the supplier for my yet-to-be-opened magic herbs shop!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°You¡¯re this amazing Earth mage now, right? And you¡¯re the granddaughter of an Earl! You can tell those farmers out there what to plant! So tell them to plant all sorts of magic herbs and I will buy them all! With the fair, market price, of course!¡± Marina paused, crossing her legs under the table. Certainly, it was a proposition she could get behind. Magic herbs and plants were more expensive than ordinary crops. She remembered how back in the Magocracy, Vera''s territory was the main producer of magic herbs. And it had cold weather, just like here. "I shall have to discuss it with Grandfather first," was her reply. "Excellent!" The hobbit reached forward with her hand, which Marina readily accepted. "I''m looking forward to our future cooperation, Countess Marina," she added with a mischievous grin. Marina still couldn¡¯t get used to that title. Not that she had any plans on doing so in the first place. "Can''t you get a different supplier though? Somewhere closer?" "I would, but the gnomes charged exorbitant prices for their herbs." The hobbit shrugged. "And they were pretty much the only guys who grew them. Amereria has no magic herb farms whatsoever. In fact, that''s why I want to open a magic herb company. I want to sell them at a much more affordable price than those haughty gnomes." She huffed. "They''re really useful, you know. For medicine, potion-making, and even perfumes. It''s a lucrative market I would love to be part in." Gnomes¡­ Marina thought to herself. Vera''s race... "I''ll try to convince Grandfather," the earth mage declared. "But I make no promises." "Yay!" Sophie clasped her hands. "Thank you so much, Marina!" She shook them vigorously. Oh Sophie¡­ Marina smiled a little as she looked at her old friend. She has grown to be a scheming merchant that looks like an innocent girl. Well, it''s better this way. You have to be a schemer to be a good merchant. ------------- Marina promptly held a meeting with her grandfather and Reinhard about the matter. As she had expected, her grandfather promptly gave his approval. After all, there was no downside to the offer. It would enrich the region as a whole. But to implement the plan, there were a few problems Marina had to think about first. ¡°First, there¡¯s the problem of ordering the farmers to switch the type of plants they had to grow in the first place,¡± Reinhard explained. ¡°Even if you could persuade them, you would still need to educate them in the methods.¡± ¡°I could write an instruction book on the matter,¡± Marina responded. ¡°And I would be willing to instruct them as well. My plan requires more people¡ªmore farmers, than the ones we currently had. I would suggest some sort of a subsidy to the citizenry, so more of them would be willing to become farmers instead of leaving this place.¡± Her grandfather did not forbid his citizens to move and become the citizens of other nobles in the kingdom, so many just decided to move to more prosperous regions. ¡°Hmm, how about giving them free land? After, say, 10 years of work, the land we told them to work would belong to them, and not to Grandfather anymore.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Reinhard fired back with befuddlement. ¡°That means you¡¯re making them to be nobles, are you not? Only nobles can have land in this kingdom. And you¡¯d have to have permission from the king for that!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Marina paused. ¡°You have no merchants or organizations owning their own land in these kingdoms?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± ¡°Calm down, Reinhard,¡± the Earl chastised his heir, who had become too overexcited for his own good. ¡°Marina here has seen the world more than we do. I suppose out there, merchants can freely own land?¡± ¡°Well... ¡° Her voice trailed off. Now that she thought about it, she didn¡¯t really know how land-owning works in other kingdoms. She only knew that in the Magocracy, you could own land as long as you were wealthy enough to afford one. Owing to the hands off style of governing that the Council did, you were free to do whatever you want with your land, with few exceptions. ¡°That¡¯s how it was in the Magocracy,¡± she explained. ¡°But I suppose that wouldn¡¯t work here.¡± Marina bit her lip and shifted in her seat. She had to think up something else. ¡°How about this? A reduction in taxes for 10 years, compared to normal crops. That should be fine, right?¡± ¡°Hmph, that means reducing the income of the Earldom,¡± Reinhard argued. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we can afford it, with how thin our budget is already.¡± ¡°Incorrect.¡± Marina replied. ¡°Like I said, my plan is aimed more at non-farmers becoming farmers¡ªto stop young adults my age from leaving this Earldom. It would be even better if we could instead attract youths from other regions. The tax we already earned from the existing farmers would only decrease a little. Not to mention that exporting magic herbs is far more profitable than exporting ordinary crops, owing to the difficulty of planting them.¡± ¡°...Fine.¡± Reinhard sighed, surrendering to Marina¡¯s argument. ¡°But, there¡¯s still the problem of funding the necessary funds to start the whole thing in the first place. We would not only need the seeds, but also the housing and the tools necessary for the new farmers.¡± ¡°For the seeds and housing, I could provide them both with my magic. As for the tools, since some of them required iron, I would not be able to just grow them with my magic. I suppose we would¡¯ve to ask for assistance from the other regions. Or rather, a loan, as I imagine they wouldn¡¯t be that charitable.¡± Marina glanced towards her grandfather. ¡°You are correct, my dear.¡± The older gentlemen smiled. ¡°Since when you¡¯re this much of an expert in noble politics?¡± ¡°It was all thanks to Elise. She had taught me much in Reinhard¡¯s duties.¡± The redhead maid had indeed been making her visits to Marina¡¯s abode, as her request. Marina thought it would be prudent to at least know a little on how Reinhard¡¯s style of governance was done, so she would not make a misstep in her interactions with the farmers. ¡°Elise, hmm? I really should give her a raise.¡± It was then decided that to obtain the necessary funds for Marina¡¯s project, the Earl would send letters to other, more mercantile-oriented nobles of the kingdom. Like Marina said, it would be a loan, not a charity. He would even take his chance with the king, though he warned that he wouldn¡¯t expect any help from him. The king never gave any loans to his nobles. He was always a firm believer in giving all the freedoms to his nobles in running their territories, which meant they wouldn¡¯t get any hand-outs from him either. When the meeting ended, two men had gained a renewed admiration towards Marina. The first was, of course, the Earl himself, Lord Philip Archimond. He thought Marina would never bother in learning, as he put it, ¡°noble politics¡±. It was indeed true for when she first came here. But it seemed she had come around at last, just like Reinhard. And speaking of Reinhard, he too had seen Marina in yet another new light. At first, he just thought of her as this amazing (though a little scary) mage. But now, she had proven that she could very well replace him as this region''s administration. As the Earl''s true heir, she might do just that, he smiled wryly. Emma was right after all. His first wife had suggested a scheme to sabotage Marina''s efforts in revitalizing the region, which he naturally rejected. She then told him to woo her instead, to make her his third wife so he could keep his current position. He refused that as well. He knew neither Emma and Rina really wanted another woman to share a bed with him, especially the former, but they were ready to sacrifice themselves for his sake. And besides, she''s way out of his league. Just from how she carried herself, he knew she had no interest in him in the slightest. As for whether he himself had interest in her¡­ Woooshh¡­ Ah, it happens again¡­ They were walking down a long corridor with open windows. As such, wind would periodically blow from the outside, delivering pleasant scents coming from the gardens. But, for this moment, it delivered a pleasant sight instead. Black again, as usual¡­ He couldn¡¯t help himself. As the wind blew Marina¡¯s dress upwards, giving a view of her panty-clad behind, his eyes locked themselves at the sight instead of looking away like a gentleman should. This wasn¡¯t the first time it had happened. Thanks to the length of her dress, which only reached halfway down her thighs, he had given a chance to peek at her underwear multiple times, either by wind like now or by a simple unfortunate angle at which he was looking at her. And every time, his loins would stir, making an inappropriate stretch of his pants that he had to hide. Marina continued to walk, not even using her hands to pull her dress down. She was too busy with her thoughts to even notice that the wind had made her give a view to the adopted lord. He calmed himself, chastising his perverse mind, telling him that he already had two wives, and he shouldn¡¯t be lusting over the Earl¡¯s granddaughter like this. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yes, if he were to be asked as just a man, he would be happy to have her in his bed. Not only was she pretty, she was intelligent as well, something he desired in his woman. Emma awakened him to that desire. She taught him many things when he first married her, and from that, he gained admiration for any intelligent woman out there. But, he knew his place. He wasn¡¯t going to force Marina to be with him, even if it meant losing his position as the Earl¡¯s heir. He knew that in the future, she would lead this region into greatness, and if she were to marry someone, it would most likely be the crown prince himself, which would be a great boon to the Archimond house. ---------- Erika This should go here¡­ that should go there¡­ and then this goes¡­ here. *click* *whrrrrrrlll* ¡°It¡¯s working! It¡¯s moving!¡± The youngest of the Greenwood siblings, Erika Greenwood, was in her room, being busy with her new toy. It was a mechanical doll that could walk on her own. However, it was designed for her owner to repair it periodically, by redrawing the disconnected runes on it. It was an educational toy made by the gnomes, designed to teach young gnomes about runecraft. She obtained the toy from Sophie, who had brought it from all the way down south. And it was the most fun she ever had in her entire life. She watched with a big grin on her face as the doll walked back and forth on her table. It was a female gnome doll wearing a shepherd''s attire. She couldn''t speak but it was clear she was looking around for her sheep. Oh, that''s right! Miss Sophie says I can get the sheep dolls once I can make her working! Jumping off her chair, she made her way to the guest wing immediately, and to the hobbit''s room. She prayed she wasn''t too late and the merchant hadn''t left yet. -------- "Oh, it''s you, Erika! What''s the matter?" She was greeted by her smiling visage. "I made the doll move, Miss!" Erika beamed. A shocked expression flashed on the hobbit''s face. "R-really? I gave it to you just an hour ago, didn''t I? You already figured it out? She''s walking normally, without any hiccuping or stumbling around? "Yeah! It wasn''t that hard! Thanks to the book you gave me, I knew exactly what to do!" Sophie was speechless. An ordinary gnome child would need a week to solve their first rune doll. And yet she did it in an hour? "G-good job, Erika!" She patted her head (even though their height was about the same). "I''ll give you the sheep dolls next!" It should take her a month to figure out each sheep. Since there are four sheep in total, it should take her four months. Each sheep has a different, more difficult runic circuit to it. If she''s really some runecraft genius, then she should solve them much, much faster. -------- The hobbit''s suspicion was correct. The next week, Erika came back to her, wanting a new doll to play with. She had solved them in just seven days. "It was really, really difficult, but it was really fun too. Can I have more please?" Erika gave her the puppy-eyed look. After giving the young girl another rune doll, and telling her to return to her room, she lifted her skirts with both hands and ran as fast as her little legs would carry her towards the greenhouse, where Marina should be at this time of the day. She has to know about this! ------ When she arrived, Marina was standing on one of the branches of her largest tree. She seemed to be busy examining the nearby leaves, using a magnifying glass to aid her sight. "Mari¡ªah!" Sophie covered her mouth with her hand as she blushed. Her panties! I can see them! She quickly looked away. As another lady, it would be improper for her to peek at another lady''s undergarments. "M-Marina! Come down! I want to speak to you!" She yelled, still looking away. Hearing her voice, Marina looked down. ¡°Sophie?¡± She jumped down, instantaneously halting her fall with a pair of vines once her feet touched the ground (not caring that her skirt flew upwards in the process). ¡°Is something the matter?¡¯ She asked with a concerned look. ¡°I-I want to speak to you about Erika!¡± ¡°Erika?¡± Marina raised her eyebrows, before a frown formed on her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Roland is teasing her again!¡± ¡°No no no, it¡¯s not about him! It¡¯s about your sister! She¡¯s¡­ she might just be a runecraft genius!¡± She then explained what happened with the dolls and how she solved them much faster than she should. ¡°You never taught her runecraft before, right?¡± ¡°No.¡± Marina shook her head. ¡°I thought it would be too difficult for her. And I¡¯m not good at it either. If she learned it, then she did it just from the Runecraft Introductory book you gave her.¡± ¡°Then she really is a genius!¡± Sophie beamed. ¡°Listen, Marina! You have to teach her runecraft at once! It¡¯s better to start early than later for someone as talented as her! And then¡ªand then once she¡¯s older, you can send her to the gnomes to learn the art straight from the masters!¡± Marina¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You know our family has a bad experience with gnomes, right?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that! Not all gnomes are like Vera! In fact, I heard Vera herself was kicked out from her gnome tribe when she was still young! I don¡¯t know the details but that means even her own kind doesn¡¯t approve of her attitude!¡± Vera was disavowed by her own kind? Marina¡¯s interest perked up. "You don''t know the reason for her banishment?" "Like I said, I don''t know the details." The hobbit sighed, crossing her arms with a distressed look. "It''s just a rumor I''ve heard from down south." Marina fell silent. She walked away for a little bit, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. "Marina? What''s the matter?" The hobbit asked, looking concerned. The earth mage turned to face her. "When you return back south, I want you to investigate the gnomes. About Vera and everything else. And I want you to give Erika all the runecraft books you could find. In exchange, I shall guarantee that you will have your magic herb supplier in a couple of years." "...Deal! But make it two! Two years until I can start my magic herb company!" The hobbit grinned, raising her fingers to form a two. Marina smiled. Two years. That should be doable. --------- Responses to the Earl¡¯s proposal for supplies came swiftly, but not in a way that he expected. The king actually took interest in the matter, and so, arranged an invitation for a table round discussion, followed by a party, all the way in the capital. It would involve the other nobles in the kingdom, anyone who was interested in the Earl¡¯s proposal. The response letter didn¡¯t say whether he would actually be attending or not, however. And there was something else that was peculiar about it. Marina was spoken by name, and the king would like to have a meeting with her. When the Earl brought this matter to the earth mage, Marina didn¡¯t have to be told by him that she had to come. In fact, she knew this whole thing was mostly about the other nobles learning about her. No doubt the stories about her arrival, and her being a powerful Earth mage, had spread all across the kingdom. Not to mention that the Earl had sent a letter to the king, informing him of the return of his estranged granddaughter (which Marina agreed with). The Earl wasn¡¯t a fool. He knew the king would be offended if he tried to hide her from him. ¡°Reinhard. You will stay here and manage things in our absence.¡± The Earl instructed the man. Naturally, he would come along. He was the Earl after all¡ªthe one with the actual title. ¡°Of course, Milord.¡± Reinhard placed his hand on his chest and bowed. A proper noble¡¯s bow. Just one of the many etiquettes Marina had to brush up before her debut in the capital a month later. ¡°As for you, Marina¡­¡± ¡°I know what I have to do, Grandfather,¡± she replied with a determined look. ¡°I¡¯ll try training myself in the etiquette as much as I could before our departure. The seeds for the magic herbs are already ready. I no longer need to research them, so I have time I could use for other endeavors.¡± She placed her hand on her chest and bowed as well. Might as well start early, she thought to herself. The truth was, she didn¡¯t really want to learn such things. What use was there to learn etiquettes when you can learn magic instead? Etiquettes are only there to kowtow to kings and nobles. With magic, you could rule over kings and nobles. But, for the sake of her grandfather and his realm, she would do it. She would play the act of Countess Marina Archimond. It would just be for a short trip. She should be able to manage that much. ------- A/N: Hope you guys don¡¯t mind I give Marina¡¯s fanservice scenes to guys other than Hugo. ¡®Cause I certainly don¡¯t. And as always, I write what I want. Also, I now have eight advance chapters on my Patreon, if anyone''s interested. Vol 3.5 Chapter 12: Marina’s Tale — Erika The Runecrafter The one assigned to be Marina¡¯s etiquette teacher was, to her chagrin, Emma. Or rather, she was the one who offered to be Marina''s tutor. Truthfully speaking, she was the best person for the job as she had always known to upheld the highest etiquette decorum in her daily lives. If one wanted to act like a proper noble lady, then there was no other person that would be a better teacher. Of course, this meant Emma got to scold Marina as much as she liked, which delighted her greatly. "Come now! Don''t swing your hips like that when you walk! What are you, a shameless whore in the red district? Walk straight and keep your head in place! Don''t let that book fall!" They were currently in the middle of walk training. Using the mansion''s decently spacious library, they could do so with ease. Marina didn''t say anything in response. She simply did as she was told. Hmph, she really is a bumpkin, Emma thought as she crossed her arms. How could I ever hope to make her a proper lady by the end of the month? "Hey, don''t drop the book! Pick it up!" She shouted, as Marina just let the dictionary she put on her head fall. Marina gave a short glance towards her before bending over, reaching towards the book with her right hand. Exposing her panties to her in the process. Urgh, how uncouth! This is why she shouldn¡¯t be wearing such a short dress in the first place! Why won¡¯t she wear a normal dress like a proper lady? Of course, she knew very well that she was simply wearing her mage dress, which was naturally far different than the traditional dress nobles would wear. "Hey, you! Don''t bend over like that! You''ll¡ªkyaaah! A-a rat! T-there''s a rat over there!" Sure enough, the classic household mammal had made its appearance. It came from the depths of the library and it quickly made its way towards Emma. Not because it wanted to bite her or anything. Oh no, it was too nice for that. She was simply in its path. ¡°S-someone! Help me! Reinhard! Reinhard!¡± Gone was the usual cold composure the lady had always displayed. Rats had always been her Achiles¡¯ Heel, along with cockroaches, spiders, caterpillars, or any bugs, really. She would go into panic mode every time she saw them, crying for anyone near her to get rid of the pests. This time, however, neither her husband or her maid was there. There was only Marina. And so, out of instinct, she jumped and hugged her, causing both of them to fall down, crashing into the nearest bookshelf. Luckily for them, it was sturdy enough to handle the blow, or else they would''ve been buried under a mountain of books. "U-urghhh¡­" When Emma opened her eyes, it was pitch-black. W-what happened? T-this is¡­ This fabric¡­ This shape¡­ And this sweet scent¡­ "DID SOMETHING HAPPEN, MISS?" The door burst open. Henrietta was nearby when she heard the crash, so she hurried to the library, thinking an accident had occurred. It was an accident, alright. "Oh¡­ oh my¡­" She opened her mouth before closing it with her palm. There, she saw Lady Emma, with her face having a close and personal view of her lady''s buttocks. "O-oh dear, I didn''t know you were in this kind of a relationship with Lady Emma, Miss." A grin formed on her face. "Sorry to interrupt you two then! Please, enjoy yourselves!" With a smile, she closed the door, tiptoeing away as she hummed to herself. Only then Emma realized how¡­ compromising¡­ her current position was. "W-WAIT! YOU MISUNDERSTOOD! I WASN''T¡ª" It was too late. The maid already left. "You!" She stood up and grabbed Marina''s cape. "This is all your fault!" "You were the one who crashed into me though," the mage calmly replied. "Is a rat really that scary?" "Shut up! Shut. Up! I don''t want to hear another word from you! I''m sick of you trying to steal my darling''s future! Our future! And now you''re going to disgrace me as well! Soon, everyone here will be talking about how I engage in an illicit act with you behind my darling''s back!" And then, she broke down into a crying mess, covering her face with both hands, trying to hide her snot and tears. Marina gazed at her with a mixture of confusion and pity. She might not be that pleasant of a person, but she couldn''t just ignore her when she''s like this. "Shh, it''s alright." Marina wrapped her arms around her, patting her head on the back. "Henrietta will keep my secrets. She won''t tell what happened here." Once the older woman had called down, she released her hug¡ªher expression turning serious as she answered her other complaint. "I have no plans to supplant your husband''s position. My dream is to become an adventurer, so I cannot stay here forever. He would still be the one inheriting Grandfather''s position once he retires." "I¡­" Emma averted her gaze. "I don''t trust you." Marina sighed. "I can''t help you with that. To trust or not to trust¡ªit is up to you. Now, if you will excuse me, I shall speak to Henrietta. Rest assured that no one will know about our little accident." "That, and your fear of rats as well." She snapped her finger, catching the rat from before with her roots. She saw it scampering behind Emma, to the noblewoman''s ignorance. Her roots then dragged the rat outside through the nearby window, piercing its body unceremoniously once it hit the ground." Emma could only stand there speechless, before stomping her right foot to the carpet out of frustration. Their training, naturally, was cancelled for the rest of the day. In the end, Marina managed to convince Henrietta not to tell what she saw to anyone, and that she really did not have any illicit relationship with her. Didn''t stop her from imagining it though. ---------- As Marina continued her training, Erika was busy with her own project. The new rune doll she obtained from Sophie¡ªshe finished that in just a week. And so, she decided. She wanted something bigger¡ªsomething more useful than just a toy. She had read the rune book, from the front page all the way to the addendums. And she knew runes could be used for far more things than to just make dolls move. And so, when she visited Sophie again, her request was a tad different. "I want a runic weapon!" She declared. Naturally, it nearly gave a heart attack to the poor hobbit. "A-a weapon? Y-you mean like a toy sword?" "No, a real one! I want to get stronger! Just like Big Sister!" Ever since she was kidnapped by the slavers, she desired to be stronger, to not be a burden to her big sister. She knew she wasn''t talented in magic like her. But now¡ªnow that she knew she was good at runecraft, she wanted to use it to be just as powerful as her. "I-I can''t just give you a weapon!" Sophie waved her hands in panic. "Marina will murder me!" "Then I''ll go ask for her permission!" Erika huffed. "And you come with me as well!" She pointed at her. "Alright¡­ alright¡­" Sophie sighed. This girl is like night and day compared to her sister. With Erika leading the charge, they found Marina in the library¡ªin the middle of her training. Without knocking or excusing her entrance, she walked up to her (ignoring Emma entirely) and said, "Big Sis! I want a runic weapon!" "Hey! We''re in the middle of something here! You don''t just get to¡ª" "It''s fine, Emma," Marina interrupted. "Fine?! I''m the one in charge here! You can''t just¡ª" "A weapon?" Marina ignored the noblewoman''s protest entirely. "What are you talking about?" "You can make magic weapons with runes, right? I want to try making one! But Miss Sophie won''t give me one without letting you know first!" Erika pouted. "Of course she won''t." Marina fired back with a frown. "You''re still five. It''s far too young for you to be holding any weapons." "Hmph! I don''t care! I want to be strong just like you, Big Sis! You think I shouldn''t know how to defend myself? After everything that happened? It wasn''t just the kidnappers! Those bad guys from the Magocracy! They''re going to come for us sooner or later!" Marina was taken aback by her outburst. She didn''t expect her to make a speech like that. A small smile formed on her lips as feelings of pride filled her chest. She really is a young genius, just like Hugo. I would be a fool if I didn''t nurture her talent. "Fine." She crouched down and looked at her right in the eyes. "Do it. You have my blessing." Erika looked back at her sister, first with trepidation, and then with her own bright smile. "Thank you, Sis!" She threw herself to hug her. "I promise I won''t disappoint you!" And so, Erika started her path as a runecrafter. --------- "Here it is! Your runic monograph!" Once they were back in Sophie''s room, the hobbit took out a book from her bag and gave it to Erika. It was a large tome, easily the size of Erika''s head and more. The cover was pitch-black leather with no writing whatsoever. In fact, the entire thing was blank, with the inside having no words written on them either. "Runic¡­ monograph?" Erika tilted her head as she lifted the book upwards. "It''s a book where you can write runes in," Sophie explained. "You need special parchment if you''re going to manifest the runes'' effects. A monograph is simply a collection of said parchment, bound into a single book." "So, you''re telling me that if I write a rune of fire here, I can manifest it as fire magic?" Erika asked. "Yes! You''re catching up quick!" Sophie patted her shoulder. "There''s the offensive rune section in that book I gave you, right? You put them in there and you''ll be able to manifest their effects, just like ordinary spells." Erika looked down, her left hand and abdomen holding the book in place while her right went through the blank pages. When she reached the end, she closed the monograph, saying with a smile, "I got it! I''m going to try it right away! Thank you so much, Miss Sophie!" She gave a bow before skipping her way back outside, humming cheerfully in the process. "Hey, be careful, alright? I don''t want you burning yourself! Or this house for that matter!" Sophie yelled, before shaking her head. She just hoped she hadn''t made a mistake, giving that book to a girl so young. Well, if Marina approves, then it should be okay, right? ---------- Once she was back in her room, Erika immediately drew her first rune on the book. She didn''t need a pen or any ink to do so. She simply had to put a small amount of Mana to her index finger and pressed it onto the paper. It was like that too with the dolls. To perform runecraft, one still needed to have some aptitude in magic. The first rune she drew was a water rune. When she finished, however, she wasn¡¯t stupid enough to just manifest the effect right there and then. Lorry would definitely scold her if she were to wet the carpet, and so, she brought the monograph with her to the gardens. The plants there could use the water after all. Only to find her vile archenemy there. Roland! She had yet to forgive him. Not only he teased her constantly, he was also a crybaby and a snitch. When her Big Sis scolded and punished him, which he completely deserved, he ran to his mommy and made her scold her Big Sis back. Unforgivable! She hates cowards like him the most! He''s just like her brother¡ªa coward and a pervert! The moment he noticed her, he immediately made a beeline towards her, making the young girl groan. ¡°Hey! What do you have there, Erika? That looks heavy! How about I carry it for you?¡± He flashed his annoying, obnoxious grin. "Get away, Roland! I have no time for you today!" "Aaw, don''t be like that! I want to see your beautiful smile, mademoiselle." Erika simply gave him a huff, hastening her pace so she could leave him behind. Only for a wind to suddenly pick up, lifting her dress upwards. "Kyaaahh!" Erika shrieked as she tried to push the hem down¡ªa hard task considering the giant book she was hugging. "Ah, boring white again. When will you wear something sexier? Like your big sister?" Roland smirked, twirling his wand. Erika had had enough. She turned around, opened the monograph to the page with the water rune, and hovered her right hand over the drawing. To activate the rune, all she needed was to give a command using her mana, which she instinctively did. ¡°Huh? What are you¡ª¡± *SPLASH* "W-wha¡ª" "Serves you right!" Erika left the boy in a bewildered state. Out of nowhere, he was soaked from head to toe, as if someone had poured a barrel worth of water on top of him. Was that¡­ her magic? I didn''t know she had learned water magic. A smirk formed on his lips. Rubbing his finger on his nose, he declared¡ªWell done, my rival! You really are worthy to be my future wife! "Achooo!" He shivered. Urgh, I better change. When Emma asked what happened to him, he didn''t say it was Erika. He instead said that he just fell into the pond in the garden. He was not a crybaby snitch. He¡¯ll prove that to Erika soon enough! ------- As spring continued onward, a month had passed since Marina made her proposal. Finally, it was time for Marina to make her journey. As the earl had instructed, Reinhard and his wives would stay behind. Emma''s family wasn''t going to appear in the meeting as they weren''t amongst the big players in the kingdom (not to mention their recent financial difficulties). They would travel there using a carriage, accompanied by a number of guards on horseback (though honestly speaking, with Marina around, there was no need for them). Henrietta, as Marina''s private maid, would come along as well, along with the Earl''s own private maid. The carriage they rode on was large and luxurious, with four horses pulling it forward. Colored slick black on the outside, and royal red on the inside, it was easily the most comfortable carriage Marina had ever rode on. She could stretch her legs freely and she could even move her seat backwards to form a bed. They also had another carriage with them: far less luxurious, and intended to be used as storage for the things they would need in their journey, such as wine barrels and the many plates and utensils needed for the Earl and his granddaughter¡¯s many meals. The maids would ride here whenever they were dismissed by their masters. Their journey to the capital, Shernon, took them around fifteen days, give or take, making them go across several other territories that other noble houses ruled over. Thanks to the road not being that well-developed, their journey wasn¡¯t as smooth as it could be. Sometimes the road would be so bumpy even the carriage¡¯s advanced suspension couldn¡¯t handle it. Sometimes the road vanished at all, overtaken by rocks or vegetation. It couldn¡¯t be helped. The route they took wasn¡¯t that popular with travelers in the first place. On their way there, the Earl spent most of his time sleeping, while Marina, when she was bored of her books, would climb to the top of the carriage using her magic, just to see the view with her own eyes (to the protests of the two maids and their bodyguards). They didn¡¯t stop for the night, as one of the guards following them would switch places with the driver, allowing a continuous trip through the entire two weeks they were on the road. There was no need to ask for permission from the ruling houses whose territories they trespassed, as none of them were higher-ranked than the Earl. If they were, say, to cross the territory of a Duke, then they would have to make a visit to the Lord¡¯s dwellings, even if just for a short while, or else they would risk antagonizing the higher-ranked noble, which¡ªif you know anything about politics¡ªwould be a terrible idea indeed. As they went further and further towards the south, the warmer the weather became, though still not as warm as the weather Marina used to experience in Marchen. Eventually, they entered the king¡¯s territory. And it was where Marina first saw the famed griffon riders that the kingdom had. Their roars filled the air, awakening Marina from her slumber. It was around noon, thus she could move to her usual sightseeing spot and see the tiny figures clearly, flying far above her in the skies. So that¡¯s the Sky Knights of the Ferus Kingdom... Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They sure can fly really high¡­ Perhaps that¡¯s why they are a force to be reckoned with. If they can launch their attacks from that height, then there¡¯s nothing ordinary soldiers can do against them. Arrows and low-level magic won¡¯t do anything. One would need to be able to use something like Thunderstorm to fight back against them. ...I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough to win against the Magocracy though. ------- Shernon was a busy and bustling city, far different from Lochestat in the north. As a central to trade in the north, merchants from the south would make their patronage here, selling goods exclusive to the south while buying goods exclusive to the north. Though it wasn''t the only trading city in the kingdom, the tax from the trades still provided a significant chunk of the king''s income. Marina stayed inside through their entire sojourn through the city. She had to act like a proper lady after all. And so, the only view she could get was from her window, which was decently large, but certainly not big enough to compete with actually going outside the carriage. From said window, she could see the market district bustling with activity. Her curious smile soon disappeared however when she saw the slave auction that was going on. Two men and women, tied to the pole half-naked, with the slave merchant yelling to the audience how good and useful they were as a slave. "Marina." She heard her grandfather''s voice. "Don''t." She looked down and saw how she had taken out her wand without even realizing it. "I''m sorry." She closed her eyes, only opening them once the slaves were out of her sight. "The capital isn''t even where they sold most of their slaves." The earl continued. "That would be Farmud, the seat of government of Duke Treble. I''ve told you about him before, right?" "Yes." Marina nodded. "He''s one of the nobles we would be meeting. His territory is the richest amongst all nobles, as he benefited greatly from his trade with the south." "And of course, he is the husband of Luna Novis.¡± The person who started the tragedy that took Grandmother¡¯s life, Marina smiled grimly. ¡°...I assume you would be on your best behavior?¡± Marina shifted her smile into a reassuring one. ¡°Of course, Grandfather. It all happened in the past after all.¡± -------- They made their way to the best hotel the capital could provide. Or rather, a private guesthouse, built so nobles from all over the kingdom could have a place to stay whenever they were summoned by the king. It was a decently sized mansion in the middle of the city, almost as big as their own. And it came complete with its own set of maids and butlers. The date of their meeting was tomorrow. However, if all parties had arrived at the capital, then they might just have the ball first tonight. So the Earl instructed Marina not to go anywhere. It would take her hours to get dressed up for the ball after all. And so, the earth mage decided to use someone else to see around the capital in her stead. "You call, Miss?" She summoned Nysa in her room. After staying in the human world for a while, the familiar decided she was bored, wishing to be dismissed so she could return to her Fey friends. Marina, of course, granted her leave. "We''re in a new human city right now. I want you to look around and see if there''s anything suspicious." "Ooh, a new human city? Sounds fun!" The dryad beamed with excitement. "Alright, Miss! I''ll go right away!" "Make sure to return before the sun sets. I have need of you in the evening." The girl left the room, earning a few alarmed stares from the butlers standing nearby, who swore they never saw anyone like her entering Marina''s room. The earth mage quickly corrected their suspicion, thankfully enough. ------- The dryad returned just in time to see Marina being dressed from top to bottom by Henrietta. She wore a sleeveless green dress specifically tailored for the occasion, with pure white pearls adorning her neckline and a rose decorating her hair. On top of that, there were the usual blush, lipstick, gloves, and high heels a lady had to wear to a ball. "Henrietta, don''t you think this neckline is too low?" Marina asked with a worried tone as she looked at herself in the mirror. "Nonsense, Miss." The maid grinned, pulling the dress ever slightly lower. "A ballroom is a lady''s battlefield and her charm is her weapon. So show them off proudly without hesitation!" The dress showed quite a generous amount of her cleavage, to the point that one wrong pull would mean the entire thing would escape in all their glory. To her chagrin, her size was still increasing, even though she hit puberty many years ago. Still not as big as her mother''s, but she was starting to feel afraid they would get that big. She would rather not draw the attention of lecherous men with their size, thank you very much. "Miss Marina!" The dryad made her presence known. "Oh, you''ve returned." Marina turned her gaze to face her. "How was it¡ªthe city? Did you have a pleasant tour of the place?" "It¡¯s really different from Lochestat, Miss!¡± The dryad beamed with excitement. ¡°There are so many more people here! And the buildings, the smell, the sound¡ªthey¡¯re all different! Humans really are interesting!¡± Marina smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you feel that way. Though you didn¡¯t see anything out of place? Anything suspicious?¡± "Nope! I don¡¯t feel anything weird in the air! Or the soil for that matter!¡± ¡°What about the soldiers?¡± Marina continued her interrogation. ¡°The tinmen. Do you meet a lot of them?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She folded her arms. ¡°I guess there are more of those compared to Lochestat. But not that many though. Except for the castle. It¡¯s pretty tightly guarded.¡± ¡°...I see.¡± Marina pursed her lips. ¡°Then, I shall assign you your task for the night. Listen carefully, alright?¡± The dryad nodded with excitement. It¡¯s been a while since she had an assignment from her mistress after all. -------- The night soon fell, marking the time for Marina to depart. Henrietta wouldn¡¯t be coming with her. It would be just her and her grandfather. And the driver, of course, who would be staying outside, waiting obediently until they returned. They would ride on an entirely different carriage¡ªone that was even more luxurious than the carriage they used on their trip here. It was pretty much a way to show off one¡¯s stature and wealth to the other guests, even if it was a rental. Before Marina left, she did something her grandfather most likely wouldn¡¯t like. She brought her wand with her. Not inside the pockets of her dress, mind you, as her outfit for the evening had none. No, she kept it under her dress, wedged to her thighs using her panties¡¯ elasticity to keep it in place. She had forgoed wearing the usual silk or satin undergarments one would wear to such an event. She instead wore one of her cotton ladygarments with a strong elastic band to them, to the point that it could keep a small object in place. Thanks to her billowy skirt, even if she were to sit down, no one should notice that she was hiding something underneath. Still, it meant it would be harder for her to take it out if she needed it. Unfortunately for her, she didn¡¯t really have any other choice in the matter. Why would she bring a wand to a ball, you might ask? Just in case. That was basically her reasoning. She didn¡¯t trust these nobles. If they were to turn on her, she must have a way to defend herself. She would not make the same mistake again. Vol 3.5 Chapter 13: Marina’s Tale – The Prince and The Court Mage The crescent moon hung high in the cloudless sky, illuminating the darkened capital with its pale and cold light. Even so, humans had learned to rely on their own light, as shown by the ballroom Marina had arrived at. The inside was lit by magic stones, to the point that it was as bright as day. The outside, however, was given gas lamps instead, a recent ingenious invention by the dwarves, utilizing fluorescent air that would emit light if heated up. At first, they weren''t that popular in the neighboring human kingdoms, being dismissed as just another useless dwarven engineering that would be useless for the common folk, but eventually, people realized they were much better than the usual torches or candle lamps, making them spread like wildfire. Now, the king himself ordered gas lamps to be installed all over his capital, and for people to be hired to light them up every night. A butler opened the carriage door for Marina and her grandfather, placing his right hand on his left chest and bowing in the process. A perfectly elegant bow. "Thank¡ª" Marina bit her words. No. Emma told me not to thank any servants. Has to act all cold and unapproachable to the so-called lower class. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hmph. This is why so many people think the nobility consists merely of arrogant buffoons and unpleasant snobs. She kept her hand linked with her grandfather''s as she walked across the red carpet, making sure that she matched the speed he walked, not faster or slower. "Announcing the arrival of Earl and Lady Archimond!" A crier yelled, as another opened the large oaken door for them. The inside of the ballroom was filled with light and warmth, to the point that it blinded Marina''s eyes a little. The room was decorated in utmost lavishness, from the soft fur carpet, the flawless glass chandelier, and the flower pots placed on the edges of the room, filling the space with the fragrant scent of spring. There were also copious amounts of food and drinks being served at the west and east end of the room¡ªfar more than all of them could eat and drink. As always, the nobility never thinks twice about wasting food. It was just one of the many ways they showed off their wealth. What would Mother think of this lavishness, I wonder? I still remember how she would frown whenever any of us didn¡¯t finish our meals. An interesting attitude, considering her own background. Then again, perhaps the Church¡¯s upper class still follows the frugal teachings of their Saint. ...Hmm, there aren''t that many guests around. As it should be. This ball is supposed to be a private affair. Only those the king has chosen to come are welcome, meaning, the closest and most influential nobles to the throne. Part of the ¡°elite¡±. And none of them seems to be coming here to greet us. ...I see their game. They¡¯re doing this as a display of their superiority, that Grandfather¡¯s status as a mere earl of a backwards region of the kingdom makes him unworthy of their attention. I understand now why Emma told me to reign my anger. These pitiful nobles¡­ thinking they can look down on Grandfather in this manner¡­ even though with just a single spell, I can turn them into garden decorations¡­ ...No. That is the way of the Magocracy¡ªto rule over others with magic. But, perhaps, they have a point. If I were to be ruled by someone, I would rather be ruled by those with true strength, rather than cowards who hide behind their wealth and influence. "Come," her grandfather whispered, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Let us introduce ourselves to the crown prince." He took her to the far end of the room. It didn''t take long until Marina''s eagle eyes figured out where the prince was. He was the personage being surrounded by the other nobles¡ªa tall golden-haired man wearing an all-white blazer-trouser combo. Marina glanced towards her grandfather, who responded with a curt nod, confirming her suspicion. So he¡¯s the crown prince. He looks like a character you would find in the story books. Tall and attractive, with a smile that can melt any woman¡¯s heart. ...No, that last part isn¡¯t right. His smile¡ªit doesn¡¯t reach his eyes. Those cold, sapphire orbs¡­ such a stark contrast to Hugo¡¯s. He was the first to notice their arrival. As smoothly as butter sliding off a spoon, he extracted himself from the crowd. "Ah! The guests of honor finally arrived!" Annoying, gaudy voice. I dislike him already. "First of all, let me give you my most sincere apology for not noticing your arrival sooner, Lord Archimond." He gave a short bow. "I am simply too preoccupied with entertaining Lord Treble and his entourage." Sure you are. You are just doing what the other nobles did. And Lord Treble. So that¡¯s the man that ended up marrying Luna. Before Marina could look closer at him, however, the prince blocked her sight. ¡°So she¡¯s your long lost granddaughter! I am truly happy that you have found her at last! It¡¯s a tragedy, truly, what happened with that ungrateful son of yours.¡± Ungrateful? He perhaps believes Grandfather still hates Father. That, or he¡¯s a tactless idiot. "Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness." Grandfather bowed, his expression neutral. I''m sure it would have been a scowl if he doesn''t have to hide his emotions. "You are correct. This here is my granddaughter, Marina Archimond. After the death of my son, she went all the way here to meet me. So she''s quite the traveler, despite her looks." He let out a small chuckle. I believe that was a praise for my looks. Still, I don''t quite approve how he said it. "Greetings, Your Highness." Marina lifted the hem of her dress and curtsied. "It''s a pleasure to meet a personage such as yourself." Emma said that I am supposed to smile here, but I just can''t bring myself to do so. I would rather not smile at all than to force an obviously fake one, which the Prince, if he''s not a fool anyway, might see as an insult. "Oh, my heart is overjoyed to meet you too, mademoiselle. Never before have I seen a woman as beautiful as you are." He took Marina''s hand and kissed it. A scowl of disgust promptly appeared on Marina''s face, but she quickly recovered, returning her expression back to a neutral one. Urgh. I''m glad I wore gloves. "Truly, I am honored¡ªto be meeting with the Verdant Witch of Death herself." !!! Marina''s heart skipped a beat. The prince''s face was now adorned with a sly smirk. He knew. "Lord Archimond." He returned his attention to the Earl, whose face had turned pale. "Our court mage wishes to speak with her tomorrow, after the negotiations. If you would be so kind as to lend her." "I¡­" "I shall go," Marina interrupted before the Earl could even speak a word. "It would be my pleasure to meet her." They knew. I shouldn''t be surprised, and yet, for it to be revealed like this¡­ He must have done it on purpose, to catch me and Grandfather off-guard. How sly of him. I suppose he''s no idiot after all. Then, there''s no point in running away. I would only trouble Grandfather by doing so. This court mage¡­ if I have to guess, she wants me to be part of her magic corps. A mage my caliber would be a great asset to her country after all. I would have to refuse such an offer. I''d rather use my magic to improve Grandfather''s region. "Well, now that I''ve delivered my message, I shall leave you for the moment, mademoiselle. I have other guests to greet after all." With a noble''s bow, the man left the two, earning a sigh of relief from the Earl. "Do not fear, Grandfather," Marina said to him. "Everything will be just fine." As long as I have my wand hidden under my dress, and my familiar hidden outside monitoring anything that might go wrong. He chuckled, wiping his sweat with his handkerchief. "You''re much braver than I am, my dear granddaughter. Now come. We have to meet the other nobles. We''ll talk about the court mage later." Marina nodded, linking her arm back with her grandfather. He''s right. That comes later. For now¡­ Her eyes narrowed towards the black-haired woman nearby. I want to meet her first. Walking closer to her, she finally had her chance to have a good look at her. Beautiful. If I have to describe her in a single word, that will be it. Her long raven hair goes all the way down to her waist, a perfect fit for her crimson blood dress. Her large chest is proudly displayed by her bustier, no doubt attracting the sight of any men who glance over her. If Father had known she would grow up to be a woman with such features, perhaps he wouldn''t have left. ...No. He loved Mother not just because of her beauty, but her kindness as well. This woman¡­ has she grown to possess the kindness Mother had? Or does she remain the cowardly brat she once was? Something¡¯s odd though. She doesn¡¯t seem to be speaking to anyone there. She¡¯s just standing there with that forced smile on her face. When Marina approached the group, their conversation immediately shut down. How convenient. I wonder what they¡¯re happily chatting about before our arrival. ¡°Greetings, Lord Treble. Apologies for interrupting your conversation.¡± The Earl gave a court bow. As I expected, Grandfather ends up being the one to start the conversation. Unlike the Prince, this duke doesn¡¯t even try to hide his feelings of superiority over him. ¡°Ah, Lord Archimond! Welcome!¡± The Duke opened his arms wide. He was a portly man, wearing a fur jacket that looked two sizes too big for him. He held with him a walking stick in his right hand, made out of the finest, most polished oak. He also donned a monocle and a short goatee, with cheeks that made him look like a puffer fish. In short, he¡¯s¡ª Ugly. Compared to Father, he is like a large, oversized gremlin. That¡¯s what she deserves, I suppose, for doing what she did. ¡°How was the trip? I hope it¡¯s enjoyable. It must be hard, traveling all the way here from up north.¡± He smiles like a toad. How repulsive. ¡°Yes, it was quite enjoyable,¡± the Earl smiled, letting the stealth insult not bother him in the slightest. ¡°Thanks to the company of my granddaughter, my trip has become much more bearable.¡± ¡°Ah yes, the granddaughter!¡± He shifted his gaze towards Marina. ¡°The famous, or, should I say, infamous, Witch of Verdant Death herself! I¡¯ve heard the stories, how you caused quite the chaos in the city of Musa before you came here. Now, none of us here are friends of that backwards southern nation, but I¡¯m still curious to hear nonetheless on the true account on what happened.¡± A frown appeared on Marina¡¯s lips. He¡¯s not holding back in the slightest, is he? ¡°Lord Treble, please, it was a¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Grandfather. I¡¯ll answer him.¡± Ignoring the worried look on the Earl¡¯s face, Marina locked her gaze on the Duke¡¯s before continuing. ¡°I did what I did to save Erika, my little sister. A bunch of filthy kidnappers saw it fit to kidnap her to make her a slave. And so, I had to turn the entire city upside down to find her whereabouts. And when that kingdom¡¯s army came bearing down upon me, I made short work of them as well. I have no regrets on what I did, and I would do it again, if anyone dares to bring danger to my family.¡± ¡°A-Ah, I see.¡± The Duke averted his gaze, sweat trickling down his balding forehead. ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to worry, young lady. We in this kingdom have nothing against your family.¡± Hmph, another cowardly noble. Just a little threat like that and he already melts. Go on. Slander me all you want after this. I am fine with being a villain, as long as it keeps those I care about safe. The Magocracy retains its stability for a thousand years, for other kingdoms and nations are too afraid to incur the wrath of its mages. The nobles of this kingdom¡ªthey should learn to fear the wrath of the Verdant Witch. ¡°Well, let me introduce you to others,¡± the Duke continued. ¡°These two are my lovely wife and daughter. Why don''t you two introduce yourselves?" "Of course, my dear.¡± The black-haired woman stepped forward. Placing her right hand on her chest, she introduced herself. ¡°My name is Luna. Luna Treble. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Lord and Lady Archimond.¡± She gave a small curtsy. Again with that forced smile. Why is she so nervous? Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s suddenly feeling all guilty, seeing me in the flesh? ¡°As for me, I am Lilian Treble. I''m honored to meet such a powerful mage as you, Lady Archimond." The daughter also curtsied with a smile. She was around the same age as Marina, with brown hair inherited from her father going down her waist and blue eyes from her mother. Her dress was dyed in blue and white, a stark contrast with her father''s black and her mother''s red. Her smile looks far more honest than her mother''s, though I can''t help but feel a tinge of arrogance coming from her expression. "Now, since we''re comparing daughters," The Duke placed his right hand on Lilian''s left shoulder, causing the poor girl to flinch. "She might not be a great mage like your daughter is, but she''s a genius in handling our family business. Even at her age, she''s already my right hand woman, taking charge of our Treble Company. Why, just a few months back, she struck a deal with the Rinea Corporation¡ªthe greatest and most powerful merchant organization in the Holy Continent¡ªnay, the whole world!" The Duke burst into a laugh. Marina, however, was not amused. Rinea Corporation? That merchant empire led by the First Princess of the Holy Empire? Its influence reaches all the way here? Perhaps it''s not necessarily a bad thing. The Empire isn''t a friend of the Magocracy after all. "I shall be the representative of the house of Treble tomorrow morning, as Father is preoccupied in his other businesses." Vivian placed her hand on her chest. "I will be looking forward to our cooperation, Verdant Witch of Death." This girl¡­ she''s just as arrogant as her father. Their conversation was put short by other nobles finally deigning to greet the Earl. They were dukes of other territories, less powerful than Duke Treble, but still dukes nonetheless. They were all eager to greet Marina as well. Fear, apprehension, suspicion; I can see all that on their faces. Then, it was time for the obligatory dance. The musicians, hired by the crown prince himself, began to play their instruments. There were three of them¡ªone for the piano, one for the harp, and the other for the flute. Hmph, I have to hand it over to them. They have good taste in music, at the very least. "May I have the first dance, mademoiselle?" Seemingly out of nowhere, the prince appeared in front of Marina, giving her a bow as he asked for her hand. Eliciting an internal groan from the earth mage. Of course, he had to be the first to ask me for a dance. I''m glad I persevered with Emma''s training. I''ll hate it if I embarrass myself in front of him. Not having any other choice, Marina took his hand. The two took center stage, garnering attention from the rest of the guests. Marina locked her eyes on the prince''s, not wanting to show any weakness. The prince himself kept his smile as he took the charge on their waltz. "I''m surprised. You''re quite the fine dancer. Nothing like our dear court mage." ¡°Thank you for your praise, Your Highness," Marina replied, her tone a deadpan one. "Why the frown? What do I need to do to see you smile, my lovely witch?" Marina had to resist her urge to puke. Calm down, Marina. It will be over soon. She opted not to respond, focusing on her dance instead, making sure that her feet would land on the right place at every move. Little did she know that she was drawing the jealousy of other bachelorettes in the room. Soon, the music slowed down to a halt, signalling the end of their dance. The prince bent forward, whispering these words to her ears. ¡°You¡¯re a naughty one, aren¡¯t you, little witch? Your familiar¡ªour court mage caught her in the act.¡± Marina¡¯s heart skipped a beat. The dance ended, and the prince gave one last bow and a kiss to her hand. With a smirk, the prince spoke, ¡°She¡¯s waiting for you. Outside, in the gardens. Oh, and it¡¯s been a pleasure to have a dance with you, mademoiselle.¡± Marina didn¡¯t need to be told twice. -------------- She made her way outside with a hurried gait, though she couldn¡¯t move that fast thanks to her cumbersome dress. She lifted the hem of her skirt upwards, flashing her panties to no one as she was in an empty corridor, taking out the wand she had hidden there. Nysa? Nysa? Are you there? Can you hear me? ...No response. She really has been captured. There are certainly magic one can use to trap a familiar in place, making them unable to vanish back to their origin. I was a fool. I shouldn''t have told her to keep watch of the entire venue. I thought she would be safe, staying underground while having her roots do all the work. But this court mage, who I didn''t expect to be here tonight, is smart enough to realize my trick. I should''ve known there''s a chance of them guarding the party. Or rather, guarding the guests from me, the Verdant Witch of Death. I thought the lack of extra soldiers meant the king didn''t know of my identity. The garden was empty, with only the sound of crickets filling the air. Marina walked through the dirt path provided for guests, too focused in her current situation to notice the beautiful lunar flowers blooming under the moonlight. She paused in her tracks, noticing the young woman sitting on the bench across her. A staff rested in her right hand while her left was used to hold up the book she was reading. She wore a black dress, not that far different than the dresses a noble girl would wear. Her shoulder-length raven hair was adorned with a white flower. That''s her. The court mage. Marina took a step forward, growing her wand into a staff. "Hold it right there." Marina stopped. The young woman now gazed straight at her. "You bring your staff with you. You''re not a fool after all." She stood up, throwing her book nonchalantly to the air before it vanished. Dimensional Storage, Marina noted. "Marina Archimond, or rather, Marina Greenwood. The Verdant Witch of Death. I''ve heard many things about you. Not just what you did in Musa, mind you. But also what you and your family did in the Magocracy. To think a Council member can be taken down that easily¡­" The young woman now walked slowly towards her, her staff tapping the hard ground every step she took. She knew everything. Marina''s grip on her staff tightened. Even this kingdom, all the way to the north, is spying on the Magocracy. Then there''s nothing to gain by lying anymore. "As a fellow mage, I salute you. To stand up against those powerful mages, you''re either a hero or a fool. Or perhaps both. A heroic fool." A smirk manifested on her face. "Now don''t give me that look. I am a friend. I too despise the arrogance of the Magocracy. Ah, but where are my manners? I should introduce myself first. Greetings. I am Cecilia Xander, the court mage of the Ferus Kingdom and a first-class Wind mage. Charmed to meet you." The young woman put her left hand on her chest and bowed. "What do you want?" Marina narrowed her eyes. "And what did you do to my dryad?" "She''s fine. She''s simply caught in my anti magic creature rune that I have put all around the building. Clever idea, by the way, to use your familiar like that. Too bad she doesn''t know anything about evading traps." The young woman raised her staff slightly. The tip shone for a few seconds before dimming back. "There. Try to call her now." Marina did as she was told, though not without keeping her glare. True enough, the dryad appeared right in front of her. "Uwaaaa! I''m so scared, Master! I suddenly can''t move then it all goes black and I thought I''ll never see you again!" She threw herself to the earth mage, hugging herself as hard as she could. ¡°Please, Nysa, I''m in the middle of a conversation here. I never saw you being this much of a crybaby before.¡± Marina patted her head with a smile. She doesn''t look hurt in the slightest. The trap really was just to subdue, not to harm. Still¡­ "I don''t appreciate you making my familiar cry like this." Marina frowned at the court mage. "Oh, please." She rolled her eyes. "You should know that my trap was harmless. And you shouldn''t spoil her like that. A familiar is a mage''s servant. They have to be reliable." "She has given her life to me by giving her true name," Marina narrowed her eyes. "She''s part of my family now, not just a servant. And I don''t tolerate anyone who injures them." "Hmph, sentimental fool." The court mage shrugged. "But enough of that. Let us get to the main point of our meeting tonight." Marina raised her eyebrows. "Oh, and you might want to fix your dress. Your right nipple is visible. Your clumsy familiar had pulled your top a bit too much while she hugged you." Huh? Marina''s cheeks flushed as she looked down. Sure enough, the top had become lopsided, allowing one nipple to slip through. Ahhh! She quickly pulled it back up before sending a glare towards Nysa. You idiot! "A-ah, I''m sorry, Miss! I didn''t mean to!" "Do not worry." The court mage chimed in with a smirk. "As a woman who appreciates other women more than men, I¡¯ve never seen a nipple as fine as yours.¡± What?! Marina groaned internally. Oh great, she¡¯s a weirdo too. What is up with this kingdom¡¯s higher ups exactly? Still, I can''t let my guard down. She might be a pervert, but that doesn''t mean she isn''t a skilled mage. She has proven that well enough by catching Nysa. "Come. We can have our discussion on the bench over there." She glanced towards the bench she just sat on. "Or do you prefer us just standing here?" "I''ll take the latter," Marina answered without hesitation. That bench may have a rune trap on it. I can''t be too careful. The court mage sighed. "Suit yourself. You know, we were supposed to have this discussion tomorrow. But thanks to your dryad, I ended up changing my mind. You''ve taken by curiosity, Verdant Witch of Death." She smirked yet again. Curiosity. The last time someone grew curious about me, she ended up kidnapping me and forcing me to marry her imbecile of a grandson. I don¡¯t like where this is heading. Vol 3.5 Chapter 14: Marina’s Tale — Leylines "Then, let us begin. You sure you don¡¯t want to do this while sitting? Maybe when taking a walk? This garden is quite nice-looking, you know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good. Let¡¯s just get to the point.¡± ¡°Alright then, if you say so. Though your familiar¡ªdo you want her to listen in too?" She glanced at the dryad. "...Nysa." Marina turned to face her. "Make sure there aren''t any intruders to our conversation." "Of course, Miss!" The dryad smiled before burying herself underground. "You don''t have to do that, you know." The court mage smiled. "Do you think I haven''t taken precautions to make our meeting this evening private?" "...I don''t trust you." Marina responded. "Haah¡­" The court mage sighed. "Suit yourself. "Now, where do I even begin?" The court mage folded her arms under her chest, leaving her staff miraculously standing perfectly still on its own. "Let''s start with this. You will not do anything drastic with your magic ¡ª anything that threatens the safety of this kingdom and her people. So none of your hijinks in Tolany." "I only did that because I was forced to," Marina replied coldly. "As long as the people of this kingdom leave my family alone, I would not harm them." "Of course." A smirk formed at the dark-haired woman''s lips. "Come to me if anything happens. I don''t want you acting on your own, using your magic selfishly as if this kingdom''s laws hold no power over you. If you truly are going to be your grandfather''s successor, then you should learn how to solve your troubles without relying on your magic. Your brute force way of thinking ¡ª that is the way of the Magocracy." Her smirk grew. "I''m surprised they wanted you dead. What happened anyway? My spies couldn''t tell me the details." Brute force? It was the only way I could''ve saved Erika. This arrogant woman knows nothing about the real world. If I had dallied even for a second, Erika wouldn''t be with me right now. "I don''t regret what I did in the slightest. It was the only way I could''ve saved Erika from those filthy slavers," was Marina''s unflinching response. "And I won''t accept being compared to those power hungry mages at the Magocracy. They don''t care who they hurt as long as they get their way. If not for my family''s sacrifice, I would''ve become their slave." Still keeping her smirk, the court mage replied, "Let me guess. They tried to recruit you to one of their families. In your case, it''s Vera''s. Makes sense. That gnome is the weakest amongst the Council. She would be the one with the most need for more powerful mages under her banner." "It is not just her who is evil." Marina continued. "The rest of the Council ¡ª they approved of her plan. And now they wanted me, my brother, and my sister dead, for revenge on killing that gnome. They are my enemy, and one day, I will make them pay." "Oh?" The court mage''s smirk transformed into a grin. "And how are you going to do that exactly? They''re the most elite of elite mages. On your own, you stand absolutely no chance." "I''ll become stronger," Marina answered without hesitation. "I will reach Grandmaster-level and after that, I will become an Archmage, surpassing them all in magic." Hearing that, the court mage burst into a laugh. "Aha¡­ ahahaha... Ahahahaha!" She held her stomach with one hand as tears escaped her ducts. "Are you serious? You? An Archmage? No one has reached that level since Mira herself!" "I don''t care," Marina calmly replied. "Even if it takes me my entire life, I will reach that level of strength." I have to do it. I have to grow far stronger than I am now. It is the only way to keep Hugo and Erika safe. Let her laugh. In time, I will prove her wrong. Wiping her tears with her right index, the court mage resumed her speech. "Aaah, you''re certainly a curious one. I''m interested in you, Marina. How about it?" She grabbed her staff and pointed it at Marina. "I give you the offer to become my right hand woman in the Mage Corps." What? "The pay is really good, you know." She smirked. "Not to mention all the perks you got. You''ll get your own mansion and servants. And you''ll get access to our library of magecraft. We have some precious tomes there that I''m sure you''ll find some interest in. You want to get stronger, right? Maybe there are some useful spells in them that you can use." "...I apologize but I have to refuse that offer." I know what she''s doing. She wants me under her watch. If I accept, I would be forced to live here in the capital, instead of back with Grandfather. I would be this kingdom''s attack dog, just like her. I would lose the freedom I have. "Ah, how unfortunate." The court mage shrugged. "But then again, perhaps you''d be better suited growing plants back at your grandfather''s territory. And here I thought you were serious about growing stronger." She let out an obviously exaggerated sigh. "I''m fine training on my own, thank you very much." This woman is really annoying me more and more the longer we talk. She''s taking me for a fool. "On your own, huh? Then I hope you''ll be ready once the Magocracy makes their move." "I assume you and the griffon knights won''t come to my help when that happens." "Oh no, you''re mistaken." The court mage''s smirk returned. "I''m not talking about them sending their assassins to you. I''m talking about something much, much bigger." Marina raised her eyebrows. "...Something¡­ bigger?" "What I am about to tell you is a military secret of this kingdom. Unless you agree to become my right hand woman, I can''t tell you anything." "...The answer is still no." Ha, you think you can trick me with that? "Even if I can make your official post be located in your grandfather''s territory?" Marina fell silent. ...No. It''s still a trap. You can''t trust her, Marina. Who knows what she''s scheming with the king and the other nobles? How many people want your power, just like Vera did? "Thought so." A victorious smile appeared on the court mage''s face. "I can tell the king to make you be the mage guard of the north. We need military presence against those rebel dukes to the north. A mage at your level ¡ª you''re worth an entire army all by your own." Military presence? At least she''s honest in using me as a war asset. "How about it?" The court mage grinned. "Your pay would be a lot lower though, compared to being here with me. You won''t get that fancy mansion either. Not that you need it, since you have your grandfather''s house to live in." "I have no interest in being this kingdom''s weapon." Marina answered. "If you think I''m going to slaughter your king''s opponents just because he orders me to, think again." "Not even in defense? No one¡¯s asking you to invade their lands,¡± the court mage replied. ¡°We just want you to sit there on the north and act as a deterrent. With them knowing that the scary Verdant Witch of Death is guarding the borders, they will think thrice in trying anything against us. You¡¯ll help your Grandfather as well, since this means he can afford to pay less soldiers guarding the border, freeing his budget for other things, like your fancy farming project. It¡¯s a win-win situation. If you have any sense, you would¡¯ve taken my offer in an instant.¡± ¡°You think I will just take your word for it?¡± Marina¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Well, you can negotiate it yourself with the king tomorrow. I¡¯ll tell him that you¡¯re interested in the offer. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll agree immediately. I¡¯ll leave it up to you whether you trust him or not.¡± ¡°...Fine. I¡¯ll meet him and decide from there. I¡¯ll have to ask for Grandfather¡¯s permission as well.¡± If what she¡¯s saying is true, then I really should take the offer. And if the king tries telling me to do anything I don¡¯t want, I¡¯ll just ignore his orders, even if it means taking on his royal army. If I can¡¯t do that, then I have no chance whatsoever against the mages of the Magocracy. "Excellent!" The court mage clapped her gloved hands together. "Then¡­" Suddenly, the court mage''s expression turned all serious, the very first time it happened since Marina met her. ¡°Let me tell you why we have a suspicion that they¡¯re planning something big. Tell me, Marina. Being the great mage you are, you should know about leylines, do you not?¡± ¡°Leylines?¡± Marina raised her eyebrows. ¡°Of course I do. It¡¯s the network of mana flowing underground. Just like a human body has its own network of mana, so does the Earth itself.¡± ¡°Great! Then, I¡¯ll just go straight to the point.¡± The court mage¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡±The leylines of this continent¡ªthey are pulsating. In quite the unnatural way, I might add. And we have reasons to believe that the source of the pulse was located inside the Magocracy." ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡± I was about to say ¡°that¡¯s impossible!¡±, since I was taught that manipulating leylines is something that is beyond the reach of any mage. But knowing the Council, they might have been doing that in secret, away from prying ears and eyes of the public. "If they truly can manipulate leylines now, then they can bring natural disasters to other countries in this continent without even taking a single step out of their hole. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods ¡ª all that are on the table. And no one will be able to accuse them of any wrongdoing for what they did." Marina fell silent, trying to process what she just heard. ¡°But if you tell the other countries the truth¡ª¡± ¡°They will only believe me when it¡¯s already too late,¡± the court mage interrupted. ¡°May I remind you that the Magocracy has the strongest military in the entire continent? Even our kingdom will be crushed like a bug if they were to bring their full might against us. The other, weaker kingdoms would be even more hesitant to go against them. Not that it matters much. If they¡¯re smart, they will cause just enough disasters before people start to become suspicious that it¡¯s all artificial.¡± And the Church and the Empire are located on a different continent, meaning, they wouldn¡¯t be affected in the slightest, Marina added in her mind. "It''s fortunate that I have an interest in leyline research, or else I wouldn''t have noticed this phenomenon." The court mage continued with a grim smile. "I have sent a letter telling this information to both the Church and the Empire, but none of them has responded back." She walked forwards a few steps, closer to Marina. "I need you, o Verdant Witch of Death. I wish to protect this kingdom from them. Don''t you share the same wish? You and I ¡ª we both share a common enemy." Marina stared at the court mage''s face. The two locked their gaze for what seemed like an eternity. She''s not lying. I don''t feel falsehood from her. "...What are you planning to do then?" she asked. "Can you counteract it?" "No, that is beyond my ability." She shook her head. "That''s why I asked for the Church and the Empire''s help. I wanted their advice." "Then why do you need me?" Marina returned. "I don''t know how to manipulate leylines either." "Ah, about that.¡± Her smirk returned. ¡°You see, my spies had informed me that their Grandmaster-level Earth mage, Monas Vehta, has been involving himself in some sort of arcanic research underground inside his territory. We even had managed to pinpoint its location, which, wouldn¡¯t you know it, is exactly where the pulse in the leyline is coming from. So, as one that is closest to being at his level¡ªmy affinity is more towards Thunder magic, unfortunately¡ªI thought I wanted to ask for your assistance, o Great Earth Mage. You want to become a Grandmaster-level Mage, don¡¯t you? Then why not start by discovering a way to manipulate leylines, just like he did?¡± Before Marina could answer, their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the ringing bell coming from the clocktower nearby. ¡°Oh, look at that. It¡¯s already 10 o¡¯clock. We shall cut this conversation short for tonight. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll take you to my research laboratory, where I detected the pulses with my tools. That is, if you accept my offer.¡± She flashed her all too familiar grin. ¡°For now, go home and rest. The party should be over soon.¡± She turned her back and walked away, waving her left hand above her head as she left. Monas Vehta, Marina stood in place, deep in thought. Just what are you and the rest of your Council friends are planning? I¡¯ll stop you. I don¡¯t care for this kingdom, but if you dare to ruin Grandfather¡¯s territory, I will stop you. ------- Slipping back inside the ballroom, after recalling back Nysa, Marina arrived just in time for her grandfather to make his closing speech. He thanked the guests for coming, telling them that he was hoping for a deeper and closer relationship between their territories and his. The crown prince offered her the stage as well, unfortunately, so she had to follow suit, even though public speeches were certainly not her strong point. Just as her grandfather and Emma had instructed, she would basically just repeat what her grandfather had said, while looking as humble as she could. After all, they were the lowest in social stature in the room. Once that was over, the ball officially ended. It didn¡¯t take them long to leave the premises, heading straight back to their carriage. But not before the prince stopped them, telling his goodbyes to the Earl. And, more importantly, to Marina. ¡°Did you enjoy your little meeting with our court mage? She¡¯s an odd one, isn¡¯t she?¡± He whispered as he leaned forward towards her. Marina didn¡¯t bother gracing him with a response. ------ As the pair returned to their hotel in their carriage, the Earl, noticing Marina''s oddly serious expression, decided to strike up a conversation. "So, how did you enjoy the evening, my dear?" ...No response. Marina was resting her head against the window, staring outside to the dark roads of the capital. The Earl sighed. Something must be bothering her. "Was it the Prince? Was his attention not to your liking?" Marina glanced at her grandfather, noticing his voice. Straightening herself, she answered, "I suppose I don''t." The Earl chuckled. "You have no idea how many young ladies would kill to be in your position. Why, that daughter of Duke Treble, what was her name again¡ªLilian? She¡¯s about to be engaged to the prince. And during your dance with him, she looked absolutely livid. After all, you got to be his first dance!¡± He laughed. ¡°...That¡¯s not good, is it? They will certainly take offense to that.¡± ¡°Ha, they certainly will! Fortunately, there really is nothing they can do that can inconvenience us. Our territories have barely any relationship in the first place. And since our family is far detached from court politics, there is no danger of him accusing us of being a traitor who plans to unjustly gain the throne or something. The king knows that well.¡± ¡°...I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. With me as your daughter, one can easily argue you would use me as a weapon to conquer the kingdom.¡± The Earl paused, before letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°You¡¯re right, my clever granddaughter. Still, I have no love for that Duke. Or his family. Truth be told, I would rather have you marry the prince. Though, I know very well you would never be up for that. With all the terrible things you have suffered through, the court life of a princess just isn¡¯t for you, is it?¡± ¡°...No. It is not.¡± The carriage went silent, with only the hooves and neighs of the horses filling the atmosphere. At this late hour, the capital was mostly quiet, with the exception of taverns and pleasure houses which they weren''t passing by. "...Grandfather. I have to tell you something." ------- The hotel''s front lights remained as bright as ever when they returned. Marina descended the carriage first, with the Earl second. A handful of the hotel''s servants stood and bowed, before escorting them back into their rooms. It didn''t take long until their personal maids appeared (with Henrietta having a big smile on her face), taking over the job. After saying good night to the Earl, Marina entered her room, where Henrietta proceeded to grill her for everything that happened at the banquet. "Not now, Henrietta. I''m tired." "Aaw." The maid pouted. "Come now, Miss! Not even a single question? I just want to know if¡ª" Marina glared. "Alright, alright, sheesh, you''re grumpy tonight, Miss." The maid gave up, knowing when her mistress got stubborn, she got real stubborn indeed. She helped her undress in silence, unzipping the green dress on the back all the way down to the waist before pulling it down, releasing her mistress''s breasts in an explosive bounce. She gulped, drooling at the mountains of flesh in front of her. No. She shook her head. Now''s not the time to admire them. Miss is in a bad mood and I''lll get scolded again if I dally. The maid then bent down and pulled the dress all the way down to Marina¡¯s feet, revealing her firm buttocks and the tight fitting panties that contained them. A waft of her mistress''s trapped scent entered her nostrils, sending shivers all throughout her body. Hmm? That''s¡­ "Miss, you''re carrying your wand in your undergarments?" "...Oh. I completely forgot." Marina pulled the wand out. "Aren''t you afraid it might accidentally fire on its own?" "What kind of a second-class mage do you think I am, Henrietta?" Marina frowned. "Oh no, I didn''t mean any insult, Miss!" The maid stood up. "It''s just that¡­ it''s the same as hiding a dagger underneath your dress, right?" "I suppose it is." Her frown shifted into a smile. "But, as a mage, I am not going to go anywhere without my wand." The maid shook her head, folding her arms on her waist. "And here I hoped you''d be more like a proper granddaughter of an Earl. But now I know it''s futile to ask the great Verdant Witch to act like an ordinary noblewoman." She smirked. "I see you understand." Her mistress followed suit. "Now, fetch me my nightgown." -------- The next morning, as promised, Marina made a morning visit to her grandfather''s study. "Ah, you''re here. Please, take a seat." Her grandfather was already there, sitting at the usual chair. Marina took the chair across him, over the table. "So, to resume our discussion from tonight¡­" "Please, be honest with your opinion, Grandfather." Marina interrupted. "Yes yes, you truly are your father''s daughter. He would have the same expression as the one you''re having now whenever we got into an argument." He chuckled. "As for my opinion, I''ll put it simply ¡ª I suggest you accept her offer." "And the reasoning being¡ª" "The reasoning being, disregarding fame and wealth, which I know you have no interest in, this is a perfect opportunity to gain favor with the court. With the court mage as your ally, you will gain the favor of the king as well. You told me he has an interest in strengthening our northern borders, which includes ours. He will be indebted to you if you take on the role as the kingdom''s protector. And besides, if those people from the north invade, you''ll defend us anyway, whether asked to or not. So why not earn something on the side?" A thin smile formed on his face. Marina fell silent. Only the rhythmic ticks of the grandfather clock in the room could be heard. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You don''t think this is just their ploy to control me? Make me a tool for their plot?" "Ha! That''s exactly what they are hoping, my dear!" The old man laughed. "But, as long as you keep that stubborn pride of yours, I think you¡¯d be fine. You wouldn¡¯t let them get their way every time, unlike those griffon knights who are honor-bound to serve the king and his court with their lives.¡± Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Once again, the clock''s sound echoed throughout the room. "...Very well. I''ll accept her offer." "Good. Though, you''ll visit the king first on this matter before we have our business talk?" "Yes. She wants to show that even if I take the job, the king is fine with me staying here, even though I''ll technically be that court mage''s right hand. Though, I have to ask you, Grandfather, are you familiar with the court mage? Miss Cecilia Xander?" "Hmm¡­" He scratched his chin. "No, I am not. In fact, I know barely a thing about her. She suddenly just showed up one day and became the court mage." "That''s¡­ curious¡­" As I thought, I really can''t trust her just yet. The chair creaked. The Earl had stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don''t worry. You''ll do just fine. If they try anything you don''t like, you come to me right away, alright?" "...Of course, Grandfather." Marina smiled, before placing her hand on his, gripping it tightly. I¡¯m sorry, Grandfather. But I don¡¯t believe you can help with the oncoming storm. If they¡¯re really planning something with this continent¡¯s leylines, then it has to be something big, whether it¡¯s natural disasters or something else. And I fear, whatever they¡¯re up to, is not going to bode well for the rest of us. Especially people like you, who have no magic talent in blood. You are merely garbage in their eyes. It¡¯s up to me to protect you instead. I failed to protect Father. I won¡¯t make the same mistake twice. Vol 3.5 Chapter 15: Marina’s Tale — Menito The two had their breakfast afterwards, before readying themselves for their trip to the royal palace. Marina took a quick bath before dressing herself up in her mage attire. No point dressing up in that stuffy clothes anymore now that she wasn''t going to the ball. She and her grandfather departed in their carriage, heading straight to the large castle located in the middle of the city. The town used to be a simple castle town in the old days before it grew and grew until it became the city it was now. The guards lowered the drawbridge as their vehicle approached. Leading the pack was a knight on a horse, who had come to them as their escort. Their ride ended right at the front doors. A guard opened their door, bowed, and asked them to follow him. Marina walked outside first, proudly carrying her staff with her. The guard eyed the large branch-like stick with a worried look but for not more than a second, quickly returning to his professionalism. As only Marina was invited to meet with the king, the Earl was told to wait inside one of the guest rooms instead. Each would be escorted by their own guards. "Be on your best behavior, alright?" The Earl smiled, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You don''t need to tell me that." Marina grasped said hand. "There''s no need to worry. I have had my lessons with Emma after all." While her grandfather waited on the first floor, Marina climbed the large stairs to the second floor where the throne room was. On the way, the luxury of the place didn''t escape her. Every step of the floor was covered in the finest red carpet, with no signs of dust whatsoever. Armor statues filled the corridor, while paintings of all sorts decorated the walls. Some of them caught her eyes as they were portraits of the previous kings and queens who used to rule this kingdom. This nation was decently old, as it was founded around 300 years ago after a devastating war consumed the northern part of the Southwestern Continent. Though of course, it was nothing compared to the millenia-long history of the Empire and Magocracy. After walking for what felt like an eternity, she finally arrived at the large, ornate double door where the throne room was behind. "Announcing the arrival of Lady Marina Archimond!" Marina stepped inside, looking right towards the person sitting on the other end of the room. He''s¡­ the king? He looks far younger than I expected him to be. He looks to be just around Father¡¯s age. He even has the same body type, with wide shoulders and toned muscles. Was he a fighter of some sort in his youth? He was wearing a tightly-fitting white shirt and blue overcoat over a red fur robe. If it weren''t for said robe, Marina was sure she would be able to see his ripped biceps. Marina knelt once she was fifteen steps away from the throne, give or take. That was what Emma taught her, just one of the many etiquettes one must observe when meeting a head of a nation on their throne. She glanced at the dark-haired woman beside her. It was, who else, Cecilia Xander, the court mage. The prince didn¡¯t seem to be there, however. ¡°Please, stand.¡± The king¡¯s voice was loud and clear, brimming with confidence of a ruler who knew what he was doing. Marina had no choice but to obey. ¡°So, you¡¯re the Verdant Witch of Death. You¡¯re younger than I expected you to be.¡± The king had a smirk on his face and he was slouching ever so slightly on his throne. ¡°Yes, some had called me that,¡± Marina answered, locking her gaze at him without hesitation. ¡°However, my true name is Marina Archimond, granddaughter of the Earl of Grandfort.¡± ¡°And, you are here because you are willing to accept my offer, I take it?¡± He scratched his hairless chin. ¡°You are correct, Your Majesty. As long as the conditions I have negotiated with Miss Xander is fulfilled, I am willing to serve as her right hand aide.¡± ¡°Conditions? Ah, of course! You want to stay at your Grandfather''s side! How honorable of you! And we certainly could use a mage of your caliber up north. So no, I have no problem with your conditions whatsoever. However¡­ I have a condition of my own." Marina frowned. "I want to see your strength, Lady Archimond. So come. Show me the best spell you have on your repertoire." Marina paused. What? What does he want from me? She glared at the court mage''s direction. Hey, you didn''t tell me about this! "...I apologize, Your Majesty. But if I were to do as you ask, this castle would be no more." "Fascinating!" A glint appeared in his eyes. "Are you truly that strong? A mage that equals the military might of a small kingdom. I only knew one person who fits that description." He glanced at Cecilia. "How about it? You want to go for a little spar with her?" The court mage scowled and sighed, turning her lithe body towards her lord. "No, there won''t be any sparring today. Or tomorrow. Or ever. I am not going to show her my magic and neither would she. So stop messing around, you idiot king." Idiot king? Did she just nonchalantly insult him? "Fine! You win yet again, as always!" He threw his arms up to the air. "You can''t believe how boring it has gotten lately! Here I thought a king is entitled for some entertainment once in a while." He let out an exaggerated sigh. "Just so you understand, we''re your court mages, not your court jesters." She frowned. How can she act that casually towards him? ...No, Emma''s not wrong. This king is just an oddball. "Well, enough of that." The king stood up. Now that he did, I realized he was a tall and large man. Cecilia''s height only reached up to his chest and since she was around my height, I should compare the same. He walked down the small stairs, going straight towards me. Stopping at just a few steps away, I had to tilt my neck upwards to be able to see his face. "Marina Archimond." He offered his hand. "Would you promise to defend Grandfort with your life?" "...You won''t ask for the rest of the kingdom?" "I know your kind. You''re just like Miss Gloom back there. Selfish mages¡ªthe two of you. It''s folly to expect you to fight like a knight would. You''d only use your strength to defend those you care about. Thus, I only task you to defend the territory of your grandfather." ...Call me surprised. This king¡­ he might be not that bad after all. "Very well. I accept the duty you''ve bequeathed to me, Your Majesty." I accepted his hand. His grip was firm and resolute, to the point that it hurt a little. "Excellent!" He grinned, releasing my hand. "Now, feel free to go to that meeting of yours or whatever." He gave a shooing gesture before walking back to his throne. So he really is not going to be there. ...Hold on. I have an idea. "Your Majesty." He halted his steps and turned around. "Hmm? Anything else, Lady Marina?" "I have a request to make regarding that meeting." ------- ¡°You¡¯re quite the bold one, aren¡¯t you, making demands to His Majesty after you already agreed to his terms? You¡¯re lucky he¡¯s fond of you. With her audience with the king over, Marina was now going towards the guest rooms where the Earl was waiting. But not without Cecilia forcibly accompanying her. ¡°I thought I should leverage what I can from him,¡± Marina replied. ¡°In case the upcoming negotiation was to fail.¡± ¡°How shrewd. You sure you¡¯re a mage and not a merchant?¡± The court mage smirked. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be waiting in my workshop for you to sort out your business. Just ask the nearest guard and he''ll take you there." Cecilia waved her hands nonchalantly, taking a different path from where Marina was heading. Judging by her direction, Marina estimated that her workshop was located somewhere at the back of the castle. Putting off the court mage on the back of her head, she resumed her walk. ------- The meeting was set to take place on the eastern wing of the castle. Entering the room with her grandfather, Marina was greeted by a large roundtable in the middle, designed so everyone who sat on it would see each other as equals. An old grandfather clock ticked ominously in the north of the room, right behind one of the seats. Its friend, the large continental map, hung on the other side of the room. Completing the trio was the magic lamp shining its light from above, replacing the job of the nonexistent window. What a dour, stuffy room. Just as expected from a room to play politics, I suppose. They arrived last. The dukes and earls they would speak to were already there, chatting amongst themselves. It took the Earl''s cough to stop their chat. "Ah, the guest of honor! Finally, we can begin!" The one speaking was Duke Treble. Just like last night, he looked as toad-like as ever. After they took their seats, a squad of butlers and maids came with their teas and biscuits. Marina, finding the liquid drink to be especially delicious, drank a full cup before the Earl finished his opening speech. Luckily, her maid refilled it in an instant. What is this sweetness? I''ve never drank tea this sweet before. As for the speech itself, The Earl began by saying how honored he was that they would listen to his proposition, followed by the general plan of his project and the reason why he needed their support. At least, until the toad-like duke interrupted him. "I apologize, but I would rather hear the explanation from your granddaughter instead. She''s the true mastermind behind this project, correct? It would be far clearer for all of us if she''s the one speaking." A vile, predatory grin decorated his face as he glanced towards Marina. ...I see. You want to test me, don''t you? You believe me for a naive, foolish girl who needs to hide behind Grandfather. Very well. I''ll rise to your insolent challenge. "He''s right, Grandfather. As one who suggested the project, I should be the one to speak." Staring right into his beady eyes, Marina continued. "As he was saying, the resources needed for the project would be¡­" Marina then proceeded to explain every aspect of her plan flawlessly. No matter how he tried to question or belittle her with his questions, she answered them all in a way that he could not rebuke. And so, when she was finished, the entire table was convinced that aiding her project would benefit them as well. Even the toad-like duke himself, albeit begrudgingly. Marina couldn''t help but smile when she exited the room. ------- "That was wonderful, my dear." The Earl placed his hand on Marina''s shoulder, beaming with pride. They were now standing in a corridor not far from the meeting. "I never knew you''re that proficient of a speaker." "I simply told them the truth, that''s all." Marina smiled, looking back at him as she grabbed his hand. "You carry yourself with perfect confidence, answering their every question without a hitch. I especially love the way you told them that you''re the Verdant Witch when they questioned the efficacy of your seeds." He grinned. "Do you see the look on their faces?" Yes, Grandfather. They''re afraid of me, the Great and Terrible Witch of Leaves. As they should. "Excuse me, Milord, Milady." Marina turned her head. It was a maid. "The court mage requested for Lady Marina''s presence in her facility." How impatient. "I assume you''ll escort me there?" "Of course, Milady." She bowed. Marina looked back at the Earl. "Go." He smiled, releasing his hand. "I can return to the hotel on my own." "Please, follow me." Giving one last look at her grandfather, Marina obeyed. ------- The maid brought her all the way to the other end of the castle, passing through multiple hallways and a small courtyard. The place was large, larger than she expected. On the way, she passed by a number of servants and soldiers, all bowing once they were aware of her presence. Their curious gazes didn''t escape her notice however. Their trip ended in front of a tower, isolated from the rest of the castle. It was easily as tall as the castle itself. The maid spoke to the guards standing on the entrance and like the others, they gave their bows as well. "Please, Milady. Miss Xander is waiting." One of them spoke. Marina craned her neck upwards. This is her research facility? It''s too small horizontally. I don''t think it would be convenient, having to go up and down every time you want to go to a different part of your lab. She placed her left hand on the structure. Still, it''s just an ordinary stone tower. I feel no mana flowing through it. Or, she''s just that good at hiding her runes. With the maid still escorting her, she entered the tower, where she was promptly greeted by the sight of two spiral staircases going up and down, with the one going up being wide open, allowing anyone to just jump from the highest floor, and the one going down, which was the opposite, as it was going down a tunnel. This tower has a basement? How curious. Raising her eyebrows, Marina followed the maid who opted for the latter. "This place has a basement?" She asked. "Yes. It was built by the request of Miss Xander," the maid replied. "Her laboratory is down here while upstairs hosts her personal library and observatory." "Observatory?" "Milady is quite fond of watching the stars in her free time." The maid glanced back with a smile. "Though she claims she''s not an astrologer by any means." Their footsteps, followed by the rythmic knocking of Marina''s staff, accompanied them all the way to the bottom. Magic torches lit the steps they had to take, so there was no fear of falling. The air, however, was stale, due to the lack of ventilation, making it somewhat hard to breathe. Just how deep this basement is? We''ve taken at least a hundred steps now. Just when she was about to protest, she saw the end of the stairs. The tunnel ended with a wall and a small wooden door on the side. The maid opened the door, light bursting out from the room inside. "Please, follow me." What lied beyond that door took her breath away. This is¡­ A massive cylindrical room awaited her, filled with magical tools and instruments, a lot she didn''t even recognize. Mages went back and forth, each busy with their own research. But of course, the big elephant in the room was the giant floating crystal smack dab in the middle of it all. It was pure black, and she could sense a peculiar pulsation emanating from the mysterious object. A quiet hum filled the air as well, the source being the crystal. This really is a mage''s laboratory! Back at the Academy, we have one for students to use, but it can''t compare to this! Not in the slightest! Stepping inside, she felt a shift in the air, almost as if she just walked into an invisible bubble. She could breathe normally now, as if she was back outside. This is magic, isn''t it? You can generate fresh air with wind magic for sure. "Ah! Finally! My new right hand woman!" Floating above the crystal was the court mage. She had seen that technique before, from her little brother. Though her version seemed to be less of a jet and more like a ripple. Perhaps she''s hardening the air where her feet are. She landed in front of her with a smile. "Thanks for your service. You can go now, Chamille." She told the maid. "You''re welcome, Milady." The maid curtsied. "Please excuse me." She bowed to Marina one last time before leaving. "Cute, isn''t she?" The court mage grinned once the maid was gone. "Chamille''s my personal maid. Brought her along since she''s good with the papers. She looks like that but she''s already married. Her husband is a soldier though so I had to be the one keeping her company at night." Marina scrunched her forehead. "...You''re admitting you''re sleeping with her?" "Why, yes." She folded her arms as her smirk continued. "As the court mage, I have the authority to sleep with whoever I want, as long as the other party gives their consent. The king is pretty liberal in that department. Oh, and that includes you, of course. You look like you could relieve some tension yourself. How about it? Tonight, in my mansion, nine o''clock. I promise you''ll feel good~?" "Enough." Marina scowled. "I''m not here to joke around. I''m here because of the leylines. Not to be the receiver of your inane flirtations." "Alright, alright, geez, are you always this uptight?" The court mage shrugged. "Follow me. I''ll show you around." The court mage resumed her levitation, floating beside Marina as she walked down the spiral around the tall room. "Be careful now. Don''t walk too close to the edge or you might slip and fall down." She giggled. Marina didn''t know why she never installed any railings and she couldn''t be bothered to ask. Now at the first floor, she noticed how all the other researchers were females as well. How convenient for her, Marina scoffed internally. "Alright. Let''s just get straight to the point, shall we?" She walked over to the base of the giant crystal. "This, my friend, is a dowsing crystal. A massive one, built specifically under my instructions. You see this hole, and the thin string going down into it?" She pointed her staff right underneath the floating crystal. "That goes really, really far down, about one farna, believe it or not. Using this configuration, I can catch even the subtlest motion in their normally harmonic stability." Marina followed. Sure enough, the string and hole were there. She wasn''t lying, at least, not in that part. "I''ve heard of dowsing crystals before." She turned to the court mage. "But I was under the impression they''re to detect metal and underground water, not to detect leylines." "That''s why it''s so big!" The court mage smiled. "I need it to be this size to be sensitive enough to detect the leylines. It''s hard work, you know, getting the gnomes to build this thing." She knocked on the crystal. "And even then, I still need the additional string. Leylines are located far below precious rocks and underground rivers, near the planet''s molten core. You¡­ do know about how this star is structured, right? Do they teach that in the Academy these days?" Marina furrowed her eyebrows. "You used to be a student there?" "Oh no." The court mage smirked. "If you want to know my personal history, you have to take me out to dinner first." "I''ll pass then." "Miss Xander. Apologies for interrupting, but you might want to see this." S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Their conversation was interrupted by one of the researchers. Judging by her firm eyes behind her spectacles, Cecilia immediately realized it wasn''t a trifling matter. "It''s another large one, isn''t it?" Cecilia frowned. Cocking her head towards Marina, she said, "Come. You have to see this too." Marina followed the two to the corner of the room with raised eyebrows. A peculiar machine sat there¡ªsomething she wasn''t quite familiar with. It was a pitch black square with an inking needle hovering above it, held by a simple hand that came out from the square itself. A long, yellowed parchment sat on top of the square, obviously designed to be the medium the inking needle would write with. "This is also a gift from the gnomes." Cecilia smiled, seeing Marina''s befuddled expression. "They call it the Menitograph. ''Menito'' being the gnomish term for leylines. It records the pulses from the leylines automatically. All we need to do was to feed the parchment. As for how it communicates with the giant crystal, well, I''ll leave the boring technical stuff for later." Marina peered onto the device. The inking needle, and the hand that was holding it, were moving on their own. Up and down and up and down they went, forming squiggly lines on the parchment under them. The lines didn''t stay forever though as they soon vanished mere moments after the needle drew them. "Memory Parchment." The court mage explained further. "It can store so many more lines of texts than your ordinary parchment. Another terrific invention by the gnomes." The bespectacled researcher lifted the hand, taking off the parchment from the device. She then muttered something under her breath, most likely a magic command, making a swarm of lines appear on its surface. "Here is the graph from the last five minutes." She placed the parchment beside the device, on an empty spot on the table. Marina''s eyes followed. That spike at the end. That''s the pulse? "According to my calculations," the woman adjusted her glasses. "The standard deviation of the graph has increased 100% from the usual. And it lasted for four minutes and thirty three seconds. The chance for this being a natural phenomenon is a mere 2%." "Meaning, this is most likely their doing again." Cecilia put her thumb near her lips. "Calculate the energy fluctuation at once. I want that report an hour from now." "Right away, Miss!" The scientist took the parchment away, but not before replacing it with a fresh new one from the stack to the left of the device. "Well," Cecilia returned her attention back to Marina. "That''s the kind of work we''re doing here lately. Originally, I wanted this lab as a forecasting station for incoming natural disasters, but thanks to those snobby mages, this is my life now." She smiled wryly. "Standard deviation?" Marina tilted her head. "I believe that''s a runemancy term, correct?" "Yes. To be more precise, it''s part of arithmetic runemancy. Using math to craft magical runes and items. It''s a pretty neat discipline, if I do say so myself." "I take it you''re fond of runemancy?" Marina continued. "You did catch my familiar with it after all." "I know a thing or two, yes." She gave a prideful smile. "How about you? You have any interest in it?" "No, unfortunately." Marina smiled grimly. "I was never that good at it in the first place. Which is why I question why you brought me here. I can''t help with this. I don''t even know how to read that graph." "It''s simple." The court mage replied. "All you need to know is that normally, the line would be smooth with little disturbance. But you remember how it keeps going up and down? That''s a sign of leyline instability. Something is disturbing its natural state. And, using advanced calculations by comparing different energy states over several months, we can ascertain that disturbance comes from inside the Magocracy''s territory. I''ll give you the calculations but I doubt you''ll understand." ¡°You don¡¯t have to rub it in my face like that.¡± Marina pouted. "Though once again, I don''t see how I can help here." "No, your job is a lot different than ours." The court mage raised her staff and a book popped out of thin air. "Here. Read this book." Marina gingerly took it off her hand. Reading the cover, she found the title written in golden letters. A Hypothesis Towards Leyline Manipulation. Looking further down, she found the name of the author. Makina Albatross. Albatross? Have I heard that surname before? ¡°Take your time. The subject¡¯s pretty heavy after all. It discusses a hypothetical way an earth mage can manipulate leylines. Something about growing a tree with roots that could go all the way down there. Personally, I don¡¯t see how that would be possible. But I¡¯ll leave it up to you, O Verdant Witch of Death.¡± The court mage smirked. ¡°Oh, and I¡¯ll send you the occasional letters. Please respond to them. You don¡¯t want me to get lonely, don¡¯t you?¡± Marina only responded with a silent, unamused glare. "Hmph, and here I thought us genius mages should stick together." The court mage pouted. "Study it. Tell me if you really can implement what the book is saying. I demand a progress report at least every month. That''s the task I gave to you as my second-in-command." "Fine." The book vanished once more. "I''ll look at it. If that is all, then I will¡ª" "One more thing. Do you like the tea in your meeting back there?" Marina furrowed her eyebrows. "That''s a local product from my territory. I was granted the rank of baroness when I took this job so I have my own land. If you like it, then I''d be willing to sell them to your grandfather. I''d do it myself but I really can''t be bothered doing all that merchant and territory management stuff. Left it all to my head maid back home." She smiled. "... I''ll tell him about it." --------- Finished with her visit to the laboratory, Marina was now free to return. A different carriage had been prepared for that purpose by the court mage. Without a word to her driver, she climbed inside, resting her head on the window immediately afterwards. "Straight to the hotel, Miss?" The driver asked. "Yes, straight to the hotel." With a crack of his whip, the carriage moved. On the road, she remained without a word. Thoughts swam in her head like a school of fishes, all vying for her attention. The court mage, the leylines, the project, even the tea. Before she knew it, all these problems were now hers to carry. Inadvertently, her thoughts wandered far, far away, to her little brother, who was still out there on his own in the world. Should she just abandon all this and chase after him? No, he wouldn''t want that. If he wants to come back, he will. There''s no point in me chasing after him. He can take care of himself just fine Sighing, she crossed her legs. A drizzle just started outside, forming droplets all over the window, blocking her sight. Hmph, I drank too much of that tea. Now I need the privy. Still, it was a delicious tea. Maybe Grandfather can benefit by reselling it all over the country. Or I can study it and grow my own. I''m not sure if Cecilia will be happy if I do that though. She summoned the book from before. Might as well start reading from now. If I can tap into the Earth''s leylines themselves, I can create an extremely powerful treant, I imagine. And with it, I''ll finally have a chance against the Magocracy. I was right to take this position after all. ----------- A/N: Some more worldbuilding, introducing more magic that isn''t just throwing spells at each other. Math magic is only a thing in runemancy, and it''s not really intended for direct, offensive use, unfortunately. Also, I was tempted on elaborating more on the business meeting, but eh, it''s not really that important. I already got flak by writing too much without the plot moving enough. After this, I think I finally will return back to Hugo. I have a Nicole chapter in the works but timeline-wise, it will happen quite a bit after Hugo reaches the Demon Continent. Vol 4 Chapter 1: To The Demon Continent Hugo "Why¡­ why didn''t you¡­ save me¡­" I could do nothing as I saw that sight played in front of me yet again. The little girl¡ªthere was always the little girl¡ªdying without me being able to do anything to thwart it. Sometimes she would die with her heart pierced by a blade from behind. Sometimes she would melt like a candle under a searing light. And sometimes, she would shatter into a million pieces of frost and ice. Every time, there would be nothing I could do to stop it. And every time, she would look at me, judging me like the worthless man that I was. But now, it was different. Her visage had changed. It transformed into a form I was all too familiar with. Erika. H-huh? What? Why is she¡ª ¡°You are a failure, big brother. Always has been. Always will be.¡± Stop it. ¡°You have failed me. You have failed Big Sis. And now you¡¯ve failed her as well.¡± Stop it! ¡°All you can do is run away. So go on ahead. Kill yourself. Just like you did in your old life.¡± STOP IT! "Aah!" ¡°Haah¡­ haah¡­ haah¡­ haah¡­¡± Cold sweat drenched my clothes. Tears dampened my cheeks. There was even some snot crawling out of my nose. The only thing that saved me from complete humiliation was my dry shorts. I still remembered wetting myself every time I had those nightmares two years ago. Erika¡­ goddamnit! I punched the mattress under me. Luckily, my fist didn¡¯t hit the sleeping woman beside me instead. It was Felicia. ¡°Urghh¡­ urghh¡­¡± A low mumble escaped her lips. Looking closer, casting a tiny fire spell on my finger to illuminate the darkness, I could see tears under her closed eyelids. Gently, I wiped them with my other index finger. She too had been having nightmares. And every time she would mumble ¡°Forgive me¡­ forgive me¡­¡± over and over. She said she dreamt of everyone she had disappointed and betrayed, from Leila to her parents and brothers. And so, here we are, two sinners sharing a tent together. I know it would hurt Sherry if she saw me in this state, but I had no choice. I had to comfort her, and she insisted on comforting me back. It had been a month since that tragedy happened, and yet, none of us could really move on from it. No, there is no moving on from this. We¡¯ll carry this cross to our graves. I gazed at her sleeping face. It was contorted with fear and anguish before, but now, after I wiped her tears and patted her head, it returned to a peaceful one. I sighed. I really am falling for her. Though to be honest, I¡¯m not even sure if this feeling I have is one of love. I simply wish to comfort her to the end of her days, to make her happy, not to be tormented by nightmares like this. I also wished for her to regain the confidence that she once had. Thanks to her perceived failure, she readily offered her body to me, saying that I shouldn¡¯t hesitate in using her for my comfort. I refused, of course, not because I had no desire to, far from it, but because she believed her body to be sinful and worthless. And I would be a disgusting human being, more than I already am, at the very least, if I were to take advantage of that weakness. And so, we only cuddled together every night, nothing more, nothing less. Well, I might have squeezed her breasts a couple times, or even peeked at her cherry red nipples, but other than that, we had a clean relationship. Our goal now was to get off this continent as quickly as we could, before the Church could catch up to us. With the remaining funds I had in my wallet, I should be able to procure two tickets to the Demon Continent once we arrived at Vermouth. And while we were in said port town, it would be nice if I could buy her a new staff. She needed a way to defend herself. Even though it would be expensive, it was an expenditure I would gladly fund, even against her will. "Mmm¡­" Suddenly, she stirred, her eyes fluttering open. "M-Milord¡­ You''re awake. Having nightmares again?" "A-ah, yes, just a bit." "Come here then." With a smile, she raised her arms and brought my head down to her bosom. I didn''t resist. I let her carry me into her warm, fragrant bosom. Ever since she could find wild flowers that she could use to make perfumes, she would always wear it at all times even when she slept. I wasn''t dense. She did it because she wanted to be more attractive to me. "Shh, it''s alright, it''s alright." She patted my head. This feels¡­ nice¡­ and warm¡­ and fluffy¡­ Sleepiness soon overtook me. I no longer cared about the shamelessness of being treated like a child by her. I drifted off to dreamworld, and this time, without any nightmares plaguing it. It was working. Her warmth and motherly touch were the light that comforted me in the dark. And, according to her, my warmth did the same to her, which gladdened my heart as I wanted to repay the favor. Without realizing it, I had let her crawl into my heart. Heh, so much for being faithful to Sherry. ----------- Our route took us northeast as the port town was in that direction. As a precaution, we opted not to take the road other travelers would take (Viridian Road), opting instead to make our way through the hills. Sure, we traded off some speed by doing so, but it was better than being caught in the middle of the road by a bunch of Church soldiers. On the road, we had gained some information about how the Church was sending soldiers to the Demon Continent as there were riding tensions between the human city-states and the demon-ruled territories. "If I have to guess, the Inquisitor and her subordinates were originally part of said force." Felicia surmised. Speaking of the Demon Continent, I had to set aside some time every day to learn the Demon Tongue, since it was the main language there (in the demon-controlled territories anyway). Felicia became my teacher, something she took great delight in, as she had learned the language in preparation for her future travel there. We arrived at Vermouth with minimal problems in the road, just a couple of monsters I could easily take care of. Though Felicia was displeased she could do nothing to help me. Really, her personality now is like a 180 degree switch from her old one. Makes me wonder if her old personality is just her acting tough, and this new Felicia is her true, vulnerable side. Haah, that only makes me want to protect her even more. As the only port town to the Demon Continent, this level of business was as to be expected. It was only advantageous to us since it meant we could easily slip by the crowd without anyone giving any thoughts about us. We looked around for a bit, wanting to know if there were any bounties on our heads. There weren¡¯t any posters on us, it seemed, but we didn¡¯t dare checking the Adventurer¡¯s Guild since the adventurers there would make the connection immediately if we did have a bounty on us. Even with hair dyes and a disguise, the risk was simply too great. And so, we promptly made our way to the docks. To our luck, a passenger ship was departing to the Demon Continent right on that night. I didn''t hesitate. I put a substantial amount of my coins to buy two tickets, for myself and Felicia, who stood there beside me as I spoke to the quartermaster. "You two are going to share a room, are you not? Or else you have to pay extra." The ticket lady asked. "Yes, we''ll share," Felicia answered with a smile before I could respond. "Wonderful!" She clasped her hands together. "I would be sad if lovers like you sleep in your own bunks!" L-lovers? Ah, I suppose we could be seen that way to strangers. We don''t look alike so we can''t be siblings. After receiving our tickets, and the instructions on how to board our ship, we made our way back to the market we had passed before. We intended to sell our horse wagon, and, if we''re lucky, purchase a staff for Felicia. For the former, it didn''t take long until we found a willing buyer, a dwarf with a thick white beard that obscured his face. For the latter, however, we had to go around the market a lot longer, as most of the staves we found were of poor quality or just fake entirely. Like any other open markets in this world, the only protection from fraud was the buyer''s own cleverness. Felicia insisted that giving her a cheap staff was acceptable but I disagreed, arguing that it would be troublesome for me too if her staff were to break mid-fight one day. In the end, we settled with a pitch-black staff with a purple crystal on the top, sold by a lamia woman who promptly declared it was the fitting staff for her. She said she could tell that Felicia¡¯s specialization was Dark magic, so she sold her a staff fitting for a dark mage. She tried to sell me a staff as well, a wind-aspected one, but I refused, saying I just didn¡¯t have the funds to afford two staves (which was true). "I-I can''t possibly accept this! T-this staff¡ªi-it''s too much for me!" Felicia protested. "See? Told you your price is too expensive." I smirked towards the lamia. "Oh please, you already cornered me that much with all your bargaining. How dare you pretend to be a hapless kid just to get a cheaper price?¡± She scowled. ¡°How shameless.¡± ¡°Well, then it can¡¯t be helped.¡± I shrugged, turning back to face Felicia. ¡°Just accept it. I need you to be at your best if we¡¯re going to cross the Demon Continent after all.¡± ¡°T-thank you! Thank you so much, Milord! I-I promise, I will take care of this staff for as long as I live!¡± An annoyed huff came out from the lamia. ¡°A grown woman fawning over a little kid. Bah, humans,¡± I heard her whisper under her breath. When the sun was beginning to set, we made our way to the docks, praying they wouldn''t catch us before we boarded. To be frank, since I saw barely any Church knights walking around, I had a hunch the news of our deeds had not reached here yet. Not to mention that the Church had their own ship so there shouldn''t be any Church knights onboard ours. So I was pretty optimistic of our chances. There was a long line of people boarding the ship as they had to check our tickets one by one. Well, I said "tickets" but they were more like tokens, special coins that you gave before you were allowed to board. There was no name or any other identification on it, so a thief could just steal one and board the ship. Quite a lousy system, in my opinion. I noticed how there were quite a lot of demons in the line, along with other nonhuman races like elves (light and dark), beastmen, and even gnomes. I even saw some of them working as part of the ship''s crew. Huh, I guess this town is relatively open-minded compared to the rest of the Holy Continent. Oh, normally, I would ogle all the exotic women on the line, but for some reason, I just don''t have the urge to do so. Sure, monster girls were never really my thing to my old self, but that didn''t mean I couldn''t appreciate the dark-skinned elf lady over there who wore only a leather bikini with some boots and a cape. If I had to guess, it''s because I''ve gotten used to Felicia''s sexy body since we slept together for so long. I no longer blushed whenever my face got buried in her chest or when I saw a glimpse of her nipples. Eventually, after waiting for what felt like an eternity, we boarded the ship. We made our way to our room as quickly as we could, wanting to be seen as little as possible. Our room was tiny, with no furniture other than a small bed and a reading table+chair. It was the cheapest private room I could afford. There was a cheaper option, where you shared one big room with other passengers, but once again, we wanted to be out of sight as much as we could. "Milord, I don''t mind if I were to sleep on the floor. Two of us on this bed would be too cramped, no?" "It''s fine." I smiled. "In fact, I should be the one sleeping on the floor." "N-no, I can''t possibly make you do that! Not when you''ve given me so much!" ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to sleep together again then. Like usual.¡± Thinking about it, my old self could never have been this bold. It¡¯s true what they said. The more you interact with a girl, the more you have the confidence to say things like this with a straight face. ...What¡¯s that? Sherry wouldn¡¯t be happy? Of course she wouldn¡¯t. But frankly, I started to have the feeling I shouldn¡¯t be putting in so much of my hopes and dreams towards her, not when I have a hot older lady near me like this who also yearned for my affection. Sure, I made a promise with her, but I had broken that a long time ago, ever since Fiora forced a kiss with me. And besides¡­ She probably wouldn¡¯t want to be with a loser like me anyway. ---------- Our trip through the sea started uneventful. We kept to our room most of the time, only leaving to use the communal bathroom and to eat. The bathroom was easy enough, since it was placed just at the end of our corridor. But to eat, we had to go to the mess hall and ate there just like the rest of the passengers. Thus, we were forced to dye our hair and use fake names whenever someone nosy tried to start a conversation with us. It''s a shame, really. I wanted to be out there on the deck, watching the wide blue sea, maybe climbing all the way up to the observation post with my magic. This world actually had quite the unique geography to it. The people here already knew their earth was round (as they should, since the ancient Greeks could figure that out), but they could never explore the other half of the world, as there was this thing called the Endfog that would swallow any ships that entered it. Said Endfog circled the entire known world. Many scholars had speculated what could lie beyond it, from a number of continents just like ours to the afterlife itself, but no one really knew for sure. I spent my days reading the books I had brought with me. And that naturally caught Felicia''s attention. "Milord, if I might ask, what is the book you''re perusing?" "Oh, this?" I was then resting on the bed while she sat on the small wooden chair. "It''s just a storybook. Thought I already trained my Demon Tongue well enough. "A storybook?" She smiled as she stood up. "What''s it about?" "It''s about the story of a genius kid mage who goes around having adventures. It''s written by someone from the Magocracy so you know what to expect." "Oh?" Her interest perked up. "Anyone who isn''t a mage is portrayed as inferior?" "Yep." I chuckled. "Although¡­" I trailed off, looking away with a sigh. "Although?" She raised her eyebrows. "I guess¡­ you can say I''m jealous of the main character. I know, I know¡ªit''s a silly thing to feel, but he''s a bit like me in many ways, or rather, I wish I could be more like him." Felicia paused, seemingly taken aback by what I said, before she sat down on the bed beside me. "Why?" "Well¡­" I then told her the summary of the plot so far¡ªhow the main character was the son of a duke close to the king, granting him the privilege of making the young princess be his childhood friend. And of course, in no time at all, he made her be fond of him with his magic tricks, to the point of her willingly sleeping with him (non-sexually, of course). And of course, the king was completely fine with it. After all, the main character had foiled a kidnapping plot that threatened her daughter (that whole event also made said daughter grow even fonder of him). "And you are jealous of him?" "Yeah, a bit." I smiled wryly. "Is it because of the princess?" She frowned, turning her head away. "You know, Fantine was quite fond of you. Her eyes all sparked when she first spoke to me about your visit.¡± ¡°Ah, her.¡± Fantine Falsythe Fiania, the sole princess of the Fiania Kingdom. The very incarnate of the stereotypical princess. ¡°I guess so.¡± I still remembered that moment clearly, when she lifted her dress to show her glorious frilly silk panties. ¡°It¡¯s not just about a princess being fond of you though.¡± ¡°Then what is it, Milord? Tell me what you desire.¡± She crawled forward on the bed. Her face was now really close to mine and I could see a glimpse of her nipples peeking out from her loose dress. I looked away. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ he¡¯s a much more responsible person than I am. Smarter too. He managed to foil the princess'' assassination, discovered the duke who was responsible, and told the king his plan to punish him without causing a civil war. And he did all that when he was around my age. No wonder the king happily arranged his marriage to the princess." Felicia retreated, a frown displayed on her face. Crossing her arms, she replied, "You know it''s just a fictional story, right? A Magocracy propaganda. It''s not real. You can''t compare yourself to an idealized character like that." "I know." I smiled wryly. ¡°But still, I want to be someone like that.¡± I looked away. ¡°Not a failure who ran away from his promise; who let a little girl die on his watch.¡± I stood up, announcing my need to go to the latrines before leaving the room. In truth, I didn''t really need it. I just wanted to stop the conversation from heading down that direction again. I would tell her I was a worthless man, she would say that I wasn''t and that she was the worthless one, I would say she was wrong, and so on and so forth. When I returned, she was sitting on the bed, reading the book I was reading. Noticing my appearance, she put aside the book and stared at me with a surprisingly firm look. "If you want to be more of a responsible man like him, then you should follow his lead with the bandit girl." Eh? "He took her in as his second wife. He didn''t just abandon her because he already had the princess, especially after she confessed how much she loved him ever since he saved her. S-so, you should take me as your second wife as well." Redness crept into her cheeks. ...Ah, I get it. The bandit girl turned into banditry because of the tyrannical regional lord who demanded an unreasonable amount of tax from his subjects. And so, to feed her family and village, she turned to banditry, until one day, the protagonist is sent to subjugate her. Instead of executing her on the spot, he opted to spare her, knowing the truth of her circumstances. He even petitioned for a reduced sentence. However, the court would have none of it, as any banditry is punished by death, so the only option he had was to make her part of his household, granting her immunity from such a punishment. That''s¡­ not quite the same as Felicia''s circumstances though. I sighed. "You know, unlike him, I don''t have to marry you to protect you." Hearing that, a switch seemingly flipped inside her head, turning her blushing face into a furious one. "No!" She yelled. "I won''t settle for that! Do you think I would ever be happy, being at your side every day for the rest of my life but not being able to touch you in the slightest? Do you think I would be at peace knowing that every night you''re laying down with another woman while I have to sleep on my own? No! I would rather die than to live like that!" Oh boy, her eyes are tearing up. I really chose the wrong words, didn''t I? "You saved my life¡ªmade me stay in this wretched world a little while longer! And you stole my heart as well! Take responsibility! Make me happy! just like you said you would!" Her body was now shaking and tears were trickling down her cheeks. "If not, then you should''ve left me to die instead!" The old me here would probably say something thoughtless like "it''s not my fault you fell for me!", which is true, technically speaking. But only a bastard with no empathy to others would say that to a crying girl. I have made my choice to make Felicia be part of my life. And it seemed there really was no other choice than to make her my wife, if I were to make her happy. She was right. I wouldn''t be able to bear it if I had to stay with a girl I like while her husband nailed her in bed every night. I shouldn''t have said that. What a stupid, insensitive thing to say, Hugo. This is why you can''t get any girls in your previous life. I walked up and hugged her as tightly as I could. I was still not as tall as her but I was quickly catching up. The tip of my twelve-year old self''s head now reached her nose. "You''re right. I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have said that." I whispered before releasing her, putting my hands on her shoulders as I stared right into her eyes. "I promise. Once we meet Sherry, I''ll ask her to allow you to be my second wife." "And if she doesn''t want to?" "I''ll kneel and beg if I have to." "Even after that?" I paused. "You¡­ won''t choose me over her." She averted her gaze. "N-no, I wasn''t saying¡ª" sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It''s fine." She forced a smile, taking down my hands from her shoulders. "I understand. From your story about her, she seems to be a much better person than me. You two will be a good match." "And now, if you''ll excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom." I could do nothing as she left the room. I rested my face in my palm. Damn it, Hugo! You messed up again! When she returned, she didn''t say anything about our conversation from before. And I hadn''t the courage to bring it up either. I didn''t have it¡ªthe answer for her question. What would I do if Sherry remained stubborn and refused to allow Felicia into our household? I sighed. This is the problem with having harems in real life. No sane woman would want to share their husband with another. That night, for the first time since we started cuddling together, once I was asleep, she released me from her embrace and opted to sleep on the floor instead. Vol 4 Chapter 2: Battle At The Stormy Sea And then, it happened¡ªthe storm that hit us on the fifth night. It was no ordinary storm. Our whole room tilted violently back and forth with every wave that crashed onto the ship. We could hear loud yelling coming from up above too, as the sailors were no doubt busy trying to control the ship. ¡°Should we check upstairs, Milord?¡± Felicia asked with a worried look. ¡°Usually with a storm this violent, there would be monsters accompanying it as well.¡± She was right. Remembering the monster guide I had read, sea monsters would often get carried by sea storms, and when said storms hit an unfortunate ship, they would join in for the fun as well. ¡°You¡¯re afraid this ship will sink?¡± I asked back. ¡°Just in case.¡± She bit her lip, her face as pale as if she had seen a ghost. Or the equivalent scary being for a necromancer. She never was good with ships in general. Even though this wasn¡¯t the first time she had boarded one, she still had to drink potions to keep herself from puking all over. Me? Heh. This body didn¡¯t have such a weakness, unlike my old self. ¡°Alright then.¡± I nodded. ¡°We should wear our cloaks, if just to keep us dry for a little bit.¡± We made our way to the deck, taking care not to lose our footing as we walked through the corridors and up the stairs. The ship was seriously listing now. This storm¡ªit might just be too much for the sailors. I might be able to shoo the storm clouds away with my magic, like I did with the snowstorm back then, but I would rather not show my full capability. I would just draw attention to myself, something I did not want. But again, if it¡¯s that or sinking in the middle of the sea, it¡¯s not like I had any other choice, did I? When we reached the decks, it was chaos all over. People were screaming at each other, their voices drowned by the loudness of the storm. The sailors were going back and forth, trying to get the ship back under control. ¡°Let them go, you wet-fingered sea-witch!¡± And then, we saw him¡ªa dwarf wielding something reminiscent of a rifle back home, only far more antique. The tip opened outwards, to the point of looking like the large end of a megaphone. Hmm, I believe the name was blunderbuss? I never really was good at my gun knowledge. And he was pointing it to¡ª ¡ªHoly hell what in the world is that?! I was rendered speechless, as my eyes finally recognized the great towering shadow that stood beside the ship. And now, with my sight focused there, I realized what it was¡ªa gigantic woman made out of the waves itself grinning with glee towards us. ¡°T-that¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s an Undine! A fey of a sea!¡± Felicia barked. ¡°B-but that can¡¯t be! There shouldn¡¯t be any fey of her strength anywhere near the route this ship is taking! They should only exist in the deepest part of the sea where no men would ever go!¡± The dwarf fired. The bullet flew through the air, hitting the woman right on the middle of her chest. And then, before it went through her liquid body entirely, it exploded into a flurry of ice and snow, freezing the fey from the inside. ¡°Ha! See how ye¡¯ like that ye stupid fey bimbo!¡± The dwarf laughed. Only for him to regret it immediately after as the fey unfroze herself, raining shards of ice at his location, piercing him. ¡°Gah!¡± He fell, but he refused to go down still, He remained on his knees, aiming for another shot. ¡°Silly mortal! Your loud toys can¡¯t harm me!¡± The undine giggled. ¡°Nor the boring steel and magic of your companions.¡± I then noticed them¡ªa pair of man and woman being suspended in mid-air near the fey inside separate bubbles. "If you want them so much then come and get them!" The bubbles popped and one by one the adventurers inside them fell. And, since they were not above the ship, there was only one destination they could end up to. The stormy, watery depths down below. ¡°Tch!¡± I ran forward, drawing my wand in the process. I then cast a wind spell that blew them back onto the ship. I then turned my attention towards the gigantic water lady. Focusing my mind, I reached out to Spring Fairy and Earth Sprite, summoning them to the battlefield. I then asked them if they got any idea how to handle this oversized water spirit in front of them. ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s an Undine!¡± Spring Fairy answered with her usual excitement. ¡°She¡¯s really big though. I wish I could get as big as her. Then I can put Master on top of my head and we can fly around with ease!¡± ¡°Freeze her. Undines don''t like being frozen." Earth Sprite answered with a deadpan tone. "I know that. Anything else?¡± ¡°...No. Apologies for not being more useful.¡± ¡°Alright, you two! Your jobs are to protect the sailors and anyone else that¡¯s on this ship! I¡¯m counting on you, alright?¡± I said with a confident grin. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± they answered in sync. Spring Fairy flew away with her wings while Earth Sprite turned into a mud and slithered away. I guess even with her evolution, she still retained her original ability of mud manipulation. ¡°Ooh? Who¡¯s this? Another playmate?¡± The Undine now had her attention at me. ¡°Ooh, you¡¯re quite the young one, aren¡¯t you? How cute. I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯ll turn you into my plaything.¡± ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t! He¡¯s mine! I won¡¯t let you get to him!¡± It was Felicia. She rushed onto my side and put up her shadow barrier. ¡°Leave this ship, you wretched fey! You have no right to be here! We haven¡¯t entered your kind¡¯s territory and thus you have no reason to attack us!¡± ¡°Urgh, an old hag. I have no interest in you. Go away and let me be with the cute one.¡± ¡°A-an old hag?¡± *CRACK* I could almost hear her veins tightening. I spared a nervous glance and sure enough, she now had an outright murderous smile etched into her lips. I knew for a fact how sensitive Felicia was about her age. Every time I brought up Sherry, she would often bring up how old she was compared to her. However, hearing it from an enemy, and another girl nonetheless, was another matter entirely. ¡°Stand back, Milord. Let me handle this.¡± ¡°H-hey! You¡¯re not supposed to attract attention, remember? If you go all out with your dark magic¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. We¡¯re going to land on the Demon Continent soon. And there¡¯s no law there that bans the usage of dark magic.¡± She stabbed the dull end of her staff to the floor and yelled, ¡°Shadow Strike!¡± Her shadow spread into a large circle, before firing off spheres of shadows towards the fey. ¡°Ooh? What¡¯s this? Do you think a spell like this could harm me?¡± With ease, the Undine created holes on her body, letting the spheres pass through without a single one landing. ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn! I¡¯ll snatch you into the depths!¡± With a youthful laugh, the Undine dived towards the ship. Acting akin to a tsunami, she intended to push everyone off board. I readied my wind wall. Felicia quickly reinforced it with her own shadow barrier. As for the other people, I glanced to the side to see them being encased inside earthen huts, courtesy of Earth Sprite to be sure. Spring Fairy on the other hand fired her own counter-wave, though it was a lot smaller than the Undine¡¯s. The giant wave crashed, and for a second, I thought the entire ship would have been flipped over by it. But miraculously, we survived with zero casualties. ¡°Boo! You guys are no fun!¡± The Undine pouted. "Guess I''ll just cut this wooden thing in half then! If I do that, then you finless mortals would surely all drown!" I readied my wand. I would bombard her with ice spells, and then¡ª ¡°Alright! That¡¯s enough, you evildoer!" I looked towards the voice. And discovered that it came from on top of the ship¡¯s observation mast. ¡°Cease your actions at once! Or you would have to face I, the beautiful and deadly legendary knight, Lady Ashleen of The Butterfly Blade!" There, on said mast, stood a female knight. Her blue cape billowed on the wind¡ªher sword pointed at the Undine. She had blue eyes and long golden hair, the latter tied to the back of her head. Her two sidebangs reached down to her shoulders and they were billowing in the wind as well. She wore a heavy armor as her top and a long skirt as her bottom. As for her race, she looked to be an elf, judging by her pointy ears. "Ooh! Another one!" The Undine giggled. "This one is still young as well! Good! Another playmate for me to play with!" "I''m not your playmate, you ignorant swine! I am your judgment and reckoning! And if you don''t wish to die, I suggest you scram and never show your face to me or these good people again!" "Ahahaha! This one is very funny indeed! Is this what they call a knight? I''ve never drowned one before so this should be a happy new experience!" "...Hmph! I see you won''t listen to reason! Very well then! I shall bring my holy blade down and exorcise the villainy out of you!" She leaped down from her perch. Only to slip in the process, landing face first on the floor with her butt in the air, revealing to me and Felicia that she was wearing lace white that day. "Umm¡­" I exchanged looks with Felicia, who looked to be just as confused as I was. The girl quickly recovered, however, (how did she not get brain damage from that?), standing up once more with her blade drawn towards the fey. "Stand back, you two! I''ll handle this!" ¡°Hey, you should¡ª¡± ¡°Aaah, take this, you villain!¡± Before I could say anything, the elvish knight already ran towards the Undine. In a move so stupid that it beggared belief, she leaped to the railing of the ship, landed her foot on it, and then used it as a stepping stone so she could leap right towards the Undine. "Take this! Vorpal Blade!" She made a series of rapid thrusting motions with her rapier, and then¡ª She fell. Right into the stormy waters outside the ship. Never before had my palm fly into my face this fast. "Should I help the idiot, Milord?" Felicia frowned. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Uh, yeah, you should." Felicia tapped her staff, fishing her back onboard using her shadows. She shook her body up and down, making her cough some water out of her mouth, before throwing her back below deck through the nearby door. "Stupid old hag! How dare you do that to my playmate?!" The undine''s booming voice returned our attention to the real problem. It seemed she wasn''t happy with our rescue of the idiot knight. And now, neither was Felicia, as she just called her an old hag for the second time. "I have a plan, Milord," she said with a cold smile. "In my storage, I have kept a jellifying agent. It should work with all sorts of water, even the one that made up the body of an Undine." "Do you really have enough to turn that much water into jelly?" "No, but all we need is the core. Or rather, cores." "Cores? But I thought undines don''t have cores. I certainly don''t see anything resembling cores inside of her." "Any living creature has a core in them, even feys. It is where us mages get our power and it is where the fey draw their power as well. And since she''s so big, she must have multiple cores spread around her body. However, unlike, say, slimes, you can''t see them with naked eyes. They are far subtler. I tried to determine where they were using my shadow spell, but the Undine was clever enough to dodge it without revealing any obvious weak spot she tried to protect." "...This core. What''s it''s size?" "About the size of a grape each." "I see. Leave it to me then. I think I know how I can find those cores." "H-huh?" A look of surprise was drawn on her face. "How would you do that, Milord?" I smirked. "Just watch and see. Oh, and give me your jellifying agent. I''ll use them immediately once I reveal those weak spots. Meanwhile, your job is to cover for me from a distance. Distract her as much as you could." Heh, judging by her expression, she didn''t really understand my plan. No matter. There''s no time to explain. She summoned the bottle right into my palm. I quickly stored it safely inside my pocket. ¡°Oh, also, prepare an antidote for the process.¡± She raised her eyebrows, opening her mouth to protest, but she was interrupted by the Undine. "Are you two done talking? Really, you start to bore me! I''ll sink this ship! Truly!" The fey pouted. "Sorry for the wait.¡± I smiled, taking a few steps forward. ¡°I''m ready to take you on now." Using Wind Step, I dashed forward and up, right towards the Undine. Felicia on the other hand fired her shadow tendrils¡ªone of them grabbing my waist so she could fetch me in case anything went south. "Ooh! A combination attack! How exciting!" Mimicking Felicia''s spell, the Undine created her own water tendrils. Some of them went after me, which I blocked or parried with my sword. The rest went to Felicia, who used her tendrils to counter them. I focused, closing my eyes in the process. And then, my Vision activated. Dots of light now colored the blackness behind my eyelids. If I had to describe, it was akin to a constellation, but with the lines already drawn. It was her Mana network. This was my new ability¡ªto see the flow of Mana in all living things. After I learned how to dispel spells¡ªbarely I might add¡ªI kept training to increase my range. That made me realize I could now increase the range where I could sense Mana. Normally, a mage would only sense his or her own Mana. But now, as long as I focused, and the target wasn''t too far away, I could feel their Mana as well as my own. Repeating the same process to dispel a spell, I tried to disturb the flow of Mana at one of the spots. A loud shriek immediately ensued. "Ouchouchouchouch! Human! What are you doing?! It hurts!" My grin grew bigger. Now that I knew where the cores were, I just needed to splash the content of his bottle all over it. For a grape, one drop ought to be enough. "Get away! Get away!" She fired a volley of water spears at my direction as she tried to flee. With a swipe of my wand, I deconstructed them mid-air before any could land. I had trained this as well, using Felicia as my partner. The concept was basically the same with Dispel Magic, so it wasn''t that hard. I then aimed it at the core in her left thigh. "Aaargghh! It hurts! It hurts! Stop! This isn''t fun anymore!" She lost her balance, making her fall down into the ocean. I chased after her, not intending to let up in the slightest. "Haaaaahh! Just drown, you stupid human!" She formed into a wave, no doubt intending to swallow me whole straight to the ocean floor. "Felicia! Make a Shadow Barrier!" "Got it!" The Undine wrapped herself around me. As she couldn''t get through my barrier, she switched to trying to shatter it with water pressure. I focused once more, conjuring the image of her Mana network once again. Reaching out with my own Mana Network, I sent disruptive energy towards all five of the cores. "AAAAAAARGHHH! GYAAAAAAHHHH!" The fey violently trashed about as she lost control over her own body from the pain. Basically, she was having a spasm fit. It was the perfect opportunity to deliver the finishing blow. I took the deepest breath I could before dispelling Felicia''s barrier. And then, I swam to each of the cores, firing the jellifying agent. The bottle possessed some magical quality, in which it would only expel its content if you pressed into it. Basically, like a plastic ketchup bottle. It immediately took effect. The water surrounding the agent hardened in an instant, turning into a jelly that the fey could not control. Quickly, I swam upwards, not wanting to be caught in the process. Just in case, I activated my Vision once more as I did. Sure enough, the flow of Mana coming out from those five spots was halted. In fact, they were coagulating, almost like a blood clot. And, I wasn''t a master of biology or anything, but I was pretty sure she would die if that continued as her Mana would rupture. She would dissolve into nothingness, and whatever Mana remained would return back to Fey land where it would spawn a new fairy completely. I flew above the water surface using Wind Step, and as I did, I saw her face on the water, pleading at me to give mercy. "STOP! STOOOPPP! I DON''T WANT TO LOSE THIS FORM! PLEASE! I''LL DO ANYTHING! ANYTHING YOU WANT!" I stopped. There was indeed something she could do for me. "Tell me your name then. Your true name." ¡°S-SAVE ME FIRST, HUMAN!¡± ¡°No. Tell me your name first.¡± I wasn¡¯t so stupid to just throw away my advantage. "F-FINE! M-MY NAME IS¡ª MY NAME IS DYNU! DYNU NENEDI!¡± ¡°Then, Dynu Nenedi. First, I command you to never be hostile to me, Felicia, or anyone else without my permission. Secondly, I command you to make a pact with me. Become my familiar.¡± I needed more strength. A giant-sized Undine would certainly be a significant addition to my arsenal. I didn¡¯t care that I was basically enslaving her. For sinking human ships for fun, it¡¯s a fitting punishment. She reached out to me with her remaining strength, wrapping me inside a water ball made out of herself. However, this time, she did it gently, and I could still breathe inside. Now that I had given her orders, she had no power to resist. Only for a sharp pain to stop the process. ¡°Gah!¡± I knelt down. ¡°Damn it! I still can¡¯t add more summons, huh?¡± There was a limit to how many summons a mage could have a pact with. Most mages, ones that possessed the talent for summoning, would only have one. I had two, while Marina had three (or even more). I had tried adding more summons years back, but this was the result. I could send the other two packing, but I wasn¡¯t that kind of a person. Getting stronger was not my end goal anyway. I only got strong so I could be the kind of man I wanted, and I wouldn¡¯t want to be a man who abandoned his loyal servants that had served him for years just because he wanted a stronger one. I quickly stood up. ¡°Oh fine. You don¡¯t have to be my familiar. In exchange, you shall protect this sea route from other sea monsters.¡± Might as well put her to do something good. ¡°Hey, Felicia! The antidote!¡± She nodded, using her shadow tendrils to deliver me another bottle. For this one, I liberally spread its contents all over the undine¡¯s face. In fact, I just threw the entire bottle into her mouth once she opened it. The pained look on her face quickly changed into relief. ¡°Oh thank you! Thank you so much, kind human! You really kept your promise! I was wrong to think that your kind are all liars! I promise I¡¯ll do as you say!¡± And with those words the Undine disappeared, sinking herself back into the deep dark waves. Hmph, what shame. I really wanted her as a familiar. And there¡¯s no guarantee my ¡°summon slot¡± would increase once I was older or when I became a better mage. Like Marina said, normally, a mage couldn¡¯t grow the maximum amount of pacts he or she made. And would you look at that? The storm and waves had. So it was the undine¡¯s fault after all. I made my way back to the ship, landing without any further incident. Felicia, who had the biggest smile I had ever seen on her face, rushed towards me and gave me a big, hearty hug. ¡°Ooh! You¡¯re safe! I¡¯m so happy, Milord! So happy¡­¡± She sniffed as she buried my face inside her cleavage, as she often did. ¡°Hey, hey, I told you before, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯ll handle that oversized water balloon. No need for theatrics.¡± I patted her back. She released me, though still keeping her hands on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, Milord! You were really cool back there, you know!¡± Being praised like this, and by a pretty woman too¡ªI couldn¡¯t help having a stupid grin on my face. It wasn¡¯t just her, however. The rest of the sailors, and the adventurers we had saved¡ªall took their turns thanking us. The captain, who was an ogre, placed his big red hand on my head, saying with tears how he hoped his infant son could be just as brave as me when he grew up. It didn¡¯t take long until they started to ask for our names, however. Thankfully, we had recited this beforehand. ¡°I¡¯m Hugo Greenwood. And she is Felicia Myne. We''re a pair of traveling adventurers. It''s a pleasure to meet you all." I gave a smile and a bow. Yes, we were using our real names. After some discussion, we decided on this option, as our fake name was already "tainted" by what we did against those Inquisitors. As for our real names, only the Magocracy, who was now two continents away, was after us. I had told Felicia what happened with Ilymhyrra and Elun. Both had promised to make the Magocracy leave us alone (well, in Elun''s case, after her defeat, she just gave up on the whole thing). But honestly, the real reason why we decided to take up our old name back¡­ It was me. I was the one who insisted. I was sick and tired of running away, using false names and hiding my true strength¡­ I was done with all of that. "Y''er woman there¡ªshe''s a black mage, ain''t she?" I was broken out of my thoughts by the dwarf, who was eyeing Felicia with suspicion. "Don''t give me that look, lad." He turned his attention towards me. "I don''t have any problems with black mages. I am just worried ye''ll get into trouble with those templars once ye get off. They had been looking for a female black mage¡ªa necromancer they said. And ye woman look just like her. Scarlet hair, ample bosom, slim legs, beauty that any men would kill to sleep with." A chill appeared behind my neck. Slowly, my hand traveled to my pocket, close to my wand. Felicia''s grip on her staff tightened as she readied for combat as well. "Relax lad." The dwarf smiled, patting my kneecaps. "None of us are any friends of those holier-than-thou bastards. Not after you saved our lives.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± One of the sailors responded. ¡°Hear hear!¡± Another one followed. The captain put his hand on my shoulder with a big toothy grin on his face. ¡°Kiddo, look at me. I¡¯m a big scary ogre. Even if I wanted to sell you and your lover out, those bastards won¡¯t give me a fair amount of coin for it. And don¡¯t worry. These landlubbers won¡¯t speak up either.¡± He gestured to the rest of the sailors, who all had grins on their faces¡ªsome with missing and yellowed teeth. I glanced towards Felicia. She still stood there all tense like a cornered cat. Well, I wouldn¡¯t blame her. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could trust them either. But, it was no reason to be rude. ¡°Then, I am in your debt.¡± I gave another bow. Seeing me do it, Felicia quickly followed. ¡°Good! Good!¡± The dwarf laughed, patting my kneecap some more. ¡°Now, how about we go inside and have a good drink? Oi Captain! You can handle the rest on your own, right?¡± ¡°Bah, of course, you bearded old fart!" The ogre laughed as well. "Tell the bartender that all the ale is on the house for tonight! Oh, and lad." He put his hand on my shoulder before shaking it. "Go drink my share, will ya?" He grinned. I could only nod with a nervous smile. Vol 4 Chapter 3: From Stormy to Steamy The rest of the night went like a blur. The other passengers, wanting to celebrate our victory against the undine, filled the tavern in a flash. And, as the guests of honor, we were pretty much not allowed to leave. "So I said to the troll, ''Get your fat arse off my cart before I chop yer head off!'' Bwahahahaha!" The dwarf was pretty much the stereotypical drunk dwarf you could find on any fantasy novel. He pretty much dragged us to his table, put five giant tankards on it (three for him and his friends, two for us), and recited all sorts of fancy tales that I felt had a lot more embellishment than truth. All the while drinking and laughing and belching, occasionally all three at the same time. His party members weren''t any better. The human and the dark elf were openly having a drinking contest, and since they were a couple, it quickly led to them openly groping and kissing each other, right in front of our faces. Oi oi you¡¯re going to do that in front of a minor? I exchanged yet another miserable glance with Felicia. She shared my desire to leave, that much was clear on her face, but as long as I stayed, she would stay as well. ¡°Lad! Drink up! What are ye¡¯ doing just sitting there? Drink up! Drink up!¡± The dwarf, already at his third mug, took my barely-touched tankard and shoved it forward. Suddenly, I was reminded of my old life. One day, I got roped into attending a drinking party by my co-workers. Back then, I was miserable. I barely drank anything and I just sat there awkwardly, stealing glances towards some of the more attractive female co-workers. God, I must look like a creep back then. And so, I took the tankard and chugged all of its content in one move. "M-Milord!" I ignored Felicia''s warning. A real man can drink a lot, right? Then I''ll show them just how much I can drink! I finished with a burp. The moment I put the tankard now, the adventurer trio cheered and clapped, with the dwarf being the loudest. "Well done, lad! That''s what I want to see! No matter if yer a dwarf, a human, or a prissy elf, a real man downed all their drinks at once! Nothing of that sipping donkey arse!" "M-Milord, a-are you alright?" "I-I''m fine. Just¡­ need to rest for a bit." "Rest? What are ye'' resting for? Ye think the cap'' would be happy with that? Oi, sheepie! Give him some more ale, will ya?" Sheepie was the nickname the dwarf had chosen for the sheepfolk waitress. ¡°Yes! Yes! Coming right up!¡± She came over with springs in her steps, dressed in a white top and green skirt. My eyes inavertedly traveled to her bouncing peaks, and her bending over to put down my mug didn''t help matters. "Here you go, little hero!" She giggled. "Don''t drink too much now! You don''t want to get a tummy ache in the morning!" "Bah, nonsense! This kid here isn''t a kid anymore! He''s a man! Only a man would be brave enough to do what he did!" The dwarf exclaimed. "Hmm, I can see that, yes." The waitress put her index on her lips with a smirk. "The way he''s staring at my chest¡ªthat''s a man''s look right there." I spurted my drink. I glanced towards Felicia, and sure enough, she had a jealous pout on her face. "Ha! Really! He''s been staring, haven''t he? How about me, boy? Like you see?" The dark elf grinned as she cupped her chest. Unfortunately for her, her size was B-cup at most (quite the difference from the typical busty dark elves you find in fantasy novels), so the effect was minimal. "He ain''t looking you thirsty woman!" The human laughed. "Your chest is too small for his taste!" "Why you!" The dark elf pointed at her lover. "You say that yet every night you fondle them until I''m sore!" From that point onward, they devolved into the usual couple argument. Well, couple argument. I couldn''t help but sigh. My old self would''ve criticized them for being shameless, but honestly, their argument was not the kind of hostile argument, say, a divorcing husband and wife might have. It was all in good fun. "Don''t worry about them, lad. They''re always like that. Like cat and dog yet they bone each other every night. My poor ol'' self can barely get any winks thanks onto them." What the dwarf said was true. Soon, they returned back to groping each other. The human groped her chest and chewed on her ears while the dark elf openly grabbed his tent with both hands. "Her two-handed sword," she openly declared. "Oh! That''s right! We haven''t told ye who we were, had we? Where are we manners? The name''s Kurgikk, S-rank adventurer and blacksmith. The human there is Aren, and the dark elf is Manatee. We¡¯re the Horstgang Manifest.¡± The dwarf then went on to regale me the tale of how they met and why they decided on that name. Meanwhile, he made sure that I continued to drink. As I still resolved to actually be a good guest in this party that was supposed to be about me and Felicia, I did as he told. It didn¡¯t take long until the alcohol started to take its effect. ¡°And that¡¯s how we decided on that name. Pretty great story, eh?¡± He laughed. ¡°How about ye? What¡¯s yer party called? Ye two must be S-ranks as well, right?¡± ¡°O-our party?¡± I blinked. ¡°Y-yes, our party..¡± I looked at Felicia. We hadn¡¯t actually decided on any names. In fact, we never even thought about it in the first place. ¡°We¡¯re the Worthless Wanderers." She smiled. "What?! What sort of name is that?!" The dwarf burst into laugh as he pat me on the back. "Worthless Wanderers? Might as well name yourselves Stinkin'' Travelers! Gahahahaha!" He chugged his ale down, wetting his white beard in the process. "So, where are you heading, Worthless Wanderers? We''re going south to Marka. Heard they got a lot of good jobs there." "I see." Felicia smirked. "Us, we will be going further south than that." "Ha! You got some guts, lad, heading to the Great Wilderness." I glanced at Felicia''s smirking face. "So, how about ye two go with us? We''re heading down south too after all! The more the merrier!" "Apologies, but Milord prefers us to be traveling on our own. He¡­ prefers the privacy." The dwarf paused, before bursting into a laugh once more, patting my back over and over. "Ha! I get it! Ah youth! How did ye get such a pretty lady as your bedmate anyway? Yer, what, twelve, thirteen? I have slept with some whores before, sure, but never something permanent. Keep her safe and happy, alright? That''s what a real man does." Before I realized it, my body had swayed widely to the side. Out of reflex, my hand responded, grabbing any object it could grab to prevent my fall. Only for it to land right on Felicia''s right breast. She let out a light gasp. "M-Milord?" And then, I fell. --------- Felicia "Milord!" I rushed forward off my seat, thankfully catching him before he hit the floor. "Milord! What''s the matter? Are you alright?" I shook his body. "Take it easy, woman!" The dwarf laughed. "Look! He''s just having a nice nap!" "A nap?!" I looked back at him. And he was right. Milord was there with a blissful grin on his red face¡ªhis chest gently going up and down at every breath he took. "He can''t handle the ale, that lad! Just three mugs and he already knocked himself out!" "Then you should''ve not pushed him to drink that much!" I fired back. "What are ye, his mother? A man should be allowed to drink as much as he wants!" I sent him another glare before I walked off the table, carrying Hugo in my arms. "Ooh, he''s out, eh?" The dark elf grinned. "Then, we''ll be off too. Back to our bunk, my love!" She slapped her lover''s behind before dragging him on his arm. I quickly followed, serenaded by an uproar of drunken cheers and laughs from the other patrons who noticed our leave. "Oi, lass! You want help carrying him?" The dwarf shouted. I ignored him, making my way out to the hallway on my own. I glanced down at Milord''s sleeping form. I made my way back to our cabin, stopping many times on the way as Milord''s weight was too much for my weak muscles. Not that he was overweight or anything. In fact, it was the opposite. When he slept, I had the opportunity to examine his form. And underneath those loose clothing, he had quite the muscle on him already, no doubt built by the training he always kept up every day (he always started the day with some push-ups and sit-ups). He always tried so hard, all for the sake of getting stronger, just so he could protect what''s precious to him. All the while never forgiving himself for the many blunders he had made in his short life. He was easily the most mature man I had ever shared a bed with. When we arrived, I gently placed him on the bed. "Urgh, Sis¡­" "Sis, did I¡­ do good?" He would mumble either about his family or about that Sherry girl (naturally, I prefer the former). Quickly, I gave him my usual calming hug. I''m not going to let him suffer! "Yes yes, you did good. In fact, you did amazing tonight, Milord. You did something I could never dream to do." "Really? I''m not a loser?" "Of course not." "Was I cool then?" "You are really cool. You are so cool you made me fall in love with you all over again." I knew he was acting like a child here. But, it''s my firm belief that a man is allowed to be childish in bed with his wife. Let her pamper him through the night, so he can be the admirable husband she loves in the day. "Ehe¡­ ehehehe! I''m so happy to hear that, Sis!" I smiled bitterly as a pang of jealousy entered my wicked heart. He really loved his sister, and, in my rottenness, I desired to be loved similarly as well. I wanted him to depend on me more. Ah, what a sad, lonely creature I am. I released him from my hug, letting him use my lap as a pillow as I sat on the bed. I then gently brushed my fingers in his hair as I knew he liked me doing this whenever he needed some calming down while he slept. "Sis! Your chest has gotten a lot bigger since we last met, hasn''t it?" His eyes were still closed however. My old, unpleasant memories resurfaced, how he would grope me in his sleep, even though he just had his way with me when he''s awake. *BOING* *BOING* "Ahhnn!" I moaned. To my shame, I could feel a damp spot appearing in my panties. ¡°Hmm hmm! They¡¯re really warm and supple now! Just like Mother¡¯s!¡± He mumbled, a lecherous grin forming on his face. ¡°But how about the cherries? Do they grow bigger as well?¡± Before I could even recover from his first assault, he already started the second, as he now used his thumb to play with my nipples, circling them around and pressing them with impunity. All the while squeezing and lifting and slapping them around. I pressed my legs together as my breath became laboured. In retrospect, I shouldn¡¯t be reacting like this. This was far from the first time someone had played with my boobs in this manner. I glanced down and saw a tent erecting itself on his shorts. I blushed, trying to look away. They weren''t that big, but my filthy eyes would no doubt stare at it anyways. And then, to my relief, he stopped. He pulled back his hands before turning around. Now his stomach was the one touching my thighs. I sighed. It wasn''t over. Not in the slightest. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even if I wanted to throw him off my lap, I had no strength to do so. I could only sit there, panting rapidly like a dog in heat, as he teased my womanhood over and over again. ¡°A-aahh¡­ s-stop¡­ aahhhnn¡­ o-or I¡¯m going to¡­ ahhnnnnn!¡± *SPURRTTTTT* I exploded. My juices soaked my panties significantly, before doing the same with the crotch of his shorts. As if responding to my blunder, his manhood fired its own liquid, significantly soaking his already wet crotch even further. Quickly, as I regained my sanity, I moved him off my lap. As I feared, his shorts now had a large glossy wet patch on them, spreading from the crotch all the way to the sides. If she didn''t know better, she would''ve thought he had an accident in his sleep. And then, I could smell it¡ªthat certain smell I was all too familiar with. It wasn¡¯t the first time such a scent entered my nostrils. As I had insisted to wash all of his laundry, which he reluctantly agreed to, I had received his soaked briefs and shorts every time he had a wet dream. Nothing weird with that, of course. It¡¯s just a sign of a healthy teenager. And, I might have just¡­ taken a few sniffs here and there before washing them¡­. My face reddened further. Reluctantly, I climbed off the bed. Stealing another glance at Milord''s stained shorts, contrasted by the angelic face he had on (his perverted grin had disappeared once he did the deed), I exited the room, making my way to the latrines. ------------ Hugo When I opened my eyes, I was in a different place entirely. I sat up, only to be assaulted by a terrible headache. My eyes rested on the large wet patch on my shorts. Combined with the sensation of stickiness inside it, it didn''t take a genius to figure out I had "released" when I was asleep yet again. I sighed. I looked down off the bed. Sure enough, she was sleeping there, with only a makeshift blanket acting as cushion from the cold wooden floor. I climbed down the bed gently, not wanting to disturb her blissful sleep. Really, whenever I saw her like this (she looked just like a sleeping angel), I couldn''t help but think how lucky I was that a beautiful woman like her became infatuated to a loser like me. If only I didn''t have Sherry as well. ----------- When I returned, Felicia was already awake. She was sitting on the bed, facing towards the door so our eyes would meet each other the moment I entered the room. "Milord, I want to talk." Her expression was one of full seriousness. It almost reminded me when Marina or Renee would give me a lecture. "Your sister, Marina¡­ Do you have feelings for her?" "F-feelings? W-what are you talking about?" "Feelings of the romantic kind. As in, you desire her as a woman, not as your big sister. Your lewd dream last night¡ªit was about her, wasn¡¯t it?¡± I gulped. I was sweating bullets at this point. ¡°I-I don¡¯t remember what my wet dream last night actually,¡± I nervously smiled, returning the most neutral answer I could conjure up. ¡°I-I was drunk, remember?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Milord. I want your honest answer,¡± Felicia replied, unrelenting and merciless in her assault. ¡°You¡¯ve told me before how much you admired her. And now I suspect that admiration has a romantic element to it as well.¡± I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. ¡°Fine. I admit it. I have lewd dreams of her occasionally. And not just her. I had lewd dreams of any girls I found attractive through my journey. Even I got lewd dreams of my own mother once or twice. But that doesn¡¯t mean I want to bed any of them. That just means this beast down here¡ª¡± I pointed to my crotch. ¡°¡ªthought of them as attractive. And it just so happened that I kept meeting attractive girls throughout my life. I-I¡¯m not some weirdo who wants to bed his own sister, alright?¡± ¡°... I see. So it¡¯s just your overactive hormones who¡¯s to blame,¡± Felicia replied. ¡°T-that¡¯s right! I told you before, haven¡¯t I? I¡¯m a giant pervert. The worst of the worst!¡± She sighed, before reverting back to her usual smile. ¡°You know, if she really is as amazing as you say, I¡­ don¡¯t mind if you marry her as well.¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± She was now playing with the end of her hair by her two fingers. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not that odd, actually, for a mage to partake in such things¡ªstrengthening the magic bloodline and all that. The problem is¡ªit¡¯s a fifty/fifty chance whether it¡¯s going to go well or not. You¡¯d either end up with a magic genius, whose talent will surpass their parents, or someone who can¡¯t cast any magic in the slightest. There¡¯s no inbetween. Thus, even for those power-hungry mages in the Magocracy, it¡¯s safer for them to marry their children against other children of different families.¡± ¡°I¡­ see. I,,, never knew.¡± I knew back at Earth¡¯s medieval era, some nobles would practice incest. But that only led to horrible deformities, which led to the whole practice being frowned upon by society. But here, perhaps the rule for incest is different? ¡°But, I would rather only share you with one other woman than two.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°Unless, you have other girls you fancy, Milord?¡± Immediately Fiora came into my mind. "Well, uh¡ª" I scratched my face. "I¡­ might have another girl that would come after me in a few years." Felicia''s eyes narrowed, a frown forming on her lips. "Tell me about her, Milord." Vol 4 Chapter 4: The Knight’s Humiliation I told her about Fiora, from how I met her, how she helped me out of my slump, and how she told me about her goal of shaping the Empire from the wishes of her abandoned mother. I even told her about how much she was¡­ sexually forward with me, for a lack of a better term. When I finished, however, Felicia''s expression didn''t improve. In fact, it only worsened. She now sat there with her arms folded under her chest, all with a disgusted look on her face. "I see. The second princess of the Holy Empire. Currently embroiled in a battle for the throne. And she wants you to be on her side when it came to a civil war a few years from now. Milord, have you ever considered that she''s just using you? She doesn''t really love you. She just wants your strength. And like the corrupt noble she is, she''s willing to seduce you for it." "Corrupt noble? I don''t think she''s one of them. In fact, she''s too honest for her own good." "That''s just what she wants you to believe. It''s not that hard to pretend being a knucklehead." "Well, I''ve promised to help her when the time comes." I smiled wryly. "Marrying her isn''t part of the deal though." "Why?!" She looked at me as if I had gone insane. "Why do you want to get involved? You know how those monarchs and rulers are! They don''t care about us smallfolk, even for a little bit!" "That princess of yours cared though." "She''s¡ª" She averted my gaze. "She''s just sheltered and naive. She knew nothing of the plea of the common folk either." She returned her gaze to me. "You can be that in Fiania but not in the Holy Empire, with all the backstabbing going on. And judging by how ambitious you told me she is, there''s no way she''s anything like Fantine." "I still think she has some naivety in her though." I argued back. "Abolishing slavery? Only a naive person would desire that." "Or a stupid one." Felicia interjected. "Slavery is a significant part of the Empire''s economy and culture. There''s no way she would gain the support of the nobility. ''If you can''t do something, make a slave do it for you.'' That''s a popular saying amongst the Empire''s nobles. And I''m not talking about just household chores. Bodyguards, craftsmen, bookkeepers, even bards¡ªthey would purchase slaves to fulfill that need. That''s why High Slaves existed in the first place, so they could get their loyal and highly educated slaves." I fell silent. Do I really have a good argument against that? "So please, don''t concern yourself with her anymore, Milord. There''s nothing to gain by being her knight or whatever. Unless, you really wish the wealth, fame and glory that came from it¡­ And, if you want me to be more¡­ forward, like her, then I can do that as well." She walked over towards me and grabbed my hands. She no longer wore a scowl. Instead, her expression was one of pure concern. She was pretty much for me to forget about her. I sighed, taking my hands off hers. "I''ll think about it." Her smile returned in an instant. ---------- We spent the rest of the trip more freely, as we felt there was no point in staying cooped up inside our room anymore. We would walk around the ship, go to the deck, and even eat at the cafeteria, which had decided to give us free food for the rest of the trip. Though with Felicia being Felicia, she still remained on guard for any attempts to take our heads. She would make me drink antidotes before eating or drinking anything and she would insist on sticking with me at all times. Hmm, I feel I¡¯m starting to know the feelings of those riajuus who complain about their nagging girlfriends. Still, she did it out of the kindness of her heart, and I would be a horrible person if I chastised her for it. And then, one morning, we met her again. The dimwitted elven knightess from that night. We met her in the cafeteria. She was sitting on her own table, sipping tea as if she was some princess in a tea party. We were just walking to our own table with our meal when she suddenly stood up and blocked our path. And now, with no storm or a threat of a giant water spirit, I could finally get a good look at her features. And by that, I mean her boobs. I didn¡¯t realize it back then, but she had quite the pair, easily rivaling or even surpassing Felicia¡¯s. I was pretty sure that the silver armor she wore had to be made with her specifications in mind, as the armor¡¯s chest area had two separate mound-like shapes that her breasts underneath could fit snugly into. I could just imagine it¡ªher walking into a trap in some dungeon due to her stupidity, resulting in tentacles capturing her, creeping under her armor and molesting her to her dismay. That¡¯s how those female knights and elves tended to be in those doujins I used to read, having really hot bodies while being as dumb as a brick. To think I would have a combination of the two, and with the same stupidity as well¡­ I guess they weren¡¯t as unrealistic as I thought. "Halt! You''re the two villains who stole my glory that night, aren''t you?" She drew her rapier and pointed her rapier towards us. Putting my perverted thought aside, I exchanged looks with Felicia, and I could just see the internal groan she was making, which I shared. "Yeah, that would be us," I smiled. Might as well be polite. "Is there something you require of us?" "I want an apology! How dare you steal the prey of Lady Ashleen?!" "Look here," Felicia interrupted with an annoyed tone. "didn''t do anything. I had to save you from drowning back then. You were an imbecile who thought it''s a good idea to jump off the ship just so you could cut a monster made out of water. My lord did all the work so it''s who deserves all the glory." At this declaration, the elven knight was taken aback. She took a few steps backwards (her breasts bouncing again in the process) before re-composing herself. ¡°Such heinous arrogance!¡± She pointed her rapier again, this time specifically towards me. ¡°Fine! Then I challenge you to a duel! I shall prove to you that I, Lady Ashleen, is a superior adventurer compared to you!¡± Before I could answer, however, she already withdrew her sword. Turning around with a smirk on her face, she declared, ¡°Ha! Of course! Of course you would refuse my challenge! You already know the futility, the impossibility, of winning against¡ª¡± ¡°I accept.¡± ¡°E-eh?¡± ¡°I said I accept. I¡¯ll take you on your challenge.¡± She quickly turned around, now with a panicked look. ¡°A-are you sure? J-just so you know, I¡¯m bad at holding back. I-I don¡¯t want to accidentally kill you.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry.¡± Now it was my turn to smirk. ¡°Felicia here is a really good healer. She¡¯ll take care of me if anything goes wrong.¡± It was clear as day that she did not expect me to actually take her up on her offer. Really, what is wrong with this girl¡¯s brain? ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry, if anything happens, I have a bag full of healing potions on the ready,¡± Felicia followed with her own smirk. She was just as happy as I was to put some humility into this arrogant wannabe knight¡¯s head. ¡°F-fine! Then we shall have our duel once we arrive at the Continent.¡± ¡°No need. We can do it right now. I¡¯m not that hungry, actually. Right, Felicia?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, Milord. Our breakfast can wait.¡± ¡°We can do it on the deck right now. I''m sure the sailors won''t mind." At this point, I was pretty sure I had a full blown villainous smile on my face. Felicia certainly did. "F-fine! The deck it is! Meet me up there in 15 minutes!" Before she could walk away, Felicia grabbed her hand. "Let''s go there together." -------- We made our way up to the deck, where we were greeted by the warmth of the morning sun and the clear blue sky. A salty scent entered my nostrils, accompanied by the gentle sound of the rolling waves and the wind caressing my hair. "Ah, what a perfect morning to have a duel," I threw a smirking glance to the knight. If it were overcast, she would''ve probably "suggested" to postpone our match (only for her to never appear later on, of course). Felicia promptly notified the nearby sailors on what we were about to do. Knowing who we were, they weren¡¯t against it in the slightest. In fact, they were rejoicing, calling all their friends to gather around to watch the duel. It didn¡¯t take long until a crowd gathered, all excited to see me, their savior, in action. This, naturally, only made the elven knight even more nervous. She was now actively sweating in that armor of hers. That, or the morning sun was warming her up more than other people. I heard wearing an armor like that can get really hot and uncomfortable pretty fast. "Alright, ye two! Here''s the rule! Whoever draws first blood wins! You might start when I fire my rifle!" The dwarf from before was amongst the crowd and he had insisted on becoming the judge for our match. Well, it wasn''t like there was any other else who volunteered for the position¡­ We now stood apart from each other. 50 steps were the space given to me and the elf, taking consideration of my specialty as a mage. I told him that 10 steps would be fine though. Not because I was being cocky, but because I wanted to try something with the knight. I already had a plan to win this match, and in a way that ensured she would be humbled in the process. It''s for her own good, you know. She''s going to die¡ªor worse, like the fate of the female leads in those doujins¡ªif she continued being this stupid. Especially in the Demon Continent. The dwarf laughed when I said it, but he agreed nonetheless. She drew her rapier, readying her stance to face me. I, on the other hand, did not draw my wand or sword. I instead put my two hands in my pockets, grinning as smugly as I could at her. "Draw your weapon, you craven!" "No need. I''m fine just like this." "How dare you?! Are you insulting me?!" "Look, just start the match already." I glanced at the dwarf. With another laugh, he aimed his rifle to the sky, before firing a blank that signalled the beginning of the match. And when he did, I utilized Graceful Step, going right behind the elven knight in an instant. And proceeded to grab her ears with both hands. "A¡­ awawawawawa!" ¡°So, how about it, hmm?" I whispered. "Ready to surrender yet? You can¡¯t even stop me from doing this. There¡¯s no chance for you to win.¡± ¡°S-silence, cur! How dare you lay your hands on me?!¡± She countered by an elbow assault. I didn¡¯t even bother dodging. I instead fortified my stomach with Fortissimo, absorbing the blow entirely without a flinch. ¡°L-let me go! Let me go!¡± She elbowed me over and over, to no avail. I sighed. She finally decided to use her rapier to strike me, turning around and thrusting it at my direction wildly. It was still too slow to be any threat, so I simply parried it with my blade, sending her rapier flying away. "Ah!" She gasped. And then, I went behind her and grabbed her breasts, squeezing it through the armor as hardly as I could. "Aahnnn!" She let out a super lewd moan that would make any man stiffen down there (including me). The men in the crowd whistled and cheered and the dwarf laughed like he never had before. "That''s right, lad! Squeeze ''em like you squeeze your ladyfriend''s!" My suspicion was correct. With that attitude of hers, she wasn''t that well-liked with the crew or the other passengers. The armor was strangely somewhat flexible, allowing me to still feel the softness and bounciness of her two massive peaks. It was no ordinary armor for sure. Perhaps it''s some sort of a magical armor? "Y-you vile monkey! Release me this instant!" "Only after you surrender." I grinned, squeezing her chest even harder. "Ahhnn¡ªnever! I, Lady Ashleen, will never¡ªahhnnn¡ªsurrender!" I released my grip on her boobs. And then, taking my wand from my pocket, I aimed at her skirt, and yelled the completely unnecessary chant, just for it to look cooler, "O valiant spirits of the wind! Deliver unto me the holiest, most sacred of all garments! Special Wind Technique! Panty Stealing Divine Wind!" A strong gust of wind appeared behind the knight, lifting her skirt upwards. "Kyaah!" She tried holding it down to no avail as the wind continued to blow towards the tip of my wand. A vacuum spell. Not hard in the slightest for me to invent. And then, a small, white fabric flew from said skirt, landing right at the top of my wand. My prize. Stopping the spell, I took them off from the wand, twirling them with my index finger¡ªall with a grin on my face. "So, how do you like it, Lady Ashleen? That was a spell I made up myself." "You¡­ YOU FIEND!" She charged forward, wanting to tackle me and get her panties back. Only to trip on her own, falling face first to the wooden floor with her butt raised to the air. Her skirt draped down, revealing her smooth bottom to everyone watching. I sighed. I didn''t even need to trip her. She did it on her own. The crowd burst into a laugh, sneering and whistling at the sight in front of them. "Bwahahahaha!" The dwarf was amongst them. "Oi lassie! This is what ye'' get for being an arrogant piece of shite!" The elf knight slowly stood up, looking as if she was going to break down crying at any second. She scowled at me with those watery eyes for a few seconds, before running away, going back inside the ship. With their entertainment over, the crowd soon dispersed, with some walking up to me and congratulations on my victory. "Good one, lad!" The dwarf patted me in the waist. "That wench really needs to be taught a lesson. For her own sake." He then went back inside, inviting me to join him in the cafeteria for a drink. Felicia was the last to approach me, but she wasn''t congratulatory like the others, as she had a disapproving frown on her face. "I guess you don''t like what I just did with her?" I gave an awkward smile. "Hmph, I''m fine with humiliating her." She huffed. In quite the cute way, I might add. "But groping her chest and ears, and then taking off her panties¡ªit''s enough to make a woman jealous." "Oh? You want me to do those things to you?" I smirked. "Are you into public humiliation?" "N-no!" Her face quickly turned beet red. "I-I want you to do them to me in private! I-it''s not fair you do it to a stranger but you never do it with me!" She pouted. Goddamn, how could a 22-year old woman be this cute? "Alright, alright, I''ll do it tonight." I chuckled. "But for now, I think we should go after that knight. I need to return these after all." I showed the panties I had in my hand. "...I suppose it can''t be helped." Felicia sighed. "You''re too kind for your own good, Milord." "It''s the only virtue I have." I chuckled. ---------- It was easy for us to find where the knightess had run off. We were readily directed by the passersby who saw her running to her room, where she apparently had locked herself. When we arrived, I instructed Felicia to stay silent. I wanted to eavesdrop first. She raised her eyebrows in protest but she went along nonetheless. "Oh, Lady Ashleen¡­ What am I supposed to do? I can''t be the knight like you are¡­" The private quarters'' doors were quite thin so I could decently hear her muffled voice, interspersed by her sobs, from the inside. "I am too weak to be like you¡­ I''m useless¡­ just like they said¡­" "I am no legendary knight. I am just a useless girl pretending to be one¡­" I glanced at Felicia. "I''m coming in," I whispered. "You stay outside, alright?" "You want to comfort her," she averted her gaze. "Alright. Go for it, Milord. That''s what you do best after all." She moved a few steps back away from the door. I nodded, pushing the door handle as silently as I could. I was expecting it to be locked, forcing me to use Wind Magic to pick the lock inside (oh, with my current level of control, I could very much do that), but instead, I found that the door wasn¡¯t locked at all. And so, I opened the door as slowly as I could, hoping that I wouldn¡¯t startle her. ¡°H-hey!¡± I gave a nervous smile. ¡°Just¡­ want to check how you¡¯re doing. I might have gone a bit overboard back there. Sorry.¡± She looked up, realized who was now standing in front of her¡ª ¡ªand screamed. ¡°Kyaaahhh! G-get away! Get away you villain!¡± She threw her pillow at my face (the one she had been crying into) before drawing her rapier. ¡°B-blackheart! S-stand back! I will not allow you to take my chastity away! I would rather die than to lose my honor to you!¡± ¡°W-wait, I¡¯m not here to¡ª¡± ¡°Cease your tongue, cur! I, Lady Ashleen, will never surrender! Hyaaahh!¡± She thrusted her rapier towards me. Since we were in such a closed space, I decided to block it with my sword instead of evading. And then, once again, I easily parried it off her hand, sending it flying to the corridor outside the room. She gasped. ¡°N-no no no no no no! I-I am defeated! Again! Aah¡­ aaahhhhhh¡­.¡± She fell down to the floor on her bum, her entire body seemingly shaking with fear. ¡°H-have mercy! I-if you¡¯re going to violate my body, t-then please, do it as gently as you could!¡± I sighed, sitting on the bed near where she fell. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not here to do anything bad to you. You know why I didn¡¯t fight you seriously back then? It¡¯s because I want to demonstrate to you that you¡¯re way out of your league. I don¡¯t know how you manage to survive all this time as an adventurer¡ªyou¡¯re an adventurer, right?¡ªbut you can¡¯t get by doing the same in the Demon Continent. The monsters here are far too dangerous for your skill level. You¡¯re going to die. And that¡¯s nowhere near the worst thing that could happen to you.¡± Her shaking stopped. She locked her eyes with me before quickly looking away. ¡°Y-you¡¯re not a villain? T-then why did you do all that to me?¡± She hugged her own body with red cheeks. ¡°Well, I just thought that it would be a better lesson than just defeating you normally,¡± I smiled. ¡°That, and me being a terrible, awful, no-good pervert. I can''t resist molesting a cute elf like you when I got the chance." ¡°T-then you are really a villain! A predator!¡± She covered herself again. ¡°No no no, you are mistaken!¡± I quickly tried to correct her. ¡°I¡¯ll never force myself on anyone like that! I already have a girlfriend! I¡¯ll just do it with her if I¡¯m ever that desperate!¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly the truth though. Sherry wasn¡¯t around and I wasn¡¯t going to do it with Felicia, not without either person¡¯s permission. I wasn¡¯t some horndog who needed release from a woman¡¯s touch from time to time to avoid raping the nearest attractive girl I met. That¡¯s what wet dreams are for. I sighed again. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t trust me. I¡¯m just here to give you advice, as another adventurer. You see, I once traveled with three young and inexperienced adventurers who lost their lives taking a quest they shouldn¡¯t, all because they overestimated their abilities. I didn¡¯t tell them to tone down their excitement, believing in my naivety that they were good enough to take a quest higher than their rank. The Guild might allow it but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s a good idea to do so.¡± It had been two years since I met them. But that didn¡¯t mean I already forgot. ¡°Lady Ashleen¡­ that¡¯s not your real name, is it?¡± I stared into her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are trying to mimic, but you¡¯d be better off being your own person.¡± She looked away, biting her lip. ¡°Lady Ashleen¡­ she is my inspiration. She¡¯s why I became an adventurer in the first place. A legendary knight, master of the butterfly blade art¡ªshe fights for justice and valor. All evil falls to her blade.¡± She smiled dreamily. ¡°Isn''t¡¯ she just amazing?¡± ¡°Then, she wouldn¡¯t want you to try too hard that you lose yourself,¡± I continued. ¡°Take it easy, one step at a time. One day, you''ll be just as strong as her." sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She answered with a beautiful smile. "I''ll keep that in mind. Thank you." She stood up and gave a short bow. "And I apologize for calling you a villain. You saved my life back that night and now you helped me awaken my eyes. From now on, I shall call myself Ela instead. Ela, you see, was Lady Ashleen''s apprentice knight. That''s the name I deserve!" Our conversation was cut short, however, by the ship suddenly lurching to the side sharply, making the knight lose her balance and fall. Right on top of me. ¡°Umpphh¡ªummpphhh!¡± Like some ecchi anime protagonist, her boobs landed right at my face¡ªthe soft metal failing to hide any of the bounciness. She let out a moan as she felt my lips accidentally teased a nipple, before she could recover and straighten herself. ¡°PERVERT!¡± She covered her chest with her arm. ¡°GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY ROOM RIGHT NOW!¡± I could only do as she asked. The moment I was back in the hallway, she slammed the door behind me. Felicia, who had been waiting nearby, approached me with a somber look on her face. ¡°It didn¡¯t go well, did it?¡± ¡°Nah. I think It did.¡± I smiled sheepishly. ¡°I said what I wanted to say. The rest is up to her now.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s up with her slamming the door like that?¡± ¡°Well, there was a ship lurch before, right? She landed her chest on my face as a result. Naturally, overcome by shame and anger, she kicked me out of her room. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not mad. It¡¯s normal for any girl to feel that way. I¡¯m sure that even now, she¡¯s starting to feel bad for kicking me out like that.¡± ¡°...Well, if you say so.¡± She huffed. ¡°I don¡¯t approve of girls being rude to you like that, Milord, especially after you¡¯ve been so kind to them. Or anyone, in case you think I dislike her just out of jealousy. If anyone mistreats you, I want you to tell me, alright? So I can give them what they deserve,¡± she said with a murderous glint. ¡°If you want, I can go in there and make her apologize.¡± ¡°No need. Let her be. She must be thinking about my words right now.¡± She sighed. ¡°Fine. But I won¡¯t approve of you being a doormat, just because you think you¡¯re a terrible person. You¡¯re not. You¡¯re my beloved, my guiding light, my only hope for happiness. Not only you rescued my body, you saved my soul as well. You made me realize my obsession on necromancy was a mistake and you saved me as well from despair. You might not care about yourself that much, but I care. Deeply. Try to remember that.¡± She now loomed over me with a dark look on her face. I couldn¡¯t help but gulp. And then, her smile returned. ¡°Now, let¡¯s finish our breakfast, shall we?¡± I could only reply with a nod. Vol 4 Chapter 5: A Talk With Felicia The day continued without a hitch. We didn¡¯t see any presence of the knight, even at lunch or dinner. She probably had decided to lock herself up in her room. When we returned to our cabin, I remembered the promise I made in the morning. "So, still want me to do it?" I smirked as I sat on the bed. "Do it?" Felicia furrowed her eyebrows. "Do what, Milord?" "Oh, you already forget?" My smirk grew wider. "Nevermind then." "...W-wait! You''re talking about this morning, aren''t you? A-about the groping¡­¡± ¡°Yep!¡± I made grabbing motions with my hands, which promptly turned Felicia''s face scarlet. ¡°I¡­ I need to prepare myself first!" "Prepare yourself?" I chuckled at her surprisingly cute reaction. "You''re not a virgin. Surely your breasts have been groped many times before." "T-that''s different! W-when it''s you¡ªmy head goes all dizzy and I¡­ I¡­" She trailed off. I jumped off the bed and walked towards her. With a smile, I grabbed her hands and gathered them together. "It''s fine if you''re not ready. In fact, I''m happy, seeing you like this. If I really am going to take you as my wife, I don''t want to be the only one being shy and awkward in bed." "I-I see¡­" Felicia averted her gaze. "But Milord, I don''t think you''d do a bad job, even on our first night. Not with your libido¡­" I laughed. "I''m not so sure about that. Groping and ear biting are far different than doing the deed. I feel I''ll mess up. Maybe even insert it into the wrong hole." "D-don''t you worry, Milord!" She gripped my hands back. "I''ll be there to guide you all the way!" "Why are you so nervous anyway?" I asked back. "Is it really just because of me?" She nodded, before smiling grimly, looking down to our linked hands. "I already told you before¡ªhow I seduced those two men for my selfish end. I could only do that by stabbing my own soul. I believed that I was dirty and tainted, after being violated by that scum. So what did I have to lose?" Her voice shook. "I suppose I disassociated myself. I did the role I gave myself¡ªthat of a seducer. And I was good at it, or they were just disgusting filth who didn''t really care about my bad acting as long as they could have my body." She looked back at me. "But you, Milord, you broke those chains I gave to myself. I am now free¡ªfree from the burdens of the past. You made me believe I could be a good person¡ªa good woman. Thus, I no longer take that role¡ªthat of a seducer, or an evil necromancer. I am now the young and naive Felicia, just an ordinary village girl." She laughed, releasing her hands from mine. "Ah, but I am simply deluding myself. I am too old to pretend I am her. So I don''t know who I am now. I suppose I am your servant, Milord, devoted to you until the day I die." I fell silent. I took her hands once more, locking my eyes with her. "Listen to me. I don''t want you to devote the rest of your life just for me. The young Felicia¡ªshe loved alchemy, didn''t she? She dreamed of using it to heal the sick. Why don''t you aspire for that dream once more? You have cured plagues before with it. How many people have you saved already, just by doing so?" I put on my best smile. "...No." She looked away, her expression one of sorrow. "I won''t chase an impossible dream. Many still died even with my medicine. My cure did not work perfectly every time. Some people were too far gone to be healed. And others had died before I could even formulate the medicine." She released her hands from mine, clasping them together near her chest. "That''s why I delved into necromancy. I could prevent death by conquering it. A beautiful world without plagues and sickness. That was my dream." She chuckled. "I even fancied to open the gate to the afterlife. You know how that ended." I sighed. I shook my head. "That''s where you''re wrong. No one can save everyone. But that doesn''t mean you shouldn''t try. That was the lesson taught to me by an old friend." "An old friend?" She turned around with a curious look. "Nicole. You remember her, right?" "Ah, the priestess accompanying that Fiora girl." She smiled wryly. "Don''t tell me you took a liking on her too, Milord?" "Heh, unlike Fiora, she has no interest in me whatsoever." I shrugged with a grin. "Nevertheless, she was there to give me advice, and I admired her for it." "I see. I''m glad then. I don''t want more rivals for your affection," she frankly responded with her own grin. Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up in my head. "Well, if you want to win my love that badly, then I''ll tell you this secret." I smirked. "I like career women the best. I don''t want my wife to just stay at home all day. I want her to go out there and make a name for herself. If you become a famous alchemist whose name enters the annals of history, then I''ll be the proudest husband that I can be." "R-really, Milord?" Felicia''s voice brought me back to the real world. "Then, if I were to become a legendary alchemist, would you love me the most? Even more than Sherry?" "W-why yes! Yes, of course!" "Oh, thank you!" She threw herself at me. "I promise I won''t disappoint you!" As my face was buried in her cleavage yet again, I could only sigh. -------- In the end, she decided not to make me do the groping, saying that she''ll hold off on her "reward" after she can go back to being a proper alchemist. She took out her thick and heavy tomes, quickly filling out our small room with it, and resumed her studies. I found out that she would tie her long hair up in a bun whenever she was in her "study mode", which, to be honest, didn''t look bad at all on her. In fact, a quiet pride swelled in my chest as I saw her pouring through her books like that. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After a few more uneventful days in the ship (we didn''t meet the elven knightess again) the captain announced that they would disembark the next morning, and that they should prepare themselves tonight ¡ª pack their things and all that. And that''s what we did tonight before we went to sleep. Felicia was sitting on the floor with her books while I sat on the bed watching her. I wanted to help but she insisted that she had to do it alone. "Finally, Milord, the Demon Continent." Felicia smiled as she sent her books one by one into her Dimensional Storage. "Are you excited? Worried? Ready with your Demon Tongue? Though you can get by using Human Tongue in the human cities, the demons won''t take it kindly that you don''t use their language." "Heh, of course I''m ready." I smirked with full confidence. "You''ve taught me well, after all." Blushing a little, she replied, "Oh, that was nothing. You were the one who did most of the work. You''d keep reading the book I gave you whenever you could. I admire your diligence, Milord." "I can say the same to you." I smiled. "When you sit down and read all those heavy and difficult books, your intelligence really shines through." "A-ah, y-you were staring?" She looked away, her face fully crimson now. "Y-you shouldn''t have said that! Now I can''t concentrate anymore when you''re around!" "As a reward, why don''t I give a massage to those melons of yours, hmm?" I made squeezing motions with my hands. "N-no, not now! These panties are the last clean pair I have!" ¡­ Covering her mouth with both hands, she clarified, "A-ah, ignore that! Ignore what I just said, Milord!" My smirk immediately grew into a grin. "Don''t tell me that you get wet down there just by a groping?" "I do¡­ but only when you are the one to do it, Milord¡­" "Wait, I don''t think I''ve ever groped you before." "Y-you did¡­ when you got drunk the other day¡­ you fell asleep and did¡­ did things to me¡­" Without hesitation, I jumped down the bed and did a dogeza. "Please forgive me, Felicia! I am truly the scum of the earth for doing that to you! Punish me however you like! Punch me, kick me, do whatever you want with me! I really am a failure as a human and as a man!" "N-no, it''s nothing like you''re thinking, Milord! Please! Stop this at once! I don''t mind it at all!" Gingerly, I looked up, finding that she was waving her hands around with a troubled look. "You just groped me, that''s all. And that''s when I¡­ released¡­" She averted her eyes. "I liked it, even if I was gravely embarrassed by it at the same time¡­" I fell silent. Slowly, I sat up. "Wait, I didn''t¡­ violate you?" "What?! Violate me?! How can you even think like that?! No no no, you did nothing of the sort!" "It really was just a grope?" "Just a grope, that''s all!" "O-oh¡­ oh¡­ thank God¡­" I took the deepest sigh I could as I slumped back, wiping the cold sweat off my face. "D-don''t worry, Milord. Even if you had, I still wouldn''t mind¡­ I¡­ do want to do it with you. I understand though, if you want to make Sherry your first¡­" A sorrowful yet embarrassed look swept the alchemist''s face. I stood up and put my hand on Felicia''s head. "I promise. I''ll do it as much as you want after I did it with Sherry. That''s the duty of a husband after all, making sure that his wife is satisfied." She looked up and whispered with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you up to that.¡± ------- The next morning was naturally the busiest morning we had on the ship. Even before the sun had risen, we could hear footsteps going back and forth from above. Still, we didn''t leave our room until quite a bit later, maybe about eight in the morning. Wristwatches aren''t a thing in this world yet, unfortunately. Not sure about pocket watches though. Never seen any on the many markets I had visited. Maybe some dwarves somewhere had made them in their workshops, but it certainly wasn''t a mainstream object. The deck was full of other passengers wanting to see the incoming land, chatting loudly to themselves to the point that the sound of the seagulls flying above the ship were entirely muffled. Looking at the distance, I could see it clearly ¡ª shapes on the horizon signifying that land was approaching. Hard to tell how far it really was though. I wasn''t a sailor after all. "The Demon Continent. I never imagined I would arrive here like this." Felicia, who was standing beside me, spoke to herself. The Continent teemed with dark Mana, leading to corpses automatically returning back to life as zombies. That''s why the humans in this land didn''t bury their dead, choosing to cremate them instead. No wonder Felicia was so interested in going here. I looked around our surroundings, making sure that there was no one nearby that could overhear our conversation, as I knew what I was about to ask was sensitive information. "You know, I always wondered why you didn''t come here immediately to do your research.¡± I glanced at the redheaded woman. ¡°Not only it''s safer from the Church, but it seems to be a better environment to have your research in.¡± ¡°Ah, I never talked about that, have I, Milord?¡± She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s simple. The Demon Lord of Death. I need to be ready to face him first." ¡°The Demon Lord of Death?¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Yes. It is said that he¡¯s a powerful lich, a demon race that is capable of necromancy. And he doesn¡¯t tolerate any other necromancers, especially human ones. He sees them as thieves, as to him, human necromancy is just a pale imitation of his own," she explained. ¡°Wait, are you saying that human necromancy is different from demon necromancy?¡± I asked back. ¡°Oh yes, very. Liches are capable of necromancy just like birds are capable of flight. It comes to them naturally. Unlike us humans who had to study many long nights just to be one.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°In fact, the Demon Lord was right. Human necromancers stole his knowledge to be able to become necromancers in the first place.¡± ¡°...Huh, I never knew that. It''s quite similar to the myth of humans learning magic from the elves and spirits, no?" ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t." Felicia replied. "It¡¯s forbidden knowledge after all. I only learned it from that book. And yes, it is pretty similar to that myth. ¡°Ah, the book you gave to Ilmyhrra.¡± A strong wind suddenly blew from the north, interrupting my thoughts, as Felicia''s robe was lifted on the slit, revealing the red lace she wore underneath. The mage didn''t react until the wind died down, pulling the fabric with her left hand, blushing in the process. "Ah! Such a strong wind! I do hope there aren''t any perverts who peeked at my underwear!" She exclaimed, while looking straight at me with a knowing smile. And so it was for the next hour or so, as we waited on the deck, my eyes were pretty much locked at her thighs, waiting for the next wind to blow. A/N: This is the commission I got for Marina, in case you missed the announcement. Vol 4 Chapter 6: Demon Continent At Last "Anchors away!" The sound of chains rattling down could be heard through the air, followed by a plunging noise when the heavy steel hit the water. And just like that, the time for our voyage had come to an end. We now had arrived at Ul¡¯nemo, the port town on the Demon Continent. And from what I could see from the ship, it didn¡¯t look too different than Vermouth. It had the same wooden warehouses, used to store the goods owned by the city¡¯s various merchants before they could be distributed to their shops. Only they were a tad smaller, meaning, this town probably didn¡¯t have as much of a bustling marketplace as Vermouth did. With the anchors down, we just had to wait until they set up the bridge that would allow us to leave the ship. Or, I could just lift up Felicia and fly down there with my magic, but we weren¡¯t supposed to draw attention to ourselves. We decided to make it so we left the ship in the middle of the crowd, not too far forward but not too far back either. It was the best way we could blend in, in case anyone would be looking for us. Felicia even had a washable hair dye that we could use to make both of our hairs¡¯ all black. We didn¡¯t use it before since the ingredient was surprisingly rare in the northeastern region of the Holy Continent. And hair dyes were certainly not a common trend amongst the masses. Wearing our cloaks, we waited in line with the rowdy crowd, waiting for said bridge. To make sure that it didn''t get overloaded by the weight of us passengers, we were instructed to walk across in small groups. Surprisingly, most of us did as instructed, with the exception of only a couple of men and women who decided waiting in line was too much of them. And they paid for their insubordination by the angry shouts of the sailors overseeing the process, as well as the other passengers whom they had skipped. I was really tempted to throw them off into the water with my wind magic when they were crossing the bridge, if I were to be honest. Eventually, it was our turn to cross. We made it to the other side with no problem. We then made our way to the customs, which was the large gate at the far end of the landing section of the port. It was the only way to leave this section, at least without climbing over the tall walls separating it from the rest of the port. Once again, I could just fly us over with magic, but that would immediately get us trouble with the guards. Soldiers. Soldiers everywhere. And not just ordinary soldiers, mind you. Temple knights, standing around with the symbol of the Heavenly Dragon emblazoned on their armor. Some of the human cities in the Demon Continent had a stronger relationship with the Church compared to the others. And one such city was Ul¡¯Nemo. So it wasn¡¯t that odd for Church soldiers to be walking around in the open, especially with the rising tensions against the Demon King of Wisdom. My eyes met with Felicia. I didn¡¯t need to say anything. We both knew we now had to be extra careful. I kept my hands close to my sword and wand. If things got worse, I wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard. We now had to stand in another line as the soldier in front of the gate asked the passengers one by one about their identity and the reason why they came. We already planned for this, of course. We would use our real names, Hugo and Felicia, since our old fake names should be the ones known by the Church. We would say that we were mere adventurers, and if we were asked for our Guild Cards, we would bring out the fake ones Felicia had made. You see, the guilds in the Demon Continent issued cards as well, but their cards were nowhere near as secure as the ones issued by the guilds in the Holy Continent. So it was easy for her, who had researched the matter far beforehand ever since she began planning her trip here, to make forged cards.Hopefully, the soldier checking them wasn¡¯t some hyper attentive, detail-oriented person that could tell her forgery apart. Soon, it was our turn. We walked forward, introduced ourselves to the guard, and gave him the cards, as we had practiced. ¡°Hmm¡­ Hugo Greenwood and Felicia Myne, eh?¡± He mumbled as he held each card with each hand. ¡°Adventuring buddies, I take it?¡± ¡°Lovers, actually,¡± Felicia admitted with a proud smirk. ¡°Lovers? With this little brat?¡± The soldier¡¯s befuddled stare landed on me. It quickly turned into a glare. I only responded with a smile. ¡°Of course,¡± Felicia kept her smirk. ¡°I like them young. They¡¯re fresher that way.¡± ¡°Fresher?¡± He looked at her before giving a sigh. ¡°Oh, fine. Here¡¯s your cards. Get out of my sight. I swear every adventurer I met is an oddball one way or the other.¡± And just like that, we passed through the checkpoint with no problem whatsoever. Or so we thought. ¡°Hold it! You two! Come here!¡± We only had walked a couple of steps before a woman¡¯s voice called out of us. We turned to see the source and saw that it came from one of the Temple Knights. She was a tall woman in full armor, covering every inch of her body except for her face. I exchanged a firm glance with Felicia. Walking over to her position, I now saw how the woman was actually quite the looker. Wavy, auburn hair with a large chest, it''s really a shame she''s an enemy. I''ll be honest, I would hesitate more if I have to kill a pretty woman compared to an ugly man. Just a little though. I''ll do whatever it takes to protect myself and Felicia. Still, if I could, I would rather not kill anyone. "State your name and occupation." "I''m Hugo and she''s Felicia. We''re just humble adventurers, Milady." I gave my best, most adorable smile. "Hugo and Felicia. A swordsman and a mage." She didn¡¯t even bother trying to hide her suspicion, with that harsh glare of hers. "Where did you come from?" "We hail from the small kingdom of Arata," Felicia answered. "Mayhap you have not heard of it, since it''s one of the many tiny nations on the northern part of the Holy Continent." "The Feuding States, I take it?" "Yes." The knightess paused, glancing back and forth between me and Felicia. Slowly, my hand inched closer and closer into my pocket. "Excuse me! Is there a problem with these two?!" I turned to look at the source and sure enough, it was the elven knight from the ship. "Hmm?" The temple knight faced her as well. "And who are you, elf?" She frowned. No doubt she was displeased by her interruption. "These two¡ªthey are my servants, you see. Whatever they might have done wrong, the responsibility fails to me as their mistress." "Oh really?" An ominous smile appeared at the temple knight''s face. "Then, you shall come with them to our office for questioning." "I apologize, but we don''t have the time for that." The elven knightess then took out what looked like a crest from her sling bag. She handed it over to the temple knight, who proceeded to examine it in her palm. "What''s this? If you even think on bribing¡ª" Her eyes widened. "T-this is¡­ You''re¡ª" She looked up with a bewildered expression towards the elf. "A-apologies. I understand. I made a mistake, Milady." She gave the crest back before bowing and leaving in a hurry. With a smile, the elf put back the brooch inside her bag. "Now." She turned to face us, still with a smile. "You two are going to accompany me. I shall treat you to a delicious meal. And I won''t take ''no'' for an answer." --------- We made our way out of the harbor, entering the city''s market district. All the while the elven knight walked in front of us, humming cheerfully without a care in the world. Why were we going along with her, you may ask? Simple. Felicia recognized the crest she showed. It was a crest of the House of Relfatia, one of the seven feudal houses who ruled over the human city-states of the Demon Continent. Did she steal it? Or get it from somewhere? Perhaps a forgery? All of that are indeed a possibility. But it is also possible that she was the real deal. The crest was a family crest, only given to those that had blood ties to the family it represented. For all we knew she could be the daughter of the current Lord, making her akin to the princess. And so, it was risky for us to disobey her. And besides, with her naivety, it shouldn''t be too hard to make her play into our hands. She seemed to have forgotten the fact that I humiliated her completely, showing that she really was an airhead. Perfect for some smooth talk. ------ "Here we are! Jacqueline''s Emporium!" I could scarcely believe my sight. Instead of a high-end, fancy restaurant, it was a small and dingy diner, not fit for a noble in the slightest. I exchanged looks with Felicia. She nodded, tapping her staff gently, sending her shadows into the shop. "It''s clear. Nothing suspicious inside." Inside, we were greeted by an empty establishment. She promptly went to the counter and rang the bell placed there. "Coming!" A melodic, feminine voice came from deeper inside. Before I could even react, the owner of the voice appeared. Standing before me was a tall and beautiful dark-haired woman wearing a tunic and an apron. Her entire lower body was one of a spider, however, dwarfing the size of her human torso. She had four eyes¡ªtwo human ones and two spider ones above that. As she smiled, I could see fangs in her teeth. "Welcome, dear customers! Welcome to Jacqueline''s Emporium!" She spread her arms wide and raised four of her eight legs off the ground. "What would it¡ªwait, you''re Lady Ashleen! Oh how honored I am that you deign to visit our humble establishment once again!" "No, Jacqueline," The knight smiled. "I am now Miss Ela. In my travels, I have been humbled by my experience. It is now clear to me that I am still far too early to be Ashleen.¡± I glanced at her with a tired look. "Alright then, Miss Ela." The arachne smiled. "What will it be?" "Three roasted spider eggs please!" She replied cheerfully. "Oh, and make it spicy! I love spicy foods!" As the arachne went to the back to prepare our food, Felicia finally had the chance to ask what she had wanted to ask for a good while. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You''re neither Ashleen nor Ela, aren''t you?" Her eyes narrowed. "You''re a member of House Relfatia. Let me guess. A runaway daughter, wanting to see the world and become an adventurer. Thus you donned that armor, and you pretend to be some character from some book you read or a poem you heard. Am I right?" She leaned back and folded her arms under her chest¡ªall with a smirk on her face. The knightess absentmindedly blinked a couple of times before opening her mouth to answer. "Oh no, you''re mistaken." She placed a hand on her chest. "I am Ela, the apprentice to the legendary knight Ashleen. Who you speak of ¡ª that is my twin sister, Victoria Fay Relfatia." "Alright then, Ela." I sighed. "About your twin sister, what is her position in House Relfatia?" "Position?" She tilted her head. "She''s the youngest of the three daughters of Lord Relfatia. A sad, lonely girl that can''t do anything on her own. As her estranged twin, I pity her." Hearing that, I immediately knew what''s wrong with this girl. "So." Felicia spoke, still with her smirk. "Why did you bring us here? I assume you have a business with us?" "You are correct, Miss Felicia." The knightess smiled. "Thank you for cutting to the chase." At this point, our conversation was halted for a bit, as the arachne had returned, bringing us our meals. "Here you are! Three roasted spider eggs!" When my plate came, I was naturally quite reluctant to eat the dish. Looking at Victoria chomping her portion down, however, I resolved myself. With the spoon provided, I brought the eggs into my mouth. I ate another spoonful. And another. And another. Across the table, Felicia was eating her fill as well. She ate it slower than Victoria, but she clearly enjoyed it as well, just by the smile she had on her face. It didn''t take long until we finished. After handing out three glasses of water, the arachne left us on our own once again. "Now that our bellies are full, let us resume the conversation, shall we?" The knightess smiled. "My request is simple. After seeing the prowess of you two in combat, and my own weakness as a holy knight, I require your aid. I wish for us to form an adventuring party, and together, we shall have exciting adventures together." "Oh, do not worry." The knight continued. "It would be temporary. You see, there''s a certain place I really, really want to go to. Have you heard of the Starswept Observatorium?" "Of course," Felicia responded, now seated upright with a frown. "One of the so-called World Dungeons. It is located in the outskirts of Arborea, which should be where you came from. After all, it''s the city-state ruled by your family, House Relfatia." "Yes! I''m glad you already knew that, Miss Felicia!" The elven girl beamed. "My proposition is this. Take me to the 500th floor. I want to see the Starlight Rafflesia with my own hands." "Starlight¡­ Rafflesia?" I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, you don''t know?" The elf tilted her head. "It''s the giant flower that is said to be so beautiful it drives bards and poets to tears just by its sight. As an adventurer, I would love to see it with my own two eyes." I paid a glance to Felicia. As expected, she had a frown on her face. "Frankly speaking, you''re asking a lot from us." She reclined on her seat once more, folding her arms under her chest. "Reaching the 500th isn''t an easy task, even for an experienced adventurer. Bringing you along with us ¡ª that means we''ll be babysitting you the entire time." "If it''s money you want then my twin sister can provide!" The elf swiftly answered, still keeping her smile. "Money isn''t the only thing we require." Felicia''s lips formed a small, almost imperceptible grin. "I wish for you to introduce us to your twin sister ¡ª make us be her servants." "Of course!" The elf readily answered. "You''ll be my bodyguards after all! So my twin sister will certainly be happy to make you part of her household!" "Then, excuse us for a moment. We shall have to discuss this matter on our own." The redhead stood up, glanced at me to stand up as well. I did as I was told, following her outside the tiny restaurant. Standing beside the door, still with her arms folded, she opened the conversation. "What do you think, Milord? Should we accept her offer?" "Well, we''re going there anyway, aren''t we?" I argued. "I need the Dream Orb to contact Myrilla so she can take us to Sherry''s village. And since Dream Orbs can only be found inside the higher floors of a World Dungeon, why not escort her in the meantime?" "She would be a burden," Felicia bitterly stated. "If she dies, I know you will get all depressed from it. You''re too kind for your own good, Milord." I smiled. "You''re right. I will get depressed if I fail to protect someone I promised to protect. Not just her, but you as well." Blush rapidly spread on her cheeks. She quickly looked away. "Hmph, this is not the time to tease me, Milord. And besides, you¡¯re making it sound that you care about her just as much as you care about me.¡± She huffed. "Don''t worry." I rested my hand on her shoulder. "A girl like that ¡ª she''s not my type. She''s just too annoying for my taste." She gave a short glance at me before letting out a sigh. "Fine. You''re right. It''s better for us if we can gain the favor of House Relfatia, especially since we don''t know how long we would be staying there. And since we''re going to try spreading your name as well, it really should be a matter of time until the Church puts two and two together." With the matter decided, we went back inside and told the knightess of our decision to accept her offer. "Brilliant!" She clapped her hands together. "Then, we should depart at once. Don''t worry. I''ve paid for the meal when you two were outside. In fact, you can leave all the traveling funds to me. Thanks to my twin sister, this squire isn''t poor in the slightest!" I exchanged looks with Felicia. ------------- We made our way to the other end of the city, where the only gate to the outside wilderness was located. Like every single human city in the Demon Continent, there were tall walls surrounding the entire place, made in mind to keep monsters out. Ballistas were placed every few steps, with enough space that an entire battalion of archers could fit. Not that any of them were at use during our visit. The monsters outside seemed to know better than to get close to the city. At the gate, just like at the port, we had to undergo inspection by the guards as well. This time, however, they weren¡¯t dressed like the temple knights we encountered before. They seemed to be ordinary soldiers of this city instead. "Adventurers, I take it?" One of the guards asked. "Where are you heading?" "To the south," I lied. I had told Victoria beforehand that I would lie here so she wouldn¡¯t raise any complaints. ¡°Fontaine, to be exact.¡± ¡°Fontaine?¡± The guard raised his eyebrows. "I won''t recommend that." The guard shook his head. "Haven¡¯t you heard? Thanks to the disputes between Fontaine and Ixon over the mythril mines, it¡¯s only a matter of time until a full open conflict happens. Unless you want to be involved in that mess, I suggest you go somewhere else instead.¡± Fontaine was one of the human city states, located quite a way south from here. Ixon, on the other hand, was the city built and ruled by the Wisdom Demon King. It''s located even further south. Knowing how precious mithril ores are, it''s not really that odd that they would eventually fight over it. Weapons and armors made out of it are far stronger than those made out of ordinary steel. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I smiled at the guard. ¡°We can take care of ourselves just fine.¡± ¡°You are correct, my faithful servant!¡± Victoria butted into the conversation with a smug smile on her face. ¡°As legendary adventurers, there¡¯s no adversary that we cannot overcome!¡± The guard seemed to share my sentiment too, judging by his confused look. ¡°Alright then, do whatever you want.¡± He sighed. ¡°You three are free to leave.¡± Felicia threw a glare towards Victoria before grabbing her hand and forcing her to follow her. I quickly followed. When we were a good fair steps away from the city gate, only then the ex-necromancer stopped. ¡°I told you before, didn¡¯t I? You¡¯re not to speak unless I tell you to.¡± Felicia folded her arms under her chest with a frown. ¡°As part of our contract, you have to follow the instructions of me and Hugo to the utmost letter.¡± ¡°Oh? I am not wrong though,¡± Victoria tilted her head with a questioning look, completely unfazed by Felicia¡¯s displeasure. ¡°You two are legendary adventurers for sure. Only legendary adventurers can slay a monster that big like you did on the ship. That¡¯s why you¡¯re on the run from the Church, right? They want to force you to do their evil biddings. But there¡¯s nothing to fear.¡± She smiled. ¡°My twin sister¡¯s family always stands up to those bullies.¡± Felicia threw a glance towards my direction. I merely shrugged as a response. And thus, we began our journey in the Demon Continent, with a chuunibyou elven knightess as an unexpected addition to our little party. Vol 4 Chapter 7: The Enslaved Ogre In front of me was what you could describe as a wasteland. Rough, cracked red soil, with no signs of moisture in the slightest. Naturally, this meant no plants or greenery as well. There were only leafless pitch-black trees jutting out in the distance. Unfortunately, there were no horses or carriages for us to rent or buy, making us have to walk all the way to Arborea. Horses were pretty rare in the Demon Continent, as the climate was just not ideal for horse farms. Any horses that existed were imported from the Holy Continent, and they were usually exclusively used for the humans¡¯ military. This also meant that if a merchant was to move around his goods, he had to do it by using carts pulled by his slaves or servants instead. Usually, that would mean ogres and other physically strong demon races. On top of that, they would have to hire highly experienced bodyguards as well, as the Demon Continent was infested with strong monsters that would make mincemeat out of any newbie adventurers. We made our way to the east¡ªto where Arborea was. There were no roads in sight, so we had to rely on the sun and stars for our direction. That, and the trail left behind by other travelers. Apparently there existed adventurers that specialized in pathfinding, and you would want to hire them too to ensure you wouldn''t get lost. We opted not to, knowing that they might just end up selling us out to the Church. After just an hour of walk, we already met our first monster. "Grrrrr¡­" A twin-headed dog blocked our path. Its size was around the size of a horse and it had acidic saliva leaking out of its mouth. Cerberus Pup. It''s a C-rank magic beast monster. And Victoria had declared that she would be its opponent. "Hark, o foolish beast! I, Ela, shall be your opponent!" She drew her rapier and pointed it towards the beast, all the while making a pose as if she was one of the Three Musketeers. Sighing behind her, I decided to stay back and watch. Alright "Hyaah! Witness my Thousand Stab Lightspeed Technique!" She charged forward and thrusted her rapier as fast as she could. Except that it was nowhere near as fast as the name indicated. The dog sidestepped her attack before countering by spraying its acid from its two mouths. "Wind Wall!" Erecting a wall of hardened wind between them, I protected her from the attack. My range with the spell had increased significantly, thanks to my training with Ilymhyrra''s magic dispel. And then, I finished the dog with a simple Wind Cutter spell, bisecting the creature into two like it was nothing. "H-hmph! That was wholly unnecessary! I could have taken out that monster on my own!" The knightess declared as she sheathed her blade. "No, you''re not." Felicia walked forward, venom on her voice. "You''re too weak and stupid to even win against a mere C-rank monster. And yet you dare to spit on Lord Hugo''s kindness. Apologize. Go down to your knees and beg for forgiveness." "Oi oi there''s no need for that." I walked forward as well with a smile, trying to defuse the situation. "But she''s right. If you can''t even defeat a C-rank monster, I''m now even more worried about taking you to that dungeon." "Do not worry." She turned to face me with a firm look. "I am blessed with good fortune. I made it all this time on my own after all." "Liar." Felicia interrupted. "You must have paid adventurers to act as your escorts every time you step out to the wilderness. Luck? Ha! No amount of luck would make you survive as an adventurer, with how stupid and naive you are!" "It''s true," the knightess replied, still with the same firm look. "As one who is born under the undying star of twilight, I am blessed and cursed by my good fortunes." "... That''s it. I''m changing my mind." Felicia turned to face me. "Milord! Let''s leave her behind! Clearly, she has no need for us with that ''luck'' of hers!" "Well, if she''s as lucky as she says she is," I smiled at the ex-necromancer. "I want her along for the dungeon. Dream Orbs are pretty rare after all, even on the higher levels." "Hmph, if you say, so Milord." Felicia pouted before walking back towards Victoria. "Listen to me, you little brat.¡± She pressed her index into her chest as she loomed over her (she was just a little bit taller than her). ¡°Lord Hugo is my benefactor. He saved my life, risking his life and reputation in the process. I won¡¯t hear any disrespect towards him from that mouth of yours.¡± ¡°Disrespect?¡± The knightess tilted her head. ¡°I only have the utmost respect towards him. He is a great warrior, for someone so young. Just like Lady Ashleen when she was in her youth.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare compare him to that fantasy character of yours!¡± Felicia was now straight up yelling. ¡°Lady Ashleen is real. Very much so. She saved me from the jaws of evil. I can attest to that.¡± Once again, Victoria recited her delusion without so much of a flinch. I would be impressed, if I didn¡¯t pity her. Too bad there was nothing I could do for her in that department. I could save her body, but her mind? That¡¯s a whole tincan I didn¡¯t want to open. ------ We promptly resumed our travel, heading east following the guidance of the sun. In this region, they said there was hardly any rain, if any, so the bright crimson-tinged sky could be used reliably, both at day and night. Oh, I hadn¡¯t mentioned the sky, had I? The sky here, instead of pure blue like a normal sky, had a reddish-brown tinge to it. It¡¯s almost like the place was in perpetual dusk. When I asked Felicia why it was, she couldn¡¯t answer. ¡°I knew nothing about the sky, Milord. You have to ask those weather mages if you wanted the answer,¡± she said with a disappointed look. Weather mages was, of course, mages who specialized in weather magic. Like the Magocracy¡¯s Selendia, who invented a much more efficient rain spell. We met a number of other C-rank monsters in the road. Felicia disposed of them swiftly using her shadow magic. And then, night fell. It was time for us to make camp. And since we were still in the middle of nothing, we had to settle to sleep underneath one of those pitch-black leafless trees. For firewood, we used the branches from said tree. Their dryness made the perfect bonfire. With a flick of my wand, I lit up a pile, making sure my fire wasn''t too strong. As I helped Felicia with our tent, however, I realized that Victoria didn¡¯t bring her own tent, as she just sat there, leaning on the tree, gazing at the stars above. She had two bags with her: one large one on the back and one small one slung over her shoulder on the front. ¡°Hey, where¡¯s your tent? Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t bring one?¡± I approached her with a frown. Tilting her head to look at me, she replied, ¡°Tent? I don¡¯t need one. I prefer sleeping outside.¡± ¡°...What. Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes, I am serious." She smiled. "You can just leave me out here, Sir Hugo. Enjoy your time with Miss Felicia." I scratched the back of my head. "Alright then. Suit yourself." Returning to Felicia, who was still busy setting up our tent, I reported the matter. "She wants to sleep outside?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "Hmph, good. If she thinks I''m going to make her tent for her, she''s gravely mistaken." My gaze moved towards the tent we would be sleeping in. It was decently sizable, designed to fit two people comfortably inside. That night, nothing of significance happened. Felicia took the first watch with me coming in second. And sure enough, as Victoria promised, she slept without a care in the world, even with the biting chills of the wind. When the sun rose in the morning, we resumed our trip. ----------------- Nothing of significance happened for the next week. We resumed our trek through the seemingly endless wasteland, fighting off weak monsters that thought we would be easy prey due to our small number. Now there were B-rank monsters in their ranks. I expected A-ranks to show up soon the further we went. Victoria continued her tentless, and whenever it was my turn to stand watch over the camp, I couldn''t help but stare at her peaceful sleeping face. Multiple times I had the idea of fondling those large boobs once again, but I, who wanted to be a decent man for once, refused the temptation every time. For food, we had some dried meat with us. However, Felicia was all too happy to cook us some fresh ones from the monsters we defeated. Sure, they might be monsters, but it didn¡¯t mean their meat couldn¡¯t be delicious. As long as you knew how to prepare them, they could be just as delicious, if not more, than the more ordinary lamb or chicken meat. We found a tiny oasis village after a week of our travels. It was populated by a mixture of demonic races, from the bird-like ones to the ones looking like lizards, proving Felicia''s words on the northwestern part of the continent being a melting pot of demons, compared to the south where you could still find enclaves of demons only from a specific race. We decided to stay for the night, as we all desperately needed a bath. Thankfully, the village did have a hot spring bath that we could use. Only it wasn¡¯t a mixed bath. And I was too much of a gentleman to peek. Felicia would be fine with me peeking at her, but with Victoria and the other women around? Not a chance. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And thus, I was stuck spending my evening bath with some beefy middle-aged ogre and an old man with a turtle shell stuck on his back. What a disappointment. ---------- Two days later, as the sun was sinking down, we found a convoy of wagons on the route we took. Squinting my eyes, I could make out around thirty hand-drawn wagons, placed in a circle so they made a makeshift wall for the people inside. With them, there were around sixty, no, seventy people. Judging from their attire, most of them were mercenaries charged with protecting the convoy, with the rest being the slaves used to pull the carriages. There were no monsters around them which meant they were simply taking a break from their trip. "A merchant convoy, most likely." Felicia, who was standing beside me, spoke. "They didn''t seem to be soldiers, judging by their clothes." She turned to face me. "Should we avoid them, Milord?" "There''s no need for that, is there?" I smiled. "It might even be too late for that anyway. Since this is a flat plain, they should be able to see us as well." "You have a point." She conceded. "Still, we should remain vigilant. That large of a convoy¡ªonly a wealthy merchant can afford that." "Ehem!" Turning my head around, I saw Victoria standing there pouting with her arms folded under her chest. "Sir Hugo! Miss Felicia! I would appreciate it if I am allowed in your conversations as well! I know you two are lovers but that doesn''t mean you can just ignore me like this!" Felicia sent her a cold glare before walking away, no doubt feeling there was no point talking to a brick wall like her. -------- We made our way to the resting convoy. Or rather, we happened to go near it since it was actually right at the direction we were heading. Before we could go past it, however¡ª "Hey, you three! Come here for a sec!" Turning around, we saw a middle-aged man walking towards us. He was one of the mercenaries, carrying a curved sword on his waist. His features were human, with a light brown beard and a square-shaped jaw. He had a scar on his right cheek, contrasting the smile on his face. He towered over all of us and even with that smile, I couldn''t help but feel slightly intimidated. He stopped some steps away from us. Folding his hands, showing off his massive biceps, he spoke. "Adventurers, I take it? Just the three of you? That''s a rare sight." Knowing the dangers of the Continent, most adventurers would travel in a larger group. Strength in numbers and all. "Judging by the direction you came from, you''re heading to Arborea, I take it? It''s a shame. If you are going to Korlopur instead, then you guys are welcome with us." Korlopur was one of the human city-states, located to the north. "You are correct in your assessment." Felicia answered with her own smile. "We are indeed heading to Arborea. Now, if you''ll excuse us¡ª" "Hey, why don''t you two stay for the night? Don''t worry. The boss always welcomes adventurers to share a bonfire with his entourage." "Oh?" A smirk appeared on Felicia''s face. "How generous of him. How about it, Milord?" She turned to face me. "Should we take the offer?" "Well, I¡ª" ¡°HOW DARE YOU STEAL FROM ME YOU FILTHY DEMON?!¡± A loud, masculine voice echoed through the air, stopping our conversation completely. And then, Victoria ran right towards it. I exchanged looks with Felicia, nodding to each other before we chased after them. "H-hey! Wait!" The man who greeted us yelled to no avail. It didn''t take long until we found the source of the commotion. In the middle of the wagon circle, there were two men. One was an overweight middle-aged man, wearing an expensive-looking fur coat and hat. The other was an ogre. In human age, he looked to be about in his late twenties. He was topless, only wearing ragged trousers as his clothes. If his skin weren¡¯t bright red, and covered in dust and grime, he would probably be the type that was popular with the ladies, thanks to his abs and muscles. And, most important of all, he was the man''s slave, as he was holding a chain that linked into the collar on the ogre. The slave was kneeling in front of the man, seemingly in great pain, judging by the gritting of his sharp teeth. He didn¡¯t let out a single scream, however. ¡°Apologize! Beg for your master¡¯s forgiveness! Only then I will end this torment of yours!!¡± The fat man yelled as he hit him over and over with his stick. ¡°...¡± ¡°Apologize, damn you! Or do you want her to suffer my wrath as well?¡± The ogre leaped forward, punching his master right on his abdomen. "...L¡­ her¡­ alone¡­" "G-gah!" Blood spurted out of his mouth. He fell on his knees, holding his abdomen before rolling on the ground, yelling in a way that could only be described akin to a toddler. "Aaah! The pain! The pain! It hurts! It hurts! You''ll pay for this, you insolent slave!" His mercenaries rushed to the scene, escorting him off the premises. Other mercenaries threw chains after chains over the ogre in an attempt to bind him down, with one of them grabbing the chain connected to his collar. The ogre tried to fight back, but to no avail. He quickly returned back to gritting his teeth. It seemed that whatever was torturing him had resumed doing so. ¡°...Yeah, sorry about this. Didn¡¯t want to show this ugly scene to visitors like you for sure.¡± I looked to my left and saw the middle aged man from before standing near me. He was scratching his head with a sheepish look on his face. ¡°That ogre is our most problematic slave. Used to be a champion of the Ixon Colosseum. He did something to offend the Demon Lord there so he got shipped off to us humans as a slave. The boss paid a good sum for him, thinking he''d be an excellent bodyguard. Only, as you could see here, he''s too violent for that job. So the boss gave him that Peace Collar to manage him better. Or so he thought. Even with the blessing of the Saint purifying his demon body, he was still as wild as ever." "Peace Collar?" I raised her eyebrows. "You two aren''t from around here, are you?" He chuckled. "The Church sold them to demon slave owners. It''s the perfect tool to keep these inhuman folks in line. Since they''re demons, they''re weak to the blessing of the Saint. As long as you hold the chains in your hand, you can order it to send unimaginable pain to every inch of your demon''s body. I must say, for once, those holier-than-thou folks have the right idea. These demons can''t be trusted. Not after all the crap they did a millenia ago." "...I see." I fell silent. Hearing a person casually saying slavery and their torture being good is the harshest reminder that I have spent 12 years in an alternate world, filled with its own morals and codes. People like him are commonplace, while people like Fiora are extreme rarities. And magic slave collars. You gotta have that in a fantasy world, I suppose. At least it didn''t seem to be the mind-controlling kind. "Hold it right there, you villains! Can''t you see that he''s in pain? You can''t treat him like that!" Before I realized, Victoria had walked forward to the mercenaries, pointing her rapier as she demanded the ogre''s release. Looking at Felicia''s befuddled expression, she too was caught off-guard by this development. "Eh? Who are ye'' again?" One of the mercenaries spoke. "Get out of the way, missy. This one''s dangerous. Will rip your head right off if you let ''im." "My name is Lady Ena, the one and only apprentice to the legendary holy knight Ashleen! In the name of justice, I demand you to release him at once!" "What the hell are ye'' blabbering about?" "Sir! Excuse me! Please ignore what she says! She¡¯s a bit touched in the head, you see!¡± I gave him a smile before dragging the knightness away. ¡°W-wait, what are you doing? Can¡¯t you see? That ogre needs our help!¡± She protested. ¡°Shh, not now, idiot.¡± I replied in a harsh whisper. ¡°What do you think will happen if you continue antagonizing them? You really think you can take them all on?¡± ¡°Hmm?" She tilted her head. "Won''t you fight with me, Sir Hugo? You''re a Warrior of Justice too after all." She smiled. "I''m your bodyguard. Not your personal warrior." I huffed. We stopped once we were outside the circle of carriages. Felicia looked like she was ready to give her a tongue lashing, but I gestured to her to stay put for a bit. "Look, I didn''t like what that fatty did to him either. But we have to know the circumstances better before making any judgment. He said the ogre stole from him, right? What if that was true? Should we still help him? Maybe he really is as bad as those mercenaries said. Fighting for justice is good and all but you can''t be blinded by your own self-righteousness." "But they say justice is blind!'' The knightess pouted. "That''s not what that saying means!" I pressed my thumb and finger to my forehead. ¡°Shall I investigate, Milord?¡± Felicia spoke. ¡°I can use my shadow magic to sneak into where that ogre is being held with ease. To be honest, I share the same sentiment with her, as much as I despise the fact.¡± She sent a venomous glare towards Victoria. ¡°That level of cruelty, it¡¯s simply unacceptable.¡± ¡°Yes, you can do that,¡± I replied. ¡°Meanwhile, I¡¯ll ask the hired goons about him and fatso.¡± ¡°Oh oh! Can I join in please?¡± Victoria clasped her hands together. ¡°I can investigate¡ª¡± ¡°No! You stay here!¡± Felicia and I shouted at the same time. ¡°Alright¡­¡± Like a defeated puppy, she whimpered, looking down all teary-eyed. ¡°I¡¯m just a squire after all¡­ I must be a burden to you too...¡± ¡°Yes, you are a burden to us,¡± Felicia said in the coldest tone possibly. ¡°So just stand here and do nothing. We¡¯ll play the hero for you.¡± I sighed, before giving the knightness the biggest smile I could muster. Placing my hand on her shoulder, I said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If he really is innocent, then I promise to save him.¡± Vol 4 Chapter 8: Hugo’s Slaughter We began our investigation immediately. The sun now had sunk completely, allowing shadows to appear all over the encampment. Naturally, it gave Felicia a lot more freedom with her Shadow Melt spell. She should be able to sneak into the ogre''s cell with no problem whatsoever. I, on the other hand, socialized around with the mercenaries on camp, asking about the ogre and their boss. There were also the other slaves, who were a lot more obedient to their master compared to the ogre. The result of my investigation was thus: Fatso''s name was Eliot Crandis. He was a wealthy merchant who operated mainly on the Demon Continent, trading between the seven human city states as well as Ixon. He dealt in all sorts of merchandise, from mundane stuff like carpets made out of the fur of red panthers (a monster native to the Demon Continent), to magic tools like a self-writing feather pen, and of course, slaves as well. Even now, two of the wagons were carrying slaves. Their accomodation was less than humane in modern Earth standard, being held in cages, made out of mithril nonetheless. Though I imagine that in this world, having your slaves being carried around in cages are the standard.Other than that unpleasant fact, he''s generally an amicable guy. The only problem was that he was an awful cheapskate. He would throw a fit whenever any of his merchandise went missing, ranting and even beating up the slaves in charge of it.The ogre''s name was Orluk, and his crime today was stealing some medicine from one of his master''s many carriages. And apparently, he did it to heal one of the other slaves, who had been sick for days. He''s currently being held in a cage at the far end of the camp. I couldn''t get close since there are like ten guards standing guard around it.The mercenaries had barely any sympathy for either the ogre or the sick slave, citing their inhuman endurance. Some even said that the sick slave was just faking their illness, so they would be exempt from their duty of pulling the heavy carts.The other slaves were more sympathetic to Orluk and the sick slave, but none of them thought it was a good idea to steal from their master. In fact, they felt Orluk should start learning his place as a slave and stop angering their master with his attitude. In short, even though merchant guy was no saint, no one here really liked the ogre either. -------- Felicia As I saw Milord walk around the camp, chatting up conversations with the residents of the camp, and with the big master himself, I was free to observe around unobstructed. The imbecile elf on the other hand was content on standing on her own corner like a lost puppy. ¡­ My eyes wandered to the wagons. Then, to the hired goons. They were now starting a bonfire, and hanging on top of it, was a dead monster boar. They were readying themselves for dinner. Even so, the cage where the ogre was remained as guarded as ever. Using my Shadow Merge spell, I melted myself into the shadows, traveling as far away as I could from the bonfire. The cage had its own source of light, being the one lantern one of the guards had. It was no problem however as the light was too dim to be any threat against my spell. I resurfaced inside his cage, but not entirely. Only my left hand and head. None of the guards were looking at the cage. They were too busy chatting with each other, the fools. His eyes shifted towards me, but he wasn''t making any sudden movement. What wasn¡¯t good, however, was the smell entering my nostrils. It was the smell of someone who hadn¡¯t taken a bath in weeks. "Tell me, ogre. For what crime did your master scold you back then?" "''Tis not a crime," he answered, without turning his head. "Is it a crime to soothe the pain of a sick child?" "Is that why you stole the medicine?" "...What do you want with me, witch of the shadows?" "My Lord has taken an interest in you. He is considering freeing you." "Free her instead. Her name is Fia. She''s a dark elf. She would be six or seven in your human age." "Oh?" A smirk appeared on my face. "How noble of you. Do you not wish for your own freedom?" "I can bear the cruelty of humans. She cannot. The medicine I gave couldn''t cure her. In just a few more days, she would perish. I do not wish for her to die inside a human cage." "...Very well. I shall tell my Lord of your request." I sunk myself into the shadows once more, silently creeping away from the cage before manifesting myself back on the surface. I merged into the shadows once more, this time moving myself towards the two largest wagons in the entire encampment. Slipping inside, I was greeted by quite the unpleasant sight. Cages upon cages were stuck on top of each other, each having a person sitting inside. The stench was unbearable as well. It was clear as day that their master never bothered to bathe them. Maybe once when they were about to be sold. Had to clean the merchandise first before displaying them to the ¡°esteemed¡± customers after all. They were all sitting in pitch-black darkness. If not for my ability to manipulate the dark, I wouldn¡¯t be able to see them at all. Of course, it also made them not notice my presence in the slightest, which was convenient. Slipping outside, and then entering the other wagon beside it, I received the same sight and smell. This time, however, I could hear a small, almost imperceptible panting coming from the far end of the vehicle. I slipped further inside. And sure enough, the panting came from a girl. A dark elf girl. I left the shadows, manifesting myself as silently as I could. Fortunately, the other slaves didn''t seem to notice my sudden appearance, thanks to the darkness. "U-uuhhh¡­ uhhhhmmm¡­" The girl was laying on her back, tossing and turning as if she was having a nightmare. Her skin was flushed and she was sweating all over. I could tell that much just by looking at her. But, to be sure, I reached into her cage and placed a hand on her head. She yelped, no doubt alarmed by the sudden skin contact. "Shh, it''s alright," I whispered as gently as I could. "My Lord and I will get you out of this place. Just wait a little bit more, alright?" I didn''t know if she could see me, but she seemed to be calming down. "W-who are you?" She whispered back. "Just a humble wandering adventurer." I smiled. "Now, be a good girl and wait here, alright?¡± She nodded. After patting her on the head, I took my leave, melting back into my shadows once more. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ------- Hugo "And that''s how I barely managed to escape that dragon!" Applause and cheers filled the air as I bowed. I had been spending my last half hour regaling the tales of my adventures to the fat merchant and his guards, to act as a distraction for Felicia. Of course, I didn''t actually tell them the truth. I simply made up a story on the fly. Or rather, I stole a story I read from one of the books I''d read, changing the details as I saw fit. The slaves weren¡¯t really part of it, however, as they had been instructed not to join on the circle around the bonfire. They instead sat outside of it, quite a distance away from the warmth the burning fire provided. "Ah, what a wonderful story, Master Hugo!" The fatso smiled. "It wasn''t a mistake to invite you and your friends after all! Oh, how I wish I was born with the talent for the sword! Instead, I''m stuck here with a belly bigger than a drum, hearing others have a much more exciting life than mine! To think that someone as young as you are already an expert adventurer, this is truly a fortunate encounter!" I smiled back, out of politeness. All the while I looked around with the corner of my eyes for Felicia. "Master Hugo." A grin now appeared at his puffy face. "I have an offer to make. Escort me and my merchandise to Korlopur and I shall pay you and your companions one gold coin each.¡± ¡°Ah, you believe I¡¯m paying too much?¡± His grin remained. ¡°Rest assured, I am not. Recently, we have somewhat of a bandit problem in this region. They¡¯re targeting big cats like myself, and they would always be gone before any of the city states¡¯ army could get them. That¡¯s why I hired so many mercenaries to escort me like this. A lot of them used to be adventurers in their own right, before they decided to become a more permanent member of my company. So if you think they¡¯re just a bunch of stiff boards like those city guards, think again. They will make company for you and your companions, I am sure of that.¡± ¡°I am honored for the offer, Master Crandis.¡± I put my left hand on my right chest and bowed. ¡°However, I would have to discuss it first with my friends.¡± ¡°Of course! Discuss away! You have the whole night to do so!¡± He clapped his hands. ¡°You two! Bring his friends here at once! I can¡¯t believe none of you had the initiative to invite them to our little party as well!¡± He laughed. ¡°Oh, please, do not trouble your guards in calling them. I shall fetch them myself. Now, if you would excuse me.¡± I gave another quick bow before leaving their little gathering. Thankfully, the big boss didn¡¯t suspect my hurried leave in the slightest. Just a few steps away from them, however, I found her. She noticed me as well and we both rushed to meet each other in the middle. ¡°Did you do it?¡± I asked. She nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s take our conversation elsewhere.¡± She glanced back towards the bonfire with a frown on her face. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll go to where Victoria is then. She needs to hear this as well.¡± The place Victoria was waiting wasn¡¯t that far from the encampment. It was just a few steps outside, near one of those pitch-black trees. When we arrived, we found her laying down on her back with her eyes closed. She was asleep. ¡°Hey, wake up.¡± Felicia nudged her head with her right foot. ¡°How can you sleep so casually in a place like this?¡± ¡°U-urghhh¡­¡± Groggily, she sat up, before stretching her arms with a yawn. ¡°You two took too long.¡± She pouted. ¡°What else is a girl supposed to do while waiting?¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. Anything else other than sleeping? You¡¯re lucky there isn¡¯t a monster nearby, or it would¡¯ve eaten you while you sleep.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who said I shouldn¡¯t do a thing!¡± The elf fired back. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that literally, you idiot!¡± ¡°Alright, you two, that¡¯s enough.¡± I interrupted. ¡°We have an important thing to discuss. Felicia, you first. Tell me what you find.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± She sighed. ¡° Let me begin from the start.¡± ... When she finished her story, I was speechless. "How about your investigation, Milord?" Felicia asked with a concerned look. "Did you hear anything that contradicts what I just said?" I shook my head. "No. It only reaffirms your tale." "I was right!" Victoria chirped. "They are the bad guys after all!" I smiled at her. "What shall we do, Milord? I can go back in there and free those two without them knowing," Felicia suggested. "Would you be satisfied with that though?" I smiled grimly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t. You said it yourself, didn¡¯t you? How much the little girl suffered. For me, I have enough of letting little girls suffer or die in my presence.¡± Her eyes widened. "You mean, you want to¡ª" "I''m sick of running away myself. He''ll come for us if we did it your way. But, with my way, I can make him realize we''re not someone to be trifled with." She paused, seemingly in shock. And then, a smile formed on her lips. The same, confident smile her old self used to have. "You''re right. I am sick of running as well. And I certainly don''t want to run from someone who would mistreat a child like that." "How about you, Ela? You''re up for some punishing evildoer action?" "Of course I am! I, the holy squire Ela, will aid you in your quest!" She patted her chest. "Well, let''s go then. I''ll take the lead." ------- Returning back to the encampment, we walked straight to the heart of the problem. The merchant was still seated on his now merrily drinking ¡°Finally, you¡¯ve returned! And with your friends nonetheless! Please, take a seat! The pork roast is just about to finish! I assure you, the taste is quite succulent, despite it being a monster!¡± ¡°Hey, can you bring out Lucilla?" I asked. "Lucilla?" He raised his eyebrows. "Who is that?" "One of your slaves," I answered. "Oh, are you interested in my slaves, Master Hugo?" A smile formed on his toad-like face. "I suppose you can say that. But I''m only interested in the one named Lucilla." "If you''re referring to my worker slaves, I''m afraid I don''t have any recollection of such a name amongst them." He scratched his chin. "And if you''re talking about my merchandise slaves instead, well¡ª" He chuckled. "I''m not in the habit of remembering their names. They''re only with me to be sold after all." "A young dark elf, currently suffering a terrible illness that will claim her life." I continued. "Quite bold to let her be stuck in that filthy cage without any care. You even punish the only man that cared for her.¡± A shadow fell onto his face. "Excuse me?" ¡°I want you to release both of them this very second and grovel for forgiveness on their feet. And then, treat her with the best medicine you have before you send them away on their freedom. Oh, and of course, give them each ten gold coins. Money to start anew." I smiled. He froze, his face scrunching up in a most disgusting manner as he tried to process my words. And then, he bursted into a laugh, followed by the mercenaries that surrounded us. They laughed and laughed and laughed, with some even crying from it. "You¡ªyou have lost your mind, have you, Master Hugo?" The merchant replied between his laughs. "Me? Bowing down to my slaves? So what if she''s sick! She''s just a merchandise! I bought her for cheap, just so I could get an extra cart puller! You know how dark elves are, don''t you?" "Of course." I still kept my smile. "Opposing their fair-skinned brethren, dark elves are adept in physical strength. Even a little girl possesses more strength than the average man." "So you do know!" He laughed again, slapping his knee. "Then you know that as a merchant, I won''t spend my expensive medicine on cheap merchandise. I''ll take a loss. Sure, she might fetch a decent price once she''s older, but I really can''t be bothered to wait that long." I glanced towards Felicia. She had the coldest stare I had ever seen and she was gripping her staff to the point that her knuckles turned white. Victoria, on the other hand, already had her hand on her rapier''s handle, biting her lip in an attempt to keep herself from speaking back. Me? I''m glad he''s speaking candidly like this. It makes it easier to do what I''m about to do next. "No? Alright then." In a flash, I drew my wand and fired an explosive flame spell at the wagon nearby, blasting it into smithereens. The merchant''s jaw dropped in horror and the mercenaries immediately drew their weapons. "Y-y-y-y-You!¡± He yelled. ¡°My most expensive merchandise! I paid a thousand gold coins for that!" "Well¡­" I shrugged, giving him a smile. "You''re just unlucky tonight, Master Crandis. You shouldn''t have invited me here. After all, I have quite the distaste for people like you." "A-ARREST HIM! ARREST HIM, MEN! YOU''LL PAY FOR THIS! I¡¯LL MAKE YOU WATCH AS MY MEN HAVE THEIR WAY WITH YOUR TWO WHORES BEFORE SELLING YOU ALL AS SLAVES!¡± ¡°Boom Cannon: Homing Mode.¡± Twirling my wand upwards, I conjured an invisible cannonball made out of air. It circled around for a few milliseconds, before flying through the mercenaries¡¯ chests and stomachs at a speed none of them could even comprehend. All they could hear was the thundering sound it left behind at its trail as it broke the sound barrier. A cacophony of screams filled the night air. Not just from the mercenaries, but the slaves that watched in horror from further away. And the face our dear Master Crandis was making ¡ª I would be surprised if he hadn¡¯t wet himself under those robes. To my surprise, however, my spell didn¡¯t manage to kill every single mercenary. There were ten left, as one of them had managed to block my spell before it could go through him and the other nine. My Boom Cannon lost its momentum every time it pierced through a body, so naturally, it was far weaker when it reached him. He was a tall minotaur, easily tripling my size, with ripped muscles on every single part of his body. He could easily snap me like a twig if he could get his hands on me. And yet, he was looking at me as if I was the Demon God themself. ¡°W-wait! Please! I-I surrender!¡± He threw his shield to the ground and prostrated to me. The other nine, who were just humans, followed suit as well. I walked towards them, stopping just short of the range where they could perform a surprise attack. ¡°Surrender? That¡¯s funny. Weren¡¯t you amongst the one who laughed when I made my speech? Especially you, horsey. You were the one with the most annoying laugh.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know any better! Please! I¡¯m just a hired sword! If you¡¯re going to be angry, you should be angry with the boss instead!¡± the horse neighed ¡°And you?¡± I looked at the human beside him. ¡°You were the one who invited me to stay here tonight, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Y-yes! That was me!¡± He lifted his face, revealing the same one that stopped us in our tracks a few hours ago. ¡°You didn¡¯t care about the dark elf or the ogre either. Tell me. Why should I care about you?¡± "I-I have a family! A wife and two kids waiting for me back home!" "Oh? A family?" I turned my attention back to the minotaur. "How about you? Do you have a family as well?" "Y-yeah, I have a family as well! I got three kids and the missus!" "M-me too! I have a pregnant wife back home!" "A-and I was going to marry after this job!" Like parrots, one by one all the other mercenaries told me about their families as well. "Too bad. They deserved better." Another Boom Cannon finished them off. I looked back at Felicia and Victoria with a wry smile. The latter looked horrified, covering her mouth as she tried not to puke her guts out. The former, on the other hand, gazed at me with a worried look. I walked back to the merchant, who, by now, looked like he was having a stroke. He had fallen off his chair, and he had a line droll coming out from the corner of his mouth. "You, Master Crandis. You have the honor to be my first test subject." "W-wait! I''ll give you anything! All my gold, no, all my wealth, even my daughters back home, I''ll give it all to you!" "Your daughters?" "Y-yes! There are five of them! Really pretty, even the little one! I assure you, you won''t be disappointed!" "I''m sorry." I smiled. "My heart is already taken. I don''t need your daughters." I pointed my wand at him, right to where his lungs were. "Asphyxia.¡± ¡°A-aaurrghhh¡­ I-I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t breathe.¡± He clutched his chest with his fat fingers. ¡°W-what did you¡ªwhat did you do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a curse¡ªa curse of breathlessness.¡± ¡°Y-you¡ªdamn you! Damn you, uoorrghhhh¡­¡± He didn¡¯t last long. Only 30 seconds before he croaked. The curse part was a lie. This spell was simply air manipulation. Only I was manipulating the air inside someone else¡¯s chest. Thanks to my training with Ilmyhrra¡¯s Dispel Magic, I could now send my raw mana in a far greater range than normal. And so, I simply sent my mana through his chest, inside his lungs, and used it to manipulate the wind there. No normal mage can do this. None of the many magic books I have read even considered the possibility of extending the range of one¡¯s raw mana. They all only spoke about manifesting the phenomenon right in front of you. Even weather spells work the same (you don¡¯t actually send your raw mana into the clouds to invoke rain, for example). I probably have stolen the high elves¡¯ super special hidden magic. And I¡¯m perfectly fine with that. With the job finished, I walked back to my companions, taking care not to dirty my boots from all the blood and gore surrounding the place. ¡°There you go.¡± I smiled. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get those two out of their cages, shall we?¡± ------------ A/N: I know this is dark. But I think it¡¯s time to really differentiate between Hugo and his inspiration (I don¡¯t think Rudy ever kills people in cold blood like this). Not to mention that some of my readers think he should¡¯ve become a darker character after all the shit that happened to him. This is also throwing a bone to him. Seventy-ish people killed by Hugo alone without breaking a single sweat. I¡¯ll give more of such bones to him, until the climax of this arc at the very least. Also, here''s a picture for the dark elf loli. As for my Patreon update, I just gave Hugo''s new sidekick a GF and Hugo gets called out for his decision regarding Victoria. Next chapter would be him going through the World Dungeon again. Oh, and I also found this pic that might suit Erika. At least when she''s happy. Vol 4 Chapter 9: Orluk and Fia Felicia ...I was speechless. To think Milord would do something like this. I thought of him as a kinder soul, who could never bring himself to take the lives of others in cold blood. I was ready to make myself his sword, doing everything dirty that was necessary for his happiness and safety, so he wouldn¡¯t have to corrupt himself doing so. And yet, here we are now, with him killing all these men on his own. ...I am glad. For these men, no, deserve nothing less. To feel no pity or remorse to a sickly little girl¡­ this twisted world would be better off without them. ¡°Leave it to me, Milord.¡± I smiled at his return. ¡°I shall free the girl while you free the ogre.¡± I glanced at the foolish elf. Typical. She¡¯s just a girl playing pretend. This is how you fight for justice. By leaving a trail of blood on your wake. --------- Hugo ¡°Victoria, you alright?¡± I smiled at the knightness. No response. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Just let it out.¡± I patted her back. ¡°When I first killed someone, I too puked my guts out.¡± ¡°Oh, and you might want to stay away from the corpses. I¡¯m going to burn them all. Don¡¯t want them to turn undead after all.¡± In this continent, if you don¡¯t properly burn dead corpses, there¡¯s a chance the ambient demonic mana will reanimate said corpse into undead monsters. She nodded quietly, still holding her hand over her mouth. She walked away without a word towards the encampment¡¯s exit. With a simple fire magic, I turned all the corpses into dust, leaving only their iron and steel weapons. I also made sure to use my wind magic to direct the smoke away, so no one would be choked by it. To finish, I gathered all the ash and any fire-resistant objects or clothing into one big lump before sending it as far as I could away from the camp, using a controlled miniature hurricane. And just like that, it was as if the massacre never happened. As I walked towards the ogre¡¯s cage, I saw the slaves eyeing me with fear. None of them dared to ask what would become of them, and when I looked at their direction, they would immediately run away. Honestly, I have nothing to say to them. They¡¯re free to do what they want, now that their master is dead. And since most of them seem to be content with passively accepting their fate¡­ Arriving at the cage, there was not a single guard left. Makes sense. In the ruckus, they must have joined the fight as well. When the ogre noticed my footsteps, he shifted his gaze at my direction. "Why? Why did you do it?" "Nothing much.¡± I smiled. ¡°Because I can. Because I¡¯m tired of seeing people like you and her being dealt a bad hand by fate.¡± "I don''t understand." "Well, let''s just say it''s part of my redemption. I''ve failed to save a young girl before. And now, I have the chance to save another." "...I see." "Now please, stand back, if you would. I''m going to cut this thing right open." I pointed my wand at the mithril lock keeping the cage closed. Pressing its tip right to the metal, I conjured what I would call a wind buzzsaw, made out of rapidly swirling tiny wind blades acting as the teeth. Only to find that it was still not sharp enough to cut through. "Find the key. One of those guards should have it. You''re not cutting through mithril." "Really?" I smirked. "I''m not just a mage, you know." I drew my sword. Mithril vs mithril. I then tapped my wand onto the blade. "Enchant! Kamaitachi!" Kamaitachi. A myth from my old world about a wind demon who cuts its prey using blades of wind. Such a creature might actually exist in this world, though I had yet to hear about it. The wind transferred itself onto the sword. Now, the mithril blade has tiny wind teeth vibrating rapidly around it. Normally, it wouldn¡¯t be possible, doing something like this without a magic sword (a sword that can act as a wand as well). However, thanks to my extended mana reach, I can keep the spell going in a stable manner as long as the sword doesn¡¯t get too far from the wand. I closed my eyes, focusing my aura to the edge of the blade. "Staccato!" With a single slice, I cut through the mithril lock like butter. As it fell to the ground, the cage door creaked open, freeing the ogre at last. "...You surprise me. I never saw a technique like that." "Well, you can come out now." I smiled, sheathing both my wand and sword. "You''re free." Still eyeing me warily, the ogre crawled outside. Standing up, he towered over me like a giant. If I were to guess his height, he would be two meters tall, just like those foreign basketball players. Now that I got a better look at him, I noticed all the scars on his body, particularly on the back. Or so I thought, until I realized some of them were whip marks instead. "Thank you. You are the shadow witch''s lord, I presume?" "That''s right." I smiled. "My name is Hugo Greenwood. It''s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Orluk." I bowed. "And here I thought you would need my help, Milord." Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Felicia. And she was carrying a little girl in her arms. The ogre walked towards her, looking at the little girl with a melancholic smile on his face. His hand gently patted her head, all the while his eyes moistened. "Do not worry." Felicia smiled as well. "With proper treatment, I believe I can cure her. I might look like this, but I''m an alchemist as well." "T-truly?" The ogre''s voice shook. "Truly. So please, rest easy." The ogre let out a long sigh of relief before turning back to face me. "I¡­ I don''t know what to say. I have never received such kindness from a stranger before. And from a human no less. I have horribly misjudged your kind, and for that, I am terribly sorry." He bowed as deeply as he could. "Hmm?" I chuckled, crossing my arms. "What do you mean?" "I-I thought all humans are just a cowardly, greedy race that arrogantly believe they are superior to us of the demon race. I see now that not all of them are like that. Especially not you, Master Hugo. So please! Allow me to repay this debt!" All of a sudden, he went to his knees and lowered his head to the ground. "Uh, what?" "Let me be your retainer! Your servant! Your sword and shield!" I smiled, kneeling down and resting my hand on his head. "I''m not doing this so you can be my slave next. You''re free. Go wherever you want, do whatever you want." He raised his head, moving back to a sitting position before chuckling. "...I don''t have anywhere else to go, Master Hugo. My life, my dream, my future ¡ª they all have been taken from me. Even if you set me free, I don''t have a place I can return to." He smiled darkly. "What happened?" I asked. I couldn''t halt my curiosity. "A betrayal." He gritted his teeth. "I was betrayed by the woman I thought I would spend the rest of my life with." "Apologies, Milord, but I have to cut this conversation short." Felicia interrupted. "I have to treat her right away and I would need some help. We need to make a tent and a bed for her to sleep with." "I will help." The ogre stood up with a determined expression. "Tell me whatever you need, Mistress Felicia, and I will make sure it gets delivered to you." "Mistress¡­ Felicia?" She paused. "I am indebted to you just as much as I am indebted to Master Hugo. Not to mention the fact that you are his lover. So it''s only proper for me to give the same respect I am giving to him." He bowed yet again. ¡°A-a lover?¡± Felicia stuttered, a tinge of redness creeping onto her cheeks. ¡°Y-yes, that¡¯s right! I am his lover!¡± Seeing her reaction, I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. "Master Hugo." The ogre turned to face me. "If I might ask, where is your other lover? I wish to thank her as well." "That elf isn''t his lover!" Felicia yelled. "She''s the fool we''re escorting! I''m the only one who''s his lover!" "Oh, she is not? My apologies. I was under the impression that Master Hugo would have more than one lover. In my culture, the best of males would have many wives to bed with. Is it not so in the human world?" Felicia fell silent as sadness swept her face. "...You''re right. Milord also has a demoness as his other lover. She''s not here though." "Just two?" He frowned, looking back at me. "From what you did tonight, I expect five." ¡°F-five?¡± Felicia stuttered. ¡°No! Absolutely not! That¡¯s too many! Two is more than enough!¡± "That''s a terrible shame." The ogre shook his head. "You humans would be a stronger race if you allow strong, virtuous males like Master Hugo to have many wives." "How about you?" I smirked. "How many wives do you think you should have?" A shadow blanketed his face. "...None. My heart died that day." "U-uuhhh¡­" A tiny groan came from Felicia''s arms. The dark elf child was shifting in her sleep. "Alright, enough chat. Ogre, help me with the tent. As for you, Milord, can you get some fever herbs from the medicine wagon? You know which one, right?" I nodded. "Don''t worry. Leave it to me." I patted my chest. Seeing her going into doctor-mode like this, I couldn''t help but smile. Putting off my imagination of a nice two-story house for us (and Sherry), I made my way to said wagon, though not before I met Victoria on the way. "Feeling better?" I patted her shoulder. "D-did you¡­ did you have to kill all those people?" A thin smile formed on my face. "...I suppose I didn''t. But I chose to. I don''t want them hounding me in the future for stealing their slaves. And I don''t like them anyway. Not only were they gleefully helping a slaver that puts people in cages like animals, they were letting a sickly little girl die, punishing the only person who stood by her. You might disagree, but I believe those are good enough reasons to kill someone. You can say that this is my justice. Dark justice, if you will." I chuckled. "Dark¡­ justice?" "This world is too messed up for ordinary justice to fix. A dark justice is necessary ¡ª justice that is willing to do unpleasant things from time to time. Let your soul be burdened by sin, if it will make the world just ever so slightly a better place." "Does your beloved Lady Ashleen never take a life?" I asked. "I¡­ I don''t know. The book never said that¡ª ah!" She covered her mouth with her hands. "A book, eh? Was it a book you read when you were little, perhaps?" "...I-it was a legendary tome! It fell from the sky one day and I was chosen to be its bearer! The name ''Ashleen'' is a title, given to every woman who walks in the path of justice!" She declared with a forced grin. "Well..." I put my hand on her shoulder. "I''ll leave it up to you to decide what justice is. Everyone should decide that by themselves." With a short handwave, I left the knightess to her own. I had some herbs to get after all. ------ When I returned to Felicia, she was already inside the tent, with her alchemical equipment being put outside. She had laid down the little girl on a pillow, wiping the sweat on her face gently with a wet towel. "Here. I got the herbs you wanted." I put the pouch near her. "I also found some potions that were labeled anti-fevers. Brought them too just in case." "Thank you, Milord." Felicia smiled. "Might I ask you to stay here and keep watch over her as I make the potion? Just make sure she¡¯s comfortable. It won''t take long. About an hour or so." I nodded. ¡°That sounds easy enough.¡± "Then, if you would excuse me¡ª" The alchemist stood up, tiptoeing her way out of the tent. I sat down where she once was, which was just above the little girl¡¯s head. "U-uuhhh¡­" A small groan escaped the dark elf''s lips, bringing me back from my thoughts. Slowly, I touched her forehead. Quickly, I grabbed the towel, conjured cold water into it, and placed it on said forehead. ------ Felicia With Milord safely watching her, I can finally start my work. First, the fever herbs. I need to brew them for maximum efficacy. These potions Milord got¡ªthey''re not good enough. Whoever made them wasn''t that great of an alchemist. "I''ve finished setting it up, Mistress Felicia." I was greeted by Orluk once I arrived at my makeshift lab. Using my Dimensional Storage, I could lug around all these heavy, fragile tools around. And after I brought them up, I instructed the ogre to put them up just the way I wanted. There was a wagon full of furniture in this caravan so he could use the tables from there. With those muscles of his, it shouldn''t be hard to lift all that heavy wood. "Well done." I smiled. "Now, leave the rest to me. How about you talk to those slaves that have been watching us?¡± Oh yes, they did not escape my attention. Afraid of me and Milord¡¯s actions, none of them had the bravery to talk to us. They instead watched at us from a distance, hiding behind the wagons. I suppose I cannot blame them, what with Milord being such a terrifying mage and all. ¡°It¡¯s quite annoying, you see, and I would rather have them go out and talk to us. Or thank us. After all, Milord has freed them as well.¡± I smirked. ¡°At once, Milady.¡± He gave a short bow before he left. I started grinding the herbs with my mortar and pestle, making sure they would be at the correct state before I entered them into my cauldron. Speaking of that, I already filled it with water by my magic, before lightning up the firewood underneath. I needed the water to be at boiling point before I entered the herbs. But, as fate would have it, I was interrupted before I could move on to that stage. A crowd of twenty or so gathered around me, consisting of the slaves I was talking about before. Leading them was Orluk. It seemed they had concluded their talk. And then, one by one, all of them lowered their heads to the ground. ¡°T-thank you! Thank you very much, o great mage! You and your partner both!¡± One of them spoke. He was another ogre, just like Orluk. I halted my work, dampening the burning fire with a quick water spell before I walked over to them. ¡°Oh, really? Are you happy now that you are free at last?¡± ¡°Y-yes! Very much so!¡± ¡°Then, go away. Leave us alone. I have no desire to see the faces of those who saw a little girl being whipped and proceeded to do nothing.¡± He couldn¡¯t respond. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see those scars on her back? Only the man standing over there is willing to help her. The rest of you simply abandoned her, all too content to fall in line with your master.¡± ¡°W-we¡¯re sorry!¡± Another slave spoke. This time, she was a dark elf. ¡°I-if we disobey, then he would punish us as well!¡± As she pleaded her case, her eyes locked into mine, It was the beady eyes of a loser, of one that had given up their hopes and dreams. I didn¡¯t not know how this woman, or the other slaves, got broken like this, but just that one look was enough for my anger to swell into my chest. ¡°It¡¯s not me whom you should ask for forgiveness. It¡¯s him and Fia, the child you left to suffer.¡± Their gaze traveled towards Orluk. He crossed his arms and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t care. And Fia wouldn¡¯t care either. She¡¯s still gravely ill and you¡¯re disturbing the alchemist who¡¯s trying to cure her. So leave. The goods in all these wagons ¡ª feel free to do whatever you want with them once my master and mistress are finished with them. All my mistress asks is for you bunch to leave her alone and not stare at her from a distance like a ravenous wolf. That¡¯s alright with you, right?¡± He turned to look at me, presumably asking about the wagons. ¡°Yes, that will be fine.¡± I smiled. ¡°And, in exchange, I only ask for you all to keep your mouth shut. Never speak to anyone about us. You wouldn¡¯t want me or Milord to come knocking on your doors, would you?¡± I put up the evilest smirk I could muster. And judging by the expression on their faces, it would seem to be sufficient. ¡°O-of course, Milady! N-none of us would dare to defy your command! Not after all you did for us!¡± The man bowed again. ¡°Now that¡¯s settled, leave. Unless any of you wishes to volunteer to help me make the cure, that is.¡± The crowd quickly dispersed, no one wanting to be with me for a second longer. ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch on them,¡± the ogre declared. ¡°I would help you with the cure, but I know I would only be getting in your way, Mistress Felicia.¡± ¡°You have no knowledge whatsoever about alchemy, I take it?¡± ¡°None whatsoever.¡± He sighed. ¡°I should¡¯ve studied more. Never cared about books, only how to swing my club. Maybe that¡¯s why I got tricked by her. I am a fool. Always has been.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Then, you do that. I¡¯ll handle things over here. Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯ll be fine. I promise.¡± Vol 4 Chapter 10: The Shotacon Ogress Hugo "U-uuhhh¡­" "Here you go. Drink it all up, alright? I''ve made it sweet just for you." I watched as Felicia slowly poured the liquid inside her mouth. And from the corner of my eyes, I could see Orluk doing the same, though a lot more intensely, for a lack of a better term. When she finished, the alchemist carefully moved her head back on the pillow, giving her head a gentle pat in the process. "T-thank you, Miss¡­" A smile formed in my lips as the young girl opened her eyes. It wasn''t just me either. Looking at Orluk, the normally stoic ogre could barely contain his tears. And Felicia, she had never looked happier. ¡°Shh, don¡¯t talk too much,¡± Felicia replied. ¡°Your treatment isn¡¯t over yet. I need to run some tests on your blood and see what the problem is. What I gave you was just a medicine to soothe the pain." "U-uuhhh¡­ uhhhhhh¡­" Tears escaped her amethyst eyes as the girl began to sob. "W-what''s wrong?" Felicia went straight into panic mode. "I-I''m sorry! It''s just that¡­ it''s just that¡­ you remind me of Mother¡­ uwaahhhh!" She was now full-blown crying, sending the redheaded mage even further into turmoil. I scooted over to her (we were all sitting down inside the tent) and lifted the crying girl into my arms. "Hey, it''s okay," I whispered. "The bad guys aren''t here anymore. They''re gone. I''ve taken care of them." The crying soon died down (but not before making my right shoulder damp). Releasing my grip, I let her straighten herself as she sat on my lap. "Really? The bad guys are gone? I¡­ won''t be whipped anymore?" "Whipped?" I glanced at Felicia and Orluk. They looked like they could kill someone at any second. "I worked hard for them. I pulled their big wagons just like they wanted. But when I got sick, I couldn''t work as hard. So they said I was lazy and worthless and they whipped me until it hurt. Big Brother Orluk tried to stop them, but he¡­ he¡­" "That''s enough! You don''t have to cry anymore!" It was Felicia. She was now standing, tears streaming down her eyes. "Milord has vanquished all those awful humans! Me and him, we are all your allies! You have no reason to be afraid anymore!" The last time I saw her being this emotional, it was back then when Leila died. Giving the kid my brightest smile, I wiped the tears from her eyes. "My name is Hugo Greenwood and the lady standing over there is Felicia Myne. We''re a pair of humble traveling adventurers." "Adventurers?" Her eyes lit up with fear. "B-but I don''t have any money to pay you two!" I laughed. "It''s free of charge. Seeing you smile like this is already a good enough reward for me." The little girl laughed as well. The term "angelic" couldn''t even come near to describing it. "Thank you very much, Big Brother Hugo. Big Sister Felicia." She smiled at the alchemist. "I swear, I''ll pay your kindness one day! That''s what Mother always says! ''You have to repay another''s kindness with your own!''" She mimicked her voice. "I''ll look forward to it." I ruffled her hair. And then, all of a sudden, her smile vanished. "M-Mother? Mother¡­ no¡­ Mother¡­ everyone¡­ they''re all¡­ they''re all¡­" She grabbed her ears with both hands as her entire shook terribly. "No¡­ nononononono!" "H-hey, get a hold of yourself!" I hugged her tightly once more, ignoring the loud scream directly entering my ears. "I''m here, remember! We''re all here!" And then, silence. She had lost consciousness. "Master Hugo. Mistress Felicia." Orluk spoke with a grave look. "I''ll explain." --------- Once, there was a young dark elf girl named Fia Yarlethu. She used to be part of a nomadic dark elven tribe, moving from place to place in the Demon Continent. One day, however, that tribe came into conflict with an orc horde, and they were defeated. The survivors were captured as slaves, including her and her mother. However, they ended up being separated, and she had been a slave ever since, sold from place to place until she ended up with the merchant. When Orluk finished his story, there was only one thing I had in mind. "You two must have been close, for her to tell you this without breaking down like she just did." I smiled. "I couldn''t just leave her alone," the ogre replied. "She could barely keep up with the convoy when she was healthy. That merchant was cheap enough to use her instead of purchasing another slave." He gritted his teeth. "Still, I didn''t exactly learn it directly. She¡­ would have nightmares about it. Of her being separated from her mother, of her father dying to defend them." S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Those orcs¡­ they have been unruly of late," Orluk continued. "Before I was betrayed and made a slave, I used to hear rumors about how the various orc hordes are being united by a really strong warlord. They even say he''s giving himself the title of Demon Lord." "How does a demon get that title anyway?" I asked. "Simple." He gave a small smirk. "You just have to be a really strong demon." "How strong are we talking here?" I asked further. "How about me? Can I be a Demon Lord with my level of strength?" I grinned. I knew it was a cheeky question but I just had to know how strong they really were compared to me. "I don''t know. They say that a Demon Lord can take entire armies on their own. Can you do that, Master Hugo?" I chuckled. "Never had the chance to try." ¡­ ¡°Hey, is it just me or the ground seems to be trembling?" "...No." Orluk stood up. "They''re coming." An unholy screech entered my ears, clearly coming from the outside. The ogre bolted, not giving me another chance to say a word. "H-hey, wait!" I stood up as well. Before I could chase him, however¡ª "Kyaah!" I crashed right onto Victoria, who had tried to enter the tent right as I tried to exit it. Like a classic harem anime protagonist, my face landed right on her ample bosom, but this was no time to enjoy the bouncy sensation. I quickly stood up and asked her what in the world was happening. "G-giant worms! Six of them! They popped out from the ground and surrounded the camp!" The knightess answered, still laying down on her back. "Milord! What is¡ª" "You stay here and guard Fia!" I yelled at Felicia who had left the tent as well. Not wasting any more precious seconds, I flew upwards with Wind Step. Sure enough, there were indeed six giant worms surrounding the encampment. And "giant" wasn''t even close to describing their size. They were massive, easily the size of the frost dragon I once fought. I had heard of them before. Titan Worms. An S-rank monster that could swallow entire platoons of soldiers. I glided towards the nearest worm, right outside the encampment. Landing down, I was greeted with the sight of ten to twenty ogres, wielding either clubs or axes. Noticing my appearance, they surrounded me in an instant. "Hello, kiddo! Nice wind magic you got there!" An ogre woman was the first to greet me. She was the very picture of an amazoness¡ªa tall, big chested woman with abs and muscles that rivaled those of men. She also wore extremely skimpy clothing, as it was common for her type, wearing only a pair of bikini top and loincloth bottom. Her weapon of choice was the spiked steel club she held casually over her shoulders. Too bad such a rough woman wasn''t really my type. Though I can imagine how my fellow virgins back home at a certain message board would salivate at the sight. Grinning, with teeth that looked as sharp as a shark''s, she continued. "We are the Fangwyrm Bandits. And we''re here to rob your employer''s belongings. So be a good boy and fly away. I really don''t want to slam this club on that cute face of yours." "You''re too late, Big Sis Bandit." I smirked, folding my arms. "I already killed them all." "Huh?" She raised her eyebrows. "It''s true. They''ve displeased me, you see, so I took their lives as compensation. So why don''t you and your band of bandits go back inside those worms and leave? Unless you want a fight?" "Oh?" She licked her lips, her scarlet eyes peering at me with lust. "Just so you know, I''m searching for a husband right now. I like them to be strong, but I want them to look young like you as well. If you fit both¡ª" She slammed her club to the ground. "¡ªthen I''m taking you back with me, whether you want to or not." "That''s enough, Karla. I will not let you harm Master Hugo." It was Orluk. He arrived just in time before I cast a Boom Cannon straight to her face. ¡°Well, look who¡¯s here. My dear younger brother.¡± The ogress grinned as her subordinates made way for Orluk. ¡°And here I thought you had become a slave in need of a rescue.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that anymore,¡± he replied. ¡°Master Hugo already saved me from that fate.¡± ¡°Oh? This kid?¡± She looked back at me. ¡°So it really wasn¡¯t a bluff then.¡± ¡°Not at all. He really did kill those humans on his own.¡± Whispers broke amongst the other ogres. None of them seemed to believe I was capable of doing such a thing on my own. ¡°You two are brothers and sisters?¡± I asked Orluk. ¡°That¡¯s right! He¡¯s my little brother!¡± The ogress answered before he could. ¡°And I reckon¡¯ I should thank you for saving him, even though we¡¯re here to do that in the first place.¡± She grinned again, showing her shark-like teeth. ¡°Why are you here, Karla?¡± Orluk frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re the bandits that have been robbing those human merchants recently.¡± ¡°Bingo! I see being caged up has done wonders to your brain, little brother!¡± She laughed. ¡°I am here to liberate any demon slaves, as by the pact our clan had made with the Demon Lord of Wisdom. You ought to have heard how Father had entered an alliance with him, back when you were a gladiator in his capital." Orluk''s stare turned cold. "You should know I don''t have anything to do with our clan anymore. And after that incident, I had nothing to do with that man either." "Ah, yes, that incident where you raped one of his daughters. I''m surprised he didn''t kill you on the spot." The ogress smirked. "It wasn''t rape!" Orluk yelled back. "She was the one to come to my room and offered her body! I would be the utmost fool to reject a girl as beautiful as she was!" "Oh? So you were framed then? Why would she do that though?" "How should I know?! Go ask her yourself!" I could only sigh in silence as I listened to their banter. The ogress, instead of sympathizing with her little brother, laughed at his face instead. "What a fool you are, Orluk! She''s a succubus! You know their kind can''t be trusted!" "She''s nothing like them!" Orluk roared. "She''s an innocent girl who would never seduce men on her own volition!" "Aha¡­ ahahahaha! Stop it! You''re making my stomach hurt!" The ogress held her abdomen. "You think all succubi are your typical big-breasted seducer? How naive! There are a lot of succubi out there who would pretend to be sexually innocent to attract stupid virgins like you!" Orluk fell silent, his shoulder drooping and his eyes staring at the ground. He looking like he was about to cry at any second. "Now that I have scolded you enough, come. Let''s have a little chat with the big guy." Orluk looked up, his resolved look making a return. "No. I am no longer part of the Menet clan. You have no obligation to¡ª" "What? Just because you got into a fight with Father means you''re no longer my baby brother? Think again. You''re coming with me whether you want to or not!" She slammed her club to the ground once more. "No. I have a new purpose now. I am going to repay Master Hugo for his kindness so I cannot just¡ª" "I think you should go with her, Orluk." I walked closer to the ogre, putting up my best smile in the process. "And take Fia with you. To be honest, I much prefer travelling only with Felicia. I''m sure you know the reason." The ogre turned to face me. "M-Master Hugo! If you''re concerned about me disturbing your nightly pleasures with her, then please don''t! I promise you, I would not¡ª" "No, it''s not just because of that." "We have plans to go to the most dangerous locations on the continent. If we bring Fia and you along¡ªI''m sorry to say this¡ªyou two would just be a burden." "And Fia needs you. She looks up to you as her big brother. So bring her along and raise her as well as you could. I''m sure you can do it, with how kind you have been to her." "Wait, wait, wait, Fia? What in the world are you two talking about?" The ogress walked closer as well. "Oh, it''s a dark elf girl your brother saved. You should be proud, having a brother this honorable." "Honorable, perhaps, but a fool as well." She threw a short glare at him. "As for you, Hu-go," she said my name in a mocking tone. "You should come with me as well." Her grin resurfaced once more. "I wasn''t lying when I said I was looking for a husband. How about it?" She winked. "You''re cute and strong. Wanna be mine? You''ll get to bed this hot ogress every night. I promise, I''ll never run out of stamina before you do." "I''ll pass. Already have two girls I plan to marry. Unless you''re fine in being the third, that is." This time, it was my turn to grin. "Hmph." She huffed. "I have no interest in sharing my mate with other, weaker women. If you¡¯re going to make me your third, then no thanks." "Master Hugo." Orluk interrupted. "If you truly think that is best, then I won''t object. I will take Fia with me and protect her as if she was my flesh and blood. However, please, promise me you will let me repay you one day in the future." "Hmm¡­ Now that I think about it, there is something you can do for me. You ever heard of the Izurd?" "The Izurd?" He raised his eyebrows. "Can''t say I have." "That''s because you never listened on your history lessons, you stupid meathead," Karla interrupted. "The Izurd was an extinct Demon race that used to dominate the continent half a millenia ago. Empowered by rage, they were a much more bloodthirsty predator than we ogres are. What do you want with them?" She looked back at me. "It''s simple. I want to find their hidden village." I smiled. "Hidden village?" This time, it was her eyebrows'' turn to furrow. "What? You think they''re still out there somewhere?" "Yep! After all, my other lover is one. And she''s now in that village. I want to find her." I figured there was no reason to hide the truth from them. They weren''t human. Even if they knew about all that I did, they wouldn''t rat me out. Demons were a lot more forgiving on murders than humans after all. "Y-your lover is an Izurd?! Tch, then I really can''t compete with her!" The ogress slammed her club yet again. ¡°Damn it! First time I actually found a mate that¡¯s both cute and strong and he¡¯s already taken by an Izurd! I can never be the alpha wife with her around!¡± ¡°Do not worry, Master Hugo.¡± Orluk replied with a fully determined look. ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll find those Izurdians, even if it takes me my entire life to search for them.¡± ¡°Y-yeah, you do that.¡± ¡°Is that all? Anything else you want me to do?¡± ¡°No, that is all.¡± ----------- With our talk over, Orluk and I returned inside the camp while Karla told her men that their attack was not to happen. On the way, the ogre gave me a bit more explanation on just who he and Karla were. It turned out that they belonged to the Menet clan, one of the more prominent ogre clans on the Demon Continent. And their father was the leader of said clan. Now, I would ask why he left, but I felt that was a bit of a rude question, so I decided not to. Besides, a son having a feud with his father happens all the time. Who am I to poke and prod on his family troubles? "Oh, I forgot to ask, since when can you control Titan Worms like that? They''re S-rank monsters, you know." "S-rank?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "Oh, right, you were never an adventurer. S-rank is what we adventurers use to denote the strongest monsters out there." "But they''re nowhere near the strongest." "Well, above them, there are SS rank monsters, like elder dragons and such. But back in the human continents, that worm is pretty much amongst the top tier monsters." "Really? The human world really is weak. No offense intended of course, Master Hugo. You''re a lot stronger than your kind." He corrected himself. "But to answer your question, they''re gifts." "Gifts?" "Yes, gifts. Given to us by Lady Echidna three centuries ago." Echidna, the Demon Lord of Beasts. It was said that she could control any monsters that existed in this world, no matter how strong it was. She was mentioned in that encyclopedia in the Demon Lords chapter. The book said she hadn¡¯t been active for over a hundred years. ¡°I don¡¯t remember the details, but our clan back then helped her with something. In exchange, she gave us six of those worms,¡± Orluk continued. ¡°I see. So your clan doesn''t really know how to tame them.¡± ¡°If we knew how to tame monsters, we would¡¯ve conquered the continent a long time ago.¡± He chuckled. "So, your clan only had six of those but your sister brought them all this far into enemy territory? I don''t think that''s smart of her." The ogre smiled. "She''s our clan''s strongest. And, as our war chieftess, she has been granted permission to deploy our warriors as she sees fit. In your human terms, she would be our clan''s supreme general." "Really? She''s that strong?!" ¡°Once, she killed fifty orcs on her own, going back home with her club fully crimson. It was actually thanks to that incident that Father accepted her as our war chieftess.¡± Orluk¡¯s smile was now brimming in pride. He clearly was proud of what her sister was able to achieve. ¡°But,¡± He turned his head towards me. ¡°You are still stronger, Master Hugo. The soldiers here number to the eighties after all.¡± I gritted my teeth as bile entered my stomach. Vol 4 Chapter 11: In Which Hugo Gives Felicia The Boob-Groping She Deserves When we arrived back at Felicia''s, we were greeted by the sight of Victoria''s bouncing breasts as she ran towards our direction. Glancing at Orluk, however, his cool expression remained unchanged. Well, would you look at that? He''s not a pervert like me. Another reason why Fia should be with him. He won''t do something sneaky like grooming her to be his lover once she''s older. If it was me, with a dark elf loli that cute, I don''t know if I can resist to be honest. Panting, holding her knees with both hands, she asked about the current situation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I smiled. ¡°They¡¯re not our enemies. I¡¯ll explain once we¡¯re with Felicia.¡± Entering the tent, I was asked the same question by the alchemist. It took a while, but I got her and Victoria up to speed. Unfortunately, Fia had yet to regain her consciousness. ¡°Hmm¡­ you actually told them about that Sherry girl,¡± Felicia spoke. ¡°And her as well.¡± She glanced towards Victoria. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± The knightness pat her chest. ¡°I know how to keep a secret!¡± ¡°I really quite doubt that.¡± The alchemist sighed, after throwing Victoria another glare. ¡°But, I¡¯m glad that they weren¡¯t an enemy. Six S-rank monsters all at once, even for you, Milord, it¡¯s too much.¡± Heh, she got a point. I did defeat one dragon pretty handily, but it was already wounded. Six of it at once ¡ª I don¡¯t know if I can do it to be honest. ...But, even so, I still would have a plan. Mainly, enter their mouth and ravage their insides. And, if worst comes to worst, Felicia can escape with Orluk and Fia, while I become a bait to distract them. Self-sacrifice. If I¡¯m going to be the brave man I want to be, I should start learning that. To suffer and put your lives on the line for the goodness of others. It¡¯s like the heroes in those fantasy novels. Not that I fancy myself being a hero or anything. No hero can have a personality as bad as I have. ¡°Also, I would propose telling those slaves outside to blame them for the slaughter.¡± Felicia continued. ¡°With their permission, of course.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Orluk chuckled. ¡°My big sister would love to have the glory.¡± ¡°Good!¡± The alchemist clapped her hands. ¡°We don¡¯t really need the spotlight on us.¡± ¡°...Oh, right. Almost forgot to ask.¡± The ogre continued. ¡°How long would it take to make the cure? I¡¯m not sure if she could stay for long.¡± "With any luck, I could finish in the morning. I would start the blood analysis now and if I could find the necessary materials from those wagons, I could brew a cure right away. My current hypothesis is that she got poisoned by some animal. Perhaps a scorpion of some sort. Do you recall anything like that happening?" The ogre paused, scratching his chin for a bit. And then, his eyes lit up. "...Oh for the love of¡ªHow could I forget?! I remember now! It was two weeks ago. I saw her right leg having a large bump on it. I asked her about it and she said a scorpion sting her there. She said it didn''t hurt though and the next morning, the bump was completely gone, so I didn''t think much about it. Please, forgive me for this idiocy!" He bowed as deeply as he could. Felicia ignored his attempt at apology, however, as she bit her thumb, frowning, seemingly deep in thought. "...Two weeks¡­ not painful¡­ swelling gone overnight¡­" Her eyes bolted wide open. "I solved it! I know exactly the species that stung her! But, just in case, I should still test the blood first." She stood up and rushed outside, going straight to her makeshift lab. Orluk beamed, looking as if this was the happiest day in his life. "You have a wonderful mate, Master Hugo." "Yeah, she''s amazing, isn''t she?" Without realizing it, I was beaming as well. -------- As Felicia worked, Orluk returned to his sister to tell her about our arrangement. Unfortunately, just as I feared, he returned with not just her, but the entire ogre "bandits" as well. There were about thirty to forty in number. "Yo!" The ogress raised her left arm with a grin. "Hope you don''t mind we start a party here! We''ll stay till morning or however long you want but me and my men ¡ª we''ll drink all the booze you have!" "And the meat as well!" One of her subordinates yelled. "Yeah! Let''s have a party!" Before I could say anything, the ogres had dispersed, going through every single wagon that they could get their grubby hands on. "Apologies, Master Hugo... my big sister¡ªthere''s no stopping her once she makes up her mind." Orluk came to me with a look of shame. "But she promised that they would leave the medicine wagons alone. And they would have their party away from here, so they wouldn''t disturb you or Mistress Felicia." "Well, as long as Fia can rest well, I guess I don''t mind." I sighed. "I don''t really care for the rest of the wagons. Do whatever you want." I smiled. "Thank you, Master Hugo. We truly don''t deserve your generosity." He bowed as deeply as he could. ------- Morning came without a hitch. With the sound of cheers and roars from the distance, Felicia worked through the entire night for Fia''s cure. Her guess was right. The girl was indeed poisoned by that scorpion. Camouflage Scorpion was its name. It was a A-rank monster that would sting prey larger than itself by blending into the environment. The rank came from that ability alone since you could easily defeat it otherwise, what with it being a normal-sized scorpion. Fia was fortunate she was a dark elf whose physiology resisted poison. A human would die overnight from it while her symptoms only worsened significantly after two weeks. Her body couldn''t cure the poison on its own, but it could keep it at bay. At least, until she was overcome with exhaustion from the wagon pulling she had to do. So was Felicia''s explanation. And I knew better than to argue with the expert. As for me, I only got a few hours of sleep, having to watch over Fia. Victoria told me that she would watch over her in my stead, but she quickly fell asleep herself. Only when Orluk gave his offer that I could rest. Oh, and Karla offered me to join in on her little drunken party, which I refused, of course. Luckily for them, there were barrels upon barrels of wine to pillage, as well as a wagon worth of jewelry and gems. No meat though. They had to hunt that on their own. The potion worked like a charm. Fia, who had woken up in the morning, promptly drank it before she had her breakfast. The effect manifested immediately. She stood up, walked outside the tent, and even did a little twirl with her dress. This is it. This is what pure cuteness looks like. And so, it was time for us to depart. -------- We were now outside the encampment, with the ogres standing in front of us. After a short talk with Orluk, Karla had agreed to take the credit for this whole mess. And she made sure to tell that to the freed slaves as well. Some actually decided to join them even, after partaking in their booze and meat last night. "Here ya'' go! Your share of the loot!" With her all-too-familiar shark-teeth grin, Karla handed me a large pouch filled to the brim with jewels and gems. "Won''t be fair if we keep everything to ourselves, would it?" Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Technically, I did all the work so I should get all the loot, but whatever. This is enough to get us a stay at the most expensive inn for months. "Be careful out there, alright?" I smiled at Orluk, who stood beside her. "And you too, Fia." The dark elf was also there. I bent down and ruffled her hair. "Thank you so much, Big Brother Hugo! And you too, Big Sister Felicia!" "It''s no problem at all." The redhead mage smiled back. She was standing right to my left. "In fact, curing you this morning, you make me realize something important. Something I should''ve known a long time ago." Noticing her questioning look, she knelt down and put her hands on her tiny shoulders. "But I''ll tell you when you''re older, alright?" "...Okay! That''s a promise!" The dark elf giggled. Her cheerful demeanor didn''t last long however. "...Will I see you again? You''re an adventurer, right? You''re going to go to faraway places I can never visit¡­" She looked down, tears pooling in her eyes. "Don''t worry." I crouched down and lifted her chin up. "If fate allows it, we''ll see each other again." "Fate?" She tilted her head. "Yes, fate. We got to meet you because of fate. And I''m sure fate will make us meet once more in the future. Just live your life to the fullest, no matter how tough it gets." Giving her my brightest smile, I patted her on the head. I stood up, my sight traveling towards Orluk. Our eyes met. Protect her. That''s my order to you. Of course, Master Hugo. I''ll protect her with my life. We didn''t need to say a word. -------- The ogres soon left with their worms. Unfortunately, they couldn''t give us a ride to Arborea since it would attract too much attention. They would go straight to the far south, back into the territory of the Wisdom Demon Lord. The freed slaves also went with them, hoping they could start a new, free life there. As for the wagons, all the valuable stuff had been cleared out, leaving only things that the ogres didn''t find value in or things that were too cumbersome to carry back, like the wagons themselves. Felicia cleared the wagons of their medicinal herbs. As for me, I grabbed a bunch of books, storing them inside my Dimensional Storage. Of course, I still had my Bag of Holding, but I figured that now I could cast the spell, I might as well use it. As for Victoria, well, the girl hadn''t been saying much lately, come to think of it. Instead, she kept following me around like a lost puppy, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn''t. With a sigh, I turned around to face her. "Alright. What is it? You want to say something, don''t you? Come on, cough it up. I won''t bite." I gave a relaxed smile. She let out a small gasp. Clearly, she didn''t expect me being this forward all of a sudden. "Well, it''s just¡­" She averted her gaze, before sighing as well. "I''ve been thinking¡­ about a lot of things¡­" She put her hands together on the front of her skirt. "I realized¡­ I''m no knight of justice after all¡­" Oh? This is interesting. "What makes you think that?" I approached her. "You¡­ you are the real knight of justice, Sir Hugo. You helped those two out of your own kindness, while I could only watch from the sidelines. I couldn''t even bear to watch you doing it. To think¡ªto think there would be so much blood in the process¡­" Shaking, she looked down, clenching her fists. With a gentle smile, I took said fists and held them together. "Then why don''t you quit?" "Quit?" "Quit being an ally of justice. I''m certainly not that. I''m doing this for my own satisfaction, nothing more, nothing less. I''m no hero. I''m nothing like your beloved Lady Ashleen. I''m just a perverted adventurer with an above average aptitude in magic." She fell silent. "And besides," I gripped her hands tighter. "I want to know the real you, Victoria." "... There''s nothing to know." She withdrew her hands. "Victoria is a weak, useless girl whose existence is a bane on the House of Relfatia. She''s nothing like her older sister. Not in the slightest." She bit her lip, looking as if she could cry at any moment. "Milord! Are you finished?" Unfortunately, our conversation was cut short by the arrival of Felicia. "I''m ready to go now if you are. Hmm?" She looked at Victoria. "Did I interrupt something?" "Yeah, you kinda did actually," I smiled grimly. "N-nothing! You interrupt nothing!" Victoria corrected. "Hmph, if you think on flirting with Milord, think again." She stared coldly. "He''s mine. And I''m not sharing him with a whelp like you." Well, there goes the mood. Thanks, Felicia. I guess for now, I''ll just have to let her sort out her feelings for herself. ---------- Our next three weeks were spent on the road. Drinking water we conjured by magic, eating monster meat, either fresh or dried, walking across the barren wasteland that looked exactly the same, fighting off monsters¡ªit really was not the most pleasant journey one could have. Compared to all those months traversing the Holy Continent, the whole environment was far less exciting. No mountains, no lakes, no nothing. Just more cracked, barren earth, everywhere the eyes could see. To my surprise, the only complaint I heard from Victoria was how she wanted a bath. She never got tired from hauling all those heavy armor on her. I didn''t know if she was just putting a front, but I certainly didn''t see any signs of exhaustion coming from her. I did notice a change on her though. She''s now¡­ quieter, for a lack of a better word. She no longer proclaimed herself to be Ashleen or Ela or whatever other character she had in her mind. Even so, she never brought up the conversation we had back at the merchant camp. I wasn''t complaining, of course, since this also came with the positive effect of her not overestimating her own ability. She wouldn''t just run forward, thrusting her rapier on every monster she saw. As for Felicia, she had changed as well. She seemed to be a lot more cheerful. That confident smile of hers now adorned her lips a lot more often. It wasn''t hard to imagine why. Curing Fia must have increased her confidence by tenfold. What I didn''t expect however was what she did the night after. As usual, we shared a tent together, with Victoria sleeping outside instead. It was her turn to take watch, but, as I was just beginning to drift off into slumberland, she came into the tent and woke me up. "Huh?" I sat up groggily. "What''s going on? A monster attack?" "No, Milord, I¡­ just want to talk to you for a bit." She was sitting beside me, hugging her legs, refusing to look at me. Yawning, I scratched the back of my head. What''s gotten into her? "Remember your promise? Back then on the ship? I¡­ I think I want to take you up on that now." My promise? ...Oh¡­ ooohhhhh¡­ "I did good, didn''t I? Saving that dark elf?" She gave a glance and an awkward smile. "So, I think¡­ I deserve a reward, don''t you think? You said it yourself. You want me healing others with my alchemy more." "...Of course. Thought you''d never ask." Smiling, I moved to position myself right behind her. I gently pulled her onto my lap, earning a gasp from the ex-necromancer. Sorry Sherry, but she really has earned it. I''d be an awful liar if I refuse her now. "So¡­ Do you want a rough one or a gentle one?" "A-ah, a gentle one, please!" "Got it. One breast massage coming up!" With great swiftness, I launched my hands at those soft, fatty mounds, giving her no time to ready herself. "A-ahn!" *Squeezee* "I-I said gentle, Milord, you can''t just¡ª" "This is gentle." I grinned. "You won''t feel it if I hold back too much, you know." To be honest, I don''t really know how to properly grope a woman''s breast. All my knowledge comes from all those porn I used to furiously watch and read and I am pretty sure what they displayed wouldn''t hold up that well in the real world. I imagine Alan could''ve taught me if I were older, but that''s no longer an option, is it? Thus, for now, I''ll just let my male instinct take the lead. The size of her breasts were just perfect. They were just slightly bigger than the palm of my hands, allowing me to squeeze those juicy fat as much as I wanted. Fuck! I missed this so much! The last time I got to squeeze a woman''s boobs was Renee''s when I was still a baby! ...Heh, the little guy down there is getting hard. Since her butt is right on top of my crotch, she should feel it poking right now. I''m sure she wouldn''t mind though. "Wow, these sure are big. I can''t believe you go every day without a bra with breasts these big. Don''t you realize how much it bothers me seeing them bounce with every move you make?" I whispered to her ears. "Y-you don''t like it, Milord?" She whispered back between her gasps. "Oh no, I like it a lot. Combined with your criminally high skirt slit, you really know how to attract a man, don''t you?" "T-that''s¡ª aaahnn! I-I''m glad you like it, Milord. Please, feel free to¡ªahhnn!¡ªto ogle as much as you like." Being this close, I could smell her scent all too clearly. It was obvious she had put on some perfume to mask the scent of her sweat. Heh, as if I wouldn''t like smelling the sweat of a pretty woman like her, being the degenerate that I was. Well, time for stage 2. My thumbs switched to wandering mode, looking for the holy grail that was her nipples. With the current position, I couldn''t really see where they were, but it really wasn''t that hard to find the center of her buxom mounds. "Aahhnnnnhh!" When my thumbs found the jackpot, she moaned even louder. And judging by her shivering, she really wasn''t faking it. So far so good. I''m not boring her with my amateurish moves. "Well, look at this! They''re this hard already! You really like this, don''t you?" I smirked. Gotta keep that dirty talk going. I heard girls like that in bed. "O-of course they''re hard! You''re groping me just as hard as you did back on the ship!" "Well, I''ll go even harder. Prepare yourself." Combining my thumbs with my index fingers, I pinched her nipples. "Aaahhnnnnnn!" I hugged her tighter, not letting her trembling body go. Not stopping my assault, I now circled my thumbs around her areola. This is just me following those doujins I used to read, hoping Felicia would react just like those heroines. "Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ S-stop¡­" "Hmm?" My grin widened. "I can''t hear you. Speak up." "S-stop¡­ Haa¡­ I''m going to¡ªAahn!" "Going to what?" "Going to¡­ going to¡­ aahnnn!" Wow, is making a girl cum really this easy? I thought she''s supposed to be experienced at this sort of thing. She''s acting like a complete virgin who never got groped before. I continued squeezing and groping, now shifting into lifting her breasts upwards. I also heard girls liked this kind of movement. Putting my palms underneath the two sweaty lumps of fat, I pushed upwards, making sure not to lose my grip in the process. "Hyaaann!" Heh, I''m betting her panties are already wet right now. Too bad my hands can''t go down there. The promise is just a breast massage after all. At this point, my boner had grown to its full, uncomfortable size, stretching my shorts to their very limit. It had been two years since Fiora bought them for me, and with my growth spurt, they had grown a bit too small for my liking. I really should find a new one in Arborea. Though I think I''m too old for shorts now. Gonna get a pair of trousers instead. But then again, unlike my old body, I don''t think I''m growing any hair on my legs. Maybe I can still get by with shorts for a while longer? ...Nah. It just looks awkward with how tall I''m getting. I continued ravaging her chest, enjoying all the cute groans and moans she was making. "Come on now. Just let it all out. I don''t mind." I whispered. She didn''t respond. Instead, in a bold move that surprised me, she began grinding her butt into my holy sword. "Hmm? What''s this? You really are horny, aren''t you? How naughty. To desire the innocent flesh of a boy barely out of his puberty¡­" Sorry, Felicia, but I just can''t help teasing you like this with how cute you''ve been. "T-that''s not fair!" she replied. "You''re a big pervert yourself, Milord! You can''t blame me for¡ª aahnnn!" My nostrils flared as my brain flooded itself with pleasure. I''m glad she''s not looking at my face right now as I probably now have the most disgusting, perverted look on my face. I can''t help it. A girl''s soft behind is rubbing my manhood. Even Fiora never got this far! Ooh, I can feel it. I''m reaching my limit. Going to fire my cannon anytime now. Urgh, pathetic. Just a little stimulation and you''re already losing control. You really are a virgin, Hugo. I should end this now. I refuse to finish before her! In an instant, I moved my mouth forward and bit on Felicia''s right earlobe. "?KYAAAAHHHH?" With a thunderous yell, she exploded. A few seconds later, I could feel the wetness spreading on her buttocks, seeping into my shorts. Enough for me to lose control as well. "Haah¡­" I let out a long sigh of relief as I soaked my pants with my sticky mess. I can''t help it. I was on the brink and her reaction pushed me over the edge. Releasing Felicia, I scooted backwards, assessing the state of my shorts. Yep. That''s wet alright. I''ll need to clean up after this for sure. Red-faced, Felicia turned around to face me. Looking at the front of her white underdress, and the red panties underneath, there was no doubt she just came. "I-I''m sorry." She averted her gaze. "I can''t¡ª" "Can''t what? Not grind your butt into my crotch?" I grinned. "Sure, it wasn''t part of a deal but I''ll give you that for free. I did bite your earlobe after all." I stood up, not hiding the large wet patch in the front of my pants in the slightest. "Here." I offered my hand. "Let me help you get up." Felicia smiled ever so bashfully as she took my hand, lifting herself up in the process. Sure enough, her dress was just as wet as my shorts, the fabric clinging tightly at the panties underneath, showing their color to the world. "So, did you like my massage?" I smirked. "V-very much so, Milord." She blushed, averting her gaze. "It really is different, when the one doing it is the man you love." "Yeah, I can see that." I chuckled, staring at her soaked garments. "Well, time to clean up. No rivers nearby so we''ll just have to use our water magic." "O-out in the open?" "Don''t worry. Victoria''s sleeping. And there aren''t anyone else around. As for me, I won''t peek. I just came myself so my little guy is resting right now." I grinned. At my statement, I noticed her eyes traveling downwards towards my crotch, before her face reddened yet again. Yep, this is what you did alright. "Y-you know, I''m fine with you taking a peek¡­" "Sir Hugo, Miss Felicia, is something wrong? I heard weird noises coming from your tent.¡± Felicia¡¯s face turned pale. Fuck! Victoria¡¯s awake? ¡°Can I come in¡± ¡°W-wait, hold on a sec!¡± I rapidly grabbed my wand I had put on the corner and drew the liquid off my shorts. It didn¡¯t work nearly as well as with water, for obvious reasons, but it should be enough so I didn¡¯t look like I had wet my pants. ¡°Stay here!¡± I whispered to Felicia, who responded with a nod. Exiting the tent, I was greeted by the confused look of the elven knightess. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°N-no! Nothing happens! Felicia was just having a nightmare, that¡¯s all!¡± She must be referring to all those loud moans she was making. ¡°Really?! That¡¯s terrible!¡± She clasped her hands together. ¡°Is she better now?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about a thing. Now, why don¡¯t you go back to sleep? I¡¯ll handle the watch.¡± Being the gullible girl that she was, Victoria readily bought my story. She walked back to the tree and took a seat there, leaning into it. Before long, she let out a yawn before closing her eyes, drifting back into dreamland once more. I let out a sigh of relief. Whew, that was close. Thank God she didn¡¯t enter when we were doing it. ...Wait, why are we hiding it anyway? She already knows we¡¯re a couple. There¡¯s nothing wrong about a couple doing couple stuff. But, judging by her reaction, she doesn¡¯t seem to know what sex is. And I really don¡¯t want to be the one giving The Talk to her. Returning back to the tent, I told Felicia that it was okay for her to clean up now. She nodded without a word. For her privacy, I erected three simple stone slabs with my Earth Magic. With the mood being ruined, it was obvious she no longer wanted to do any perverted things with me for the rest of the night, so I took the gentlemanly option and decided not to peek. After she finished, it was my turn. As usual, I stored my dirty clothes in my Dimensional Storage for later washing before cleaning myself down there with a jet of water from my wand. Changing into a different set of clothing, it seemed like nothing naughty ever happened between me and her. At least, until we entered the tent once again. The air inside was filled with the smell of sex. Not a bad smell by any means, but it was a constant reminder that we just came together inside the place minutes ago. Felicia, still beet-faced, offered to take the watch from me, which I accepted. Heh, seems like she will need some time alone to calm down. Before long, I fell asleep with a smile on my face. Vol 4 Chapter 12: In Which Hugo Can’t Resist The Fluffy Tail Felicia I shook my head, withdrawing my hand from my crotch. Without realizing it, I had been rubbing myself down there as I fantasized about my darling Lord Hugo. Squeezing my tights, I looked around. No signs of monsters. The night remained as quiet as ever. Sitting down, looking at his tent, my mind returned to him yet again. In the end, I came three more times that night. --------- Hugo "Ngghhh, hwaaah!" I yawned, stretching my arms upwards as I sat up. Morning had come and naturally, Felicia entered the tent to wake me up. Though not before she subtly gave a couple of squeezes of my morning wood. "Good morning, Milord." She blushed as she sat in front of me. "I''ve made breakfast. So if you would¡­" I stood up, proudly showing my personal tent to her in the process. Her blush deepened as she averted her gaze. This was certainly not the first time she saw my morning glory, but it was the first time she was brave enough to give it a squeeze while waking me up. "What''s the matter?" I smirked as I placed my hands on my waist. "N-nothing! Nothing at all!" She quickly stood up as well. "L-let''s go eat!" She bolted out of the tent. I chuckled. Following her, I left the tent as well. Only to be greeted by the sight of her thong, as the morning wind blew her dress upwards. She quickly pressed her dress back down. With a blushing smirk, she glanced back at me before resuming her walk, pretending that nothing had happened. I followed her with a grin, sitting beside her near the campfire. A pot was sitting above it. Seems like we''re having vegetable soup this morning. We did buy the ingredients in the last oasis village we found. Luckily for us, vegetables native to the region were a lot hardier than vegetables back at the human continents. They could stay fresh for months without any ice packs or refrigerators. Victoria was sitting on the other side, greedily devouring her soup. Didn''t even care to wait for us first. "Here, Milord." Felicia handed a bowl full of the stuff. "I added some meat as well for extra flavor." "Thank you." I smiled, taking the hot bowl from her hand. Putting a spoonful in my mouth after blowing it a little, its flavors promptly exploded. The richness of the meat, combined with the fresh taste of the vegetables, it was as if I was drinking soup made by a five-star chef. "Delicious! You did it again, Felicia! This is your original recipe, is it not?" "N-no¡­" She averted her gaze with a blush, grinning in the process. "It''s just the recipe for a normal meat and vegetable soup. I just made a few tweaks to it, that''s all." "Oh, don''t be so modest! Not only you''re a great alchemist, you''re a great cook as well!" "W-well, both of them have a lot in common¡­" "As a reward," I leaned over and whispered, "I''ll clean up those wet panties you''re wearing. How about it?" I grinned. She gasped, turning even redder than she already was. "Oh, don''t be embarrassed. I don''t mind girls who liked to play with themselves while no one''s looking." "Though when we get married, you should just come to me if you want to relieve your womanly urges. I''ll happily be of service." "I¡­ w-well, I¡­" Her eyes darted back and forth, not knowing how to respond. "So, you don''t want it? Well, suit yourself then." "N-no, please, do it! I-I really ran out of clean panties!" Reluctantly, she moved her legs to face me, before gingerly opening them, revealing the same red thong I saw before. "P-please, quickly, before she noticed." She glanced at Victoria. Luckily for her, she was still busy with her soup. "Heh, what are you all blushing for? She already knew we''re lovers." I chuckled as I drew my wand, aiming it right at her crotch. Focusing my mind, I drew the moisture of the thin fabric, extracting it into the ground underneath. "There! All done!" I smiled. She closed back her legs, moving back to her previous spot beside me. "Y-you know, Milord, this is the first time a man caught me in the act." She smiled wistfully. "Before this, I never pleasured myself. Not even once. I know you might not believe it but it''s the truth." "But now¡ªnow that you taught me just how pleasurable an intimate moment between a man and a woman can be, I think¡ªI think I want more of it." Our eyes met. She grabbed my right hand with her left, placing it right on her chest. "If you don''t have your promise with Sherry, I''ll demand you to fill my womb with your seed right now," she said without flinching. "But, I understand. You are a man of your word. You want to give your first to her. So, I¡­" She paused, her eyes wandering before locking into mine once more. "Your breast massage... Can I have¡­ more of it? Every night? Please?" With those beautiful emerald eyes staring at me, how could I say no? ----------- The rest of our trip was uneventful. Other than the occasional monster attacks, there really wasn¡¯t any notable thing that one could write down in a traveling diary. Well, other than my now nightly play with Felicia, that is, but that¡¯s not related to the trip whatsoever. After a few nights doing what my old self would kill to do, she quickly grew used to my touch, no longer soaking her panties just from a little breast tease (though they were still wet). Still, that didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t enjoy it. She was happy, actually, that she could act more like the sexually experienced woman she was supposed to be. That, and being in a middle of nowhere like this, it wasn''t wise to stain your clothes with bodily fluids. I could extract the liquid but not the smell. It''s still unhealthy to wear. Why don''t we just do it naked, you may ask? Oh no no no. That would be too dangerous. We''ll end up doing the deed. Even this is already straddling the line. I might have decided to take Felicia as my second wife, but that doesn''t mean I don''t have my obligation to Sherry too. No sex until she gives her permission. We''ve agreed to that. Felicia was also growing braver with her words. It''s no longer just me who teased her. She would now tease me back, saying stuff like, "Do the breasts of this old lady please you, Milord?" She once asked if I liked a woman who took the lead in the bedroom, in which I replied, ¡°That might be interesting. Me taking the lead all the time might get boring for a while.¡± Since then, she seemed to want to train herself to be more like her old, seductive demoness persona to me, even though I already told her I liked her as she was. I''d be lying if I say I don''t look forward to it though. -------- In a flash, the layout of the land changed. Gone were the dry and lifeless wasteland. Now, we were surrounded by verdant farmlands, filled with the golden brown of wheat. That, and the out-of-place obelisks placed in between them. They were pitch black, with gently glowing lines on its sleek surface. They were around the height of two adult males stacked on top of another. "Shh." I stopped Victoria who was about to open her mouth. "I''ll figure out this one by myself." With a smirk, I walked up to one of the obelisks. Activating my Sight, I read the mana lines flowing out of them. "Just as I thought." I turned to face Victoria and Felicia. "This here is a mana converter. It converts the ambient demonic mana into earth Mana, making the ground around here suitable for farming." Felicia reached forward with her hand, freezing in place for a few moments before withdrawing. "You''re right, Milord." She smiled. "I can sense dark mana being sucked into the device." "Eeh?" Victoria pouted. "No fair! I was just about to tell you about them! You two are just too good of a mage!" She pointed her finger. "Yes, yes, I know your family is the one in charge of these obelisks." Felicia shrugged. "Your family is a descendant of Yuon The Sage, one of the Seven. We already know that." We resumed our walk through the farmlands, until eventually, we could see the shape of a city on the horizon. Finally, Arborea at last. -------- From a distance, one could already tell that it was a large city. Maybe not as large as Ul¡¯nemo, but it was still a sizable place nonetheless. As usual, we had to be checked by the guards at the front gate before we could enter. Arborea was also a walled city with only a single gate and every traveler had to be checked before they were allowed inside. "Greetings." I took the lead with the brightest smile I could muster. "We two are humble adventurers. Here''s our cards." I handed over our adventurer''s licenses to the guard, mine and Felicia''s. "We''re escorting this elf to this city." I gestured to Victoria. "After that, we''re planning to do some dungeoneering in the Observatory." "The Observatory? Then you want to register first on the Guild. Lord Relfatia has a rule that every adventurer needs to register first before they''re allowed inside." I exchanged looks with Felicia. Seems like it''s time to register as adventurers for real, with our real names. He gave a quick look at our (fake) cards before returning them back and letting us go, though as usual, he didn''t forget to glance at Felicia''s chest first. Entering the city proper, we were greeted by a spacious brick road with rows and rows of houses to our left and right. Unlike Ul''nemo, the streets were clean and orderly and there weren''t that many people traipsing around and trying to sell you stuff. Seriously, there were so many shops in Ul''nemo I am pretty sure 50% of the city is just shops. Ironic knowing the headquarters of the Church in this continent is also in that city. A tall white obelisk jutted upwards from the middle of the town. Eyeballing it, I''d said it''s as tall as a ten-story building. "That''s the Enchiridion! It''s a tower that can help protect the city if it ever gets attacked!'' Victoria explained with an all too-proud smile. "Help protect the city?" I asked. "What do you mean exactly?" "Well, I¡­ don''t know the details¡­ but it took our family many years to build it when this town was still young!" I sighed. Why did I expect anything from her? Keeping that tower in mind as our guide, we traversed the surprisingly labyrinthine city, straight to where the Adventurer''s Guild was. ------ Once we pushed through the double swinging doors at the entrance (like those doors you''d see in cowboy movies), we were greeted by a hectic scene. The room was large and awfully busy, just like a hospital. People with swords in their belts and armor on their chests were casually chatting and laughing with each other. Meanwhile, there were also others who were unfortunate enough to be stuck in the five lines to the five receptionists. The last type was the ones who crowded around the bulletin boards, looking for that perfect quest for their party to take. Oh, and a good half of them were non-human. Half-snake ladies, half-horse ladies, half-spider ladies, half-bee ladies (yes, there was even one who looked like a bee), and a bunch of other exotic monsters ladies. If I were a monster girl maniac, I would''ve fainted on the spot from excitement. There were also other, more common races like dark elves and beastkin. ...What? Of course I''m going to look at the ladies first! I might already have Felicia but that doesn''t mean I''ll just stop appreciating all other attractive beauties that entered my sight! "Seems like we''re going to have to stand in line." I gave a resigned smirk to Felicia. "Unfortunate indeed." She sighed. "But if you wish, we can come back later, Milord." "Nah, since we''re already here, might as well do it now." We took the shortest line, which was about ten people long. They really should''ve used that system where you just take your number and then call your name. Too much to expect from a fantasy setting, I suppose. The person ahead of me was a young beastkin girl, probably around fourteen to fifteen years old. Twin daggers were sheathed in her belt, making her most likely be a rogue or some sort. And, most importantly, her ribboned tail was swishing back and forth, just like a cat''s would. I averted my gaze away from that hypnotic sight. But it didn''t work. The image had been burned into my mind. The line finally moved as the front party finished their business. But noooo, the tail still kept moving back and forth! To make matters worse, I now also noticed those twitching ears as well! I clenched my knuckles until they were white. Closing my eyes, I began reciting a prayer to Buddha to grant me the resolve I desperately needed. It did not work. I launched my hands with blinding speed, grabbing the tail with the same force I used to squeeze Felicia''s breasts. Naturally, she reacted with blinding speed as well. "Nyaaaaahhh!" Without even rotating her body, she lifted her right leg and¡­ Kicked me right in the family jewels. "Gwah!" I fell down, releasing my grip on the furry delight. My vision blurred from the pain as I knelt grabbing my crotch. If I wasn''t distracted, I was pretty sure I could''ve blocked that attack. But my reaction slowed down considerably thanks to the tail and the kick revealing the black panties under her short skirt. Felicia promptly put herself between me and her, looking as if she was ready to murder the girl. "Y-you pervert! How dare you grab my tail like that?!" She yelled, baring her sharp, cat-like teeth. "Silence, you insolent brat! You think you can hurt Milord and get away with it? So what if he grabs your tail? That doesn¡¯t mean you have the right to assault him like that! Apologize! Now!¡± "He didn''t just touch my tail! He grabbed it with all his might! You''re protecting a degenerate pervert!" "I''m sorry!" I lowered my head to the floor. "Your tail¡­ i-it''s just so cute I can''t resist grabbing it!" "M-Milord, please, get up! I-I can''t bear to watch you like this!" "That''s enough, Tama. Hey you, get up." I looked up from my dogeza. Ignoring the panties my lucky angle was showing, I saw a young man standing beside Catgirl now. He was right about my age, and just like me, he had a soft look belonging to a blossoming bishonen. His hand was on her shoulder. What, he''s his boyfriend or something? Uh oh, I didn''t see this one coming. I stood up and gave the saddest, most regretful look I could put on. "I''ll let you go this time. But I won''t tolerate you harassing her ever again. Got it?" "Oh, thank you so much for your kindness!" I bowed as deeply as I could. Heh, playing the ikemen in front of your girlfriend, huh? But then again, I''ll do the same if anyone gropes Felicia''s boobs. Without another word, he grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the front door. And then, the room burst with laughter. "What was that, boy? That was pathetic! Lowering your head to that weakling! And in front of your girlfriend too! Have you no pride as a man?" "Hey, missy! Join my party instead! Forget about that boy!" "That''s right, that''s right! Those hot bods are wasted on him!" I held Felicia''s hand, knowing she was about to do something completely unnecessary. "Milord! You can''t just¡ª" "You''re only going to make it worse. If you want to prove something, do it with action, not words." Their laughter didn''t stop for a good five minutes, serenading us as we stood in the line. As expected, none of them cared I molested Catgirl. They instead cared that I showed weakness. It''s the typical mentality of the strength-obsessed Demon Continent. Still, I wondered why they all called that guy weak. Maybe he was the lowest ranking adventurer around? After what felt like an eternity, we finally arrived at the end of the queue, where we were greeted by a snake woman with an all-too-long tongue as the receptionist. "Hissssss, busssinesss?" "We''re registering as new adventurers. All three of us." "I sssseeee. Fill thissss. And quickly. Many behind youusss." Taking a quick glance over my shoulder, she was right. Filling out the form on the receptionist table, I noticed there was one entry regarding the Observatorium. It asked whether you had any interest in going inside it or not. Naturally, I checked the box. "Here!" S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Glancing to my sides, Felicia and Victoria were filling out their forms as well. I paused when I saw what Victoria was writing though. Hold When she handed her form over, being the latest after Felicia, the receptionist had to stifle a chuckle. Still, she said nothing, stamping our forms and giving out our cards. "Youss have interest in the World Dungeon? Need to get to D-rank first. Take questssss in the city, alright?" "Look, don''t you have a quest we can do to rank up immediately? We don''t have time doing menial labor. We have to explore the Observatory right away." "Every green adventurersss saysss that." "We''re not like them though. We''re actually really strong." "Truly? Then sssslay this Sss-rank monster and we''ll talk." She proceeded to take out a parchment from under her desk. Sure enough, it was a quest to slay an S-rank monster. "Sure! We''ll take care of it in a jiffy!" "It''sss your doom." A/N: Here''s a reference image for the catgirl Vol 4 Chapter 13: A Nice Little Revenge By the time we left the guild, the sun was already right over our heads. The roads were quite a lot more populated than before, though still not as busy as the roads of Ul''nemo, thankfully enough. The Guild was located in the Market District, so it wasn¡¯t a surprise to see a burst of activity in this manner. Adventurers would need to restock or sell their "loot", to use MMO terms. "So, lunch? I don''t know about you guys, but I''m starving!" "Milord, we need to talk." Before I could even take a step, Felicia blocked my path. And her expression¡ªit reminded me too much of Marina whenever she was about to go on her long lectures. Victoria opened her mouth, only to close it immediately once the ex-necromancer sent a glare to her direction. She didn''t even need to be told to stay out of our conversation. "Follow me. There''s an alleyway over there. I''m not having this conversation in the middle of a road like this." I nodded with a gulp. A slap is fine. Just please, don''t take away our nightly breast massage sessions! The alleyway she spoke of was located across the road. It was a small passage between two rows of houses. As expected, no one else was there. It''s daytime after all. At night, drunkards who got kicked out by their wives might be here. Victoria stood outside the alleyway, almost as if she was our lookout. "Milord, please, never do that again. I beg of you." "Yeah, I know. I really should curb my perverted tendencies more. I shouldn''t be groping other girls when I already have¡ª" "No, I''m not talking about that. I already accepted that Milord is a pervert. But I will never accept Milord debasing yourself like that." "Debasing myself?" "Lowering your head, prostrating yourself to others, I don''t want to see that. It hurts, Milord, seeing you like that." I fell silent. This, I did not expect. But, looking at her now, with those glossy eyes and trembling hands, there was no doubt about it. I had hurt her. I had hurt her terribly. Was it her love for me that hurt her? ...Yes. If it was her grovelling in the floor, I would be terribly angry as well. "...I understand. I''m sorry you had to see that." I walked forward and grabbed her left hand. "I promise. I''ll never do that again." I gave my best, most reassuring smile. "I understand, Milord, that you have a low opinion on yourself. But that doesn''t mean you can just humiliate yourself in public like that. As someone who loves you from the bottom of her heart, I can''t bear to see my beloved in such a degrading state." "And here I thought you''re taking me here to scold me about the tail thing." "Like I said, I''ve accepted that Milord is a young man with a very active libido. It would be presumptuous of me to demand you to have your eyes only on me, as much as I wanted so. Feel free to grope as many women as you want." "A-as long as you grope me at night as well." "A-and also, I could put on a cat tail and ears if it pleases you, Milord. If enchanted with the right rune, you can have them move around almost like the real thing." An image of Felicia meowing with cat ears and tails popped unbidden into my mind, right before she licked me all over like a cat would. "W-well, we''ll talk about that later." ------ With our talk finished, we toured around the district for a good restaurant. After we had our lunch, we headed back outside the city, to the south where the adamantoise turtle waited. "Sir Hugo, may I ask a question to you?" "Hmm? Of course, Victoria. Ask away." "How can you just dishonor yourself like that, back at the guild?" "I groped her tail. Don''t you think I should apologize?" "But, you don''t have to lower your head to the ground like that. No warrior your caliber should ever do that." "Why not?" "Because you''re exactly like those legendary warriors in those tales! You''re strong and you have a strong sense of justice! You should carry yourself more like them!" "Oh? But do they run around groping catgirls'' tails?" "W-well, no. But some of them are womanizers!" "I''m not a womanizer. I''m a pervert. There''s a big difference." "That''s a lie! I know how much Miss Felicia is obsessed about you!" "Does having one woman make a man a womanizer?" "I-I suppose not. But you certainly have your way with girls, Sir Hugo!" "Heh, don''t tell me you''re falling for me?" "N-no! I just admire you, that''s all!" "But admiration is the first step in falling in love. Look at me. I admire Felicia. And before I know it, I want to protect her to the end of my life." "Alright, that''s enough flirting from you two." Our pleasant chat was interrupted by Felicia, who of course, had turned red yet again. "What? You don''t like me praising you?" "You can praise me anytime. But don''t put any funny ideas on her head in the process." "It''s not a funny idea! I really think Sir Hugo is an amazing person!" "Enough! I forbid you to praise him! I''m the only one allowed to do so!" I could only sigh, seeing these two bicker yet again. ------- We arrived at the location marked in the parchment when the sun was nearly gone. There, in the light of the dusk sky, we saw our target from a distance. It was a gigantic turtle with spikes jutting out from its shell. Its color was bluish white, almost like the color of your typical mana crystal. Steam periodically jetted out from its nostrils. Its size was not quite as big as the dragon I once fought, but it was still an intimidating creature nonetheless. "Stay back. I''ll handle this myself." I jumped down the hill overlooking the monster. Now how should I kill this big dude? ------ Victoria "H-hey, you''re not going to help him?" "No need. My Lord is not going to be defeated by a mere turtle." "But it''s a giant turtle! A-and a S-rank too! They''re supposed to be really, really strong, right?" "Just shut your mouth and watch." Looking down the hill, I saw him slowly approaching the beast. It had yet to notice his presence so he should be able to have the jump on him. I rushed forward, trying to get a better view while taking care not to fall down the hill. All of a sudden, an ear-splitting roar filled the air, stopping me in my tracks. A large followed, an unmistakable sound of something real heavy hitting the ground. The terrible noise stopped and I could regain my bearings once again. "Hey, you two! I''m finished!" Looking down the hill, I saw Sir Hugo waving towards us. And then, the turtle. It no longer moved. How could it, when its head was detached from its neck? "See? You don''t know just how strong he is." Looking up, Miss Felicia had a big, satisfied grin on her face. -------- We rendezvoused down the hill, right beside the turtle''s corpse. Its neck was still bleeding, producing a pool of red right under the stump. I covered my mouth as my stomach churned. "S-Sir Hugo, h-how did you do it? I-I didn''t see you casting a spell!" "Huh? You didn''t? I stood there for like ten seconds charging it up, you know." "What?" "Super Boom Cannon. Essentially, I''m firing a superdense air with the speed of sound. No, a bit faster than that. Twice? Thrice? I''m still not sure. I just developed it recently actually." I remembered. Once, I woke up in the middle of the night because I needed to pee. There, I saw him¡ªaiming his wand to a large boulder in the distance. It was his turn to stay up and watch the camp, and yet, he wasn''t doing it. I was too sleepy to speak to him though so after I had my relief, I went back to sleep right after. "It''s nowhere near perfect though. Need a good thirty seconds or so to charge up, since I have to wait for the air to come together. It''s totally unusable in a one-on-one fight. I''m lucky that turtle didn''t notice me until it was already too late." "Well done, Milord. You continue to grow stronger day by day." "No, I still need to get stronger. I am yet a Grandmaster-level mage. To be honest, I don''t know how I can reach that level. To be able to destroy a city with a single spell, that is the level of magic I seek." ------- Hugo After collecting the mineral residing in the turtle¡¯s brain as our proof of victory (which was a True Adamantine by the way, a very valuable gem), we burned the body and buried the hard shell. Leaving it outside intact would inevitably turn it into a zombie monster, thanks to the ambient dark mana in this continent. Preluded by a short discussion, we decided to return back to town immediately instead of camping it out for the night. We were all tired of sleeping outside, even Victoria, Miss Sleep-Outside-Under-A-Tree herself. There were certainly risks associated with traveling in the dark. Nighttime monsters tend to love ambushing adventurers, abusing their lack of sight to the fullest. "Like that." I fired a simple Boom Rifle at the camouflaged panther thirty eight steps to the northeast, killing it instantly. "H-how did you know it was there?" "Training. I was taught to sense the presence of others by my sword teacher." I smiled at the befuddled elf. Burning the corpse of the revealed Night Phanter, we resumed our walk home. It wasn¡¯t just it however, other monsters soon tried to attack us as well. Keyword being try. Some dived from above¡ªgiant bats who would suck your blood dry in an instant if you let it bite you¡ªothers tried to attack from below, creating a sand pit that would suck unsuspecting adventurer into its stomach. Nothing we couldn¡¯t handle. When Arborea returned into view, it was already midnight. Thankfully, the city kept its gates open 24/7, so we could just stroll right in, into the nearest inn we could find. Suffice to say that we all slept until noon the next day. -------- ¡°There we go! One True Adamantine as instructed!¡± Putting on the biggest shit-eating grin I could muster, I placed the gem on the receptionist¡¯s table. Of course, it had to be the same snake woman from yesterday. ¡°If you want more proof, go out there and look for its buried shell. Too bad we can¡¯t bring it to us. I heard you can live in comfort for the rest of your life if you can extract all the adamantium from it and sell it on the market.¡± The receptionist could only stare with open mouth at the gem. In a flash, she grabbed the gem and examined it with her slanted eyes. ¡°Thisss isss¡­ thisss isss the real deal! Did you really kill that turtle? All by yourssself?¡± ¡°Yep! All by myself!¡± She froze, wiping the sweat off her forehead with her arm. ¡°P-pleassse, follow me! The guildmassster needsss to meet you!¡± She took us to the employee-only part of the building, climbing up the stairs in the process. Seeing Snake Lady slithering upwards with ease, I can''t help but think how strong her abdominal muscles must be. The guildmaster¡¯s office was located on the second floor, separate from the other offices. Arriving at the small door, with a placard saying "Guildmaster" in both human and demon tongue, Snake Lady knocked on the wooden frame, calling out the name of the woman. "Mrs. Matilda! I brought the adventurers I talked about yesterday!" "Come in." The door creaked open, revealing a comfortable square room with a woman sitting on the other side. Her body was hidden behind her desk, but just from her smooth face and sharp yet attractive eyes, I could safely rank her 8/10 at the very least. "So, you three actually did it. You slayed an S-rank monster on your own, even though you had never registered to be an adventurer before." She stood up, her large breasts bouncing in the process. "Rula, put the gem on the table." "At once, Mrs. Matilda." Snake Lady slithered to the other end of the room, placing the gem on top of her desk. "Leave us." "Of course, Mrs. Matilda." She gave us one last questioning look before closing the door behind her. "So, where were we? Oh yes, about you defeating that Adamantium Turtle on your own." Guildmaster Lady had a smirk on her face. I wasn''t sure if it was a belittling one or a curious one though. "Tell me, young man. How did you manage to do it? Judging by that mithril sword on your belt, you''re a swordsman, I take it?" She was now standing close enough to me that I could smell her perfume. Heightwise, she was around as tall as Felicia, making her slightly taller than me. It gave me the perfect angle to stare at her humongous mountains, which only got more noticeable as she was folding her arms under them. "Yeah, I''m a pretty good swordsman. Cut the bastard''s neck in a single swing." "Without it retracting its head? You have to be pretty fast for that." S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yep! I''m pretty fast alright!" "Fine then. I''ll give you three the S-rank cards you so badly wanted. A promise is a promise after all." She walked back to her desk and rummaged through the drawers. Returning back to us, she handed me three Adventurer¡¯s Licenses, each containing our names and the word S on the left side. The design was quite different from the one I got in the Holy Continent, but the contents were the same. Though I noticed there wasn¡¯t a place where your title would be mentioned. As for the language, still human. "Surprised I already have them? I had a hunch you guys would have them. Call it the intuition of a veteran adventurer." "You used to be an adventurer, Miss Matilda?" "Of course. How do you think I got this job in the first place? Just so you know, I was once an S-rank mage myself. They called me The Desert Witch, thanks to my expertise in sand magic. I was so strong Lord Relfatia made me the guildmaster of this place.¡± ¡°And so, as a fellow S-rank, I hope we can maintain this cordial relationship into the future. Trust me. You really don¡¯t want me to come after you like with those misbehaving adventurers.¡± All of a sudden, her pleasant smile turned scary. It was enough to send chills into my nerves. ¡°You know what I did to them? I let my sand devour them into clean, unadulterated nothingness. You see, I have been granted the authority to punish any adventurers that break the rules as I see fit. And that includes murder. And things much worse than that.¡± ¡­. ¡°But enough with the gloomy talk! Let¡¯s talk about something else before you go! Oh, right, your privileges!¡± And just like that, she switched back into happy mode. ¡°As an S-rank, you have the privilege of staying for free in certain adventurer inns in the city. You''re also eligible for a discount in certain blacksmiths, armorers, and magic tool shops. Ask the receptionists down there for the details." "Our Guild will also buy any rare items you might find in your trip through the observatory. And trust me, we have the best prices in town!¡± ¡°And that¡¯s about it, really! Now shoo! I still have a lot of work to do! Look at all those papers on my desk! You think they will take care of themselves?¡± ¡°Hold on. How about our payment for the quest?¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re not satisfied with your S-ranks?¡± ¡°Do you take me for an idiot just because I¡¯m young?¡± ¡°Hah! Thought you¡¯d forgot! Here!¡± She placed a full coin bag in my palm. ¡°That¡¯s for the gem only.¡± ¡°The shell?¡± ¡°No dice. The quest only says to bring back the gem, not the shell. If you want to sell it, you should¡¯ve hired a whole band of couriers to carry it for you.¡± ¡°This is all gold?¡± ¡°Of course! Do you think I¡¯m a cheat? That¡¯s 100 gold coins right there! 50 for the gem itself, 50 for fighting the monsters. That¡¯s Guild money right there. We had a request from an influential noblewoman for the gem, but instead of posting a request like a normal person, she instead called me to her house and asked me for it. Ah, the things I have to do to keep this position.¡± She let out an all too dramatic sigh. ¡°Now go! I have to finish all that before I can have my lunch! And I skipped breakfast this morning too¡­¡± After saying our leave to the middle-aged woman, we made our way back to the lobby¡­ only to encounter the bunch who mocked us a day before. "Oi, boy!" Having neither the desire nor the time to interact with them, I opted to ignore their call. It didn''t work though as they blocked the entrance. "And here I was being nice. You can''t just ignore your senior like that!" They were a party of four, consisting of an ogre, a minotaur, a centaur, and a human. By the way, the human was the one talking right now. "Move." "What? What did you say that?" "I said move. Or I''ll move you myself." The human looked at his friends before bursting into a laugh. "You? A weakling who groveled in front of the most pathetic adventurer in town? Move me? I''d like to see you try, whelp!" His hand launched itself towards my collar, no doubt intending to grab me there and parade me around like the bully he was. Yes. Even his tall figure reminded me of one of my middle-school bullies, back in my old life. I didn¡¯t know how he could get that tall in middle school, but fighting against a taller, more muscular person, it¡¯s hard to do. But now¡­ now I had no reason to be afraid whatsoever. Not after all that grueling training I did with Fiora. My feet flew upward faster than he could notice, hitting him straight in the crotch¡ªa move I learned from its best practitioner. He groaned as he knelt in pain, tears leaking out from his eyes. I finished it by sending him flying out of the door, right to the streets with my Wind Magic. And then, the remaining three. ¡°So, you guys still want to fight? Just so you know, I just got my S-rank card after killing an S-rank monster on my own. How about you? What rank are you? Judging by that slow movement of his, I¡¯d guess you¡¯re C-rank at the very most.¡± ¡°W-we¡¯re B rank!¡± ¡°B rank, huh? They really are lowering their standards more and more.¡± I let out an exaggerated sigh. ¡°I-if you¡¯re this strong, then why did you do all that the other day?¡± ¡°Because I made a mistake. And I had to apologize for it. That is all.¡± I glanced at Felicia. Sure enough, she now had a satisfactory smile on her face. ¡°Now go and look after your friend. I blasted my spell right into his stomach. He might need a night or two at the infirmary for that.¡± ¡°Y-yes, Sir!¡± The monster trio rushed outside as fast as their feet could take them. ¡°Satisfied?¡± ¡°Very, Milord.¡± Felicia replied with a smile. Vol 4 Chapter 14: In Which Felicia Gives Hugo A Blowjob After having our lunch in the same restaurant as yesterday (different menu though), we spent the rest of the day preparing for our dungeon trek tomorrow. With the one hundred gold coins now in our possession, we pretty much could buy whatever we wanted. Money would not be an issue for a long, long while. I even visited a bookstore and bought a number of books about the Observatorium. At night, after we had our dinner and returned back to our inn rooms (one of the fancier ones, of course), I began sorting through said books. Let¡¯s see here¡­ why don¡¯t we start with this one? ¡°Introduction to the Starswept Observation for Adventurers¡±. That¡¯s an awfully straightforward title, isn''t it? Probably going to be a bore to read. "Milord, do you need any help? That''s a lot of books you got there." Yes, I am sharing a room with Felicia. And yes, there''s only one bed. She specifically requested it to the innkeeper before I could say anything. "Sure! You can take the¡­ uh¡­ that one!" Let''sgive her the thickest, most difficult-looking one! She sat beside me as she opened the book, all the while not-so-subtly leaning her shoulder at me. Glancing to the side and down, I could peek down her dress with ease. Oh, those lovely areolas and nipples. I''ll never tell her to wear a bra. Still, that view makes it hard to concentrate. It doesn''t help that her sensual scent is assaulting my nostrils. But this is the perfect opportunity. I have to build up my endurance so I would last longer in bed. As a virgin who''s weak to women, I have to train in that department as well. I''m going to have two women to pleasure after all. Peeling my lewd gaze away, I focused back on my book. Ignoring all the unnecessary introduction bit, I went straight to the main chapters. Let''s see. The dungeon''s layout changes periodically; teleporters back to the entrance every 100 floors; 1000 floors in total though no one ever reaches the top¡­ Oh, this is interesting. It says here that the knowledge of the 1000 floors total came from the warnings written in the entrance of every dungeon. They were written by the people who built the dungeon in the first place¡ªa race the scholars dubbed The Progenitors. As for the purpose of the dungeons'' existence, no one knows for sure. The Progenitors, huh? Knowing how ancient ruins tend to be in video games, it''s probably nothing good. As for the structure of the Observatorium itself, it''s split into specific biomes every hundred floors. Stratums, as they call it. The book actually details how each stratum differs compared to the others. However, it stops at the fifth stratum since no one has ever got past floor 599. The reason? They just couldn''t find the portal up to the next floor. Or if anyone managed to do so, they had never returned. How curious. By the way, instead of stairs, World Dungeons have portals instead. Think of it as a teleporter to the next floor. After all, the space inside the dungeons are all warped and twisted, so it''s not that odd that teleporters are abundant. The scholars theorized the Progenitors had mastered spacial magic in their time. Even now, we can''t replicate the magitek they had, or else we would''ve had warp gates everywhere. Things to prepare for your world dungeon trip¡ªtents and supplies in general, as you could be there for months. You have to learn how to cook the monsters there. As for water, a water mage is absolutely necessary for that. Hm? This sensation? I looked down and sure enough, Felicia''s hand was grabbing my junk. Oh my, now this is a brave move. "Uhh, Felicia, what are you¡ª" "Shh. I''m in the good part right now, Milord." "Your book?" "What else? You''re nowhere near your usual hardness." This woman¡­ she''s blushing but she''s flirting with me like this. Heh, the old Felicia couldn''t have done this for sure. It''s all thanks to my breast massages. As she continued massaging my manhood, I peered over to look at her book. Hmm, seems to be about the theories regarding the shifting of space inside the dungeon. "You can understand this?" "A bit. Spacial magic isn''t my expertise in the slightest. But I''ve seen these terms before, back when I was still at the Academy." Right. She''s already a smart girl even at that age. My eyes traveled down her dress once again. Heh, her nipples are perking up. She''s pretending to be calm but she''s turned on from playing with my junk for sure. "Hey, I''m going to sleep. I think I''ve had enough reading for the night." "Ah, of course, Milord." She lowered her book, turning her head to face me. "You can leave the reading to me. Feel free to get as much as rest as you could. Though before you go, do you want me to finish this first?" Squeeze. She smirked as she tightened her grip on my rod. Damn, she''s fully embracing her seductive persona. "A tempting offer since I''m already throbbing down there as you should''ve noticed, but I don''t want to ruin my pants. We''re going into the dungeon tomorrow after all." "That is no problem, Milord. Just take them off." "Oh no, that would be even messier. I don''t want to¡ª "No, you misunderstood. By that, I mean I''ll use my¡­ I''ll use my m-mouth to do it. I''ll swallow it all." ¡­ Holy cow! Is she for real? She''s going to give me an oral and drink all my semen?! I know she''s getting bolder but not this bold! She sat up, placing her book on the bed. Her face was as red as a tomato as she knelt down right in front of my crotch. "Milord, as someone who loves you with all her heart, it is my fervent desire to serve you as an ideal wife would serve her husband. I already clean, cook, and sleep with you. There''s only one thing I haven''t done." I gulped. I already knew where this is going. "As your wife, it is my duty to be a receptor of your seed. If you had wished for it, I would have given my womb for that purpose. But, since you want to keep your first time with her, another receptacle will have to do. So please. Allow me the honor of pleasuring you with my mouth." ...Oh wow. That speech was straight from a hentai doujin. "H-hold on. What''s with that speech? You''re not being yourself, Felicia." She huffed. "It''s your fault, Milord. You groped that beastgirl''s tail, right in front of me, your future wife. As punishment, you have to let me suck you off." Her hands reached forward, unzipping my shorts in an instant. My sword popped out, fully ready for battle. I even noticed a tiny wetness on the tip, staining my white underpants. My pre-cum no doubt. "H-hey!" "Milord, I have dirtied my mouth with the seeds of filthy men before I met you. This is my cleansing ritual, for your taste will be the only one inside my mouth from now on. So please, let me have this." "L-look, Sherry¡ª" "I know she will want you all to herself once you two reunite. I''ll be willing to sleep on my own while you two have your fun. Maybe a week. Even a month. But now, I don''t want to hold back. I''ve dreamed for so many nights to have your manhood inside my mouth and I can''t take it anymore. I want you, Milord. I want you really, really badly. I could''ve drugged you and raped you in your sleep but I have far too much respect for you to do that." Her eyes locked with mine. They were filled with fiery, blazing determination. They were just like Sherry''s eyes whenever she had decided on something. I sighed. She won. I couldn''t turn her down. Not when she''s like this. I''m sorry, Sherry. She gets to do this first than you. Then again, you''re probably not the type who likes giving blowjobs. "Alright. You can do it." A smile broke out in her face. "Thank you, Milord. I promise, you won''t regret this. My technique¡ªit surely will give you a pleasure you''ll never forget." Her hand moved to the button next, easily taking it off before pulling down my shorts entirely. How could she do it so fast? She really is experienced. With only my tighty whitey remaining, she pulled that one off next, my penis snapping upward in the process, right in front of her face. W-well, it''s all out in the open now. Please don''t say it''s small. I know I''m still young but I don''t think I''ll ever be able to recover from that. She licked her lips like a true carnivorous woman. "Would you look at that? You''re already leaking, Milord. That''s no good. You''ll dirty your underwear." Moving her head forward, brushing her scarlet hair to the side, she opened her mouth. Just enough so it could wrap around my manhood completely. The moment they touched, I let out a completely shameful moan. O-Oh God! It feels so good! All those onaholes I used can''t compare! C-calm down, Hugo, calm down. You might be a virgin but that''s no excuse to lose control! If you cum immediately, what will Felicia say? The redheaded mage looked up into my eyes as her mouth worked its magic. She wanted to see my reaction! "U-urghhh, aurghhhh!" Her tongue! They''re all over my dick! I-is this the power of a sexually experienced woman? "Aaahh, haaahh, h-hey, Felicia! S-slow down!" That look! She''s laughing! My hands gripped the wooden edges of the bed. Overwhelmed with heavenly pleasure, I could not stop all the groans my mouth was making. I thought I was the quiet type in bed but when assaulted like this, I acted just like those female knights when they got gangbanged by the orc captors. Ah, screw it! You want my dick? Then here it is! I grabbed her head and moved it closer to my crotch, forcing her to take more of my meat in her mouth. Her eyes widened, no doubt taken by surprise of my bold move. Heh, afraid you''ll choke on it? I don''t mind if you want to take a short¡ªgwaahh! She retaliated by grabbing the base and the testicles with each of her hands, stroking them both as her mouth and tongue furiously pleasured the shaft. N-no fair! I can''t¡ªaaahhhh! I didn''t know how she did it, as I sure as hell couldn''t pleasure myself this well! This is it! This is the full power of Felicia Myne, the charming seductress! I-it''s coming out! I can''t stop it anymore! Like an unstoppable eruption of a volcano, my penis fired its load all inside her mouth. I could only cock my head backward, no doubt with a blissful smile plastered on my face. Aaahhhh¡­ It came out¡­ Spurts after spurts after spurts of my milk, seemingly never ending, filled her mouth and throat. I hadn''t masturbated in a while so I had a lot of them in store. And yet, she greedily slurped it all, not even letting a single drop escape. When I finished, she finally let my rod go, a trail of my cum forming a line from its tip to her lips. That too was quickly cleaned up by her tongue. "Thank you for the meal, Milord. That was delicious." W-what are you, a succubus? "Now, I''ll clean you up before you get to bed, alright?" Using the fabric of her skirt, she cleaned up the rest of the liquid dirtying my member, all the while giving me the view of her erect nipples and her soaked red thong. She was just as horny as I was yet she kept her composure all the way through. Amazing. Afterward, she put on my underpants and shorts back, zipping and buttoning the latter as well. "Umm, so¡­" What the hell am I supposed to say now?! H-how do those after-sex dialogues in the hentai go again? Arghhh, I can''t think! "That was¡­ that was wonderful." A praise should work, right? A bashful smile broke out on her face. "I''m glad you liked it, Milord. I was afraid I had gotten rusty after not doing it for so long. As much as I despised sleeping with those men, at the very least, I could use the same techniques to pleasure you. No, I''ll do them even better. With my knowledge of the male body, I''ll make sure you''ll moan and groan like you did just now." "R-right¡­" I forget that she knows a lot about human biology thanks to her work as both a healer and necromancer. She''ll know perfectly the sensitive spots on my genitals, which was how she could bring me to cum that easily. Either that, or I''m just a virgin loser with no stamina at all. I''d prefer the former, obviously. "Soo, what now? I just go to sleep? You''re still going to read those books?" My eyes glanced at the stack of them beside me. A silent witness to our perverted act. She smirked. "Well, you can do that. Unless you''re still not satisfied?" "I-I''m fine. I''ll go to sleep now." If we go again, I don''t think my heart can take it. Still smirking, she lifted the books off the bed and put them on the table. "Good night, Milord. I''ll join you soon enough." Lifting up the blanket to my body, I closed my eyes, trying to calm my nerves from all the stimulation I just received. Even so, that night, my dream was all about Felicia sucking me off. -------- Felicia I did it! I can''t believe I actually did it! I get to service him down there with my mouth at last! Kyaah! To think he would be bold enough to make me take more of his shaft too! And his taste! It''s wonderful! His saltiness and sweetness is in perfect harmony! It''s so much better than all that bitter cum I had to swallow in the past! He ejaculated so much too! No wonder he''s such a pervert! His hormones must be in overdrive all the time! Sherry, you might be his first wife, but I get to taste him first! I quickly muffled my victorious laugh, not wanting to wake him up. What next? Maybe I can pleasure him with my boobs? I know he loves them, judging by how much he peeks at them. Or maybe I can wake him up while cooking his breakfast, all wearing a naked apron. Oh, I know! We can take a bath together! I can rub his back while pressing my breasts from behind before I grab his rod and make him come! ...No. Don''t get too excited, Felicia. We''re going to a World Dungeon tomorrow and I have to prepare for that. Time to do some quick reading! Two hours should suffice to skim through all of this. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I took the top book from the stack and opened it. Shifting my legs, however, I noticed the wetness on my groin. Oh right. Need to change panties. ...Urgh, I could do some rubbing but I don''t have the time. I just have to bear with it. I slid off the soaked fabric, using it to wipe any remaining juices from my womanhood. Sitting up, grabbing my staff in the corner, I sent them to my Dimensional Storage, exchanging them with a fresh new pair. I put them on at once, smiling at how skimpy they were. Milord likes stealing glances at them, so I''ll only give him the very best. I decided to tie my hair to a bun as well. Scholar!Felicia is making her return. For now, Horny! Felicia needs to stay inside. Sitting back on the chair, I poured through the tomes Milord had graciously bought. All the while trying to ignore Milord''s taste, which was still all over my mouth. No. I''m not washing it off. I don''t know when he would allow me to suck him again. I have to enjoy it to the fullest. I pressed my thighs together, feeling that all too familiar tingle in my crotch. Really, Milord. You''re making me addicted to you. But this is good, is it not? A wife should always yearn for her husband after all. Luckily, once I buried myself in these books, this sensation should dissipate on its own. Hopefully. -------- Hugo When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw were the two mounds of fat I was all too familiar with. Waking up to a pair of breasts¡­ I don''t deserve all this fortune, really. Felicia had hugged me in her sleep, burying my face in her bountiful cleavage. Her musk entered my nostrils, delivering those womanly pheromones that could make any guy go crazy. The straps of her dress had dislodged themselves, revealing said breasts in all their naked glory. I remember staring at Renee''s breasts all the time when I was still a baby. Not only did I get to suck them, I could get away pinching and squeezing them with my baby hands. All she said was that I would be a perverted breast lover like Alan when I grew up. Aah, the perks of having the mind of a middle-aged man in a baby''s body. Slowly releasing my body from her arms, I noticed she had her hair tied to a bun. Ah, I remember. She doesn''t like having her hair down when she''s reading her books. ...Damn, she''s cute too, looking like this. I don''t consider myself a glasses man, but if she were to wear one with that hair, it might look good on her. My eyes wandered downwards. As expected, I could see her panties through the slit of her dress. Skimpy satin red as usual. She never disappoints. Hmm? Is that a wet spot I spy with my little eye~ How naughty. She already changed to a fresh pair yet she got horny again. But enough ogling. I need to wake her up. We want to enter the dungeon early after all. A good breast massage should do the trick. Opening my hands as wide as I could, I assaulted those two mountains vigorously, squeezing them with full force. "Aahhnnn!" A moan escaped her lips, yet her eyelids remained closed. Really? That didn''t wake her up? Fine! How about this then?! Using my thumb and index fingers, I pinched both of her nipples. Another moan, but she was still not waking up. Haah. Have I spoiled her too much by groping her breasts every night? Guess I''ll just have to do this then. Bending down, using her breasts as my hands'' resting spot, I leaned over to whisper in her ear. Or I would''ve, if she didn''t lift her head and kissed me on the lips. Mmmmhh! She pushed me back to a sitting position, still connecting her mouth to mine. Her tongue forcefully made its entry, intertwining with my own as she held me in place with her arms. I''ve been had! She wasn''t sleeping at all! Once she was satisfied, she released me with a victorious smirk on her face. "I''m sorry, Milord, but I cannot resist. You know it''s rude to grope a lady while she''s sleeping." "W-well, you said your body is mine to use as I see fit." She giggled. "That''s true. Which is why I gave you a kiss there. Though thinking about it, wasn''t that our first kiss? A morning kiss between a couple who had spent the night together. Isn''t it romantic?" Oh yeah, we haven''t actually kissed before. I didn''t even realize that until now. "Well, enough playing around. We have to get ready for our trip to the Observatorium. This inn gives out free breakfast, no? We better go down there before they run out." As Felicia stood up and loosened her hair, I could only sit there in silence, staring at her. God, what is this good fortune, having a girlfriend like her? I deserve none of it. Not after all the cowardly things I did. All I can do is to be a man worthy of her affections. But how can I do that? Not to mention that if I want Sherry as well, I have to juggle giving them my affections. I still have no idea how to marry two women without making them jealous of each other. Damn it! I should''ve asked Orluk how his dad can run his harem smoothly! A/N: Finally, Hugo is getting some action. Vol 4 Chapter 15: The First Floor We made our way to Victoria''s room first, knocking at the door, yelling at her to wake up. "Coming!" Yep, sure enough, in just ten seconds or so, she opened the door¡­ revealing her nightgown-clad figure in the process. Ignoring the large breasts that became even larger now that they weren''t underneath an armor, there was nothing particularly lewd about her dress. It was a cream-colored silk gown that went down to her ankles. Only, the image she gave now was considerably different than her usual, fully-armored self. Using RPG terms, her charisma had been doubled, in exchange for zero defense. "Get dressed. We''re going to the Observatorium, remember?" "Right! Don''t worry! I can wear my armor in a flash!" After Felicia gave her order, the elf turned around and walked to the table where she had put her armor and skirt on. Reaching behind her, she unbuttoned her gown, before letting it fall down to the floor on its own¡­ all while not closing the door, allowing me to see her naked body in all its glory. Felicia, realizing her blunder, slammed the door as quick as lightning could strike. Looking at me with a displeased expression, she said, "You saw it, didn''t you?" "Y-yeah, I did." "That idiot." She huffed, glancing to the door. "Now you get to see her naked. I should''ve bared my body to you before her!" "Well, it''s not like I haven''t seen your bare breasts multiple times. That flimsy dress of yours couldn''t hide them that well in bed." "That''s completely different! You never saw my bare butt before! And you just saw hers!" "Alright, alright, sheesh. You can give the show later. But not when we''re inside the dungeon. If there''s a monster attack, I don''t want you to have to dress up first before fighting them." ¡°I could just fight them naked.¡± ¡°No! That would be too distracting!¡± ¡°Umm, excuse me, but I¡¯m ready now.¡± The door opened up once more, revealing Victoria was there in her usual attire. ¡°R-right! Let¡¯s go then!¡± Exchanging a glance with Felicia, we both agreed without a word to drop the subject. ----------- After we had our breakfast downstairs, we made our way to the north gate. The Observatorium was located shortly northwest of the story. We could already see the building from right outside the walls, as it was only a short fifteen minute walk or so from said gate. It looked like a dome of some sort, pitch-black in its paint. Walking there, I noticed that unlike the west and south side of the city, there wasn¡¯t any agriculture going on in this side. The ground was as barren and lifeless as ever. Perhaps they didn¡¯t want their farms to be so close to a World Dungeon. As we got closer, I realized just how gigantic the structure was. It was easily the size of one of those Olympic football stadiums back in my old world. No, even bigger. It''s seriously eerie looking to the max, as if it''s some alien structure. Under the base of the megastructure, a small building stood. It was the "gate" leading to the dungeon proper. You''d need permission from the Guild first before you''d be allowed to pass. Inside the outpost, we were greeted by the sight of numerous adventurer parties, all standing in line to be checked for their eligibility to enter the dungeon. Taking our place at the shortest line, we began our wait. Suddenly, a figure entered the hall we were waiting in, running straight to where the two were. The first thing that grabbed my attention was her ears. She was an elf. A silver-haired elf. Correction. A silver-haired loli elf. And she was wearing a maid outfit. The short skirt kind. Quickly, I stepped out of the line, wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation. "Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ thank goodness I''m not too late¡­" "Tira, what are you doing there? Shouldn''t you be working at the mansion?" "I-I am¡­ but I just have to go here and give you this. Here! A lunchbox, just for you!" "Please, be careful, alright? If you came back all hurt again like last time¡ª" "Yeah yeah, I know. You really are one nosy little sister, you know." "Please, take care of him for me, Tama. Do not let him do anything reckless." "Of course! Leave it to me!" After bowing to the catgirl, the loli elf left. A hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality. "Milord, it''s not nice to eavesdrop like that, you know." "R-right. Just¡­ checking on them, you know." "Or ogling more girls. You like younger girls too, I see." "A-ah. Look. I can appreciate all kinds of girls, alright? Cute ones like that elf, or sexy ones like you. Why limit myself to just one type?" "...Oh Milord. I''m starting to worry you''ll get even more wives in the future." "D-don''t worry about that! It''s not like I''m some casanova who can easily pick up any chick I want! Most girls will be disgusted by me once they know just how perverted I am." "I doubt that. You don''t know your own charms, Milord." "M-my charms? What do you mean?" "I''m not telling. You''d ruin it if you know." We returned back to our line, with Felicia smirking through the process. "Hey, Victoria." I asked the knightess standing behind me. "Do you think I''m charming?" "E-eh?" "Felicia said I have a charm that can easily attract women. Do you think that''s true?" "I-I¡­ I wouldn''t¡ª" "I mean, you know how perverted I am, right? Aren''t you at least wary of me?" "N-not necessarily. I-I think¡­ I think you''re an amazing person, Sir Hugo, despite your¡­ womanizer tendencies¡­" In a way that radiates a surprising amount of cuteness, the knightess looked away, blushing in the process. As I stood there in the line, my brain went into overdrive, trying to figure out what this "charm" of mine was. No dice. When our turn came, I still couldn''t figure it out. I dismissed the thought. We were about to enter the dungeon after all. ------- After passing through the checking process, we walked through a short corridor before arriving at the building''s other exit. And there, just a few steps away, was the entrance to the Observatorium¡ªa massive hole on the front of the giant half-sphere where a giant could easily pass through. The moment we stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. No longer could I feel the demonic mana permeating the air. We were now in the Atrium, a large room with black walls that pulsated with blue runic lines. They were ancient runes, barely decipherable to the people of the current era. Though we already knew that it made said walls practically invulnerable. Not even the greatest swordsmen and mages could leave a scratch on it. To the left was the stratum teleporter room. One could use it to jump to different stratum, but only if they already got there the normal way. To the front was the entrance to the dungeon proper. It was another teleporter. In all the World Dungeons, teleporters are used liberally, a showing on just how advanced the Progenitors¡¯ civilization was. As we walked there, however, I noticed catgirl and co. going this direction as well. The teleporter room was small and round, with a floor that glowed with a dim blue light. That was what the books called the teleporter floors. The runes inscribed on them facilitated the transfer of body and soul to another place entirely, or so the scholars theorized, as the actual workings behind them were barely understood. Just like the Dream Orb, it was another magic technology that the people of the current era could not duplicate. The way they work is simple. You stand on top of them, remain perfectly still, and let the blue light envelop you completely. When the light recedes, you will already be on the other end of the teleporter. As we stood there, however, I felt Victoria¡¯s hand grabbing my own. Glancing at the knightness, it was clear as day that her nerves had betrayed her. I chuckled. ¡°Afraid you¡¯re going to be sent to a different place than me and Felicia?¡± ¡°W-what?! That can happen?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know~ Any device can malfunction after all, even the ones made by ancient civilizations.¡± ¡°P-please don¡¯t say that! I-I¡¯m really bad with directions! I don¡¯t think I can survive on my own if we get separated!¡± The moment the blue light died down, my jaws dropped to oblivion. The Forest of Amber Glass. That was the name given to the first stratum. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And it perfectly described the sight I was seeing right now. Tall, thin trees made out of yellow glass reached upwards to the heavens, covering the ceiling in its entirety. A dry, lifeless soil masqueraded as the floor. A sterile, almost hospital-like scent filled the air. The trees were thick enough together to act as walls, forming the labyrinth we had to traverse. "Please stop holding Milord''s hand." "A-ah, right!" A tiny smirk decorated my lips. "So, we just have to find the teleporter to the next floor, right?" "Yes, Milord. We continue doing so until we reach the 100th floor where we would have to fight the stratum guardian. Then, we get to the 101th floor where we can go back to town." The Stratum Guardian is basically a boss monster that you''d have to fight before you could go to the next stratum. For the first stratum, it should be a relatively easy task, as the monsters here were only around B-rank at best in strength. Oh, by the way, we don''t have a teleporter floor under us now. The one back at the entrance was a one-way teleporter, just like all other floor teleporters. Only the stratum teleporters are two-way. So, once you''re in, you have to go all the way to the next stratum to escape. That, or be lucky enough to find an emergency teleporter that will kick you out of the dungeon, colored yellow to distinguish itself from the floor teleporters. "These trees¡­ they don''t look that strong, do they?" "Hmm? Wait, are you thinking to¡ª" "That''s exactly what I think. Felicia. Ready your shadow barrier thing." "Yes, Milord!" Seeing Felicia''s excitement, I couldn''t help but smirk. I aimed my wand to the nearby trees. Closing my eyes, I began concentrating the air in front of me into one singularity. "S-Sir Hugo! I-is that¡ª" "Yes, it is! Now shut up and stay close to me!" I was, of course, charging my Super Boom Cannon. Using its blast, I will create a path through the forest instead of following the given path. Felicia, being the clever woman she was, already realized this. That''s why she told Victoria to stay close to her as there was now a giant superdense ball of air in front of me. Thankfully, the teleporter always separated each adventurer group to their own floors, meaning, there was no risk of me accidentally killing another party with this stunt. Only on some certain floors that different groups might start meeting with each other, and the first floor wasn''t amongst them. Glancing back, I saw Felicia erecting her shadow barrier to protect her and Victoria from any splinters that might come in our direction. Me? Don''t need it. I can slice or dodge any splinters before they come with ease. After charging it up for a good 30 seconds, my current limit, I fired. The glass trees never stood a chance. It turned out the barrier wasn''t needed at all as my spell eradicated the glass trees the moment it connected with them. After all, it was moving five times the speed of sound with a mass that was as heavy as if it was a giant steel ball. The sound of trees being destroyed continued to serenade our ears even when we could no longer see the end of the line of destruction it had created. The forest seemed to be far bigger than I thought. Still, the spell should lose its steam eventually. Perhaps it would reach the walls of the Observatorium itself, if there was such a thing. This place could go on forever, or loop around like the Lost Forest from the Zelda games. I sure hope it isn''t the latter though, since it means the spell will come back from the other side to hit us. The sound of shattered glass finally died down. Looking behind us, the trees there were thankfully still intact. ¡ª A howl echoed through the air. Followed by another. And another. And another. A cacophony of roars and screeches filled the air as well. "Welp, I think I might have just made the monsters here angry. All the loud crashing noise angers them, I guess." "They''re coming, Milord!" From a distance, through the express lane I just created, a horde of wolves were charging right to our location. Their fur shone from the light coming down from the ceiling. Being made out of glass, it could reflect light very well. Glass wolves. A monster species that existed only inside this dungeon. They were only a C-rank monster but they would always hunt in a pack. And then, barreling through the remaining trees, gigantic bears closed in to where we were from every direction. Ruby Bears. B-rank monsters. From the skies, the aerial force came. Sapphire Eagles. Another B-rank monsters. Their numbers combined together? More than a hundred. Thinking about it, that book had said you shouldn''t disturb the trees in the first stratum since it would enrage the surrounding monsters. I had completely forgotten about it. Felicia should''ve known as well. But since she didn''t say anything, she must be confident that I could handle these monsters with ease. Well, she''s right. "Felicia, keep Victoria safe. I''ll handle them." "Of course, Milord!" First, the eagles. "Thunderstorm!" Stormclouds gathered in the sky, or rather, the very tall ceiling, I wasn''t sure which. The eagles had a weakness to thunder, so a single lightning strike should be enough to take down the monsters. Next, the bears. For them, since they willingly entered into my melee range, I just cut them down one by one with my sword. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the black shadow dome Felicia had erected. After the two dozen or so bears fell down, it was time for the wolves to arrive. For them, I''ll just use this. "Air Sunder!" I lifted all the wolves to the air with my cyclone. As Felicia and Victoria were protected under the dome, and I was standing in the eye of the storm, there was no need to be concerned about using such a spell in close range. I spun them around and around and around before ending the spell, scattering them in the air and letting them rain down to the ground like raindrops. As they were weak monsters, only a handful survived the impact, and I finished them easily. And just like that, the fight was over. Or so I naively thought. A powerful earthquake shook the ground I was standing on, enough to force me to my knees. Quickly, I put up Wind Step to recover. And then, I saw it¡ªthe glass trees uprooting themselves one by one before they entwined themselves together into one giant mass of glass tree. I immediately moved into position, dispelling by Wind Step as I charged my Super Boom Cannon. The ground was still shaking but I could decently maintain my balance. Soon enough, a treant the size of a skyscraper loomed over me. I just hope this is the floor''s last-ditch attempt to punish us from cheesing its labyrinth, and afterwards, it will be smooth sailing to the floor teleporter. "Super Boom Cannon!" I fired the spell, angling it in such a way that it would go through its crotch all the way to its head. I was lucky the treant was dumb enough to form itself right in front of me. The spell tore through the glass-like wood in a flash, practically splitting the big tree monster into two. It then hit the far ceiling, where it shattered into nothingness. I wasn''t finished, however, as I still needed to put the finishing blow. I ran forwards and jumped, using Wind Step to rise right between the two halves of the treant. As I had predicted, the tree was trying to link itself back together. Not on my watch. Dispelling my Wind Step, I pointed my wand to one side of the tree as I fell down. What was I doing, I might ask? Disturbing the flow of the treant''s mana, of course. Before I hit the ground, I activated Wind Step again¡ªI could do it in my sleep at this point. I dashed away from the treant before erecting a Wind Wall on top of Felicia''s sphere, just in case the treant decided to fall in this direction. Oh yes, it fell. With me messing up its rejoining, the two halves fell to the ground with a boom, sending one last tremor as their final assault. "Alright! It''s okay now! You two can withdraw that barrier!" The black sphere vanished, revealing Felicia''s smiling face. Oh, and Victoria was also there, of course, hugging the ex-necromancer like a scared child. What,she has a phobia of earthquakes now? Or is it just the monsters she''s afraid of? "Well done, Milord. I knew they''re no match for you." "Yeah. Still, that was unexpected. None of those books talked about this, right?" "None of them, Milord. Perhaps anyone who tried this stunt before died in the hands of the monsters." "Wow, so we just discovered something new about the World Dungeons." "So, umm, now that we''ve beaten all the monsters, we just¡­ go find the teleport thing?" "Yes, Victoria, now please, would you let go of me? Really, where did that idiotic bravery of yours go?" Felicia dragged away Victoria''s hands from her abdomen with a sour expression. "I¡­ thanks to you both, I now know I can''t really be the knight of justice I want to be¡­ Still! I want to be part of your amazing adventure nonetheless! This is my final wish! Please! Indulge my selfishness just a little bit longer!" "Final wish? You mean you''re going back to your family after this?" She bit her lip and looked away, unable to answer my question. "Of course she is. She''ll need to fulfill her promise. The Dream Orb you want is in the fifth stratum. The flower, on the other hand, is right before that, at the 500th floor. We¡¯ll beat the Stratum Guardian there, go look for the flower, and then go to the next floor where we¡¯ll go back to town and meet up with her parents. She¡¯ll give us the good word she promised, and then, we¡¯ll be free to spend months searching for that orb afterwards. To be honest, I¡¯m surprised we haven¡¯t gotten some soldiers demanding us to hand her over.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re right. As the weakest squire of the holy knight, at the very least, I can fulfill my promises.¡± ¡°Well, Milord, let¡¯s go. Please blast away the rest of the forest and then we can begin our search.¡± I nodded. With a couple more Super Boom Cannons, I cleared out the forest in its entirety, or at least, a large part of it that¡¯s centered around us. No other monsters popped out. I followed the bold move by flying upwards, scanning the now bald ground underneath. In the distance, I saw a familiar blue light coming off from a small patch of land. I arrived back down and told Victoria and Felicia what I saw. ¡°To that direction, yes?¡± ¡°Yes. We should just walk there in a straight line and we¡¯ll get there in no time.¡± ¡°Very good, Milord. Now that we¡¯ve proven that we can use this method of exploration safely, we can climb through the first stratum significantly quicker than normal.¡± I nodded, letting Felicia take the lead. Non-Canon Omake — In Which Hugo and Marina Pretend To Be A Couple A/N: This scenario happens if Vera never did her shenanigans and Marina returned safely for that year''s summer holiday. This chapter only exists thanks to the support of my Legend-tier Patron, Precursor9311. ----------- S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Summer came, and with it, Marina returned as well. As usual, I begged her to train me in magic, and she complied. And so, today, we left the house to go to our usual training spot. "Wonderful! You really have improved a lot from last summer, Hugo!" Marina was now smiling, one hand on her staff and another on her waist. I just showed her how I could now cast my Advanced-level spells even faster than before. "Hold the praise, Sis! I''m not finished yet!" She raised her eyebrows. Heh, prepare to the impressed! "I still have one more spell I''d like to show you!" "One more spell?" "My custom-made, Master-level spell, that is!" Ha! Speechless, aren''t you? Good! Stand back and let the maestro of wind, Hugo Greenwood, do his work! I walked a few steps away from her and aimed my wand at the forest nearby. I would show her the strength of my Boom Cannon by pulverizing a couple of trees with one spell. "Hugo, you really can use a Master-level spell now?" "Yep! Stand back, Milady, and let the maestro of wind, Hugo Greenwood, do his work!" She giggled at my display of bravado. Not the mocking kind, mind you, but the amused kind. She wasn''t like my horrible little sister in the other world! Concentrating, I pooled my mana to the tip of the wand, shaping it just right before letting it loose. "Boom Cannon!" With a thunderous noise, the air cannon jetted through the air, obliterating a good dozen trees in its path. Quickly, I turned to face Marina again. And yep, she was just as amazed as I thought she would be. "T-that was amazing! I''ve never heard of a spell like that before!" "Hehe, it''s great, right? I name it, Boom Cannon. Not the most creative name, I''ll admit, but it fits the bill to a T." Suddenly, she walked up to me and put her hand on my head. "You must have worked hard to make that spell." She smiled. "I think I should give you a reward." "A reward, Sis?" My mind unfortunately jumped to something of a sexual nature, thanks to her current position, bent over with her loose top failing to hide her breasts completely. They got bigger again compared to last year... "Yes, a reward. I''m thinking¡­" A smirk appeared on her face. "I should teach you how to be a good husband." ... I''m sorry? Straightening herself, she retracted her staff into a wand and stored it in her pocket. "You see, Hugo." She folded her arms under her chest. "You''re ten years old now. You should get your puberty soon. Your libido will rise and you''ll see girls differently." What?! Is she going to give me the talk? "As your big sister, it falls to me to teach you how you should act around girls. You''ve been gentlemanly so far but who knows what could happen once those hormones hit?" Oi oi! Are you saying I''m going to be a sexual predator once I''m older? "And, I want you to be a good husband once you''re older as well. And so, today, I''ll teach you everything you know about treating a lady." She ended her speech with a smug smile and a hand placed between her breasts. Well, there''s no escaping this, is there? ------- We were now sitting under the nearby tree. Not the ones inside the forest, no, but the one growing on the hill we were training at. It provided a nice shade from the sun so we decided to have our lunch there. Renee had packed us sandwiches for the occasion, as well as apples for dessert. As usual, they were really delicious. The bread and meat just melted together in your mouth while the apples were freshly picked from the nearby orchard. Not nearby nearby though. We don''t have any fancy orchards around here. They must have cost a fortune. Thank God I was born to a decently well-off family. Once we finished, it was time for Marina to begin her lesson. "Alright, Hugo!" She clapped her hands together. "For the first lesson, I want you to think of me as your lover." ... Seriously? You know that''s incest, right? Fine. Guess I''ll humor her. "So, I guess we''re on a date now?" "Exactly!" She smiled. "Now, what would you say to me, as your girlfriend?" "Umm, I don''t know." "You don''t know? What kind of an answer is that? If I''m really your girlfriend, I''ll be mad if my boyfriend doesn''t say anything at all when we''re dating!" She huffed. Oh boy¡­ now I''m starting to pity whoever will be her husband one day. "You know, Sis." I looked her right in the eye. "Men don''t like girls that are too needy. I know you want me to say ''I love you!'' or ''you look really cute today!'' but I don''t think I''m the type that compliments girls just to be on their good side. If I were to have a girlfriend, and we''re going on a date, I''ll make sure she has fun with me. That''s more important than just praising her." "N-needy?! I-I''m not that type of girl in the slightest!" Heh. Got her. I''m getting better and better at flustering her. I stood up and placed my hand on her head. "I''m joking, Sis! I''m joking! You are a perfectly nice girl! I''m sure there will be dozens of men all vying for you once you''re older!" "... That''s cruel! You can''t do that to your Big Sister!" She huffed, throwing her head to the side. "Well, enough of that." I sat back down beside her. "If you want to pretend we''re a couple, then we have to begin from the start. The confession. You confess to me your undying love and then we''ll go from there." "What?! The man is supposed to be the one making the first move!" "Sure, but a girl confessing her love is always endearing to a man. Why don''t you try it, Sis?" She looked at me for a bit before glancing away once more. "F-fine. I''ll try it." Heh! You really are shy in the matters of love, Sis! How adorable! Not that I''m any better of course. ------- We stood back up as a love confession needed to be performed while standing, under a tree, just like where we were now. It''s the classic trope after all. "Alright, Sis! You start!" "O-okay!" She averted her gaze, one hand resting on the other''s arm. Her cheeks were positively red as she no doubt was thinking of the words she would say. Wow, she''s really taking this seriously, isn''t she? After a full minute of silence, she finally turned her head to face me and spoke. "I¡­ I want to¡ª" Woosh~ Really? Right now? What is this, some cliched dating sim? All of nowhere, the wind picked up, lifting her dress and showing me she wore her black pair today. Damn, they''re as tight as always. She didn''t let out the classic "Kyaa!" though. She only pushed her dress down and looked away, blushing even harder. "Stupid wind¡­ And you, Hugo, aren''t you supposed to look away?" She huffed. "A gentleman will do that, you know!" Sorry, Sis, but your panties are so hot I can''t keep my eyes off them ¡ª is what I would say if I were an idiot. In this situation though, you have to respond like this instead. I walked up to her and took her hands, giving her my smoothest smile in the process. I then knelt down, just like a knight would in front of his lord. "Apologies, Milady. But you''re just so beautiful I can''t keep my eyes off you even if for a single moment. You''re about to confess your undying love to me, right? Then I''ll accept. I shall be your lover." I finished by kissing her hand. There. How about it? I''m pretty good, aren''t I? With my good looks, even as a kid, I can do a pretty good job pretending to be one of those lady-killer nobles. My question was soon answered, by her withdrawing her hand and going even redder than before. "You¡­ you''re too good at this!" I chuckled, standing back up. "Come on Sis, you shouldn''t be so flustered like that. I''m your little brother, you know!" "Hmph, any girl would be flustered if a man does that to her." She huffed, crossing her arms under her chest. "I''m not a man though. I''m still just a kid." "Doesn''t matter." She now put her hands on her waist. "To me, you''re more of a man than half of the men I met back at the Academy." ...Oi oi, your brocon is really showing now, Sis! "Are they really that bad?" "Hmph, they''re just a bunch of suck-ups¡ªthat''s what they are. Remember when I was bullied in my first and second year? They never came to my help. And now, after their queen is gone, they flock to me instead. Just because I''m the most skilled mage there." Wow, she sure is being spiteful. Understandable though, after all that she had been through. "And let''s not talk about Thomas." She continued. "That hobbit is easily the most annoying of them all." Oh yeah, the shitty hobbit. The one who actually challenged her to a fight so he can marry her. What an imbecile. Take a hint and bugger off. "Oh Hugo. If only you were there, you''d have come to my rescue for sure." She smiled. Yeah, for sure. If only I were there, I would''ve never let my dear big sister be the subject to bullying. I''ve been there myself after all. "Don''t worry, Sis! I''ll be going with you this year, remember?" "You''re right." She walked forward and held my hands. "I''ll be looking forward to that." Just you wait, you shitty hobbit. I''ll stop you from harassing her. I''m not giving her to you! "Well," She squeezed my hands. "Let''s continue, shall we?" -------- The next step was marriage, or so she selfishly decided. And so she went on a long lecture about how marriage worked in this world. First was the method. There were many methods, depending on where the marriage took place. Countries with heavy Church presence had different customs than the ones with none. The Church invoked the Saint''s name in their ceremony and both the groom and bride had to wear these heavy religious robes in the procession. The Magocracy''s custom, on the other hand, invoked the name of the Founder instead. And the procession involved a heavy dosage of magic. As for here, we had quite the casual procession. You didn''t even need to have a priest present. The local magistrate would suffice. And all you needed to do was to come to them, state your intention to be married, and bam, you''re married. Though of course, for the wealthier folks, they would have a party afterwards. Which one we used, you ask? Well, Marina didn''t really care. She just wanted to do the oath part. "So, that''s about it." She smiled. "Can you remember the words?" "Uhh, I think they''re too long. Can''t we shorten them?" "Shorten them?" She sighed. "Oh fine. There isn''t a priest around so I guess we''ll have to make do with a simplified version." She stood up, dusting the hem of her dress. Before she gave her explanation, we had sat back down. I quickly followed suit. "So, Hugo. When you get married one day, you''ll have to hold your bride''s like this¡ª" She took my hands. "¡ªand look her right in the eyes without blinking. Recite your oath without stuttering as well. I don''t want you humiliating yourself." "Of course, Sis." I smiled back. "But you should teach this to Sherry instead. I can tell she will get all shy and stuttery when we do it." "Sherry?" A frown appeared in her face. "Oh, right. You really want her to be your wife, don''t you?" Oi oi what''s with that jealous look? You''re my big sister, you know! You need to keep your brocon tendencies in check! "Well, I guess there''s no harm in that¡­ She''s a good girl, despite her temper¡­ But you have to wear the pants in the relationship. Don''t let her push you around." "Yes yes, you''re worrying too much, Sis. I know her weakness so I''ll be fine. "Weakness?" She raised her eyebrows. "She''s the shy type. So a sudden kiss or hug will disarm her completely." "A-a kiss?" "Hmm? Isn''t it fine to kiss your wife whenever you want?" "I¡­ i-if it were me, I wouldn''t want my husband to just kiss me out of nowhere. It has to be romantic after all." "Really?" I grinned. "But random kisses can be romantic as well. It shows just how cute and irresistible your wife is that you can''t stop kissing her." "Hmph, you''re just like Father." She pouted. Oh right. Alan would sometimes kiss Renee whenever he thinks we aren''t watching. Not only that, he''ll even grope her chest and butt as well. I saw him doing it one day in the kitchen. Well, with those massive mammaries and butt-hugging skirts, I won''t blame him. "Well, let''s begin. I''ll start." Tightening her grip on my hands, she began her oath. ¡°I, Marina Greenwood, swear that I will be with him for the rest of my life. In sickness and health, through happiness and sadness, through poverty or wealth. I will stay by him always.¡± Wow, you really are serious about it. Well, I guess I''ll have to respond in kind. "I, Hugo Greenwood, swear that I will be with her for the rest of my life. In sickness and health, through happiness and sadness, through poverty or wealth. I will stay by her always." And I should add a little bit more. "And, as her husband, I promise I will protect her and make her happy." There. How about that? Marina''s reaction was imminent. Her smile got bigger. Her blush too. "You really have a way with words, aren''t you, Hugo?" She giggled. "No wonder Sherry likes you so much. You''re still ten years old and you''re already this much of a womanizer. The good kind, of course, all because of my guidance." Yes yes, keep flattering yourself. You don''t know that I have a brain of 28 year old man in here. 38 with the added ten years. Though the womanizer part¡­ I''m not sure where I got that from. Maybe because I''m much more confident now? Girls like confident guys after all. "Well, time for the finishing touch." Before I could react, she stepped forward and kissed me in the lips. "!!!" It was just a little peck but her lips actually touched mine. There was no doubt about it! We definitely just kissed! "There." Her face grew even redder. "Now we''re officially husband and wife." O-oi! Y-you can''t just¡ª Aah, forget it! There''s no helping this brocon sister! And my face is reddening too! Goddamnit Hugo! She might be cute but she''s your sister! "So we''re now moving to the husband and wife phase." Marina continued. "Let''s see¡­ why don''t we start from when we wake up in the morning?" "W-wake up?" "Mmm, I think I want to be the one being waken up. Let''s see how you would wake your wife. Oh, and don''t worry. I won''t ask you to undress or anything." She giggled. "Though I expect you to satisfy your wife every night. Just like Father. Don''t be a lazy husband." Oi oi I''m just a ten year old kid. Are you sure you should be talking about this kind of stuff with me? She then laid down on the grass, gesturing for me to do the same beside her. Welp, guess I have no choice. I followed suit, feeling the ticklish sensation caused by the grass poking my body. "Alright, Hugo. I''m going to close my eyes and you''re going to wake me up, alright?" I glanced at her direction and sure enough, she now had her eyes closed shut. Hmm, I could just shake her, but that will probably not satisfy her brocon mind. I sat up and inspected her closely. She really looks serene when she''s "asleep". If she were born to a king and queen, she''d make a good princess for sure. And then, my eyes landed on her chest. I could squeeze those. If I have a wife, I''d want to wake her up with some boob groping for sure. But she''s my sister. I can''t do that to her, can I? Not to mention she''d think of me as a pervert. But then again, we are roleplaying as a husband and wife now. And I''d be lying if I say I don''t want to fondle those lovely lumps. Knowing how big Renee''s are, they can only grow even bigger from now on, so big you can''t grab it fully with a single hand. What? What about her poor back? Hah, big chests contain the dreams of all men! It is your destiny, Marina Greenwood, to have an F-cup chest! And so, I striked. "Aahnnn, H-Hugo, w-what are you doing?" "Waking you up, silly." I put on my brightest grin. "T-this is how you''ll wake up your wife?" "Of course! What''s wrong with groping your wife''s chest?" "Hmph. You''ll be all perverted to your future wife. That''s no good, Hugo. You have to listen to her needs too." "What? You don''t like me giving a breast massage? Hmm? Hmm?" I squeezed and fondled her boobs more, earning another moan from her lips. "Stop it! I-I''m your sister! Y-you can''t be doing¡ªaaahnnn!" "Really?" I squeezed on those melons even harder. They fitted perfectly in my hands. ¡°I thought I was supposed to be your husband.¡± But I did as she was told anyway, taking off my hands from her chest. It was just a tease after all, to teach this brocon older sister not to provoke me like that again. I was a boy on the cusp of puberty after all. Though I had to say, her boobs were amazing. Both soft yet firm at the same time. She really was Renee''s daughter. She sat up, squeezing her thighs together with her hands covering her chest. "I-I think¡­ that''s it for today. I see it now. You''ll be just like Father when you''re older." She frowned. "Is that a bad thing?" I replied with a cocky smile. "No¡­ not at all¡­" She stood up, dusting her dress in the process. Her face was still flushed and she now actively avoided my gaze. "Let''s go back." Before I could answer, she already walked down the hill we were on. Quickly, I chased after her. "Umm, Sis? You''re not mad, are you?" "No, not at all. I''m just¡­ surprised." "Surprised? For what?" "That you would be so bold, groping me like that. I suppose it''s true. Boys really do grow up fast." She huffed. Oh Sis. You have no idea. -------- Marina I can''t believe it¡­ He really just groped my chest like that¡­ And, to make it worse, my panties got wet from it¡­ this is what I get for not doing it for a week¡­ He can never know¡­ that his sister is a pervert who gets aroused by a ten year old''s touch¡­ ¡­ But still, I don''t know why I am doing this with him. Pretending that we''re husband and wife¡­ we''re not little kids anymore¡­ even he is growing up fast¡­ I guess¡­ I guess I am just¡­ lonely. Seeing all those other girls in the Academy having their own lovers¡­ I am jealous of them. And, I can only imagine Hugo taking the role. And no one else. ¡­ I''m jealous of him too. He can get along well with anyone. Not like me. I am too proud and hardheaded for it. No wonder he can woo Sherry right away. ¡­ Should I ask Mother on how to get a lover? No, she''ll tease me endlessly for it, I''m sure. Father, he''ll be angry instead. Hugo? No. Not a chance. ¡­ It seems I might just be destined to be alone, with only pillows and those toys keeping me company at night. I thought Mother wouldn''t have them, knowing how often she does it with Father. But once she noticed how my underwear got dirty, she immediately lent me some of hers. Even taught me how to use them. She told me that it''s normal to have that kind of urge, as she does as well. Something about her high libido that I surely have inherited from her. Does that mean Hugo and Erika will be like me as well when they grow up? I sure hope not. ¡­ I glanced at the former, walking by my side with his usual, adorable smile. I just can''t imagine him playing with his thing. But, if he ends up doing it, that means I don''t have to hide myself doing it too. I sighed. I really am a bad sister. Still, this Fall, he''ll be entering the Academy. That would be fun. We can do quests together on the weekends. Oh, and don''t forget studying together as well. As his big sister, I''ll teach him everything I know! ¡­ But for now, we should just enjoy this summer together. Vol 4 Chapter 16: The Fiftieth Floor With the strategy I had developed, we climbed the first 49 floors at breakneck speed. Honestly, I started to feel bad for the dungeon. It worked so hard to make all these labyrinths yet we just kept destroying them. Reaching the 50th floor, though, we couldn''t use the same tactic. Why? Because it was a Convergence Floor. Other adventurers would appear here. Unless I wanted their blood in my hands, I couldn''t just nuke the glass forest with my magic. And so, we were forced to take the slow, classic route. -------- "Ssssss¡­." It was a snake, a giant one to be exact. Its body was mostly yellow as its skin was layered with amber. It towered over us, being around 3m in height if I had to estimate. "Hey, Victoria. You handle this guy." "W-what? Me? But I can''t possibly¡ª" "You want to be a knight of justice, don''t you? You have to train for that. And I was thinking, I could mentor you a little as we go through this dungeon." "Milord! You can''t just¡ª" "It''s alright, Felicia. If anything happens, I''ll take down the monster before it can do anything." The poor knightess was now shaking from head to toe as she deliberately made her way forward towards the snake. Felicia shook her head, no doubt thinking this whole thing was just a giant waste of time. The snake leapt forward, baring its fangs straight towards her head. Instead of dodging or defending herself, however, she just froze as if she already accepted her fate. I cut its head before it could snap its jaw, saving the elf from a certain and bloody death. I didn¡¯t save her from the green goo shower she received afterwards though. ¡°O-Oh, thank you Sir Hugo for saving me¡ªe-eewww! What is this?! It¡¯s all sticky and itchy and gross!" "It''s called snake blood. It''s actually a useful material for alchemy, so, if you don''t mind, I''ll go scoop some of that up." Like an expert doctor who had seen too many revolting bodily fluids to care, Felicia walked to the snake''s corpse and began her work. "I-I have to clean myself up at once!¡± The knightess sheathed her rapier before reaching to her back to unclasp her armor. "Are you mad?! No undressing in the middle of a dungeon!" "H-huh?" "If you feel dirty, then you should''ve dodged its attack! Why did you just freeze like that, huh? Slacking off because I''m there to bail you out?!" "B-but¡­" "Tell you what. If you can win against the next monster, I''ll cast some water spell on you to clean all that gunk off." I flashed her a reassuring smile. ------- "Awooo!" The next encounter we had to fight off was a pack of wolves¡ªthe same kind we had been slaughtering all this time. Thinking that fighting all of them at once would be too much for the elf, I killed them all first except one. To my surprise, and convenience, it still wanted to stay and fight. "Alright, Victoria, you fight this guy. It''s just a C-rank so it should be a piece of cake." "E-eh? But it looks really angry¡­ I-I don''t think it likes me at all¡­" "Of course it doesn''t! It''s a monster! It''s here for your blood and flesh!" Taking a few steps back, I let Victoria face the wolf head on. "Hyaah!" This time, she actually took the initiative, thrusting her rapier towards the wolf''s abdomen. Too bad it was so slow that the wolf could easily dodge it. As the wolf leaped forward to sink its teeth on her arm, I cut it down in an instant. "Better. But still nowhere near adequate. You hesitated, didn''t you? You used to be able to move faster than that." "W-well, now that I''m no longer Lady Ashleen, I''m just¡­ I''m just a weak¡ª" "Don''t say that! Don''t you dare say that!" All of a sudden, I raised my voice. I didn''t know then, but I did it out of disgust¡ªdisgust at her self-pity¡ªdisgust at how much she resembled my old self. "No one in this world is useless! You might never reach my level but that doesn''t mean you can just give up! Weakness is not just the lack of strength! Weakness is also the lack of resolve! Aren''t you angry?! That your family sees you as nothing but garbage? Don''t you want to prove them wrong?!" "I¡­ But I¡­" Her eyes were watering themselves as she stood there looking completely shaken. I guessed no one had ever spoken to her like this before. Sorry, Victoria, but this was how Fiora brought me to my senses all those years ago. Sometimes, you need to be harsh to help someone. I won''t do the punching and kicking as well though. I pointed my wand at her, conjuring a miniature rain to clean her armor from the gunk before. She gasped, no doubt taken by surprise by the wetness that now soaked her from top to bottom. "There. I think you deserve it." "T-thank you!" I heard a huff escaping Felicia''s lips, before she asked me to resume our walk. ------- This routine continued on multiple times, with me giving the stage to Victoria only for her to blunder. I now knew just how amateurish her swordsmanship was. I ended up having to step in, instructing her on how to thrust properly with her rapier (even though I never used one myself). I went out of my way to hold her hand through the process, literally, just like Fiora did. Naturally, I could feel Felicia''s burning glare through the entire process. The labyrinth continued on and on, with glass trees that looked too similar to each other. To mark our way, Felicia took the initiative and drew a rudimentary map, making sure we weren''t walking in a loop. After what felt like two hours or so, we finally had something different. As at last, we met other adventurers. "Hiya! You''re a new one! Never seen your faces before!" We saw each other on a long corridor, with them seemingly noticing us first. They were a party of a catgirl, two elves, and a demon with bat wings and face. The catgirl was the first to greet us. "Well met." I gave a light bow with a smile. First impressions are important after all. "You guessed correctly, miss. This is our first time here. But do not worry. We are S-rank adventurers. We can take care of ourselves just fine." "Whoa, an S-rank? Seriously? A kid like you?" I sighed at her understandable disbelief. "That''s rude, Kir. What did I tell you on not judging adventurers over their appearance?" The one who spoke next was the serious-looking elf standing beside her. Seemed to be their mage, judging by his staff and attire. "Please, forgive the rudeness of my compatriot. She rarely thinks before she opens her mouth, a flaw that, sadly to say, I am yet unable to correct." We then exchanged our names, both individual names and our party''s name. "Oh, by the way, you might want to check out the outpost back there." "The outpost?" "That''s right! A bunch of adventurers had made a base of sorts. They even have a shop there, selling a map that can take you to the floor teleporter!" "Thanks for the advice. Though, if I may ask, why haven''t you bought the map? There''s no teleporter this way, you know. Unless we missed a turn or two, though Felicia here should have noticed if it was the case." "It''s too expensive! Ten gold coins! Can you believe that?! It''s robbery, I tell you, robbery!" ¡°The teleporter really isn¡¯t in this direction? My hunch is wrong then?¡± ¡°I was right, as always. We should¡¯ve taken that turn instead.¡± ¡°Tch! Would you stop being a condescending ass for a minute?!¡± As the nyala and the elf got into their own happy little argument, the other two members of their party smiled sheepishly as they told us to go on our way. We obeyed, though not before thanking them for the info once again. ¡°Well, those are some nice people. Would be nice if all adventurers were like that.¡± ¡°Sadly, Milord, they¡¯re the minority. Most adventurers would have asked us for money for that information.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, can it? An ordinary adventurer is always strapped for cash. They won¡¯t do anything valuable for free since it encourages people to expect that of them. They¡¯re mercenaries with a fancier name, not heroes.¡± ------------ It didn''t take long until we found the outpost they mentioned. Situated inside a large clearing, consisting of twenty or so tents, and a stone pillar I suspected they were using as a lookout tower (easy enough to make with Earth magic), it certainly could be called one. "Ah! A visitor! Welcome! Welcome! Please! Make yourselves at home!" Three men greeted us at the entrance. Two of them wore leather armor and had swords sheathed on their belts. The other wore plate mail and a cape, his weapon of choice being the spear he held in his right hand. "If you''re tired, we have a tent you could use. If your supplies are low, we have a shop you can visit." "As representatives of the Fafnir Clan, we are always happy to help out our fellow adventurers." The three men finished their speech with a bow. "It''s a pleasure to meet you. We are The Worthless Wanderers, a newcomer to the World Dungeon. We are in your care." I gave them a bow as well. "Ooh? A newcomer? What rank are you guys?" "S-rank." "S-S rank?! But you said you''re a newcomer!" "Yes, we''re a newcomer here but we''re already experienced adventurers back at the Human Continent." The trio looked at each other with disbelief. "So, what rank are you guys?" "W-we''re B rank. But as a whole, our clan is an A-rank." "I see. Then, I pray for your clan''s advancement." I patted the spear guy¡¯s shoulder as I walked past him. Felicia and Victoria promptly followed, with the trio quickly making way for them. We made our way to the shop tent first, which was quite the easy task as there was a tall SHOP sign right above it. The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man that looked more like a merchant than an adventurer, with a beer belly and a simple pants and tunic combo, and no weapon in sight. He was sitting cross-legged on top of a tarp, with a short table filled with goods in front of him. ¡°Welcome! Welcome! Everything on this table is for sale!" I knelt down to get a better look while Victoria only leaned forward, bending lightly with her hands on her knees. Felicia, on the other hand, played bodyguard, watching our backs as her eyes scanned the camp. We ended up buying only the map as none of the other objects he had for sale (potions, salves, smoke bombs, ropes, etc.) really interested us. Don''t get me wrong. Those items are all very useful in their own right. But only to the average adventurer, not us. Opening the map, which was really well-made by the way, it didn''t take long until I located the teleporter to the next floor and the path we''d have to take to get there. Moving to the "inn" section of the outpost, we took a short walk through the middle of the encampment, where I noticed that most of the tents were unoccupied. Another pair of adventurers waited for us there. I decided to ask them about the matter, where one of them, a bird demon, readily answered. "Where did everyone go? I thought this place would be more populated, with how many tents there are." "Ah, you see, most of the men have gone ahead to the next floor. Our goal is actually to reach the second stratum. What we''re doing here, this is just to raise money for our exhibition." "Raise money?" "Correct. Our clan is one of the largest in the region, consisting of more than a hundred members. To survive in the Demon Continent, it is necessary to always possess the best equipment and tools an adventurer can buy. And so, the boss decides strengthening our coffer is one of the main goals we have to aspire to." "Over a hundred people? Isn''t that too much? You sound more like a mercenary company." The birdman chuckled. "We''ve heard that a lot. Our boss just wants to help weaker adventurers though. To join our clan, you can be as low as an F-rank, as long as you''re willing to obey his rules." "Oh, by the way, you guys want to rent these tents?" He gestured his wings at their direction. "I know we don''t have night or day in this place but I won''t recommend going on for more than twelve hours without a rest. And if you camp out there, you''ll have to do night watch and all that stuff, right? If you sleep here, rest assured that we will keep you safe. There are twenty of us in total, C and B-rank adventurers. And we already erected a warding spell around the outpost as well. And if anything happens, we''ll make sure to wake you up as well." Just in time to answer my suspicion, Victoria stretched her arms upwards as she let out a yawn. "Felicia, what do you think?" "Sure. We can rest here, Milord. Two tents, if you would." "Of course." He told his friend to prepare the tents before turning his attention back to me, grinning in the process. "Now, if you would, the money upfront. Two tents mean one gold coin." I walked closer to him as I summoned my coin pouch. Here. One gold coin, you greedy bird. "Thank you very much. Heh, you lucky brat. She''s your girlfriend?" "Yeah, she is." "Tch, how did a guy your age get a chick that hot? How about the elf? She yours too?" "No. That''s why she gets her own tent." "Can I speak with her then?" "Absolutely not." "Oh come on. I really want an elf girlfriend, you know. And that chick is the hottest elf I''ve ever laid my eyes on. Those boobs, man¡­ How can they pop out from her armor like that?!" "She might look like that but she dislikes men. She''s prone to go into a violent fit if any man even looks at her for too long. See that rapier on her hip? She''ll thrust that straight to your crotch. You want that?" "W-what? Seriously? Damn it, what an awful, awful shame!" His friend soon returned, taking us to the tents we would be sleeping in. They were nothing fancy, just a normal-sized tent where four people could sleep together if they could bear being cramped together in one tiny space. After making sure Victoria entered her tent (she should go to sleep right away, judging by that yawn), Felicia and I entered ours. I summoned pillows and mattresses from my Dimensional Storage, another example why being a mage was so much more convenient than being a swordsman. We sat down, with Felicia''s dress draping in such a way that it gave me a nice view of her thighs and panties. "Milord, I think we shouldn''t let our guard down too much." "Hmm? You don''t trust these guys?" "I see no reason why I should." "...You have a point. After all, it was only yesterday when we had to deal with a bunch of them." "I admit, I want to play with you, Milord. You gave too much attention to Victoria. How many times did you hold her hands back then? It isn''t fair to your future wife, you know." Ah, once again, the jealous lady pouted. Normally, I would''ve leaped forward and grabbed those boobs to calm her down, but like she said, we shouldn''t be doing that in an unsecure place like this. "But, I''ll be patient. I know you''re doing it for her own good. You don''t want her to stay the helpless girl that she is now. You''re a good person after all." S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yeah. She¡­ reminds me of myself in a way." "Hmm? In what way?" "W-well, she''s helpless. And I used to be helpless as well." "You''re nothing like her, Milord. Even without your strength, you''re still far smarter than her." "Y-you got a point." "But, I still hope you''d stare at her breasts a little less. I know my breasts are smaller, but I don''t wear a bra for a reason, you know." The jealous lady pouted again as she pulled her top to the side, revealing her cherry red nipples. In the end, we decided to keep watch after all, with her taking the first turn and me taking the second. When it was my turn, however¡­ ¡°Hyaah! Hyaah! Hyaaaah!¡± As I went outside the tent, with Felicia returning back inside, I saw Victoria standing in front of her own tent. And she was thrusting her rapier around. ¡°Hyaaahh!¡± Not to any opponent mind you, but to the air in front of her. She was practicing her swordplay. Not noticing my presence, she continued her movements¡ªmovements that I had taught her when we got here. Still nowhere near the speed and precision I wanted, but she''s improving nonetheless. ------- The next morning, or, at least I think it''s morning, we left the outpost. Thanking the birdman and the other adventurer-guards we met on the way outside for the hospitality, we exited the encampment through the north entrance. According to the map, it was the direction to go if we wanted to get to the teleporter. I continued Victoria''s training in the meantime as the elf clearly had a lot of determination bubbling inside of her. Even though she still couldn''t defeat a C-rank monster, at the very least, her efforts were slowly giving fruit. Her footing became more precise as her thrusts grew in speed. In fact, I was starting to doubt if she should be wearing that heavy armor at all. A rapier was better suited for a swordsman focusing on evasion, not defense. If she wanted to go that route, at least she should have a shield with her. When I asked her about it though, she just said that a shield was too heavy for her to carry around. And she wanted to be more like her Lady Ashleen, who fought with a rapier. ¡°Graaarrrrr!¡± My eyes scanned our surroundings. There weren¡¯t any monsters around. Which meant¡­ ¡°Milord, I believe it came from that direction. Should we check it out?¡± Felicia pointed at a path branching to the side. Looking at the map, it led to a dead end. In a dungeon like this, that meant you''d either find a chest or a trap. Most likely both. "Hmm, probably not. It''s probably an adventurer triggering a monster trap. We shouldn''t get involved." "Help! Someone! Please help!" I bolted in a flash, using Graceful Step to augment my running speed. Arriving at the dead end, which was a small circular clearing, I saw a giant dinosaur monster facing off against two figures I was all too familiar with. Vol 4 Chapter 17: The Fey Amongst Us Theo "Tama, listen. I''ll act as a distraction. You get out there and ask for help, alright?" "Do you think I''m an idiot?! Stop acting cool and think up a way we can run from this stupid overgrown lizard." ¡°I¡¯m not acting cool! I don¡¯t want you to die because of me! You¡¯re a lot faster than me! You can outrun that monster easily! You¡¯re only still here because of me!¡± ¡°Shut up shut up shut up! You think I¡¯ll just let my benefactor die on my watch?! Think again!¡± "Arghh! Why must you be so stubborn?!" Tightening my sword grip, I stared the overgrown lizard in the eye. "Listen, I''m going to attack it from the left. You attack it from the right." "Got it!" I ran forward with all my might, lifting my sword for an overhead swing. She would do the same, no matter how big or scary the monster is. Only for it to retaliate by swiping its tails, hitting me right in the abdomen. "Gah!" A surge of pain flashed through my body as I flew backwards from the impact, crashing onto the tree behind me. "Theo!" Coughing up a copious amount of blood, I could feel my vision darkening. The idiot lifted me up. She should''ve ran instead. And now she''s calling for help? As if anyone would come. ¡­ "Now! Run!" Tama¡¯s voice brought me back to reality. Only for me to trip in the stupidest way possible as I had yet to realize how wobbly my legs were, thanks to my injuries. "G-go¡­ Leave¡­ me¡­" "What? Are you an idiot?! I''ll never do that!" OrI would''ve shouted if I could still speak. ¡­ -------- Hugo Deep Impact Dinosaur. It was a rare A-rank monster infamous for ambushing unsuspecting adventurers. Why was it named that, you might ask? Simple. It attacked mainly by jumping really high before going down with the speed of a falling star. Like it''s doing right now. "Now! Run!" The catgirl dragged the boy on his arm, only for him to trip and fall. Judging by all the blood on his clothes, it was all too obvious his mobility was impaired by his injuries. "G-go¡­ Leave¡­ me¡­" "What? Are you an idiot?! I''ll never do that!" Oh boy. They shouldn''t be arguing like that in the middle of a fight. No matter how dicey it might get, you must keep a calm mind while maintaining your attention at the enemy. Naturally, the dino is now going to fall right on top of their heads. Guess I''ll have to interfere. I dashed towards them, creating a Wind Wall large enough to cover all three. Just in time to receive the impact. "Grrrrgaaahh!" The attack was surprisingly powerful, actually making me have to strain a little to maintain the hardened air. Still, the beast was no match for me as I took its life in an instant, slicing its head off its body with my sword. As its blood poured out to the dirt, luckily not to where we were standing, I turned my attention towards the pair. "You two alright? Here. Let me heal your wounds." I summoned Spring Fairy to do the job. It''s been a while since I summoned her, come to think of it. I''m not sure if fairies experience time the same way that we do though. Manifesting from the moisture in the air, the great fairy flapped her wings all excitedly, clapping her hands as she had a big smile on her face. "Yay! Master summons me again! I miss you, Master!" "Alright, alright, just heal him up, alright?" "Right away, Sir!" With an all too cheerful giggle, she came over to him, turning him over so his back was facing the ground before feeding him her water. "H-hey! What are you doing to him?" "Relax. She''s a spring fairy. Her water has rejuvenating properties." "You¡­ Aren''t you the pervert who groped my tail?" "Yep, that''s me. Hugo Greenwood, at your service." Heh, she''s conflicted. I had molested her yet I also saved her boyfriend. Should she thank me or be angry at me? "Milord!" Moving my gaze to the entrance of the clearing, I saw Felicia and Victoria, all out of breath. "Please¡­ never¡­ run ahead like that ever again!" Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "And you two are the girls with him." "U-urghhh.." With a groan and a cough, the injured boy slowly sat up, his gaze fixated on his savior as blush crept into his cheeks. "Thank you, Miss Fairy. And you too, Mr¡­" Giving a short bow and smile, I introduced myself. "Hugo Greenwood. It''s a pleasure to meet you. You''re Theo, right? And the catgirl with you is Tama. Heard your names when you were speaking to each other." "Y-yeah, that''s right. Are Miss Fairy¡­" "She''s my summon." "Summoning magic? That''s pretty rare¡­" With a grunt, he labored to stand. "Theo! You can''t just¡ª" "I-it''s fine. My broken rib and back are pretty much healed." After some staggered steps, and a help from his girlfriend, he now stood in front of me. He had to cock his head a bit upward though since I was taller than him. "Thank you, Mister Greenwood. If not for your help, we would have perished for sure." He gave a short bow. "Don''t mind, don''t mind! Adventurers should help each other, right?" He flinched when I put my hand on his shoulder. Why is he so nervous anyway? Suddenly, I felt a pair of hands resting on my shoulders. "Master! You didn''t tell me you have a new fairy!" "Uh, what? What are you talking about?" "She''s a fairy, right?" My eyes traveled to where she pointed. It was Victoria. "I know she doesn''t have the wings but she must be a fairy! Us fairies can sense each other, you know!" She flew towards her, causing the knightess to take a few steps backwards before drawing her rapier and pointing it at her. "S-stay back, you fiend!" "Oi, Victoria! She''s not an enemy! She''s my fairy summon!" "Your fairy summon, Sir Hugo?" "That''s right! I''m his very first fairy! As your senior, leave it to me to teach you the ropes on being a good summon!" Victoria blinked. She looked just as confused as I was. "I-I''m not a fairy. Or his summon for that matter." "Really? You can''t fool me, you know! You definitely are a fairy!" "I-I have human parents! How can I be a fairy?" I sighed. Guess I''ll have to go there and separate them. "Sorry about this. When she''s excited about something, she just won''t give it a rest." After excusing myself from Theo and Tama, I walked up to the fairy and gently knocked my fist on the top of her head. "Alright, you. Stop harassing the poor girl. She''s an elf, not a fairy." "No, she must be a fairy! You must believe me, Master!" "Look, if you keep this up, I''m going to dismiss you without giving you a head pat." "Whaaat?! Y-you can''t do that!" Heh, this girl really is simple-minded. "Alright, alright, here you go. Thank you for your work as always. And sorry for not calling you more often." After receiving the headpat, she disappeared, but not before glancing at Victoria one last time. I activated my Sight, focusing my mana to reach deep inside of her. "S-Sir Hugo, what are you doing? Why are you staring at me like that?" ¡­ "Sir Hugo?" "Sprite of Sacred Stones, come forth!¡± As the skimpily dressed sprite formed itself out of the earth, I refocused my sight back at the knightess. "I''m sorry, Victoria, but there''s something I want to check. You stand there like a good girl, alright?" "A-alright." Her hands went to her breasts and crotch. "Felicia. Stand here. Right beside my sprite." She raised her eyebrows, but followed my instructions anyway. "And you, Stone Sprite. You stay there. I need to examine you too." "Examine me, Master?" First, I looked at Felicia''s network. Then, I looked back at Victoria''s networks. Sure enough, one of them closely resembles the former. I then moved to Stone Sprite''s network before checking back on Victoria''s. she got there. "Master, is something the matter? I don''t see any enemies around. And that girl over there¡­ is she a new fey you''ve made a pact with?" -------- Rock Sprite soon left, though not without giving me her usual hug. Made the boy and the catgirl blush too. Oh, they''re virgins for sure. Probably never even kissed. Me? I''ll consider myself a half-virgin. Look, when you already got a hot girl sucking you off, you really can''t call yourself a virgin anymore. I won''t stand for it. "What was that all about? You''re showing off your summons or something? A-and what''s up with that hug?" "The hug was the payment for her help. You need to pay something to the summon every time you call on them." "A hug as a payment? What kind of a convenient arrangement is that?" "She''s the one who wanted it, not me. I already got a girlfriend, you know. Felicia over there." "And yet you groped my tail anyway? You''re the worst!" "That''s enough, Tama. I''m sorry for my friend''s rudeness." The kid followed with a bow. "No problem." "I-I have a request to make, Sir Hugo!" All of a sudden, the kid yelled his lungs out. "Can we¡­ Can we travel together with you? Please? We¡­ I don''t think we''re strong enough to make it all the way to the next stratum on my own." "Theo! I thought you wanted to¡ª" "No! I know now¡­ even with all that training¡­ I''m still too weak to even traverse the easiest stratum of this dungeon¡­ I can''t protect you¡­ "Sheesh, alright, fine, you can come." "R-really?" "Yeah, really. In adventuring, there''s a saying that the more the merrier. Since we only have three people in our party, I think two more would be fine." "Milord! You can''t just¡ª" "Oh, don''t be such a worrywart, Felicia. They won''t be a burden. In fact, they can be useful. Like Theo here. He can be a sparring partner for Victoria." I patted the kid on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "S-sparring partner?" "Yes. She''s just as poor of a swordsman as you are. You two would be perfect for each other." "N-no way! I can''t fight against someone as strong as her! You''re really strong, Sir Hugo, so she should be really strong too!" "Oh no, not at all! She can''t even beat a C-rank monster!" He fell silent, a look of pure disbelief drawn on his face. He then gazed at Victoria, looking for her confirmation, no doubt. "H-he''s right! That''s why he''s been mentoring me! And he''ll train you too if you want, I''m sure of it!" Her bright smile was directed in my direction. "R-really? You''ll teach me, Sir Hugo?" "Well, I guess it comes with the package. You help her and I''ll help you back, alright?" "Oh, thank you so much!" As he grabbed my hands with sparkling eyes, I noticed the catgirl folding her arms, all with a lovely frown on her face. With two more additions to our little merry band, we resumed our journey. But not before I had a quick private chat with Felicia. "Milord, about Victoria¡­" "I know. We''ll talk about it later." ------- On the way to the floor teleporter, I asked Theo how they could get ahead of us. With how weak they were, it should take them weeks to get to where we were now. "I¡­ I think we skipped floors." "Skipped floors?" "Yes. I''m sure we didn''t travel through 50 floors to get here." "It''s a shortcut teleporter, Milord. If you''re really lucky, your teleporter will send you two, three, five, or even ten floors ahead. The scholars barely know about them so they can''t tell if there''s a limit to how many floors one can skip with it. Maybe they got really lucky and skipped fifty floors ahead." We soon found the floor teleporter. Unfortunately, it was just a normal one. In fact, as we blazed through the next fifty floors, we didn''t find any shortcut teleporters. Speaking of them, they could only watch with their mouths open as I obliterated both the forests and monsters with my magic. Heh, even tsunkitty can''t hide her awe. I know that secretly, she''s happy I''m here to help her boyfriend. I let them take on one or two of the monsters, though, as I wanted to gauge their strength. For Tama, I''d say she''s around B-rank in strength. She gracefully utilized her twin daggers to attack the monsters'' weak points. Quite similar to how Helen fought actually, though the maid preferred throwing daggers instead. Oh, and she often exposed her delicious black panties in the process. Why did she wear such a short skirt when she had to move around a lot like that? I would never know. For Theo, he was just as weak as Victoria. His swordsmanship was clumsy and full of mistakes, from his stance, his footing, and even simple things like his grip. When I asked him about it, he explained that he was self-taught, with no proper teacher in the art. There were dojos in the city but they were too expensive for him. Eventually, we reached the 100th floor. Another Convergence Floor and a Boss Floor as well. The teleporter wouldn''t activate until you killed the monster guarding it. It was where we met with the rest of the Fafnir Clan. They already set up an encampment near the boss. Just like the Emerald Exodus, they wanted to scout the monster first before fully committing their forces against it. After all, it was an S-rank monster. They could be wiped out entirely if they were careless against it. The boss monster was named Carnivorous Alraune. It was a giant, rafflesia-like flower with a naked female sitting on top of it. It would attack through poison clouds, thorns, vine-like tentacles, and even a solar beam attack straight from Pokemon. In the wilds, alraunes would actually lure in adventurers with its naked female part. But since it''s a boss monster here, it just gave a taunting laugh at the adventurers who dared to challenge it. No, the female could not speak. It wasn''t sentient. It was just a flower who could form the body of a naked female with its vines. All that didn''t matter though, as I took it out in one shot with my Super Boom Cannon. "N-no way!" "Just with a single spell?!" Suffice to say, their look was priceless. And so, we finally reached the second stratum. Only took us two days. ??? Hugo "Uwaaahh, so this is how the second stratum looks like! Amazing!" The Silent Metropolis. It was the name given to the second stratum, fitting for how it consisted merely of a series of spiraling towers all interconnected together to create one giant maze. Every inch of the place was made out of the same pitch black, glass-like solids that made the trees back at the first stratum. As for the silent part, it came from the fact that the monsters here loved ambushes, only attacking when their foes'' backs were turned. And so the air was filled with stillness. Unnatural, stifling stillness. We were now standing on top of one of the towers. We could see the moon shining over our heads, unlike the first stratum with its really high ceilings. I wonder if that moon is actually a physical thing or just an illusion projected by the dungeon. Looking down, I couldn''t even see the bottom of the place. Is there even any bottom in the first place? It can just be a bottomless pit where you will fall forever and ever until you die of thirst and hunger. And so the grind begins. Why? Because the teleporter is located somewhere inside one of these towers. If I just destroy them all, I''ll just end up sending us all down to the bottomless pit, along with the floor teleporter. We have to do all 100 floors the tedious way. "We should head down, Milord. The Stratum teleporter should be somewhere nearby." Felicia was promptly proven right. After a flight of spiraling stairs, we entered a large room where a familiar glowing floor awaited. For now, we''ll regroup back in town. I need to have a talk with Victoria after all. ------------------- A/N: So yeah. Victoria''s a half fairy. That''s the big reveal. Someone predicted she will be a combat savant of some sort. Well, this is kinda it, I guess? Who knows if she''ll ever actually unlock her fey powers? In other news, I just dropped another big character in the story in my latest Patreon chapter. Someone who knows Hugo''s true past, back in Japan. And she even knows his Japanese name. And also, Hugo got a boobjob from Felicia. Vol 4 Chapter 18: Bathhouse Visit Exiting the World Dungeon, we made our way back to the city. The sky was already dark, though not so much that we couldn¡¯t find our way. It seemed we really had spent two full days inside. But not before I asked Theo a question I had been wandering about for a while. ¡°Hey, if I may ask, Theo, why do you want to climb the dungeon? For a beginner adventurer like you, that¡¯s pretty reckless.¡± ¡°Beginner? He¡¯s a B-rank, you know!¡± As usual, his girlfriend came to the rescue. ¡°Apologies, but your combat skill doesn¡¯t look like a B-rank. I¡¯d say you¡¯re a D-rank at most.¡± Oh yes, I was being blunt. If that¡¯s what it took to keep a newbie adventurer like him alive. I once lost three adventurers whom I could¡¯ve saved. They were kids too, just like him. Took a job too dangerous for them. Gave me nightmares for weeks. Honestly, he shouldn¡¯t be in the Demon Continent in the first place if he couldn¡¯t even defeat a C-rank monster. You could rank up by taking menial labor jobs in the city but what¡¯s the point? The pay was next to nothing. You¡¯d be better off taking a more permanent job. ¡°I¡­ I wanted to repay my mo¡ª I-I mean, my little sister¡¯s kindness!¡± ¡°She works so hard, day and night, just so we can survive. As her older brother, it shames me that I can¡¯t help her more.¡± He looked away with clenched, shaking fists. I didn¡¯t need to see his watering eyes to know how he was feeling. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Then you should get a normal job instead. You¡¯re worrying her, you know, going into dungeons like this. Do you really want to be away from her for weeks, exploring this dungeon? And what will you do if you don¡¯t stumble upon an escape teleporter? You have to climb all one hundred floors. Sure, the boss monster won¡¯t come back for a month after the previous one¡¯s death, but what if you misjudged your timing, making it so you¡¯ll have to beat it to pass? You¡¯ll have to rely on other adventurers. You can end up staying on the 100th floor for months.¡± Escape teleporters are just like the name suggests. They take you out of the dungeon. And they¡¯re just as rare as the shortcut teleporters. ¡°I know¡­ but¡­ I need money¡­ lots of them¡­ so she could pay her debt¡­ the debt she took to save me¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ fell sick one day. None of the priests and priestesses could cure me so she took me to the best alchemist in town. The alchemist cured me, but the medicine she gave was really expensive. Not to mention that I have to take more medicine every day if I don¡¯t want the illness to come back. Said I have a weak constitution and I need her medicine¡¯s aid to keep myself from falling sick again.¡± ¡°¡­So, your sister¡­ she went into debt to buy you the medicine, I take it.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why¡­ that¡¯s why I have to go inside the dungeon. The only way she can ever repay all that debt is for me to find a really valuable treasure inside it.¡± ¡°Excuse me, Theo, if you don¡¯t mind, do you have the medicine with you?¡± All of a sudden, Felicia entered the conversation. ¡°Y-yes, I have it right here.¡± He handed over a small pouch from his pocket. Felicia opened it and took out a tiny crystal-like object from it. It was about the size of your usual pill. ¡°Thank you.¡± She gave the pouch back, before storing the crystal inside an empty vial she took out from her own robe pocket. Guess I ought to explain to him what¡¯s going on. ¡°Felicia here is a master alchemist, you see. Maybe she can give your sister a better deal for your medicine.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± His eyes lit up in a flash. ¡°You can make that medicine too?¡± ¡°Perhaps. Or maybe I¡¯ll make something even better.¡± Ah, here¡¯s that classic Felicia smirk again. When it involves alchemy, her confidence is just unparalleled. Fitting since she¡¯s a genius at it. ¡°Oh, thank you so much, Miss Felicia!¡± He bowed. ¡°T-thank you for helping Theo! I promise I¡¯ll repay your kindness one day!¡± ¡°Miss Felicia really is amazing¡­¡± ¡°She is, isn¡¯t she?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile hearing Victoria¡¯s comment. It¡¯s only natural that a man would be happy hearing his girl getting a lofty praise like that. Her happiness is my happiness as well. That¡¯s how a lover should be, right? ¡ª¡ª¨C Arriving at the city, we each went our own ways after exchanging our addresses, promising that we wouldn¡¯t resume our dungeon exploration without them. It should be fine. The monsters at the second stratum shouldn¡¯t be that much stronger than the ones on the first. I just have to keep my wits on me. ¡°Milord, why don¡¯t we visit the bathhouse first?¡± ¡°Really? You want to take a bath, Felicia? In this hour? I¡¯d rather go to bed right away. Maybe after some light dinner.¡± ¡°Hmph, you don¡¯t understand. I just want to¡­ take a bath with you, Milord.¡± My heart skipped a beat. I glanced at the redhead mage and sure enough, her cheeks had reddened quite significantly. ¡°I-I know a good bathing house we can go to. It has private rooms we can rent. So, you know, we can¡­ do all sorts of things¡­ in private¡­¡± ¡°Alright. We can go there. I might fall asleep in the middle of our bath though.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure that will never happen.¡± ¡°W-wait, what about me?! I want to take a bath too!¡± The smirk on Felicia¡¯s face promptly vanished, replaced by a frown. Of course she¡¯d react that way. She wanted her alone time with me and you just had to butt in. ¡°You can come. But you take another room. I don¡¯t need to tell you that you¡¯re not welcome with us.¡± ¡°O-on my own? I-I don¡¯t know¡­ I want to take a bath with you two¡­¡± ¡°¡­You know that means you¡¯ll be baring your naked body to him, right?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t mind¡­ I¡¯ll just¡­ keep my chest under the water.¡± ¡°The answer is still no. Now drop the subject or else we¡¯ll leave you behind.¡± ¡°¡­A-alright¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª- After our short discussion, we changed the trajectory of our walk¡ªgoing to the pleasure district where the bathhouse was located. And, as usual for such a place, we could see multiple scantily clad girls promoting their establishments. Brothels, to put in more bluntly. Most of them seem to be non-human though with some even citing their exoticness as a selling point, like that motherly arachne who welcomed men who wanted to be dominated in bed by her kind or the slimegirl who offered men to basically have wet, slimy sex with her. As for the patrons, most of them seemed to be adventurers. After risking their lives doing jobs no ¡°normal¡± members of society would, it¡¯s only natural they¡¯ll relax in these establishments, especially since it¡¯s a common thing to forbid having relationships in a party. Apparently, it¡¯s to prevent internal drama from happening. There¡¯s a certain sense in that rule, I have to admit. A couple breaking up could get real nasty. Love rivalry as well. ¡°All is fair in love and war¡± as they say. The bathhouse we were going to was actually the largest one in the entire city, named The Mermaid¡¯s Basin. It was a pretty famous establishment, at least according to Felicia (really, when did she learn all this info?). Pretty pricey, but with all the money we had, there was nothing to fear. The building was as large as a mansion, if not more. It had tall walls surrounding it, presumably to protect the guests bathing in their open air baths from being peeped by outsiders. As for the architecture, it was certainly designed to attract attention, standing quite differently than the other buildings in the district. ¡°Welcome, honored customers.¡± Entering the front door, a greeter came to meet us, bowing her head as she placed her hands in front of her kimono. She was an ogress, though nothing like the shotacon I encountered some time ago. She was elegant and refined, almost like your classic Yamato Nadeshiko. ¡°Two private rooms, if you would. One for me and him, and the other for this girl.¡± Felicia took the initiative, not letting Victoria have the first word. The ogress responded by glancing at Victoria, and then to Felicia, and then finally to me. ¡°Two rooms? Apologies, honored customers, but we allow up to five people to enter our private rooms at one time, so¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯m his girlfriend. She¡¯s not. So, two rooms.¡± ¡°¡­Apologies, honored guests. It seems I have been mistaken. Two rooms it is. Please, follow me.¡± After giving another bow, the ogress took us to our private rooms. Each room had their own small changing room with lockers on the front. We were also offered maids to attend to us, but naturally, Felicia refused. Our two rooms were right beside each other. Victoria took the left while Felicia and I took the right. ¡°A-are you sure that I can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hey, if you don¡¯t want to be on your own, why don¡¯t you get a maid to help you clean up? I¡¯ll pay for it so don¡¯t worry.¡± I flashed a reassuring smile. ¡°N-no, I don¡¯t need it. I¡¯m fine on my own.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Once we were inside, it didn¡¯t take long at all until Felicia striped herself bare. After putting her staff to the side, she unbuttoned the clasp on her robe and pulled the straps on her dress down, her naked breasts bouncing in the process. Letting the fabric drop down all the way to her feet, her plump butt was now revealed, covered only by her skimpy red panties. ¡°Oh my, please don¡¯t stare at me so much, Milord. You¡¯re making me nervous.¡± She then bent over, purposefully peeling off the lace fabric in the most sexy, titillating way. Noticing my pants tightening, I took them off along with the rest of my clothes, all while locking my sight at her swaying buttocks. When she finished her striptease, I was standing there naked as well, and fully erect. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but cover my manhood with my hands. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the matter, Milord? Why are you covering it like that? I want to see, you know.¡± ¡°R-right¡­¡± With my hands out of the way, her sight was now locked right on my sword. ¡°There you go. It¡¯s not like you to be shy, Milord.¡± ¡°W-well, it¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re concerned about your size?¡± ¡°Rest assured. Your size¡¯s perfectly fine. In fact, it¡¯s so fine I want to do this to it.¡± Without hesitation, she gave my sword a good, firm grab. ¡°A-alright. Point taken.¡± ¡ª¡ª- Grabbing our towels, we entered the bath proper. It was an enclosed one, quite sizable considering our number. Placing our towels near the entrance, we entered the water. It was warm and pleasant, just in that sweet spot between room temperature and boiling hot. Sniffing the air, I noticed that it was also somewhat aromatic as well. I wonder how they could set this up. There wasn¡¯t any internal plumbing in the inn we stayed at. Maybe they employed a mage? The water reached up to my chest. Sure enough, if Felicia stood, her breasts were fully exposed, bouncing with every step she took. Seriously, watching those two was almost hypnotic in a sense. ¡°Relax, Milord. I¡¯ll be your dear maid for the night, alright?¡± Pressing her soft chest onto my back, she wrapped her arms around my waist, rubbing the brush she had (lent by the bathhouse) back and forth my chest. All the while her other hand felt up the same area, in the guide of spreading the liquid soap. In this world, both solid soap and its liquid form are available thanks to the alchemists. No mass production though, meaning, they can only be enjoyed by the well-off few. ¡°Hold still, Milord. I¡¯m going to wash your back now, right?¡± And then, she proceeded to move her boobs up and down my back, using it like a sponge to lather the soap all over my back. ¡°You like this, Milord? It¡¯s much more efficient than normal sponges, no?¡± ¡°W-well, I guess so¡­¡± Without hesitation, she followed by squeezing my manhood under the water with her hands. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Relax, Milord. Let me do all the work.¡± An embarrassingly girlish gasp escaped my mouth as I clamped my manhood from firing its load. Still, I tried to hang on. I had my pride as a man after all. I even attacked back, using my right hand to grope around her crotch. She readily took the challenge though, rubbing her womanhood into my fingers. ¡°Oh my, watch where your hand is, Milord. You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m really horny right now or else I might have slapped you for it~?¡± And then, two of my fingers actually slid into her folds by complete accident, making her shudder and gasp. Slowly, I pushed those fingers into her hole, making another moan escape her lips. ¡°A-ahn, Milord, I¡ª¡± ¡°Since I can¡¯t use my sword to thrust you down there, I¡¯m using my fingers instead.¡± Rub rub. Back and forth and back and forth with increasing speed. That¡¯s how you do it, right? The ex-necromancer was now panting heavily, a slight drool trailing down her half-open mouth. ¡°How about it, hmm? Enjoying my service?¡± ¡°N-no fair! I¡¯m supposed to be the one¡ªkyaaahhh!¡± As her moans became louder and louder, however, her grip on my junk became stronger and stronger as well. At this point, it¡¯s only a matter of time until we¡ª ¡°Heeeelp! Sir Hugo, please help meeeee!¡± An all-too-familiar girl stormed into the room, jumped into the water, and ran straight at me. All the while showing off her smooth, naked body, her massive breasts flopping up and down in the process. ¡°Sir Hugooooo!¡± She leaped right on top of me, pushing me down into the water, making my head hit the hard stone below. If I hadn¡¯t protected myself with my aura, I might actually get a concussion from that! ¡°Bluarghh¡­¡± As water entered my mouth, all I could see was her two mountains, pressing right onto my face. And her knee¡­ well¡­ it kneaded my junk. Like a powder keg catching fire, it exploded, firing its seed right onto the elf¡¯s leg and thigh. Quickly, I pushed her off my body, standing up and coughing the bathwater I just drank. And naturally, Felicia exploded with the rage of a thousand sounds. ¡°WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU¡ª¡± ¡°A-a ghost! There¡¯s a ghost chasing me! Please help me, Sir Hugo!¡± Going in for her second assault, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me as tightly as I could, not caring in the slightest that I was naked, or she was naked, or Felicia¡¯s murderous glare on the side. ¡°Help meee! I don¡¯t wanna dieeee!¡± ¡°H-hey, calm down, Victoria! I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying!¡± ¡°A-a ghost¡­ it¡­ it appeared in the baths¡­ it¡¯s going to curse me¡­¡± Putting my hands on her shoulders, I pushed her off a little bit. ¡°Shh, it¡¯s alright. Now that we¡¯re here, no ghosts can get to you.¡± I put up my most comforting smile. All the while glancing downwards to those huge lumps of fats of hers. ¡°GET OUT! GET OUT NOW YOU STUPID ELF! GHOSTS? CURSES? DON¡¯T MAKE ME LAUGH! YOU JUST WANT TO SHOW OFF THAT BODY OF YOURS TO MILORD!¡± ¡°Now now, Felicia, calm down. Let¡¯s hear what she has to say.¡± ¡°¡­Fine. Speak clearly, you stupid elf.¡± Victoria took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. All the while her right hand rested on top of her chest, drawing my eyes back to those treasures. ¡°So, I was in the water, when suddenly, a pair of hands came out of nowhere grabbing my chest from behind!¡± ¡°I felt something cold and slimy touching my back! Try as I might, I can¡¯t escape from its grasp! But I¡¯m too scared to look behind me, so all I could do is to stay put and hope it will go away! And then, I heard it¡ªa female voice whispering into my ears. ¡®Go to your friends. Or else I¡¯m going to curse you~¡± ¡°And then, it disappeared! I used the chance to run all the way here! Ooh, thank goodness our rooms are right next to each other!¡± I exchanged looks with Felicia. If I had to guess, it¡¯s probably a slimegirl camouflaging herself inside the bathwater. Though I wonder why she would send her to us. If she¡¯s just a pervert, she¡¯ll molest Victoria even more instead of releasing her like that. Felicia sighed. ¡°Alright. I think that¡¯s enough bathing for the three of us. You go back to your room and get dressed.¡± ¡°W-what? But what if the ghost¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not going to come back. I¡¯m sure of it. And besides¡ª¡± She sent a glare in my direction. ¡°¡ªwe have something important to discuss.¡± ¡°T-then, why don¡¯t we just talk here?!¡± ¡°No. Your naked body is too distracting for Milord.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll just do this then!¡± With a splash, she lowered herself into the water, putting her chest out of view. Well, almost anyway, as a bit of the top was still visible. ¡°¡­Fine. I¡¯d rather go straight to sleep after this anyway.¡± Sighing, she moved a strand of hair from her ear as she glanced at my direction. Victoria might have hid her breasts but Felicia still stood there proudly with them fully in view. ¡°So, should I be the one explaining, Milord?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I was the one who realized it first after all.¡± With my own sigh, I began my explanation. Vol 4 Chapter 19: House Visit I told her everything, reminding her how my fairies called her a fairy as well, and how I could peer into her mana network, affirming that she had both a human one and a fairy one. When I finished, she was standing up straight once more with a wide open mouth, not caring or even noticing that her breasts were visible yet again. "T-that¡­ that can''t be¡­" "I''m sorry. But it''s the truth. I won''t lie to you, would I?" "A-a fairy?! But I¡­ I don''t even have wings!" "Not all fey have wings. You can be a sprite. Or a dryad. All I know is that you''re half-fey. That pointy ears of yours¡ªthat''s not because you''re an elf." "B-but, Father said¡­ my real father was an elven butler that seduced Mother." "No." Felicia interjected. "You don''t know what happens if a human has a child with a fey, do you?" I paused. "The child they have¡ªit won''t come out of the mother''s womb. Instead, it will replace the unborn baby of a normal human marriage somewhere else. If you''ve ever heard of the changeling myth, that''s basically it." "And so, your parents¡ªI''m sorry to say this¡ªaren''t your parents at all." Victoria''s face turned ghastly pale. Her body began to tremble from toe to bottom and she looked like she could faint at any moment. "That''s¡ªthat''s a lie!" She bolted, running out of the bath and to the door in a surprisingly fast speed. "Wait, Victoria!" I quickly chased after her. I caught her right as she left our private room. Hugging her abdomen, I kept her in place. "Let me go! Let me go!" "No! Not until you calm down!" "I''m going back to them! I-I''ll prove that I am their daughter and that I''m not a fairy or a changeling!" "We''ll do that together! Tomorrow! You think you''ll run all the way through town naked like this?!" Silence. It seemed she recognized the truth in my words. And then, sobs. "Uwaahhhh!" She turned around and hugged me as tightly as she could, burying her face on my chest. Patting her head, I let her cry as much as she wanted. Or I would, if I wasn''t getting a hard-on down there. Her massive breasts were pressing onto me and her pleasant scent was tickling my nostrils. Of course my perverted neurons would activate! Thankfully, her tears didn''t last long. Releasing my body, she gave a forced smile as she rubbed the tears in her eyes. "You''re right, Sir Hugo. Even if¡­ even if I''m not really Father''s and Mother''s¡­ even if I''m just some fairy from somewhere¡­ you will still be here with me¡­" "S-Sir Hugo. I-I have a confession to make." "All this time, I''ve always¡ªkyaaahhh! W-what is that?!" She pointed down, right at my erect penis. With movement as swift as the wind, I moved my hands to that region. "I-is that.. is that what a man''s¡­ it''s so big¡­" "That''s enough! How dare you seduce Milord like this?! Out in the open too?!" Felicia finally arrived to the rescue, quickly dragging the half-fairy back inside. I followed as well, fetching the nearest towel to hide the still raging hard-on I got. Didn''t work that well though, judging by the tent. "Seduce? I-I don''t¡ª" "You think it''s fine to show off your body to a guy who already has a lover?! You even dared to hug him! While you''re both naked! If I hadn''t stepped in, you two would''ve¡ª" "That''s enough, Felicia. You know she can''t seduce anyone, even if she tries." I grabbed her hands and looked her right in the eyes. "I know you''re upset that our bath together was interrupted but that doesn''t mean you can treat Victoria like that." "B-but Milord, I was just¡ª" Her voice escaped her as I showed her a frown. "You''re right. I''ve been acting irrational. I''m sorry." She shifted her gaze to Victoria. "But you have to realize it''s not fine to do things like this to another woman''s man. Find your own and you can hug him all you want." ¡°A-alright. I understand, Miss Felicia.¡± ¡°And get dressed. We¡¯re finished here.¡± With a nod of a wounded puppy, Victoria retreated back to her own private room, though not before taking a towel to cover herself. Thank God there weren¡¯t any other customers on the hallway outside or else we could¡¯ve gotten kicked out from the establishment. Probably. Demons tend to be more lax about sexual stuff after all. ¡°You know, she¡¯s going through a lot. Being a half-fairy and all that, not knowing who her real parents are¡­ of course she¡¯s going to seek comfort from someone. I wish you would be kinder to her, Felicia.¡± ¡°...I can¡¯t. Not with this jealousy burning in my heart. I know it¡¯s ugly, but after finally finding someone like you, I don¡¯t want to share you with anyone else, Milord.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t want you to be too kind to her either. Or else she might just fall for you. And then what? You¡¯re going to marry her too? You¡¯re both kind and powerful. That makes you easily popular with the fairer sex.¡± ¡°Just so you know, I¡¯m not being kind to get more women. I¡¯m doing it because I want to. That¡¯s all there is to it. That¡¯s why I saved you back then too.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why so many girls liked you, Milord. To be strong yet compassionate, to do something completely foolish and foolhardy for little to no personal gain, those are the qualities of a hero.¡± ¡°Or a fool.¡± I chuckled. The room fell silent afterwards as we both dressed back up. Somehow, after our conversation, I was no longer in the mood to peek at her. Facing away, I put on my smallclothes and pants, then my shirt and the coat over it. To be honest, she¡¯d probably be disappointed, knowing her. Once we were finished, we exited the room, finding Victoria already waiting with her full armor. I was still impressed by how quickly she could put that on. We made our way back to the entrance, where we met with the kimono-clad ogress once again. ¡°You have finished, honored guests?¡± ¡°Yes, we have,¡± I answered her with a smile. ¡°I¡¯d say, it¡¯s quite refreshing. Though I have to ask, my friend here apparently met a ghost in her room.¡± I gestured towards Victoria. ¡°A ghost?¡± She blinked. ¡°...Ah, I believe one of my co-workers might be playing a prank on her. Please, accept our apologies.¡± Before saying anything else, she bowed as deeply as she could. ¡°I assure you that she would be reprimanded and chided for her untoward behavior.¡± Seeing no reason to press the issue further, as Victoria herself seemed to be ready to forgive and forget, as they say, we left the bathhouse right away. -------- Once they left, the ogress made her way to the inner bathhouse where she met her ¡°ghostly¡± friend. Felicia¡¯s prediction was correct. She was indeed a slimegirl. ¡°Well done. Thank you for your good work, as always.¡± ¡°No problem! That girl was really cute, you know! I can¡¯t believe how big her boobs were!¡± Little did Hugo know that the two were working together. The ogress was the one who ordered the slimegirl to harass Victoria, so she would come running after him. ¡°That boy¡­ he must be blind if he cannot see how much she likes him.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, can it?¡± The slimegirl grinned. ¡°That redhead really has him under her thumb. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised, seeing how much older she is from him. Cougars these days¡­¡± She shook her head in an exaggerated know-it-all manner. ¡°It¡¯s truly a shame.¡± The ogress nodded in agreement. ¡°I would never understand humans¡¯ obsession with monogamy. Do their females simply not know how to share?¡± ¡°Oh, those silly humans!¡± The slimegirl giggled. ¡°You have to matchmake them a lot more than us demons for sure!¡± ¡°Indeed. As a woman who knows the joys of a polygamic relationship, I wish they would realize there¡¯s nothing wrong with sharing your man with another.¡± ¡°Preach!¡± The ogress, the slimegirl, and a harpy who weren¡¯t there¡ªthey were all wives of the owner of the place. Would they be able to convince Felicia on the joys of polygamy if they were all to sit and have a chat with her? Probably not. But, to the ogress, it¡¯s the man¡¯s job to make his harem get along. And so, she wouldn¡¯t bother being a preacher. She would simply give the forlorn elf girl a little push, so she would also declare her love to him. All in the days¡¯ work for the head manager. ------------ Hugo After having our dinner, we made our way back to our inn. As usual, Felicia and I would share a room while Victoria slept on her own. And of course, I couldn''t just sleep right away. Not before I satisfied Felicia. With her doe eyes, she sat beside me on the bed and proceeded to fondle my junk right away. "I didn''t get to finish, you know. Back there." She pouted. "Thanks to that idiot elf. How about you, Milord? Did you finish? If not, I could help you with that." "Yeah, I finished." "Hmph, and yet, you got all big again right away when you saw her naked." Before I could do anything, she pushed me down to the bed. Her face was now merely centimeters away from mine and I could feel her breath clearly. "Finish me off. You owe me that, Milord." --------- The next morning, I once again woke up with a pair of wondrous naked breasts right in front of my face. Really, they should be considered the eighth wonder of the world. After I fingered her and made her cum all over, she just snuggled onto me and fell asleep, not even bothering to clean herself up first. And yes, I did taste her love juice. It''s¡­ not what I had expected, to be honest. Those porn books really gave us men an unrealistic view on sex. I wonder how she liked my taste though. Nope, not going to taste my own jizz. Placing my hands on those breasts, I began fondling them. By size, they certainly were smaller than VIctoria¡¯s, but they were definitely still what you would call large. If breasts were drinks, then Victoria¡¯s would be jumbo compared to her large. "U-uuhhh¡­" Her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Good morning, Milord. Please, feel free to play with them more if you wish." Giving them one last squeeze, I climbed off the bed and grinned. "Nah. I''m just waking you up. Better than shaking or yelling, right? And besides, we have something to do today, remember?" Her smile disappeared. "Victoria, isn''t it?" She sighed. "Well, I suppose it''s time we visit her family. With any luck, they won''t hand us over to the Church. It''s only a matter of time until they realize we''re here." "Heh, you¡¯re right. After what we did to that boss monster, it''s only a matter of time until our name spreads around." ------- After waking Victoria up and having our breakfast, we told her that we intended to go to her home right after. ¡°N-now? R-right away? Must it be so soon?¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re the one who wanted to meet them, don¡¯t you? You wanted to ask them the truth so badly you almost walked through town naked for it.¡± ¡°W-well, that was just¡­ I was just¡­ in the heat of the moment, I wasn¡¯t thinking straight¡­ But after sleeping it off, I¡­ I don¡¯t know if I want to¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough stuttering from you. You promised, remember? You¡¯re going to introduce us to your family? Don¡¯t forget. Don¡¯t tell them anything odd. Just tell them we¡¯re your adventurer bodyguards.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ I suppose do owe you and Sir Hugo in that department¡­¡± With a defeated nod, the half-fairy knightness relented. ------------- Her family¡¯s house was located in the city¡¯s noble district, located in the center of the town. We had been steering away from the place so far since it was actually kept inside its own set of walls. Not as tall as the city walls, but walls nonetheless. Clearly, the nobles showed that they didn¡¯t want to mingle with the commoners in the slightest. And yes, guards were stationed in each of the four gates to the district. Perfect way to keep the riffraffs out. And they naturally blocked our path. ¡°Halt! You¡¯re adventurers? What business you hooligans have in the central district?¡± The central district was another name for the noble district. The nobles call it the former while the rest of the city called it the latter. And hooligans? Do you have to be so rude, Mr. Guard? ¡°W-we¡¯re here to visit the residence of Lord Relfatia. We¡¯re his¡­ ah, m-manservants!¡± She showed him the brooch, which, really, was all she needed to do in the first place. ¡°T-this is¡­ Y-you¡­" "Apologies for my rudeness, Milady! Please! Go right in!" The guard bowed. "T-thank you." With a nervous smile, she took the brooch back. --------- The noble district was everything you''d expect a noble district to be. Lavish houses, nearly empty streets since everyone would go around in fancy carriages, and questioning stares at our direction. They didn''t really welcome adventurers, I imagined. Funnily enough, these nobles weren''t even nobles originally. Their ancestral families were just wealthy landowners from the Demon Continent colonization era. They swore fealty to Victoria''s great-great-great grandfather, the sage, and in return, he gave them his protection. It was how humanity managed to steal a small portion of the Continent for its own. But then again, aren''t all nobility like that in the end? Just side with the biggest guy in the room while being big yourself. Logically speaking, they shouldn''t be scoffing at adventurers, seeing how their lord sage was an adventurer himself. Hell, their own great-great-great grandfathers might be adventurers as well, who eventually settled down and became landowners instead. My train of thought soon stopped as I realized we were now standing in the entrance of a communal garden. Remembering the layout of the city from the map we bought, this should be right in the middle of it all. And inside it was where the base of the Enchiridion was. Remember that? The giant obelisk thing that went up as high as a ten-story building? We were at its base now. It was placed smack dab in the centre of the city. So, if I had to guess, its protection mechanism was a shield of some sort. We couldn¡¯t be bothered to go inside and take a closer look though. But if I found it odd that there were no soldiers around and that the park was open to the public. Shouldn¡¯t important stuff like this be guarded diligently? Or were they just that confident that no one could break or tamper with it in any way? Passing over the park, we made our way to the eastern part of the district, where Victoria¡¯s home was. And what a home it was. The place was as large as a city by itself, surrounded by walls from all directions. And inside, from what I could see from the gate anyway, were a large courtyard that surrounded the house itself. We had passed through multiple rich people houses on our way here, and this was easily the most impressive that we found. ¡°The 1% of the 1%¡± as they said. Just like before, we let Victoria handle the single guard standing in front of the gate. They should recognize her on sight, right? So this should be easy. ¡°Halt! What business do you have with Lord Relfatia?¡± Victoria opted not to say anything, Instead, she just showed them the brooch she showed the other guards before. ¡°This is... Oh, you¡¯re that¡ª¡± The guard opened his mouth, but no words came out. ¡°Welcome back, Milady.¡± The guard bowed before yelling at his friends on the inside to open the gate. As we passed through, I could feel the gazes of him and the other guards on my back. Inside, I finally got to see just how massive the courtyard really was. There were two hedge mazes to our left and right and to our front was a fountain, with a statue of a bearded old man who very much looked like the archetypical wizard. If I had to guess, it was the statue of the sage. Made sense that they would proudly show off their lineage. Passing the statue, the view changed into a bed of flowers to our left and right. Some gazebos could be seen in the distance, no doubt to be used in their fancy tea parties. After all that, we finally reached the main building. There were also two other smaller buildings to its east and west, which I would imagine to be either a guest house or a servant''s quarter. Suddenly, the front door opened, revealing an old man in a butler''s outfit. His wrinkled face was covered by his thick white mustache and beard and his forehead looked like it was two sizes too big for the rest of his face. He also had a monocle on his left eye. "Welcome back, Lady Victoria. I am overjoyed to see you safe and sound." He put his hand on his left chest and bowed. The noble''s bow. "I assume these two are your companions?" "Y-yes, Gam. They''re my hired bodyguards." The butler''s gaze snapped right towards us. First, he looked at Felicia. But not in the perverted way as most guys did when they looked at her. He was eyeing her like a fighter. I knew that look. It was the same sharp, focused look Fiora had. And then, he moved to me. His stare bore into my skull, enough to make me gulp. "Well met, Gam." I put on my best smile. "I am Hugo Greenwood and my companion here is Felicia Myne. S-rank adventurers at your service." I bowed the same way as he bowed, showing that I knew my manners. And then, I met his gaze, sending my aura with it. Immediately his mustache and upper lip twitched. He didn''t show it openly but he must have been caught off-guard. All I did was send an aura of intimidation to him¡ªthe same manner a strong swordsman could put fear in the hearts of his opponents without even unsheathing his sword. "Father. Is he¡­ is he¡ª" "He is inside, yes. And he had been informed of your arrival. He gave a short instruction to let you do as you wish as long as you do not disturb him. He is currently quite preoccupied with his work unfortunately, so he can''t see you right away." "I-I see. Then how about Mother?" "Lady Relfatia is currently resting in her room, and has specifically instructed that no one is to wake her up.¡± sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°B-but surely, when she knows¡ª¡± ¡°No. You should very well know that yourself, Milady. She would not be happy to see you. Especially since Lady Marlene isn¡¯t around.¡± ¡°Excuse me for interrupting, Sir, but we insist that we have to have a meeting with either the Lord or the Lady of the House. Preferably both. You see, we have something really important they should know about. Something regarding Victoria.¡± The butler turned to face me and once again, he attacked me with that gaze of his. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, good sir, but this is a private family matter. As an outsider, you don¡¯t have a say in the¡ª¡± ¡°Apologies for the interjection, but I have something to say as well.¡± All of a sudden, Felicia, who had remained silent all this time, decided to interrupt. ¡°This information we have¡ªit is about that young lady¡¯s true parents.¡± A shadow fell over the butler¡¯s face. Felicia, on the other hand, had her lips forming to a grin. ¡°You¡­ what do you know about¡ª¡± ¡°The Relfatia Family is a family of humans. So why is there an elf in your family tree? The answer, of course, was that she was born to an elven parent. Quite the scandal I imagine. To the point that your master even hid her from the outside world.¡± ¡°And?¡± He croaked. ¡°The truth is, we have a certain knowledge that could absolve your Lady from the unjustified accusation against her. No longer would your Lord see her as an adulterer.¡± ¡°Halt your tongue, woman! I will not let you speak ill of Milady like that!¡± Felicia stopped but her grin didn¡¯t disappear. She knew she had won after all. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t bring us to his employer now. And so, the butler, still looking as if he was going to strangle her at any second, replied with, ¡°...Very well. Please. Follow me.¡± Without a bow, a sign of his disrespect towards her, I imagine, he turned his back and led us into the house proper. ------------- A/N: After seeing the Amazon sisters from Danmachi, I kinda want to add similar characters to this story. Not as any major character, mind you. Not even as a side character. Just people Hugo met. As for my Patreon chapter, we return to Marina, taking a break from Hugo for a bit after his major incident. Next chapter, another big character is going to make their appearance. Vol 4 Chapter 20: Felicia’s Test Entering the house, we were told to wait in the guest room as the butler fetched Victoria''s father. He also ordered a maid (I guess that made him the head butler?) to serve us tea and snacks as we waited. The interior was just as lavish as the outside, with the floor covered in spotless blue carpet at every inch, and magic lamps lighting every corner of the room. There were seemingly more rooms than a family of four could ever possibly use. But then again, to this type of rich folks, having a house this large was just a way for them to communicate their status to the rest of society. Not to mention all the servants they had. After all, they would want to maintain the house¡¯s condition as well. The guest room was a longue with a pair of sofas facing each other with a low table in the middle. We all sat on one side, with Felicia to my right and Victoria to my left. After the butler left, the maid came with a tray of tea and cookies. She didn¡¯t say anything as she served them to us. In fact, I¡¯d say she was actively avoiding eye contact with any of us. As she bent down to pour, however, my eyes couldn¡¯t help but latch on to the protrusions sticking out from her apron. Suddenly, I felt my right hand being lifted up before being placed on a smooth surface I was quite familiar with. It was Felicia. She just put my hand on top of her exposed thighs. "Thank you. You may now leave. We''d prefer to be on our own." With a half-threatening smile, Felicia dismissed the maid, who quickly responded by stealing a fearful glance on her before scurrying to the room''s exit. "You know, Felicia, I think you should learn to relax for a bit." "Hmph. I just want to stop you from lowering your guard just because of a pretty girl. Those cookies and tea may just be laced with something." And so, she ate and drank first, as her tastebud was well-trained in detecting poison, thanks to her ingesting small amounts of them over the years, ever since her days in the Academy. She also had some immunity to them as well. "It''s safe, Milord." "Then, don''t mind if I do!" Grabbing a cookie, I glanced at Victoria who had been uncharacteristically silent all this time. She was as pale as a sheet, with her hands gripping her skirt and her lips pursed together tightly. Guess I had to calm her down before she fainted or something. ¡°Hey, why so nervous? Relax! You¡¯re meeting with your own father here, remember?" I gave her the best smile I could muster as I took her right hand. "T-thank you, Sir Hugo." She smiled back. "It''s just that¡­ I don''t know how he would react. All these seventeen years, ever since I was born, he had never forgave Mother for having me. Even now, they live separately, in the west and east side of this house. They rarely speak to each other and when they do, it always turns into an argument. Because of me, their family, is in tatters¡­" S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "If only¡­ if only I had realized sooner, I could''ve¡­ I could''ve¡­" Uh oh. Her eyes began to water. "Come now. It''s not your fault. It''s his choice to be that way to his wife. Cheating is bad but holding a grudge that long isn''t good either." "T-thank you for your kind words, Sir Hugo." Her smile returned before transforming into a giggle. "I wish¡­ I wish I am more like you¡­ you''re so strong and kind¡­ just like those heroes in my books¡­" Grabbing my hands with her other hand, our eyes met. BA-DUMP! And then, all of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain on my right leg Felicia had just pinched my upper thigh. "Ouch! Hey, what was that for?!" "Look sharp, Milord. He''s coming." Sure enough, a pair of footsteps could be heard approaching from beyond the door. I straightened myself just in time before the figure entered. He was a tall man with a broad shoulder, with a beard and sideburns that only enhanced the sharp look on his face. He looked like your typical James Bond villain, come to think of it. No wonder Victoria was so afraid of him. "What is this? You brought these hooligans here? You are just as worthless as ever, my second daughter." He didn''t bother sitting down. Instead, he just stood there, glaring at us and his daughter. "F-Father, these people are¡ª" "Friends? Servants? Hired bodyguards? I don''t care. Make them leave. Or, even better, you leave with them as well. Clearly, you are well-suited to be a vagabond like them." I stood up before he could say another word. "Greetings, Lord Relfatia." I gave him a noble''s bow. "My name is Hugo Greenwood, an S-rank adventurer. It''s a pleasure to meet a man as illustrious as you." "As do I." Glancing to my side, I saw Felicia standing up as well. "Well met, Lord Relfatia." She too gave her own bow and a smile. "Brown-nosing won''t get you anywhere. What do you want? Speak. I''ll pay you to go on your way but if you believe you can blackmail our family with whatever information you have, think again." "Oh, you misunderstood, good sir." I kept up my smile. "We come here to offer our fealty to your family and the city, in exchange for the information we are about to tell you. For starters, your wife¡­ she never cheated on you." Color left his grim face. "...If you think such a bold-faced lie will work¡ª" "It''s not a lie, Milord." Felicia interrupted. "You see, for your daughter¡­ she''s not really an elf at all! I assume you are familiar with the folk tale creature called changelings? That is her. A half-fairy child will be conceived not in the womb of her mother, but the womb of another woman, somewhere else in the world." The middle-aged man fell silent. He looked away, before turning his gaze to Victoria. "Is this true?" He croaked, his voice losing its stability ever so slightly. "You''re a changeling?¡± ¡°I¡­ well¡­ Sir Hugo told me I am¡­ And I trust him¡­ So please! Make up with Mother! She has done nothing wrong in the slightest!" She was now standing up as well, tears pooling inside her eyes. "...Very well. If you say what you are, then prove it. Show me your wings." "I¡­ I can''t¡­ I don''t know how¡­" "...As I thought. Guards! Escort these two off the premises! And you, my foolish daughter, you''re never going to leave this estate again or I will disown you as a daughter of the Relfatia Family. Not only you ran away but you let yourself be duped by these charlatans." Six guards barged inside the room, surrounding both me and Felicia. By the speed they arrived at, they must have waited right outside. "No, Father! I¡­ I still want to go on adventures with them! Please! Allow me to¡ª" "Enough! Not a single word from your mouth! To think you''re wasting your time galavanting around while your sister is out there leading a campaign against those demons¡­ you''re an embarrassment to this family!" With such harsh words, it wasn''t a surprise that her pooling tears now streamed down Victoria''s cheeks. Felicia grabbed my arm and shook her head. "W-why, Father, I just¡­ I just want you to¡­ Uwaahhhh!" The knightess ran out of her room, leaving a trail of tears behind her. The lord turned his attention back on us once again. "You two. Leave. I would arrest you, but knowing you two are S-ranks, I would rather have you contribute to our city instead of rotting in my cell." His eyes narrowed. "But remember this. Do not take our family lightly. Our other daughter¡­ She''s a powerful mage beyond the level of mere S-ranks like you. She might be away right now but once she returns with the news of her victory, she''ll take care of you in a flash." "And of course, I am no slouch either. And neither are my servants and guards. Try something like this again and I won''t grant mercy twice." "Understood." Felicia smiled and bowed. "We will be on our way." Still grabbing my arm, she dragged me away. Didn''t even get the chance to say my goodbye to the man. Not that I want to, of course. What an awful man. "Hey, don''t you think we should fetch Victoria?" I whispered to Felicia as we walked back to the entrance. "No need, Milord. If she wants to come with us, she''ll come. But if she doesn''t, she should stay here instead." "Aren''t you angry? How he treated her like that?" "Oh yes, I''m angry. But there''s nothing we can do. This is on Victoria. This is her choice. We should not babysit her." We were now back in the courtyard. The guards were still following us. Only to be stopped by the head butler from before. He''d been waiting for us, it seemed. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for keeping Milady safe all this time." He bowed. "And apologies for my master''s unkind reception. I could tell that Milady is fond of you two. I could tell that you two aren''t lying as well. Thank you, for telling us the truth." Suddenly, I got an idea. "Hey, old man." He looked up. "Keep Victoria safe, alright?" "Of course. You don''t have to ask." A small smile formed under his moustache. He might look scary but I could tell he actually cared about her. "If anything happens to her, you can go to us for help. We''ll be in the city for a while." "Thank you for your kindness, Sir Hugo, Miss Felicia." He bowed once again. ------- With the gates now closed behind us, we made our way back to our inn. "Good idea, Milord, having that old man be our contact to check on her. You''re too kind to just leave her on her own." "Heh, I''d feel bad otherwise. As long as we''re in this city, I want to make sure she doesn''t do something reckless. Like chasing after us to the dungeon on her own." "...You know, Milord, after what I saw back there, if she were to come to you, I might actually consider allowing her to be your third wife." Hearing that, I nearly choked on the air I was breathing. "H-huh? Where did that come from? I thought you¡ª" "Yes, I disliked her. I thought she was just a brat born with a silver spoon in her mouth. But now, seeing the cruelty of his father in action, I now sympathized with her. I''m sure I don''t have to remind you of my own adoptive father, though, of course, they were two opposite creatures. Beasts in their own right." "If she were to come, and begged you to take her in, then, as your second soon-to-be wife, you have my blessing to take her as your third. It''s a test, you see. Does she have the grit necessary to be the great Hugo Greenwood''s wife? Your path is a path of thorns, Milord. So only the sturdiest of women should walk it with you. That''s why I stopped you from helping her there. If you give too much of a helping hand, the test won''t work anymore." Sighing, I smiled at the ex-necromancer. "You can be really cruel at times, you know that?" "Oh, I''m not cruel." She smirked. "I''m simply assuring that only the best of the best shares a bed with you." "Like you?" "Of course. I''m a master alchemist and I''m your most faithful lover. I''ll do anything you say and I''ll follow you to the ends of the earth." I chuckled. Sighing, I could only pray that my smooth tongue and smile could win over her when the time came. -------- "So, what''s on the schedule today?" I asked as I threw my butt on the bed. We were now back inside our inn room. "I''m thinking of visiting Theo myself." "Ah, speaking of him, I have a request to make, Milord. Remember how I promised to analyze his medicine? To do that, I would need more space to set up my laboratory. And so, why don''t we rent a house instead?" "A house? Hmm, I suppose that could work. Alright then! Let''s go house-hunting!" --------- In the end, we settled on a small two-story workshop on the artisan''s districts. Apparently, the city had quite the strict zoning laws so we couldn''t rent an ordinary house if we were going to use it as an alchemy lab as well. We had to settle on a more expensive workshop instead. Didn''t really matter though, since we were swimming in money. And it was certainly nice, having all this space to ourselves. As Felicia stayed behind to do her stuff, I headed to the destination Theo had given me yesterday. Figured I should check up on the kid. Though at this time of the day, he was probably outside training. Still, it wouldn''t hurt to know where he lived. My feet had taken me to what''s basically the slums of the city. Narrow, tiny houses crammed together, a labyrinth-like roads with many dead ends, and the stench of pee and worse as no one bothered to clean the streets. As I walked through its unpleasant, darkened paths, I kept my mind sharp from any ambushes. Not to be prejudiced to the poor, but I imagine it''s really easy to be mugged here. Nothing really came up though and I soon arrived at my destination. It was a small, dingy apartment, dirty and old-looking and very much the perfect image of a shared housing for the poor. Climbing up the stone staircase, unpaved and cracked in many places, I made my way to his room. Knocking at the door, I yelled, "Hey! It''s me, Hugo! Anybody home?!" At first, no response. But after a few seconds to a whole minute of uncomfortable waiting¡ªI wasn''t sure which¡ªthe door opened. It was Tama. "What do you want? Both Theo and Tira are out. In case you haven''t noticed, this is in the middle of the day. Theo''s training and Tira''s working." "Wait, you live here?" "N-no! I was just helping them! I lived next door." Seeing her blush, a grin immediately formed on my face. "Oh? I don''t see why you two shouldn''t be sharing a room. You''re a couple, right? That''s what couples do. Living together, eating together, and sleeping together." "W-we''re not a couple, you idiot! He saved my life once and now I have a blood oath to help him anyway I can!" "A blood oath?" "Y-yes! I''m part of the Kata clan, proud catfolk warriors who always repay our debts." ¡°You¡¯re from the Holy Continent then? The Beast Confederacy?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! So you do know your maps after all!¡± She smiled haughtily. What she was so proud about, I would never know. ¡°Tell me then. How did he save you? I thought he was supposed to be the ¡®weakest adventurer¡¯. How could he save you when you¡¯re a lot stronger than him?¡± ¡°Hmph! That¡¯s an unfair title! He might be the weakest but he¡¯s easily amongst the bravest!¡± ¡°It was back in that forest, a few months ago, when I first met him. A treant caught me with its arms. I yelled and screamed for anyone to help me but no one came. I thought it was done for, at least, until he came. He hit the treant over and over with his sword, going back up each time it knocked him down with its attacks. Even when I told him to run and get help, he refused.¡± ¡°So, he then defeated the treant?¡± ¡°W-well, not quite. He bought just enough time until another adventurer came to the rescue. She cut through the tree in one fell swoop.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mind though! He saved me and that¡¯s all that matters!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, sheesh, no need to get all worked up. I get your admiration for him.¡± Normally, I would¡¯ve patted her in the head, but seeing how she already had the kid, that would be an improper thing to do, now, would it? ¡°Well, mind telling me where he usually trains? I think I¡¯ll check up on him there. Also, I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t help him with that. You¡¯re stronger than him after all.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to. He says that my style isn¡¯t suited for him.¡± ¡°Ah. He doesn¡¯t want to use twin daggers like you.¡± ¡°Yes. You see, he once met this amazing girl adventurer when he was younger. She used a sword and so he wanted to use one as well. What a naive idiot. He has to learn by himself thanks to that.¡± After she told me where he was, I made my way there without delay. --------------- In the distance, I could already make out the silhouette of a boy swinging his sword. It was just a basic downslash motion, and yet, once I got closer, I could already tell it wasn''t perfect in its execution. ¡°You might want to fix your stance there, Theo. You are putting too much weight on your right foot. It weakens your swing quite a bit, you know.¡± ¡°Aah!¡± He jumped, dropping his sword to the ground. ¡°S-Sir Hugo, I-I didn¡¯t see you there!¡± ¡°Heya!¡± ¡°W-why are you here?¡± ¡°Relax! I¡¯m here to watch you train! I¡¯m taking a break for today so I thought I¡¯d spend it with you. Felicia¡¯s busy with her alchemy stuff. Remember your medicine? She¡¯s working on that.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Of course. She wasn¡¯t lying when she made that promise, you know.¡± A bright smile appeared on the boy¡¯s face. ¡°Alright! Back to your training! I¡¯ll give you some pointers and you try to do them as best as you can!¡± "Yes, Master Hugo! I can call you that, right? You''re my teacher after all!" If he was a beastkin, his tail would be wiggling back and forth now. "Uh¡­ yeah¡­ sure. You can call me whatever you want." ----------- We spent the rest of the day there, with me basically being his sword instructor. I wouldn¡¯t say I was better than Fiora at it, but I liked to think I did a pretty good job. Sometimes I would stand up and fix his posture and stance, other times I would give him some examples with my own sword swings, but most of the time, I just rested my back on the tree, examining his movements without a word. ¡°So, I¡¯ve been wondering, why do you choose to be a swordsman? I talked to Tama before I got here and she said you were inspired by an adventurer you met?¡± ¡°Yes! Her name was Sherry and she was this really amazing swordswoman! She was around my age at the time and she was already so much stronger than me!¡± ... My heart skipped a beat. ¡°S-Sherry? You said her name was Sherry?¡± He nodded. "W-what''s the matter?" "Tell me everything about her! Now!" -------- When he finished, I was in a complete state of shock. "H-hey, uh, that girl you met, I know her as well." "What? Really?" At this point, he had abandoned his training completely. He was now sitting in front of me with his legs folded, looking at me with his big brown eyes. "Yes. She''s¡­ uh¡­ a childhood friend of mine. In fact, I''m here because I''m looking for her." "A childhood friend? That''s amazing! Please, Master Hugo! Tell me more about her!" And so, I proceeded to regale him with all the tales of our sweet childhood together. ------------ A/N: Felicia¡¯s philosophy there actually matches my own philosophy on the types of girls that could join into the harem. I think I¡¯ve actually talked about it before with Amelie and Anne and how they can¡¯t join since they won¡¯t follow him into danger. We¡¯ll see if Victoria passes the test or not. Vol 4 Chapter 21: Training With Theo ¡°Uwaah! So you two have that kind of history together¡­ That¡¯s amazing!" When I finished my story, the kid practically had stars inside his big round eyes. Once again, he looked like a hyper excited puppy. I didn''t embellish anything though. In fact, I hid some details, like when she took a bath with me for example. I didn''t want to brag that she had a crush on me. It just felt wrong. "So, you came all the way here just to look for her? You really are cool, Master Hugo! Oh, I wish I could be more like you! You and Miss Sherry both!¡± A glint of sadness appeared in his eyes, betraying his smile. I put my hands on his shoulders. ¡°I think you''re fine as you are, Theo. You don¡¯t need to be like me or Sherry. We¡¯re not perfect either. Sherry has a temper problem and me, well, you know how I grabbed Tama¡¯s tail the other day. I¡¯m a huge perv. Far from the ideal man a kid like you should aspire to." "But¡ª" "Look, the way you defended her back then, that was wonderful. You looked really cool. Keep it up!" I gave him my biggest, most encouraging grin. "R-really?" "Yep! Really!" And just like, he was back to his usual cheerful self again. We spent the rest of the day there, only planning to return back to the city once the sun was sinking rapidly on the horizon. To give him extra encouragement, I even took to training myself. I didn''t train my swordplay though. After doing the usual daily workout, 100 push-ups and sit-ups (don''t want to get fat after all), I began training my magic instead. My goal? Dual Cast. It''s about time I learn that skill, I think. My control has been improving by leaps and bounds lately. If I can just conjure and mold two separate mana shapes at the same time, then I can be a proper dual-casting mage. I started simple, casting a fireball on one hand and a water ball on another. It¡­ didn''t go that well. "Arghhh!" "Master Hugo! Your pants are on fire!" Without hesitation, I doused it off immediately with a water spell. See? This is the problem. Stability. I can''t keep both stable without making them dissipate or explode. Thank God the Water Ball already soaked the shorts beforehand so they didn''t get damaged. "Master Hugo! What are you doing? Are you practicing your magic by any chance?" "That''s right! I''m currently trying to learn to cast two spells at the same time!" My blunder didn''t seem to deter the kid''s admiration in the slightest. "Two spells? You can do that?" "Only if you''re a really skilled mage. Even I am still unable to do it." "Wow, something even you can''t do¡­" "Heh, you might think I''m this amazing mage but there are other mages much more amazing than I am out there. So don''t feel bad about your own ability, alright? Just keep training and one day, before you know it, you''ll have improved leaps and bounds from your old self." With those encouraging words said, and a pat to his shoulder, I resumed my magic training, with Theo practicing his sword training nearby. -------- "Aaahhhh, that was some good training, wasn''t it?" Stretching my arms upwards, I looked to the western horizon. The sun was now setting, meaning, it was time for us to return. Theo was sitting on the ground, panting, his clothes soaked with sweat. He really went hard on his sword swings, doing them without pause for hours. I, on the other hand, remained on my two feet. Even after all the magic I cast, my mana pool was barely expended. They were just basic spells after all. "Come! We should go back before it goes dark." I told the kid. "Or do you need my fairy to give you a boost? You seem to enjoy her presence the last time I summoned her." I smirked. "N-no need! I can walk just fine!" He wasn''t lying, it seemed, as he was now back on his two feet. "Hehe! She was cute, wasn''t she?" "M-Miss Fairy? I guess she is¡­ B-but please don''t tell her that!" "Good job on your training by the way! You really gave it your all, didn''t you? I might be training my magic but I still kept an eye on your form. And I have to say, you''re doing it right!" "Thank you, Master! I can''t have done it without your guidance!" He gave a deep bow. Turning around, I now kept my eye on the city entrance. Wouldn''t want to go on the wrong direction, would we? A strong breeze suddenly blew from the west, lifting my robe in the process. Too bad Felicia wasn''t here or else this would have been a prime opportunity to look up her dress. "M-Master Hugo! Y-your pants! They have a large hole in the back!" Quickly, my hands moved to check. Yep, sure enough, I could feel my underwear poking through the fabric. And, like he said, it was a sizable hole as well. "Hey, thank you for mentioning it. Aah, I messed up my spells more than I thought." I let out an exaggerated groan. "A-are you alright, going through town like that? You can wear my pants if you want!" "I''m fine! I''m fine! I got my robe covering it up!" "Really? But if the wind blows like that again¡ª" "I''ll just hold my robe down like this!" I pressed my hands to my butt. "Or, you know, use magic to fight the wind with my own wind." "Alright, enough talking around. Let''s go back. I''m starving. Oh, I know! Why don''t we have dinner together? There''s this place¡ª" "I-I''m sorry, but I can''t. Tira is going to be working late tonight, you see." His voice trailed off as he averted his gaze, looking dejected. -------- Meanwhile, little did they know that their actions at the dungeon had caused an uproar at the guild. "Seriously? With just a single spell?" "Yeah, that''s right! With just a single spell he killed that monster! Destroyed its body with an invisible attack! The kid looks like he''s thirteen but he''s a master mage for sure!" "And you say the weakest whelp is with him?" "Yeah! They seem to have joined forces!" "Joined forces? Ha! Don''t make me laugh! He''s leeching over this Hugo guy''s kindness!" The news of Hugo singlehandedly slaying an S-rank boss monster spread like wildfire as the Fafnir Clan returned from their excursion. The name of Hugo Greenwood, Felicia Myne, and even Theo and Tama ¡ª each one of them became famous literally overnight. And so, it was only a matter of time until the other top-ranked adventurers made their move against them. ¡°Ha! Ahahahahahahahaha! Finally! Someone interesting has come!¡± The crowd fell silent as her laugh filled the room. ¡°Oi oi! That¡¯s Jedora, isn¡¯t it? One of the Ten Braves?¡± ¡°And beside her is her older sister, Hedora! Another one of the Ten Braves!¡± ¡°Listen, you weaklings! Hugo Greenwood is mine! I won¡¯t hand him over to anyone else!¡± The girl declared, thumping her chest. "I thought you hated him, Jedora." Her older sister commented with a flat tone. "Ha! That was in the past! I hated him for groveling like a dog back then. But now, it''s clear he wasn''t just another weakling." "You and your simple-mindedness." The older one sighed. "I always knew he was special. A boy that cute¡ªhe can''t be all bad." They were Westernese Amazonesses, a fact that was immediately obvious by their dark skin and their skimpy outfits, consisting only what amounted to a strip of cloth around their chest and a pareo around their waist. And they were barefooted as well, a tradition they shared with the hobbits (not that there were many hobbits in the Demon Continent, mind you¡ªthe environment was too harsh for them). They were near-identical twins, though one was taller with bigger assets. "Let''s go, Sis! Let''s make him ours!" The older one nodded silently before following her out of the guild. As Amazonesses, they had a tradition of kidnapping men they were fond of and raping him over and over until he broke and agreed to be their husband. And, it just so happened that the two had a fondness for young and cute boys like Hugo, especially when they were really strong as well. They were there when Hugo first made his appearance, groveling in the ground for fondling Tama''s tail. They would''ve made their move if not for that incident. The Predator of Boys. That was the not-so-flattering nickname they got under whispered breaths. They had raped ten male newcomers to the Guild before throwing them aside like dirt once they grew bored of them. Theo was only spared that fate because of how pathetic he was. Patheticness was a huge turnoff for any Amazoness after all. No one dared to stop them. They were part of the Ten Braves after all, ten of the strongest S-rank adventurers in the region. -------- Hugo "Hold it right there! You''re Hugo Greenwood, aren''t you?" Just before the city gates, we were stopped by a pair of skimpily dressed dark-skinned beauties. Now, normally, I would be more than happy to indulge in a conversation with them, but with my ripped pants and the tone they spoke in, I felt this would be more trouble than it''s worth. "No. You got the wrong guy. I don''t know who that is." "Don''t lie to me!" The one who spoke pointed her index finger at me. "I know you! You and your redhead companion!" I sighed. "Alright, what do you want?" "Fight me! If I win, you become my man!" "... I''m sorry?" She leaped forward, not even waiting until I finished my sentence. "Run!" I shoved Theo to the side, readying my Wind Wall just in time to block her punch. "Coerl Style! Thousand Rapid Kicks!" The girl kicked the barrier over and over with inhuman speed. Grunting, I put more of my mana to reinforce the wall. "Master Hugo! I''ll¡ª" "Go! I can handle this on my own!" Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the other one leaping in as well. Both barefooted and unarmed, they fought just like those monks that chased after Fiora. The taller, more well-endowed one circled around me, knowing I had nothing to protect my back. The shorter, flatter one continued to rain high kicks on my barrier. Unsheathing my sword with my left hand, I lowered the wind barrier and slashed the exposed feet. I wasn''t fast enough to actually cut it off but I was pretty sure I landed a deep gash on her skin. "Gah!" The shorter one retreated, just in time for me to block the punch of the older one with another Wind Wall. "Tch!" A groan escaped her lips. Using Graceful Step to dash backwards, I finally had the opportunity to put a distance between me and them. "Really? Attacking a kid like me without any warning? Two to one at that? Have you two no shame?" "I like you, Hugo Greenwood! You really are as strong as they say you are! Be our husbands and we won''t have to break every bone in your cute little body!" The shorter one grinned. "Look. I have no idea what you''re talking about. And I already have a girlfriend. I''m not interested in a bunch of meatheads like you." "Playing hard to get? Fine by me! As an Amazoness, I''ll show you just how strong of a warrior I am!" She charged forward once more for round two. Instead of erecting another Wind Wall, however, I opted to use Wind Step and flew upwards. "You think I can''t get you up there? Think again!" As I predicted, she jumped right towards my position. She had fallen right into my trap. "Fell Wind! Clothes-Stripping Hurricane!" Sometimes you wouldn''t really want to kill your opponent in a fight. And this was one way you could take care of such a situation. My spell landed on her and her sister on the ground, destroying their skimpy clothes in an instant. And then, I simply dodged out of the way from the former''s mid-air fist by ducking my head. In the milliseconds it took for me to descend to the ground, I could see her breasts and girlhood in all their naked glory. The moment my feet touched the earth, I used Graceful Step to put some more distance between us. The girl managed to land on her feet. However¡­ "Kyaaahh!" Letting out a surprisingly girlish scream, she covered her chest and crotch. The older one followed suit though not without the screaming. "Hehe! How do you like it? It''s my perfected undressing wind spell." "You-you''re terrible! Now I can''t get married anymore!" "Does it look like my problem? Let this be a lesson to you two to stop kidnapping young boys like me, alright? You''re lucky I don''t just decide to kill you." "You¡­ youuuuuu!" The younger one was now positively in tears. The older one, however, kept her blank look the entire time, with only the blush on her cheeks showing her shame. "Master Hugo. Please, allow me to apologize." And then, all of a sudden, the older one knelt down and prostrated right in my direction. "You have defeated me completely. As the victor, you have the right to do whatever you wish with me. Take me as your slave and¡ª" "No thanks. I have no interest in bringing around slaves." "H-hey, wait! You can''t just leave us here like this!" After giving the two Amazoness one last ogle, who hopefully had learned their lesson, I made my way to Theo, who was waiting for me right at the gates. He''d been watching my fight from afar, along with a couple of the guards there. One of them greeted me first as I approached. "Good job, kiddo! Didn''t want to kill them so you beat them that way! As a guard, I''d rather not have adventurers killing each other." "Hey, you think you can jail them for attempted kidnapping?" "Nope! Our Lord specifically says to leave you adventurers alone in your conflicts. Not to mention they¡¯re S-rank adventurers. Us ordinary guards stand no chance against them. We¡¯ll need the likes of Lady Marlene and her elite mages to contend against them, and they¡¯re out right now.¡± "Master Hugo, that was amazing!" Theo was next to speak up. "Though I''m not sure if it''s a good thing for you to strip them like that¡­" "Why not?" I decided to tease him further. "W-well, it''s not nice to them, isn''t it? Tira always told me to be nice to girls¡­" Placing my hand on his shoulder, I grinned. *Good! You''re already better with girls than I am! Me though, I don¡¯t care doing that to girls I don¡¯t care about. Especially when they just attacked me out of nowhere. This is better than actually injuring them for real, I think.¡± ¡°I-I guess you got a point¡­¡± ----------- After going on our separate ways, telling him on where we had moved now, I made my way back to the workshop right away ¡°Felicia, I¡¯m back!¡± The first floor of the workshop was just the laboratory, the kitchen, and the tiny room on the entrance. The place really wasn''t that big so I could already smell that familiar scent of alchemical reagents and drugs even when I just opened the front door. I was greeted by the sight of her sitting on a chair inside her laboratory. Naturally, my eyes traveled down her exposed legs and thighs. They weren''t wide open but they were open enough that I could see the familiar red fabric between them With a grin, I moved over behind her and leaned down, grabbing her breasts from behind. ¡°Wake up¡­ Your dear Hugo is here¡­¡± I whispered to her ears. She immediately jumped, almost hitting my chin with her head. ¡°A-ah! Y-you¡¯re back, Milord! How was your excursion?¡± ¡°Yes, I am!¡± I straightened myself up and smiled at the flustered alchemist. ¡°And it was great! Trained all day with the kid. He might not be that talented in the sword but he sure is a hard worker.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that, Milord.¡± She returned with her own, flustered smile. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°So, did you finish your tests? Can you replicate his medicine?¡± All of a sudden, that smile disappeared. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ well¡­ I suppose I should start from the beginning.¡± -------- When she finished her story, I was the one who had to sit down on the chair. ¡°A-are you sure?¡± ¡°I am. Whoever prescribed his medicine¡­ had deceived him from the very beginning.¡± My surprise was soon drowned by the malice I felt emanating from Felicia. ¡°Unforgivable, isn¡¯t it, Milord?¡± ¡°Y-yes, truly unforgivable.¡± ¡°And so, I¡¯m planning to give them a visit tomorrow. Give them a bit of talking to. As one alchemist to another.¡± ¡°T-talking to? Are you sure that¡¯s all you¡¯re going to do?¡± ¡°...Perhaps not. That¡¯s why I want you to come along as well, Milord. As a¡­ safety measure, so to speak.¡± ¡°G-got it! I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Vol 4 Chapter 22: A Pair of Rotten Women The next morning, after we had our breakfast (and me having Felicia fix my ripped pants from yesterday, which she thought was quite the laughter-worthy incident), we departed right for where the rotten alchemist was. We already had her name and location from Theo. Not that it would be hard to find her, seeing how she was the No.1 alchemist in the entire city. We didn¡¯t have to go far until we found her shop. After all, we were located in the same district. Oh, and I neglected to mention the Amazonesses to Felicia. She was in a bad mood now and I didn¡¯t want to worsen the situation. If I told her that I had to fight off two girls that would¡¯ve kidnapped and raped me, I could only imagine she going out of her way to punish them as well. It¡¯d be bad if we ended up making enemies of other adventurers. Unlike the guards, they could actually be a threat to us. The building was large, easily the largest in the district. A sign above proudly declared that it was Ramushi''s Atelier. Below it, in smaller, demon tongue letters, described that they were open every day of the week, seven to seven. And then, on a different sign placed at ground level, welcomed any customers who needed medicine, magic tools, and all sorts of sundries. A lamia waitress stood in front of the door, welcoming us for our patronage before asking about our business. "We would like to meet with Miss Ramushi. We have a medicine we would like her to make." "An appointment? That would be ten silver coins." "Thank you very much! Please, follow me!" We followed the lamia slithering inside. The first room we entered seemed to be an alchemy shop, filled with all sorts of goods for sale. Just like the sign at the front said, this place really selled everything relating to alchemy. I could even see a few cauldrons on the corner there. And, unlike our rented workshop, it had magic lamps lighting every nook and cranny. After that, we entered a small hallway where there was a set of stairs leading upstairs. "You two are lucky!" The lamia giggled. "The mistress is usually really busy with visitors!" On the second floor, she took us to a large double door. The lamia knocked on the door. "Miss! You have visitors!" "Come in.¡± When the door opened, my prediction was proven correct. There, sitting on a chair across the room, was another lamia. This one, however, had a far more mature look that exuded sexiness. She wore a bikini-like outfit that exposed her dark purple abdomen and cleavage. As for her hair, it was a long silver, going down all the way past her snake behind. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/54/38/3e/54383e0ba6c030d0dbd49372ec005221.jpg The office itself was spacious, with it looking like a combination between an alchemist''s workshop and a consultation room. There was a bed in the north end of the room that I imagine would be used to examine patients, while a cauldron sat on the west, near two tall shelves filled with alchemy materials. On the east was where she sat, with her tail folded underneath her. On the south were a couple more chairs, and there I sat, letting Felicia handle the talk. All with my hands near my wand and sword, of course. "Welcome. I see you two are new here. Whatever can the great alchemist Ramushi do for you?" Placing her right hand above her chest, she opened the conversation with a seductive yet arrogant smile. "I want to inquire about a certain drug." Felicia replied with her own, poisonous smile. "I believe you were the one who made this?" She took out a small vial from between her breasts (how convenient!) and put it on the table to the right of the lamia. "Hmm, let me see¡­" The demon woman took the vial and brought it close to her eyes. "Yes, that is mine. It''s a constitution booster. Do you need more of it? I can prepare some if you want. This isn''t sold in the shop downstairs by the way. It''s just too expensive for your average person." "Oh? Really? How much is it then?" Felicia replied. "Two gold coins per dose. Unfortunately, the ingredients for it don''t come cheap¡­" S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I see. And how long are you supposed to take it again?" "Hmm? What an odd question. This is not a cure to an illness. This is a booster. You take it every day for your entire life if you don''t want to get sick. It''s unfortunate but some people, mostly humans like you, are just born weak. I can''t do anything about that, now can I?" She smirked. At this point, I could see Felicia reaching her limit. She was grabbing her staff so tightly her hand was turning white. "...Stop lying, you overgrown snake. That¡¯s no medicine. That¡¯s a refined thalamyte mixed with bitter herbs synthesized into a candy. You¡¯re giving your customers addictive drugs that would give them withdrawal once they stopped taking them.¡± ¡°Aha...ahahahahahaha!¡± Lowering her hand from her mouth, she answered, "What are you talking about?! Are you right in the head, Miss?" "Don''t lie to me. I too am an alchemist. And I won''t stand by you dirtying my job with your rotten greed. Close your shop and never practice alchemy again. Or else I''ll report you to the authorities." The lamia froze for a moment before laughing even harder, her hand now holding her stomach instead of her mouth. "You''re funny! You''re too fun¡ªgahhh, w-what are you doing?" "Miss! How dare you¡ª" I dashed forward and pointed my sword at the waitress, blocking her way forward. "Now now~ She''s just here to have a chat~" I flashed her my grin. Instead of comforting her, however, it only frightened her even more instead. "Eeek!" Before she could escape, I leaped forward and put my sword right on her neck. And then, she crumbled, losing her consciousness in the process. With a loud crash, Felicia threw the other lamia to the other side of the room, right at the cauldron. In quite the hilarious manner, she dunked her right into it. "Do you know who I am, snake?" The lamia quickly recovered, slithering back upward and outside the cauldron. And she looked positively livid. None of her previous flirtiness were there. "You crazy bitch! You think you can leave this place alive after that?! I was being merciful, not humoring your delusions in the slightest! But now, you''re going to face the full might of the genius alchemist Ramushi, she who has cured a thousand illnesses!" Unfazed, Felicia resumed her speech. "So, I assume this is an admission of guilt? That you really gave out false medicine to your customers?" "Ha! So what if I did?! Those fools deserve to be fooled by me! In this continent, it''s eat or be eaten! Humans like you should know your place! Right at the bottom of the food chain!" "No apology then?" "No, you die instead! You and the kid over there!" She swiped her tail, but not at Felicia or I. Instead, she hit a certain spot on the wall behind her. "Psshhhh!" The open windows promptly closed on their own, followed by the door as well, blocking our escape. White smoke came out from every corner of the room, from tiny nozzles that came out from the floor and ceiling. It wasn¡¯t a magical trap at all. Instead, it was a mechanical one. "Aaand¡­ you''re dead. Just one whiff and your brain will shut down. This poison doesn¡¯t work on us lamias by the way so¡ª" "It won''t work, you imbecile reptile." Felicia cut her off. "I''ve told you before, haven''t I? I am an alchemist as well. A far better one than you, I imagine. Both he and I¡ªwe had taken antidotes before we came here. We already knew you''d try something like this." The lamia''s face promptly turned pale. "Fine! I thought I would spare you two from a painful death! But clearly, that''s too good for you!" She faced her right palm forward. It didn''t take a genius to see that she was going to fire a spell from it, as the air around it was now crackling with lightning. , Now, I would intervene here but Felicia beat me to it. With her shadows, she had cut said hand from its wrist before it could fire its thunder spell. The lamia, naturally, screeched in pain as purple blood poured out of the stump. I would feel bad but eh, I really don''t. "You¡­ you monster! You think you''ll get away with this? I''m a friend of the Lord of this town! He''ll put a bounty on your head and then you''ll be¡ª gaaahhh!" She was stopped mid-speech by her throat being strangled once more. "Silence. A person like you¡­ should just disappear from this world¡­" And then, without stopping a beat, she snapped her neck with a sickening crack. "Well, what now? She''s still alive." I gestured at the waitress. "She''ll report us for sure." "I''ll wake her up." Felicia answered with a smile. "Interrogate her first then we shall decide what to do with her." ------- In the end, we decided to let the lamia go, as she had agreed to not report us to the authorities. Instead, she would say that a thief broke in and slayed her mistress. She swore that she knew nothing about her mistress''s illicit activities. Obviously, she could be lying, but we decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. We weren''t really the type to kill people because of something that could or could not happen. If she were to talk, then we''d just handle the problem. ------- We were now back outside the atelier. The streets were getting busier but luckily there weren''t any people who looked in our direction. Quickly, we bolted to the markets. I needed a new pair of pants after all, for my training. Preferably one that was fireproof. You might think it''s weird to go shopping right after you just killed someone, but I really was not phased by it anymore. And neither did Felicia. It''s surprisingly easy to get used to murder in this world after doing it a few times. In the end, we spent the entire day clothes shopping. Felicia dragged me around to a bunch of shops like a typical woman would , declaring she only wanted the best for me. Eventually, after what felt like hours walking around, she settled on a light teal tunic and a dark teal trousers combo. Both fabrics were made out of fire-resistant cotton, imported from the far south of the Demon Continent. They were expensive, but, with our full coffers, it was no problem at all. "So, how do I look?" "You look dashing, Milord. I knew that color suits you." And thus, I officially graduated from wearing shorts. -------- After having our lunch, we decided to give a visit to Theo. He needed to know the truth after all. We didn''t bother going to his house though. This time of the day, he should be hard at work training. And so, at the same spot I met him yesterday, I found him once more. "Heya! It''s me! Your Master Hugo again!" "O-oh! Master Hugo! And you too, Miss Felicia!" "Rejoice!" I declared with a dramatic voice. "For we bring you good news!" We then explained the truth about his medicine and how he didn''t actually need it after all. Though Felicia noted that the withdrawal would be unpleasant which was why she would give him her own drugs for a while until his body could readjust back to normal. When we finished, he was slumped down on the dirt with a defeated expression on his face. "All this time¡­ Tira has been working hard for nothing?!" His body shook as fists formed on his hands. "Damn it!" He punched the ground beneath him. "I''m a complete and utter¡ª" I walked closer and placed my hand on his shoulder. "That''s enough. I''m not going to let you blame yourself. It''s not your fault. It''s the fault of that wicked woman." "M-Master Hugo¡­" He looked up, his eyes watering. I flashed my best smile. "That''s why I will give you this." Swiping my wand, I summoned a leather pouch from my Dimensional Storage. "This is all the money the lamia had. Use it to settle your sister''s debts, alright?" He fell silent, looking at the pouch with doubtful eyes. "I¡­ How did you get this?" "We¡­ uh¡­ took care of her. We tried telling her to fess up to the guards but she decided to attack us instead." "You¡­ you killed her?" "I did." Felicia interjected. "I snapped her neck in two. Milord was just there as my bodyguard." "No. I approved killing her as well. We''re both at fault here, if you want to go that route." Giving him a wry smile, I knelt down and looked at him right in the eyes. "Look, kid. I suppose it''s time for me to come clean. We are dangerous people. Felicia here used to be a necromancer. Killed a king and used his body to manipulate a kingdom and slaughtered hundreds of soldiers when they tried to capture her. I saved her from the Church''s inquisitors, thus making me a wanted man in their eyes. "As for myself, I killed a merchant and his bodyguards before I came here. Didn''t like the way he treated his slaves, you see. "So, I ask you this. Do you still want to be with us even after all that? Because tomorrow morning, we''ll go back to the dungeon." I placed the pouch in front of him. "If not, then at the very least, take this money. If anyone asks, just say you found it from the dungeon." "And here''s your medicine." Felicia put another pouch beside it. "Eat one every day for two months. Since you haven''t been taking that drug for long, two months of an adjustment period should suffice." I stood up and ruffled his hair. "You''re a good kid, Theo. Go talk to your sister and that catgirl about this. And please, heed their advice. Don''t be like me who left my family behind." Giving a nod to Felicia, we left the kid behind, heading back to the city. ------ On the way back, I had a small conversation with Felicia. "Are you sure it''s wise to tell him everything, Milord?" "Eh. I think he can keep his secret." I flashed a smile to the ex-necromancer. "Those three¡­ they are good people." "Don''t want to involve them?" Felicia smirked. "Just like with those three adventurers you were with before." "It''s up to them, really. Anton insisted that I shouldn''t have rescued you and so, I didn''t involve them. They deserved a normal adventuring life. And so does Theo." Felicia fell silent for a moment before continuing her speech. "How about Victoria? We''re not going to pay her a visit?" "Hmm, a letter. We''ll send her one. Felicia, can you use your shadow magic to sneak a letter to her room?" "Hmm? You''re not going to give it to the butler?" "It''s a backup plan, in case he doesn''t give it to her." "I suppose I could manage. If the walls aren''t warded anyway. But how about visiting her directly instead?" "Heh, I doubt they''d allow us to do that." ------ I was immediately proven right. "Apologies, but Milady is currently unavailable right now." When we arrived back at the mansion, the guards immediately fetched the old butler from the day before. And, as I had predicted, he wasn''t willing to let us see Victoria. "I see. It can''t be helped then." I let out an exaggerated sigh. "We came here to tell her that we would go back to the dungeon tomorrow." "Milady is no longer an adventurer. She will not be joining you in your dangerous pursuits." "Then please, give her this letter. It''s an apology. For not being able to take her to see her flower." Taking out the thin parchment from my pocket, I handed it over to him, where he proceeded to receive it with a bow. "Understood. I shall make sure she receives it. You have my word." "Then, we shall take our leave." Giving him my own bow, Felicia and I left the mansion. "So, how about it?" I opened my mouth once we were far enough from the guards. "Can you sneak your shadow in there?" "Hmm, the distance would be a problem, Milord. I would have to manifest inside the estate walls if I were to send my shadow to her room." "Hmm, too risky then. In case you haven''t noticed, those walls¡ªthey have runes on them. Hidden, for sure, but I could see them with my Sight. Couldn''t quite tell how they worked though since I know nothing about runes." "That''s unfortunate." Felicia commented. "Let''s just hope that old coot will actually give her the letter." "Heh, and here I thought you wanted her gone.¡± I gave her a little teasing smirk. ¡°Hmph, I just wanted to see her resolve, that¡¯s all.¡± She huffed. -------- Victoria Right as Hugo and Felicia made their little visit, Victoria was sleeping in her chambers. Not a peaceful sleep, I¡¯m afraid, as she was tossing and turning, heavy sweat turning her sleeping gown damp and translucent. Luckily, no one was there to see the bright pink bra and panties she wore underneath. Although, the way the fabric now clung to her skin was quite uncomfortable indeed. Her nightmare only stopped from a well-timed knock from her butler. ¡°Milady, I have a letter from your friends.¡± He didn¡¯t bother waiting until she answered. Instead, he just slipped said letter underneath the door. Groggily rubbing her eyes, she yawned and stretched. Her eyes gazed around the room. The same cramped room she has been living in for seventeen years. Oh, how she missed sleeping on the outside, under the beautiful stars¡­ And then, her eyes landed on the white object in front of the door. She jumped out of her bed and snatched the white object in one fell swoop. Tearing the envelope, she pulled the paper inside, opening it once she was back sitting in the bed. "Dear Victoria. It''s me, Hugo. I just want to tell you that we''ll be going back into the tower tomorrow morning. If you still want to come with us, then you''re welcome to do so. After all, we haven''t brought you all the way to the fifth stratum to see that flower of yours. "But, if you can''t, then that''s fine as well. I''ll try to bring the flower to you instead. Though, if it''s too big, then I won''t be able to bring the whole thing. "I''m sorry that we can''t help you with your family. How they treated you is horrible, no doubt about it. But, know this. If you are to decide to abandon them, then you''re welcome to go with us. I warn you though. It won''t be easy. Our journey will be harsh and long and no doubt dangerous. "P.S. Felicia likes you a bit better now that she''s met your father. "P.P.S. You might not be Ashleen or Ela but you''re still Victoria, the half-fairy knight. I think that''s cool too! So keep your chin up, alright?" When she finished reading the letter, her eyes had begun to water once more. Her eyes moved to the corner of the room. There, her armor and skirt were hung from a stand. They had been cleaned just the day before. To her surprise, Gam actually allowed her to keep them. But then again, he was the one who gave them in the first place, when he found out that she was planning to run away from home. Said that it would hopefully keep her safe. And yet, he seemed to have changed his mind now, telling her not to go out anymore. Perhaps it¡¯s because of her father¡¯s orders? She really couldn¡¯t understand the man¡¯s thoughts. Her hands gripped the fabric of her gown. Drip. Drip. Tears began to fall from her cheeks, one by one wetting her already damp dress. Her overfilled dam soon burst. Quickly, she buried her face inside her pillow. "U-uwaaahhhhh! Waaahh!" As she exhausted herself crying, a certain woman stood outside of the room, pressing her ear onto the wooden frame. It was her human mother. With a big, happy smile on her face. --------------- A/N: In case you don''t get it, the two women are the lamia and Victoria''s mother. Is this another blunder of Hugo, leaving Victoria like that? Well, at least this time around, Felicia is behind it as well. And if you''ve read my most recent Patreon chapter... yeah, it''s definitely a blunder. And as usual, I''ll shill for my new Patreon chapter where Hugo finally gets to fight an SS-rank monster. Vol 4 Chapter 23: Tama’s Confession Theo "I knew it! Those two can''t be trusted after all!" When the boy returned to his apartment, he told everything that had transpired to Tama. Naturally, the catgirl, who didn''t share his admiration towards Hugo and Felicia, told him immediately to stay away from them. "B-but, they''ve been so nice to¡ª" "Yes yes, I know how much we''ve been helped by them, but think, Theo! If you''re hanging out with dangerous people like them, you''ll be dragged into their mess as well! And besides, if they can kill a person like that in cold blood, who knows what other despicable things they can do?" "So you''re saying you won''t do the same to that alchemist?" His voice rose and shook. "Even now, I''m still furious at her for deceiving Tira! She worked day and night for my sake, to pay for the money she borrowed for my medicine! And it''s all a lie!" Tears began to leak out of his eyes. "I... I¡­ I''m a useless, worthless burden that''s better of dead!" "Theo! Get a hold of yourself!" She grabbed his collars. "It''s not your fault you got tricked by that snake! I won''t hear you say that ever again!" Without realizing it, tears began to fall from her cheeks as well. "You¡­ you did your best! Always! Every single day! That''s why I¡­ I fell in love with you!" ...Ah, she said it. She couldn''t believe it, but the words¡ªthey just poured out of her mouth. She released her collar and covered her mouth. Ooh, what did she just do? Her face was heating up. "I¡­ p-please forget that last part!" She yelled. Theo froze, his cheeks reddening as well. He now stared at the catgirl before him. Her tail was wildly swaying back and forth and she was actively avoiding his gaze. He had never seen her like this before. She was always so brash and confident after all. He remembered Hugo, teasing him about them being a couple. Tira would do the same as well. But, they were all wrong. There was only one girl he wanted to devote his entire life with. "I-I''m sorry, Tama." He too averted his gaze. "I¡­ already promised I would never abandon Tira for the rest of my life. I wanted to make her happy¡­ so I can''t¡­ be with you.." "...Aha¡­ hahahaha! I knew it! You really are a Mama''s boy! You want to marry your mother? Gross! I''m out of here! You''re too gross for me to even look at!" "W-wait, Tama, I don''t¡ª" *SLAM* He was too late. The catgirl had already slammed the entrance door behind her. Leaving a trail of tears as she went back to her own room beside his. -------- "Theo! I''m home!" Later in the evening, his mother finally returned. She was wearing her maid uniform as always, as she had just finished her work in the mansion. This night, she didn''t have a shift at the tavern so she could go home right away. "Huh? Theo?" "M-Mother!" To her surprise, he ran up to her and hugged her, crying in the process. He was taller than her so he actually had to lift her up in the process. "E-eh? Did something happen?" Releasing her, he told her everything that had happened. When he finished, the small elf was smiling from ear to ear. "O-oh that''s wonderful news! You''re not sick after all, Theo!" She clasped her hands together near her chest, her soft red eyes shimmering. "Y-you''re not angry?" "Angry? For what?" "I-I''ve wasted your money! Made you get into debt! You have to work day and night for nothing!" "No, it''s not for nothing." She shook her head with a smile, a drop of year falling down her right cheek. "If it''s for you, I''ll do anything. That''s just how a mother is." Theo froze. "U-uuhhh¡­ Uwaahhhh!" He couldn''t hold it back anymore. He''d told her he would be more manly now that he''s older, but he''s still a crybaby after all. "Shh, let it out. Cry as much as you want, alright?" Tira''s warm embrace¡­ he would never trade it with anything else in this world. ¡­ They stayed like that for a bit, until his tears dried. "All better now?" Tira smiled, releasing her embrace. "T-thanks." Theo looked away, his face red with embarrassment. "Mother, about Master Hugo¡­" "You want to follow him, right? Then go. You like adventuring. And I know he''ll keep you safe." That¡­ wasn''t the answer he was expecting. "But how about him being a dangerous person?! He just killed that alchemist! And he''s wanted by the Church too! And there''s no reason for me to go back to the dungeon, is there, now that we can pay our debt?!" Tira didn''t answer right away. Instead, she locked eyes with him, all while keeping her smile. "Theo, what do you think? Do you think he is a bad person?" "I¡­ no! Not at all! He''s been really nice to me!" "Then how about his girlfriend? Is she a bad person to you?" "Of course not! She''s the one who worked on my medicine after all! She even gave me a replacement for it! She''s an amazing alchemist! Just like how Master Hugo is an amazing mage and swordsman!" "Then I don''t see why you shouldn''t be acquainted with them anymore." "B-but Tama said¡ª" The elf covered her mouth and giggled "She''s being the usual worrywart." Lowering her hand, she continued. "Theo, my dear son. Sometimes, we have to go against the flow to be a good person. That day, when I found you in your mother''s embrace, I knew my people wouldn''t accept me keeping you. And so, I left." "Mother¡­" "I believe Sir Hugo saved Miss Felicia since he knew she was a good person, even if she was a necromancer. And he was right. Thanks to him, we now know the truth." "B-but the murders¡­" "I also believe he did it for a good reason. He did it to free the slaves, no? And he killed that alchemist to stop her from causing more harm to the ill. I admit, it''s a demonic way of thinking, resorting to the blade immediately, but we''re in the Demon Continent now. Strength is everything here." Her smile was now tinged in sadness. "You had asked before why we couldn''t just run instead of paying our debt. Ignoring that it''s a bad thing to do, we would be chased down for it. Killed or sold into slavery or worse. And we don''t have the strength to resist." Theo fell silent. He still remembered when one night, his mother returned with a slap mark on her face. It was her employer, Mr. Bartholomeus. He was the wealthiest merchant in the city, employing many lesser merchants and owning many shops all over the Demon Continent. He also had S-rank adventurers in his neck and call. He was powerful. And they were not. And so, when he got drunk one night and slapped Tira in anger after she accidentally spilled hot tea on him, he slapped her as hard as he could. Tira could not say anything other than to apologize. If not for her begging him not to do it, he would''ve gone to his mansion and slapped him back. "And so, it would be beneficial for us to be friends with strong and kindhearted people like them." She finished her speech with her hand resting on his shoulder. "Oh dear, I made it sound bad, didn''t I?" She retracted her arm and covered her mouth for another giggle. "I''m sorry. It''s just that¡­ that''s what Miss Myrilla told me back then." "Myrilla?" Theo''s brain lit up. "The kind Nerthusian lady, yes. She didn''t say it but I know she was worried about us. She''s a kind, strong woman. Just like Miss Sherry. And Sir Hugo and Miss Felicia. So, I don''t think it''s that bad for you to be with them." Theo fell silent. He was expecting her to share the same opinion as Tama. "Mother, you never met Sir Hugo and Miss Felicia yourself. How can you¡ª" "You''re right! I really should meet them! To thank them for everything they have done! Tomorrow morning, we''re going together, alright?" "A-alright¡­" "Oh, have you told them about me yet? Me being your mother?" "N-no. I still told them you''re my sister¡­ just like you told me to¡­" To prevent odd questions and looks, Theo was forbidden to refer to Tira as his mother out in the open. She looked younger than him after all. "I see. Then I would have to properly introduce myself after all." She giggled again. Suddenly, Theo remembered Tama''s confession and how he had upsetted her by his response. "Umm¡­ there''s one more thing I need to talk to you about, Mother." "Yes?" S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It''s about Tama. She¡­" He explained what had happened between them. When he finished, Tira''s smile had transformed into a frown. Folding her hands under her chest, she began to lecture him. "Oh, Theo." She shook your head. "You don''t understand girls at all, do you?" "I-I''m sorry!" He lowered his head. "But I wasn''t lying! I really want to make you happy for the rest of my life! Why did she think I wanted to marry you? You''re my mother! You''re not supposed to marry your mothers, right?" "Of course not," she answered. "So you go to her room now and apologize, alright?" She raised her finger just like a mother would. "B-but what should I say?" "You don''t have to say anything. Just hug her. Or better yet, kiss her instead.¡± A mischievous smile had now appeared on the elf¡¯s lips, followed by a wink. "K-kiss her? Can I do that? That''s only for couples, right?" "Of course you can! You like her, right? You told me before that she''s really cute and you really want her to always be on your side! You even admitted peeking up her skirt a couple of times, you naughty boy!" "W-what?! But that''s¡ª" "Shush! I don''t want to hear excuses! You''re a young adult now! You''re almost as old as Sir Hugo and he already has a beautiful girlfriend of his own! And besides, the poor girl fell in love with you at first sight. You should tell her how you feel if you''re going to be a man!" "But¡ª" "Now go out there and apologize!" Before he could say anything else, the flustered boy was already being pushed to the front door by the elf. He really had no choice, it seemed. After all, there''s no way he''s going to disobey his dear mother! -------- "Tama¡­ Tama¡­ I want to talk with you¡­" He was now in front of her room, knocking on her door. Her mother, on the other hand, was standing on the corner of the hallway, out of sight, yet still watching him from the side. "Tama, I¡ª" The door creaked open. It wasn''t locked at all. It seemed the girl, in her distress, had forgotten to lock it. Glancing at his mother, she nodded. He gulped. This would be the first time he ever entered a girl''s room! Taking a deep breath to calm his beating hard, he entered the room. "Tama, I''m coming in!" He was greeted by the sight of a completely ordinary room, not that far different from his own. And yet, his nervousness didn''t go away, especially since he was now gazing at a girl sleeping on her bed. Redness crept to his cheeks as he noticed how her skirt had ridden up, revealing her black panties. Every time he got a peek, they were always black. He guesses she was simply fond of that color. She was facing away from him, towards the wall. She was also hugging her pillow. Her tail was swaying back and forth and her ears were twitching as well. His heart skipped a beat. This was why he couldn''t blame his Sir Hugo for fondling her tail. He too wanted to do the same. Shaking the thought out of his head, he shook her shoulders. "Tama. Wake up. Tama." The catgirl groaned. As she turned to face him, he quickly moved out of the way. "U-urghhh¡­" Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing her emerald eyes. His heart skipped a beat again. He never realized it until now but her eyes were really gorgeous. "T-Theo?!" She lifted herself up to a sitting position in a flash. "W-w-w-what are you doing here?" She pointed her finger all while blushing profusely. "I¡­ I want to apologize." "A-apologize?" "Y-yes¡­ I¡­ have¡­ spoken¡­" "Theo? Kyaaahh!" The boy leaped forward and gave her a tight, full hug. "I-I''m sorry, Tama! I didn''t mean to hurt you! And since I''m not good with words¡­" The boy didn''t hesitate. With a speed that didn''t allow the catgirl to recover from her "hug shock", he pressed his lips into hers. "Mmmm! Mmmmhhhhh!" It was a hurried kiss as the boy didn''t really know how long he was supposed to keep it up. Thus, he made it as short as he could. It didn''t matter though as the catgirl now laid limp in his arms. She had fallen unconscious. The hug plus the kiss¡­ it was too much for her. And thus, from that day forward, the two had officially become a couple. Just like Tira wanted. --------- The next morning, the trio left early in the morning, straight to the workshop Hugo and Felicia were staying in. And yes, it was really awkward between Theo and Tama. They were walking side by side but both were actively avoiding each other''s gazes. And their faces were as red as they came. As for Tira, she had to stop herself from giggling all the way. Oh, how happy she was to see her little Theo finally having a lover. And with a good girl like Tama too. As a mother, she wanted the best for him after all "Tama¡ª" "Theo¡ª" "Ah!" The two yelped at the same time as their gaze brushed against each other. "S-So, w-we''re a couple now, right?" Tama was the first to start the conversation. "Y-yeah. I guess we are." "T-then hold my hand. I demand it." "O-okay." Gingerly, with his heart racing, he grabbed her left hand with his right. "Listen. S-since you''re my boyfriend now, you''re not allowed to look at other girls alright? Exception being, I guess, your mother. I know you love her a lot. But you have to pay attention to me too. Or I-I''ll get lonely." "R-right¡­" Theo could only agree with her. He didn''t want to get her upset again. "Also, I want to¡ª" "Oi! You came after all!" With a speed as fast as the wind itself, Tama separated her hand as far away as she could from Theo''s. So fast that Theo didn''t even notice. Their conversation was interrupted by none other than his master Hugo, who was waving his hand from a distance before running to where they were. It seemed they had caught them just in time as they left the place. Beside him was Miss Felicia, the redheaded alchemist he deeply respected. She was walking towards them as well, though not as fast. Hmm? He couldn''t find Miss Victoria though. Where did she go? Was she not coming? "And here I thought you are smart enough to not hang around a bad person like me." His master grinned, patting his shoulder. He seemed genuinely happy that he was there. "Or are you here to tell me off? And I see your little sister is here as well!" He looked at Tira. "Hmph, I only agree to this because Theo does." Tama huffed, folding her arms under her chest. "Oh, thank you very much, Sir Hugo, for helping my little Theo!" Tira, on the other hand, was bowing as deeply as she could. She then quickly explained the situation, how she was Theo''s adoptive mother and how she was willing to put her trust on him to keep his son safe. When she was finished, Hugo couldn''t help but take a step back or two, as he was quite overwhelmed by this sudden revelation. "So, let me get this straight. You''re not actually his sister but his mother instead?" "Yep!" "And you''re still willing to leave him with us even though you know what we did?" "Yes!" Hugo scratched his head. Clearly he wasn''t expecting this reaction. "Well, if you say so. I''ll keep him safe, alright?" Without realizing it, his hand went to her head and began patting her. Instead of taking offence, however, the young elf responded with a giggle. "Oh, Sir Hugo! I might look like this but I''m almost 20! You shouldn''t pat your elder like this!" "O-oh, right¡­." He withdrew his hand. "Elves age slower than humans¡­'' She turned to face Theo and Tama. "Well, have fun you two! Take your time, alright? I''ll be fine on my own as usual!" She waved her hand. "Hey, kid, are you sure you''re fine leaving her on her own?" Hugo asked with a concerned look. "We could be there for a month or more." "Don''t worry!" Theo smiled. "Mother knows how to fight! She''s pretty good with a spear, you know!" Hugo eyed the elf girl up and down before giving a shrug to the boy. "Well, if you say so." "Then, let us depart, Milord." Felicia spoke. "Wait, how about Miss Victoria? Is she not coming?" Theo asked. Hugo paused before sighing. "It''s a long story. I''ll tell you on the way, alright?" ¡­ Tira watched as the four adventurers walked off to the distance, only averting her gaze once they disappeared on the corner. "Well, time for me to return to work!" She squeezed her hands with excitement. "With that money, I can finally pay my debt to Mr. Bartholomeus!¡± --------- Hugo ¡°Umm, Master Hugo, about Victoria¡­¡± ¡°Oh, right! Here! I¡¯ll sum it up for you!¡± As they walked to the city gates, I explained what had transpired, from how Victoria was a half-fairy and how she was received by her family. When I finished, the one who spoke first was, surprisingly, the tsundere catgirl herself. ¡°What an idiot. You shouldn¡¯t have brought her home.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s what she wants.¡± I shrugged. ¡°As her bodyguard, it¡¯s not my place to refuse her.¡± ¡°How about as a friend, huh? Is she not your friend?¡± She sent a raised eyebrow and a sharp glare in my direction. ¡°She might be Milord¡¯s friend, but that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s obligated to babysit her around.¡± Felicia interrupted. ¡°Our journey is harsh and long. If she doesn¡¯t have the resolve to defy her family¡¯s wishes to go with us, then she would just be a burden.¡± ¡°Hmph, you two really are just a bunch of bad guys.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say that to them!¡± Theo joined. ¡°They¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªsaved us. Yes yes, I get it. Still, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange for them to just leave her there? Knowing how badly she¡¯s been treated? If I were them, being the ¡®heroes of justice¡¯ that they are, I''d go back there and fetch her, no matter what her parents say.¡± ¡°And what will that accomplish exactly?¡± Felicia responded. ¡°You know nothing about our journey. We¡¯re going all the way south deep into the heart of the Demon Continent. You think that¡¯s a place to take a half-baked adventurer like she is? Milord doesn¡¯t need another burden in his mind if she ends up dying. Once, he accompanied three fledgling adventurers and they all died under his watch. It¡¯s not his fault logically speaking, of course, but his kind heart still blamed himself for it. You think I want him to fall into depression again?!¡± The two had stopped on their tracks as Felicia loomed over the shorter girl, pointing her index finger at her chest. ¡°Alright you two, knock it off.¡± I pushed them apart. ¡°Felicia, you don¡¯t have to defend me so vigorously like that. I know my shortcomings.¡± I then turned to face Tama. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a bad idea to leave Victoria there. Maybe it¡¯s not. I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not some oracle that can see the future. But that¡¯s what we have decided to do. And we''re sticking with it.¡± "Hmph, suit yourselves. She''s your friend. Not mine. But for a pair of powerful S-rank adventurers that had slaughtered many people before, you two sure are being gutless right now." Chuckling, I replied, "Don''t worry. After we came back from the dungeon, we''d check up on her." Vol 4 Chapter 24: In Which Hugo Gets Beaten By His Apprentice Our climb through the second stratum went smoothly at first, though certainly far slower than the way we cleared through the first. As I couldn¡¯t just destroy everything to get to the portal, we had to actually traverse through the architecture. And let me tell you, it was a serious, absolutely hadcore of a maze. A 3D maze at that. With a map, you can only draw in 2D. Even in JRPG games, their 3D maps tend to suck. And so, to deal with it, I came up with a method I remembered from one of the manga I used to read in my old life. Using my Earth Magic, I would form a certain unique Earth structure to mark that we had been there before. And to mark our steps, I would create conspicuous puddles of mud and dirt behind us. As we were inside a massive hyperstructure of interconnected spires and towers, there was no other way such things could be here other than by my spell. The first day went by smoothly. We found the teleporter on the next floor just before the day ended. I actually had purchased a dwarven pocket watch in my shopping with Felicia, so I could tell the time just fine, even if the place didn''t have an obvious day or night cycle. The contraption was pretty expensive but it was all worth it. On the next floor, after we found a safe spot we could use to rest, we erected our tents. To be honest, I could just use my earth magic to create earth huts, but I still preferred sleeping in the former. When we finished, I realized there was something off on the number of tents we had. Specifically, the tent Theo and Tama had built. "Wait, you guys only made one tent? Heh, don''t tell me that you''re sleeping together?" I grinned at the kid. "Y-yeah, well, about that¡­" He scratched his cheek with his index finger as he averted my gaze. "We¡­ are a couple now." "She confessed to me yesterday. And I accepted. And now, w-we''re going to sleep together. That''s what couples do, right?" I froze. I¡­ I didn''t know what to say. "Well, I¡­ I''m happy for you, kid." I placed my hand on his shoulder while forcing a smile. "Thank you, Master Hugo! I swear I''ll make her happy! Just like I will with Mother!" That night, though, no weird noises came out from their tent. Or the next night. Or the night after that. A month passed with us reaching the 150th floor. And he kept his virginity all the way through. -------- Tira Meanwhile, back at the city, Tira was walking nervously with a tray in her hands. Tonight, her master finally returned from his many business trips. And so it was her chance to pay her long-standing debt to him. However, she had to wait for her turn, as he was now preoccupied with a guest. "What?! What do you mean she''s dead?" "I-I''ve told you, Sir! A thief sneaked in and murdered her in her sleep! They stole her money and left immediately afterwards!" "Impossible! That witch can''t be killed by a common thief! Tell your guards to hunt down the culprit at once!" "O-of course, Sir!" Quickly, Tira ran to the corner of the hallway she was at, making sure to not spill the tea she was carrying on said tray. The elf had been ordered to bring it to her master''s study, but when she arrived, she heard shouting and yelling from the inside. She couldn''t help herself from eavesdropping. Her elven ears were very good at it after all. She quickly determined the man her employer was yelling at. He was the commander of the city guards. And yes, he was bribed enough by her master that he was now practically under his employ. Another reason why she didn''t dare to run away with her debt. The large oaken door opened and a man with a plate mail and a cape exited. Only after he disappeared that she was brave enough to return back to her original position, just behind the door. ¡°That idiot! That¡¯s 6% of my income now gone! I swear, my luck has been rotten ever since the disaster with Crandis!¡± Crandis was a name she barely recognized. Remembering all the other times her master had mentioned him, he seemed to be one of his many merchant partners, though his base of operation was at Korlopur instead. And apparently, him and his entire entourage had been slaughtered by a band of demon bandits. ... She nearly dropped the tray she was holding. Only now she realized the truth. The one who murdered Sir Crandis¡­ it was Sir Hugo and Miss Felicia. The bandits were actually late to the party. Theo told her about it yesterday. That was the slaughter he meant. Chills ran up her spine. ¡°And where¡¯s that damn elf?¡± ¡°Aah, c-coming!¡± Quickly, she opened the door with her free hand. The study was decently large, with a number of bookshelves scattered around the room. A large chair and table sat across the room, perfectly supporting the man that was sitting behind them, as Mr. Bartholomeus was a large man with an even larger waistline. He was wearing a loose-fitting white coat with a green shirt underneath. A cravat rested on his neck, making his already short neck disappear completely. His hair was short and black, with the classic signs of middle-age balding. ¡°H-here¡¯s your tea, Mr. Bartholomeus.¡± ¡°You¡¯re late! My guest has already left!¡± ¡°I-I apologize!¡± Quickly, she walked over to his table and put the tea cup down before pouring it with black tea. He always took his tea without any sugar or milk, something she already learned from the very first day she worked here. "Mr. Bartholomeous, about my debt to you¡­" "What? You want more money? You haven''t even paid the 100 gold coins you owed." "N-no! I...I want to pay that debt." The large merchant nearly dropped his cup. "You? Pay for it?" A perverted smile formed on his baby-like face. "Ooh, are you finally considering my offer?" "N-no! Not that! I really have the money with me! Here!" She took out a coin pouch from her pocket and dropped it on his table. "Here! All 100 gold coins!" The man froze. Judging by his raised eyebrows, he clearly wasn''t expecting this in the slightest. Putting down the cup of tea, he quickly opened the pouch and looked into its content. "...You¡­ how did you get this?" "M-my brother¡­ he got it from the Dungeon¡­" "Really now? I thought he was a horrible adventurer. The weakest or something like that?" "H-he''s gotten a lot better lately." The elf forced a smile. "Huh¡­ So you say." He grabbed the pouch and stored it in his own pocket. "However, this doesn''t mean that you''re free of your debt." Her smile dropped like an iron anvil. And a much more disgusting smile appeared on the merchant''s face in exchange. "You see, you might have paid the capital but you have yet to pay the interest, which would be 200 gold coins." "B-but you said you won''t charge me interest when you lent the money!" "Hmm? I never said that." He grinned. "You-you lied to me!" She slammed her hands on the table. "Well, feel free to take it to Lord Relfatia if you''re dissatisfied. But I assure you, you won''t even get past the front gate. So, how about it? I''m still giving you the offer. A night with me in my room and I''ll pretend the interest is never even there." The merchant was a perverted man through and through. He would dress his maids with short skirts so he could fondle their bottoms whenever he wanted to. And yes, herself included. In fact, she could sense he had somewhat of an obsession with her. She didn''t know why since he had so many other maids with a lot more breasts and hips than her, and they actually happily obliged his perversions. After all, they were paid handsomely for their work. The man who recommended her to go work to him was his merchant friend. He told her he was a gentle man that would pay handsomely for a maid. He only neglected to mention that all that would only be true if you were willing to be molested by him. Of course, she never told Theo about this. She didn''t want him to worry. It was the only way she could pay for his medicine. Until now. "Oh, you probably don''t know but your alchemist was murdered yesterday morning." "W-what?" She faked her surprise. "Terrible, terrible thing." He shook his head. "A thief did it to steal her money. But don''t worry. I''ll ensure you''ll have another alchemist to replace her. Leave it to the great Mr. Bartholomeous." He gave a toad-like smile. "I¡­ thank you, Mr. Bartholomeous." She lowered her head. He stood up, walked around the table and stood right in front of her. And proceeded to lift her skirt. "Blue again today, Tira? You''re really fond of that color, aren''t you?" His other hand went behind her and gave her butt a squeeze. "Ah! M-Mr. Bartholomeous¡­" "Oh, don''t be afraid¡­" He leaned forward and moved his hand back and forth. "I''m a nice guy. Is it because of my weight? I assure you, I used to be a buff man when I was younger." "Mr. Bartholomeous, p-please, I¡ª" "Shhh¡­" The hand that lifted her skirt moved to pat her head. "You are really cute, Tira. Cuter than any other of my maids. You are precious to me. Your smooth skin¡­ your petite body¡­ your elven ears¡­ that''s why I gave you so many leniency compared to the other maids. Remember that time you slapped me? Any other girl and I would''ve sold her as slaves. It''s a crime to assault a noble like me after all~" And then, he did something that broke her. He licked her right cheek. With her full strength, she pushed the big man away before yelling, "I quit, Mr. Bartholomeous! I don''t need you anymore! Theo is cured now so I don''t need your gold!" With tears in her eyes, she ran. Right to the outside and back to her apartment. She could handle having her skirt lifted and her butt fondled. That happened on her job as a server in the tavern too. But being licked like that, it sent chills right to her very core. And so she did something she shouldn''t have done. That was no way to act to a powerful man like him. Now she wouldn''t know what he''d do to her. Especially knowing that she was involved with someone that had messed up his business. But for now, she just had to run away. As far away from that ugly toad as she could. --------- A week passed since then, and to her surprise, no cloaked men had appeared on her front door to kidnap her. Perhaps he was just too busy with his business to care about her? Or perhaps he had found another girl for her replacement? Whatever the reason was, she wasn''t complaining in the slightest. Even though she now had to work in an inn for the day with a far lower pay as a washing maid, she didn''t mind at all. Sure, it was hard work, harder than just being a housemaid, and it made her soft hands turn cracked and rough, but at the very least, she wasn''t being harassed in the process. Her tavern job though, it still remained the same. Drunk patrons would lift her skirt and slap her butt from time to time. The owner said it was part of the job to bear it. Only when they went into something more physical that he would step in. Her tribe viewed humans as barbaric wretches that couldn''t control their desires, especially when it involved their crotch. She couldn''t help but agree. Which was why she encouraged Theo to be with Tama. He had hit puberty and he would yearn for sex soon. She''d rather have him have it with a good girl like her over a prostitute. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She would kneel every night and pray for their safety. But not to the Saint or the Heavenly Dragon. Instead, she prayed to the Timeless Queen. She was part of the elven tribe who still revered the purebloods, even though they weren''t pure themselves. And so they worshipped the Timeless Queen, the purest high elf of them all. To her, it was still too odd to pray to the human god, even though she had been banished from her tribe. -------- Hugo In the end, we didn''t find an encampment on the 150th floor. Not even another adventurer. Even though it was supposed to be a shared floor. Guess it was just our luck. Or the place was too complicated for something like that to happen. I had lost count on how many staircases I took in this past month. Moving on to the 151th floor, I noticed a bit of a shift in the difficulty of the dungeon. There were now quite a lot more ambushes, where one monster would attack you from the front while another flank you from behind. The Shadowstalkers were particularly fond of this tactic. Oh, if you don''t know, Shadowstalkers are B-rank monsters that reside in the shadows, usually in the dim corners of the room, that would leap out and attack an adventurer that got too close. You can think of them as the monster version of Felicia''s shadow spell. With Felicia''s own mastery of the shadows, they posed no threat whatsoever. Even I could sense their presence with ease. However, it was still difficult for Theo and Tama to notice them, which was why I always told them to stay close to us. Speaking of Theo, he could actually win against a C-rank monster one by one now. He said it was thanks to my training but I believe it''s thanks to his own determination. I''m just a guide to his destination. We continued on to Floor 152, 153, and so on until Floor 160. And then, the incident happened. ------- "Hey, aren''t you two going too far forward? We''re supposed to stay together, you know!" "It''ll be fine, Master Hugo! There aren''t any monsters around!" I could only respond with a sigh. We had been walking for a good 12 hours or so and we were now pretty much just looking for a place we could camp in for the night. As to where we were exactly, we were now walking across a bridge between two towers. We were now out in the open, with a bright white moon in the sky. The sky was completely clear with not a speck of cloud. Dots of tiny stars decorated the otherwise pitch black visage. Theo''s confidence was not without reason. We had crossed bridges like this multiple times before and we had never been attacked while we were on it. The monsters seemed to only occupy the inside of the towers and spires. As for the books, they agreed with his statement. There weren''t any bird type monsters flying on the outside. Still, I kept my vigilance, continuously scanning my surroundings for anything that might pop out of thin air. Too bad the enemy was the invisible thing. "Tama! Look out!" It all happened in a flash. Theo, who was walking a good distance in front of me, suddenly pulled Tama behind him. Just in time to block a hookshot from hitting her body. By his own. "Argh!" "Theo!" Realizing what just happened, I bolted forward, moving as fast as I could with Graceful Step. But I was too late, as Theo was now flying forward, pulled by the hookshot that had manifested out of thin air. I jumped to get a better view. Thank God he was being pulled across the bridge and not to the chasm down below. Dispelling my Wind Step, I fired a Boom Rifle. Only the tip of the hookshot was visible so I had to guess where the rest was. And I had to be careful not to hit Theo in the process. Thank God I could control its trajectory now. Seeing Theo stopping safely, I now switched my attention to the invisible monster. Felicia could handle his wounds. I, on the other hand, had to be the one to catch it, as I had my Sight to aid me. It might be able to mask both its noise and aura, but it shouldn''t be able to hide its nana flow as well. Reactivating Wind Step, I flew to the spot at the end of the bridge where I suspected the monster was. Activating my Sight, I could immediately see a network of Mana circuits in the shape of a chameleon. Only it was walking on two legs. Naturally, it was running away. It knew its plan had shattered completely and it was smart enough to know how to retreat. If I had to guess, it was at least an A-rank. I easily stopped the creature of course, obliterating it with a single Boom Cannon. I then flew back to where the others were. "Theo! Theo! Hang in there!" "Don''t shake him you idiot girl! Pull the eye off his chest. I''ll pour this potion that would close his wounds." "R-right!" When I arrived, Theo was laying down on Tama''s lap, with Felicia kneeling beside them. "Pull it in one swift move, got it?" Felicia instructed. "Wait, Felicia, if the eye reaches his¡ª" "No. It didn''t go that far. I''ve inspected the wound. Please, trust me, Milord." Her gaze at me¡ªit was a firm and resolute one. No doubt in it whatsoever. The legendary alchemist had proven herself to be smarter than me once again. I might know modern medicine, but my knowledge was still nothing compared to her mastery of alchemy and biology. "On the count of three. One, two, three!" "Hyah!" "Arghh!" In one swift move, Tama pulled the eye off his chest. Naturally, Theo screamed from the pain, but Felicia didn''t waste any time. She immediately poured the content of the bottle she was holding onto his gaping wound. And then, like the magic concoction that it was, his flesh regenerated in a flash, mending the hole until there was none. Theo was now panting, his forehead slick with sweat. He rubbed his chest with his hand. "It¡­ healed¡­ it doesn''t even hurt anymore¡­ you''re amazing, Miss Felicia!" He smiled at her. "Of course it does!" She smiled back. "It''s my potion after all!" "Theo! You idiot! You shouldn''t have done that!" Tama then hugged the boy, sobbing in the process. Exchanging a knowing look with Felicia, we immediately agreed to give them a bit of a space for their lovey dovey moment. Though we didn¡¯t go that far, of course. Not after what happened. ¡°They¡¯re adorable, aren¡¯t they, Milord?¡± Felicia smirked. ¡°Yep! He¡¯s a lucky guy, having a cute cat girl like her as his girlfriend.¡± ¡°Cute cat girl, hmm? Better than a sexy alchemist?¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯re going there now?¡± I replied with my own smirk, not falling for her obvious tease. ¡°It¡¯s only normal for a woman to constantly compare herself to other women. Especially one with self-esteem issues such as myself.¡± ¡°Really? I think you¡¯re pretty confident these days.¡± ¡°All because of you, Milord.¡± I ended our conversation with a quick squeeze of her butt, earning a yelp from her. ------------ After the incident, we resumed our walk across the bridge. Nothing else popped out but we still redoubled our vigilance nonetheless. Whatever that invisible monster was, the explorers and scholars who wrote all those books knew nothing about it. As for Theo, he was now stuck with Tama pressing her body into his. She refused to let him go, just like a spoiled house cat would. We eventually found a good spot to rest for the night. As usual, we erected our tents and settled on a watch order. Felicia would be first, me second, Theo third, and Tama fourth. And so, after having our dinner, I headed into our tent to sleep. ¡­ "Milord, Milord, wake up." "U-urghhh¡­" Opening my eyes, I saw Felicia looming over me. With an uncharacteristic grin on her face. "Milord, you might want to hear this." "Hear what?" Only once I crawled out of my tent did I notice the sound she was referring to. "Aahh¡­ ahnnn¡­ that''s it¡­ keep it up¡­" Tiptoeing my way , I walked closer to Theo and Tama''s tent. "Haa¡­ haa¡­ am I¡­ doing a good job?" "You''re doing¡­ a great job¡­ keep it up¡­ aahnnn!" Suddenly, a hand rested on my shoulder. "Is something the matter, Milord? You look distraught." Felicia was leaning down slightly to my height, smirking in the process. "N-nothing. It''s just that¡ª" "He graduates to adulthood earlier than you. What a shame." She put on a dejected expression before switching back into her smirk. "You know, if you want, I can make you graduate too tonight~?" "N-no." I shook my head. "I¡­ will still keep it for Sherry." Clacking her tongue, she straightened herself up, her smirk disappearing into the wind. "Suit yourself. Really, I just hope this Sherry girl treats you as well as I do." She huffed. "As for those two¡­ I have some contraceptive drugs in case they don''t have any. I doubt they''ll want a kid right away." She walked away, back into our tent as it was her turn to rest. As for me, I had to bear hearing their moans until they finished. I assumed they fell asleep after it as I heard nothing else. And when I entered their tent to wake Theo up, an unmistakable scent of bodily fluids entered my nostrils. Not to mention the fact that both of them were naked from the waist down. "Hey, Theo. Wake up. It''s your turn." I shook the boy. He slowly woke up at first but when he realized I was there, he quickly stood up and put on his pants. "M-Master Hugo, t-this isn''t¡ª" "It''s alright, kiddo." I gave him a reassuring grin, patting him on the shoulder. "Good job! You''re finally a man now!" He didn''t say anything else as he hurriedly left the tent, his cheeks burning in the process. ----------- A/N: And so, the apprentice graduates first than the master. Also, just posted a new chapter on Patreon. More Ilymhrra stuff. And we get to see the return of a certain legendary figure. Vol 4 Chapter 25: War Cometh The next morning, as we were taking down our tents, I noticed Felicia approaching Tama with the classic mischievous smirk on her face. Following her, I watched them have their conversation from a distance. "Well well well, congratulations. Was it your first time by any chance? Doing it with him?" "Y-you! D-don''t say it out loud like that!" she replied with a completely red face. "First time then." A small smirk appeared on Felicia''s face. "What changed? Was it because of what happened yesterday with the invisible monster?" Tama paused, her ears deflating. "You''re right. I realized¡­ that I could lose him anytime. T-that, and I''m currently in heat right now." She blushed, pressing her index finger together. "Oh? How wonderful. Enjoy yourselves then. Oh, and take this medicine before you do it. You don''t want to get pregnant now, do you?" She bashfully nodded, her ears wiggling back and forth. With the matter settled, we departed right away. --------- Meanwhile, back at the city, a certain S-rank party was having their meeting. They were sitting inside a private meeting room, located in the Guild building itself. As they were an S-rank party, they were given this privilege by the organization. Ten people were there. Ten S-rank adventurers, each powerful in their own right. Ten Braves, the strongest adventuring party in the entire region. Some were sitting normally on their couches. Others were leaning back to the point that their head wasn''t visible. Four of them sat on one side and four on the other. Their leader, the one on the front, sat on his own couch. Only one remained standing. "I told you, didn''t I? We should all get him for our eleventh member!" The girl who yelled slammed her bare foot on the wooden floor, causing a crack to form. "He''s a really powerful mage! And he can use a sword as well!" She was one of the Amazoness Hugo had defeated. The short one. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "How curious~ A mage that wields a sword~ Now you''re making me want to play with him too~" The woman who replied was a blue-haired elf. Dressed in a purple robe, she held a staff in both hands. "Just because he has a sword doesn''t mean he knows how to use it." The next person who opened their mouth was a man in his early twenties. Dressed only in a black open coat and trousers, he was exposing his shirtless chest for all the world to see. "He knows how to use Graceful Step. Or whatever name you use for fast movement in your Lancelot School." It was the older Amazoness this time. She was sitting with her feet placed on the table between them, glaring at the man. "A mage that knows how to quick cast his spells. And now he can use blade skills instead. And he''s not even fifteen. If it''s true, then he''s a monster." The next to speak was, surprisingly, a hobbit. She had short, dark hair as well as spectacles. And she had a book open in her lap. "Ha! However a monster he is, he can''t compare to our leader. Now that''s a real monster." It was the standing Brave. She was a centaur so she had no need to sit. Appearance wise, she looked like in her early twenties, with bright blue hair tied to a ponytail. "Ha! The real monster is that swordswoman on the 600th floor. Ten of us and we can''t do a thing against her. Even our leader faltered in front of her. How long is she planning to stay there anyway? Just when we''re able to go past that blasted 599th floor.." The next person to speak was an arrogant-looking woman with bunny ears on top of her head. Wearing a green cloak and shorts, with her bunny tail poking out of the latter, she was the ranger of the group. "Enough." A calm yet commandeering voice silenced the room. It came from the man sitting on his own on the front of the room. Their leader. The blonde man was dressed in a full set of white and blue armor, with his hands resting on the hilt of his long sword, standing out in the open in front of him. He opened his crimson eyes, staring right at the two Amazoness. "Just because he defeated you two doesn''t mean he''s suitable to join us. Him helping the weakest one is proof of that. He doesn''t respect his own strength. And our party is only for those who do." He stood up and sheathed his sword. "Let us put aside the matter of the swordswoman for now. I''m sure you have heard of the defeat of Arborea''s forces at the southern border. "Of course I do." The hobbit smirked. "The news is all over the city. Can''t visit a damn bar without someone talking about it. They try to say it''s a tactical retreat but it''s clear as day the demon lord''s forces had overwhelmed them." "Fontaine and Arborea¡­ two city-states aren''t enough to hold the tide. This really will turn into an open war, won''t it?" The bunny girl sighed with crossed arms. "How about Miss Marlene? Did she make it? It''d be a shame if a hot chick like her died so young." The shirtless warrior grinned. The hobbit rolled her eyes. "She does. She''s making her trip back now." "Be on your best behaviour, Thorne." Their leader spoke. "We''re going to visit her once she comes back. I''m sure she''ll be looking for strong adventurers to replenish her army. If we play our cards right, we''ll make a fortune out of it." "As expected from our great Leader!" The centaur grinned. "How about that Hugo kid? You''re just gonna let him defecate all over our reputation, Great Leader? If he''s not going to join us, then he should pay the price for humiliating Jedora and Hedora." The low, growling voice came out of one of the members that had yet to speak. He was a lizardman, dressed only in a pair of baggy pants and nothing else. "...What do you suggest?" "Beat him up. Dump his body in an alleyway." "How cruel!" Another one who had yet to speak spoke. She was a harpy of black feathers, wearing a falca (the kimono-like garment) as her outfit. She was covering her mouth with her loose sleeve to hide her giggle. "Shut your mouth, you harpy. You''re going with me to handle this matter." "Aah, bloodshed! What joy!" "And you two! You''re going as well!" The lizardman glared at the Amazonesses. "I don''t want to kill him." The older one replied. "He''s cute. I want him as my husband." "This is exactly why you two should spend more time training instead of hunting kids." The final member, the scholarly-looking man with a monocle, finally said his piece. "You are amongst our weakest." "Shut up!" The younger Amazoness yelled. "I don''t want to be criticized by a weak old coot like you! You''re the weakest among us!" The old man narrowed his eyes. "I heal your fractured bones and mend your gaping wounds. I bring you back from the brink. Your mistakes¡ªI have to be the one to fix it. I do not appreciate your derisive tone in the slightest, you miserable, flat-chested meathead.¡± ¡°F-flat-chested?! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± She leaped forward across the table. Only to be punched in the stomach by the blonde-haired knight, sending her flying to the wall. ¡°Do that one more time and you¡¯re going on a six month timeout.¡± The leader said with a cold stare. ¡°Fighting being members isn¡¯t tolerated in the slightest, unless done to spar.¡± The older sister rushed to her aid while the other members stood up from their couches. ¡°Valg. You have my permission to do whatever you want with the boy. But only take Twento and Gokura with you. And those two. You five might be the weakest but if you can¡¯t take care of a single boy, no matter how much of a prodigy he might be, you don¡¯t deserve to be in the Ten Braves.¡± ¡°Right! As you command!¡± The lizardman bowed. He didn''t lift his head until the blonde man left the room. "Now." He turned to face the amazonesses. "Tell me everything you two know about him." ---------- Hugo Reaching the 200th floor after another month of travel, it didn''t take long until we found the big monster we had to defeat. Chernobog. A tall, thin humanoid monster with a pitch black body and a purple cape. Only its eyes were pupilless white. An arrogant expression was drawn on its face, as if it was waiting for a challenger. It stood in the far end of the large room we were currently in, luckily not facing to the direction where we were hiding. Compared to all the other rooms we had been in, it was easily double the size of the largest one. Still, it was still tiny compared to the open battlefield the first boss had, meaning, I wasn''t sure I would be able to get away with charging up my Super Boom Cannon all the way from a distance. Unless¡­ ¡­ "Super Boom Cannon!" The spell easily tore through the floor like it was nothing. It was about ten centimeters thick made out of some ancient material yet my cannonball barely lost any power breaking through it. The boss had no time to turn into its shadow cloud form. Once again, I just one-shotted an S-rank monster. "Wow, that''s amazing! I would never have thought you could just aim the spell from up here! You really are a master mage, Master Hugo!" You could practically see the stars in the kiddo''s eyes. And so, we made it to the third stratum at last. ??? "Was Lady Marlene really defeated?" "It wasn''t a defeat, you moron! It''s¡­ what''s the term¡­ ah! Tactical retreat!" "But I heard the demons actually took over the mythril mines from Fontaine. That''s a defeat, right?" "How about Fontaine then?! Why are they going back here? Shouldn''t they be guarding that city next?" "Does this mean we''re going to go to a full war soon? A-aarghh, I don''t want to be conscripted!" "How about all those filthy demons in our cities? Shouldn''t we hang them all right away? Can''t have spies and saboteurs stabbing us in the back." "Grandpa! You can''t say that just because Grandma left you for a younger man!" "Haah! That unfaithful woman! Until the day I die my ass!" Meanwhile, back at the Arborea, the atmosphere had changed completely. A tense air had shrouded the city as news spread of Arborea''s defeat. The citizens practically worshipped their Lady Marlene as an invincible mage and the heritor of the Sage himself. And yet, she had lost. Some believed it was because she wasn''t as strong as they had believed, others believed the demon king''s forces were just that strong. And now, it was the day that the Lady returned. A thousand soldiers, two hundred on horseback, entered the southern side of the city, fittingly called the Military District. As for the Lady herself, like the other noble officers who were born into the city-state''s royalty, they made their way to the Noble District instead. That day, both commoners and nobles went to the streets. They wanted to see them as they passed through the city. The Lady took the lead. In her pure white horse and blue noblewoman dress, she was as majestic and beautiful as ever. No smile was drawn on her pure white face. However, her head remained hanging high, displaying that her defeat had not tarnished her honor. She was a wand mage, so she wasn''t carrying a large staff with her. Instead, she had a bracelet on her right hand that could transform into said wand. One by one, the others that followed her all went their separate ways. She had instructed them beforehand to not follow her to her estate even though decorum dictated otherwise. When she arrived, all the maids, servants, and guards had come out to the courtyard. They all gave a bow as one of the servants led her horse. On the front stairs her father and mother stood side by side, even though they despised doing so. All for the sake of keeping up appearances (even though there were no outsiders present). And, Victoria had chosen to be there as well. She was wearing a noblewoman''s dress, just like her mother and her sister. Her hair was tied upward in a bun and a pair of tiara and diamond necklace decorated her head and neck. She had to be presentable in public, even if she was the stepchild of the family. The horse stopped, lowering itself to the ground so the Lady could climb down like a Lady would. "Oh? What''s this? My foolish sister has returned? Are you finished playing adventurer?" A mocking grin formed on her pretty face. "H-hello, Sister Marlene¡­" "Enough. I don''t want to hear your gnawing voice. I''m tired and I wish to take a nap. Father, I''ll make my report later. Mother, you look as lovely as ever." "Aaw, thank you very much!" The older woman cooed before giving her a short hug. "Don''t worry, Marlene. I''m with you all the way!" "As am I." Her father followed, giving her a hug as well. "I''m sure you did your best. You can make your report tomorrow, alright?" He smiled. Seeing this sight, Victoria could only force a smile. After all, she had never been hugged by them. Not even once. --------- Hugo The Third Stratum. The Lunar Wasteland. The surface of the moon. We were surrounded by nothing other than the rocky terrain the moon possessed. In the short glance I had, we were now pretty much like the crew of Apollo 11, as nothing differentiated this moon from the moon we had back home. Well, other than the large Earth visible in the distance. For half of it wasn''t mostly blue as it should. Instead, they were black and red, as if the sun itself had scorched that side and vaporized all the ocean. The other half, though, looked perfectly normal, even if the geography was different. We quickly found the teleporter back to the outside as it was just a few steps to the right of where we were. --------- Back at the Relfatia Estate, Marlene was now speaking with her father inside his study. The Lord of Arborea was always known by his composure. And yet, he now looked downright miserable. Whatever news her daughter had bore, it could only have been a terrible one. "To think that the Demon Lord himself would come to the battlefield¡­" The lord tapped his fingers on the table. "No wonder you failed to repel his forces. He brought down his full might, just to steal the mines from us." The man paused, pressing his fingers to his wrinkled forehead. "How about the Templars?" "Wiped out. Unlike us, they weren''t willing to surrender. What a shame. Those demons would''ve let them go." "As expected." The lord let out a small chuckle. "But, there should already be reinforcements coming from the Holy Continent. They would surely declare a full blown crusade once they were ready to go." "Father. I have a proposition." The feudal lord paused once again, his eyes narrowing and his eyebrows furrowing. "A proposition?" "Why don''t we ally ourselves with Demon Lord?" The lord froze, his mouth slightly opened as he tried to process what he just heard. "I''ll be frank, Father. Even with the strength of all the city-states combined, with the Church as well, I don''t believe we''ll be able to win against him. He brought me to speak with him after he captured me. And he told me on how he had procured the aid of another Demon Lord to his side." "You¡­ are you serious?!" Without realizing it, the feudal lord had stood up from his chair. "Yes. She was there. Virana, The Demon Lord of Illusions. She... tortured me with her illusions until I believed her identity." The Lord of Arborea crashed back onto his chair, wiping the sweat that had gathered on his forehead with his handkerchief. "You are right, my daughter. With Virana aiding him, I''m afraid there is little we can do. The nine-tailed fox demon could slaughter entire armies by making them attack each other. We will need illusion breakers en masse to fight her, and only the mainland Church can supply them. The Templars won''t have enough." "He already offered us a deal to take. I shall marry one of his sons in exchange of leaving us alone. His goal is only to free the enslaved and oppressed demons. He will not interfere with our human lives. Or so he says." "You?! I will have to give you to him?!" "Yes, Father." She gritted her teeth. "The son¡­ is an orc¡­ and he already salivated when he was just looking at me from a distance." Clutching the fabric of her skirt, the young woman sprung up from her chair. "I don''t want it! Please, Father! Make it be that worthless girl Victoria instead! He didn''t say it had to be me! He just wanted a daughter from our house!" The Lord of Arborea sat back down, rubbing his temple with both hands as he leaned on his table. "...Give me time to decide." "Father¡­" The young woman walked forward and wrapped her hands around his waist from behind. "I love you, Father." "Of course, my dear, of course." He took her hands and grabbed them with his own. On that morning, the Feudal Lord''s mind was made up. If they truly had to switch side, then Victoria would be the one to be sacrificed. He only hoped the Demon Lord would accept her. -------- Tira "Bahahahaha! One more, lil'' Missy! One more! You think my big gut can be satisfied with just ten tiny mugs?" "Y-yes, Sir, right away!" That night, the young elf was busy working as a waitress as usual. Dressed in a green and white dress with a skirt that went down half her thighs, she readily took the orders of the customers and delivered them either to the kitchen or the bartender. She would also have to bring food and drink back into the tables. She wasn''t the only waitress that night, of course. There were four others, all dressed in the same outfit. The tavern was always full at night so they needed all the help they could get. "Kyah!" "Ooo, nice! Black really suits you, Saten!" "Aahn, honored customer¡­ you can''t do that to your poor waitress¡­" Tira could only sigh at the sight. As usual, once the customers drank, they would get rowdy and once they did, they would start harassing the waitresses. Including her. "What''s with the long face, Tinny? Jealous Miss Saten over there is getting all the attention?" A man behind her had lifted her skirt, grinning in the process. She recognized him immediately as he was a regular. ¡°Green-striped with a bow? How adorable. Just like you, Tinny.¡± Tinny was the way he affectionately addressed her. As much as she didn¡¯t like it, she could only bear it with a smile. ¡°Customer is God¡±. That was the first thing drilled to her when she first started working here. ¡°Oi oi, don¡¯t tell me you like her over Saten or Karin! You must be messed up in the head if you like a zero sex-appeal girl like her!¡± His companion yelled with a laugh. He looked even more drunk than his friend. ¡°A washboard chest, a flat behind, the only thing good about her is those elven ears of hers!¡± ¡°Please, ignore this buffoon. To me, Milady, you are the cutest waitress in this tavern, nay, the entire Arborea. You might not have the most voluptuous behind, but these cheeks¡ªthey¡¯re just as soft as Saten¡¯s.¡± He was now actively groping her butt, moving his hand back and forth across her two cheeks. "S-Sir, I''m sorry, but I have to be on my way." "Come on, relax a little. I''ll give you a great tip if you stay at my side for the rest of the night." He winked. This wasn''t the first time she had encountered a troublesome customer like him. And whenever she did¡­ Lightning flew from the bartender''s hand, missing the groping man''s face by a breadth of a hair. "Hey, you, get off her! You think this is a whorehouse?!" The bartender flew from behind her counter, landing right on the man''s table. She was a dark-skinned succubus, dressed in a white button-up shirt and black trousers. "Eeekk! I''m sorry, Hera! I''m sorry!" "Tira is my precious employee! Bully her again and I''ll kick you out! Got it!" "G-got it!" The succubus jumped down, her large breasts bouncing in the process. Her white shirt wasn''t buttoned on its two topmost ones, revealing a generous amount of braless cleavage. "You alright, kiddo?" "Y-yes! I''m fine! Thank you very much, Miss Hera!" Tira bowed. "Good!" She grinned, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Don''t serve these guys anymore for the rest of the night." She was the reason why she liked working here. As much as it annoyed her to have random old men flip her skirt and grope her butt, Miss Hera always had her back if they tried anything else. Not to mention she paid her handsomely, more than the average wage of a tavern waitress. No other incident happened for the rest of the night, other than a handful of other customers flipping her skirt again. After helping with the clean-up, she made her way back to her apartment. "Be careful, alright?" The succubus waved her hand with a grin. "Don''t let the night wolves get you! A cute girl like you¡ª" "Yes yes, I understand, Miss Hera. A cute girl like me is easy prey. Don''t worry. I always took the big, lit-up roads. I don''t take any shortcuts through alleyways. I''m already twenty years old, you know." The elf huffed. "You''re ten to me, you little whelp! You''re not an adult yet once you have these on your chest!" She squeezed her two massive boobs with a grin. Tira could only let out a weak laugh in response, glancing down at her own flat chest. When would she have her growth spurt? ------- ¡°Hmm¡­ hmmhmm¡­ hmmhmmhmmm¡­¡± The little elf hummed to herself as she made her through the city. At night, especially around one or two in the morning like this, the city was mostly silent, with the only sound coming from the taverns and pleasure houses that were still doing their business. She was now back in her normal outfit with her spear strapped on her back. She would always bring her weapon whenever she would work late, as a precautionary measure. Thankfully, Hera didn''t seem to mind. Not a single day went by without her thinking about her son. And now that she had more free time without her job as a maid, she could spend it sewing clothes for him. As a mother, he wanted him to look his best The last thing she remembered was the pair of hands pressing the handkerchief into her nose and mouth. And then, darkness. Vol 4 Chapter 26: The Five Braves Hugo When we arrived back at Arborea, it was right in the afternoon. We separated right after the front gates, with me and Felicia going back to our workshop and Theo and Tama going back to their apartment. I also congratulated the kid, not for just the increase in his sword abilities these past two months, but also for the whole sex thing. Because he and his catgirl girlfriend would do it every single night afterwards. I would¡¯ve lodged a noise complaint, but I would be a bad mentor and friend if I did. What kind of a guy would complain about his guy friend having a lot of action in bed? After taking them to take it easy, we left. Only to immediately notice that something was off. ¡°Hold on, is it just me, or something¡¯s different about the town?¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t noticed it earlier, Milord. This thick, cloying atmosphere, the nervous looks on the guards¡¯ face, and the lack of people on the streets¡ªsomething big must have happened in our absence¡ªsomething big, I reckon. I suggest we make a visit to the Guild for information.¡± ¡°Good idea. Taverns aren¡¯t open this time of the day.¡± ---------- "Hey, you guys! You''re finally back!" When we entered the building, we were immediately greeted by one of the receptionists. As we made our way to her, I noticed the number of adventurers there had decreased quite noticeably from the usual amount. "Two months inside that place! Did you clear it? It''s your first time going into the second stratum right?" She wasn''t the snake lady that gave us trouble before. Instead, she was a perfectly normal human¡ªa short haired brunette with an excited look on her face. Her chin was resting on her hands, and her decently-sized chest was pressed into the table. "How do you know that?" I asked. "Oh come on now!" She giggled. "You''re our most exciting up-and-comers! Three powerful adventurers coming out of nowhere! We''re keeping a close eye on you for sure!" "So," Felicia spoke. "Something big happened while we were away, right? Mind telling us?" "Ooh, sharp! I like that!" She giggled again. "Fine! Leave it to Brune here to fill you in!" ¡­ When she finished, I could only exchange concerned looks with Felicia. "Oh, don''t look glum!" Brune giggled some more. "Our Lord will take care of this! His daughter is a Grandmaster-level mage and he himself is a powerful mage as well. With them on the frontline with the other city-states, I''m sure we''ll repel those demons in no time!" "What element?" I blurted out. "Element?" She tilted her head. "Umm, I think it''s wind. Yes!" She clapped her hands. "It''s definitely wind!" "Oh, speaking of her, she''s looking for adventurers to bolster her army. You guys, as S-ranks, would be perfect. If you''re interested, I can register your names. You''ll be summoned when the time comes, which should be around this month. So don''t go anywhere and visit the Guild every day!" "We''ll have to pass." Felicia quickly answered. "We''re not interested in becoming soldiers of war." "Really? That''s a shame. The pay is really good, you know!" "We prefer to explore more of the dungeon instead." I followed. "Well, if you change your mind, then we''ll be waiting!" She giggled again, for what could''ve only been the one hundredth time. -------- We then went to our workshop to both rest and have a meeting on what to do next. With the war looming on the horizon, I was starting to think it might be better to go south, deep into the Continent, crossing the border fully, and going beyond the region ruled by the Wisdom Demon King. It was only him who''s going to war after all, not the rest of demonkind. Ever since the fall of the Demon God, the demons had pretty much sequestered themselves from each other. Just like us humans, really, with our many kingdoms. We were now sitting inside the room upstairs, with me on the bed and Felicia on the chair across the room. "Well," I sighed, smiling wryly. "What do you think? Should we move on from this city before the war starts for real? "Up to you, Milord." She placed her staff behind her. "Our plan to gain the support of Victoria''s family had failed and now a full-blown war could very well be a possibility." "You think the war will get all the way here?¡± I asked. ¡°No. However, I¡¯m worried that our local lord here will just decide that all adventurers are to be enlisted in the war. You see how there were a lot less adventurers in the Guild? They probably had made their way back to the Holy Continent, just so they could avoid being drafted into the war. Demon adventurers on the other hand would turn their tail back to the south. They wisely believed the humans would turn against them at any time now that war is imminent.¡± ¡°On the other hand,¡± A small smirk appeared on her face. ¡°This is a good opportunity to gain fame and to earn the goodwill of this city¡¯s lord. Prove yourself in combat and you¡¯ll be lauded as a hero before you know it.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, Felicia. Do you like being a pawn to a guy like him?" "No," she said flatly. "But it''s an option nonetheless." "A risky one, I might add, seeing you''ll be up against a Demon Lord. Any demon with that title can only be incredibly strong. It would be unwise to face him in battle unnecessarily." "True enough¡­" As the gears in my head turned, my sight caught notice of the all too familiar red peeking between Felicia''s legs. "Hey, do you intentionally sit like that or do you not notice you''re showing your panties?" "Oh, this?" She opened her legs even larger, showing her satin panties further. "Feel free to think as you wish, Milord." She winked. "I don''t want you flashing your underwear without knowing." I left the bed and walked towards her. "Though to be honest, I think you aren''t the type to be clumsy like that. It''s intentional, isn''t it?" I smiled. "...As expected." Her smirk grew. "You are sharp, Milord. Yes. I know well how to sit. Men just can''t resist the allure of my long legs. And you, Milord, you can''t resist the sight of my lovely underwear. So every time I sit, I''ll make sure you get a glimpse. I trained for this, you know, as part of my practice to seduce men." She was now smiling proudly, patting herself in the chest. "Don''t worry, Milord. I''ll sit properly in the company of other men. I don''t want you to get all jealous after all." She giggled. "But enough about my panties. Let''s go back to the topic at hand. That Myrilla person, do you think she''ll side with demons?" "No." I shook my head. "I don''t think so. She''s the pragmatic type. She won''t join in a war she has no reason to be in. She''s been traveling solo as an adventurer for years and I doubt that would change." "Is something the matter, Milord?" "N-no, nothing. I was just¡­ thinking." "You look troubled. If you think there''s a chance she might join the other side, then it''s all the more reason we shouldn''t be joining the human side." "...Y-you''re right. Scratch that idea. For now, we should just continue up the dungeon. Get that Dream Orb to contact her." "Very well. If that is your decision. But I suggest we hurry. And so, today, we should prepare to go back in right away." She sat up and grabbed her staff. "You can stay here, Milord. Take a nap. I''ll handle the shopping. You''re still young after all." She smiled, before heading to the door. --------- I spent the rest of the day napping. In fact, I was asleep all the way to the night, only waking up when Felicia returned. She had cooked me dinner. Or rather, lunch and dinner, as I had skipped the former. We ate downstairs in the laboratory. The workshop didn''t have a dedicated dining room so it''d have to do. And it helped that the utensils she used to cook were there as well (her alchemy cauldron was also a cooking pot for example). After a delicious and filling roasted pork dish, we went back upstairs to sleep. Only to be rudely interrupted by a loud knocking from downstairs. Luckily, it was already early morning when it happened, so we didn''t lose much sleep from it. When we opened the door, Theo was standing behind it. And he looked like he was about to cry at any second. "M-Master Hugo! Tira! She''s been¡­ she''s been kidnapped!" My heart sank. "H-here! I got this letter!" I took the paper and opened it. "Please! Save her! Save her, please!" Theo was now hugging me, crying in the process. I noticed Tama standing behind him and she looked¡­ upset? Patting the kid''s head, I said to him, "Of course I''ll help. As your master, it''s my duty to help my apprentice any way I can!" He released me and now stood in front of me with a big smile on his face. "T-thank you!" "Now wipe those tears!" I firmly pat his shoulder. "You''re embarrassing yourself in front of your girlfriend, you know!" --------- We didn''t delay even for a single second. We made our way south straight away. We were already familiar with the outpost the letter spoke of, seeing how we had passed it once, when we killed the adamantoise turtle. Theo insisted on coming along. I couldn''t blame him in the slightest. As for Tama, well, she followed wherever he went. Like a cat. "I think¡­" I muttered as we walked. "I think I might know the identity of this kidnapper." "Truly, Milord?" "Really? Who is it? Who''s the bad guy that kidnapped Mother?" I sighed. "Sorry, Felicia. I''ve hid this from you." I then told her about the amazonesses, and how I had humiliated them two months ago. "They might have kidnapped Tira to get back to me. Sorry. I should''ve killed them instead." "Those two¡­ I''ve heard their names before." Felicia replied. "They''re members of the Ten Braves, are they not?" "The Ten Braves?" I raised an eyebrow. "You don''t know, Master Hugo?" Theo followed. "They''re the strongest adventuring party in Arborea! Ten S-rank adventurers! It''s amazing!" His excitement soon disappeared, however, once he realized what it meant. "You really should''ve talked to me about this, Milord." Felicia huffed. "You know how these people work. You fight off one of them, the rest will come knocking for revenge." "You''re right." I smiled wryly. "I just don''t want to make you worry, that''s all." "As your future wife, it''s my job to worry about you. So never do this again, alright?" "Y-yeah, point taken." -------- We soon arrived at the outpost, or rather, the ruins of one. Either monsters or the weather itself had destroyed the once proud settlement (or so I imagined). Now, the five buildings that remained had no roof whatsoever while the half-crumbling watchtowers fit perfectly with the ruined stone walls. And in the middle of that, standing in broad daylight, were two men. One was a human, the other a lizardkin. The human was old, with sleepy eyes, wrinkled face and a long white beard. He had a monocle adorning his face. His posture looked like he had back problems. And yet, I couldn''t help but feel wary of him, as if he was some great sage beneath all that. Maybe thanks to his staff. The lizardkin on the other hand stood proudly, with an axe resting on his shoulder and a round shield tied to his other arm. He was beefy, and his clothes did little to hide it. "Milord." Felicia whispered. "There are three others. They''re hiding to the left and right around us." "Got it." Of course, I had told her to scout the area with her shadow magic beforehand. "Oi, you two are the kidnappers?" I yelled. "Tell your friends to come out. You''re from the Ten Braves, are you not? So much for the strongest party." I put on my smuggest grin. Yeah, I''m taunting them. If they''re going to play dirty, then so will I. "Hedora, Jedora, Twento ¡ª come out and greet our guests." The lizardman spoke. Just as Felicia foretold, three others came out from the houses to our left and right. Two were familiar faces¡ªthe Amazoness sisters¡ªand the other was a new one¡ªa black-haired, black-feathered harpy woman. "G-give back Tira!" Theo yelled. "Yeah, that''s right. You five want to fight me? Here I am. Don''t involve some stranger in our fight." "...Very well." The old man answered. "That kid and the catkin¡ªthey''re not part of your party. They can go. The elf is in that building over there." He pointed to the ruins to his left. "Go." I ordered the kid. "I''ll be fine on my own." With a concerned look, he nodded. He then made his way there, with Tama by his side. Never taking their hands of their weapons, of course. After five minutes of waiting, the two came back out. And indeed, Tira was with them, with Theo helping her walk. "Is she alright?" I yelled. "She''s fine!" Tama yelled back. "Just drowsy from her drug, that''s all!" "Good! Then take her away!" "T-thank you!" It was the kid''s turn to yell. "Be careful, alright!" "Don''t worry! These chumps won''t know what hit ''em!" Once they were out of sight, the lizardman spoke again. "Chumps? You''re awfully confident for someone who''s awfully outnumbered." "You guys don''t have a chance to win against us." I replied, switching my grin into a more threatening one. "You have no idea who we are after all." "Ooh, who you are?" The harpy giggled. "You''re food for us! Even if you''re stronger than these two idiots¡ª" She gestured towards the Amazoness sisters. "¡ªwe three are easily stronger than them." "Hey, take that back, you birdbrained woman!" The younger sister yelled. "Why should I? It''s the truth~" "Enough!" The lizardman yelled. "Save your bickering for later." Turning his sight back at me, he then said, "Sorry kiddo, but for the sake of the Ten Braves'' reputation, you have to go. You shouldn''t have sent them walking through town without clothes when you defeated them." "Really? Well, guess for you guys, death would be better then." "Attack!" The first three who attacked were the sisters and the lizardman. We countered this via Felicia''s shadow barrier. "Gah! A shield of darkness? You''re a shadow mage, not an alchemist?" The lizardman exclaimed. "I''m both actually." She grinned. It''s true. Her shield had been augmented by a magic boost potion she just drank. That''s why she could block three simultaneous blows from S-rank adventurers without flinching. Of course, it wouldn''t last forever. Which is why we had to finish this fast. "Boom Rifle." I aimed my wand and fired the wind bullet. Right through the lizardman''s chest. "Gwaahh!" He let out a pained groan as he fell backwards, covering the hole in his chest that I just made. I wasn''t finished, however. Before they could retreat, I drew my sword with my other hand and slashed at the older Amazoness. She dashed backwards, but not fast enough to dodge my mithril making a huge gash on her exposed stomach. "Hedora!" The younger one screamed. "Why you!" "You take care of the old man. I''ll take care of her." I told Felicia. "Of course." I ran out from Felicia''s barrier and chased after the younger Amazoness, using Graceful Step as much as I could. Surprised by my offense, her defense started off in a backfoot. She blocked my sword slashes using the bracelets she wore on both arms, countering with her kicks instead. However, since she was so easy to read, it was all for me to dodge every single blow. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You brat! How?! How can you be this strong?!" "I told you, didn''t I?" I grinned. "You have no idea who you¡¯re dealing with.¡± ----------- Felicia With Milord taking care of that brutish girl, it¡¯s up to me to take care of this old coot. Oh, would you look at that? He erected a holy barrier. A priest, then. And the harpy¡­ she''s going to bring the injured inside the barrier to be healed. Not on my watch. I sent my shadow across, elongating it all the way to where the lizardman was. Just in time to deter her from picking him up. Too bad. That means I''ll just do this. "Shadow Spike!" Whatever life he retained was snuffed the moment my tendrils pierced all over his body. One down, four to go. But for now, it''s time for me to reposition myself, for the harpy was now flying right to my position. Shadow Merge really is a convenient spell. ------- Hugo With a Staccato Thrust, I pushed my blade right through her stomach. She coughed blood, right onto my hand. How unpleasant. However, to my surprise, she didn''t give up. Grabbing the blade to make sure I didn''t go anywhere, she grinned before sending a kick right into my abdomen. I was greedy. I didn''t expect this reaction in the slightest. Using Fortissimo, I reduced the damage I took when I crashed onto the wall behind me. Still, it hurt. A lot. Some of my ribs must have cracked from it. I summoned my water fairy as I needed healing. As for her, she fell down to the ground with a grin on her face, with my sword still lodged in her stomach. "Master! W-what''s going on?" "No time to explain. Heal me." "G-got it!" ------- Felicia "Where is she? Where is that damn bitch?" "Calm down, Twento. She''s using Shadow Merge. Look for the shadow she''s going to appear from." "Protect me with your Whirlwind. I''m going to heal these sorry excuse of adventurers." I moved my shadows through the ruins, slipping through the rubbles unnoticed, closer and closer to where the old man was. I then manifested myself inside the nearest building to him, behind the wall so they wouldn''t see me. And then, I threw one of my ice bottles right over said wall, aiming for it to land on the old man and freeze him. Fire and poison gas wouldn''t work if the harpy could just blow it all away with her wings. "Gokura! Behind you!" "Hmm?" Too late. Even if he were to smack it away with his staff, I already shook the concoction before throwing it. All he would do was to make it explode. ¡­ Yep. With that loud explosion, he should be an icicle by now. And now, back to hiding in the shadows. -------- Hugo I took the sword from the amazoness'' corpse, telling my fairy to wash away the blood on it along with my hand. I sheathed my sword. Looking back at where I left Felicia, I saw she was no longer there. And in the middle of the outpost, there was a large ice crystal there. I aimed my wand and fired a Homing Boom Cannon at her. She didn''t even see it coming. And just like that, half of the Ten Braves were gone. ------- After burning the bodies, we rendezvoused with Theo and the others. Theo, being Theo, jumped right on top of me, thanking me over and over. Tira followed suit, bowing as deeply as she could. Even Tama did the same. It wasn''t over though. Not in the long shot. There were still five others. And knowing how they functioned, we had to take care of them too. Such is life on the Demon Continent. No, the entire world. Vol 4 Chapter 27: The Other Five Braves Back at Arborea, a certain meeting had just finished inside the Relfatia Estate. It was a meeting between Marlene and the other members of the Ten Braves. For the party had decided to accept her offer, to be the sword and shield of Arborea against the demons. Or, to put it in less fancy terms, they had become mercenaries-for-hire for the city state. The five remaining members were now walking towards the front gate, with the sun already setting on the horizon. The meeting took quite a lot of time after all, with their leader haggling and bargaining like the best merchant in all of the Demon Continent. In the end, they had come to a pleasant arrangement. Suffice to say they could all live like kings now, at least until the war was over. Their moment of joy was rudely interrupted, however, by the people who waited for them outside of the gate. It was a blonde-haired boy with blue eyes, followed by a red-headed woman. None of them had known or even seen them before, and yet, their leader couldn¡¯t help but put one hand on the hilt of his blade. ¡°You. You¡¯re the leader of the Ten Braves, right? Targon, correct?¡± The boy¡¯s assessment was, of course, 100% on point. He was indeed speaking to him, the one and only leader of the Ten Braves. ¡°Here. I brought you this.¡± A round object popped out of thin air, landing on the boy¡¯s hand before he threw it right at him. His expression, unlike the expressions of his teammates, didn¡¯t change in the slightest when he realized what the boy had just thrown. It was the decapitated, frozen head of Gokura, one of their members. He already knew, no, that the boy was indeed the infamous Hugo Greenwood. He had that sharp look in his eyes¡ªthe eyes of a fighter. A murderer. Just like him. And he had now returned triumphant against the old priest and the others. "Y-you bastard!" "Stop it, Antilla." He ordered the bunny girl ranger. "B-but Targon¡­" "Hugo Greenwood, I take it?" He ignored her, opting to speak with the boy instead. "What do you want?" "Your friends kidnapped my friend''s mother," the boy replied coldly. "What do you think I want?" "I see." He smiled. "You believe we will seek revenge as well. You''re right. Now that I know your strength, I want to fight you myself. But, just so you know¡­" He activated his killing aura, sending it straight towards the boy. To his surprise, he barely even flinched. That was a first for him. Usually anyone hit by it would at least take a step backwards. He just used it to his new employer to intimidate her and she visibly flinched, as much as she pretended not to. "You''re done?" The boy spoke. "I''m done." His smile grew bigger. "Let us take this outside town. We don''t want to make a mess of the place, do we?" ------- They were now standing in the southern wasteland, away from the city. The boy had agreed to a one-on-one fight. And so, they were now facing down against each other, with their entourage staying far away on the back. He had drawn his sword while the boy had his wand. He didn''t lose sight of the boy''s sheathed sword though, anticipating he would use it once he was cornered into a melee fight. A mageblade. He hadn''t fought one of those in a long time. "We''ll start once this coin hits the ground." He showed a simple gold coin to the boy from a distance. The boy only replied with a nod. He flipped it to the air. And yet, before it hit the ground, he already swung his sword, sending a powerful pressure wave towards the boy. Life is unfair. So why play by the rules? To his awe, the boy managed to respond in time, though not in the way he predicted, using a summon to create a wall to block his attack. He could feel it¡ªhis excitement rising up and up. He had not fought an opponent as exciting as this. Not since that swordswoman. But him¡ªhe could actually win against him. The boy had covered himself in a brick hut. He jumped forward, grabbing the hilt of his sword before swinging down at full force. Earthsplitter. It was a technique known to Champion-rank Lancelot-style swordsmen. It was the move that the swordswoman used against him in their fight. Her other techniques eluded him, but this one was simple enough for him to mimic. Yes, ever since he was little, he had a knack to mimic other swordsman''s techniques. He didn''t know why, nor did he care to know. Talent? A gift from the Heavenly Dragon? Or maybe the Demon God. It didn''t matter. All he cared about was that it made him strong¡ªstrong enough to be called a monster. How many adventurers had fallen to his blade just because he felt like it? He had lost count a long time ago. But, behind the swordswoman, this kid was easily the second most exciting opponent he had ever faced. Before his sword could connect, something came out from the hut. Something that pierced him right in his heart. Or it would, if he didn''t block it with his sword at the last millisecond, switching his form into Galahad. And then, the hut burst open, sending bricks flying towards him. He cut them all down, only to find the boy hiding behind him, with his own sword drawn. He had underestimated him. He would actually, willingly chase after him. He was not fighting like a cowardly mage. He was fighting like a true swordsman. They exchanged rapid blows as they fell from the air. The boy was keeping up with Galahad-style assault, something that impressed him to no end. His swings were as fast as sound, and yet, he parried it all with ease. When they landed, the boy dashed backwards, putting a distance between them again. "Hugo Greenwood." He was now grinning as he pointed his sword at him. "You''re a worthy specimen. It''s a shame you have to be an enemy." The boy didn''t respond. "No words? Fine. Then let''s resume this dance, shall we?" He then shifted his form again, back to Lancelot. Only this time, he added a little to his sword. "O divine lightning. Grant my blade your strength and aid me in cutting down my enemies." A jolt of electricity now crackled around his sword. He was a mageblade as well. --------- Hugo "Hey, you bury yourself for now. Come out and attack when he''s distracted." I told the earth fairy. "Or the others, if they decide to join." "Understood." She nodded, before disappearing down the ground she was standing in. I then activated Wind Step and bolted up to the sky. I aimed my wand at him while continuing to dodge his barrage of attacks mid-air. When I learned Dual Casting inside the dungeon, I prioritized my control over Wind Step, making it so I could move with ease without even thinking about it. And then, I fired a Boom Cannon. The homing version, of course. And wow, he actually dodged it, turning sharply so my spell couldn''t follow him. My homing ability was nowhere near perfect. It was still just a light angle adjustment. Too bad I could just spam the spell over and over again. -------- Down on the ground, Targon''s friends could only watch as once again, their unbeatable leader was having trouble with his opponent. The first was with the swordswoman. The second was with this brat. They began to think he wasn''t this invincible monster after all, despite him being strong enough to solo an S-rank monster. "H-hey, we should help him, don''t you think?" The bunny girl spoke, her ears twitching nervously. "No. He wants to fight one on one. So we''ll give him his fight." The female hobbit replied. Unlike her companion, she didn''t look concerned in the slightest. "Tch, screw that! Why does he get to have all the fun?" The bare chested human warrior followed. "I don''t like where this is going." The female centaur was the last to comment. "We should intervene." "Well, that''s three on one! Good enough for me!" Before the others could say anything, the warrior jumped to the sky, chasing after the two. "Wait, hold on¡ª Urgh, he already left." The hobbit groaned, holding her forehead as she felt a headache coming. "Alright, you two. Go take out the redhead. I''ll support those two idiots with my spell." "Got it!" The centaur replied before charging forward. The bunny girl, however, took aim at the mage instead. ¡°Breaking Shot! Bam!" She let an arrow loose, three times the speed of sound. It was her strongest, fastest arrow that could penetrate a stone wall with ease. No way a mage like her could dodge or block it. Of course, she did. Or rather, she struck a shadow clone instead. Not the real body. ¡°Gyaahh!" sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Francesca!" The centaur didn''t fare any better as her galloping legs were swallowed by the ground. In her carelessness, or her false assumption that Hugo''s summon had left him, she didn''t anticipate the sprite opening the ground under her. Her front legs were broken in an instant, snapped into two. She then fell over forward, snapping her neck in the process. The sprite wasn''t finished, however, as she now tunneled towards the bunny girl and the hobbit. She was going to be useful to her master after all. ------- Hugo "Water fairy! Come out! Guard me from my enemies!" A surge of water manifested itself in front of me before forming the all-too-familiar blue-haired figure. "Go down there and fight off that guy!" I pointed, while still dodging the thunder blasts of their golden-haired leader. "T-that guy? G-got it!" She flew as fast as she could to intercept him. As I predicted, the lightning guy wouldn''t just let her. Switching target momentarily, he fired at her instead of me. Giving me the opening I needed. Ignoring the "Kyaah!" I heard from behind me (I dashed forward in a straight line towards him, charging another Boom Cannon on the tip of my wand. It was a risky maneuver for sure, as if I missed, I would most likely get hit by his lightning. But, like my dear teacher Fiora said, "you can''t win if you don''t take risks." It''s the same in combat as well as in life. "Boom Cannon!" To my surprise, he managed to bring his sword for a block, even with a fear-filled look on his face. But, it wasn''t enough. The impact shattered his sword before destroying his armor as well. Naturally, his flesh didn''t survive either. As he fell, I didn''t celebrate. For there was still one more guy I needed to take care of. "Targon!" Scratch that, two. That hobbit was now casting a spell in my direction. I dived down, using Wind Step at full strength like a jet engine. "Damn you! Get back here and fight me you coward!" The big sword guy dived as well, spinning his greatsword like a drill. As I dived, once I was close enough, I scrambled whatever magic she was casting. And then, right before impact, I boosted full power horizontally, correcting my trajectory in a near perfect 90 degrees. Only for him to halt his descent right before his sword hit the hobbit. He then swung his sword at me without delay, sending shockwaves I was all too familiar with. "Wind Wall." I erected my barrier though I knew it wouldn''t last long. It was just to buy time¡ªtime I needed to launch my counterattack. -------- Meanwhile, the archer girl was now busy dodging the relentless assault of Hugo''s earth sprite. Obeying the command of her master, she refused to surface at all, attacking the rabbitfolk from below the ground. "Damn you! Get out! Get out now!" She fired her explosive arrows to try and coax her out. However, no matter how many crater she created on the ground, the sprite wasn''t hurt in the slightest. She didn''t know it but the fey was quite a bit deeper under the earth than she imagined, away from the blast zone itself. And, unlike some of her friends, she couldn''t hover in the air, so there really was no escape for her. None whatsoever. "Hey, help me over here, you shitty hobbit!" She yelled. Her friend didn''t respond as she too had her own problem. "Why¡­ why isn''t my spell¡­ working? "I, the genius mage, should never have failed to cast a spell. This¡­ this doesn''t make sense! I refuse to believe it! I refuse! "That damn brat! What did he do to me? What did he do?!" She looked down at her book. The page that had stored her spell¡ªit was empty. "I casted it! And yet, it didn''t trigger! Why?! How?!" ... "Nevermind that! I have to¡­ I have to kill this brat!" She wasn''t angry because her leader was taken out. He was just a co-worker, and she had no particular feelings for him. No, she was angry because the brat had humiliated her. As a mage, her pride couldn''t take it. She opened a different page¡ªinto a rune of a particular water spell. Whirlpool. A perfect spell to capture a fast moving target. She activated the rune, aiming it to the general direction to where he was currently at. "Whirlpool!" The spell activated and she watched with glee as a puddle of water manifested in the area. The puddle would expand and spin at high speed and tendrils of water would come out from it, dragging down anyone and anything nearby. And then, the puddle disappeared. Poofed back into thin air, as if it was never there at all. "W-wha¡ªb-but that can''t be why is my spell failing why is it I didn''t make a mistake when drawing the runes or did I no I didn''t that brat must be the one but how he¡­" Her swirling thoughts were cut short as a Boom Cannon hit her head on, obliterating her small body in an instant. In her panic, she didn''t even notice the boy aiming his wand towards her. ------- Hugo I landed on the ground and switched to using Graceful Steps for my movement instead. ¡°Big mistake!¡± He stabbed his greatsword to the ground, causing a massive wave of raised earth to spread around him, accompanied by a debilitating earthquake. For me though, I simply lifted myself back up again. The attack was so awfully obvious after all. "Boom Cannon!" Just like his leader, he managed to block my spell at the last moment. "D-damn youuuu!" And just like him, his sword broke from the pressure, allowing the cannon to hit him right on his bare chest. Not that any armor would''ve helped, of course. And just like that, the warrior fell. -------- Another Boom Cannon later, the last of the Ten Braves fell. ¡°Master, who are these people?¡± Earth Sprite had resurfaced and she was now looking at me all worriedly. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry.¡± I put up a smile, patting her in the head. ¡°They¡¯re just¡­ nobodies. Just some bad adventurers that we have to fight.¡± "Now, come here for your hug!" With a shy smile, the sprite came over and wrapped her arms around me tightly, pressing her soft boobs onto my chest. "Would that be all, Master?" The earth sprite asked after releasing me. "Yes, that would be all. You can rest now." She nodded, before melting into the ground in a puddle of mud. "Wonderful job, Milord. That was flawless." The redheaded mage approached me with a grin on her face. "You really are growing even stronger by the day. Taking on five S-rank adventurers on your own? That''s an amazing feat." "Oh, it was nothing. I still have a lot to learn. My spells can still be improved and my stamina can be better as well. Look at me, I''m sweaty from top to bottom." "Well, Milord, if you wish, you can undress here and clean up with magic. There''s nobody else around after all~" she said with a predatory glint. "Hmph, you just want to see me naked, don''t you?" I smirked. "Fine. I need to do that before we go to Victoria''s place anyways." Vol 4 Chapter 28: The Game of Demons "You¡­ you came back! How dare you show your face here again after that display? Throwing a decapitated head in front of our Lord''s estate! We''ll hang you for that offense!" When we arrived back at the estate, our reception was exactly as I had predicted. Unwelcome. The guards had their spears and bows pointed at us. There were at least thirty of them, not to mention the archers on the walls behind them. Like I had said before, the place was like a miniature castle. "W-wait, hold on, if he''s here, doesn''t that mean he won against the Ten Braves?" "Are you serious? A brat like him winning against the strongest adventurers in all of Arborea? Do you have any idea how many S-rank monsters they have slain?" Ignoring their banter, I threw the decapitated head of the blond leader guy on the ground. "Y-you¡ªyou bastard!" "Move one muscle and I''ll kill every single one of you in a flash," I replied, aiming my wand at them. "You know you guys are outmatched, so let us go in and meet your mistress." "Let them in." Our conversation was interrupted by none other than the head butler. The old man had appeared behind the soldiers. He looked quite livid, judging by that stare he''s giving me. "B-but Sir¡ª" "Our mistress orders so. Would you disobey her wish?" "I-I see. Well, if you say so, Sir¡­¡± The soldiers withdrew their weapons and opened the gate. I put my wand back in my pocket in response. The butler took us through the courtyard and the front door. This time, he didn''t tell us to wait in the guest room. Instead, he led us to the second floor where the meeting room was. And there, three figures stood. The first was the unpleasant, villain-looking middle-aged man I was already familiar with. Victoria''s father. He had a frown on his face. In front of him, taking the center stage, was a girl I had not met before, standing before me with a grin on her face. I took notice of her wand first. It was far different from mine, as it looked like a metal rod embroidered with small jewels and a large one on the tip. I noticed her large boobs second. Size wise, definitely bigger than Felicia''s. Lastly, I noticed the rest of her. She was a blonde, with her hair tied into a single long braid to the side. She wore a dress common to noblewoman, a mixture of white and blue. And speaking of Victoria, she''s here too. And how she looks so different wearing a dress instead of her armor. Her boobs still were as noticeable as ever though¡ªthere really isn''t any way to hide them when they''re that large. She stood meekly far to the side, a position a maid would be in. And yet, she was obviously staring at my direction. As for the room itself, it was surprisingly large. It was longer vertically than horizontally, so they were standing quite a distance away from us. There were a dozen chairs and a long table in the middle of the room, with a map laid on top of the latter. Armored statues decorated the west and east side while a family painting rested at the south side of the room. Of course, Victoria''s picture was nowhere near to be found. "So, you''re the kid who has defeated the Ten Braves. And just when we had come to an arrangement too. Greetings. My name is Marlene Fay Relfatia. It''s a pleasure to meet you." She gave a quick curtsy, her boobs bouncing in the process. Dragging my thoughts away from those melons, I replied, "Sorry, but they kidnapped my friend. And they were the one picking a fight with me in the first place." I replied. "They did? I assume to force you to fight them? Ah, adventurers. Untrustworthy mercenaries, the lot of them." "So why are you calling me here then? If you''re telling me to fight your war in exchange for forgiveness, think again." "Now now, let''s not rush ahead. First, I want to see the adventurer my little sister is so enamored with. And I have to say, your strength is more impressive than your looks." "Victoria. Come here. Tell them what we have discussed." My attention shifted to the half-fairy. Slowly, she walked to the center of the room, where I could get a better look of her. Her dress was dull brown and her hair was tied to a bun. She timidly looked down, a far cry from the bombastic chuuni I met back on that ship. "I¡­ I want to tell you¡­ that I''m thankful for everything you did for me." She spoke, still averting her gaze. "But, from now on, you don''t have to worry about me anymore. Big Sis¡­ she needs my help now. So I will stay here to accompany her." "Yep!" The sister placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Victoria! With you by my side, the prosperity of the Relfatia Family is guaranteed." I wasn''t impressed. Clearly, Victoria''s heart wasn''t fully in it¡ªwhatever she wanted to do with her. "Hey, Victoria." I smiled at the girl, giving her a short wave of my hand. "How are you doing? Do they treat you well here? It''s been two months since I last saw you after all and I couldn''t help but feel a little bit worried." "W-worried?" She finally looked up to face me. "You''re worried about me, Sir Hugo?" "Yes, I do. Even though it wasn''t long, we were traveling companions after all. It''s only natural for me to be worried." "Oh, you''re worried about my dear little sister? How sweet." She put her hand once more on her shoulder, causing her to visibly flinch from the impact. "You know, she''s single. If you want her, I can give her to you." Her smirk widened. "Do you take Milord for a fool? You want his power, don''t you?" Felicia, who had kept her silence all this time, finally spoke. "You want to force a marriage on him so you can have him work for you! Well, it wouldn''t work! Because he already has me as his future wife!" Felicia patted her chest with a proud smile. "Oh?" Her gaze shifted towards her. "You are her, are you not? The runaway necromancer?" And judging by Felicia''s smile vanishing, she was just as surprised as I was. "Cordelia Flameu. Or Felicia Myne." She now had a victorious grin on her face. "The infamous murderous necromancer. Kingslayer. Schemer. Witch of the dark and shadows. A demoness. Need I say more? I''ve gotten all the info I need. From the Church, the Guild, and my own information network. There''s no denying it." "...No," I answered. "You have said enough. Blackmail, isn''t it? Work for you in exchange for you not telling the Church?" "Now we''re talking. I like it when I converse with someone that has a brain." "...No. There''s another option I can take. I can just kill you right here and now." "Ohohoho! You want to face me, a Grandmaster-level mage? My strength is equal to a nation''s entire army! You adventurers are just ants underneath my perfect, flawless self! And besides, you don''t want to make poor Victoria here be an orphan, do you?" She was now grinning outwardly. Gone was the dignified image she once had. Her sadistic side was now on full display. "Victoria." I switched my gaze to the half-fairy. "Are you okay with this? Living with her? With this family?" "Y-yes, I''m fine! So please! Don''t hurt them, Sir Hugo!" I moved my eyes back to the grinning witch. "So, you want us to go to war against the demons? Is that it?" "No, not yet. For now, you''ll stay in the city and be a good boy. You can go exploring in that dungeon of yours. Your part in this conflict has not come yet." "You''re not taking back the mines? How about Fontaine''s defenses?" "Oh, dear, I''m not going to explain politics with you. An adventurer like you should not concern yourself with such delicate and complicated matters. You are the muscle. I am the brain." "But, if you have to ask, we simply need more time to prepare. The Demon Lord has said that he wouldn''t push the offensive further if we let the mines be his. So we intend to use this time to build up a massive army and crush him and his kingdom once and for all." "And you''re just going to take him on his word?" I replied. "Well, the bulk of their army has retreated from the frontline, so yes." I turned to face Felicia. "What do you think?" The redheaded mage didn''t respond right away, not before she eyed the arrogant girl from top to bottom. Sighing, she said to me, "We don''t have a choice. That idiot girl wants her family alive after all." She smiled grimly at me, before looking towards Victoria with a scowl. "Hey, Miss Idiot Knight. I hope you don''t regret protecting these people." "I¡­ I am not an idiot!" To my surprise, Victoria actually fought back. "My sister¡ªshe needs me now! I know you and Sir Hugo don''t really need me! I''m just the third wheel! A burden! So of course I''m going with her!" "...So be it. Have it your way." She turned back to face me. "Do as you wish, Milord." Victoria was now hugging the right arm of her sister. "Very well." I turned to face Marlene. "We''ll accept your terms. For now, at the very least." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Wonderful." She smiled. "Now, if you would stay for the night¡ª" "No thanks. We''re busy. We''re going back into the dungeon tomorrow." "I see. How unfortunate." And so, our meeting with the famed Marlene Fay Relfatia ended. Better than expected, to be honest. I was ready to fight against her if I had to. Even if she was a Grandmaster-level mage. I would never be a coward again after all. Still, Victoria seemed to have made up with her older sister. I didn''t know whether to celebrate or not. She was definitely just using her. But, what else could I do? Victoria seemed to be just fine being used like that, as long as she got the praise she craved. ------- We told everything that had transpired to Theo and the others afterwards. Theo, being Theo, thanked me again for the hundredth time, while crying tears of joy. I apologized quickly though, knowing this whole mess happened because of me in the first place. Felicia then checked up on Tira. She seemed to be perfectly fine, to our relief. They didn''t do anything untoward at her, thankfully enough, only drugging her to be a bait for me. Just like they said. After having dinner together in their apartment, we made our way back to our workshop. It had been a long day. And I certainly could use a good rest. --------- Victoria "Well, that went swimmingly well. All thanks to my perfect negotiating skill of course." Once Hugo and Felicia left, Marlene began to celebrate her victory. The strongest adventurer in all of Arborea¡­ was now under her thumb. "Good work, little sister." She ruffled Victoria''s hair. "You played your role perfectly." The girl responded by blushing. "T-thank you, Sis. I did just as you told me to." "See? You belong to our family, not with those two. It''s a shame, though, that you can''t seduce that brat while you are with him. You''re too much of an idiot for that." Without warning, she grabbed Victoria''s breasts from behind. "Aahnnn! Sis, what are you¡ª" "Look at these. If I were in your position, that brat would already be in my fingertips. Of course, that middling necromancer would be gone as well." Releasing Victoria''s chest, Marlene walked to the corner of the room behind her, where her father had silently stood all throughout the meeting. Except, it wasn''t her father at all. With a poof, the man that once stood there transformed into a beautiful young woman. "Hmm, his power is indeed impressive. Stronger than those five for sure. Still, no match for me or Balthazar." She was none other than Virana, the Demon Lord of Illusions. "T-then, I really was right to accept your offer, Lady Virana." Facing her, Marlene''s usual composure disappeared into the wind. She gripped her wand tightly, sweat wetting her eyebrows. Her smile was visibly forced as well. "Of course you are." The fox demoness smiled. "The days of human heroes are long over. Your kind is weak, trapped within your own mortality to see the truth of life. The only reason your kind still exists is because us demons do not care to make you extinct." Her eyes traveled to Victoria for a single moment, causing the girl to flinch and jump behind her sister. She was there when the Demon Lord made her sudden visit a few days ago. Never before had she seen her sister and her father looking at someone with pure terror in their faces. And her mother, she laughed before fainting the moment she learned just who she was. Of course, she couldn''t tell her Sir Hugo about her presence. For if she did, she would be killed on the spot. The Demon Lord had promised that to her. She didn''t even dare to glance at her. That was how frightened she was. "Though, personally speaking, I do not care much for your boring civilization and culture, unlike Balthazar. If you bore me enough, I''ll just destroy this city and be on my way. But he''d scold me if I did. And that would be no fun. I want in in his little wargame after all." The truth was, Balthazar didn''t really care about the mines. It was profitable for sure but he didn''t need the extra income from them. No, the reason why he attacked was that he wished to force the humans into a full-blown war. He wanted to see how humanity does their war with his own two eyes. As a self-admitted ¡°admirer of humanity¡±, there is nothing else in his long life that manages to catch his interest. The only one who knew of this truth was Marlene. He spoke it to her himself when he captured her. And she had yet to tell it to anyone else. As for why the fox demoness was helping him¡­ She was bored. That¡¯s all. She had nothing interesting to amuse her for the past two hundred years. No other demons were a threat to her, not when she possessed her level of power. Even destroying random villages, human and demon alike, became boring after a while. The last fifty years¡­ she just pretended to be an ordinary adventurer, traveling the lands without showing her true form. And so, when she one day visited the Demon Lord, and he gave his proposal, she agreed. To start a war that might end thousands¡­ just for a hobby or to relieve boredom¡­ quite the demonlike attitude indeed. ¡°Continue to play your game, little human.¡± She smiled as she patted Marlene on the shoulder. ¡°Your salvation, and this city¡¯s survival, depends on whether or not you play the part of the villain. Gather your forces and declare this city state¡¯s betrayal loud and proud. Once you survived the waves of armies crashing down on your gates long enough for Balthazar to be satisfied, then he would come down and save you. You¡¯ll still have your independence, your family will still retain your authority, and we wouldn¡¯t destroy your city to make an example. Let¡¯s see, he said he wanted to destroy at least two cities. He never did that before, at least to human cities, so he wanted to know how it felt.¡± ¡°R-right. Thank you very much, Lady Virana.¡± ¡°Oh, and of course, that half-elf over there must be prepared to be one of his son''s wife, just like our agreement. Unless you want to take her place?¡± ¡°N-no, she¡¯ll be the one doing the marrying. I need to be here to be the successor of the Relfatia Family.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The fox demoness smiled. ¡°Well, now I¡¯ll leave for a bit. Has to report this to Balthazar after all. So I¡¯ll be back in a month or two. Ta-ta!¡± With a wave of her hand, she disappeared in a puff of smoke. .... ¡°Imbecile!¡± The moment the fox woman disappeared, Marlene walked over to Victoria and slapped her on the face, hard enough to make her fall to the ground. ¡°You say your Hugo is really strong! Well, he¡¯s not strong enough to beat that bitch, is he?! How dare you lie to me, you worthless piece of flesh?!¡± She proceeded to kick her on the head before yanking her up on her hair. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Sis¡­ I-I thought he¡¯s like¡­ the heroes I read¡­¡± ¡°You and your stupid books!¡± She threw her back to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re giving me false hope to be triumphant over that whore! My perfect self, forced to kneel and bend the knee over another, unthinkable! Unconceivable!¡± Marlene was now panting, her face filled with sweat. ¡°You¡¯re a half fairy, are you not? Don¡¯t you have some special power you can use? Or are you only good for your body?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Arrghh, that¡¯s enough. Not a single word out of your dirty mouth. Go back to your room. I don¡¯t want to see your face for the rest of the day.¡± Victoria stood up, nodded weakly, and left the room with a sprint. That was another reason why she couldn¡¯t leave her family. Her sister needed her. Even if she sometimes would slap and kick her, it was only because she was angry at her own powerlessness. It wasn¡¯t out of malice or anything! Or so she told herself. Like she said, she was powerless. If she could purchase the safety of her family and her city with her body, then so be it. She would marry anyone, even if it was the son of a demon lord. She was not a legendary knight like Lady Ashleen. But she could still be of use that way. She had found her purpose at last. Vol 4 Chapter 29: The Administrator Hugo The next morning, after breakfast, we departed to the markets to prepare for our next trip to the World Dungeon. However, there was also one problem we needed to decide on before we went there. Tira. We would once again leave her behind for another one or two months (the average amount of time needed to traverse a stratum by a skilled adventurer, according to the books I read). And after the incident, I couldn¡¯t help but think it¡¯s really unsafe to just leave her alone on the outside. Sure, the Ten Braves were no more, but what about other adventurers who might decide to kidnap her again just so to challenge us to a fight? It¡¯s a slim possibility, since they would know we slaughtered them all without mercy, but who knew what crazy, reckless adventurers there were out there? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The markets, as expected, were less bustling than usual. With war looming on the horizon, knowing that the strongest mage of Arborea had been defeated, they might just decide to skip town and go somewhere else. Somewhere safer to peddle their goods. We decided to split up. I would buy dried food while she would buy her alchemy ingredients. She said she wanted to make some potions, so after she did that, she would return early to the workshop. As for me, I was free to do whatever I wanted for the day. My target was the small shop in the corner of the block. It was a butcher and you could buy dried meat for cheap there if you bought a lot of them. After that, I would move on to my usual fish shop where I would buy dried fish. I could also purchase some fruits, salted ones at that. Yeah, to make them last, they had to be dried or salted. They didn¡¯t taste great but they were sometimes better than the monster meat we got in the dungeon. ¡°Adventurer. I found you at last.¡± All of a sudden, my path was blocked. A cloaked figure stood in front of me. A female elf with purple robes. ¡°Hugo Greenwood. Or should I call you by your other name, Fujimora Takuto?¡± My blood froze. ¡ª¡ª¨C Fujimora Takuto. That was my old name before I became Hugo Greenwood in this world. I never told it to anyone. Not to Marina, not to Felicia, not to Sherry. Then how? How could she know that name? ¡°I know the truth. You were reborn in this world. Your soul, it was never part of this world. You don¡¯t belong to Her.¡± ¡°My name is Xaela, the administrator of Cradle 7. Or the Starswept Observatorium, according to your tongue. If you wish to know the truth of this world, then continue on deeper. I shall wait at the end of the fifth stratum.¡± ¡°W-wait, administrator? The truth of this world? You¡¯re not making any sense! A-and how do you know about all that? I¡¯ve never told anyone about my other life!¡± ¡°¡­The True Enemy¡¯s eyes. You have been under her gaze from the very beginning. No, you even have met her. But you can¡¯t remember. Not with the Veil.¡± ¡°Like I said, you¡¯re not making any sense! Are you a mind-reader? Is that how you know my past?¡± Before I realized it, I already aimed my wand at her. ¡°The True Enemy is growing stronger, Her seal growing weaker. Another Cycle would be needed as sacrifice. And yet, I sense anomalies in the threads of fate. Is it because of you, o Unchained One? Once, another one of you destroyed the order of the world. Would you do it again?¡± ¡°Stop it! Stop being so cryptic, damn you!¡± I was hyperventilating, cold sweat soaking my clothes all over. It was fear. Fear of my secret leaking out. All these thirteen years, I had taken advantage of the fact that I had an adult mind inside a kid¡¯s body. I never thought anything of it, believing that no one would ever find out. Not even Myrilla, the mind-reader, bothered to dig deep into my mind. Just like in those isekai stories. But now, out of nowhere, a stranger said she knew all my secrets. If she were to tell Felicia, she would hate me for sure. Not only for being a disgusting, lazy slob in my old life, but also from keeping this big of a secret from her. ¡°Come to the end of the fifth stratum. There, all shall be revealed. I promise this to you, Unchained One.¡± ¡°Look! Why can¡¯t you just spill the beans right now? It will take me months to get there! I have to restart from Floor 1 since I have a new friend I want to bring along with. So just cut the crap and explain yourself now!¡± ¡°A friend?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Very well. I shall approve of your friend to go to the third stratum immediately. But you have to climb the rest. I wish to see your strength, o Unchained One.¡± Before I could reply, with a bright light, she disappeared. ¡°H-hey, come back! Come back, goddamn you!¡± No response. I was yelling at no one. ¡ª¡ª- For the rest of the day, I was pretty much on autopilot mode. I returned to the workshop after I finished my shopping, where Felicia was already busy making her potions. I told her that I was tired and I was going to take a nap. And now, I was laying down on the bed with my hands behind my head, thinking about that girl. ¡ª¡ª- When I woke up, I was greeted by a pair of breasts I was all-too-familiar with. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake, Milord?¡± Felicia smiled. My head was now resting on her thighs and so I got a great view of her chest from down below. ¡°What might be the matter? Do you have a nightmare again? You haven¡¯t had one of those in a while.¡± Accentuating her question, she wiped a tear from my right eye with her finger. ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± My dream wasn¡¯t about my family here though. It was about my old family, and how they all looked down at me for being a failure compared to them. My brothers and sisters were all really successful people, while I was just a lowly accountant. I could barely pay my rent. The rest of my income I used to fund my anime and videogame addiction. No savings. No future. ¡°Then, let¡¯s fix that, shall we?¡± A smirk appeared on her face. ¡°I¡¯m finished with my potions so tonight, we could have some fun together~¡± Without skipping a beat, she unzipped my trousers all the way before grabbing my penis, pulling it out from its confinement. ¡°Tonight, I¡¯ll use these two to pleasure you.¡± She squeezed her left breast. ¡°You just relax and let me do all the work, alright?¡± Gently, she lifted herself off my head, placing it back down on the bed. She then proceeded to pull down the rest of my trousers and my underwear afterwards. ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re getting hard already?¡± She chuckled, squeezing my half-mast flag. ¡°When was the last time I pleasured you, Milord? Really, as your future wife, I should be more proactive in this kind of thing.¡± She then pulled the straps of her top apart, allowing the full glory of her braless chest to be visible to my eyes. ¡°Look as much as you want, Milord¡± she said with a sultry voice. ¡°I work hard to keep them supple and firm, you know.¡± ¡°W-work hard? You mean, like dieting?¡± ¡°Not only that, but I also brew myself beauty potions from time to time. I hate exercising, you see.¡± She was now massaging my flag, quickly making it stand up in full mast. ¡°Well, here goes nothing. Let¡¯s hope it fits.¡± She lowered her chest, and¡­ ¡°A-ahn!¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The two mounds were squeezing my flag so tightly I couldn¡¯t help but let out a moan, earning a giggle from the alchemist. ¡°That¡¯s an adorable moan, Milord. Try not to finish too fast, alright?¡± She began moving her chest back and forth, massaging my flag with the firm pressure of her two mounds. ¡°Ahhh¡­hnnn¡­¡± ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re enjoying it, Milord. I see I haven¡¯t lost my touch.¡± ¡°Y-yeah, you¡¯re always¡­ haa¡­ really good¡­ ahhh¡­ at this¡­¡± ¡°Oh dear, you¡¯re already leaking on the tip. That¡¯s no good. Let me handle that.¡± Before I could brace myself, her tongue licked the tip of my flag. ¡°Ahhh!¡± She licked methodically, matching the rythm with the movements of her boobs. I could see the trail of my pre-cum going all the way to her red cherry lips. ¡°H-hey, you might want to¡­ brace yourself¡­ I¡¯m reaching my limit¡­¡± ¡°Already?¡± She let out a small giggle. ¡°Then let it all out, Milord. Your hot liquid all over my face¡­ I love it, you know.¡± ¡°Y-you love it?¡± ¡°Oh, haven¡¯t I told you? I love the scent and taste of it. I just can¡¯t get enough. So please, let it out as much as you can.¡± ¡°Gaahhh!¡± My cannon fired full force, spurts after spurts after spurts. I was too caught up in my own euphoria to even see how Felicia reacted. ¡°Haaa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ ahhhh¡­.¡± I opened my eyes to see the mess I had made. My white stuff was all over her body. From her breasts, to her chin, to her cheeks and nose¡ªsome even got all the way to her hair. ¡°Aahh, well done, Milord. Still as healthy as ever.¡± She smirked. ¡°Any woman you sleep with will get pregnant for sure. Luckily, you have me to make contraceptive drugs. Unlike those sold in the average alchemy shops, mine always works 100% of the time. So you don¡¯t have to worry about anything when you sleep with me or that Sherry girl.¡± ¡°R-right¡­¡± ¡°Feel better now, Milord?¡± She grabbed my hands and smiled. ¡°Y-yes, of course.¡± I¡¯m going to clean up for a bit then I¡¯ll cuddle you to sleep.¡± She sat up. ¡°Just so the nightmares won¡¯t come back. Just like mine.¡± As she moved to the other side of the room and took off the rest of her clothes off, I could only sigh internally. That gloomy thought soon disappeared, however, the moment she bent over and pulled her red panties down her firm butt. I could only stare red-faced as she washed her intensely erotic body with a water spell. ¡ª¡ª- The next morning, we went to Theo¡¯s apartment after having our breakfast. We told him and the others of our plan on bringing Tira along. We also explained to them why the elf could come even though she had yet to reach the third stratum. ¡°Hmph! The dungeon¡¯s administrator, you say? Are you sure you¡¯re not just daydreaming?¡± Tama eyed me suspiciously. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to believe but it¡¯s true.¡± I replied. ¡°I trust you, Master!¡± Theo smiled. ¡°An administrator, huh? I never heard of something like that myself! But doesn¡¯t that mean they run the dungeon? I thought that¡¯s the job of the Dungeon Core.¡± ¡°World Dungeons do not have Dungeon Cores,¡± Felicia interrupted. ¡°Or so those scholars believe. They are of the opinion that an ancient system is in charge of the place instead.¡± ¡°An ancient system?¡± Theo tilted his head. ¡°Built by the Progenitors, the civilization that constructed the place long in the past.¡± Theo scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Tira spoke up with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll make a quick visit to the tavern, telling them I¡¯ll be going away for a while. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll understand. The owner has been really kind to me, you see. Though I will have to apologize in advance for being a burden. I can wield a spear but I¡¯m still a very weak fighter, especially compared to you two.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re just going to go along with this?¡± Tama replied. ¡°You know it¡¯s because of him you two are dragged into this mess!¡± All of a sudden, the smiling elf returned a terrifying glare towards the catkin. ¡°Please do not badmouth Sir Hugo like that. He saved me, he saved Theo, and he saved you as well. We all owe him our lives.¡± ¡°¡­H-hmph, fine! But, as your son¡¯s mother, I¡¯m going to protect you as well! Got it?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m counting on you, my future daughter-in-law.¡± She giggled. ¡ª¡ª¨C After Tira returned from her brief outing, she changed into her adventurer outfit, which, to my surprise, was actually somewhat erotic. Her skirt was awfully short and there was a slit that teased to show panties. Since she was shorter than me though, I couldn¡¯t see anything. Her weapon of choice was a spear with a green tip. I believed it was a crystal of some kind. ¡°Hey, is that a magic weapon you got there?¡± ¡°Hmm? This?¡± She gave her spear a confident twirl. She was already used to wielding it for sure. ¡°No. It¡¯s just an elven spear. The rock on the tip there is a Melchencrystal. It¡¯s a better material than steel but it possesses no enchantments whatsoever.¡± ¡°Melchen¡­ Crystal?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a crystal only found in the elven territories in the Holy Continent,¡± she explained. ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª- With everything set and ready to go, we departed to the dungeon at last. The moment we got there, however¡­ ¡°W-whoa, those two are¡­¡± ¡°Hugo Greenwood and Felicia Myne! The Worthless Wanderers! They killed the Ten Braves! Just the two of them!¡± ¡°B-better stay away from them. They¡¯re beyond the level of even S-rank adventurers for sure!¡± ¡°Monsters. That¡¯s what they are. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they are secretly demons.¡± ¡°You think they¡¯re going to side with the demons in the war? T-that¡¯s really bad, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hmph, even if they do, Lady Marlene is still going to make short work of them. Her power is only rivaled by a Demon Lord after all.¡± The gatekeeper didn¡¯t even bother asking for our permit. He just stepped to the side and wished us luck in our exploring. He even gave us a quick bow in the process. Vol 4 Chapter 30: The Third Stratum Just like the last time I saw it, it was basically the lunar surface, only a soft, silver sand covered the ground we stood on. "You ready, Theo?" I smiled at the kid. "Yes, I am, Master!" "Alright. As usual, stay close to me at all times. Who knows what kinds of monsters and traps will await us here?" The third stratum was less of a chore to navigate than the second one for sure. There was nothing that blocked our view from scanning our surroundings in a complete 360 degrees angle. Finding the teleporter to the next floor should be a cinch. The only problem was¡­ "Milord! More sharks coming from our left and right!" "Got it! The monsters. First, there were these Silversand Sharks, B-rank monsters that would come in swarms at a time, ambushing us over and over with a ruthlessness only rivaled by Jaws itself. They could swim with ease through the silver sand and they would ruthlessly attack us any chance they got. And since only their silver fins were visible above the sand¡­ yeah¡­ they were quite stealthy as well. Other times we would be ambushed by these sphinxes who would just jump out from the sand without any warning whatsoever. Mindcrown Sphinxes. A-rank monsters with the capability to hypnotize anyone unfortunate enough to look into their eyes. Once you were, they would make you fight your party members before killing yourselves. And they would make you do the latter immediately if they judged that you were useless to them. And of course, there was the quintessential sandworm monster. And it was actually classified as an S-rank monster, albeit amongst the weakest. Lunar Worm. A massive worm that could swallow us whole in a second with its teeth-filled mouth. Also has the ability to spew acidic spit everywhere. And, near every single floor teleporter we found, there would be a totem monster awaiting us. Another S-rank monster named The Devil''s Totem, it could cast all sorts of powerful spells, around Advanced-level using the usual classification. It consisted of six cylindrical stones, each corresponding to an element. An angry-looking face was carved to each of them, color coded following the element. It certainly was an expert at keeping you at a distance. Too bad my Boom Cannon''s range was pretty large as well. Now, changing topic away from the scary monsters, Tira as a fighter was certainly just as weak as she told she was. She was even weaker than her son now, a fact that promptly made her beg to train me as well. So now, one or two hours every night, we had a quick teaching session. I told her I didn''t know much about spear play but she didn''t seem to mind. So I focused more on her movement and dodging over specific spear techniques. Though technically, if I remembered Fiora''s lecture, I could teach her the same Galahad-style technique I learned from her, even if she wielded a spear. It was just the basics after all. Oh, I should mention how happy she looked every time she watched Theo and Tama enter their tent together, especially if it ended in the usual noises one would expect from a young couple. What Of course, she had her own tent. --------- It took us a month to reach the final floor of the stratum. Sure, we had a few close calls: one where Theo got caught by a sphinx''s hypnosis and when Tira barely dodged an acid splash from the worm. For the former, I killed the sphinx before it could give any orders and for the latter, other than some treatable burns, she didn''t suffer any further injury. Well, other than the fact that her clothes melted in the process, giving me a view of her naked breasts and her bare bottom. And yes, I got an erection out of it. It wasn''t the first time the elf gave me a view though. Her one piece dress was so short every time she bent over she would flash her panties to whoever stood behind her. Not to mention all the stray wind that would lift up said dress occasionally (yes, even though the stratum resembles the lunar surface, there''s wind going around). And so, I began calling her, Tama, and Felicia "the panty trio". All three frequently flashed their underwear one way or the other. If all of them flashed theirs at the same time, then it''s a jackpot. Like when a wind lifted their skirts and dresses all at the same time. "Ah¡­" "Kyaaahh!" "Oh dear¡­" Theo was there to see it as well. He was red for the next half hour. And judging by how he quickly put his hands in front of his shorts afterwards¡­ ------ The last night before we defeated the stratum boss, Tira suddenly came to me. It was my turn to take the first watch that night, and she just came out from her tent and sat across from me, wrapping her arms around her legs. "Hmm? Can''t sleep, Tira?" I smiled at her. "Something like that." She smiled back. "We''re on the 300th floor, right? We should find the boss soon then." "Yeah, tomorrow, most likely. In a place as wide as this, it should be really easy to find a giant monster. And thank goodness for that. A month in this place, seeing the same scenery every single day, I''m surprised you haven''t complained at all." I chuckled. "Oh, Sir Hugo." She giggled, shifting her legs in such a way that I could see more of her underwear. "I was a traveler too, you know. I could take a month of walking for hours every day. With you protecting us, I have nothing to be worried about." "I''m glad to hear that." Suddenly, a thought crossed into my mind¡ªand it wasn''t related to her panties for once. "Tira. I''ve been meaning to ask you this for a while. Why did you decide to go all the way to the Demon Continent? You came from the northern region of the Holy Continent, right?" She nodded. "Well, I was offered a job here, you see. Or rather, I met someone who told me I should go here and work for Mr. Bartholomeous. He was a merchant friend of his and he told me he was looking for maids to work in his mansion. And he said he was a generous man who would pay me a lot more than the average maid." "And you just took it and went all the way here? You knew nothing of the man! Not to mention how long you must have traveled." "True, but, I felt it was the best opportunity that I had at the time." She smiled wryly. "I''m no good as an adventurer. I can only do easy quests that don''t bring me much money. If it''s just me, that will be fine, but I have Theo too. Raising a child properly takes a lot of money, you know." "Still, is there really no other work you could''ve found?" "Unfortunately, not much. Not with the conflicts happening all over the region. People don''t trust strangers to be long term workers, unless you were a mercenary hired by the kingdom. I could only find decent work as an adventurer." She sighed. "Theo was a victim of said conflicts. The kingdom he was born in was destroyed by the flames of war. His mother was one of the many refugees seeking solace in our elven kingdom. But, she never made it. She was killed by an arrow let loose by the chasing army." *To the end, she never let go of her baby. I was there chasing off the humans, and I decided to take the baby, disobeying my superior''s wishes." Pain was drawn on her face, to the point that I really wanted to give her a hug and tell her everything would be okay. "Wait, superiors? You mean, you were part of the elven army?" "That''s right." Her wry smile returned. "I was a new recruit. It had only been a month since I became a soldier." "So, you abandoned your life, your own kind, just to raise Theo?" She paused, a smile blossoming on her cheeks. "I would do so again in a heartbeat." I stood up and walked over to her. Taking a seat beside her, I gave her a well-deserved shoulder pat. "How about working for me instead?" "For you?" "Yes, for me. I can use a maid once I settle down and marry Felicia. Won''t be for many years though." I chuckled. "Truly?" Her eyes lit up. "To be honest, I have a thought of giving Theo to you. He really looks up to you and I know he''ll be happier being an adventurer with you than staying with me." A painful smile flashed her lips. "But, if this means I can go with him as well¡ª" "I have to tell you though, that we''re going deep into the Demon Continent. We might spend a year or two just going through it. If you''re okay with that¡ª" "Yes, I''m okay with that!" Suddenly, she grabbed both of my hands. "Thank you very much, Sir Hugo! I truly owe a lot to you!" "R-right, about the salary¡ª" "I''ll work for free if you want! As long as you keep mentoring Theo, then I''m fine with whatever pay you desire!" Her face was right in front of mine. Cherry red lips, mesmerizing amber eyes, and smooth white cheeks¡ªshe was a little beauty through and through. -------- The next day, we found the stratum boss quite quickly, just like I had predicted. How could we not, seeing what kind of a monster it was? Swirling wind as tall as a skyscraper reached up to the sky, carrying the lunar dust from the ground, jettisoning them to all directions. I had to erect a Wind Wall to protect us from the sharp micro rocks, or else it could easily harm our eyes, skin, and everything else exposed to the air. I remembered reading about it. It''s said that its true form was an ancient device capable of manipulating wind to its command. Unlike the monsters, it was a genuine artifact of the Precursors that had malfunctioned and went berserk over the ages. It was shaped like a round sphere, about the size of a human male. "Let me handle this." I told the others with a smile. "Wind vs wind, I''m not going to lose." "Of course, Milord." Felicia smirked. "Show it who the true master of the wind is." ¡°M-Master, be careful!¡± Theo said. "Don''t worry." I smiled at the kid. "This will be easy." I broke off from the group, slowly approaching the massive living hurricane in the distance. The wind started to pick up massively. My cloak was now fluttering wildly, as well as my hair. I took out my wand and aimed it towards the living hurricane. The monster was still far enough that it still hadn''t noticed my presence, so I had a free first hit. "Purging Storm!" Swirling wind formed from the tip of my wand, growing bigger and bigger and bigger until it became a massive tornado. It still wasn''t as big as the tornado the device created, however. Any bigger than that would be too risky, since I might just end up being swallowed by it. With my current level of control, I was still not confident enough to go all the way to the max. Still, this spell of mine was what I imagined a normal Master-level Wind spell would look like. It could raze an entire village or a district in a city with ease. I then manipulated the tornado to circle around me, creating a shield for me to go inside the bigger tornado. Its counter-rotation was enough to slow down the wind speed to a manageable level. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It took me a good ten minutes of walking to reach the heart of the tornado. To my surprise, there were no changes at all in the tornado itself, even though the wind- manipulating should know I was here. I lifted my left palm, aiming the center towards it. And then¡­ "Boom Cannon!" I fired my other Master-level spell, knocking it out of the air all the way out to the distance, ending the tornado. Just in time for me to fall to my knees, panting. I saw Felicia and the others running from a distance. Smiling, I let my body fall to the sand. ------ ??? "So they have reached the three hundredth floor¡­ "The boy is indeed powerful. However, is he powerful enough to brave the coming calamity? "Her return draws closer day by day. And yet, the Astrolabe has yet to predict the occurrence of the next Cycle. "If she does, then this world will return back to how it was, before the Liberation. Then only he can break the chains. "Would he be willing to do so, however? To oppose the True Enemy, there shall be no peace for him until the end of his days. And his children. And his children''s children. "For the True Enemy will not rest until everything is under Her palm." --------- Hugo "So this is the Fourth Stratum¡­" Starry Road. The name perfectly described the scenery I was looking at. We were now in the middle of space, with thousands of stars surrounding us from all directions. The platform we stood on was translucent and it stretched on forward, forming a road. Looking at a distance, the road split into multiple branches, and I imagined those branches would split again. It was another maze stratum, only without walls. And, if we were to fall, a massive black hole was ready to suck us all in. And yes, there were no railings. "Wow, this is amazing!" I heard Theo say. "Yes. It''s such a lovely sight, isn''t it?" Tira replied with a giggle. "The fourth stratum" Felicia smiled as she walked towards me. "I believe here is where we can start finding really rare objects from the chests we find." "Really? That''s great news then!" "Yes, if we''re lucky, we could find your Dream Orb here." Felicia answered. "Really, I can''t believe how rare it is." She huffed. "Well, for now, we should find the return teleporter to go back to town. We''re around lunch time now if I''m not mistaken, so why don''t we all have lunch together? My treat, of course!" "Yay, thank you, Master!" Theo cheered and clapped. With our next course decided, we began our trek back to town. -------------------- A/N: Next chapter is going to be a spicy one, boys. Vol 4 Chapter 31: Virana, the Demoness of Deceit "This is unacceptable! You''re going to just let a murderer go free?" Meanwhile, back at the Relfatia Estate, a certain heated argument was underway, between none other than Crendell Relfatia (Victoria¡¯s father) and Graham Bartholomeus. Inside the former¡¯s study, the two were seated face to face with just the former¡¯s work table between the two. The merchant, using his own investigators, had finally discovered the identity of his alchemist partner''s murderers. Hugo Greenwood and Felicia Myne. "They are stewards of House Relfatia. I will not let them come to harm. Especially not at a time like this." "Stewards? Don''t make me laugh! You think you can control them? After what they did? No. You have to dispose of them. Now." If not for the influence he had as the richest merchant in Arborea, speaking like that to a lord would¡¯ve cost him his head. The lord needed him for his connections and influence after all. Not to mention the fact that he owed him money as well. The lord had somewhat of a gambling problem. Frequently, he would join the closed door gambling clubs for all the other rich folks like him and he would put his money on the line without hesitation. They had to know that his family was the richest and most prosperous of them all. Too bad he was never good at it. "And how do you propose to do that? They¡¯re the strongest adventurers in Arborea right now. Killing all the Ten Braves like that, they¡¯re beyond the level of mere S-rank adventurers,¡± the Lord replied. He was aware of their real identity, of course, but he was not going to tell that to the chubby merchant. "Tell your daughter to do it! She''s this unbeatable mage, isn''t she? Or are you saying she''s not as strong as you make her be? She did lose to the demons after all." The merchant added with a small grin. "Hold your tongue, Graham!" The lord slammed the desk in front of him. "I will not suffer such disrespect, even from you!" "I''ll go." Their argument was suddenly interrupted by the entrance of a woman, wearing a dark hooded cloak that hid her face. None of them even noticed she was there until she spoke. "V-Vasuvius? You?" "Yes, me, Milord. I shall take care of your problem. You just sit here and take it easy, alright?" With a wave of her hand, she made her way to the door. The lord knew who she was¡ªVirana, the Demon King of Illusions. Vasuvius was just one of the many disguises she used. He knew she would impersonate him whenever there was a meeting that interested her. There was nothing he could do to protest, as she was a Demon Lord after all. But what did she mean about "taking care of them?" Would she really kill them all? No, she wouldn''t do such a thing. "Hmph, that woman. An adventurer of yours?" "Y-yes." He sighed inwardly, knotting his forehead in the process. To be at the mercy of a Demon Lord¡­ how low had his house fallen¡­ "There''s one more person I would like you to arrest." The merchant continued. "And rest assured, this one is far easier to take care of." "And who might that be?" He raised his eyebrows. "An elf named Tira Elfiel, a maid in my mansion. She was part of the murder and robbery, as the money definitely went into her hands. She tried to pay her debt with it, you see. I know how poor she is. She''d never have that money on her own and she''s acquainted with those two." "You believe she is the mastermind?" "Perhaps. It doesn''t matter. Arrest her, give her the slave brand, and sell her to me." "...Ah. I see how it is." The lord knew of his friend''s perversions, his fondness for young, attractive girls. With the slave brand, the elf would have no choice but to obey his words. It was a punishment given exclusively to grave criminals. Using dark magic, one could put a brand of obedience on someone. That brand was the slave brand. Why would he kill criminals if he could sell them off for profit instead? "You should''ve spoken earlier then." The lord sighed. "My servant already¡ª" "I''m still here~" The two men jumped again as the cloaked woman suddenly appeared in the corner of the room. "I''ve heard everything. So for the two, you want them killed, but for the elf, you want her alive, correct?" "Y-yes, you''re correct, Vasuvius." "Well, I''m leaving now. For real this time~" With another wave of her hand, she left the room once again. "H-how did she do that?" The merchant asked, wiping a drop of sweat from his brows. "You really have dangerous people working for you, Crendell." The lord could only reply by taking a sip of his tea. Only to find the cup was already empty. He poured the empty cup with more tea before taking a long sip. -------- Hugo Leaving the Starswept Observatorium, my prediction was quickly proven to be correct. The sun was still high in the sky, and my stomach was still rumbling¡ªthe perfect opportunity to go and have lunch. We decided on one of my favorite restaurants¡ªa steakhouse that sold the most delicious roasted beef. Meat was pretty expensive in this world so I figured Theo would be really happy to be able to eat as much meat as he wanted. "Look! Guys, there''s the restau¡ª" They were gone. A chill landed on my spine. Something¡­ someone¡­ was right behind me now. I jumped and flipped my body around, drawing my wand in the process. I was right. I was now face-to-face with a woman. A beautiful one, I might add, with large breasts, long, black hair that went down to her waist, and a pair of fox ears and tails. A small smile adorned her red cherry lips. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Nice reaction. I see now how you were able to dispose of the Ten Braves." "Greetings. My name is Virana. I am the Demon Lord of Illusions. It''s a pleasure to meet you." My blood froze. I had heard that name before, from that book that talked about Demon Lords. Virana, the Deceitful Demon Lord. The Demon Lord of Illusions. A nine-tailed fox demon. Responsible for slaughtering one hundred thousand human soldiers 200 years ago by making them fight each other. She singlehandedly prevented humanity''s incursion deeper into the Demon Continent. "Nice expression. Your fear of mine is wise, little one. You know it, don''t you? You can''t ever possibly hope to win against me." Her aura flared¡ªfright taking hold in my heart. My legs began to shake violently. It took all I had just to remain standing. "Y-you¡­ what did you do to¡ª" "Oh, I did nothing to them. Yet. You see, after this, I shall take that little elf girl with me. Unless, little boy, you take my offer." "Y-your offer?" "Come with me. Become my servant. I am in search of a strong underling and you fit the bill perfectly." "Now, before you refuse, consider this. If you don''t accept my offer, I''ll kill you and that lady friend of yours. And you know you can''t stop me. Even now, you''re barely standing as it is. I''m surprised you haven''t wet your trousers with how much fear you have in your eyes right now." I tightened the grip on my wand, aiming it squarely at her head. "Fire ahead. If you do, I''ll take it as your refusal." Her smile widened, and her terrifying aura intensified even further. I fell down. My entire body was now shaking violently. Closing my eyes, I began to concentrate. "Oh? What''s this? You''re trying something, little boy? Go on ahead. It better be interesting though." I opened my eyes, and there, I saw it, networks of mana floating around me. I couldn''t decipher them, as I never knew any illusion magic, being one of the so-called miscellaneous magic only a very few could even employ, but it was enough to see that the person standing in front of me was the real one. Her flow of mana was black and thick, much thicker than the illusions surrounding me. She wielded Demonic Mana, and I could see it emanating out of her, empowering the illusions constantly. I re-aimed my wand at her, gripping it with both hands to stabilize my shaking grip. As stealthily as I could, I began sending my raw mana to disturb her own. "Ah, you''re capable of that trick. Too bad it won''t work on me. My mana control is just too good for an amateur like you to disturb." "Well, time for me to give my countdown~ If you don''t answer my demand with a yes in the next three seconds, you and your lady friend are going to die. Three." "Two." "One." "Zero. Well, time''s up. I suppose that''s a¡ª" I fired. It hit her right on the face. She wasn''t fast enough to block or dodge. Her headless body fell, blood pouring out from her neck. A hand pierced through my back, resurfacing right out of my chest. "G-gah!" Blood coughed out of my mouth. "Oh dear, do you really think a Demon Lord of Illusions will be that naive? Tsk tsk tsk." She was right behind me. It was her hand that just went through me. Whatever I just killed, it wasn¡¯t her in the slightest. I looked back at the corpse. It was Felicia. ¡°N-no¡­ no¡­ nooooooooooooo!¡± ¡°Ah, yes, such a lovely scream you have. I do love it when my plaything does that. Especially when I just pierced their lungs and heart.¡± She withdrew her hand from my chest. ¡°Sleep now, little boy. Sleep. Rest easy. The rest of your entourage shall not be harmed. Well, except for the elf. She¡¯ll be a sex slave to a fat old man for the rest of her long life. Isn¡¯t it wonderful?¡± I could say nothing. I could do nothing. I could only let my body slump down to the ground as blood pooled all around me. I couldn¡¯t even curse her as darkness swallowed me. ??? He failed¡­ At this rate, he really is going to die... A Demon Lord¡­ a highly evolved species of demonkind¡­ a great anomaly¡­ To think one will appear out of thin air and hunt him down¡­ Is this part of Her accursed scheme as well? No matter. I cannot let the Unchained One perish. Even if it means facing off against a Demon Lord. With the facility¡¯s power, I should be able to manage. A sphere of light manifested out of thin air at the outskirts of the town. Unbeknownst to Hugo and Felicia, they had both been led out here by Virana¡¯s illusion, separated from anyone that could save them. There, the cloaked elven woman appeared. Right in front of the still warm corpse of Hugo. Oh yes, he had died. No man could survive having such wounds. But, it had only occured not even five minutes ago. And with the Demon Lord carelessly believing her job was done, the cloaked elf was free to save him. She reached out with her right hand. A small yet complex magic circle appeared on the edge of her palm. ¡°Rewind¡±. It was a spell with the capability of turning back time. It was the only way she could revive him. No healing spell can return someone from the dead after all. As she worked her magic, the sight of his tears returned to her mind. He has suffered much¡­ and he shall suffer more¡­ Such is the destiny of an Unchained One¡­ As long as he doesn¡¯t give to Her¡­ calamities will follow him to the ends of the earth¡­ All I can do now is to give him whatever comfort I can. That is my purpose. That is what Master commanded. Hugo When I opened my eyes, I was neither in hell or heaven. It didn''t look like I was in the Sanzu River either. No, I was staring at that familiar cloudy, light red sky¡ªthe sky of the Demon Continent. Looking around, I saw that I was somewhere in the outskirts of Arborea. I was still here. I was alive. I rubbed my chest. Nope. No hole there. My shirt wasn''t even torn. There was no blood either. Slowly, I sat up. And then, I saw her. No, not the Demon Lord. It was her¡ªthe mysterious elf who called herself the Administrator. She was standing in front of Felicia''s corpse, with her right hand outstretched towards it. No. It wasn''t healing. Her splattered, decapitated head reassembled itself, piece by piece, before reattaching to her neck. Her blood entered back into her veins and her wounds closed themselves. It was as if she was rewinding time itself. When she finished, Felicia was restored perfectly. Just like I was. "You¡­ you saved us?" I croaked. She turned to face me, still having the same stoic expression when I first met her. "I did. I cannot let you die. You are an Unchained One, a precious existence in the war against the True Enemy." "T-thank you! Thank you so much!" I bowed down in front of her, lowering my head until it touched the ground. Before I realized it, tears rushed through my eyelids. It was firmly one of joy. "Oh thank you! Thank you thank you thank you! Thank you for saving Felicia!" "Unchained One, there''s no need to¡ª" "No, you don''t understand! I killed her! I foolishly believed I was skilled enough to avoid her trickery! I was¡­ I was overconfident! Naive! Careless! And Felicia had to pay the price!" I continued to sob. I didn''t know how long I did it, until I felt a hand on my head. "Do not blame yourself, Unchained One. Her illusions are strong. Your Mana Sight will not suffice as she could manipulate her own mana flow to augment her deception. And interrupting her enchantments is impossible as well at your current level. I believe you did as best as you could." I looked up and saw her staring down at me. And she, to my surprise, was smiling. BA-DUMP I was rendered speechless. I wiped my tears, replacing them with a blush. "How¡­ how do you know so much about me? Were you watching when she was here?" Sadly, as she withdrew her hand, her smile disappeared. She returned back to her stoic look. "I''m always watching you, ever since you entered the Observatorium. I watched over every adventurer who came. Of course, once I ascertained you are an Unchained One, I watched you even closer." "But this is outside the Observatorium." "I am capable of traveling a certain radius away from the place." "Wait, does that mean you''ve been stalking me?" She didn''t answer, opting to turn her back towards me and taking a few steps away. "Climb to the end of the fifth stratum. I shall explain everything there. You''re not safe here anymore so you should hurry." "Wait, don''t go! My friend, Tira! The Demon Lord said she''s going to kidnap her!" She paused, facing me once again. "Do you wish for me to help her as well?" "Yes, of course! You''re really strong, right? Whatever that healing magic was, I''ve never seen anything like it!" "My duty is to keep you safe. Not your friends and companions." "Then why did you save Felicia?" She fell silent for a few moments, before replying, "Your heart will break if she perishes. I''ve seen you with her every night inside your tent." "H-hold on, you were peeking? Y-you can''t do that!" "But the elf, you don''t really need her, do you?" She completely ignored my remark. "So you shouldn''t bother going out of your way to save her. Especially against an enemy you can never hope to beat." "I''ve promised to protect her! If you think I''m just going to abandon her, think again! I''ll go and rescue her, whether you like it or not!" "...Very well. I suppose I have no choice. It is my mission to aid the Unchained One however I could." "I shall not fight the Demon Lord directly. However, I can aid you in taking Tira back. Currently, she''s in the center of the city, at x coordinate 35.67 and y coordinate 67.45. In your language, she''s inside an area which you call the Noble''s District." ¡°Her illusions will not work on me, so stay close to me at all times.¡± ¡°Really? How come it doesn¡¯t work on you? Is it because of that tracking ability of yours?¡± ¡°Yes. My Soul Track ability allows me to track the souls of anyone around a certain radius of the Observatorium. She can¡¯t hide her soul and she can¡¯t create false souls as part of her illusions either.¡± ¡°U-urghh¡­¡± At this point, our conversation was interrupted by Felicia¡¯s groan. She sat up, looked around, and stood up once she noticed me. ¡°M-Milord, w-what happened?¡± Vol 4 Chapter 32: The Return of The Verdant Witch I told her everything, from how the demoness separated us from the rest of the group without us realizing, to how she tricked me with her illusions, resulting in me killing her before I was killed myself. No lies, no omissions. Just the plain hard truth. I then told her about the hooded elf, who somehow managed restore us back from the brink of death. "And that''s how you and I are still alive. All thanks to her, no thanks to me." I smiled grimly, followed by a sigh. "I messed up. Badly. When I saw your lifeless, headless body... I would''ve killed myself if she hadn''t done it first. I don''t think I can live after that big of a blunder." Even though I only survived after that moment for a short time, I would never forget that feeling for the rest of my life. Despair, homelessness, the tightness in my chest, the realization that I had done something terribly wrong.. It was just like when Alan and Renee died to protect me. Only ten times worse. For I did the deed myself. The wand I held¡­ was the weapon that killed her. The magic that bludgeoned her head into chunks of flesh¡­ it was my spell. There was no coming back from that. ¡­ Oh great. I can feel it¡ªmy eyes watering again. Quickly, I wiped it with my sleeve. "I won''t ask for forgiveness. I could only imagine the pain and dread you felt when you saw me aiming my wand at you. Your life, flashing before your eyes, done away by the man you love. Even if it''s because of an illusion, there''s no excuse. I could''ve accepted her demand. Instead, I had to satisfy my ego and fight her instead." I averted my gaze away from her, looking down at my feet instead. "I told you before, all those months ago, that you''re always free to leave me whenever you want. I won''t lie, I really enjoy your company these past months. It hasn''t even been a full year yet it''s like you''ve been by my side all this time. And not just because I''m a pervert and you''re a hot chick who lets me grope your breasts." I forced a chuckle. "With you by my side, my loneliness disappears into the wind." I walked closer to her and placed my hands on top of hers, forcing a smile in the process. "I''ll give you half of our money. You should go to the south and¡ª" She threw her staff away and jumped right at me, hugging me as tightly as she could. "Stop! Don''t say that! Don''t you dare say that! To my surprise, she was the one to break down in tears first. "I''m so happy that you''re safe, Milord! A Demon Lord¡­ not even you can handle such an opponent! So please! Don''t be so harsh on yourself!" As usual, she pressed her breasts onto my face in the process. But, instead of having my usual lewd thoughts, I only felt warmth. Warmth and comfort. "I don''t care if I die as long as you survive! I owe you my life, ever since you saved me that day! I''ll be with you until the end!" I looked up and saw her smiling through her tears. Tears of happiness. Just like when I saw her being saved. ¡­ "You idiot." I grinned. "That''s my line. As your future husband, I''ve promised to protect you, even if it costs my own life." She let out a small giggle, sniffling in the process. She then slowly leaned closer to me, our lips closing together... "Are you two finished?" ¡­ I glanced at the elf and saw that now she had an impatient frown on her face. "I''ll use the Observatorium''s ability of teleportation to bring your friend to you. In exchange, I want you to immediately resume your exploration." "Wait, you can do that?" "It is within the capability of the Cradle. For now, it shall be the safest place for you to be at." I let out a sigh of relief. "How about Theo and Tama, Milord?" Felicia spoke. "We should contact them as well." "You''re right, we should. They can come into the dungeon as well." "Hey, Miss Administrator." I smiled at the elf. "Can you teleport them in as well?" Sighing, she replied, "Might as well." "And one more thing." I walked up and held her hands, giving her the largest grin I could muster. "Thank you, Miss Xaela, for everything. I still don''t know what you want with me, but I promise, I''ll reach the 600th floor like you want me too. It''s the least I can do to repay you." "You¡­ remember my name?" "Of course. It''s the least I can do for my savior." "I-it''s only my duty to aid you, Unchained One." She averted her gaze. -------- We made it back to the Observatorium without incident. The Demon Lord must have thought we were really dead, which worked greatly to our advantage. And even if she realized it now, it would already be too late since we were now safe inside its walls. Xaela instructed us to enter the teleporter immediately before disappearing, promising that she''d bring Tira and the others once we were inside. I was quickly proven right. The moment we re-entered the fourth stratum, there they were¡ªTheo, Tama, and Tira¡ªall bewildered and confused by their teleportation. "Master Hugo! You''re here!" Theo, being Theo, promptly rushed to me and gave me a big hug while all teary eyed. "Y-you just disappeared! I¡­ we were looking all over for you and Miss Felicia! And then Mother disappeared too! A-and then, all of a sudden, we''re here!" "Yeah, it''s a long story." I patted his head. "Where do I even start? But before that." I pushed him gently off me. "Tira, are you alright? Did she harm you in any way?" "N-no, she didn''t." She stuttered, looking away. "She just knocked me unconscious. When I came to, I was back at the mansion, with Mr. Bartholomeous right in front of me. And he¡­" She didn''t need to say anything. I saw it¡ªthe large slap mark on her cheeks. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "There was another man there as well¡ªa scary-looking one. He told me I was a murderous thief and my punishment was to be a slave. And then, just before he could give me the brand, I was brought here." I sighed in relief, thanking Xaela for her assist once more. Really, she was the hero in this mess. I was powerless to do anything. "They found out, didn''t he? On how we murdered the phony alchemist?" "Yes." She nodded. "He thought I was the mastermind and you two did the act because of me." "Hmph, that''s not it. That''s not why they wanted you." Felicia spoke. "That master of yours wanted your body. It''s as simple as that. Do you know what that brand does?" She shook her head. "That brand robs you out of your free will. It''s a dark magic forbidden in the Holy Continent." "Wait, there''s a spell like that?" I asked. "Yes, unfortunately." Felicia smiled wryly. "To be precise, it''s runic enchantment augmented by dark mana. Demons created the branding rod used to brand the slaves then they would sell them to humans. If I am not mistaken, it''s the specialization of the Nerthusia Race." "Mother! I''m so happy you''re safe!" It was Tira''s turn to be hugged by Theo next. I let them talk it out for a bit¡ªgive the pair a moment of their own. And, once they were finished, it was time for us to go. --------- ---------- Marina "Marina? Marina? Ooi, Earth to Marina?" "...Hmm?" "Geez, Marina. It''s not like you to space out like that." "Oh, I''m sorry. It''s just that¡­ I have this sudden terrible feeling in my chest." Snapping out of my reverie, I realized that Sophie had been calling my name for a good while. How embarrassing. We were now in the middle of our inspection. We wished to see how much our crops had grown since I gave the seeds to the farmers a while back. And so, we were now surrounded by fields and fields of farmlands. However, instead of the usual wheat, it was instead filled with medicinal herbs¡ªbushes and bushes of it. My seed was growing terrifically well. "Terrible feeling? You mean, like something is amiss?" "Yes, something like that." "Hmm, don''t tell me¡ªyou forgot to wear panties?" "W-what?! Where did that come from?" "Joking! It''s a joke! You''re too uptight for your own good, Marina!" As I saw the hobbit giggling and smiling, I couldn''t help but feel a spark of annoyance inside me. Oh Hugo, you''ll be alright, won''t you? "Miss Marina! Miss Marina!" My thoughts were interrupted by an old mustached man running towards me. Before I could say anything, he grabbed my left hand and shook it vigorously. "Oh, Miss Marina! You were right! Your seeds really do work! Look at all these crops! I''ve never seen a yield as big as this! And you say your little friend there will buy them for one silver per bush? I''ll be rich overnight!" I remembered him. He was one of the naysayers who doubted me when I proposed my plan to the Farmers'' Guild. "I''m glad to hear that." I smiled. "As long as you grow them the way I instructed you to, then there should be no problem." "Truly you are a blessing to our town, Miss! Aahh, what a fool I was to ever doubt you!" His reaction was not the only one. Other farmers would thank me as well. Seeing their smiles¡­ giving all those hours creating the seeds truly was worth it. -------- After giving my report to Grandfather, I departed the city. I felt bad leaving Erika on her own yet again but I had no choice. I had to develop my spell away from the city, or else I might risk destroying it in the first place. I had studied Cecilia''s book on leylines and I believed I could combine the knowledge I gained from it to create a Yggdrasil spell that could borrow power from the leylines itself. However, my Yggdrasil''s roots had yet to be able to reach that far deep into the earth. The issue was on the spell itself fundamentally. It was not designed to be used this way. It was supposed to just be a support/defensive spell. If I forced it to stretch its roots, it would only die. I was now standing inside a pine forest, not too far away from the city. It was the perfect place to train my magic. "Grrrr¡­. Grrrr¡­" I sighed ----------- A month had passed since then. Summer had come in full force and the harvest of my crops had been going swimmingly. Sophie had gone back to the south to deliver the goods along with her two entourages. I never really got a chance to talk for long with the two lizardmen but I knew they were originally slaves Sophie purchased. And now, she employed them like proper employees, paying them a salary every month. They were no longer slaves. They were her assistants. So I had no problem with them. However, this news I was hearing from Grandfather¡ªI did have a problem with it. "Absolutely not. Tell them to turn back and take another route." "Please, my dear, you must understand. We can''t just do that without incurring the wrath of the Duke Treble." "So what? This is our territory, is it not? We have the right to decide who gets to pass or not." "Yes, that''s true, but what will you do if the Duke responds by banning all of our exports to his territory? That''s within his authority. And to be honest, we need the trade more than he does." Our argument started by the news that an entire caravan of slaves would cross our territory from the north. I was asked by Grandfather to escort them to the south until they reached the territory of the Duke. It was his business. As the biggest slave trading region in the kingdom, he would import slaves from all over. Of course, I could not let that pass. Not when I still remembered that day, when Erika was almost turned into a slave because of my negligence. "...No, it doesn''t matter. We can trade with Amereria instead." "But you have to pass through the Duke''s territory to transport the goods there!" "Not if you take the eastern route." "Eastern route? You mean through the Algernon Jungle? Have you forgotten how dangerous that place is? No sane merchants would take that route with all the monsters infesting it." "What if I carve a path through the jungle? It can be the start for you claiming the region for your own, Grandfather. The land there is much more fertile than here." "No no no, I''m too old for such an ambitious project. Not to mention the capital won''t like it if I make such a sudden move. Do you know just how many whispers there are about me supposedly planning a rebellion with you? Too many to count." He took a deep sigh. "I appreciate you taking the initiative to improve this territory, Marina. Your project with the hobbit has been a great success and we shall have no problem repaying the debt we owed to the other noble houses. However, in this matter, I would like you to do as I asked of you. Nothing more. Nothing less." I fell silent. We exchanged stares for what seemed like an eternity, until I spoke. "No. I am going to rescue those slaves. Whether you like it or not, Grandfather. "If they try anything, I''ll make mincemeat out of their soldiers. After all, I am the Verdant Witch of Death, am I not?" I gave him a wry smile before leaving the room, ignoring his yelling for me to stay. ----------- In the end, Marina did as she said she would. She came to the caravan and spoke with the merchants there. There were two of them, one lanky and the other pudgy¡ªboth middle-aged men. They were brothers and they had started their business ever since they were in their youth. They climbed their way up the ladder of wealth with their tricks. After striking it big by selling fake jewelry to unsuspecting wealthy ladies, they moved to a more legitimate business of selling slaves. And now, here they were, one of the most prominent slave traders in the Northern Duchies, with reach going all the way to the Holy Land across the sea. They received Marina courteously, having been informed by their business partner that the local lord would send an elite mage to guard their cargo. However, their smiles soon disappeared once they heard her demand. "Leave this land. And leave the slaves behind." Marina might have been content to let them go if Duke Treble had not taunted her by "asking" her Grandfather to make her guard this caravan. In his letter, he actually opened by apologizing how he had misjudged her and how he now had learned the truth. He gave his empty sympathies on Erika''s kidnapping while not-so-subtly saying how it was Marina''s fault and how he hoped she would not repeat the same "youth-infused rampage", as he put in, again. And, right after that, he requested her to guard the caravan while reminding his grandfather that he had yet to send him the fertilizers Grandfather had requested. Unfortunately, due to the barrenness of the land, they were necessary for the long term continuation of Marina''s agricultural plan. Marina couldn''t feed the land with her mana forever after all. He cited the excuse of bandits and monsters. But she knew those merchants would have their own mercenaries to handle those. It was all a ploy for him to mock her and her grandfather¡ªto make them know their place in the totem pole. Marina knew if she were to do this, she would ruin her own plans. And she would drag the entire region with her. But, she couldn''t just stand by. Not when she saw the faces of those slaves, caged like animals in a circus. She felt sick to her stomach. All she could think was Erika being with them, all thin and ragged and afraid. And so, when the brothers refused, thinking it was just an unfunny joke from her, she killed them in an instant. What happened next was a massacre. The mercenaries stood no chance against her. Marina summoned her three summons, ordering them to kill every single one of them. There were mages with them but it didn''t matter. Marina was too swift¡ªtoo powerful for them to handle. She let one person live though. One man who begged for his life. She didn''t care to hide her deed. For she was the Verdant Witch of Death, one who held the forest in her fingertips. As for the slaves, she told them she could go wherever they wanted. But, if they had no place to go, they could stay here in her land. They would be given their own farmlands to tilt and sow and their status would be just like the other citizens of the Earldom. The news didn''t take long to spread. Whispers of the brutality of the Verdant Witch covered the land, reaching the ears of every drunk that frequented any tavern inside the kingdom. It reached the ears of the capital as well. The king thought it was an amusing incident (¡°Finally! Something interesting is going on!¡±) while Cecilia could only let out a sigh, shaking her hand at the stupidity of her right hand woman. ¡°She did exactly what I told her not to do.¡± She mumbled under her breath. When it reached the ears of Duke Treble, however, he almost jumped with joy, as he just earned the perfect bullet to take down the Earl once and for all. He hurriedly made a trip to the capital, ready with a speech to the king to make him bring her and her grandfather for questioning. For the Duke¡¯s daughter, however¡­ It was another story entirely. ----------------- A/N: Feels weird to have a Marina chapter combined with a Hugo one, but eh. As for my Patreon chapter, I finally get to write about Renee''s past. Vol 4 Chapter 33: Of Divinity and Magic "Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­" Once again, Lilian Treble woke up in the middle of the night, sweat soaking her nightgown to the point that it stuck to her skin. She gripped her stomach with her right hand¡ªthe same stomach that Marina just pierced in her dream. Marina Greenwood. The Verdant Witch of Death. A mage so powerful she could triumph against an entire army. At first, she thought nothing of her, that her reputation was just an exaggeration. Rumors tend to grow bigger and bigger the further it spread after all. An estranged granddaughter of an earl long past his prime¡ªshe couldn''t be an obstacle to her plan whatsoever. All that changed when she met her at that ball. The sharp look she had in her eyes¡­ frankly, it both terrified and annoyed her. To put it in an odd way, It was the eyes of an arrogant divine beast, judging down on the lesser mortals that surrounded her. It was cold and unbending, like the sharp cold edge of a dagger pressed at your throat. She saw how swiftly she grabbed the attention of the prince. He was her fiancee yet he danced more with her that night. And then, she was personally appointed the right hand woman of the court magician by the king himself. Apparently it was under the recommendation of said court magician. How and why could that happen¡ªshe had no idea. She was quickly climbing up the ladder of power, far quicker than she liked. The final straw was her gleeful slaughter of her father''s partner''s trading caravan. She stole the slaves and made them work her farms. Unfortunately, with the nightmares she had been having lately, she leaned towards the latter. It all went the same, with the mage summoning a sky high plant monstrosity in the middle of her city. With it, she would pulverize the town without pause, destroying everything she knew and cared about. Once, twice, or thrice¡ªshe would just blame it on stress. But straightforward for a full month, it could only be something else. She secretly asked one of her maids about it, and she said it might be a premonition. After all, the Saint used to have those in the dozen when she lived. Now, ignoring the fact that she was no holy woman, she couldn''t help but think there was some truth in her superstitious words. If only there was a way she could keep a closer eye on her¡­ No, asking her father was off the table. She would never cooperate with that disgusting man. She wanted to be the prince''s wife in the first place only to be rid of him. With her womanly charms, she would make the future king banish him to some cottage on the kingdom''s edges, far from her sight. No, she should think higher. She wanted him to be executed for being a traitor. That was what he deserved for abusing her poor mother. Refusing to finish that thought, the young lady returned back to her sleep, burying her face inside the pillow she was hugging. Only to enter yet another dream. -------- She found herself in a place unfamiliar to her. She was now standing on a large circular platform, with clouds stretching on to infinity beyond it. Both of them were golden. In fact, the whole place looked as if it was made of gold. Looking down, she was wearing the same nightgown she wore to sleep. She gave her cheek a good pinch, yet nothing happened. How odd. Usually that would work. This couldn''t be reality, could it? "Welcome, my child." Right in front of her was a golden throne, radiating with gentle light. Golden chains wrapped the structure, attached to the eight stakes placed around it. However, one of the stakes had been lifted from its hole, leaving only seven to secure the chains in place. The unsecured chain ended up on what looked like a curved piece of golden metal, about the size of a human mouth. Her eyes traveled upward¡­ And she froze. "Please, do not be afraid. In fact, you should rejoice. For you have been chosen by me, the True Goddess." The soothing voice came from the woman sitting on it. Chains were wrapped all around her body, binding her arms and legs together. Her face, however, was obscured by blinding light. No matter what angle she gazed towards her in, she couldn''t see how she looked. "The True¡­ Goddess?" "Yes. I am the creator of this world. You, my dear, are included. I created your soul myself." The young lady paused, placing a hand on her chest. She was right. She could feel it, deep inside her. She was her Creator. She was her Mother. She was her Goddess. "See?" A youthful giggle escaped the goddess''s lips. "My child, I have a task for you to do." "A-a task?" "This is for your own good as well. Your nightmares¡ªI was the one who sent them, you see. They are your future, if you let Marina Greenwood run around unchecked. Even now, she''s devising a spell that can destroy this kingdom with ease. She''s a power-hungry genius that will not stop for anything in search of power. Before you know it, she''ll become too strong for even the knights of the kingdom to defeat. And when that happens¡­" Lilian froze, her mind returning once more to her nightmares. And then, the sight of her mother''s body being torn to shreds by Marina. "I-I''ll do it! I''ll do anything to keep Mother safe!" She didn''t care what happened to her father. He could be plant food for all she cared. But her mother, and all the city folk that would greet her with a smile whenever she passed by them¡­ that¡­ she wanted to protect, whatever the cost. "Wonderful." The woman laughed. "Rejoice! For you shall be my apostle¡ªthe Chosen of the One True Goddess." "H-huh? Apostle? I don''t¡­" "I shall grant you the strength you''ll need to face against the she-devil. However, you shall keep that strength hidden from anyone else. And you shall not mention Me as well. The False God and his thralls cannot hear about our arrangement." "T-the False God?" The woman chuckled. "He calls himself the Heavenly Dragon. I''m sure you are familiar with that name?" "T-the Church?! But you''re¡­ you''re the Goddess! They should be all worshiping you instead!" Lilian paused, covering her mouth with her hand. "Very good." The woman smiled. "I see that the Veil has been lifted out of your mind. But, no doubt it would suppress your memory once more when you return to the waking world. So, before that happens, I shall tell you everything you need to know about the power you shall receive." Lilian nodded. She barely understood anything the woman said. And yet, she knew¡ªShe was telling the truth. Without a shred of a doubt in her mind. After all, she was her Creator. She was her Mother. She could entrust everything to Her. -------- Meanwhile, back at the Relfatia Estate¡­ ¡°WHAT? WHERE DID SHE¡ªWHERE DID SHE GO? AND WHAT WAS THAT BLASTED LIGHT?¡± Graham Bartholomeous was positively fuming. Here he was ready to give the girl that stole from him a good beating, only for her to suddenly vanish into thin air right in front of his very eyes. The Demon Lord was there too, of course, as she was the one who brought the elf there in the first place. As for Victoria''s father, he had left the room after hearing her report. He was not a sadist like his friend and he found his hobby to be distasteful to him. Let him do whatever he wanted with the elf in that room. "Hey, don''t just stand there! Chase after her, you worthless woman!" "..." The Demon Lord gave a long look at the merchant before taking her hood off, revealing her ears to his eyes. "You¡­ you''re a demon?" "Yes. A Demon Lord, to be precise." "A-A Demon Lord? You think you can lie to¡ª" His speech was cut short as his head flew off to the distance Unfortunately for him, she was quite in a bad mood right now. She liked outwitting people, not being outwitted like this. As the headless corpse collapsed, pouring blood to the carpeted floor, the Demon Lord came to a realization. "The World Dungeon¡­ a place that brims with ancient magic. Was it the Dungeon''s doing? If teleportation magic exists, only those with the knowledge of the ancients are capable of casting it. "...Hmm. Why don''t I check the place out? I''m bored anyway. There''s still time before the invasion begins." With a puff of smoke, the demoness disappeared. And she didn''t even bother to hide the corpse. -------- Marina "You''ve done it¡­ you''ve actually gone and did it¡­" The Earl nursed his temples. A headache was inevitable, not after he heard what his granddaughter just did. "I''ve instructed Reinhard to organize the slaves. For now, I had made a temporary shelter for them at the outskirts of town." Marina had returned from her little trip, bringing with her around 100 slaves. A lot of them were of the non-human races, from elves, beastfolks, lizardmen, and other demon races. "Ooh, how would I ever explain this to the court?" "You don''t need to, Grandfather. I''ll do it. Leave everything to me." The door to the study bursted open. Without warning, Emma strode into the room, walked up towards Marina¡ª ¡ªand slapped her right on her face. "YOU WITCH! HOW COULD YOU?" She grabbed her by her collar. "Reinhard told me everything! You''re¡ªyou''re dragging him and everyone else to your mess! You think the king is going to let this slide?! It won''t just be you whose head will be on the gallows! Reinhard will share the blame as well! She ended her rant by shoving Marina back on her chair. "Do not worry," Marina replied, still retaining her neutral expression. "I promise, with my power, I can protect you all." "Protect?! Do you mean to start a war with the capital?! Are you insane? No matter how strong you are, you can''t contend against their griffin knights! They have killed a dragon on their own before! A dragon!" To the woman, and any other ordinary people out there, killing a dragon was something only heroes and entire armies do. For just a handful of knights to take on one, and winning, it was an extraordinary display of strength. "When their letter comes, demanding an explanation for your slaughter, I expect you to personally apologize to the king. Tell him that Reinhard has nothing to do with it, got it?" "Of course. I will not shy away from my full responsibility for this incident. In fact, I shall depart to the capital once my business here is finished. I have a need to visit the court mage as well." Looking back at her grandfather, she asked, "Would that be alright with you, Grandfather?" To her surprise, he suddenly stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "...No. I won''t let you do anything silly as scapegoating yourself. I''ll come with you. I''ll explain your views to the court. I am not fond of slavers either. In that aspect, we are in agreement." He then placed his hands on her shoulders. "I''m done losing my family to my negligence. As my granddaughter, you have my full support." "F-Father!" Emma interrupted. "You can''t just¡ªUrghhh! You''d promised to make Reinhard your successor! Now you''re letting her handle the reins!" She pointed at Marina. "Emma, dear, please, compose yourself." "No! No more! I won''t tolerate anymore of this¡ªthis tomfoolery! My husband deserves better and you know it!" She slammed her hands on the table as well, even harder than him. "Enough!" The Earl yelled. "Marina has done so much to this city ever since she arrived years ago! If I''m going to make her my successor, I am within my right to do so!" Emma froze, her eyes wide in disbelief. Slowly, she took a few steps backwards. "You¡ªyou''re serious, aren''t you? You''re going to just abandon Reinhard? After all he did for you?!" Her voice shook and her eyes began to water. "Abandon him? It''s the opposite. He''s the one who said to me that he wanted to hand his seat to Marina. And you, as his wife, should support his decision. Not going on this mindless tirade against his wish. You slapping Marina like that¡ªI could punish you for it. And I would be justified in doing so." Emma couldn''t reply. He was right. Her slapping a future countess when you''re merely a daughter of a baron¡ªshe could be hanged for it. And so, she ran away instead. "Wait! Emma!" Marina yelled. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Too late. She already slammed the door behind her. "I''m going after her," she said to the Earl. "Grandfather, you shouldn''t have said that to her." She gave him a sharp look. "I might be currently pushing my selfishness to this household but that doesn''t mean I wish to replace Reinhard. He''ll be in charge once I''m gone." "Marina, you choosing this decision means you''re already using my authority as the Earl." He sighed. "Deciding who gets to enter your land, and punishing them with death¡ªif you weren''t my granddaughter you would be a criminal." The old man then stood up, walking over his table to place a hand on Marina''s shoulder. "With your conviction, I believe you''re ready to take the reins of this territory and become the new Countess of Granfort. If you''re going to fight for your ideals, then do it as a Countess." "...Then, you shouldn''t accompany me to the capital. I shall tell them that I have received your seat." "No." He shook his head. "Even if you don''t want me defending you, I will still come. Think of me as an advisor." He smiled, patting her shoulder. Marina grabbed his hand and smiled back. "Fine. I understand. You can go with me, Grandfather. Though for now, we should focus on taking care of the slaves first. As a Countess, I wish for them to be free men once more, and so, I believe we should employ them officially as farmhands. We can use their help to expand our farming capacity even further." "Do as you must." He nodded. "But I advise you to study our budget first with Elise." "Of course, Grandfather. I''ll speak to her later. But for now, I have someone to comfort first. You really should''ve been nicer to her." --------- On her way to Emma''s bedroom, however¡­ "Sis! You''re back!" Erika was there, blocking her path. She was wearing her usual white dress and she was clutching a large book with her small arms. Marina knew that book. It was her rune book. Ever since she began to learn runecrafting, she would rarely, if ever, be seen without said book. "D-did something happen? Everyone seems to be in an uproar¡­" Smiling, Marina knelt down and placed her hands on her little shoulders. "Nothing. Your sister just¡­ took care of some bad guys, that''s all." "Bad guys?" She tilted her head. "People that tried to kidnap you and them¡ªthey were of the same kind. As the granddaughter of this region''s Earl, I could not let them pass through our territory." "Y-you mean¡­ slavers?" A flash of fear entered her eyes for a short moment before she composed herself. "G-good riddance! They deserve a good spanking by you, Sis!" She smiled. "Thank you, Erika." Marina smiled back. "Rest assured, for as long as I live, I''ll never let horrible people like them get away scot-free." Standing up, Marina then said, "Now, if you''ll excuse me, I need to be going." "Oh, oh, please wait! I wanna tell you that I''ve just made something really cool!" "Hmm? What do you mean?" Marina lowered herself again, resting her hands on her knees. "Here!" The young girl giggled. She opened her book to a certain page before invoking the rune drawn in it. "Wait, hold on, we''re inside the house now, you can''t just¡ª" "Don''t worry! It''ll be fine, Sis! Look!" As the light receded from the book, an object appeared on top of the page. It was just an ordinary teddy bear, however. No, what''s special was the spell used to summon it. "Dimensional Storage Rune! I can keep objects inside my book now!" She grinned. Marina blinked, quite surprised by what she just saw. "That''s¡­ that''s amazing! I can never draw that rune back when I was studying in the Magocracy! You''re amazing, Erika!" Marina lifted her little sister and spun her around. "Hehehe! Really? I worked hard on it, Sis! I wasted so many pages of my book to draw it!" Putting Erika down, Marina caressed her head once more. "Keep working on it, alright?" "Of course, Sis! You don''t have to tell me that!" She laughed. As she watched her big sister walk off to the distance, a certain feeling of warmth blossomed in her chest. With a spring on her steps, the young girl bounced back to her room. She still had a lot more runes she needed to master. -------- "Emma? Are you in there? It''s me, Marina. I want to talk." "Go away, you wicked witch!" Marina paused, letting out a sigh. The door was locked and it seemed no amount of knocking was going to make the upset lady open it. And so, she took the initiative. She used her magic to grow a tiny bramble that inserted itself into the keyhole. And then¡­ *Click* "I''m coming in!" Marina opened the door, only to find Emma standing on the other side of the room with her hands on her waist. "What do you want? If you think you can justify yourself to me, think again!" Closing the door behind her, Marina replied, "I do not wish for that. You''re free to think however you wish of me. Just know that I have no plans to supplant your husband''s position in this household." "But you did! You going out of your way to cause conflict with another noble household and Father just letting you get away with it ¡ª you might as well just take his job! Be the Countess of Granfort, just like Father wanted you to be!" "Even if I were to become a Countess, that doesn''t mean I would have no need for your husband. He, you, Rina, and Roland, and Veronica ¡ª you all can stay here. I won''t kick you out. I won''t denigrate you either. You''ll have the same privileges as always." "That''s not the point! I¡­ I want him to be the next Earl! Not you!" Emma walked forward and pressed her index finger to her chest. "I was even willing to let him marry you! But you''re just too good for him, aren''t you? Even though you''re a pervert who pleasures herself almost every night!¡± ...Naturally, this was Marina¡¯s only weak spot. Her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks began to turn crimson. Emma now had a victorious grin on her face. ¡°Oh yes, I know! We all know! Even Father! But we just pretended not to. You want a man to penetrate you so badly you¡¯d do it with a toy instead! How pathetic! I, on the other hand, can hold it like a proper woman until my darling Reinhard is around.¡± "That''s¡­ that''s not true." Marina now had a scowl on her face. "I heard your moans even when he''s away. You have a habit of pleasuring yourself as well." It was now her turn to press her index finger into her chest. "Y-you¡­ you''re eavesdropping?" Emma blushed. "How dare you! You insolent, perverted¡ª" "I''m not finished." Taking out her wand from her pocket, Marina waved it in the air." "What? What are you¡ª" Vines burst forth from the wooden floor and they began to spread through the entire room. "Stop this! Stop this now!" Marina refused. She opened every drawer and every wardrobe in the room with her vines. She was right. It didn''t take long until one of the vines pulled out a drawer filled with all sorts of sexual toys. "Oh, what''s this?" It was Marina''s turn to smirk as she walked over to the drawer. "You''re a pervert yourself, aren''t you?" She took out one of them and lifted them up in the air. "And you even have cuffs here. Quite kinky, are you not?" "Grrhhh, that''s it! You have no right to¡ªkyaahh!" Emma tripped at one of the vines, crashing right on top of Marina, taking her down as well. When the dust settled, the young lady''s face was between Marina''s legs. Pressed right into Marina¡¯s panty-covered womanhood. ¡°Hmppph! Hmmpppphhh!¡± ¡°A-ahn, don¡¯t move! Don¡¯t breathe!¡± Right when they were in that compromising position, the door burst open. ¡°Emma! I''m back!" It was Rina. She had just returned from a shopping trip to the town. "Emma, I''m¡ªo-oh my¡­" There, she saw them, being engaged in something that was obviously sexual. Not to mention the drawer filled with Emma''s toys beside them. "I-I''m sorry!" Before either of them could say anything, Rina already slammed the door closed. Naturally, after this, it took quite some time for them both to convince Rina that it was all just a misunderstanding. Vol 4 Chapter 34: In Which Sherry Takes On A Dragon Barehanded Sherry At the other side of the Demon Continent, far away from where Hugo was, Sherry¡¯s hellish training continued. "Good. That''s it. That''s how you do it. To swing your sword with both swiftness and strength¡ªthat is how our race fights. Use your tendrils for defense, your sword for offense. "However¡­" The former Demon Lord ordered a strand of her hair to sneak behind her, grab her right foot, and slam her upside down to the ground. "Gah!" "Your feet are still wide open." Sherry quickly stood back up, barely any scratch on her body. Her endurance had grown massively these past months, thanks to her growing mastery of her Izurd blood. "That will be all for today." Quania declared. "The moon is already up. Fran is not going to like it if you miss your dinner." Sherry stomped her foot to the ground. She was so close to closing the distance between them! Just a little more and she could finally land a blow! She just had to mess up at the last second! "Don''t worry. You''re still really far from reaching my level. No need to get upset." Naturally, this only made Sherry even more so. ------- After taking her bath and having her dinner, she collapsed on her bed, losing her consciousness the moment her body touched the soft surface. And then, she had a dream. ¡­ "Sherry¡­" ¡­. "Sherry¡­ can you hear me? It''s me, Hugo." Her eyes jolted open. Her surroundings had changed completely. She was now inside a pure white abyss, floating without a single thing surrounding her. Except for the boy in front of her. Her heart skipped a beat. He looked even more handsome than she remembered him being. "This is my message for you. I sent it using a Dream Orb, just like you did." "H-Hugo?! You have one too?!" She replied. "But I thought it''s a really rare item! Myrilla said she had to go through many hardships obtaining mine!" "I have something really important to tell you." Hugo''s image continued with a grim smile. It couldn''t respond to her words after all. "Father and Mother¡­ they''re dead." Sherry''s blood froze. "D-dead? But how?!" "A terrible incident had befallen them, an incident caused by the Magocracy. I can¡¯t explain the details here, but thanks to that, I am now on my way to your village." "A-an incident? By the Magocracy? Y-you mean, they killed them?¡± She remembered the place. Years ago, when she first started her journey, she made a visit to its capital. And there, she met with the arrogant bubble mage¡ªsomeone Myrilla warned not to go against. She tried attacking her only for her to laugh as she immobilized her somehow. And she wasn¡¯t even the top dog of the place. She didn¡¯t know why the Magocracy would want her adoptive parents dead, but if they wanted to, they could very much do it, she imagined. Myrilla told her it was a nation ruled by extremely strong mages¡ªmages far stronger than she was. And since Myrilla was an S-rank adventurer, just like her parents were... ¡°And you''re coming here? With Marina and Erika too? That''s impossible! You¡¯ll need someone like Myrilla to fight off all the strong monsters on the way here!" She shouted again. She too was right on this assessment. Multiple times they had encountered S-rank monsters on their way to the village. If not for Myrilla¡¯s help, she would have no chance whatsoever against them. Even she still had to shy away from the stronger ones, like a dragon. "I¡­ have made a terrible mistake." The image continued, looking down. "I ran away. Marina and Erika¡ªI left them both behind." "What?! What do you mean you ran away? Why would you run away?!" Losing her patience, she dashed forward and tried to grab the image. Only for her hand to go straight through it. "I failed to protect them. They died protecting me instead. That''s why I ran away. I couldn''t face Marina and Erika. "But don''t worry!¡± Hugo¡¯s image looked back up with a forced smile, not answering her question yet again. ¡°They''re fine! They''ve contacted me as well using this method. As for me¡­" The image began to flicker as the sound it emitted began to fade away. "W-wait, what are you saying? I can''t hear you!" "... I hope, when we meet again, you can forgive me. I really am not this brave boy you thought I was. I am just a cowardly idiot. So¡­ uh¡­ if you decide to dump me and get another lover¡­ I''m fine with it. I''ll understand." "Y-you idiot! You''re the only one I liked! Y-you think I''ll find another man just because of one mistake you made? You''ll bounce back from it¡ªI know you will! So I forbid you to be sad and mope around! A-and don''t worry! I''ll fight the Magocracy with you! I''ve been training with Grandmother and I''m getting stronger every day!" Again, the vision could not hear her. And yet, she was compelled to say it anyway. She wanted to comfort him, just like he once did. "You loved Father and Mother as much as I did." The image resumed its speech. "So I owe you an apology. For failing to keep them safe." "T-that''s not true! I''m sure you did your best!" Sherry replied. "I am now in Fiania. After this, I might stay for a while in either Duncesbone or Arborea. As you might have known, they¡¯re the closest cities to a World Dungeon. I¡¯m thinking of exploring one and obtaining another Dream Orb. I want to send a message to Marina as well. She deserves that much, for bearing with my cowardice and selfishness. ¡°Oh, and since I don''t know where your village is, it''d be nice if you can send Myrilla my way. I¡¯ll try to make myself a famous adventurer so she can find me easier.¡± "Goodbye for now. And try not to train too hard. You shouldn''t work yourself to the bone for a failure like me." With one last chuckle, the image disappeared. When Sherry woke up that morning, she would find that her cheeks were wet by her tears. ---------- A year had passed since then. While Hugo reached his thirteenth birthday, Sherry reached her fifteenth. She was now a fully grown Izurdian adult. Her appearance had changed considerably. With puberty already taking roots in her body, she had gained a more womanly appearance. Ha, if only that were true. She had grown in height, but not that much. Her breasts had developed in size, but stopping on the unsatisfactory A-cup. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She was nothing like her young self wanted her to be. Her aunt said that her charms lay on her firm behind but she disagreed. She knew Hugo was a breast lover through and through. He would stare at their mother''s bouncing breasts whenever he could. She quickly kicked these thoughts off her mind, however, thanks to her training. Even though Hugo said she shouldn''t train so hard for his sake, what she learned only made her want to train even more. If the Magocracy really killed their parents then she would have to avenge them. Not just for their sake but also for Hugo''s and Marina''s sake. And of course, for her own sake as well. They had done so much for her. If the Magocracy thought she would just let their murderers get away, think again! -------- "Grrrhh¡­ hrfff¡­." "Here is your test. An Earth Dragon, freshly brought by the fairies from the outside. I want you to defeat it barehanded." Sherry stared down the massive dragon without fear, even if she could feel its warm breath coming out from its large nostrils. The dragon was colored brown with a short neck and small wings. In exchange, its tail was enlarged on the tip by the spikes attached to it. Its claws were massive as well, perfect to dig through the ground, which was their specialty. Sherry didn''t waste any time. She bolted forward and landed a straight punch to the dragon''s nose. "Graahh!" The blow was akin to an explosion¡ªthe force easily going through the insanely tough scales the dragon had. The dragon roared, countering by an acidic mud puke attack, which Sherry deftly dodged by somersaulting upwards. She followed by stabbing the dragon''s eyes with her hair, earning another roar from the creature. Deciding that it was in a disadvantageous state, the dragon dug into the ground beneath it before creating a powerful earthquake that could be felt from miles away. In Earth terms, it would be around a 6 Richter earthquake. ¡°Finish it off at once!¡± Quania yelled. ¡°You don¡¯t want the village to be a rubble when you¡¯re back, do you?¡± Sherry nodded while giving her an annoyed look. She hated running enemies like this. Why must she give her a bothersome test like this? Without hesitation, she dived inside the massive hole the dragon had dug open. She left behind a strand of her hair so she could pull herself out once she finished her business. And then¡­ "Graaahhh!" The ground burst open, revealing Sherry lifting the dragon above her head. "Damnnnn itttt! You''re so¡­ heavy!" With her strength fading, she threw the dragon to the ground upside down, creating a massive crater at the impact site. Unfortunately for the dragon, it was too heavy on its topsize to be able to easily fix its position, allowing Sherry the perfect opportunity to strike. The dragon roared once more, spewing more acid mud towards her in a desperate attempt to keep her away. Unfortunately for her, Sherry was simply too fast to be hit by such a sluggish attack. "Take this, you overgrown lizard!" Sherry''s hair rapidly formed a giant drill, easily twice her size. She then attached it to her hand before diving down, aiming its tip right at the dragon''s belly. It never stood a chance. "Graaaaahhhh!" The dragon screamed as blood poured out from its stomach. The drill cleanly cut through its scales, having surpassed the sharpness of a mythril sword. When it fell silent, Sherry was standing above its corpse, her body drenched in its warm blood, leaving no white spots in her previously white training garp. "Well done!" Quania clapped. "Well done indeed." She jumped down and landed right in front of her. "Very impressive, lifting a dragon like that. And that drill attack¡ªyou have mastered it as well." "...Is it enough?" Sherry turned to face her. "Is it enough to fight against the Magocracy?" "...How should I know?" The grandmother sighed. "Vengeance for your beloved. I would do the same in your position¡­ perhaps. I cannot remember." "Your memories¡­" Sherry replied. "They were taken from you by that fairy, weren''t they? I think¡­ I think I wouldn''t want that." "Oh?" A hateful frown appeared on Quania''s lips. "If your beloved human betrays you with another woman, you still want to bear that love? Naive. You have no idea how painful it is to be heartbroken." "Hugo¡­ he will never do that. I believe in him." Sherry smiled. "...Foolish girl." Quania shook her head. "A weak boy like that isn''t going to last in his faithfulness. He ran away from his remaining family to chase after you right after their parents were murdered. Instead of comforting them, he fled. What a pathetic excuse of a boy. I imagine he seeked you out so you could comfort him." "S-shut up!" Sherry yelled. "You know nothing about him¡ªwhat he''s been through!" "If he ever were to meet another girl that can comfort him, he''ll fall for her for sure. He''ll nuzzle in her bosom, crying his woes away. He will forget about you entirely." With a sadistic smile on her face, the former demon lord let out a laugh. "Shut up shut up SHUT UP!" In her anger, Sherry rushed forward and punched her right on her face. Or that''s what she would do if her fist wasn''t blocked by the woman''s hair. "How lackluster." Quania grabbed her wrist and twisted it around, earning a pained yelp from Sherry. "You want to destroy that Magocracy country? Then you need to be even stronger, strong enough to be called a Demon Lord. For a demon our strength is as powerful as hundreds of thousands of humans, if not more." She finished by throwing her to the nearby cliff, creating a giant crater on impact. "Go clean yourself up. Our lesson is over for the day." As Quania jumped out from the valley they were in, however, she had a half smile on her face. She didn''t say it to Sherry but she was proud of her progress. Sighing, the demoness landed perfectly on her two feet. -------- Sherry made her way to the nearby river to clean up, as she always did after every lesson. As usual, no one else was there. The river was actually the same one flowing beside the village and everyone else would take their baths and clean their utensils there. She was just a bit more upstream, about a fifteen minute walk from here to the village¡¯s river. The fairies were generous enough to give the Izurds a bit more space than just their village. Taking off her clothes, panties, and bra (she might only have an A-cup chest, but she was not going to forgo wearing them like some pervert), she submerged her body inside the cold water. She didn¡¯t even flinch, having been used to it a long time ago. She then scrubbed herself clean with her hair, enjoying the warm sun radiating from the clear blue sky in the process. Without hesitation, she hurled her hair to the nearby tree, cutting it in half in an instant. Revealing a familiar young man standing behind it. "Emel! How dare you peek at me?! You want to die or something?!" "You''re mistaken. I''m here to see you." "See me?! You mean you want to see me while I''m taking a bath?! You¡ªyou really are a pervert! I shouldn''t have spared you that day!" A month ago, a similar incident happened. Sherry was changing into her nightgown when he just barged in without knocking first, giving him a nice view of her underwear-clad body. It took Fran to stop Sherry from punching him to the death. Sherry jumped out of the river, landing right in front of him. Of course, she covered her body beforehand using her hair. "Sherry of the Izurd. Will you please marry me?" Hearing that, the fist she had prepared for his face disappeared. "W-what? What did you¡ª" He knelt down and opened his palms, revealing a stem of flower underneath. "A¡­ a Marka flower?" Sherry knew what that flower meant. It was the flower an Izurd would use to propose to their loved one. She had been learning her race''s culture on the side after all. Which meant, he was completely and utterly serious about this. "You¡ªI can''t believe this!" She swiped the flower off his hands and threw it to the side. "You know I already have Hugo, right? Didn''t Fran already tell you about him?" "I know. But I still believe I''m a better match for you. We''re both Izurds while he''s a human. Humans don''t live long. We do. I can take care of you for the rest of your life. He can''t." His response was firm and unflinching, looking at the blushing Sherry right on the eye. "Do you think I want your companionship? You''re nothing compared to him!" "Then, let me prove my devotion to you." He stood up. "I challenge you to a fight. If I win, you will be my bride." "You¡­ you think you can win against me?!" "I''ll try. I''ve trained too, you know. Us male Izurds might not be as strong as you females but that doesn''t mean we can''t fight." "Then try this!" Without hesitation, Sherry punched him in the face, sending him flying a good distance away. "Hmph! How dare he say that right after he peeped on me?!" To her surprise, however, the man he just hit was already back on his feet, with only a nosebleed to show for his wounds. "You''re strong, I''ll admit that. But I''m as stubborn as a mule. I''ll challenge you to a fight over and over again until I win." With those words, the young man bowed before walking away. "H-hey, you can''t just¡ªUrgh, forget it! I''ll just speak to your mother!" If there''s anyone that can keep him in line, it had to be her. And besides, she couldn''t beat him up too hard. He was her aunt''s son. They were cousins. Like it or not, he was her family too. And by that, she meant they had larger chests than her. She''d seen them all. All the young girls in the village would bathe together and she''d be invited as well. And she definitely had the smallest chest out of them all! --------- Returning back home, she found that Emel was nowhere to be found. Fran, however, was in the kitchen, cooking up a storm for dinner. "Well, well, you''re early today." The demoness smiled, turning to face her the moment she entered the room. "Oh my, those clothes are dirty. Fought another big monster, didn''t you? Don''t worry. I already placed a set of clean clothes on your bed." For an Izurd, blood was nothing more than water. "Hmm, that''s a frown you have in your pretty face. Is something the matter?" Sherry didn''t hesitate. She told her everything that had happened between her and Emel. "Oh really? He did? Why, that''s faster than I anticipated." "Wait, you mean you knew he had a crush on me?!" "Of course." She smirked. "I am his mother after all. I know he''s head over heels for you." "Then why didn''t you tell me?! No, scratch that, you should''ve told him to stay away from me instead! I already have Hugo! I don''t need any other man¡ª" "Like I said, I am her mother. And I won''t deny him a chance at happiness." Her eyes narrowed as a frown formed on her face. "If he wants you as his bride, then I won''t stop him." This response took Sherry aback quite a bit. She thought she would be on her side! "B-but, I don''t want him bothering me!" "As an Izurdian lady, you should learn to enjoy our courting process. You see, my darling husband did the same when he courted me. He would challenge me to a fight over and over again until eventually, I fell in love with his determination." She sighed, smiling. "Hmph, that would never happen to me! I hate men like him!" She huffed, crossing her arms under her chest. "Because he peeked at you taking a bath?" The demoness'' smirk returned. "Oh dearie, you''re 15 years old already. You should be more proud of your body." To emphasize her statement, she gave a quick squeeze of her bountiful bosom, causing them to bounce in the most annoying manner (according to Sherry). "W-what?! I''m not going to let some guy I hate look at my naked body!" Fran giggled. "How about your dear Hugo then? Would you bare your all once you meet him again?" "Hmph! If it''s him, then I guess it''s alright¡­" "Then Emel would just have to steal your heart." "That''s never going to happen!" Having enough of the conversation, she bolted out from the kitchen and made her way back to her room, slamming the door behind her. "Oh my¡­" Fran smiled. "That girl¡­ She really is loyal to this Hugo kid¡­ Even after what he did¡­ Well, she is an Izurd after all¡­ "You have a tough road ahead of you, Emel. And, as your mother, I shall root for you, of course." --------- Meanwhile, Quania was making her way through the fairy forest. Using a secret passage only she was authorized to go through, she could "slip" away from the space the fairies had made for the Izurd, entering the world on the outside. She didn''t have any specific destination. No, she just had to wait until the minister was willing to speak to her. "Ooo, it''s the scary lady¡­" "Shh, quiet! Do you want her to hear us? She''s a former Demon Lord, you know!" "A Demon Lord? What''s that?" "A really scary person! That''s what she is!" The whispers of the fairies didn''t escape her notice. She could even point out their exact location through the thick fog surrounding her. She chose to ignore them. Even if she were to kill them, it would only incur the anger of the minister. Or not. She was a capricious sort. Even she couldn''t figure out what she was thinking. And then, all of a sudden, the environment shifted into a blur, transforming the foggy forest into an open flower field. "To what do I owe this visit, my precious sapling?" A giant dark-skinned fairy manifested from a storm of flowers. Dressed in radiant red, the woman was the so-called Minister of Summer, an archfey whose power was incomparable to any other fairies in the world. "I have a request to make," Quania replied, still keeping her stoic, unflinching expression. "A request?" The fairy laughed. "What, then, do you have to offer in exchange?" "It''s a request you should be interested in as well." "Really?" The fairy laughed again, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "Speak then, my loveless pet." "I wish for you to spy on a certain human. You should already know his name, knowing how you should be watching her." "Aha!" The fairy raised her index finger and smiled. "Hugo Greenwood. The human love of the foreign Izurd. You want me to scry him? For what purpose if I might ask?" "You already know the purpose," Quania replied. "Oho! You think your dear granddaughter will suffer the same fate as you! Interesting! You''re right! I do want to do this request of yours! In exchange, I will tell your granddaughter everything I see, whether she likes it or not." "Do as you wish. I only ask for you to tell the truth. Nothing more, nothing less." "Very well then!" The fairy clapped. "Anything else before I send you back?" "No. That would be all." "Are you sure? No more monsters I need to bring for your granddaughter?" "..." "Oh fine! Be on your way then, you sourpuss!" With a snap of her fingers, Quania disappeared in a whirlwind of flowers, reappearing back at the secret passage she just used. As for the archfey herself¡­ A/N: Oh look, it''s a Sherry chapter. Uh oh, is Hugo going to get busted? Find out next time on RoaWM! (what an acronym) As for my Patreon chapter... uh, Marina fans, you probably wouldn''t want to read it. Vol 4 Chapter 35: The Fourth Stratum Hugo Our trip through the fourth stratum went swimmingly. Thanks to its layout, it was all too easy to find the teleporter to get to the next floor. As for the monsters, they might be stronger, consisting mainly of B and A-ranks, but I managed to guard Theo and the others perfectly fine from them. They would try all sorts of maneuvers, from appearing out of thin air to ambush us, to performing a pincer attack¡ªnone of them could really pose a threat to us. Our coordination was simply too much on point for them to be a threat. In short, this was how it usually went. Monsters appeared, Felicia erected her shadow shield, and then I disposed of the monsters with a Homing Boom Rifle or Boom Cannon. Even if they were A-ranks, they still were no match for my magic. If anything odd happened, like when we ended up separated from one another, Theo would take point as the frontliner fighter, Tama would play distraction with her agility, and Tira would guard Theo¡¯s flank¡ªall the while they tried to regroup with us. Speaking to Tira, she should¡¯ve become an adventurer in the first place. She had potential. She could keep her calm even in the toughest spots. That¡¯s more important than just being a strong fighter. There were still problems we had to handle though. Like when we had to ¡°take care of business¡±, if you caught my drift. The dungeon was just a mess of spiraling transparent pathways through outer space so there was no private place we could do our business. At least in the previous stratum, we could just go a distance away from the group with me conjuring an earth wall for privacy. So we were forced to do our business pretty close by, with me erecting a full earthen hut. And since I was the only one who could do the spell, everyone else had to speak to me if they wanted to go. And that caused quite the problem, since with the exception of Felicia, everyone else seemed to be determined to reduce their trip to my makeshift loo to the absolute minimum. ¡°Milord, I think we should take a break.¡± ¡°Eh? You¡¯re tired already, Felicia?¡± ¡°No, not me. It¡¯s Tama. Look.¡± I glanced behind me, finding the catgirl walking awfully stiffly. Her hands were not-so-subtly pressed into her skirt and sweat was rapidly falling off her forehead. ¡°Oh, that again.¡± Sighing, I halted my feet. ¡°Alright everyone! We¡¯re taking a break! If anyone needs to go¡­¡± The catfolk raised her hand in an instant. It wasn¡¯t just Tama who was too shy to speak up. Theo was the same. Only once he couldn¡¯t hold it anymore would he scuttle over to me and beg me for relief. And when both of us needed to go, it would be an awkward side-by-side peeing. It¡¯s like when you were forced to pee in an urinal that was right beside another guy¡¯s urinal. Not to mention how I would get nervous of him seeing my manhood, for some odd reason. Maybe because of his girlish face, or maybe I was just the shy type. If I were Felicia on the other hand¡­ heh, I had bared all I had to her many times. I wasn¡¯t even nervous about my size anymore, thanks to her encouraging words and actions. I also tried to look away from his manhood. Too bad I ended up catching a glimpse of it anyway when he forgot to unzip after doing his business. Thankfully, his was smaller than mine. Self-esteem protected. As for Tira, she would come up to me earlier than the other two, but I still could tell she was holding it harder than she should. Only Felicia would tell her need immediately. She would even offer me to watch her do her business. Oh, and we had to check every chest we found, since the Dream Orb I badly needed started to appear in this stratum. Unfortunately, after slaughtering what could¡¯ve only been our 200th mimics, we still didn¡¯t get any. The rate was certainly low but I didn¡¯t imagine it to be that low. As for the Convergence Floors, we didn¡¯t meet anyone else either. We arrived at the 400th floor in just two weeks where we faced the stratum boss. ¡°Groarrrr!¡± It was a dragon. A Galaxy Dragon, to be exact, named so by the scholars who described it in their books because of its location and its coloration. Its scales glimmered like the stars and its eyes glowed like a supernova. A top dog S-rank monster. Even stronger than the Ice Dragon I killed before. Thankfully, the dungeon was nice enough to provide us with a large flat platform where we could fight the beast. ¡°Stand back!¡± I ordered the others. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this myself.¡± The dragon was looking right at me as I slowly walked forward. ¡°Who is this young man who dares to tread on my territory?¡± It probably thought in its mind. I couldn¡¯t just charge my Super Boom Cannon and one-shot it. It would know what I was doing and counterattack immediately. And since there were no walls to hide me either, it was clear that I had to do it the hard way. The last time the beast was defeated was by the Ten Braves, according to Felicia¡¯s research. And since I had defeated them, I should be able to defeat this dragon as well. I began by firing a Boom Cannon, followed by me running as fast as I could towards the creature to gap the distance. Naturally, the dragon repelled it by its scales before blowing a cosmic fire breath in my direction. I dodged it by jumping upwards before firing another Boom Cannon to its eyes. Once again, it dodged. I drew my sword and enchanted it with wind. And then, I took out a small vial from my pocket and poured its green liquid on its tip. Using Wind Step, I closed the gap even further, barely dodging out of the way from its massive tail swipe. ¡°Haa! Staccato!¡± Sharpening my mithril sword to the max, I aimed it downwards. Stabbing it right on top of the dragon¡¯s head. ¡°Grooarrhhh!¡± The dragon roared as it tried to shake me off. I braced myself, using magic-created wind pressure to keep me glued on top of it. I still had my wand out so I could still cast spells. One of the many perks of being ambidextrous. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± The dragon decided it had enough and banged its own head to the translucent floor, wanting to get rid of me in the process no doubt. And so, I had to disengage. I gave the head a good slash before jumping off it, just in time before I hit the floor. That vial I used? Felicia¡¯s most lethal poison. It went straight for the brain, destroying it immediately. And since I managed to get my sword inside its head¡­ ¡°Groaagrrrrrrr¡­¡± The dragon¡¯s head froze mid-air for a few moments before falling down. The dragon¡¯s body followed suit as its legs lost their strength. A small tremor ensued as its mass crashed onto the floor. And just like that, I¡¯ve won. I was greeted by cheers and praises from Theo and Tira once I returned. Even Tama couldn¡¯t help showing her awed face to me. ¡°Guys, thank Felicia too. She was the one who made the poison I used to kill the dragon.¡± ¡°Oh no, all the praise should go to you, Milord. You¡¯re the adventurer. I¡¯m just the alchemist supplying you with my goods. Isn¡¯t that how it goes in the world of adventurers?¡± ¡°Oh, stop being so humble!¡± I grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to me with a grin. ¡°M-Milord, what are you¡ª¡± Massaging her left breast, I then said, ¡°You¡¯re an amazing alchemist! You should be proud of that fact! Puff this chest of yours and say to the world that you can make poisons able to kill dragons!¡± ¡°M-Milord, a-ahnn, doing this out in the open¡­¡± ¡°H-hey, stop it! Save it for nighttime you idiots!¡± Tama pointed and yelled. Tira looked away while Theo gulped, staring really closely at the scene as his shorts slowly tented. I laughed, moving my left hand to the right breast. ¡°Look, this is my reward for her. She loves being fondled like this, you know. As for you guys, you should praise her more too. Don¡¯t just praise me too.¡± ¡°M-Milord, p-please stop I¡¯m not¡ªahnnn! I¡¯m not ready for this!¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C After that little¡ªahem¡ªincident, we finally reached the next stratum. And it was yet another awe-inspiring sight. Around us were fields upon fields of grasses and flowers. However, they were entirely different from the ones we could find on the outside. The grass was lavender in color and its tip was all curled like a hairstyle you would find on a princess. The flowers, on the other hand, had their heads shaped not in the usual round shape but with triangles instead. So the head of the flowers were made out of large triangles surrounded by smaller ones. The Exogenous Garden. A paradise for strange and rare plants. And it¡¯s also where the danger level of the dungeon increased dramatically. All monsters were at least A-ranks, with the occasional S-ranks thrown in for good measure. And the stratum boss¡­ well¡­ no one had ever seen it. No one had gotten that far. This stratum was special, more than 100 floors. We would be in this alien paradise for a good while for sure. ¡°Well done. You¡¯ve finally arrived, o Unchained One.¡± A sphere of light manifested out of thin air, revealing a familiar cloaked elf once it receded. Xaela, The Administrator. ¡°Hold on, I thought you¡¯re waiting for us on the 599th floor.¡± ¡°Yes. You still have a long way to go. I am here merely to inform you that your Demon Lord is going through this facility at this very moment.¡± My heart skipped a beat. ¡°She¡ªshe¡¯s chasing after us?¡± ¡°Yes. She¡¯s currently on floor 235, at the Third Stratum. I believe she figured out that my teleportation of the elf over there was done through the power of this facility.¡± ¡°Damn it! She¡¯s already that far?¡± ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you do something?¡± Felicia interrupted. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that we¡¯d be safe here?¡± ¡°I can¡­ but I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°What? Why not?!¡± It was Theo¡¯s turn to speak next. ¡°You saved Master Hugo before! Why can¡¯t you do it again?!¡± ¡°Because this is his test. I wish to see his strength. And your strength as well, as his companions.¡± Turning back to face me, she then said, ¡°I shall be waiting, o Unchained One. Do not disappoint me.¡± And with that, she disappeared once more. Damn it! Stop being so mysterious for once!¡±I yelled. No response, of course, even though I knew she must have heard it. I still remembered when she gave me that headpat when I was at my lowest point. That mesmerizing smile of hers ¡ª it could only be made by someone with a good heart. And yet, why was she acting so cold now? To test me? For what reason? ¡°So that was the person that saved me¡­¡± Tira spoke, diverting me from my thoughts. ¡°Sir Hugo. If you have no wish to follow her demand, we can just leave the dungeon right now. Since that Demon Lord is here, we can just run away. She won¡¯t be able to give chase, no?¡± She smiled. I froze. ¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tira, but I want to go on further.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡­ have something I need to ask her.¡± ¡°What do you want to ask her, Master Hugo?¡± Theo asked. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a secret. I can¡¯t tell you yet. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I gave him a wry smile. ¡°A secret?! You want us to risk our lives for a secret? What a joke!¡± Tama yelled. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re just smitten by her, aren¡¯t you?¡± I sighed. She had a point. Not the smitten part though. Okay, maybe I was a little smitten. But it wasn¡¯t like I was falling in love with her like she implied. ¡°Then you three should leave the dungeon. Go to the west at once and leave the Continent. I¡¯ll give you my bag with all our loot. It should be enough money to start over somewhere else. As for you, Felicia¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you even dare say it, Milord. You want to climb further? Then I¡¯m with you. Even though I agree with Tira¡¯s suggestion.¡± She huffed. ¡°T-then I¡¯m coming with you!¡± Theo yelled. ¡°You¡¯ve done so much for us¡ªfor me! I won¡¯t abandon you just because of a Demon Lord! A-and I still need to learn more from you!¡± Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°I agree.¡± Tira followed, a firm look on her face. ¡°I would be a terrible mother if I don¡¯t strive to repay your kindness, Sir Hugo. I¡¯ll follow you wherever you go.¡± ¡°Y-you two can¡¯t be serious, can you?¡± Tama interrupted. ¡°You know that guy can¡¯t win against her!¡± She pointed her finger at me. ¡°Oh, I am serious,¡± Tira replied with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m willing to lay down my life for him. And you should be too, seeing how much you owe him as well.¡± ¡°Theo! You talk some sense into her!¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m going with Master Hugo and that¡¯s that!¡± ¡°Grrr, that¡¯s it! You¡¯re kicked out from my tent for a week?¡± ¡°What?! Fine! I¡¯ll just sleep with Mother then!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Victoria Victoria Fay Relfatia was mourning. It had been two weeks since she heard the news of her friends¡¯ death, killed by the untouchable Demon Lord. She was there when her older sister yelled at her father for sending the Demon Lord to kill her friends. She wanted them alive for her own plans. Her father, on the other hand, disagreed. He thought they were too much of a liability to be kept alive. Even though at the end, it was the Demon Lord who killed her father¡¯s merchant friend, causing him great distress. She didn¡¯t understand why but it was something to do with how this city had engaged business with the other city-states. Bursting into the room, she spoke her mind without reserve. ¡°No! That¡¯s a lie! Sir Hugo can¡¯t possibly¡ª¡± ¡°I wish it was a lie,¡± her sister replied, crossing her arms under her chest. ¡°But if what Father said was true, she would have no reason to lie about killing them either.¡± She sighed. ¡°And now, she has disappeared into the void. Even though the invasion would begin soon.¡± ¡°The invasion?¡± ¡°The city-states will gather their forces and make a big push into Balthazar¡¯s territory. We will be there, of course, and when the time comes, we will stab them in the back, just as the plan says.¡± She smiled. ¡°And you, my dear, will be the foundation for our long-lasting relationship with his nation.¡± Victoria could say nothing more to her sister. And so, she moved on to her father instead. ¡°F-Father, are you sure about this? That Demon Lord killed your partner, did she not? And she¡¯s with Balthazar?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not Balthazar¡¯s minion.¡± He sighed. ¡°She has always been a rogue agent, not a true ally of our alliance with Balthazar. Losing Bartholomeous is certainly a large setback, as it meant we would lose the money and influence we could have with the other city-states, but since we are allying ourselves with Balthazar, we would be in the superior position anyway once this is all over. And it would be unwise to elicit her displeasure at this critical juncture of our history.¡± He stood up, staring right at Victoria. ¡°I¡¯ve informed Balthazar of your supposed half-fairy nature. And now, he wants you even more as one of his sons¡¯ wife. I expect you to play your part perfectly. As such, I have instructed Nanaca to teach you in the arts of a good wife.¡± Nanaca Fay Relfatia. It was the name of her estranged mother. ¡°Y-you¡¯ve made up with Mother, Father?¡± Victoria smiled. ¡°She and I simply agreed that we could be rid of you.¡± ¡°A-ah, I see¡­¡± Her smile turned awkward. ¡°I-I promise! I will be useful! I¡¯ll make the Demon Lord play nice with Arborea!¡± ¡°Good. If you can do that, then you might finally be half as useful as your sister.¡± Victoria could only nod in obedience. If¡­ if her precious Sir Hugo was really dead¡­ This was all she had left. ¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°Victoria~ Your mother is coming in~¡± Without waiting for her answer, the older woman entered her room. Victoria was still in her nightgown, hugging her pillow as she refused to forget the dream she just had. There, she was a brave and strong knightess, coming to the rescue of Sir Hugo against the evil Demon Lord. Then, once the fox demon was defeated, Sir Hugo would thank her and praise her for her help. And then, the two kissed passionately under the setting sun. Or, in the case of the real world, Victoria kissed her pillow passionately. ¡°S-Sir Hugo, uhmmmmmphh¡­¡± ¡°Oh dear, having more lewd dreams with him? Now that won¡¯t do!¡± With a manic grin on her face, her mother pulled the pillow away from her, throwing it to the ground. And then, she slapped her. ¡°WAKE UP! WAKE UP, YOU WORTHLESS DAUGHTER OF MINE!¡± Groaning, Victoria¡¯s eyes slowly fluttered open. ¡°M-Mother?¡± ¡°HOW DARE YOU DREAM OF HIM AGAIN! WHAT DID I TELL YOU, HUH? WHAT DID I TELL YOU?¡± ¡°Mother, it hurts!¡± Victoria screamed. Her long ear was being twisted by the older woman¡¯s fingers. ¡°I told you before, didn¡¯t I?! All you must think about is your future husband! Not some dead kid you met on the filthy roads outside! You¡¯re going to be the ideal wife! And no wife should think of other men that are not her husband!¡± She slapped her one last time before releasing her grip. As Victoria weeped, she began a long lecture on her daughter¡¯s long responsibilities as the future wife of a Demon Lord¡¯s son. This had happened many times before. And all Victoria could do was to endure it. Just like she had endured all the other things her parents had done to her since she was little. When her mother finished, she took out what looked like a long wooden object from her pocket. ¡°Now, before breakfast, I want you to show me how you would pleasure your husband¡¯s member with that enormous chest of yours.¡± Ironically, the older woman had a completely flat chest herself. Where her daughters got their assets, no one could ever know. ¡°Y-yes, Mother.¡± Taking the wooden shaft from her mother¡¯s hands, she lodged in the phallic object between her breasts. ¡°What is that?! That is not sensual at all! Start over!¡± Indeed. She wasn¡¯t taught how to be the wife of a ruler (as the son of a Demon Lord would be a Demon Prince). She was taught to be his consort in bed. Nothing more. Nothing less. To her mother, it was the perfect punishment. It was because of her cursed existence she had suffered all these years. And so, Victoria¡¯s hellish days continued onward. --------- A/N: Poor Victoria¡­ is it her fault for not asking for Hugo¡¯s help? Is it Felicia¡¯s fault for preventing Hugo from helping her? Or is it Hugo¡¯s own fault listening to his obviously jealous girlfriend? Her suffering will only continue from now on, unfortunately. As for my Patreon chapter, poor Erika... Vol 4 Chapter 36: Hugo’s First SS-Rank Monster Hugo Going through the Exogenous Garden was definitely harder than going through Starry Road. Thanks to the increased difficulty of the monsters, we had to stay close together at all times. Felicia had to be ready for defense while I had to be ready on offense. None of the others could handle A-rank monsters by themselves. However, on the positive side, we finally had good food once more. We had run out of salted meat and vegetables a long time ago so we had to resort to eating monster meat back in the fourth stratum. And let me tell you, they didn''t taste good in the slightest. In fact, if not for Felicia''s cure, we would all suffer stomach pains from it. In this stratum though, the monsters were a lot more delicious. Not to mention all the fruits and vegetables available to eat. Oh, they might look odd, but they were perfectly safe to eat. The gardens themselves had pretty much every sort of plant that could exist (and some more). And with the eternal warm sun above our head, it really felt like a giant greenhouse of sorts. As promised, Theo didn''t sleep with Tama for an entire week, going back to her mother''s crib instead. And that led to certain¡­ uh¡­ The first morning after he slept with Tira, he came up to me and told me something that took me quite by surprise. "U-umm, Master? Is it¡­ is it normal to get¡­ to get turned on by your own mother?" He whispered. "W-what did you say?" I immediately looked around. No one else was there. I was the last on watch duty and Theo was the first to wake up. "I¡­ I woke up this morning. And her skirt¡­ draped upwards. I-I could see her thighs and underwear. I stared at them, and then¡­" My eyes traveled down as he pointed at his crotch. I placed my right hand on his shoulder. "It''s fine." I smiled. "You two aren''t really related, right? So it''s normal for you to think she''s attractive. I think she''s attractive." "Y-you do?" "Yep! The way her skirt is so short, she flashes her panties quite often, you know. And how motherly she is, she''s just my type!" I grinned. Normally, I wouldn''t be this blatant about my perversion, but it''s Theo. He had my trust. "T-then, I''ll confess too! Miss Felicia¡­ I like to peek at her panties too! Her legs are so long and her cleavage is really visible I can''t take my eyes away from them!" "W-well, try not to look too much, alright, or you''d make Tama upset. You should be looking at her instead!" "I¡­ I see¡­" He looked up, smiling. "If it''s you, I don''t think I''d mind if you marry Mother!" "Y-yeah, about that¡­" I scratched my head with a nervous smile. "Felicia won''t be happy. And she doesn''t like me that way." Our conversation was soon interrupted by Tira and Felicia exiting their tents. Quickly, Theo adjusted his shorts. As another pervert, I had taught him the best way to hide his erections. The next morning, however, he came to me for the exact same conversation. "M-Master Hugo, I-I nearly kissed her!" "H-huh?" "When I woke up, her face was right in front of me! And seeing those lips, I almost¡ª" "H-hold on there. No need to tell me more." I placed my hands on his shoulders. "Goddamnit, Theo, you really need to keep those hormones in check." "I-I''m sorry¡­" He looked down, looking ashamed of himself. "Ever since I started doing it with Tama, I just¡­ keep wanting more of it. Is there¡­ is there something wrong with me, Master?" He looked up, fluttering his eyelids like a lost puppy, making my heart skip a beat and a blush to creep onto my cheeks. Once again, I was overwhelmed by his cuteness. "N-no, there''s nothing wrong with you. You''re just a healthy young man! Like me!" I reassured him with a grin. "Though to be honest, you might want to make up with Tama. And I think I should help you in that department." And so, I spoke to Tama once she woke up. At first, she was unwilling, of course, but once I told her about the circumstances, she quickly turned around. "R-really? He starts seeing her like that? Ooh, Theo! I know it''ll end up like this!" "Wait, what do you mean?" I asked. "You should know by now that Theo loves Tira a lot." The catgirl lectured as she had her arms folded. "He told me he wanted to make her happy for the rest of his life. That''s not something a normal boy would say to his mother." "Ah, you mean he has an Oedipus Complex." "Oedipus who?" She blinked. Oh"Whatever. What I mean is, I know once he''s older, he''ll see her as a mate instead of a mother. Humans have their mating seasons all year long. And Theo''s desire to mate¡­" Blush crept to her cheeks. "...is quite strong. But to think it''ll start happening this early¡­" "It''s because you awakened his lusty side." I smiled. "You made him do it first, didn''t you?" "Y-yeah, I did. So what? I''m his girlfriend. It''s within my right to make him do it with me." She sighed. "Fine. I''ll take him back. As for you, I expect you to protect us as always. If anything happens to Theo, I swear, I''ll hunt you down if it''s the last thing I do!" -------- We went through the stratum carefully and methodically, knowing just how dangerous the monsters could be. There were these A-rank Death Rafflesias that could immobilize you with their spores if you even breathed a little in. I had to be on point with my wind spells. There were also the Two-Headed Flower Giants, a tall, towering humanoid monstrosities with flowers growing all over their green skins. They could feel no pain and would not flinch as they ran to hit you with their wooden clubs. As for the S-rank monster, it was a Flower Dragon. We would encounter at least one every floor. It could fire seeds from its mouth that would grow thorny vines, wrapping you in an instant. With its wings, it spread more spores around, only this time, they were highly poisonous. Without Felicia''s immunity potions, you would die in just a minute after you inhaled some. That wasn''t all of them, of course. There were a lot more monsters as we went further in. If I were to use my Super Boom Cannon to clear the environments¡­ yeah¡­ we would be overwhelmed. As a result, we reached the 500th floor only after a grueling month of travel. It didn''t help that there was no nighttime. We only slept when we felt sleepy enough, cutting our rest time significantly. And there it was. Our first SS-rank monster. I gulped. ----------- Back at the Relfatia Estate, it was time for Marlene''s departure at last. It was really early in the morning where all the butlers and maids came together and wished her fortune in her campaign. They knew nothing, of course, on her plan to betray the Human Alliance. Of course, she had to have a few words with her little sister before she left. That morning, as Victoria dressed up in her room, she barged in without warning, taking the half-fairy by surprise. "Well, would you look at that?" She smirked, folding her arms under her chest. "You actually are going to see me leave." Victoria had no maids to help her dress. And she was struggling with buttoning the front of her top, thanks to her massive chest. "Urgh, those eyesores¡­ I can''t believe yours are bigger than mine." She walked over to her and yanked her hands away, grabbing her breasts as hard as she could." "A-ahnnn, S-Sis!" "Look at these monstrosities. I''m glad I don''t have them after all. I actually need to be mobile in my fights. This amount of fat would only impede me on the battlefield." Releasing Victoria''s chest, she then squeezed and lifted her own. "This¡­ is the perfect chest. The size and the firmness¡ªthey''re simply without flaw. Unlike yours. Yours¡­ are only good to serve men in the bedroom. Unlike mine, which actually enhances my charm and loveliness in the outside world." "S-Sis! I¡­ please be careful out there!" "Silence, imbecile!" She slapped the half-fairy. "I don''t need your prayers. Your worthlessness would only rub off onto me." Grinning, she took out her wand from between her bosom and aimed it at her. "Undress!" A violent wind appeared in the room. It swallowed Victoria whole, destroying every inch of her dress. When it was finished, she was on the ground, naked, and in tears. "There you go. You don''t need clothes to serve your purpose." Putting back her wand in her cleavage, she walked towards the door. "Oh." She stopped and turned. "One more thing." "Prepare yourself. Mother is going to make you perform on an actual man soon." Victoria''s eyes widened. "W-what do you mean, Sis?" "She''ll buy a male slave and make you pleasure him. What else could it be?" With a shrill laugh, she left the room. Ah, what joy. Her useless sister would be degraded to be less than a slave while she would rise further to the top of the world. Oops, that''s not quite true, wasn''t it? She''s just a changeling. She''s not even her real sister. She was just a thorn in the illustrious history of the Relfatia Family. ------- Hugo I reached into my pocket. "Felicia, are you ready?" I glanced at the redheaded woman beside me. "At your signal, Milord." She would act as support, striking only from the shadows when there''s an opening. As for Theo and the others, they were further away. I couldn''t trust myself to protect them in this fight. "You two! Are you ready?" "Ready, Master!" "I am ready." I had summoned my two fairies as well. Against an opponent this level, I would not hold back. "Then, in the count of three¡­" I leaned forward, readying my feet for a dash. "One¡­ two¡­ THREE!" I flew forward, using both Graceful Step and Wind Step for maximum speed. Felicia melted into her shadows while Earth Sprite tunneled underground. Water Fairy, on the other hand, took to the skies. The mantis, content on ignoring me before, now dashed forward, sensing my intent to attack. Its front leg, or rather, arm, clashed with my sword. The other arm went for a slashing motion but I managed to block via a miniature Wind Wall, acting like a shield in my left hand. And then, the barrage began. With speed that eclipsed Fiora''s sword swings, it swung its arms over and over, every time going for a weakness in my guard or an opening I carelessly had made. A hundred swings in one second. That was how fast it could attack. "Gah!" One slash. Followed by two. And then three. The first one scratched my arm. The second one scratched my leg. The third one scratched my abdomen. I was overwhelmed. "Now!" At my signal, the ground burst open, transforming into mud in the process. Earth Sprite, using a large golem-like hand, grabbed the mantis and dragged it down. It was enough to give me time to disengage. "Hyaah, take this!" Water Fairy then fired her scorching hot water jet onto the mantis. Felicia was next, sending a swarm of her dark tendrils to pierce the mantis'' body. It didn''t do much, of course. The mantis quickly freed itself from Earth Sprite''s grab before sending a slashing attack towards Water Fairy, cutting her into two in a single move. "Owww! I wasn''t fast enough!" she said before she disappeared. Felicia, sensing danger, immediately hid herself once more, just in time before her tendrils were shredded into pieces. However, all that made enough time for me to fire a Boom Cannon. It blocked it, barely. It stabbed its legs to the earth to keep itself from flying. Luckily, I still had another Boom Cannon to fire, thanks to my Dual Cast. It hit the mantis once again. And this time, it couldn''t block it. Its front legs shattered and it was sent flying a good distance away from the impact. Quickly, I ran to follow it. I had to finish it while it was still down. Yes, I could now cast two Master-level spells at the same time. I kept up my training, and little by little, my control became good enough to reach this point. To my disappointment, the mantis managed to regain its posture before it landed. Like a fighting game character, it cancelled its fall, landing on its two legs perfectly. Still from range, I fired a Boom Rifle. It was faster than a Boom Cannon and I needed all the speed I could get. Only for the monster to dodge it at the last second. I ordered the bullet to home back in from behind but once again, it dodged it by a hair''s breadth. And then, it ran right towards me, raising his right stump in the process. Or it would, if not for the fact that a new arm had just growed itself in the place. I had read about it in the books. But I didn''t expect it to be fast. "Wall! Now!" I ordered Earth Sprite to erect a wall to block its blow. In the meantime, I would sidestep said wall while enchanting my mithril sword with wind for a quick slash from its flank. A large gash was drawn on the wall at impact. I used Graceful Step, created those wind saw blades on my drawn sword, and then¡ª "Staccato! Storm!" I hadn''t trained much with this technique to be honest. I was just imitating what I saw Fiora did all those years ago. My first slash was aimed at the mantis'' freshly regenerated arm. I needed to cut it immediately without hesitation, or else it would outspeed me and overwhelm me again. And I did. I was fast enough to do so without it being able to dodge or counter the blow. And then, I aimed for its legs. I wasn''t sure if decapitating it would immediately kill it¡ªI heard some insects could survive such a state for hours or even days¡ªand so I prioritized immobilization instead. However, I wasn''t so lucky this time. The mantis blocked my blows using said legs. And not only that, the other arm regenerated back, ready to strike me down in an instant. If not for Felicia intervening, conjuring a giant blade of shadows that cut through said arm immediately before it could do anything. I unleashed the rest of my slashes towards its abdomen, forcing it to lift its legs higher to block my blows. "Gahh!" Two more slashes managed to land on me¡ªone on my chest and another on my thighs. And by that, I meant Felicia''s poison. I had coated my blade in a split second before, knowing I would be able to land a blow on the monster. A split second of sluggishness was all I needed to land my blow. I slashed its abdomen cleanly in the middle, as it wasn''t protected by its aura. Green blood poured out, soaking its lower body completely. It let out a pained screech, trying to counter by its legs. As I predicted, the lower half could still attack even without the upper half. I disengaged, running backwards as fast as I could from our current position. The lower half followed. But it soon found out that without its eyes, it couldn''t keep up with my movement. I saw from the corner of my eye that Felicia had thrown a bomb on the upper half. I flew upwards, aimed my wand down below, and shouted, "Explosion!" It couldn''t escape. The lower half couldn''t use its wings to fly to where I was. A powerful fireball engulfed the area, about the radius of half a mile. Explosion. Another Master-level spell I had mastered on the side. I waited until the dust settled, revealing a burning, smoky field. My eyes scanned the area for the lower half of the mantis. I found it immediately. It was still in one piece, though burning from top to bottom. Oh Still on the air, I began charging my Super Boom Cannon. After half a minute of charging, I unleashed the spell. It didn''t stand a chance, as my super spell obliterated it into dust on impact, creating a deep crater in the process. How deep? I wouldn''t know. Couldn''t see the bottom from here. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I immediately checked on the upper half afterwards. Sure enough, Felicia did her job. Using her strong acid, there was nothing left of the mantis on her side as well. "Haaahh!" I took a deep breath, panting as I collapsed to the ground. Vol 4 Chapter 37: Premonition Marlene ¡°Foot soldiers, forward! Protect the backlines with your lives! Mages, cast your Conflagration! Burn their lines to the ground! Knights! Prepare to chase and surround them! Do not let any of these filthy demons escape!¡± Marlene smiled as she watched her underlings do their work. She didn''t have to do a thing other than yelling her orders from the top of her horse. The counter-invasion had begun. The human Alliance, mustering around 100,000 soldiers strong, had launched a surprise attack into the mithril mines that had been occupied by the demons. 70,000 came from the 7 city-states, while the other 30,000 came from the Church. The demon forces who held the territory numbered only in the 10,000. They never stood a chance. ¡°Now, mages! Cast your Thunderstorm! Don¡¯t let those flyers near our troops at any cost!¡± Arborea¡¯s forces, led by Marlene, consisted of 4,000 mages, 1,000 horse knights, 3,500 foot soldiers, and 500 hired adventurers, give or take. Her composition was certainly unique, as it was so topsided towards the mages. Normally, an army wouldn¡¯t want such a composition, since mages needed so much time to prepare their attacks, making them vulnerable to archers and horse riders of the opposing side. However, she was a prime believer in the superiority of magic over anything else, no doubt due to her heritage. And she was there to protect them if her ¡°meatshields¡± failed to protect them. The skies darkened, firing off lightning after lightning over the flying demons who were trying to approach her troops. The Thunderstorm she ordered was created by all of those 4,000 mages. It was named Synchronized Casting. Using their joined mana pool of many low-tier mages (the majority of said mages couldn¡¯t even cast any spells beyond Intermediate-level), they could cast a Master-level spell like Thunderstorm without fail. Oh, she could take care of those flyers herself, of course. But why would she waste her mana to trash like them? ¡°Alright, finish them off! Create a Grand Tornado to chase after the running ones! Knights, foot soldiers, retreat at once!¡± Grand Tornado was the common name for the Master-level Wind spell that conjured a massive swirling wind with a radius of a mile. It was quite the dangerous spell, considering that you could end up killing yourself with it if you cast it too close to where you were. But, Marlene trained her mages well. She would have an expedition with all her mages once a year where she would demand them to cast spells over and over until they were completely dry. She would even tell them to kill S-rank monsters in the process. As for the other part of her army, well, she couldn¡¯t care less. When the wind died down, the battlefield became quiet. They had won. And they didn¡¯t even have to use their full strength. Only Arborea and Fontaine faced the demon forces head to head. The rest stayed back in reserve, waiting if the main army, led by the Demon King, were to appear. Speaking of Fontaine¡­ ¡°You idiot! Why did you do that?!¡± Marlene groaned. She turned her horse to the side and saw a dark-skinned, redheaded elven woman standing with her hands placed on her waist. Clearly, she was upset. "My soldiers! You didn''t let them get away before you summoned that tornado of yours! Do you know how many just died from your stupidity?!" "They''re expendable, are they not? I don''t see the problem." "You!" She walked forward towards Marlene, wanting to yank her off her high horse, both figuratively and literally. Only for the mage to respond by blasting her with a wind spell, sending her flying a distance away. In Marlene''s head, she considered herself to be the strongest woman amongst all the city-states, only rivaled by Lionfang from Korlopur and Malakath from Kanaan. And even those two couldn''t compete with her magic. "You! How dare you do that to our commander?" One of her underlings said, drawing her weapon. The others soon followed. Naturally, this meant Marlene''s own soldiers had to draw their blades as well. She wasn''t afraid, of course. Fontaine had been the weakest city state for a long time. If push came to shove¡­ "Alright, you two, knock it off. We''re here to fight against a common enemy, aren''t we? Gahahahaha!" Marlene sighed. For this one, she had to be a bit more courteous. "Oh, it''s you, Lionfang." She moved her horse to face him. "Why are you here?" "Just checking on you two!" He grinned, showing two missing teeth. "Or rather, I am bored just sitting around doing nothing. That Balthazar guy ain''t coming." Climbing down her horse, Marlene continued her conversation. "We should push forward. I prefer being as close to the heart of his territory before nighttime falls." sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "S-Sir Lionfang!" Marlene groaned. The dark elf had a painfully obvious crush on the man, even though he already had four wives and seven children. Smiling shyly, the dark elf then said, "S-Sir Lionfang! Lady Relfatia¡ª" She stopped mid-sentence, thanks to the man raising his hand. "Casualties are acceptable in combat. Nothing worth fighting is fought without losses. Go, my dear dark elf, and tend to your wounded troops. No need to argue with the lady." "O-of course, Sir!" Giving him a salute, the dark elf promptly left, though not before giving Marlene a glare. "I''ll leave the clean-up to my underlings." Marlene declared. "We should talk strategy now with the others." "Agreed." Lionfang slammed his fists together, grinning. "Stay on the offense, as you say." As the two left the frontlines, Marlene could not help having a tiny, little smirk on her pretty face. -------- "Hmmm¡­ hmmmmmm¡­" "Ah, what joy! What wonderful joy! My little sprout''s prediction is completely correct! Once again, a human man breaks the heart of an Izurd!" The Minister of Summer was celebrating merrily, dancing a fresh pirouette of flowers with her attendants singing along. A hurricane of flowers followed her every ballet, her dress showing a generous amount of thighs, but not so much that she exposed herself. The Archfey of A Thousand Summers was known to be a beautiful, alluring nymph in many tales after all. She had just finished her investigation of the boy named Hugo. Visiting the Great Fairy Forest, she asked around the feys living there, until eventually, she found the pair of feys the boy had made a contract with. She then ordered them to tell her everything they knew about him, and since she was an archfey, they were compelled to obey her every word, to the point of forgetting her visit to them. It would be a different matter if they had become his familiar, since it meant their souls would be bound to his, but since they were still free fairies, they were under the authority of the Four Ministers and their Queen, Titania. Now that she knew his name and how he looked, and his personality, she could scry him at her leisure from her summer throne. And what a discovery she found. She stopped her dance and looked at the giant tree on the top of the nearby hill. She was inside of her so-called Throne of Summer, which was the flowery hills she was always seen in. And there, a giant tree resided, obscured from view by the Archfey from anyone else other than her. It was the tree that grew out of Quania''s memories. She bursted into a giggling fit. Tonight, she would pay that Sherry girl a visit. -------- Sherry "Hello!" Sherry looked up and saw a whirlwind of flowers in the air. The whirlwind then died down, revealing a dark-skinned woman in a red dress with giant butterfly wings on her back. It hit her at once. "You¡­ you''re that fairy!" "Yes! I am that fairy. The guardian fairy of the Izurds. I am also known as the Minister of Summer and the Nymph of Solstice. Pleased to meet you again, little Sherry." She covered her mouth and giggled. She was floating nonchalantly mid-air, with her legs raised and her arms hugging her knees. At this angle, Sherry could almost look up her dress. She didn''t seem to be bothered by it though. "What do you want?" Sherry frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "This is my dream, isn''t it?" "Correct!" The fey clapped her hands together. "You are perceptive, aren''t you?" She then floated further away. "What I''m here for is to show you this." She snapped her finger. And suddenly, their surroundings changed. "W-what?" They were now standing in the middle of a tiny camp. Three tents surrounded a bonfire, which lighten up the darkness that enclosed the grounds. The archfey snapped her finger once more, turning two tents into a bed of flowers. Only one remained. "Enter." The fairy smirked. "If you dare." Sherry looked at her with suspicious eyes. Still, her heartbeat began to rise. Somehow, she could feel that whatever lied inside that tent¡ªwas not something she would like to see. Walking forward, she opened the flaps. Only to freeze at what she saw. "Ooh, Lord Hugo¡­ *slurp* Your manhood¡­ *slurp* It''s so large and warm¡­" A woman was on her knees, servicing a young man with her lips. A young man she knew all too well. "H-Hugo! Y-you¡ª" "F-Felicia, you''re too good at this¡­ I-I can''t¡ª" "Let it all out *slurp* I want it *slurp* all your seed¡­" "Haah¡­ it''s¡­ it''s coming out!" Sherry couldn''t see it physically but just by his expression, she knew he had ejaculated. Right into the mouth of another woman. A woman that wasn''t her. The woman sat, white fluids dripping down her lips, trailing down her large, exposed chest. "Thank you for the meal, Milord." She smirked, licking her lips. "That was delicious." That was the trigger that set the volcano off. Sherry''s hair fired forward, grabbing the woman by her waist, hands, and neck. Or, that''s what it would do if she wasn''t incorporeal. "This is a vision, not the real thing." She heard the fairy''s voice. A small version of her had landed on her shoulder, sitting with a grin at the unfolding event. "A memory of your lover''s escapades while you were training so hard for his sake." "H-Hugo¡­ he''s¡­ he''s¡­" They weren''t finished. The woman then slid off the rest of her dress, winking at the youth before squeezing her breasts with her hands. Grinning, the young man took her offer. He grabbed the pair and massaged them, all the while the woman moaned from the pleasure. "Y-you¡­ get away¡­ get away from him¡­" "Your breasts are so soft as always, Felicia!" Hugo grinned. "Aahh, how nice it is to have a girlfriend with large breasts like you¡­ I can never do this with Sherry for sure!" "That''s right, Milord. You don''t need her when you already have me~?" "S-stop¡­ please¡­ stop¡­" Tears began to fall from Sherry''s eyes. Her entire body shook as her anger, jealousy, and despair overcame her. Her hands tightly clenched themselves, turning pale white in the process. "You''re right." Hugo chuckled, caressing the woman''s hair. "I don''t need that moody, baboon girl anymore. I much prefer a mature, elegant woman like you, Felicia." "B-baboon?" Sherry''s voice croaked. "Let''s get married then, Milord." The woman smirked, wrapping her arms around his back. "We''ll then go to her place to tell her the good news." "Oh, we can do that." Hugo smirked back. "I owe her that much." Sherry had seen enough. She bolted out of the tent, running as far away as she could from the scene. All the while leaving a trail of tears behind her. The archfey snapped her fingers, switching the scenery back to her flower fields. A victorious smile adorned her face when she manifested back in her normal size. -------- Marina "Come! Ygdrassil!" I tapped my staff to the ground. With a loud creaking sound, the Great Tree swiftly grew itself into existence in front of me. I was now inside the usual forest where I would go to test my spells. It was the most ideal place to do so, as the land''s mana was in abundance and it was far away from any civilization. I took a deep, plentiful sigh. "Don''t worry, Miss! It will work! I know it will!" "Nysa is right! You''re a genius after all!" My two summons were on my side. Or, I should say, familiars. My High Fairy had offered herself to be one some time back when she learned I required her help in creating Perfect Yggdrasil. Reluctantly, I took her offer. I didn¡¯t want to bind her soul permanently to mine, but she insisted. Her true name was Ur Cheddarwood in human tongue, evolving into a Guardian Fairy in the process. Why did I need them two, you might ask? Simple. I needed them to channel the power of nature properly through Yggdrasil during the process of me evolving it into Perfect Yggdrasil. "Get to your positions." I ordered. "Right away, Ma''am!" I waited until they perfectly merged with the Great Tree before activating my transformation spell, turning myself into a dryad. Or rather, half of one. To cast Perfect Yggdrasil, I needed to be in a hybrid transformation form, so I could keep my full magic capabilities and gain the abilities of the dryad. I then entered the tree as well, carrying my staff in the process. "O Great Divine Tree! I call upon thee as your grand priestess! Reach your roots deep into the Earth and tap into the very lifeblood of this planet!" I paused my chanting momentarily, reaching deep into my wooden surroundings. "O Great Divine Tree! Strengthen yourself with the blessings of the Earth! And feed yourself with my essences and my underlings'' as well!" "O¡­ Great¡­ Tree¡­" I panted, feeling weakness throughout my entire body. "May your roots¡­ spread through the land¡­ reaching down¡­ even to the Underworld itself¡­" "O Great Tree! Go forth! And claim the bounty of the Earth for yourself! As your priestess, I beseech you!" I unleashed all my remaining strength¡ªall my mana. And then¡­ A surge of power entered my body, or rather, the tree''s body. "Aahhhh!" I screamed, overwhelmed by the energy I just tapped. Swiftly, I turned off the valves before I lost my control entirely. "Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­" If I were outside the tree, I would''ve been on my knees for sure. But since I was inside it, I was tethered in place by the tree''s roots who wrapped themselves around me. Reaching back into the tree, I asserted my control over the roots. As carefully as I could, I let them absorb the power the leyline possessed. Just a little bit. And so, I remained inside the tree for hours that day, sensing and charting the energy inside the leyline. Or perhaps it was days. I couldn''t tell. I was sustained by the tree and I had no need to go outside. I didn''t need to drink, eat, or go to the bathroom. In my dryad form, I could feed on mana comfortably. When I had my result, however, I was struck with complete and utter disbelief. What I learned that day¡­ was a threat far beyond my imagining. A/N: And here begins Marina''s troubles. Vol 4 Chapter 38: The First Necromancer Ilymhyrra "Here we are. Durcesa. The city of water. See that lake over there? Mother''s tower is in the middle of that. Mind the fog though. It''s enchanted to make anyone that goes inside uninvited to be lost forever, wandering in their boat until they die of starvation. That, or the many pets Mother kept around. Though, for a mage your caliber, I''m sure it won''t be a problem in the slightest." Elun smirked. Ilmyhrra stood silent, her eyes wandering around, almost like a curious child. They had just entered the city proper, walking on its well-maintained brick roads. "How unexpected." "Hmm? What''s unexpected?" "It''s been a while since I was here. And yet, nothing has changed. This brick road, these stone houses, they''re exactly the same." "And how long was that again?" "I don''t know. Maybe 300 years, give or take?" "Wow, you really are old." After months of travelling with the sour-faced high elf, Elun was already used to her quirks. For starters, the elf is what you would call a sweet junkie. She''ll buy any sweets she found, consuming them without hesitation. She joked about her getting fat once, but she just replied, "Any mage worth her salt knows the secret to eating a lot and not gaining any weight." Elun could only scratch her head. Surely she can''t mean those horrible slimming potions quack alchemists would sell. They just give you awful diarrhea. Technically, it works, but do you really want to go to the privy thirty times a day? "You humans are so quick to change. It''s annoying, having to relearn if a town is still there every hundred years." "Well, blame our short lives for that. We have to evolve quickly if we are to advance as a species." Ilymhyrra didn''t answer. She instead resumed, her white skirt and silver ponytail fluttering in the morning wind. "Hey, Yulon." Elun glanced at the slime woman to her left. "You go ahead and tell Mother of our arrival. I think Miss High Elf might want a tour of the city first." "Of course, Milady." The slimekin smiled. She turned into a puddle, disappearing beneath the gaps between the bricks. "And me, Milady?" The fish man to her right spoke." "You, Faust? You can go train or something. I don''t care. I''ll accompany Ilymhyrra on my own." "...Thank you, Milady." He bowed before making his exit. Ever since his defeat at the hands of that brat, his love had been even colder towards him. And to fix that, he knew he had to be stronger. Far more than where he currently was. And so he kept his chin up and shoved his protest back into his chest. "I can tour the city on my own." Ilymhyrra glanced at Elun. "I''ll visit your mother when I like it." "Oh? And when would that be?" "Next day, next week, next month, next year¡ªdoes it matter?" "It does. Don''t you have that promise with the brat that you need to keep?" "... You''re right. I do have that." Ilymhyrra sent an annoyed glare at the bubble mage''s grin. But, she had promised. And she always fulfilled her promises. -------- "Well well well, this certainly isn''t the time I expect you to show up. And right in my bedroom too? If I don''t know any better, you want to sleep with me." That night, Ilymhyrra crossed the lake, entered the tower, and climbed right into Selendia''s bedroom. How she did it without being detected, no one really knew. "Please, excuse my state of undress. And the smell for that matter. My husband just performed his husbandly duty, you see." The blue-haired woman stood up from her bed and walked towards the window where the elf stood, not caring to dress herself first. Her smooth, naked body seemingly shone under the moonlight¡ªproof of her unrivaled beauty. And then, she went to her knees and bowed. "You are here without my notice, bypassing every single enchantment I had laid down in this place. You are truly the great Ilymhyrra, the teacher of the Founder. As her descendants, I shall give you my utmost respect." Ilymhyrra blinked, her face remained as cold as ever. "I am glad you are quick to understand. The last time I came to this country, I had to destroy half a city until they believed who I was." The woman stood back up, her bare body towering over the short elf. "Ah, please forgive my predecessor''s insolence." She bowed once more with a smirk. "They simply didn''t know any better." "...Dress yourself. Your appearance is too an insolence." "Oh?" The woman''s smirk widened. "Are you not happy to see my flesh? You may be of the same gender but I assure you, many of my maids will die to see me in this state." "...You really are like your daughter." Selendia burst into a giggle. "I have to thank you for saving her. To think some kid was able to overcome her¡­ it seems we have made quite the grave error." The necklace on her wrist transformed into her staff. Tapping it once on the floor, water surged forth from its tip, circling around the woman before forming a dress for her to wear. "Come. Let''s speak in a more suitable place, shall we, Master Ilymhyrra?" "...You''re not going to wear any underwear with that?" Selendia only replied with another giggle. ------- The two left the bedroom, ignoring the sleeping man on the bed. He too was naked, making Ilymhyrra avert her gaze completely. Outside the bedroom, they found themselves walking across the tower. The place was striking, with polished marbles covering the floor, walls, and ceilings. They were so polished they became reflective akin to a mirror, to the point that Ilymhyrra''s panties were visible under her as she walked. Not that the high elf noticed. Occasionally, their steps would leave a splash, even though there wasn''t any water under them. And the sound of running water and falling droplets could be heard everywhere. As for the air, it was cool and damp, even more so than the air outside. "This place¡­ you have so many enchantments running through it. Aren''t you bothered by it?" Ilymhyrra suddenly asked. "Bothered? Why would I?" "It''s gaudy. I know you''re a water mage but making your lair be like this¡ªit''s distasteful." "Ah, so my home displeases you. I apologize, Master Ilymhyrra. But I assure you, this is exactly to my taste." "Milady!" Their walk was interrupted by the arrival of a teal-haired girl. Finns were attached to her head, signifying that she was not quite human. She wore a white and light blue maid uniform that ended halfway up her thighs. "Ah, good timing, Lucentia. Prepare a meal for two at once. As you can see, I am entertaining a guest now." "A-A guest, miss? This late at night?" The maid looked at her mistress with a disbelieving look before eyeing Ilymhyrra up and down. "...Understood. I shall depart to the kitchen as well." She gave a quick curtsy before leaving. "...That girl. She''s no girl at all. She''s your familiar." "Very perspective." A smile appeared at Selendia''s lips. "There really is nothing I can hide from you, Master Ilymhyrra." "A Leviathan. To think you could bind a monster of that caliber to your will¡­" "Oh no, you misunderstood. It''s a long story of my younger days. I can tell you all about it if you wish." "No. We shall talk about why I came here first." Ilymhyrra took a step forward. "...Oh, one more thing." "Yes?" "You are just as lascivious as your daughter, aren''t you?" "Excuse me?" "Your floor¡­ It''s too shiny. I could see your maid''s underwear on it. And I assume it''s the same with mine as well." Selendia laughed. "Oh yes. Don''t worry. White suits you perfectly, Master Ilymhyrra." "Just like your daughter has no qualms showing her panties, so too you have no qualms showing other people''s panties. I believe such a thing is unacceptable in human society." "Oh, don''t be silly. Only prudes from the Holy Land think so. I myself don''t believe in hiding the beauty we have under the stifling wrapping of clothes." "So you''re a nudist." Ilymhyrra''s eyes narrowed. "Not quite. Clothes are necessary as both protection and image projections. I wear long, flowing dresses like these because I wish to project my wisdom and elegance. My daughter wears her short skirt because she wishes to project her youth. And you wear such simple clothes because you wish to be seen as a simple adventurer." "...I see. Humans are indeed as vain as ever." After their short chat, they resumed their walk, making their way to what looked like a meeting room of some sort. There was a single long, oval table in the middle, surrounded by a number of chairs. Fishtanks decorated the room, filled with all sorts of fishes, including a giant eel. The two sat facing each other across a long table, each keeping their staves with them. "I''ll cut to the chase." Ilymhyrra spoke. "Marina Greenwood. I assume you know her?" "Ah, that''s a name I hadn''t heard in quite a while." Selendia smiled. "Leave her alone. What your compatriot did to her¡ªyour Founder wouldn''t approve of that." "Compatriot? Ah, you mean Vera. I agree. It''s a shame¡ªwhat she did to her and her family. But, that decision is made by the Council, not me alone." "Gather your other compatriots then. I have to make sure you all agree on the matter." "Excellent!" Selendia tapped her staff to the floor. "We do wish to meet you as well, Master Ilymhyrra." She sat up. "For we have something we wish to show you." Ilymhyrra stared at the blue-haired woman in silence, eyeing her with suspicion. "Excuse me, Milady! I brought the food!" Her piercing gaze was interrupted by a voice on the door. "Come in!" Selendia smiled as she sat back down. As the maid prepared their food, Selendia began to brag about her territory, saying how honored she felt that Ilymhyrra would visit her first over the other Council members. Ilymhyrra quickly tuned out said speech out from her mind, however, as she inserted the bread given to her into her mouth. She had no need for pleasantries. There were two objectives she would do during her visit to this ancient nation built by her pupil. The first one was of course¡ªfulfill the promise she had made to the kid about his sister. As for the second one¡­ -------- Ilymhyrra departed for the capital in the morning after taking her rest inside Selendia''s tower. Selendia and Elun came with her, riding inside the former''s jellyfish. There was a riverway they could take from the city straight to the capital. Of course, it was made intentionally to facilitate travel between the two places. It wasn''t open to the public, however. Selendia wanted it to be her private road. The three promptly made their way to the Tower of The Sages, the seat of the Magocracy''s government. Selendia introduced the high elf Ilymhyrra then spent a few days touring the city as the other Council members needed to be summoned first from their territories. As before, she preferred to do it alone. She even sneaked into the Academy, watching the magic practiced by the students there. Her second goal was to see the fruits of her apprentice''s efforts. And so far, she was satisfied. The citizenry had barely any complaints and the place looked to be prosperous. And then, one by one, the other Council members arrived. First came Merlinus Salamander and his granddaughter Alincia Salamander. The former arrived in his phoenix form, awing the citizens of the Capital, no matter how many times he had done it before. Alincia, on the other hand, rode on her flying sword, a far less impressive entrance to be sure. Second came Monas Vehta, Lord of the Crags. In complete opposite of Merlinus, he simply dug his way into the tower, stealthily avoiding the masses. He had always been the reclusive one after all. Last came Opal Lestat with her great lightning show. It was in the middle of noon when her spell struck the top of the Tower of The Sages, landing the old woman. As a Grandmaster of Thunder spells, she had mastered the art of transforming herself into lightning bolts, it seemed. And of course, The four Council members of the Magocracy, the four Sages. There used to be five but thanks to a certain person, one was missing from their ranks. Once they were assembled inside their meeting room, named quite pretentiously as the Room of Wisdom, Ilmyhrra was summoned. The Room was a marvel of runemancy and magical engineering. Five thrones floated in mid-air, with the background being an endless dots of stars, mimicking the night sky. Ilymhyrra would enter from a floating platform traversing from below, making her be forced to cock her head upwards to speak with the Council members. The stars were created by illusion magic, emitted by the runes carved into every inch in the room. Four of the thrones were empty, of course, as they had yet found Vera''s replacement. Only the Council members were there. Their attendants had to stay outside, for it was a great crime to enter the hallowed Room when you were not one of them. "Ooohh, are you truly her? The great Ilymhyrra, mentor to the Founder herself?" Merlinus was the first one to speak. To Ilymhyrra''s surprise, the old man jumped off his throne and promptly went to his knees, touching his wrinkled forehead to the ground. "Please! If you would, take me as your student!" His exclamation elicited instantaneous reactions from the other mages. Selendia giggled, Monas shook his head, and Opal let out an audible "Hmph!" "No. You''re too old," was Ilymhyrra''s swift reply. The old man then stood up with a grin on his face, showing his yellowed, hole-filled teeth. "Of course! What did I expect? The great Ilymhyrra will never take me as her apprentice!" He declared with excitement. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Merlinus Salamander. A pleasure to meet you." He bowed. The other mages descended as well, or rather, their thrones. Monas Vehta was the first to stand up and kneel in front of the high elf, lowering his bald head in the process. He was younger than Merlinus, and yet, he looked older than him, looking like a skeleton wearing human flesh. His cheeks were sunken, his fingers bony, and his forehead protruding almost unnaturally. "Monas Vehta. At your service, Milady." The next one to kneel was Selendia. She too declared her name and her oath to serve her. The last one was Opal Lestat. Unlike the others, she did her kneel with a grump, eyeing the high elf in a somewhat hostile manner. "Opal Lestat, Light of The Firmament. Pleased to meet you, o traitorous one." Ilymhyrra''s eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" The old woman lifted her wrinkled face and hooked nose, staring right back at her. "You left her. You left Mira. You let Milicis and her zealots kill her that day." "...She had committed a great crime, overstepping her bounds as a mortal. I let Milicis do it because she deserved it." The old woman¡¯s glare intensified further, a glare that Ilmyhrra readily challenged with her own. In the end, the younger human was the one to back down. She knew what the high elf was capable of. Even as a Grandmaster-level mage, she was nowhere near her level. And in the world of mages, a lesser mage should always bow to the whims of the greater mages. And Ilmyhrra¡ªshe was the greatest mage in this room. --------- After their introductions, Ilymhyrra didn''t wait until she declared what she wanted. Though not before she climbed onto one of the thrones. For some reason, she had an urge to do so. Perhaps she just wanted to look down on them instead of craning her necks upwards like she had been doing so far. Thanks to her small size, however, she looked quite out of place there, almost like a child who sat on her father¡¯s large chair. "Marina Greenwood. I assume you''re all familiar with her?" She rested her right cheek on her hand. Merlinus was the first to answer. "Of course." He brushed his beard with a smile. "Such a brilliant mage. It''s a shame¡­ what happened to her." "You approved Vera doing it to her.¡± Ilmyhrra¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Kidnapping a girl, forcing her to marry a man he doesn¡¯t like, just to strengthen your bloodline¡­ you¡¯re all a disappointment as mages in my book.¡± ¡°Quite easy for you to say. For one who sat on the pinnacle of magic.¡± The one who spoke next was Monas Vehta. The old man chuckled, giving her his skeleton-like grin in the process. ¡°...No. That would be Mira. I¡¯ll never be able to do what she did.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Opal followed. ¡°You¡¯re never going to be like her. The very foundation of modern magic was kickstarted by her. Before she came, mages like us were akin to blind worms that could not even see where they crawled.¡± ¡°So you should know that your desire for more and more power is pointless. Give it up. Mira did what she did not because she was a power hungry woman.¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Oh, now this is interesting.¡± Selendia smiled. ¡°Inventing necromancy, sacrificing the entire continent to open the Gate to the Flow¡ªyou believe she did all that not because of a quest for a higher power?¡± Ilmyhrra sent a glare at the blue-haired woman. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you the true reason why she did it. For none of you deserves the knowledge. Rest assured, however, that she did it for a good reason.¡± ¡°A good reason that you rejected.¡± Merlinus chuckled. ¡°The path to hell is paved with good intentions. She dug her own grave when she tried to break the laws of this world.¡± Crossing her legs, Ilmyhrra changed the subject back to Marina. ¡°I want all of you to leave Marina Greenwood alone. Her family included. I would tell you to ask for her forgiveness but we both know your arrogance is too large for that.¡± ¡°Oh, we already do.¡± Merlinus grinned. ¡°We know where she is. Yet we still have yet to send an assassin after her. Do you know why?¡± ¡°...Not because of your common decency, I presume.¡± ¡°Because our Founder, Lady Mira herself, told us not to.¡± Ilmyhrra froze. ¡°Oi, Merlinus!¡± Opal yelled. ¡°Why are you¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± His grin grew larger. ¡°We can tell her. After all, there¡¯s no one in this world that loves our Founder more than she does.¡± ¡°...What are you playing at?¡± Ilmyhrra straightened herself, grabbing her staff tightly. ¡°Lady Mira never truly died that day, one thousand years ago when Milicis pierced her with her Divine Spear. No, she managed to store a part of her soul beforehand as she had predicted her defeat.¡± Ilmyhrra stood up, sweat crawling down her forehead. Never before had the high elf look so terrified. ¡°Yes. She¡¯s still alive, in quite the loosest definition, unfortunately. Only recently did we manage to return the ability to speak to her shattered soul. Merlinus raised her hands upwards, now openly laughing as his eyes bulged out from their sockets. ¡°And now, we are working on our great mission¡ªto return her glory and magnificence back to this world!" For once, the high elf didn¡¯t know how to react. She was now aiming her staff at the old man. But she didn¡¯t fire. Even though she knew what they were doing was another sin similar to what her apprentice did a millenia ago. For if part of Mira¡¯s soul was still here in this world¡­ ...She had to apologize to her. Vol 4 Chapter 39: Truth and Lies Reverse Tower, a structure located far south of the Magocracy. In fact, it was so far south that it technically resided inside Hobbiton, the land of the hobbits. But, since it resided in the northern wilderness that no hobbits would lay claim on, technically, you could move there and set up shop without anyone giving you a complaint. As for the tower itself, it was located in a massively large underground cave, far away from the surface world. That was why no one really knew it even existed. Hobbiton barely had any adventurers in the first place, thanks to it being a safe place with only low-ranked monsters around that the hobbits could take care of themselves. The tower, in one giant middle-finger to gravity, stretched downwards deep into a bottomless chasm the cave possessed. The base stuck to the ceiling of the cave and its narrowing tip went down all the way, with no one really knowing where it would end. And yes, it was indeed a World Dungeon. Only the Progenitors could build such a unique structure after all. There, the Council took Ilmyhrra, for it was the place where the Magocracy had its secret project. It was where the soul of Mira resided. The entrance was completely unguarded. Anyone could simply stroll into the entrance. Only, there were invisible runes everywhere, that would trigger all sorts of lethal traps if anyone unauthorized were to step over them. It was a fortress without a guard. Entering the place, they were greeted by a large empty hallway, completely pitch black without a light in sight. Merlinus quickly fired a flare spell to illuminate the room, revealing it to be the entrance hall of the dungeon. Ilmyhrra had visited World Dungeons from time to time, though she never really got far in due to boredom. So she quickly recognized the layout, from the large room connected to the outside, the side room containing a teleporter to the later floors, and the front room further inward that would take you to Floor 1 of the place. She wouldn¡¯t know why Mira¡¯s soul would be in such a place, however. Or even if such a necromantic magic was possible. ...No, it was possible. The Demon King of Death did it. Sure, it was due to him being a lich but if Mira could mimic his necromantic abilities¡­ "Our Founder rests at the top floor." Merlinus spoke. "We would take the shortcut, of course. And do not fret. The teleporter will work for you too." As they passed through the middle of the room, however¡­ "Well well well, a new visitor." A man materialized from a bright white light, blocking their path in the process. He was a purple-haired man with purple silk robes. Just by his appearance, Ilymhyrra could tell he wasn''t part of the Council mages. He looked too gaudy for it. "How may I serve you, young lady?" He bowed with a smirk on his face. "Meet Xanatos, the Administrator of this World Dungeon." Selendia smiled. "He has agreed to cooperate with us in our plan." "Administrator?" Ilymhyrra eyed the man. Suddenly, a sharp pain entered her head. My head! "The manager of this dungeon." Selendia explained. "I shall explain in detail later, if you wish. For now, though, we should really hurry onward. I''m sure you''re anxious to see your apprentice once more." The mystery man snapped his fingers. "There. I''ve registered you for the highest floor." With a lazy wave, he disappeared back into the light. An Administrator. Even with all her elven knowledge, she had never heard of such a person. An existence connected to the Ancients. Even a high elf like her wasn''t around when they flourished. "Now, if you would¡­" Merlinus took the initiative in getting their little entourage to resume their walk. Ilymhyrra stayed on the back, gripping her staff tightly. If it was a trap, she had to be ready after all. ---------- The 1000th floor of a World Dungeon, a place that no men had ever stepped on. It was there that the Council took Ilymhyrra and what she saw there was a sight nearly unrivaled by anything she ever saw. A large, open room, with a ceiling consisting of a flowing, wavy liquid of pitch black. Runes were carved to every inch of the wall and a large thin metal rod akin to an antenna stretched itself all the way to said ceiling. And, beside said antenna, was a giant purple crystal, around the size of a full-grown dragon. "This is¡­" Ilymhyrra was made speechless by what she saw. Just like Hugo, she could see the mana flow of things, and she swiftly scanned the giant crystal in front of her. "A highly-refined mana crystal without the slightest imperfections. Such a construction should not be possible now, even more so a thousand years ago." Touching the crystal, she immediately withdrew her hand as if she had just touched a blazing fire. "Such power¡­ no¡­ the crystal should''ve shattered into a million pieces from it¡­ and yet, here, it still stands¡­" And then, she saw it¡ªa small human-like silhouette inside the crystal, placed right in the middle. The crystal was barely translucent so she couldn''t make out the face or the gender or even whether it was actually a human or not. "It''s been a long time, isn''t it, Master Ilymhyrra?" A beam of light fired from the silhouette, hitting the ground near her. Naturally, Ilymhyrra readied herself for a fight, gripping her staff tightly. A silver-haired girl manifested out of the light, dressed in a pure white robe and closk. At first, Ilymhyrra thought she was Mira, but now that she was fully revealed to her, she was definitely not her, despite the same hair color. For starters, her hair was tied into a braid. And Mira hated braids. "What''s the matter, Master?" The girl smirked. "You''re not going to give me a hug? Don''t you miss your cute little apprentice?" "You''re not her." Ilymhyrra''s eyes narrowed. "Oh yes, I am her. Soul-wise anyways. This body is a borrowed vessel. As you should know, my original body was destroyed by Milicis in our final fight. This is the body of a girl named Freyja Luminous, a pitiful creature who hungers for power." Ilymhyrra scanned her mana flow. And sure enough, it was similar to her apprentice. "...It''s you, alright. You and your madness managed the impossible yet again." She aimed her staff at her. "You think he would be happy, seeing you like this?" Mira chuckled. "He is dead. Milicis and her False God killed him. I told you before, haven''t I? This is no longer about Aira. This is about those two scum that deceived the world from the truth." A flash of anger burned inside her eyes. Ilymhyrra glanced at the Council mages, who had stayed silent as they stood on the sidelines. "You told them?" "Oh yes, I told them everything." Mira smirked. "The truth about the Cycle, the False God''s great lie, and the existence of the True Goddess." "Do you want to live under Her rule? To be bound by Her Chains once again?" "Better than to repeat the Cycle over and over again. I''ll never forgive Him, what He did to Arthur and Aira, just to fulfill His agenda." Mira''s fists whitened as her body shook from fury. It made Ilymhyrra remember¡ªof that day when they confronted Milicis, after they learned about Aira''s fate. The Dragon had the power to control fate. So why would He give Aira such a terrible one? "I don''t know. But if it''s His will, then it can only be for the good of the land." That was Milicis'' answer¡ªheartless and cold, especially for the kindhearted priestess. Milicis was a devout worshipper of the Dragon God. She was His oracle, receiving revelations from Him that aided them in saving the world from the Demon God. The Dragon God was also the ones giving them their strength, Ilymhyrra being the exception. Without His blessing, they stood no chance against the Demon God. That''s why Ilymhyrra was absent in the final battle. This answer from her was only to be expected. Mira, however, didn''t think the same. She slapped her for it before lifting her up on her collar. "HOW COULD YOU? Is this because you like him? That you''re fine with his sweetheart dying miserably? I like him too but I know he''s only going to be happy with her!" Mira screamed in tears. In the end, their meeting ended on a sour note. After that, Ilymhyrra wandered the world, curious of the true nature of the Dragon God. Eventually, she found the¡ª A sharp pain assaulted her head again, stopping her train of thought immediately. She quickly recovered, however. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "...So, your plan is to revive yourself fully." The elf continued. "Your soul is halved, is it not? Your other half has returned to the River of Souls. But to open the Gate, you''ll try doing what you tried to do one thousand years ago. You''ll suck dry the leyline of this continent, causing disasters and starvation for a hundred years." "Not just that." Mira''s smile widened. "The chains that held the True Goddess¡ªI will break them as well. In case you haven''t realized, She is regaining her power more and more every day. With these prisons built by the Ancients losing the energy they need, She will break free. And then, She''ll finish off the False God and bring the True World back." "Just in time before the next Heroes and Demon God is born." Ilymhyrra finished her apprentice''s exposition. Mira giggled. "So, what would it be, my dear master? Would you join me in my quest?" The silver-haired girl offered her hand. "...No." Ilymhyrra fired a large beam from her staff point-blank. It consumed the silver-haired mage before hitting the far wall in the large room, creating a large crater. Not a hole, as the wall was thick and sturdy. It also possessed the capability of self-regeneration, so in a few seconds, it already smoothened out said crater. Ilymhyrra activated another spell. It was a Time Stop spell, freezing everything around her in an instant. She turned her back to face her ex-apprentice¡­ Only to find that her timestop had been cancelled against her will. "Sorry, young girl. Your little trick won''t work here. I too am capable of time magic, you know." The purple-robed man had appeared once again. He was sitting cross-legged mid-air, grinning at the high elf. "Ouch, that was not very nice, Master." Mira spoke. "Thank goodness I can cast my teleport magic in time." Before Ilymhyrra could respond, she was once again assaulted by the same searing pain she had before, to the point that she had to kneel and grab her head with both hands, letting her staff go in the process. "Well, would you look at that? The brainwashing is going off." The purple-robed man laughed. "That''s great!" Mira smiled, clasping her hands together. "Once she regains her memories, she will surely join our side." "Ooh, so this is the Heavenly Dragon''s curse at work." Merlinus brushed his beard. "My fellow mages! Look! Look at how she''s terribly in pain just to remember the truth!" "Hmph, I can see that." Opal huffed. "Poor thing. She doesn''t even know who she really is." "Milicis is truly a cruel mistress," Monas laughed. "She took away her memory and made her be an obedient slave to her False God." "Such is the way of the Church, I suppose." Selendia giggled. "After all, they exist for one single purpose only. To keep this False World and the Cycle running." Suddenly, Ilymhyrra stopped moving. She had fainted from the pain. "Well, gentleman! Gentlewoman!" Mira clapped her hands again, facing the Council mages. "Please take care of my master. And you, Etor. You help as well." She spoke to the purple-robed man. "As for me, I''m going back to sleep. Please hurry up with the ritual, would you?" Giving one last glance to her underlings, she raised her hands and turned into a light once more, entering the large crystal in front of her. Mira was more than satisfied. She had a hunch that her master would be visiting soon so she told them what to do beforehand if that happened. She knew if she learned about her resurrection, she wouldn''t be able to just walk away. Even if it meant walking right into her trap. And now, at last, she would re-learn the truth. Here, inside the World Dungeon, she was safe from the influence of the Heavenly Dragon. And when she did, she would agree to her cause. -------- Darkness surrounded Ilymhyrra. She fell and fell and fell, further and further into the abyss. Sealed memories¡ªall those years of wandering, researching the truth. On the Heavenly Dragon and on the Cycle. Slowly, one of them resurfaced, filling her sight with light. ¡­ She stood inside a peculiar room. The walls and ceilings were filled with countless amounts of stars, connected with lines that formed all sorts of constellations. A large spherical machine sat in the middle, consisting of a translucent, starry sphere with a ring surrounding it. Both were floating in mid-air, with a complicated-looking set of gears under them. There, her past self was speaking with a hooded, robed person. Her most striking feature was her mismatched eye color. She also possessed elven ears that were almost hidden by her hood. "Is that it?! Is that why Aira has to die?! Is that why Arthur has to suffer?!" Her past self was yelling, tears filling her eyes. She remembered. That girl she spoke with¡ªthat was Xaela, another Administrator. And those tears of hers¡ªthey spoke the truth she had nearly forgotten. To her, Arthur was almost like a son, the same way Mira was almost like a daughter to her. She knew how hard he fought, and for him to be repaid by the heavens with her childhood sweetheart being violated by a pack of goblins, just one day before he arrived back at his village¡­ It was unforgivable. "...Yes. It is necessary for the greater good. The Dragon has calculated their fates and this is the best route to take to ensure the continuation of the Cycle, and ensure the freedom of the world from Her tyranny." In her anger, the past Ilymhyrra fired a spell at the robed girl. It wasn''t a lethal spell by any means but it was enough to knock her down to the ground. Her hood fell off, revealing her long, purple hair. "You should know this. You were once an Administrator yourself, Ilymhyrra. But I suppose you already forgot about that age, your memory receding on the outside. But don''t worry. I shall restore it to you." Past Ilymhyrra suddenly grabbed her head as she screamed in pain. The memory receded, disappearing back into the abyss. And then, another memory resurfaced. This time, her past self was inside a grand cathedral of sorts, facing off against a blonde-haired woman in white priestly robes. This time, Mira wasn''t with her. "You''re fine with following His bidding?" Her past self yelled. "Arthur took his own life because of Him! Because of you!" "It''s for the greater good." The priestess averted her piercing gaze. "To keep this world free from Her grasp, sacrifices must be made. I distaste it as well but if it''s to keep the Cycle going¡­" "He''s no better than Her! Manipulating Fate, killing tens of millions in the process¡­" "Haven''t they told you about the old world? Before the Liberation?" The priestess snapped back. "If not for the Unchained One, the world will remain in stasis, unable to grow beyond what the Goddess designs. And don''t forget the fact that She slaughtered billions, ending the Ancients'' rule completely! No! If humanity is to prosper, Her taint must be removed from this world!" "And you do that by killing half of humanity every Cycle?" Ilymhyrra yelled. "This is the first Cycle! There will be more! If humanity gives its faith to the Heavenly Dragon, one day, He will be strong enough to end the Goddess for good!" "Enough! I''m telling Mira everything! And she''ll be able to find a better solution than just kowtowing to the false god made by the Ancients!" The past Ilymhyrra began walking away from the priestess. "I''m sorry. I cannot let you leave with that knowledge." And then, the memory vanished in a blinding light. It all came to her. Mira was right. Milicis had taken away her memories, just so she would stand on her side. --------- Mira As Mira''s borrowed body hovered inside the crystal, Mira''s half soul was meditating inside her soulspace. What is a soulspace, you may ask? Well, it''s a place only those well-versed in the art of the soul knows. It doesn''t have its own physical space, nor does it reside inside the body. It''s hard to explain but you can imagine it as a place inside your very soul. There, Mira recounted all her memories with Ilymhyrra, as a celebration for their reunion. Or perhaps she was just feeling nostalgic, having not met her master for a long time. Their first meeting, when she cried into her arms¡­ She knew that since then, she wanted to follow her to the ends of the earth. Their training. Ilymhyrra was a harsh teacher, forbidding her to eat until she finished her lesson. And yet, she wanted to make her proud. She wanted her to pat her in the head and said that she did a good job. Their journey took them to many places. And many times, they would get into situations that she could never forget. Like when this one kid just walked up and flipped her master''s skirt. Right after they saved his village too. She laughed, watching her master''s cheeks reddening as she gently bonked the kid''s head with her staff. At least, until her skirt got flipped by him too. Her embarrassment was even worse, as her crush, Arthur, was right there beside her. And of course, they always slept together. She especially loved putting her master''s head on her lap. ¡­ Mira sighed. It wasn''t the Demon God who tore them apart. No, the true enemy, had been Milicis and her God all along. Suddenly, she sensed the presence of another in her soulspace. It was Freyja''s soul. She was still there, sharing the same body. Only she let Mira''s soul to have the reins. Mira grinned. Freyja looked away, holding her arm with her hand. She looked back at the archmage. Mira retorted, smiling. She flew closer to the girl and cupped her chin. "You''re really cute, you know. I''m glad your body is compatible with my soul." She released her grip. "To think you would willingly accept the operation when you know how many other mages had died from it. I truly am honored." "I don''t deserve your kind words, Lady Mira." The girl bowed. "To serve you this way¡ªit is my greatest honor. I¡­ have looked up to you all my life. I wanted to be like you, a powerful mage that could help others. If it meant giving you my body, I have no objections in the slightest." "...You really are a good girl, aren''t you? Too good, in fact." Mira flew back at Freyja, wrapping her arms around her from behind. "You''re being used by your parents," she whispered. "And those Council mages¡ªthey don''t care about you either. You''re just a tool in their great game." Freyja couldn''t respond. Hearing her silence, Mira laughed, releasing her hug and hovering back in front of her. "Don''t worry." She placed her hand on her chest. "For I do care about you, Freyja. So follow my instructions and everything will go well for you." Mira smirked. ¡°Now, if you would excuse me, I would like to go back to my meditations. I would tell you to take over here, take a little walk in the outside world, and do whatever you want, but we¡¯re still recharging now. So you have to be patient.¡± Mira floated away, far enough that Freyja could no longer see her. ¡­ A/N: At last, Mira made her appearance. Here''s a picture you can use for her adult appearance. Not her young teenage girl appearance, by the way, when she was still part of the Hero''s party. This is after she went into the deep end. A long silver hair, just like Freyja''s. Fitting for them to share a body now, no? Vol 4 Chapter 40: The Master Swordswoman A/N: Good news! Hugo has finally arrived at Sherry''s village on my most recent Patreon chapter! Their reunion is nigh! Not before he defeats one last obstacle though... Let''s just say it''s his hardest trial yet. Hugo After defeating the boss, we took a few hours of rest. My clothes were in tatters and Felicia had to fix them with her needlework. Resuming our trip, I then found a large flower, just before the teleporter to the next floor. There were no words I could say that could give it justice. It was a large plant around the size of a tiny house, with multicolored petals that were reminiscent of the seven colors of rainbows. It emitted the most pleasant scent and what fatigue I had immediately vanished into the wind. It seemed to be glowing, even though I knew it really wasn''t. "Wow, it''s beautiful!" Theo''s eyes were sparkling as he stared at the flower. Well, who could blame him? Tama on the other hand had her eyes moistening, at least before she wiped them with her sleeves. "Milord, why don''t we bring back a petal? For her?" Felicia was the one to speak, to my surprise. "Yeah, that''s a good idea. It''s pretty large but I think I still have some space in my Dimensional Storage." Gently, I cut off one of the petals. It really was large, about the size of my body. I then sent it off to my storage. "Well, now that''s taken care of¡­" I smiled. "Let''s go onward to the 501th floor." ------- Victoria "Here he is! Your new trainer!" Victoria''s mother smiled as she saw the terrified look at her daughter''s face. After training her sexual prowess with toys and the like, her mother deemed the half-fey to be ready for the next step of her wife training. To perform sexual acts with a living, breathing male. For that purpose, she had bought a slave from the markets. Even during a war, there were always still merchants who would peddle their goods. And she purchased hers from such a merchant, for quite the expensive price too. But she didn''t care. It was her husband''s money anyway. For her efforts, in front of her now stood a two-meter tall orc, green and virile and no doubt ready to breed. Orcs were the perfect race to give to her daughter. Known to be a race of casual rapists, orcs could barely contain their lust towards an attractive female. Even she could tell the beast was eyeing her as she took her home. Thankfully, her faithful butler, Gam, was there to keep an eye on him. And of course, there was the convenient fact that her daughter¡¯s future husband would be an orc as well. "M-Mother!" Victoria was dressed in her sleeping gown. She was still in her room, sleeping late, when her mother suddenly burst in and brought the orc with her. She thought it would only happen much later. But for it to happen now¡­ She could already feel her eyes watering. "Ah, you''re properly dressed already." Her mother smirked. "Now, orc. Feel free to ravage her as much as you wish. With one exception. Leave her virginity intact. Her future husband will want that for sure." "M-Milady, I''m afraid I have to object once more. Surely, whoever her future husband will be, he prefers her to be fully unspoiled before he can lay with her." Victoria''s face lit up at the butler''s objection. Maybe he could save her! O-or at least delay this¡­ this training until she''s ready! "Shhh! You''re wrong!" She put a finger to her lips. "He wouldn''t care if her cherry lips had touched another man''s rod before! They''re demons! They''re not like us humans who only want pure and loyal partners! And besides!" The youthful lady twirled in place. "Darling has already approved." She finished with a giggle. "I¡­ I just¡­" The old man looked away momentarily. "Then I''ll stay here. I''ll make sure this filthy orc doesn''t touch her more than necessary." The orc didn''t react to the butler''s comment. He spoke in human tongue while he only understood demon tongue. Realizing that her butler was surrendering to her mother''s will, Victoria quickly appealed to her mother. "M-Mother! I-I don''t¡ªI don''t want to do this! Practicing on my own is one thing but doing all that to an actual man¡­ I-I only want to do it to my future husband." "Aaw, don''t be silly!" Her mother walked over to her and patted her head. "You need actual, real training before you do it with your husband! Trust me, you don''t want your first night to be a failure. You, being all scared with sex like this, won''t make a good wife in the slightest. You''re, what, eighteen years old now? You''re too sheltered for your own good." "I¡­ I suppose you have a point¡­" "Finally!" Her mother slapped her bottom, earning a yelp from her. "Now, stop complaining and do it with him." She pointed at the orc. "Your future husband is an orc too, remember? So he¡¯s the perfect specimen. Don''t worry. I too will watch from the sidelines and see if you''re doing a good job." The older woman then moved back to the entrance, locking the door in the process. Oh, she¡¯s not missing this for the world. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Now, the floor is yours, orc," she said in demon tongue. "...As you wish, Milady." Grinning, he took a few steps forward, causing Victoria to respond by taking a few steps backwards of her own. Eyeing her figure, especially those inhumanly large breasts of hers, the orc''s trousers immediately bulged with his member. "You''re pretty, little elf. Don''t worry. I promise I''ll be gentle." And then, he dropped said trousers, giving Victoria her very first sight of a male genitalia. And she didn''t like what she saw. The orc took another step forward. Victoria took another step backward, only for her back to the hill. "A-ah, stay¡ªstay away! I''m not¡ªI''m not ready yet!" The orc did not listen. ------- Hugo The next floor was still the Exogenous Garden, only this time, the moon was up in the sky instead of the sun. This second half of the stratum specialized on nocturnal monsters so we had to be even more careful than before. There were a couple of notable monsters we really had to be careful about. The first was the Predator Panthers, an A-rank monster that had incredible stealth, swiftness, and strength. Let your guard down for a second and it would rip you apart in an instant. Thanks to this guy, we had to be extra careful while we were sleeping. We couldn''t sleep out in the open anymore. I had to make a dome of earth surrounding our camp everytime we took a rest. And even with that, they still attacked. Twice. Clawing through my dome with their super strength. And each time, I ended up having to fight with my junk dangling out, since I was in the middle of being pleasured by Felicia. The next monster on the list was the Thousand-Year-Old Owl, another troublesome A-rank monster. Unlike the Panther, however, what made it troublesome was not its strength or speed, but its notorious ability to put you to sleep with its hoots. The range was large and they were everywhere through the foresty part of the dungeon. To deal with them, we had to rely on Felicia''s permanent wake-up potions, which delayed our progress quite a bit as Felicia kept needing to produce new ones. The ingredients were thankfully easily found in the dungeon itself. As for the S-rank monster¡­ Yep. It was a monstrosity the size of an entire hill. All the flowers on the surface were part of its body¡ªtips of its countless tentacles. We didn''t know how its entire body looked as most of it was buried under the ground. But we had watched as it swallowed other monsters whole¡ªthe ground being its mouth. In the end, we never got to fight it, as we managed to avoid falling into its trap. The Flower-Crowned Horror. It was a monster we would not forget anytime soon. Even with all that, however, we managed to make our way to the 600th floor in another month. And yes, that meant we actually made it past the 599th floor, the furthest anyone had ever managed. Personally, not to toot my own horn here, I didn¡¯t know why it was such a roadblock. Sure, the monsters were nasty and the teleporter was quite hard to find, but it wasn¡¯t anything impossible. Perhaps we were just that strong compared to the other adventurers. ...Or perhaps, we had a little outside help. ------- ¡°Alright! The 600th floor! We¡¯re in the final stretch, everyone!¡± I yelled the moment we stepped out of the teleporter. ¡°Yes!¡± Theo replied, his smile as bright as an angel¡¯s. ¡°We just have to find the Boss and then we¡¯ll get to the next stratum! That¡¯s where Miss Elf is waiting for us, right?¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s right!¡± I replied. Miss Elf was naturally his nickname for Xaela, this dungeon¡¯s so-called Administrator. Still high-spirited about our victory, we began our trek through the floor without delay. It didn''t take long, however, until we noticed that something was¡­ off. "Excuse me, Sir Hugo, but is it just me or are there a lot less monsters than usual?" Tira was the first to speak. "Usually, we''ve already met one at this point, right?" "...Oh, you''re right, Mother!" Theo chirped in. "That''s odd. But it''s a good thing, isn''t it?" "The opposite." Tama replied. "This means they might be setting up a trap. Like they had done many times before. Be on your guard." "Felicia." I glanced at the alchemist. "What do your shadows say?" "Nothing," she replied. "There really aren''t any monsters nearby." "Hmm¡­ that''s good to know. Still, we should remain¡ª" My speech was cut short. We just escaped the forest-like section back into the wide, open hills section. And there, I saw them¡ªunmistakable signs of battle scarring the land. Everywhere I looked, I could see huge scars in the land, bigger than an adult male''s body, with some stretching for more than a kilometer. Multiple hills had their tips missing, as if a giant blade had cut them horizontally near the top. Chills immediately crept onto my neck. The rest of the party were rendered speechless as well. We all knew one thing. Whatever caused this¡ªthey were an incredibly strong monster. !!! Far away in the distance, I could see a tiny human-like figure walking towards us. My hand went to grab my wand. But I was already too late. In an instant, the figure was right in front of me, pressing her sword to my neck. My heart stopped. My sight grew dark in an instant. -------- "U-urgh¡­" When I woke up, the first thing I found was that I was sitting in front of a bonfire. My hand went to my neck. Not even a slight graze. "Oh, you''ve woken up. That was fast." The figure was sitting to my right, smiling in my direction. She was a woman, possibly in her early twenties. She had bright pink hair, braided into four ends midway down her shoulder, ending past her waist. She wore a loose white robe, reminiscent of those karate practitioners would wear back in my old world. Her pants were black, tucked inside her boots. A sword was tied to her waist. "You''re an impressive one, boy. How long has it been since I met someone that could resist my Dread Slash without humiliating themself?" I looked around and saw the others sleeping around the bonfire. Or rather, they were still unconscious from whatever she just did to us. A particular scent entered my nostrils. The scent of urine. My first instinct was to look at my crotch. Nope. Still dry. I expected it to be otherwise, knowing how fainting could affect muscle control and all that. Standing up, I looked at the others closer one by one. They weren''t so lucky. Every one of them clearly had wet themselves. "Your friends aren''t like you unfortunately." The girl smirked. "They''re just like the others. Can''t even stand to my aura. Like those ten adventurers I sent home before." Suddenly, I stopped. "So, mind explaining what that was all about? I walked to the pink-haired swordmaster. "You''re an adventurer, right?" "...An adventurer? I prefer to be called the Greatest Swordswoman In The World." The girl stood up. She was actually just a bit taller than I was. With a grin, she offered her hand to me and said, "The name''s Isolde. Isolde Hrothgar. The Undefeated Virtuoso of The Lancelot Order." As I shook her head, slowly but surely her words hit the braincells in my skull. "M-My name''s Hugo Greenwood. I''m just an adventurer." I flashed her a nervous grin. "I like you, kiddo." She put her hands on her waist. "You''re what, 14 years old, but you can withstand my Dread Slash. You''re no ordinary adventurer to be sure." "I wouldn''t say that." I shook my head. "I still fainted from it after all. Still, what kind of a greeting was that? Do you just go to random strangers and hold your sword right at their throat?" "Yep! Pretty much!" "I used to do that on the outside but no one is really a match for me. So I decided to go into this dungeon instead. Been here on this floor for who knows how long." "Why don''t you climb further?" I asked. "Because she won''t let me." She sighed. "She?" I raised my eyebrows. "That elf girl. The self-proclaimed Administrator of this place. You should already know her." "Oh. You''ve been with Xaela then." "Xaela. So that''s her name. She never bothered to tell me that." She laughed. I blinked. "Well, enough about her." She returned her hands to her waist. "Let''s talk about you instead. You are a tough one, aren''t you? To not soil your pants like a little boy¡ªthat shows how durable you are as a fighter." All of a sudden, she moved right in front of me, with our faces almost touching. "Hmm, those eyes¡­ those are the eyes of someone who had seen their share of combat. The eyes of a veteran, someone who had brushed with death and lived to tell the tale. I see it now. She''s chosen a good one." Withdrawing from my personal space, the woman''s grin grew even bigger. She now had her hands under chest, magnifying the size of her quite sizable breasts. "I have a proposal for you, Hugo Greenwood." "A proposal?" "Hit me with your strongest spell. Don''t worry. I won''t fight back. I just want to see what your maximum capability is. You''re a pretty good mage, right?" "My strongest spell?" I paused. "Yep! Your strongest, bestest spell! Doesn''t matter how long you have to charge it. I''ll wait." In a flash, she put a 100 feet distance between us. "Why should I do it?!" I yelled. "Casting that spell tires me, you know!" I lied. I could fire several fully charged Super Boom Cannon without breaking a sweat. "You want to get through this floor, right?! I''ll show you the way to the teleporter!" "I can accidentally kill you with it!" "Kill me then! Do you think I''m a coward who runs from a challenge? And if you think you can kill me that easily, think again, whelp!" "Well! Fine! Here comes one set of my Super Boom Cannon." "Super Boom Cannon? What kind of a name is that?!" She laughed. "O-oh shut up! I''m not good with names!" Focusing my mana on the tip of my wand, I began charging the spell. "Oho! That looks like an interesting spell!" Thirty seconds later, I fired. The cannonball flew with tremendous speed. It was ten times the size of the swordswoman, with ten times the speed of my normal Boom Cannon. "Covetous Sword! Mana-Devouring Slash!" Only for it to fizzle into nothingness with a single slash of her sword. Her sword glowed eerie red. If I had to guess, that was my mana converted into aura. How it was possible¡ªI had no idea in the slightest. Flicking the blade casually to the side, a massive gash on the ground was created instantaneously, creating a miniature earthquake as she did. "Hmm, not bad!" She sheathed her steel. "That was at least a low Grandmaster-level spell in strength." She dashed forward, appearing right in front of me before I could even reply. "G-Grandmaster? That was a Grandmaster-level spell that I just did?" "Strength-wise, definitely," she replied with a smile. "But, not enough to defeat my technique. Such a direct spell would never work on me. Or at least, not on that level." "That was¡­ you converted my spell''s mana into your aura, didn''t you? How could you do that?" She laughed. "It''s a technique I learned from my old man. To be honest, I don''t know exactly how it works either. I just swing my sword and bam! Spell absorbed!" She smirked, putting one hand on her hip. "Is that all you got, kiddo?" "... I''m sorry?" "I''m saying, don''t you have another spell that you can try on me? Something more sneaky? I know you mages love that kind of magic." "I¡­ do have one actually. But if I try it out on you, you will die in an instant. No doubt about it." "Then shut up and use it. I want to see. Just how devious the one she chose is. As if taunting me to attack, she put her arms under her chest and gave me the biggest smug grin she could muster. I sighed. I aimed my wand at her. "Asphyxia, Hemorrhage." I aimed my wand to where her lungs should be, sent my raw mana to it, and then turned said mana into a large bubble of wind. "!!!" In a flash, she dashed forward, in the split-second it took for my spell to blow up her lung. And slashed my wand into two in the process. "You¡­ you idiot! That was my wand!" She was now panting, squeezing her chest with her free hand. Still grinning, she looked up to me and said, "W-well done. Well done indeed. That''s a really good spell. I¡­ almost died there." "H-hey! How am I supposed to cast my spells now?" "He...hehehe¡­ s-sorry¡­ if I hadn''t done that¡­ I felt I really would''ve kicked the bucket¡­" "You know you could just run out of my range. It''s a pretty short-ranged spell. No need to destroy my wand." "O-oh r-really? T-that''s a big weakness. Fitting for such a powerful¡ªaahnnn!" Her hands went to her crotch and her face was flushed. Almost as if she was¡ª "E-excuse me for a second¡­" Before I could say anything, she already dashed away. Leaving me with half a stick that used to be my wand. ------- Isolde "Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa.. Haa¡­¡± The moment the swordmaster was out of sight from Hugo, she immediately pulled the waistband of her pants outwards, slipped her left hand underneath her pink panties, and massaged her soaked crotch with her fingers. ¡°T-that¡­ that was close¡­ he really¡­ he really nearly had me there¡­ a few moments later and my lungs would¡¯ve exploded for sure¡­ ¡°Just what kind of a mage he is?¡± Unbeknownst to Hugo, or the many other warriors she had challenged in the past, the other reason why she craved stronger and stronger foe¡­ ...was because she would get turned on by a foe that actually challenged her. Ever since she was little, the combination of her immense talent and her continuous training by her father meant she was undefeated in combat. She shot up through the ranks immensely, and by the tender age of eight, she was already equal to a Virtuoso in strength. And when she left home, by the age of twelve, she was rivaling the strength of her father. Seeking both challenge and sexual satisfaction, she travelled the land as a swordswoman, challenging every strong warrior she could find. Until her feet took her here. ¡°Ahnnn!" *spurt* *spurt* *spuurtt* She finished inside her panties and trousers. Taking her slimy fingers out, she wiped them to her pants. A/N: Picture for Isolde: Non-Canon Omake 2 — In Which Hugo and Marina Lose Their Memories A/N: Another noncanon chapter, courtesy of Precursor9311 once again. And it stars Hugo and Marina as well. And this time, they¡¯re dating. So if you don¡¯t like that stuff¡­ tough luck! ---------- Mira, the capital city of the Magocracy. It was a bustling metropolis of magic, filled with all sorts of mages, from the destructive type that just liked to burn everything on their sight with fire magic to the constructive type that preferred creating runic constructs that could help with the day-to-day life of the average Magocracy citizen. It was only natural for such a capital to have their own magic academy. It was there where the kingdom produced the kingdom¡¯s best magicians. And now, a certain brother and sister were attending its classes. The genius duo, they said. At such a young age, they were already able to cast Master-level spells, with the boy specializing in Wind and the girl specializing in Earth. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t native citizens of the Magocracy. They came from a neighboring kingdom instead, a kingdom that was far less advanced in magic than the Magocracy. Still, it didn¡¯t stop the higher-ups in the magic state from recruiting them to their folds. In this nation, your aptitude with magic was everything, and so, any magic families worth their salt would want to marry their children to them. The girl got it lucky. She only had one admirer. All because that admirer was the grandson of one of the ruling mages of the nation. No other families dared to touch her as a result, especially knowing how vindictive said ruling mage could be. The boy, on the other hand, was a free-for-all. Day by day, he would be harassed by girls wanting to be his girlfriend. He even got the attention of the daughter of another ruling mage and that girl had already graduated from the academy. Still, neither of them accepted their advances. They were here to study, not to be roped into some political alliances. They wanted to be adventurers after all, not tied into a single country that wasn¡¯t even their own. Their names were Marina and Hugo, of the Greenwood family. And this is their story. ---------- Hugo Ooh, nice! She wears green today! The eastern wind blew, delivering the joyful sight of a girl''s panties into my eyes. Not just any girl though. She was my older sister, Marina. Even though she now wore a long green cloak that went down to her ankles, it still wasn''t enough to cover her butt from showing whenever a sufficiently strong wind came around. Under it, her skirt was still short and was very vulnerable from being lifted by the slightest force. Now, you may say, "Dude! She''s your sister! Why are you perving on her?!" And I''ll reply, "Yeah, but she''s still hot. And she doesn''t mind me accidentally seeing her panties. Emphasis on ''accidentally''." She was now sixteen years old, and in her last year in the academy. I, on the other hand, was just an innocent eleven years old, who was still in second year. In this world, she was already considered an adult. So peeking on the panties worn by an adult? No problem here, Sir! And now, we were going on a quest together. Just your usual D-rank gathering quest, nothing special. Yes, we worked as adventurers on the weekend after all. Not because we needed the money but just because it was fun. Soon, we arrived at the designated forest. We were to gather a bunch of mushrooms from it, making sure we didn''t bring back the wrong one. With her magic, Marina quickly determined where the mushrooms were located. Ah, the convenience of being an earth mage. "Alright, Hugo." She spoke with a tender smile as she looked at me. "Stay close to me, alright? You don''t want to get lost in these woods. It''s really dangerous." Sheesh, she''s treating me like a kid. I''m just as good of a mage as you are, Sis! Still, I didn''t say anything. I didn''t want to ruin the smile she had on her face. We spent the next hour going from one mushroom spot to another. Any monsters we found on the way were swiftly taken out by either me or her with barely any effort. They were just E rank to D rank monsters, not difficult in the slightest. As for the gathering part, she did the hard work while I stood by guarding her. I would''ve helped but she insisted that she had to do it on her own, citing how sensitive the mushrooms were. Eventually, our basket was filled to the brim with mushrooms. It was time for us to go back. Until we were ambushed by a certain plant. We didn''t see it coming in the slightest. The monster flower looked exactly like the other, non-monstrous giant flowers inside the forest. So when it sprayed its pollen, it was already too late for us to dodge it. I quickly burned it with fire magic. Still, it didn''t stop said pollen''s effect on us. We coughed and coughed and coughed, until all of a sudden¡­ Huh? Wait, what am I doing here? And who''s this chick with me? ...Hold on, I can''t¡ªI can''t remember who I am! We had lost our memories. ------ Luckily, our memory loss wasn''t complete. After much thinking (since there was nothing we carried that could show our identity), I could remember that my name was Hugo. And she, the girl that was with me, did the same, saying that her name was Marina. Feeling the sensation of familiarity from that name, I quickly told her that we must have been acquaintances. She agreed and so, we decided to stick together, at least for a time. We decided to return back to the capital city, another fact we both remembered. We also still remembered our spells so we could make it through the forest just fine. As for the mushroom basket she had on her hand, we figured that it was the reason why we came here in the first place. "For now, I think we should get a room in an inn." She proposed once we entered the city. "How many coins do you have?" I reached down to my shorts pockets and found only a handful of copper coins. Certainly not enough to rent a room even at the cheapest establishments. "Well¡­" She opened her palm, revealing a few silver coins. "You''re in luck." She smiled. "I can rent us a room." "W-wait, are you sure? You don''t even know me. And for a boy and a girl to share a room together¡­" She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "It''s fine. I have a feeling that we''ve been working together. So I can trust you, Hugo." Trust, huh? I do have this strong feeling that I can trust her as well. Maybe we really are a pair of adventurers after all. And besides¡­ My eyes paused at her bountiful chest. Who would refuse staying together in the same room with a hot chick like her?! "Alright! I''ll take you up on your offer! But before that, shouldn¡¯t we check around the Adventurer¡¯s Guild first? See if anyone knows about us?¡± "Sure. We can do that. I¡­ don''t know where the Guild is though." She bit her lip. "Oh, it shouldn''t be that hard to find!" I gave her an encouraging smile. "We just have to ask around!" She paused, blinking a few times before responding with her own smile. "You''re right! You''re a smart kid, aren''t you?" She giggled, patting me on the head. Before abruptly pulling her hand back. "A-ah, apologies." Redness spread on her cheeks. "I¡­ don''t know why I did that." ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I don¡¯t mind at all, miss!¡± I gave her a grin. Oh my, could she be a shotacon in disguise? Have I somehow hit the jackpot of befriending a sexy lady who¡¯s fond of younger men? Although, I can¡¯t really say she¡¯s a lady yet. She¡¯s around seventeen years old at the very most. Still very much in her teens, only her womanly features are already there. Large boobs, tight ass, and so on, and so forth. Oh yes, I got a show of the latter on our way here. A strong breeze blew, her cloak flew up, and the short skirt under that flew up as well, and I got a full view of her green panties. Now, I would have said that she could headpat me anytime, but that would be a dumb thing to do. I¡¯m not five. As an eleven years old, that kind of innocent act won¡¯t fly anymore. I have to act more mature, like a young gentleman. That¡¯s how I can charm her! We then walked through the city, making sure to look at the cobblestone road and the neatly arranged houses well. We didn''t want to get lost in such a big place. Hmm, I definitely have been here before¡­ if I had to guess, this is our current base of operations. We must have stayed here for a good while¡­ We asked around the populace, who quickly pointed us towards the district where the Guild was located. And when we arrived, I was struck by that nagging familiarity again. Or at least, that''s what I felt. Yep, this place¡ªI''ve definitely been here before! We went to the nearest receptionist and asked her whether she could recognize us or not. "Huh? What kind of a question is that?" She raised her eyebrows. "Please. We were poisoned by a monster flower and now we couldn''t recall our memories," I answered. "Amnesia? I''ve never heard of such a flower. And, as for your question, no. I don''t know who you guys are. Though I definitely have seen you two before here. Can you tell me your names at the very least?" "My name''s Hugo. And she''s Marina." "Hugo and Marina¡­" She opened her book and crawled through the names there. "Hmm¡­ yes¡­ you two are indeed registered adventurers here." I knew it! We are adventurers after all! S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "And you two have an ongoing quest." "For the mushrooms, correct?" Marina went forward and put the basket on the counter. "Yes! Wow, you actually did the job!" She smiled, clasping her hands in front of her chest. She then stood up and checked the basket before putting it down on her side. "Yep! No problem! Alright! Here''s your payment! Oh, and take it easy for a few days! Whatever that plant did to you, it should wear off soon enough." I took the money from the receptionist though not before splitting it with Marina. "No." She smiled, pushing my open palm back towards me. "Take the money. You don''t have any left, do you?" "Wait, I can''t do that! You don''t have any money either!" "I''ll be fine. Now that I know I''m an adventurer, I can just take more quests to get more. You, on the other hand¡ª" She bent over and touched my nose with her index finger, "¡ªshould just stay at the inn until you recover." Wow¡­ this girl¡­ she is really nice, isn''t she? Too nice, perhaps. And what''s with that finger touch? Aren''t you being too friendly? We might be adventuring together but I''m not your little brother or your boyfriend. Not that I''m complaining of course. I do wish I was her boyfriend, despite me being a 11-year old boy. I dunno. I just feel that way. Heh, guess I''m just more mature (perverted) than your average boys that age. That''s why I can''t let her go out on her own. Too dangerous with her compromised memory. What if a bad guy comes over and kidnaps her, saying that he''s her friend? And then, she''ll get r*ped or sold into slavery. I can''t let that happen! "No." I gave her a firm look and crossed my arms. "We work together. We''re partners, remember?" A surprised look came to her face, before transforming into another smile. "You''re right." She rested her hand on my shoulder. "We should." And so, with the matter settled, we went to the cheapest inn we could find and rested for the night. --------- The bed was small and it was only fit for one person, leaving me no choice but to sleep on the creaky wooden floor. She offered to be the one sleeping there but I refused, saying that as a gentleman, it would be wrong for me to do so. Yeah, I was trying to rack up points with her. She giggled, jokingly asking whether I was actually the son of some magic noble in the city, since I was exceedingly talented at magic, far beyond what she would expect from a boy my age. "Nah," I replied with a smile. "If I were a noble, I wouldn''t be out of money, would I?" "That''s a good point." She smiled back. "It would make more sense if we''re just a pair of talented mages from the countryside." Damn, this angle¡­ I can see her panties from down here! As we spoke, I was lying down on the floor with only her cloak separating me from the wood. She, on the other hand, was sitting on the bed. She wasn''t opening her legs or anything but the low angle and the shortness of the skirt (it only ended at her mid-thigh) were enough to give me a good view. This girl¡­ she really needs to be more careful¡­. We didn''t converse for long unfortunately, as soon afterwards, I let out a yawn. And she immediately took it as a sign that we should get some sleep. Yes, we went without dinner. Thankfully, we had eaten some of the mushrooms we got from the forest before turning them in. They were delicious, even if we just roasted them with a simple fire spell. "Good night, Hugo." She smiled as she rested her head on the pillow. "Good night, Miss Marina! Don''t let the bed bugs bite you!" I smiled back. "Oh, enough with the Miss." She chuckled. "We''re partners, right? Just call me by my name." "Alright then! Marina it is!" I grinned. Yes! One step closer to making her my girlfriend! -------- The next morning (I swear I didn''t do any perverted things to her while she was asleep), I was woken up by the sunlight peeking down through the windows. Slowly, my eyes fluttered open as I lazily regained my consciousness. And what I saw made my jaw fall open. Marina was standing in the middle of the room, completely bending over, mooning me with the sight of her buttocks. And slowly, with her two thumbs, she pulled down her panties, down from her thighs, all the way to her ankles. And a trail of sticky clear fluid had attached itself, from her slick-looking womanhood to the crotch of the damp fabric. I gulped, feeling my shorts tightening significantly. There was no doubt about it. It was her juices. Flowing out of her clean-shaven flower. She just had an orgasm. Did she have a wet dream? Girls can get it too, right? I remained silent, even as my little guy down there throbbed like mad. If she realized I had woken up, there would be hell to pay. She slipped her feet from them before storing the garment inside her skirt pocket. And then, to my surprise, she turned around, knelt down, and gave my body a gentle shake. "Wake up, Hugo~ We need to go to the Guild early today, remember?" H-holy shit! Is she seriously not going to wear any panties?! The sight in the corner of my eyes confirmed it. I could see her privates between her legs, still glistening with her juice. Suddenly, she gasped. Slowly, I peered up towards her face. That surprised expression, the blush drawn on her face, and the angle where she was looking¡­ She was staring right at my erection. T-this is bad! I-I swear I wasn¡¯t looking! I wasn¡¯t looking at all! I soon found out that my panicking was entirely meaningless, however, as she looked away and mumbled, ¡°Boys are like that in the morning¡­ it can¡¯t be helped¡­ I guess I¡¯ll let him sleep for a little bit more¡­ while I clean up¡­¡± She then stood and left the room, opening and closing the creaky wooden door as silently as she could. The moment she was gone, I let out a big, relieved sigh. That was close. She almost saw me like the pervert that I am. Quickly, I sat up and began to meditate, calming down this boner I now got. And so, when she got back, I was back to my old, innocent self once more. ----------- We skipped breakfast as we no longer had any money in the slightest. I had no idea why we were this poor but we certainly didn¡¯t have any coin purse in our possession. Wherever our old selves had stored our money, it was definitely out of reach now. We made our way to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. We had to take some quests and finish them as fast as we could, so that we could actually have money to spend. And so, we took on the easy quests, like slaying monsters just outside the city walls or menial labor like helping in a warehouse. All the while with Marina wearing no panties under that green skirt of hers. I guess it¡¯s because her panties get dirty. But how did it get dirty in the first place? Did she have a wet dream? Or did she actually touch herself while I was sleeping? Damn it, I would have loved to see the latter! Still, if I were her, I would just wear those panties anyway. I understand why she wouldn¡¯t, considering how uncomfortable stained underwear can be, but wearing a skirt without underwear, you¡¯re either insane or an exhibitionist. And surely, she can¡¯t be the latter. Right? Whatever her reasons were, it was enough to distract me multiple times in the day. I kept staring at her behind (even though the skirt was covered by her cloak) or up her legs and thighs any chance I got. And I didn¡¯t want to do that. If she had been more perceptive, she would¡¯ve noticed me looking, and that would spell trouble for me. No girl likes to be with a pervert after all. Eventually though, after we got our first payment, she made a beeline to the nearest clothing store. Oh, she didn¡¯t tell me she was going there, only that she had something to take care of for a bit, but I knew just from her expression that she was glad she could finally wear underwear like a normal girl once more. Guess she isn¡¯t an exhibitionist after all. Our lives continued like this for a bit. We would spend the day doing quests together and then pool our money to buy all the things we needed. It wasn''t a bad life for sure, especially when I was doing it with such a cute girl like her. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but feel I was missing something. Something big. Our lost memories¡­ We were just waiting for them to return. I could feel it¡ªthe gnawing sensation behind my head, and the clearing of the fog that obscured what I used to remember¡­ No good. I still could not remember. Eventually, one week had passed since our trip to the forest. That day, we decided to take on a special job. Unlike the easy ones we had done throughout the week, we now would go into the Barton Mines, located northwest of the city. Our job was to clear out a recently monster-infected section there. Dangerous? Definitely. However, it paid really well compared to our usual jobs. And we had grown confident in our fighting abilities. The monsters at the outskirts of town were no match against us. And since the monsters in the mines were only one rank more difficult, we should be able to manage. We wanted to rent a better inn, you see. And you needed a lot more money for that. Not to mention that for privacy¡¯s sake, it would be better for us to sleep separately. ...Why yes, she orgasmed again in her sleep. That time, I didn¡¯t get to see it directly. But I could tell from the smell and the slight wet patch on her skirt when she woke up. She might be the calm older sister type but she had a libido far higher than the average woman. Maybe. I wouldn¡¯t know how many wet dreams the average woman got over a week. And so, after accepting the quest and having our breakfast, we departed. It was a short trip from the capital city, not even requiring a full day. Once there, we contacted the local miners and they pointed us to the part of the mines we needed to clean out. The mines itself looked like your average mines¡ªdark, cramped, and full of dirt and rocks. Thankfully, we had our fire spells to light the way. We didn''t always stick together since the narrowness of the cave meant we wouldn''t be able to move around very well at all. But, we always made sure not to get separated too much. And each of us had maps of the tunnels given to us by the miners. The monsters were just as easy as I had expected¡ªsimple creatures I could kill with a spell or two. I had to be careful though as to not knock down the entire place. These tunnels were fragile after all. Eventually, once there were no monsters in sight, we met back on the designated spot. "All done?" Marina asked me with a smile. "All done!" I smiled back. "Let''s go back and report¡ª" An earthquake struck. The floor, the walls, the ceiling¡ªeverything around us shook with great, dizzying force. I never managed to finish my sentence. I pushed her down and covered her body with mine. Just in time before everything went black. -------- When I regained my consciousness, the first thing I saw was Marina''s face. Tears were trailing down her face. She was begging me to wake up. ¡°Please¡­ wake up¡­ I don¡¯t want you to die on me¡­¡± At first, I didn¡¯t know why she was acting like that. Until I felt the warm blood seeping out of the back of my head. Then I remembered. A chunk of the collapsing ceiling had landed on my head when the earthquake struck. I was only alive due to a miracle. And this fabric tied to my head tightly, stemming my blood loss. If I had to guess, judging by her lack of coat, it was hers. ¡°You¡­ you idiot¡­ you¡¯re just a young boy¡­ why do you need to save me like that?¡± ¡°Heh. I don¡¯t know. I just felt it was the right thing to do, that¡¯s all.¡± She paused, her gaze now locked into mine. Her eyes widened. And then, she threw herself on top of me, giving me a big, strong hug while pressing her breasts right onto my face. ¡°Oh, thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!¡± Ahh, heaven¡­ even if my head is bleeding right now¡­ She quickly released me though, probably realizing she was smothering me with her hug. Gently, I sat up. Urghhh, my head really hurts. I took a glance at my surroundings. As I feared, the tunnel we were in had collapsed at both sides. Only Marina''s floating fire orb was lighting up the place. "Y-you''re okay?" she asked. She was now sitting in front of me, with a gaze that was a mixture of fear and relief. "Yes, I''m fine." I gave her a relaxed smile. "Thankfully, I don''t think the wound is deep enough to reach my brain." "You¡ª" She averted her gaze. "¡ªshouldn''t have saved me back then. "Oh come on, Marina!" I flashed her a grin. "We''re partners, right? It''s only natural for me to risk my life saving you!" "No." She shook her head before giving me a stern glare. "You''re too young to be risking anything. As the elder, I''m the one who''s supposed to protect you instead." "Oh don''t give me that." It was now my time to frown. "I didn''t do it because I was forced to. I might be eleven but I''m young enough to make my own decisions. And my decision was to save you." "Well, I''m sixteen so you should listen to me!" She raised her voice. "My heart would break if anything happens to you!" "What?! You''re not my older sister! Or my girlfriend! You should let me¡ª" "I like you!" I fell silent. Did I just hear that right? "Yes! That''s true! This past week, I found that I''m fond of you! More than just a partner or a friend!" She was now profusely blushing. "I don''t know what''s wrong with me but you''re exactly what I want from a lover! Even if you''re five years younger!" ...I heard right. She really just made a love confession. Here, right now, while we''re trapped inside a mine. "So please! Don''t you ever do something like that again!" She averted her gaze again. Her fingers were now playing with the hem of her skirt. A nervous tick for sure. It was time for me to answer. I stood up, enduring the pain coming from my head. I then walked up to her and grabbed her hands. "I''m glad to hear that. I like you too, Marina." I gave her my brightest smile. I can''t believe it! I now have a girlfriend as cute as her! "But for now," I released my hands from hers. "We should find a way out of this place." She nodded, standing up as well. And so, from that day on, we became an official couple. All thanks to that earthquake. -------- Our journey outside was rough, to say the least. It took us hours to make our way through all the rubble, despite using Marina¡¯s earth magic. We had to be careful not to cause a further cave-in so she couldn¡¯t just destroy any rock she chose. She had to be extremely precise while doing it. And that¡¯s why we had a lot of time to chat with each other. ¡°So¡­ umm¡­ your confession back then¡­ that was¡­ sudden." I opened my mouth. We were now walking through a section of the mine that wasn''t blocked off. A dry laugh came out from her mouth. She maintained her forward gaze, not looking at me in the slightest. "You must think I''m a weirdo, liking someone your age." "Oh no, not at all! I can be really charming after all!" "Oh you." She grinned, finally glancing at me. "But you''re right. You are charming. And you have charmed my lonely self to fall for you." "Lonely?" I raised my eyebrow." "Yes. I don''t know why, since I have yet to recover my memories, but I have this feeling that I''ve been very lonely for a long time. And your presence somehow cured that loneliness." She glanced at me again, this time with a smile. "I see. Well, I''m glad to help! A cute girl like you should never be lonely!" Oh God what was that cliched pick-up line?! However, hearing those words, she giggled. It seemed the line wasn''t as cliched as I thought. We then stopped as another pile of rocks blocked our path. "Well, Hugo, once our memories return, I can only hope that we continue being together like this," she said before exploding the nearby rock. "Yep! Me too!" I can only hope too. --------- When we got out, we were greeted by the miners who had been clearing out the rubble from the other side. I had my wound patched up before we returned back to town (they had a healer, thankfully enough). It was already night outside. We really took that long escaping that place. Whew, finally. Not going back to a cave anytime soon for sure! To my relief, we didn¡¯t encounter any monsters on our way to Mira. Not that we couldn''t handle it. I just preferred us walking together peacefully under the moonlight. Once we got back, we reported the quest, got our money, and had the most lavish dinner we could have. Afterwards, we moved to a new, better inn and stayed there for the night. And yes, we decided to still share a room. We were now a couple after all. "Hugo, can you¡­ sleep with me tonight?" Those seven words, said with a bashful face, was enough to drive any man crazy with lust. Oh, don''t worry though. We didn''t do anything lewd. I just buried my face inside her bosom as she used me as my pillow. Aahhhh, this truly is heaven¡­ Damn, she smells good. And I can see her green bra peeking through her buttons. ¡­ Wait. This feeling¡­ I''ve been here before. Back at home, she would occasionally sleep with me. And she will hug me just like this. Home? And then, it hit me. All my memories¡ªthey all returned in an instant. We¡­ were never adventurers in the first place. We were students at the magic academy in this city. And this girl¡­ She was my older sister. Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh! I screamed inside my mind. My sister just confessed her love for me. And I accepted it. We had gone full incest mode, without us knowing. T-this is bad! I have to get away! Quickly, I pushed her away. Only for her to pull me back in, pressing my face even deeper into her breasts. ¡°Hugo¡­ don¡¯t leave me¡­ I¡¯m lonely here¡­ You always have too many girls following you around in the Academy¡­¡± Wait, did she just¡ªwhen did she remember? Or was this just her subconscious speaking? ...Still, if she really feels that way¡­ She was right. Thinking about it, with the exception of the weekends, we rarely interacted with each other at the Academy. We went to separate classes with different schedules. And naturally, I stayed at the men¡¯s dorm while she stayed at the girl¡¯s. And, just like she said, I was constantly swarmed with girls vying for my attention. No wonder she would feel lonely, being the big brocon that she was. Still, for her to actually confess romantic love to me like that¡­ that was just too much for my modern Japan sensibility! Cousin marriage is one thing but brother and sister marriage? And directly blood-related at that, not even half? It was just too taboo for me. But then again, according to that history book I read in the library once, brother-sister marriages are somewhat common in the Magocracy. Somewhat, being the key word, since it was a double-edged blade. You can either end up having a child whose magic talent surpassed their parent by a mile or you might end up with someone with no magic talent whatsoever. However, that book didn¡¯t say anything about defects or illnesses that you would expect from an incest child. Maybe it doesn¡¯t work that way in this world? ...Aah, does it matter? She¡¯s lonely and it¡¯s my job as her little brother to cheer her up. No need to talk about marriages or anything. I stopped my struggle. I let her hug me as much as she wanted. And just like that, I eventually drifted asleep. Inside the embrace of my lovely older sister. ---------- Marina The next day, we went around the city together. A date, as they would say. When I woke up that morning, I remembered everything. I remembered how I was his big sister¡ªhow we weren¡¯t really adventurers at all, and how we weren¡¯t even citizens of this country. But, I decided not to tell. I didn¡¯t even care if we skipped another day away from the Academy. This day would be ours and ours alone. ...Yes, I realized I had confessed to him. And yes, I had admitted my loneliness and jealousy to him as well. Now that they were out of the bag, there was no point in hiding them anymore, was there? I liked him. More than just a little brother. But as a man as well. A young man, to be precise. A gentleman-to-be. Exactly the kind of man I would want to marry in the future. And now, I suppose he is my boyfriend too. Mine and no one else. None of those grubby girls can get their hands on him anymore. Incest? So what? Perhaps it¡¯s unconventional. But I don¡¯t care if our child can¡¯t use magic at all. We¡¯ll still love them all the same. But, enough of those thoughts. Today, I intend to enjoy our excursion to the fullest. I will only tell him the truth at the end of the day. Vol 4 Chapter 41: True History Hugo When she returned, I was back sitting near the campfire. I didn¡¯t want to chase after her, knowing that the others were still unconscious, in case a monster popped out. ¡°Finally.¡± I glared in her direction when she came. ¡°Now, about my wand¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m sure she will fix you up with something! And you can always just buy a new one once you¡¯re back on the outside!¡± She laughed. ¡°You know, you¡¯re cutting my strength in half by slicing my wand like that. What if I wanted to go further in, huh? And I couldn¡¯t be bothered to go back to town to restock.¡± I stood up. ¡°At the very least, you should pay me what that wand cost me to buy. Which would be ten gold pieces.¡± It was a lie. I couldn¡¯t even remember how much money Marina had to spend to buy it all those years ago. ¡°Sorry, kiddo, but I don¡¯t have any money. I might be a master swordswoman but I¡¯m not good at all with coins! Why, the last time I had any coins, I spent it all on the tavern!¡± Once again, she burst into a laughing fit. ¡°...I can¡¯t believe this.¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, as you promised, tell me where the exit is and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± She smiled. ¡°Wake up those friends of yours and we could get going right away. Oh, and don¡¯t worry about the floor boss. I already took care of it.¡± ¡°...Yeah, I imagine you did.¡± I conjured a simple ball of water with my hand (didn¡¯t need a wand for that) and dropped it on Felicia and the others. I then shook them as hard as I could. After their unfortunate accidents, they certainly could use a quick bath. One by one, they slowly returned to the world of the living, with no lasting damage, thankfully enough (or else that swordswoman had something other than my wand to pay). I then explained to them what had transpired. Felicia was the first to express her displeasure. It was either her or Tama, really. ¡°So, you think you can just attack us and get away with it?¡± She glared at the pink-haired woman. ¡°You¡¯re lucky Milord is a merciful man or else he would¡¯ve killed you already.¡± ¡°Oh please, I wouldn''t count that as an attack." The swordswoman smirked. "I call it¡­ a greeting. And besides, your little Lord won''t be able to do that anyway. I''m the strongest swordswoman in the world after all." She patted her chest. "You!" I grabbed Felicia''s hand and shook my head. ¡°But Milord, she¡¯s humiliated you! A-and she humiliated me as well!¡± A small tear appeared in the corner of her eye. ¡°We should at least punish her a little! Wipe that smirk off her face!¡± "Unfortunately, she''s right. I can''t beat her. I told you before, didn''t I? That she was a Virtouso in the Lancelot Order. She wasn''t lying. I had tested her power after all." "But Milord¡­" "Enough." Suddenly, the swordswoman interrupted us. "All four of you are so much weaker than him. Flies like you have no right to tell him what to do." "F-flies?" Felicia replied. All of a sudden, I felt it again¡ªthat overwhelming terror emanating from her. The desire to kill. She could cut all of us in a split second. Felicia lost her balance, making her kneel down on the ground, panting. The others reacted similarly. Only I remained standing. Barely. "Maybe I should swat down those flies for you, Hugo Greenwood." She unsheathed her sword. "No doubt they''re dragging you down from greatness." Her eyes were nothing like they were before. It was now akin to a wild beast, hungry for blood and carnage. I could feel Felicia''s shaking hands grasping my arm. Looking down, her eyes were overwhelmed with fear. "W-we have to¡­ we have to run¡­ run run run run¡­" She whispered over and over. "...No. I''m done running." I grabbed her quivering hands with my own, giving them the firm grip they desperately needed. Looking back at the swordswoman, I replied, "I would''ve let you go if all you did was knocking us unconscious, since you seem like a good, honorable woman. But if you actually laid a hand to my companions, that would be another matter.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Her smirk grew, making it look positively demonic. ¡°Do you still have something else in your magic repertoire? Oh, wait, you can¡¯t cast them. Not without your wand.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try nonetheless.¡± ¡°Then do it! Give me your best shot!¡± Gently, I peeled Felicia¡¯s hands off my arm. ¡°No¡­ nonononono, you can¡¯t fight her, Milord. You just can¡¯t. Please, Milord, don¡¯t do it!¡± I ignored her plea. I dashed forward, stretched my arm, and¡ª ¡°Bold but foolish! I¡¯ll take your arm for that!¡± "Stop this at once!" It all happened in a flash. Manifesting in a burst of light, Xaela stood between us and grabbed both of our arms. Before throwing us to the ground. "Why are you two fighting? You''re on the same side!" I managed to recover mid-fall, as did Isolde. But we both knew that our fight was over, now that she had appeared. The normally emotionless elf was now visibly angry, glaring at both of us. "Hey, she started it. She threatened my friends." I quickly explained. "Haah, and here I thought I could have more fun with him." The swordswoman shrugged, before returning to her smirk. "Well, he''s all yours, Miss Administrator. I''ll go back to my training. But a little word to you, Hugo Greenwood." She looked at me. "Be stronger. You have a rough future ahead of you." "...Excuse me?" "Oh, nothing." She grinned, placing her hands on her waist. "I too will grow stronger. And once I perform my duty, if I can''t find a man stronger than you, I''ll go to you and make you my husband. Look forward to that." Before I could say anything, she already dashed away. ------ "HOW DARE SHE! DOES SHE THINK SHE CAN JUST PROPOSE TO MILORD LIKE THAT?" After Felicia recovered from her fright, naturally, that was the very first thing she said. She grabbed my left arm and hugged it like the possessive girlfriend she was. I wasn''t complaining though as her soft breasts were pressing into it. The others returned back on their feet as well. With Isolde and her hostile aura gone, they quickly regained their composure. "Are you unharmed, Unchained One?" Xaela asked. "Yeah, I''m fine," I smiled. "Thank you for stopping our fight back there. I would''ve lost an arm if you hadn''t interfered." "L-lost an arm, Milord?" Felicia''s eyes widened. "My plan was to sacrifice my arm to cast a fatal spell on her. It was the only way I could win against her." I gave a wry smile to the redhead. "Y-you can''t do that! I forbid you to do that! I can''t fix a decapitated arm!" Felicia yelled, hugging my arm even closer. "To see you walking around with a stump, just because of me, I''ll never forgive myself!" Sniffling, she began crying onto my shoulder. Patting her head gently, I replied, "Well, it''s not like I did it just for you. I did it for Theo and the others too. And for me as well." "F-for you, Milord?" She looked up. "To be brave against an opponent stronger than me. Ever since I failed Leila, that was my goal. As a man. As a human being." "M-Master Hugo¡­ Uwaahhhh!" Theo ran over and hugged me as well, crying in the process. I couldn''t help but chuckle. "Sir Hugo, if you''ll excuse my impudence, I believe Miss Felicia is right." Tira was the next person to step up. "Bravery is one thing but recklessness is another. If you cause grief to your spouse for no good reason... I don''t believe it''s something a good man would do." "Hmph, I''m not surprised." Tama flipped her hair. "He has always been reckless. I''m starting to worry that my Theo is going to turn as reckless as him." "Well, like I said, that was my only option, since she sliced my wand into two." "Wait, she did?" Felicia replied. I showed her what remained of it and she immediately cursed her again. "THAT BITCH! HOW DARE SHE?" "Milord, don''t worry, You can use my staff for the moment." "There''s no need. If it''s a staff he needs, I can provide it." All of a sudden, Xaela spoke. "Really?" I turned to face her. "Yes. You have passed my Master''s test. I am now obliged to tell you the truth. So please, if you would, continue to the next floor." "I¡­ don''t see how those two are related but sure. We can go." "Wait, before we go¡ª" Felicia interrupted. "We¡­ need to clean up first." She blushed. ------- After everyone was back with their clean clothes, we followed Xaela to the floor teleporter. Just as Isolde said, the boss monster was gone. Stepping on the lighted square, we were swallowed by light as usual. When I could see again, my surroundings had changed completely. I was now inside a large white room, with square pillars reaching upwards to the skies. All around me were floating platforms, going left and right, up and down, and front and back. Pulsating blue lines covered both the pillars and the platforms. And to my horror, I was all alone there. "Wait, where is everyone? Xaela? Xaela?" The robed elf manifested herself in front of me. "What I''m about to tell you is for your ears only. It will be up to you to tell them the truth. As for your friends, they''re fine. They''re on the 601th floor. This, on the other hand, is the Summit. The 1000th floor." "W-wait, this is the deepest part of the dungeon?" "Correct. My master only told me to test you up to the 600th floor. The rest won''t be needed." The platform we stood on suddenly rose up. "I shall begin by telling you the tale of my master''s people, the Ancients. Or the Progenitors, as some of your kind called them." "The Progenitors? So you really do work for them¡­ Can elves live for that long? The Progenitors were around like thousands of years ago, right? Are you a high elf by any chance?¡± Her ears were covered by her hood so I couldn¡¯t really judge their length. ¡°Please, Unchained One. Save your questions for later. For now, I advise you to listen to my tale first.¡± She gave a slightly impatient glare at my direction. ¡°Ah, alright. Sorry about that.¡± I gave a sheepish smile. ¡°Please, continue.¡± ¡°As I was saying, this story began from the Ancients. Once, their civilization was no different than the world outside now¡ªprimitive, with barely any magic tools being used to enhance their lives. And they all worshipped one single being. Gaia, the One True Goddess, one who created the world and molded every soul that lived above it.¡± "Arghhh!" All of a sudden, a sharp pain entered my hand. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Then, one day, a certain man was born into the world. Your predecessor, the first Unchained One." "His soul came from another world, unmolded by the Goddess. And so, he was free." My eyes widened. "Wait, what do you mean by free?" I asked her. "Unbound by the Chains of Fate that the Goddess had created. Free to disbelieve, free to choose his own path, free to see the world in a whole new way." "Hold on, do you mean the Goddess can control Fate? How does that work exactly?" "Yes. She controls the fate of every soul she created. And since your predecessor''s soul wasn''t made by her¡ª" "He can do whatever he wants. He can decide his own destiny." I interrupted. "Time passed and he sired children and that children sired more children. His descendants shared the same freedom as him. And so, slowly but surely, the Goddess''s control was wrestled away from her." "Wait, how does that work? Procreation has nothing to do with soul creation, right?" She nodded. "True. His descendants did have the Goddess''s soul. However, there''s also the phenomenon my masters penned as Soul Liberation. If an Unchained One were to have a close relationship with a Chained One, the Goddess''s grip on the Chained One will slowly weaken until it erodes completely. It doesn''t matter if it''s his son or his many wives. All of them soon became Unchained Ones as well." "Eventually, there were enough Unchained Ones that the Goddess took notice. It led to centuries of endless conflicts, between the devotees of the Goddess and the Unchained Ones. And in the end, the Unchained Ones won." I gulped. "Society, free of the Goddess''s influence, grew rapidly. Wonders you could not imagine in your mind were used on a daily basis. Yes, that includes technology from your world." "I guess that''s when the World Dungeons were built?" I changed my question. "Correct." She nodded. "It was a major effort to create these. I wasn''t there when the construction was in progress, however." "...I see. So you were born later." "I was born near the End Day ¡ª the day our civilization came to an end." I fell silent. She didn''t show much of it, but I could sense a tinge of sadness from her expression. "It happened in a flash. A global war broke out and the Ancients fired their weapons against each other ¡ª weapons that were simply too powerful for their own good. If I had to compare them, they were akin to the nuclear missiles of your world." "Billions died. Our civilization ended in a single day. The land became inhospitable. Magic became impotent, as magic dampeners destroyed the land''s mana. And the survivors ¡ª they couldn''t restore it to the way it was. "In the end, every single one of them perished in a dead, desolate world." "And then ¡ª She appeared. She gave life back to the land, desiring to start over with a new species to rule over. That would be you, humans." ... "The Goddess¡­ she was the one behind the nuclear war, wasn''t she?" "You''re sharp. Yes, that was the conclusion my master took. In some arcane ways, she manipulated the nations of the world to destroy each other. For even Unchained Ones could still follow Her with their own will." All of a sudden, I felt a jolt on my legs. The platform had stopped. We had reached the very top of the floor. "Now, I shall talk about a different God you should be more familiar with." "The Heavenly Dragon? How is he related to the Goddess?" We took our steps off the platform, returning back to firm, solid floor. "He''s our weapon against the Goddess. An artificial God that will take the reigns of Fate from her." "A-an artificial God? Are you serious?" "Yes. He was indeed the most wondrous creation of my masters. He was far from perfect though as we failed to finish him before our civilization ended. And so, the Cycle came to be." "The Cycle?" Surrounding us was a great white expanse, only limited by a large dome-like structure that acted as both its walls and ceilings. Said dome was also white, though unlike the pure white floor, it had glowing lines traveling through its whiteness. ¡°The Cycle of the Hero and the Demon God. Every thousand years, a Demon God will be born. It would wage war against humanity, cutting humanity¡¯s number in half. And then, a Hero will come to oppose it, putting an end to its reign of terror.¡± I froze. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s the story of¡ª¡± ¡°Arthur, Mira, Milicis. All three were chosen by the Heavenly Dragon to be Heroes of the last Cycle.¡± ¡°What about Ilymhrra?! Isn¡¯t she one of them too?¡± Xaela shook her head. ¡°No. She¡¯s¡­ just like me. An Administrator. Albeit one that had left her position a long, long time ago. She has forgotten that, of course, since she has remained outside for so very long. Another effect of the Heavenly Dragon¡¯s influence.¡± Suddenly, the room transformed. The white dome turned pitch black before being granted innumerable stars as its decoration. The floating sphere in the middle changed as well. It had transformed into what looked like a living model of a solar system, with a large sphere sitting in the middle and small spheres circling around it in a constant orbit. ¡°The Heavenly Dragon will eradicate any memories that might let the masses recall the existence of the world. He will also erase any memories of an encounter with the Goddess, normally happening through one¡¯s dreams. That way, the world would never be again seduced by the Goddess¡¯ honeyed words.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s how she lost her memories?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°W-wait, I don¡¯t understand.¡± I held my head. ¡°So you¡¯re telling me the whole Hero and Demon God conflict was orchestrated by the Heavenly Dragon? And for what purpose exactly? I don¡¯t see how it can be¡ª¡± ¡°A ritual. It is a ritual for it to restore its power. Humanity¡¯s faith on the Dragon will restore its power ¡ª the power it desperately needs to keep the Goddess sealed. And the desperate cries for salvation against the demons is far more powerful than a common prayer for good fortune.¡± I was speechless. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s beyond cruel! The Church! Milicis! Does she know?¡± Xaela looked away. ¡°I imagine she does. The Heavenly Dragon should inform her the moment He chose her to be his Grand Priestess.. Before her time, faith in the Heavenly Dragon had pretty much died away. Her triumph against the Demon God rehabilitated that faith. Knowing the truth, she readily deceived the world for the greater good.¡± ¡°How about the other heroes?!¡± She paused. ¡°I do not know the details as I only heard it from Ilmyhrra. But her apprentice, Mira ¡ª she learned the truth later. And she was not happy with it, it seemed.¡± "It''s almost a thousand years since Arthur''s victory. Does that mean it''s going to happen again?" "...If we''re lucky, yes." "All for the sake of feeding your God. The way I see it, I don''t see why we should choose your God over Gaia." She fell silent, still keeping her face away from me. "Gaia is a cruel and uncaring Goddess. You should know that more than anybody else." "Huh? Why should I? This is the first time¡ª" "You''ve met her before. Many times in fact. I can see it. Her taint inside you. You''ve simply forgotten. Thanks to the Heavenly Dragon." "What? When?!" "I shall awaken those memories for you. However, I''m afraid it will be quite painful. So please bear with it." Before I could react, her fingers were already touching my forehead. "Arghhh!" An unbearable headache assaulted me, so much so that I felt my head was about to explode at any moment. I fell down, darkness encroaching my vision. I slipped into oblivion. Vol 4 Chapter 42: The True Enemy ---------- When I opened my eyes, I wasn¡¯t in some hospital room, hooked up to an IV with a nurse looking over me. No, I found myself somewhere else entirely. Somewhere that defied all my expectations. I was now standing on a large circular platform, with clouds stretching on to infinity beyond it. Both of them were golden. In fact, the whole place looked as if it was made of gold. And there, in the middle of the platform, sat a golden-haired woman on a golden throne. As I approached closer, I realized just how harsh the light emanating from the throne was. No, it didn¡¯t emanate from the throne. The golden light came from the face of the woman. So much so that I couldn¡¯t make out her face in the slightest. I then noticed the golden chains wrapped around the woman and the throne itself, attached to the eight stakes placed around the structure. However, one of the stakes had been lifted from its hole, leaving only seven to secure the chains in place. The unsecured chain ended up on what looked like a curved piece of golden metal, about the size of a human mouth. As for the woman herself, she wore a long white dress that went down to her ankles. It reminded me of the togas the ancient Greeks used to wear. "Oh? What''s this? A stray soul from another world?" The woman spoke. For some reason, her voice irked me immediately. Perhaps it was because of her arrogant tone. "Welcome to my world. I am Gaia, this world''s goddess. This world is a land of magic and you''ll find it very different from your old world." "You must be confused." She laughed. "Poor little soul. Instead of staying in your world, you have drifted here. I don''t know whether to call you fortunate or not. Such an occurrence is incredibly rare, I assure you that much." She was now slouching on her seat, resting her head on the back of her hand. "Drifted? You mean, you didn''t summon me here? A-as a hero to defeat the demon king or something like that?" I nervously grinned. She laughed once more. "No. I didn''t. You''re an accident. Just like that man was." "As such, it is my duty as the guardian of this world to destroy your soul." She straightened herself and stretched her chained right hand. "Arghhh!" Pain surged through my entire body, knocking me off my feet in an instant. I wriggled and writhed on the floor, not unlike a lowly earthworm. There were no words to describe it. It was as if my very essence was being torn apart from the inside. I looked up at her. She was smirking. The only mercy I had was the fact that it ended. But not before a good ten minutes of the torture. "What a shame." She flicked a strand of her hair. "My power isn''t strong enough yet, it seems. Well, I suppose you''ll reincarnate, and with your old memory intact. Just like he did." Anger filled my chest as realization set in. She wasn''t the benevolent goddess like in those easy isekai stories. No, she''s like those gods in misery isekai that would callously torture the main character right from the start of the story. She didn''t summon me. She didn''t want me in her world. I was an intruder. "Good. I don''t need your blessing. I''ll make it on my own just fine." I huffed. "Oh, I''ll give you my blessing. In exchange, you have to serve me without question." "What blessing?" "Oh, unrivaled swordsmanship and magic. And the ability to charm any woman to fall in love with you. That''s what you want, isn''t it?" She giggled. I froze. "...There''s a catch, isn''t it?" "Well, yes. Like I said, you have to serve me without question." "What if I take the blessing and then refuse to do your bidding?" "Then I''ll retract it. Nothing more. Really, you have nothing to lose here." "...You know, I find it odd how you tried to kill me one minute and now you''re giving me a generous offer like this." "See these chains, binding me here? An evil god made me like this. I am weakened as a result. I''m supposed to prevent any stray soul from reincarnating in this world but I can''t even unravel a simple soul¡­ It really is a bother." She sighed. "So you want me to fight this evil god?" "Yes, pretty much. You don''t have to think. You just do as you''re told." "...Hold on. I need some time to think." I walked back and forth in place for a few minutes, deciding the pros and cons of her offer. . ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ After some thinking, I came to a decision. "No, I refuse." I shook my head. "...And might I ask why?" "Because I want to be free in my next life. I don''t want to be some shady goddess''s pawn. Not to mention that this evil god of yours must be stronger than you, seeing how you can''t break out of those chains. So even with your blessing, fighting against him is a terrible idea." "...Are you sure? You don''t want to try being my apostle, even for just a bit?" "No. I''ve seen this before. You''ll slip a mind control in there, making me obedient to you." "...What a shame. What a shame indeed. Begone then. When you wake up, you won''t remember this conversation ever happening. "But remember this. Misery will follow you and everyone you care about, arrogant otherworlder. I''ll make sure of that." "W-wait, what do you¡ª" Before I could say anything, my sight turned black. -------- -------- "This place¡­ I remember this! You''re¡­ you''re that shady goddess I met ten years ago!" "Will you please call me by my name?" She sighed. "No." I frowned. "And if you''re giving me that offer again, the answer is still no. I''m perfectly happy living the way I am now, thank you very much." She chuckled. "Oh, that''s fine. Just don''t blame me for what will happen to your sister." "M-Marina? Don''t you dare touch her!" "Oh, it''s not me who''s going to touch her. You''ll see." --------- With a laugh, she kicked me out of the dream. And just like before, I didn''t remember my meeting with her. The next day, the letter of her kidnapping came. And then, that night, I met her again. --------- "You¡ªYOU BITCH!" Not having my wand in the dream, I ran up to her, fully intending to punch her for what she did to Marina. Only to slip and fall in the most pathetic manner, hitting my nose on the hard floor. "M-My body¡­ it''s¡­ it''s back to the old one?" I was no longer Hugo Greenwood. I was Fujimora Takuto, the overweight, bespectacled virgin that I was ten years ago. "This is what happens to all that defy me. A path of unending misery. To you and your family." I stood up and resumed my run. Only to find that no matter how long I did, I wasn''t getting any closer to her throne. Eventually, I stopped, gasping and wheezing for air. My old body couldn''t take all these physical exercise. "Unless you accept my offer, of course. Become my apostle and I promise I shall¡ª" "SHUT UP! I DON''T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU! KILL ME IF YOU WANT! JUST LEAVE MARINA ALONE!" "...Suit yourself then." With a clack of her tongue, the dream ended. ------- After that, the next dream where she came was just before our fight with Vera. She warned me of the impending calamity but I still rejected her offer. I should''ve accepted. I''m fine being a Goddess'' plaything, if it means keeping Alan and Renee alive. But, I didn''t. So they died. And I ran. Only to meet her again that very night. ------- "GIVE THEM BACK! GIVE THEM BACK, DAMN YOU!" I didn''t need to see her face. I could tell she was grinning behind that blinding light of hers. Once again, I couldn''t get close to her throne. I couldn''t fire any spells either. All I could do was cry. Me, with my old, obese body, crying in front of my enemy. When I fell silent, she spoke. "So, will you accept? Become my apostle. And I shall lift you from the pathetic worm that you are." "..." "No? Even though you''re a failure, in this world or your previous world. What is it that you cling on?" "..." "Your pride? Your anger at me? How foolish. I am this planet itself. Would you be angry at a tornado for destroying your house?" "..." "Very well. Return to your pathetic existence." ------- That time, I only denied her offer for one reason only. Sherry. Choosing to be her toy meant abandoning her. And I couldn''t do that. She was the only thing I had at that moment. The Goddess appeared once more after the death of the three newbie adventurers I coached. She didn''t even bother warning me beforehand. She was just there to see me suffer. Her ability to influence Fate¡­ there was nothing I could do against it. I couldn''t even remember her existence in the waking world. She didn''t appear for a long time afterwards. I met with Fiora and Nicole, left them, and then met with the Flaming Arrows. She returned the day before I rescued Felicia, warning me of another impending calamity. I refused her offer. At that time, I already regained my confidence so I thought I could handle whatever she had in store for me. And naturally, I had yet to forgive her for what she did to my family. And then, Leila died. All because I was too much of an indecisive coward. That night, as I slept together with Felicia, she came, once again to gloat on my worthlessness. And I couldn''t respond. She was right. I was a worthless human being. And yet, I still rejected her offer. I didn''t want to have cheats anymore. Or rather, I felt I wouldn''t deserve it. I wouldn''t deserve being a powerful hero and a harem. Not after my failure. I deserved to suffer. -------- When I woke up, my head was resting on Xaela''s laps. She was gently caressing my hair, smiling lightly as she did. My heart skipped a beat. "You''re awake, Unchained One." Quickly, I sat up, my cheeks getting warm in the process. "Now you know the truth ¡ª the reason why my masters fought so hard for their freedom against Her." I nodded, smiling wryly. "Yeah, she''s not really a good Goddess, is she?" I chuckled. "Can she really do it? Manipulate Fate like that?" I still remembered one of her taunts, how everything that existed in this world had their Fates preordained by her. "Yes. It was how she led the destruction of my masters. Like a chain reaction, even the littlest, slightest change in events could lead to a catastrophe far in the future. Before the End Days, she already made so many people suffer." A pained look was now drawn on her gentle face. "Did she¡­ did she make you suffer too?" I blurted out. I didn''t know why I asked that question. Somehow, I felt she had suffered the same way I did. "Not me. My little sister." She averted her gaze. I fell silent. "Is there¡­ is there a way to fight her?" She shook her head, looking back at me with her neutral expression. "No. All we can do is to keep her sealed. And unfortunately, that seal is weakening. And rapidly so. I''m afraid the next Cycle won''t be fulfilled and the Heavenly Dragon will be cast off his throne." She stood up, offering her hand to me. I took it immediately. "That''s why your existence is a precious one. Once again, you can populate the world with Unchained Ones. Even if the Heavenly Dragon were to fall, as long as you exist, we can have a second chance to defeat her for good. You are an Unchained One, immune to her Fate manipulations. You and your descendants... My masters¡­ they were pretty close in defeating the Goddess once and for all. If it were not for the Final Days¡­" "...So, I take it that all I can do is to start a family. And make sure they don''t fall to the Goddess''s schemes. Is that right?" She nodded. "Well, that''s already what I wanted to do in the first place." I grinned. "It won''t be that easy. She will no doubt go after you and your descendants. If the Heavenly Dragon is deposed, She would regain her full strength. And no one knows what She would do to dispose of your family." "You got a point¡­" "If¡­ if I had taken Her offer¡­ to be her apostle¡­" "You will be happier, perhaps. Truthfully, I won''t blame you for surrendering to her Will. I have divined your fate and I saw many more tragedies surrounding you in the future." She stepped closer, so close that I felt redness creeping on my cheeks again. "But, my sister served her. Yet she was repaid in death and suffering. The Goddess is capricious. There''s no guarantee She won''t betray you even after you served Her faithfully." Fury. It was what I saw behind her eyes. "Your little sister¡­ How long ago was it?" "Before I became the Administrator. I¡­ don''t want to remember it." She looked away. "My sister¡­ she''s a lot like you in some way." Suddenly, a smile adorned her face. "What do you mean?" "She can be a crybaby at times but she''s really kind and brave. Just like you. I saw you protect your companions throughout this dungeon. You even would sacrifice an arm for them. And when you begged for your lover''s life, I knew I couldn''t just stand by and watch." "Is that why you comforted me back then?" "Yes. With my eye, I knew how much you had struggled. That''s why I told you that you had done your best, given the circumstances. Beating yourself up for something you couldn''t do anything about ¡ª that was also one of my little sister''s vices." "Your eye?" "Yes. My red eye is an artificial eye. It has the ability to see the past of any person. That was how I learned you were an Unchained One, for you once lived on another world." I walked closer to her. "I understand." I placed my hands on her shoulders. "I''ll live up to your wish. I have no plans being a dog of a callous goddess like her." Releasing my hands, I walked away from her. Putting said hands on my waist, I looked at the stars above. "I''ll just have to grow even stronger. To protect those I cared about from that her." "That''s why my master ordered me to test you. To see just how strong you are." "Heh, then you''ll know I''m still not strong enough." I turned to face her. "I believe I can help you with that." "...You mean, you''ll train me?" "Yes. Though we don''t have much time. You shall have to depart from here soon." "... It''s the Demon Lord, isn''t it?" "No, Isolde will fight her off just fine. However, using this astrolabe, I had foreseen that a companion of yours would soon come to Arborea. You have to go with them." I followed her gaze. She was staring at the large sphere floating in the middle of the room. ¡°Oh yeah, what¡¯s your relationship with Isolde? She seems to know you well,¡± I asked. ¡°She has her own purpose. I had examined her through the Astrolabe and I had determined she would be amongst the Heroes of the next Cycle.¡± ¡°Whoa, really? No wonder she¡¯s so strong then¡­ But what do you want her to do? Keeping the Cycle¡­ it means letting the Demon God go on a rampage first, right?" "...The Demon God would exude a miasma that is highly poisonous to anyone without the blessing of the Heavenly Dragon. And he would only grant that to the heroes once he feels the time is right." "Meaning, he wants the Demon God to slaughter humanity first." "...Yes. It is the price we have to pay to keep the Goddess at bay." I chuckled. "Your artificial God isn''t that much better than the Goddess then." She couldn''t respond. "Well, nothing I can do about that either." I grinned. "One more thing¡­ my memory loss regarding the Goddess¡­ it wasn''t her work, was it? I am supposed to be immune to her influence after all." "Yes." She looked away. "The Heavenly Dragon took your memories away. And once you stepped out of this room, you would begin to forget again." "... What''s the point of telling me all this then?" S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I can grant you the permission to retain your memories, if you so choose. You and your companions." "Do it then. At least for me. The way your Heavenly Dragon hides her existence ¡ª it just makes things worse." "Very well. Then, stand still." She reached her right hand in my direction. "Change memory permission. Subject: Hugo Greenwood. Reason: Unchained One. Authorization Code: 5470-ADMIN-05" A sharp pain flared inside my head for a split second. "There. Now you won''t forget." "As for the others, I shall take you there." Light suddenly surrounded us, covering my sight with white. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer on the 1000th floor. A/N: I guess this is a good time to post Hugo''s artwork, now that he has his new staff. Sherry and Victoria''s artwork would have to wait. Unless you''re a Patreon backer of course. Vol 4 Chapter 43: Takeover Kawa, the city built for and by the ogres. Or rather, a certain subset of ogres ¡ª those that forgoed their nomadic traditions and decided to build a civilization similar to that of the humans. They were the Altra Clan. And they were pretty much an exile amongst all the other ogre clans as they deemed them heretics who had abandoned their ancestral traditions. However, it led them to become the most prosperous ogre clan. Their new culture, like the Falca garb, was exported everywhere across the Continent. The city was located further south from Ixon, deeper into the Demon Continent. Here, humans, elves, dwarves, and other non-demonic races were the minority. Laws were even less enforced than they already were in the human cities. The ogres cared more about honor over some texts written on paper. Someone stole from you? You beat them up and get your goods back. Someone impregnated your wife behind your back? Challenge him to a duel to the death. And so, when Myrilla immobilized and dragged Orluk out of the Adventurer''s Guild and into an alleyway nearby, no one bothered to help him. "You! What do you know about the Izurd?" She pinned him onto the wall, using what could only be described as human-shaped miniature tornados. It was her Master-level spell, Whirlwind Automata. She activated her mind-reading ability, not even bothering to wait for him to answer. What she saw made her gasp. "H-Hugo? Hugo Greenwood? How? Why? Why is he here?" There was no mistake. What she saw was his face. The son of Alan. He was a lot older for sure but the way he looked ¡ª it was definitely him for sure! She dispelled her automata. And she began reading the ogre''s mind more intimately. As she left the ogre, however¡­ "Wait!" The ogre croaked, slowly standing up. "You''re Lord Hugo''s friend, right? You know about the Izurd too. That''s why you dragged me out here. You wanted to keep the secret." Myrilla turned, eyeing him impatiently. "I''ll go with you. You''ll need an escort, no?" "And the dark elf? Do you want to bring her with you too?" He paused. "Yes. I can''t leave her. Not after what happened to her mother." "Then stay here. You both will be safer here. As you should already know, war is breaking out in the north. It''s no place for a child. Or her babysitter.¡± ¡°...You got a point.¡± He sighed. Smiling, he said, ¡°Send my regards to Lord Hugo, will you? Tell him that we¡¯ve made it safe and sound home. Oh, and one more thing. You know where the Izurds are?¡± ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with that anymore. In fact, forget about them entirely. And do not spread any rumors of their existence. Really, asking around in the open like that, I saw the little kid telling you to keep it a secret.¡± ¡°A-apologies!¡± The ogre bowed. ¡°I¡¯m really¡­ not that good at stealthily gathering information.¡± ¡°Yes, I can see that. Really, the fact that he asked that of you is already an idiotic move on itself.¡± With those cold words, the moth demoness finally left the ogre. She had to hurry. She owed it to Alan to keep his children safe. Or else he would hate her forever. And that¡­ even after all this time¡­ she could not bear. And if he was all the way out here on this continent¡­ Fear crept into her heart. If anything happened to him¡­ -------- Marlene "Damn you¡­ DAMN YOUUU! YOU BITCH! DAUGHTER OF A WHORE!" "Lionfang Stormbeard. Oh how lowly you''ve fallen." With a smile, Marlene drilled the heel of her boots onto his head. The once powerful warrior was no more. He had been defeated. Not in an honorable fight, but by an act of betrayal. Marlene, while he fought one of the wives of the Demon Lord, hit him with one of her spells. It allowed his opponent to take the initiative and cut his torso, splitting his body into two. The man was now legless, bleeding profusely as his entrails escaped his abdomen. "I should''ve known¡­ you made a deal with them in your escape." "Indeed. And you''re too stupid to foresee it." The last thing the man saw was her smiling face, as she aimed her wand towards him. ¡°You¡¯ll regret this, Marlene Relfatia.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a simple Wind spell, she put a hole in his brain. Ending him out of his misery. ¡°You¡¯re finished? She looked up, seeing the lamia approaching her. https://pin.it/5vVHnku ¡°Yes, I¡¯m finished,¡± she answered. "My soldiers had already routed Lionfang''s as well. How about on your side?" The lamia paused, her gaze looking upward to the scarlet sky. "Squawwkk!" A crow descended, landing on top of the lamia''s head. "...I see. Yes, they had routed the rest of the human army. We are victorious." "Wonderful." Marlene smiled, resting her hands on her waist. "As promised, you are now free to ''liberate'' the rest of the continent while I shall return to Arborea in triumph." "Your sister¡­ the half fairy¡­ bring her to us." "Of course! You''ll have your half-fairy in no time." That day, the demons won the engagement in a dominant fashion. Out of the 100,000 soldiers they mustered, only 5,000 remained. And those were the soldiers that belonged to Arborea. Only the upper echelons of command were informed of the betrayal plot. And so, when the order came to betray their human allies, a lot of the soldiers refused to follow along. Or they simply didn''t know any better. They became sacrifices. For a new and free Arborea. As for the other cities and the Church''s forces¡­ They were decimated completely. The humans no longer had any strength to resist the demon invasion. And so, one by one, the other city states surrendered unconditionally. That day would become known as the Day of Betrayal in the history books. It was the day when humanity lost its grip on the Demon Continent. -------- When the Lady returned to Arborea, the city burst forth in a fanfare. Not knowing any better, the citizens believed the human alliance had won and thus, they celebrated. They cheered and cried as Marlene made her way through town on top of her horse with her entourage. But, Marlene, knowing the fact that the truth couldn''t be hidden for long, immediately gathered the citizens on the city plaza, saying there was an announcement she had to make. "Citizens of Arborea! Hear me! Today, I am here speaking to you as the daughter of the Relfatia house! I shall be the one leading this city once my good father retires!" She was standing on a podium, looking down at the immense crowd before her. "I have my own dream for this city! You may be satisfied by its current state but I am not! I know we can do better! I can do better!" The crowd cheered. They didn''t understand what she meant but they cheered anyway. ¡°And so, I made the decision ¡ª to live in harmony with the demonkind instead of rejecting them. To build a bridge between our two races so we can all better each other. ¡°In short, from now on, Arborea is out of the Human Alliance. We will stand with Ixon in this conflict instead.¡± The reaction to her announcement was, as you would expect, silence, followed by chaotic shouts of the masses demanding her to explain what she meant by her statement. She answered readily, saying that it meant Arborea had betrayed the Alliance, leading to its complete and utter defeat. "As such, the demon army shall march to the other city-states and conquer them one by one. But do not fret. Arborea shall remain under my family''s rule. It is the deal we have struck with them. "This is for the best of this city. Of this country. You''ll see, once you see what happens to the other cities. "Arborea shall prosper. Now and forevermore!" With those words, she ended her speech, ignoring all the cries and demands for explanation coming from the crowd. Afterwards, she ordered her spies to spread amongst the masses, making sure that no one would try to assassinate her or her family. She knew that some of her subjects were openly bigoted towards the demons, especially those aligned closely to the Church and their Milicis religion. If a plan was found, the culprit would find themselves hanged the next day, as a display for the others to fall in line. And then came the news of the fall of the city-states. Korlopur and Kanaan were razed to the ground as they resisted until the very end. Ul¡¯Nemo¡¯s merchants swiftly betrayed the Church, handing over all the remaining Church officials in their city to them. One of the Demon Lord¡¯s children was then assigned to act as the city¡¯s governor. As for the other city-states, which was Fontaine, Maxias, and Coatlan ¡ª all of them survived like Ul¡¯Nemo, quickly handing over all those that refused to be under demon rule. As such, their cities were spared as well, with three other children of the Demon Lord assigned for each. Thanks to both, the citizens of Arborea began to change their minds. They realized just how fortunate they were that their leader had such foresight to join in with the demons early. Even now, their city remained unchanged, still ruled by human leaders. And so, they quickly accepted their new fate. -------- Myrilla Myrilla was now riding a Scarab, the cockroach-like insect commonly used as a replacement for horses in the Demon Continent. She had purchased it from a merchant in Kawa and she had brought it all the way out here to the north. According to her map, she should already be near the human regions. Right at where the big battle happened. She had heard the news ¡ª how the demons won a decisive victory. To be honest, even though she was a demon herself, she preferred the humans to win. After all, Hugo might be staying in one of the human cities. And who knew what the demons would do to the humans once they conquered their cities? Her first destination was Fontaine. She hoped she could find information regarding his presence. Anything at all. Even if it was just information of him passing through the city. She knew that he most likely was going to where Sherry was. But he shouldn¡¯t have the needed information to go there. If he was smart, which she knew he was, he would be gathering information first, just like that ogre. He wouldn¡¯t depart until he had a lead of some sort. Which meant people would see his face asking around. Of course, she knew the chance of her finding him was slim, knowing just how big this continent was and how old the information she got was. But she had to try anyway. She owed that to Alan. ------- Arriving at Fontaine, she noticed the somber atmosphere immediately. The city was deathly silent, almost as if it was deserted. There were barely any people walking on its streets, and when people saw her, they all whimpered and ran away. Fear. People were afraid. Especially of her kind. After purchasing an inn room with a stable, or rather, the innkeeper giving it for free if she were to spare her life, she then began her information gathering. She visited the city''s Adventurer Guild as well as all the taverns she could find. Unfortunately, however, being a demon, the people were far less receptive than she wanted. Many would run away. Others would give her the cold shoulder. Thankfully, she could read their minds so her unfortunate treatment was mitigated somewhat but it was still an unpleasant experience. Not that she cared. The only human she ever liked was Alan. The rest could just die for all she cared. Eventually, on the third day, she finally found her lead. It came from an elven bard. That night, she found her in a tavern, regaling a tale of a demon boy who slaughtered a group of adventurers without mercy. Realizing that it could very well refer to Hugo (bards loved to exaggerate their stories after all), she asked her for the details. "Oh, my source?" She smiled. "I heard it from some adventurers that came from Arborea. Apparently, this boy somehow managed to take on the strongest adventurers there! Ten to one! Isn''t it amazing?!" "Do you know his name?" Myrilla asked. "Umm¡­ Hugo¡­ Greenwood, if I''m not mistaken." Myrilla''s heart skipped a beat. She immediately scanned her mind. She was not lying. "Too bad I wasn''t there when it happened! I much prefer first hand sightings for my muse!" She didn''t wait for another second. She departed for Arborea straight away. ------- Hugo "Milord!" The moment I finished teleporting to the others, Felicia ran and threw her entire body on top of me. Both of us fell to the floor, with her boobs landing right on top of my face. *BOING* To be honest, I let myself fall. I could just dampen my landing with my aura so it wouldn''t hurt in the slightest. I just wanted to feel her boobs pressing onto my face like this. *Sniffff* She lifted her body, smiling in the process. I could see her cherry red nipples peeking through her loose dress. Her smile soon turned into a frown. She stood up and glared at Xaela. "You really should''ve told us beforehand that you would steal Lord Hugo all for yourself." "Apologies. But the conversation we had was a private one. Those who are not an Unchained One have no right to participate." Before I stood up, I looked up Felicia''s dress, staring at the red thong she wore. Somehow, the sight was calming. Almost therapeutic in fact. I stood up, dusting my clothes in the process. I looked around my new surroundings. Naturally, I knew nothing about the place. There were no records of adventurers getting this far inside the Observatory. "Unchained One, should I be the one to tell them?" I shook my head. "No. I''ll do it." And so, I began my tale. ------- When I finished, my surroundings were filled with disbelieving, confused faces. I couldn''t blame them. I could barely process it myself. "It''s hard to take in, isn''t it?" I chuckled, smiling wryly. "Well, I wouldn''t blame any of you for not believing it. But don''t worry. Once we are back outside, you will slowly forget everything I just told you. It is the ''protection'' given to the world by the Heavenly Dragon." "It''s¡­ it is hard to believe, yes¡­" Felicia bit her lip. "An evil goddess¡­ the true nature of the Heavenly Dragon¡­ and you, Milord, being a soul from another world¡­" "Yeah, I need to apologize for that. For hiding it from you. I still retained the memories of my old life. Which means I am not technically a 13-year old kid. Adding 28 from my old life, I''d be 41 years old. Just like those old men you hated." "I don''t care about that! You''re Hugo Greenwood, no matter who you were in the past! You''re the kind and heroic boy that had saved me from the darkness! Who you were in the past would never erase that!" "Really? At least it should sour your opinion on me a little. Remember all those times I groped your chest? Or when you pleasured my member? I wasn''t the cute young man I thought I was. I was an old, obese man. Surely you''d be disgusted¡ª" She grabbed my hands and placed them on her chest, smiling as her eyes teared up a little. "Oh, Milord. Even if you were an old, obese man, I would still service you with a smile. I don''t fall in love with you because of your appearance. You''re¡­ you''re the first to ever accept me¡­ and you saved me as well, even though you knew I was a necromancer¡­ all that made me fall for you, Milord. You''re the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. Without question." I gave her breasts a strong squeeze, enjoying the soft yet firm sensation it gave. "Xaela?" I glanced behind me. "Can you show her how my old self looks? You can see it, can''t you? With that eye of yours?" "...I can. I shall project the image on the air. If you''re fine with the others seeing it as well." "Yes, that''s fine." With a snap of her finger, a holographic image appeared. My image. Bespectacled, overweight, unshaven double chin¡­ An unpleasant, disgusting sight. Theo and Tira gasped. Tama glared. As for Felicia, she took a short glance at it, faced me again, and pulled my hands even tighter to her chest. "You''re still more handsome than those men I had to service." She smirked. "... You''re lying. There''s no way that man over there¡ª" "Stop being so harsh on yourself. Is it not enough, hearing my encouraging words?" She was right. Why was I doubting her so much? "Then, you should like me doing this." Before she could react, I took a step forward and kissed her in the lips. Her eyes widened as she staggered backward. With my hands, still glued to her breasts, I played with her nipples, pinching and squeezing with both my thumb and my index finger. As shocked as she was, she quickly responded, entering her tongue into my mouth. The famous French¡¯s kiss. As our tongue danced, my hands pleasured her chest. ¡°H-hey! What are you doing? Y-you can¡¯t do that kind of stuff now! Get a room!¡± It was Tama¡¯s voice, barely audible as euphoria filled my brain to the brim. She really wasn''t disgusted at all. She still liked me, even after she knew the truth. Even after she knew I had been lying to her all this time. My heart was never as light as it was at this very moment Only once we both had to take a breath that we stopped. She was blushing and smiling with joy. And I imagined I was doing the same too. "Hmph, now that you two lovebirds are finished, I have a declaration to make." Tama was the one who spoke. Her hands were now on her waist. "I barely understood what you just said so I''ll leave the decision to my dear Theo. I''ll follow him wherever he goes." "I''ll follow you, Master Hugo! I won''t let that evil goddess harm you! Killing your parents, separating you from your sister¡­ that''s just wrong and I won''t stand for it!" "Theo''s right." Tira followed. "Even if we can''t do much in a fight, we still would like to assist you however we can. Even if It''s just as a maid. When you two start a family, you would need a caretaker after all." She smiled. Hearing that, Felicia''s cheeks reddened. A smile formed on my face. ------- Xaela then lifted the mind block on them one by one, using the same commands as she used at me. Hearing them over and over, I couldn''t help but imagine the Heavenly Dragon as less "artificial god" and more "artificial intelligence". He''s probably both, to be honest. And then, it was time for my training. "You want to train with her, Milord? For how long?" Felicia asked. "I feel it''s better if we just depart Arborea right away. Who knows what''s going on out there with the war and all?" "It won''t be for long," I replied. "She told me I need to leave soon. Someone who knows where Sherry is is coming." "Hmm?" She raised an eyebrow. "And how does she know that?" She narrowed her eyes on her. "The Astrolabe on the top floor of this facility can predict fate, albeit in a limited capacity," Xaela explained. ¡°I am sure it will be best for him to stay in this town a little longer until that person arrives.¡± ¡°And do you know who that person is?¡± Felicia returned. Xaela shook her head. ¡°No. The Astrolabe isn¡¯t that precise, unfortunately.¡± Felicia huffed. ¡°Your ancient technology sounds not all too different from a crystal ball. And, to be frank, I still don¡¯t quite believe that Fate really is a tangible thing you can predict or manipulate.¡± Xaela¡¯s gaze suddenly sharpened as if she took offense to what she just said. ¡°I assure you, it is very real. The Ancients have researched Fate for a very long time, just so they could free themselves from the Goddess¡¯ grip once and for all. You would be doing them a disservice if you think the Chains of Fate is not a real phenomenon that exists in this world.¡± ¡°Fine, if you say so.¡± Felicia sighed. ¡°But I¡¯m coming with him. So are the others.¡± ¡°That won''t be necessary. The rest of you should return back to town ¡ª prepare for the arrival of that person. I¡¯ll keep him safe. Don¡¯t you worry about that.¡± ¡°Hmph! How about the Demon Lord? Isn''t she still in this dungeon?" "She won''t be a danger. That swordswoman will take care of her. In fact, she insisted she wished to have a fight with her, one on one, without any outside help." ¡°And you trusted her?!¡± ¡°Of course. After all, she is one of the chosen Heroes.¡± ¡°Chosen¡­ Heroes?¡± ¡°Umm, Felicia? If you want an explanation on that front, we¡¯ll be standing here for another fifteen minutes.¡± ¡°Yes, explain please, Milord! I don¡¯t care if I have to stand here for another hour!¡± She pouted. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll do it.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll give the abridged version though. We don¡¯t have all day after all.¡± Vol 4 Chapter 44: Time Magic Sherry "Sherry! Please come out! We need to talk!" "Don''t bother. Let her grieve. Just like I did." A black cocoon stood in the middle of a forest, unbending like the hardest steel. It was not a cocoon of a butterfly monster ¡ª far from it. It was a cocoon of a heartbroken demon instead. After receiving the dream from the Archfey on her lover''s actions, Sherry fell into what could only be described as deep sorrow and unyielding rage at the same time. She ran away from the village, going straight into the fairy forest before creating the cocoon, made out of her hair. It had been two days since then. Enough for Fran and Quania to check up on her. Sighing, Fran turned to face her mother, resting her hands on her waist. "Can you really trust what the Archfey says? What if she''s just lying to torment the poor girl?" "Oh? Do you prefer to believe that Hugo boy never cheated? Don''t delude yourself. Human males have no faithfulness in their bones in the slightest." "I still don''t like you doing this kind of thing behind my back." "This is for the best. After she finishes her grieving, she can finally grow up. That kid of yours is fond of her, right? Tell him to seize this chance. Marry her. Make her happy." Fran fell silent. Her mother was right. It would be better for Sherry to marry her son, both for her sake and his as well. She knew how hard he trained every day just so he could be of equal footing to her. Sure, he still needed a lot of education in being a good husband but that''s something she and her husband could give. And besides, even without the cheating, there''s the problem of human lifespan as well. He would grow old and die while Sherry was still in her youth. "... It''s her decision. I won''t influence her in the matter," Fran replied, glaring at the older woman. "That is fine. But do tell your son on this matter. I''ll stay here and watch over her. You go back to the village." "...Fine. I will." When the younger woman left, Quania returned her gaze to the cocoon. She had to ensure no naughty fairies came to bother her grieving. ---------- Hugo Another round of storytelling later, and everyone was up to date with what the Heavenly Dragon really was. As expected, they didn¡¯t take it that well. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that''s horrible! You mean it was the Heavenly Dragon who created the Demon God? Just to keep the seal on the evil goddess?" Theo spoke. "I am not familiar with the religion of humans but I know for a fact that the Heavenly Dragon is supposed to be the ultimate force of good." Tira followed. "To think that he''s just a creation of the Progenitors¡­ All those prayers¡­ All that faith¡­ All are merely used to keep the evil goddess at bay¡­" "And you''re telling us to take his side?" Felicia glared at Xaela. "He is, unfortunately, a flawed creation ¡ª I shall not deny that. But it is still better than the alternative ¡ª letting the Goddess run amok." "Really?" Felicia fired back. "Deceiving the world? Causing uncountable, immeasurable deaths and suffering by the creation of the Demon God? I''m not sure if He''s better than that evil Goddess of yours." Xaela fell silent, averting her gaze from the redheaded mage. "... You''re not the first to tell me that. Ilymhyrra ¡ª she said the same thing as well when she learned the truth." "Ilymhyrra?" Felicia raised an eyebrow. "That girl!" "She came to me a millenia ago." Xaela continued. "To seek the truth in the death of a certain person. I¡­ could not give her the reprieve she sought." Sadness now colored the elf''s face. "Stop speaking in riddles! Who is this person you''re talking about?!" To my surprise, Tama entered the conversation. "Aira, the village girl the Legendary Hero loved. The Heavenly Dragon manipulated Fate and gave her death, all for the sake of ensuring the Goddess'' seal to remain intact." "Hold on. I thought Arthur married Guinevere," I interrupted. "Yes, he did," Xaela explained. "But he never really loved her. His only love had always been Aira. Or so Ilymhyrra told me. The two grew up in the same village. And Arthur ¡ª he had always been smitten by her, even before he took the mantle of the Chosen Hero." S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Was he coerced in marrying Guinevere?" I asked. "I do not know. You have to ask Ilymhyrra for that. I do know that she failed to be a comfort to him, as the Legendary Hero, after siring an heir, quickly disappeared from the face of the earth. And Ilymhyrra ¡ª she believed he had taken his own life." Gasps filled the room. A grim expression colored Felicia''s face. "So, why did the Heavenly Dragon feel the need to take Aira''s life?" "His fate calculations showed that if Aira were to be alive, it would lead to a future where he would be weaker. Too weak to keep the Goddess in check." "In short, he wanted the Empire to exist so Milicis'' religion could propagate. Is that it?" She nodded weakly. Shame. That was the emotion I saw on her face then. She knew what the Heavenly Dragon did was wrong. And yet, she had to serve his side, all for the sake of her long gone masters. "What do you think, Xaela? Do you think what he did was justified? That Dragon of yours¡­ he''s like a machine, isn''t he? Uncaring¡­ unfeeling¡­ merely a tool to keep the Goddess in check." "I¡­" "As yourself. Not as a servant to the Ancients." After a long pause, she answered. "...I don''t like it. Even now, after a thousand years, I still remember Ilymhyrra''s expression that day." I smiled, resting a hand on her thin shoulder. "I''m glad to hear that." Turning around, I then addressed Felicia and the others. "You see? She''s a good person. You don''t have to worry about anything. She agrees that both the Heavenly Dragon and the Goddess are wrong. Which we all can agree with, don''t we?" "...I suppose you have a point," Felicia eyed the elf woman with suspicion. "Still, do I have to leave you alone with her? You know how I feel right? As your lover?" "I know." I walked up to her and gave the brightest smile I could muster. "But Theo and the others¡­ they need you to protect them. And besides, do you think I''ll ever betray you? After all that we have been through? You even forgave me for lying to you on who I really was. You think I''ll just forget that?" She sighed. "You''re right. I shouldn''t be so selfish. Very well. I''ll leave Milord to you." She looked at Xaela. "Keep him safe." "Oh, before you go, you should know that the person that''s coming is most likely Myrilla. She probably had heard about me from the other adventurers. I''ve told you about her before, right?" She nodded. "Yes. I remember her. Don''t worry. A dark-skinned woman with a pair of antennaes on her head ¡ª shouldn''t be hard to find." "And if anything happens¡ª" "We''ll go straight into the dungeon. Though it''ll help if Miss Administrator over there will just teleport us in." She glanced at Xaela. With our plan of actions decided, we split up. I stayed here with Xaela while Felicia and the others took the return teleporter. ------- Victoria *spuuurttttt* Victoria could do nothing as the penis in front of her sprayed its liquid all over her face. She didn''t even shed a tear. She just sat there with a blank look on her face. "Good! Good! That''s an excellent handjob you just gave him! Wouldn''t you agree, orc?" "Yes, ma''am. Her technique has improved by leaps and bounds when we first started. She is definitely capable of servicing her husband properly now." The orc grinned as he faced the blonde woman. Ah, what a life. To think that a slave like him would receive such fortune¡­ A buxom elf girl of his own, all ready to serve his sexual needs. How many times had he played with those enormous breasts of hers? As with any orc, even one in exile, it was his dream to have a cute girl as his wife ¡ª someone that could take care of his sexual needs every day. An orc male''s libido can easily take hold of an orc''s mind, causing an orc to rape any woman he found on the road. To combat that, daily sex was pretty much mandatory. Back in his tribe, he could do it with the female orc, but since there was only one of her, he had to wait until his stronger brothers had their turn first. But now, he had this chick all for himself He knew it wasn''t going to last. But he''d be damned if he let that thought prevent him from enjoying her soft lips and hands. Still, he couldn''t help but feel bad for the girl. She clearly was the type that couldn''t enjoy sexual stuff. Even after he made her cum by playing with her breasts, she still looked at him with such fearful eyes. Even though he already tried to be as gentle as he could be. Elven woman. They really were as fragile as his chief said. Suddenly, the door to Victoria''s room opened. "Oh, you''re here, Mother? Ah, training Miss Worthless." With a grin plastered to her face, Marlene walked over to Victoria. "What a disgusting sight. And you too, orc. Wear your pants before I cut off that obscene member of yours." "R-right away, Miss!" Just one glare was enough to scare the orc into submission. Putting his pants back up, he could only wonder how the two sisters were so different. Turning back her gaze to her sister, she then said, "Good news! It is now time for you to meet your husband! Tomorrow, we''ll depart to Ixon." "T-tomorrow, Sis?" Victoria''s eyes widened, her voice shaking. "Yes, tomorrow. Now that we are officially allies of the Demon Lord of Wisdom, they want you to be there immediately. Surely, you''ve heard the news of our victory." "I have¡­ C-congratulations, Sis!" Victoria forced a smile. "Why, thank you!" Marlene smiled back. "Now that I have fulfilled my duty, it is time for you to fulfill yours. And don''t worry. I''ll be accompanying you." Shifting her gaze to her mother, she then said, "She''s ready, right?" "Ready, my dearest!" She giggled. "I''ve taught her all she needs to know to be a good wife!" "Wonderful. Then, I''ll leave it to you to prepare her for tomorrow." As her sister left the room, Victoria began to sob. Her duty¡­ that''s right¡­ she had to fulfill her duty¡­ Like a knight¡­ sacrificing herself for the good of the realm¡­ What higher honor existed? And yet, why was she crying? Shouldn''t she be happy? If only¡­ if only Sir Hugo was still alive¡­ surely, he could explain this feeling she''s having¡­ But he''s dead. And nothing could change that fact. Nothing. --------- Hugo "So, what are you going to teach me?" I asked as I walked with Xaela away from the teleporter room. "Please be patient. Your wand is broken, correct? We should replace that first." "Ah." As we took a small moving platform into a large unmoving one, I asked her a question. "This floor¡­ it looks different from the other floors we had been in. What is this place anyway? This dungeon?" "This facility has been used for many things over the ages," she explained in her usual flat tone. "From experimental gardens, monster farms, research laboratories, even residential areas. However, eventually, it was used as one of the eight stakes that kept the Goddess sealed." "Wait, I thought the Heavenly Dragon was the one who sealed the Goddess." "The Heavenly Dragon is the head. The facilities are its arms. They''re all connected." "By facilities, you mean World Dungeons? I believe there are only six of them though." "No, there are eight. Here. I''ll show you their locations." A map manifested out of thin air. It was the map of the three continents ¡ª the Southwestern Continent, the Holy Continent, and the Demon Continent. There, eight glowing dots could be seen scattered all over. My eyes traveled to two spots in particular. First, the far north of the Holy Continent. There, I could see a glowing white dot. As for the second one¡­ There, on the far southern end of the Magocracy, maybe even into the hobbits'' territory, was another glowing white dot. "Out of this eight, unfortunately, two seals had broken off completely. Which is why it''s imperative for the Heavenly Dragon to begin another Cycle. He needs more faith and prayers so he can repair the broken seals.¡± ¡°Broken? You mean the World Dungeon has collapsed or something?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Not necessarily. It could simply mean that the facility has lost its connection to the Network that supports the Heavenly Dragon. Tell me, Unchained One? Are you familiar with the concept of leylines?¡± "Yeah, I''ve heard of them before. The lifeblood of the planet ¡ª rivers of Mana circuiting around every continent." "The Network uses the leylines as part of its energy transfer system, with some facilities actively interfacing with the leylines of the continent it is located at. Other facilities act as a connector between continents, with one facility sending the energy into the Heavenly Dragon itself. It''s hard to explain but you can think of it as a rune circuit that covers the entire world. That is the Network that allows the existence of the Heavenly Dragon." "So, how many seals must be broken before the whole thing dissolves completely?" "... I''m not sure." "Well, that doesn''t sound good." "Is there anything I can do to keep the seals intact?" "No." She shook her head. "It''s all up to the Heavenly Dragon. You can only weather the storm." ------- She then took me to a treasure chest, sitting conspicuously in the middle of one of the floating platforms. "There. Your weapon sits inside that chest." "So, you can manipulate the contents of treasure chests inside the dungeon?" "Yes. I make sure that it''s attractive enough for people from the outside to willingly come into this place." "A bait? Wait, don''t tell me that you use dead adventurers to feed the Heavenly Dragon?" She fell silent. I was right. "That''s grim. But then again, the Heavenly Dragon isn''t above doing such things to prolong himself." I walked up to the chest and kicked it open. "A staff?" I reached over and took the metal staff. Surprisingly, despite its size, being as tall as me, it was quite lightweight. A teal orb was attached to the tip, shimmering gently the moment I grabbed it. "I''ve seen you specialize in Wind magic. And so I gave you a Wind staff. Made by Zirconium metal and a flawless Windstone, it surely would enhance the strength of your Wind spells even further." She spoke true. Just by holding it, I could feel the power shimmering through it. I held it tight and cast a simple mini cyclone spell. Only for a strong gust to explode right in front of my face. "Gah!" I held tight, nearly losing my grip on the staff. The wind wasn''t stopping! It raged out of my control! "Xaela! Run awa¡ª" I froze. The wind had lifted the elf''s robes, revealing to my sinful eyes her legs, tights, and her womanhood. She wasn''t wearing any. I gulped, my perverted mind focusing completely on the beautiful sight. I could feel my trousers tightening in an instant. She blushed, pressing her robes downwards. But the wind was unyielding. It began tearing the fabric bit by bit. Returning my focus to the rampaging magic, I ordered the wind to die down. And it did. But not before leaving her robes in shreds, exposing a lot more of her smooth white skin than before. "I-I''m sorry! I didn''t mean that! This staff really is powerful!" I gulped again. With her hand, she covered her exposed left boob, though not before I saw the small yet enticing mount of flesh. Her right leg was completely exposed as well, all the way to her torso. I could easily see that no panties were present. "U-Unchained One, i-if you would excuse me, I would leave for a bit." "Y-yeah, go right away. I''ll wait here." Beet red, the elf teleported away. And once she did, I immediately unzipped my pants, adjusting my raging boner so it wouldn''t be so painful. -------- Xaela returned with a brand new set of robes. Her cheeks were still flushed slightly, a sight that quickly stirred my perverted mind once more. "Uhh, sorry for that." I gave a nervous grin to the girl. "I do not mind. It is my Master''s wish for me to serve the next Unchained One when he appears. And that includes¡­" She paused, looking away. "...giving him my body." "...Huh?" "Yes, if an Unchained One has no lovers he can make children with, I was told to make it with him. It is necessary for your bloodline to propagate after all." She looked up to me. "But, seeing how you already have several lovers, my service in that department won''t be needed." For a split second, I actually considered grabbing her and telling her I wanted to make babies with her as well. But, that idea quickly got shut down by my rational mind. Felicia and Sherry wouldn''t be happy if I picked up chicks without their consent. Especially when it''s a beautiful girl like her. -------- We then moved back to the 500th floor, to my surprise. She explained that the higher floors didn''t have any monsters on them so we couldn''t do our training there. "Do you purposefully prevent adventurers from reaching the higher floors?" "Yes. If they make it all the way to the 599th floor, I would hide the floor teleporter from them. I''ll only give them return teleporters instead." "And you only let Isolde pass because you saw her as one of the Heroes for the upcoming Cycle." "That is correct. I had told her what she needed to do. And she thanked me for it, saying that she''d finally have a worthy opponent at last." "Speaking of that, where''s the Demon Lord right now?" "On the 550th floor. You don''t have to worry about her." "Ah, I see. That''s good." "Well, let us begin. Tell me, how much do you know about time magic?" "Time magic? Not much. I thought it is the type of magic that is impossible to perform, even though it exists on a theoretical level, due to its immense mana cost and its insane complexity." "I see. They''re not wrong, necessarily. They simply hadn''t possessed the necessary theorems to cut down on the complexity and mana cost. "Wait, you mean, you can use time magic?" "Yes. But only by tapping into the facility''s power. Even with the Ancients'' knowledge, time manipulation is still beyond most mages. Here. I''ll show you." She walked away a few steps, seemingly putting a distance between us. And then, all of a sudden¡­ with only a single blink... She disappeared. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked back and sure enough, it was her. It wasn''t some hyperfast movement. It was a genuine instantaneous one. "That was a one second timestop. As time froze, I ran behind you and placed my hand on your shoulder." My eyes widened. "T-teach me! Please!" I blurted out. She shook her head. "With your limited mana, I don''t believe you can cast any timestop spells. However, I do have other time spells you can use. Though they will still drain your mana for sure." "Oh, come on! Why did you show me the time stop then?!" I huffed. "Apologies. It''s just the easiest way to display how time magic works." "Now, we shall begin by the simplest time magic. Haste. Like the name suggests, it''s a spell that hastens your movement by speeding up the time surrounding you." "Now, if you would look at this diagram¡­" When she displayed the mana network I would need to conjure with my mind, my heart sank. For it was easily the most complex network I ever saw in my entire life. A/N: The poll there is because we''re rapidly approaching the point of no return for her. At least in Patreon, where there''s only a few more chapters until the end of the arc. Hugo''s trial is over. Well, almost. Still one last thing he needs to do. Speaking of Patreon, I''m posting a commissioned cover for this story there. Still in progress though so only in sketch form so far. Vol 4 Chapter 45: Haste Marina "Marina Archimond! By the order of His Majesty, you shall present yourself to the capital at once!" Well, she didn''t expect this. Instead of receiving a letter, she instead received a visit by the kingdom''s griffon knights. When her maid rushed into her room in a panic, telling her of their visitors, she knew her time had come. Her slaughter of the slave merchants had not gone unnoticed. The king had sent his best men after her. Which meant he recognized her as a threat. However, she was ready. Now that she was a Grandmaster-level mage, there was nothing she would be afraid of. And she was about to go to the Capital herself anyway ¡ª to warn that perverted court mage on the plan the Magocracy possessed. There were ten knights that morning. The whole squad in fact. They and their steed descended from the skies with a great shriek, scaring the populace out of their homes. Wanting to see what the commotion was all about, the citizens began gathering outside the mansion. One knight landed in front of the mansion while the other nine hovered around the perimeter. Dismounting from his snow-white griffon, the rider revealed himself to be a man in his 60s, with a short beard that mimicked the color of his mount. His weapon of choice seemed to be the spear he slung behind his back. His gaze was firm and fearless, even when the Verdant Witch made her appearance. "You''re the so-called witch, I presume?" "Indeed. To whom do I owe this pleasure?" "Hart Vertus. Master of the Sky Knights of Ferus. I am here to take you into custody for the crimes of wanton murder and thievery." "I see. I assume you shall be giving me a ride?" The old man raised his right arm, signalling another rider to descend from the skies. This time, the rider was a young woman, her dark hair tied into a ponytail. She wore the same crimson armor that the old man wore. "You shall be riding with my colleague here. And leave your staff behind." "I''m afraid I would have to refuse the latter. A mage''s staff is her life. And I''m not going to surrender mine." "Apologies, but you don''t have a choice in the matter. You''re too dangerous of a mage. Be glad that we don''t make you wear steel on those pretty hands on yours." Judging by his unrepentant expression, he was clearly not apologetic in the slightest. "What is the meaning of this?! Has the Royal Knights forgotten all their mannerisms?!" The voice came from the Earl who had just walked out of the front door. Never before had the man looked so furious. "You dare treat my granddaughter like a common criminal?!" "She has unjustly slaughtered foreign merchants our kingdom has trade with. Not to mention stealing their goods. In my eyes, she''s nothing but a murderous thief." The Earl walked forward, seemingly intending to punch the bearded knight on the face. Only to be stopped by Marina. "It''s fine, Grandfather." "Dear, you don''t have to¡ª" "It''s fine." She smiled. "I''ll handle this." Stepping closer to the knight, she said, "I''ll go with you. But one of your men should bring my staff with them. Once my name is cleared, you can give it back." The bearded man paused for a few moments, before answering, "Very well. Give your staff to me. You''ll ride with her." He gestured at the female knight behind him. "Wait, I have a right to accompany her. I was the one who gave the order." The Earl protested. "No." The bearded knight said coldly. "His Majesty only wants her and her alone." "That''s¡­ that is unacceptable! How would she defend herself? She doesn¡¯t know how to navigate the courts! If you don''t know, I am still the Earl there! I was the one who gave the command! If the King wants to¡ª" *CRASH* The Earl froze. The knight just threw his spear at him. Or rather, the ground in front of him, barely missing a foot. The hard ground cracked at the tip of the spear. "This is an order directly from His Majesty! If you are to defy His will, no matter who you are, then we as his royal guards are authorized to punish you as we see fit." He stretched his hand, calling upon the enchanted weapon to fly back to his grasp. Only to find a vine wrapping itself around his neck. "Do that again and I shall kill you and your subordinates." It was Marina. "Master Vertus!" The female knight yelled. "You bastard!" "It''s alright, Perth." He turned his head towards his apprentice. "Our order is to take her alive. Now," He looked back at Marina. "If you would release this¡­" The vines receded, going back into the ground where they came from. "I see your reputation is well-earned, witch." "Enough with the small talk. We should depart immediately." "One knight." The old man raised a finger. "I shall leave one knight here as a guard." "A guard?" "Yes. From you. You may keep your staff. But if you step out of line¡­" "I won''t. You have my word." And so, Marina left for the capital that morning. The Earl said he would follow with a carriage right away, begging her to hold on until he arrived. Reinhard said his goodbyes, telling her to be careful. Even Emma and Rina bid her farewells, with the former telling her to watch her sharp tongue. And last but not least, her loyal maid Henrietta gave her one tearful hug, burrowing her face in her bosom. As she flew, the people of the city, including the slaves she had freed, all prayed from her safe return. As for Erika, unfortunately, she was still in her bed. When she woke up, her sister was already miles away from the city. Thanks to that, ever since that day, Erika would strive to wake up earlier in the morning, just like her sister. ------- Felicia Outside the dungeon, Felicia and the others began gathering information while making sure to not make a scene, in case House Relfatia sent another assassin after them. She wasn''t a fool. She knew whatever shaky alliance they might once have had disappeared completely, especially now that the war was over. She quickly learned that the demons had won and that Marlene''s forces had betrayed the Human Alliance. Thanks to that, she and her family were allowed to keep their power over the city. She wouldn''t chide her for this ¡ª she believed it was a silly thing to always play fair and honorable in war. War is an ugly game with even uglier players. If it meant protecting her citizens, then even betrayal was acceptable. But, she doubted the girl had such intentions. From what she saw of her, she was too full of herself. She probably wanted to keep her power. Just like every other corrupt noble out there. The quartet used the rented workshop as their safehouse as it was too dangerous for them to live separately. And whenever they went out, they had to go out in pairs. And by that, it usually meant Felicia would go with Tira and Theo would go with Tama. Tama already said that if anything happened, she could lift up Theo and run as fast as the wind back into the dungeon. Oh, they had gotten a lot stronger in these past months, alright. If she had to guess, they were now around the realm of A-rank adventurers. As for how the city itself changed¡­ well¡­ there were definitely a lot more demons around. But other than that, it remained the same. --------- Hugo "Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­" I fell down on my bottom, panting. "Are you alright, Unchained One?" Xaela was there, standing with a concerned look on her face. She had been instructing me as well as keeping the monsters away. "Yeah, I just need to catch my breath, that¡¯s all.¡± I gave her a smile. ¡°Also, you can call me Hugo. That Unchained One thing is just uncomfortable.¡± ¡°I see. Hugo it is. Just like you remembered my name, so shall I remember yours.¡± ¡°So, Xaela, what was your Master like? You were assigned to be the Administrator of this place by her, right?¡± "Yes. She was a very kind person, despite her¡­ eccentricities. Since the day I and my sister were created by her, I had promised to serve her for as long as I lived." "...Wait, created you?" "Yes, the Ancients had the capability to create life. A lot of the races of your current age originated from their creations. Only humans like you were created by the Goddess." "Enough chat for now. You should try again, Hugo Greenwood. Focus better and hold that image strongly in your mind. The Ancients didn''t have chants to cast their magic. So neither should you." I smiled wryly. "Yeah, you''re right. My time here is limited after all." Standing up, I began all over again. --------- Several days had passed since I began my training with Xaela. It was an unending cycle of me trying the spell, botching it up, and running out of mana in the process. Never before had my reserves been tested this much. She wasn¡¯t lying. TIme magic was extremely difficult. I would say even the most basic one, like the Haste I was trying to learn, was equal in difficulty with an elemental Grandmaster-level spell. And speaking of that, apparently my fully-charged Super Boom Cannon spell was equal in power to a Grandmaster-level spell, if I remembered what Isolde said. I asked Xaela about it but she couldn¡¯t really give any confirmation. She didn¡¯t really know what a Grandmaster-level spell was supposed to be like. Back in her age, such classification did not exist. Well, the spell rank didn''t matter. What mattered was whether the spell could defeat the enemy or not. Still, eventually, it was time for me to try the spell on an actual fight. And Xaela, in her absolute faith in me, summoned another Sonic Mantis as my opponent. I took a deep breath. Last time, the creature clearly outsped me. This time, it would be different. As it dashed in, I activated the spell chantlessly. Time slowed down. Or rather, my perspective became faster. I drew my sword and charged into the monster, carefully maintaining my focus on the continuous spell as well. It was the first time I fought wielding a staff and not a wand, so it might take some time to get used to. Its scythe met my blade, marking the beginning of our exchange. It with its two arms vs me with a staff on my right hand and a sword on the left. With both weapons, I blocked and parried each and every single one of its blows. A staff was a lot better in melee combat, since I could use it as a shield of sorts, as opposed to a wand. And then, using my advantage in speed, I slashed and stabbed at its hard carapace, gaining ground every second that passed. And then, it made a critical mistake. For a microsecond, it left its right flank unguarded. I slashed at its right arm at full strength, cutting it from its torso in one single, clean move. The creature screeched, back dashing away. It now knew that I was the superior fighter. Time to end this. I charged my Boom Cannon and¡ª ¡ªlost my consciousness because I used too much of my mana. ¡­ When I woke up, I was back on Xaela''s lap once again. "Good work, Hugo Greenwood." She smiled, patting my hair. "To think you''ll be able to use your first Time Magic in such a short amount of time¡­" "Yeah. I still messed up though." I gave a wry smile. "Did you kill the creature?" "Yes. You don''t have to worry about it." I sat up. As much as I was enjoying her lap, I still needed to do more training for the day. "Oh, by the way, you patting my head and putting me on your lap ¡ª you shouldn''t do that." She tilted her head. "You should only do that with your lover. If Felicia saw me like that, she would be furious." "Lover? Ah, yes. My master said something to that effect. I should treat you as if you''re my lover." "Uhh, yeah, ignore that order, if you would." ¡°I see. If Lady Felicia desires so, then I shall refrain from it. Apologies.¡± She gave a short bow. --------- Myrilla ¡°Aha.. ahahahahaha¡­ ahahahahahahahahaha.. ehehehehehehehe... hehehehehehehe!¡± Myrilla was now right on the outskirts of Arborea. The city walls and its towering obelisk were clearly visible on the horizon. And yet, her path was blocked. By a man wearing a black priest robes, cackling and laughing to himself. "Demon! Go away! Here to join your traitorous allies, aren''t you?!" His pupils were dilating rapidly, his mouth half-open like a rabid dog. Saliva was drooping down his left cheek. She didn''t need to scan his mind to know the poor man had lost his mind. And yet, she did anyway. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Myrilla was taken aback by this revelation. But still, she continued onward. She froze, a horrified look on her face. She knew the depths of barbarity demonkind could go. But to think they would go that far¡­ The man began to kick her scarab over and over. She had to calm the bug down before it retaliated. She jumped down the scarab, grabbing the man¡¯s head with her left hand. Hypnosis. The ability of her race that she despised. She could make other people obey her every command, controlling them as if they were puppets. It was done by breaking down the mental barrier of the person, making him or her incredibly vulnerable to outside suggestions She wasn¡¯t sure if it could work on an insane person however. Lifting her hand from his head, she tested her control. He raised his left arm. He raised his right arm. And so, the demoness resumed her journey, but now with a shambling, mind-controlled human walking on her side. With the victory of the demons, there should be no problem in showing him to the authorities. The human guards wouldn¡¯t dare to touch her. And perhaps they would be compassionate to him. There was nothing else she could do. Her purpose here was to find Hugo, and nothing else. -------- Arriving at the city proper, the demoness explained the circumstances to the guards standing on the gates. However, they didn¡¯t know what to do with him, suggesting she take him into the city guard headquarters on the southern side of the city. Or so they said to her. Myrilla rolled her eyes. The real reason was that they simply couldn¡¯t be bothered to move out of their posts. That¡¯s what she read from their minds. Also, she sensed some fear from them directed to her, but that was nothing new, especially from humans. Entering the city, she headed to the military district. Located in the southern part of the city, it was where the city state¡¯s military might was concentrated. It was also where the headquarters were located. But, before she could get there¡­ ¡°Wait! You! You¡¯re Myrilla, aren¡¯t you?!¡± She was stopped on the road by a redheaded woman. She was dressed in a dark red robe and a loose white bustier dress that exposed a generous amount of cleavage and legs. Wielding a staff on her right hand, Myrilla expected her to be an adventurer like her. ¡°Yes, I am. And you are¡­ Felicia. And you¡¯re here to¡­ speak to me about Hugo Greenwood?¡± Myrilla¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh, thank the Founder! You really are her! Dark-skinned, having a twin antennae on your head, and a mind-reader. You match his description perfectly!¡± She smiled. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ looking for me?¡± ¡°Yes! Come! We¡¯ll talk at my place! Oh, and your friend there can come¡ª¡± She froze. Her face turned as pale as a sheet. Shadows burst out from under the man, wrapping and immobilizing him in an instant. He only responded with a laugh. ¡°Why is he here? You! Are you working with him?! Answer me!¡± ¡°...I see. You have the right to fear him, however. He is not the man that he once was. You have no reason to be concerned, necromancer.¡± Myrilla¡¯s expression had turned into a frown. A human necromancer. Why would Hugo be associated with one of them? Didn¡¯t he know that necromancy is widely vilified amongst humans? She, however, had no particular opinion of them. ¡°Ahahahahaha! Demons! Another one! Oh Great Saint Milicis, I beseech you! Strike down those two heretics with your divine light!¡± Glancing at the cackling man, Myrilla continued. ¡°His mind is broken. As you should know, he¡¯s part of the forces that fought against the Demon Lord of Wisdom. He was captured in that fight and forced to endure torture. Now, release him. I shall calm him down.¡± Felicia, now looking at the battered priest herself, could not disagree with her statement. She released him, dropping him unceremoniously to the ground. Myrilla then sent another order, telling the man to stand up. He quickly obeyed. ¡°Come.¡± Felicia said, looking at the crowd that began to gather. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t talk here.¡± Myrilla nodded. She had read deeper into her mind. And what she found was worrying, but not in the way she had expected. ---------- Hugo For the rest of that day, I was instructed by Xaela to rest and recuperate. Since time was short, she couldn¡¯t teach me how I should manage my mana in order to not run out in the middle of a fight like that. Then again, even if there was time, she couldn¡¯t. She had never learned about the matter, as all this time, she was connected to the World Dungeon, supplying her with an immense amount of mana reserve. It all fell to me to refine the knowledge on my own later. In the meantime, I was given the instructions on how to cast the next Time Spell. If Haste aided me in physical combat, then Accelerate aided me in magic. It was a spell that allowed the quickening of spells, meaning, you could make any long spells to be cast instantaneously. Naturally, this would be ideal for my Super Boom Cannon. But once again, it was an extremely complex spell. And it required a lot of mana to use as well. With my current capability, I feared I could really only use it once. Not to mention that the spell was still not powerful enough. If I had to fight against opponents on Isolde''s level, I would be screwed. And so I was thinking of going the other route. I could learn to extend the range and increase the speed of my Asphyxia and Heartbreaker. If I could cast it far enough, no human opponents would be a match for me. I asked Xaela for her advice. "I see. That''s a clever idea, Hugo Greenwood. Sometimes the best magic is a subtle one," Xaela replied. "As to how to do it, you simply have to train to extend the range you can extend your unaspected mana." "I know that. Don''t you have a training method I can use? My current one is just me making it up as I go along. I only learned it from having Ilymhyrra use her Dispel and Deconstruct." She should know about my meeting with her, seeing how she could read people''s past. "I see. I shall search the information you need in the facility''s database." She paused for a few seconds, staring off to the distance. "Ah, perhaps this could be of use." She conjured her usual holographic screen. There, a heavy wall of text appeared, first in letters I didn''t understand before switching to the Human Tongue. I sat down, the screen following me as I did. It then compressed itself into a small screen about the size of a tablet. With my hand, I could drag it down and place it on my lap. Vol 4 Chapter 46: A Chat Between Hugo’s Caretakers Felicia ¡°You know, it¡¯s quite impolite, thinking badly of your guest like that.¡± Her thoughts were interrupted by Myrilla, who clearly had read what she had just been thinking. The two were now inside Hugo and Felicia¡¯s rented workshop, the perfect place for them to have a private chat. Or three, if you counted the crazy priest Myrilla had told to sit silently in the corner of the room. Theo and the others had yet to return so they had the place all to themselves. Felicia opted to have their chat in the laboratory, however, as she didn¡¯t want to bring her to her (and Hugo¡¯s) bedroom. The place had no guest or living room, so this was the best place she could give her. ¡°Would you stop doing that? No one likes having their minds being read, you know.¡± Felicia frowned. "No. Do you believe it''s wise to trust a stranger you just met? Especially one that practices the art of necromancy?" "I''ve stopped doing that. All thanks to him." Felicia smiled. "...Hugo Greenwood." Myrilla narrowed her eyes. "I''ve seen how much you love him. It seems you two have some history, with him saving you from the Church. That foolish boy¡­" Felicia bolted up from her chair. "Don''t you dare insult him! He is a really brave man, risking his life for my sake¡ªa stranger he just met!" "He''s not a man. He''s just a boy. Him saving you means he isn''t right in the head. And for a grown woman like you to be obsessed with him, you''re not right in the head either." "How dare you! Take that back!" Felicia grabbed the woman in the collar, lifting her a few inches off the floor. Fire was burning inside the former''s eyes. And then, all of a sudden, she was shoved away. "Ah!" Felicia fell on her butt with her legs wide open, revealing her red thong to Myrilla. "Look at you." The demoness scowled. "Dressed like a whore to attract a 13-year old. You''re a bad influence on him¡ªthat much is certain." However, she was unable to do so as shadows suddenly came under her and wrapped themselves around her, immobilizing her body. "You!" "You say I dress like a whore! Then let''s see what you wear under those heavy robes of yours!" Slash! In an instant, Myrilla¡¯s robes were torn into pieces by the shadows surrounding her. Revealing her bare, flat chest and her black string panties tightly hugging her crotch. ¡°Ha! Look at that! You don¡¯t wear a bra and your panties are just as lewd as mine! So who are you trying to impress, hmm?¡± Felicia let out a victorious laugh. Myrilla¡¯s gaze turned cold. Even colder than it already had. ¡°I see it now. You¡¯re too dangerous to be with him. I shall take Hugo Greenwood with me. And I¡¯ll make sure to erase his memories on you entirely. I despise memory manipulation, but for you, to protect his innocence, I shall make an exception.¡± Before Felicia could respond, her shadows were banished away by a sphere of wind that suddenly surrounded the demoness. A heavy weight suddenly pressed on top of Felicia, binding her arms and legs into the wooden floor. ¡°Damn you! You and your telekinesis!¡± She yelled. ¡°Now, I shall take away your memories of him. This way¡­ you would never bother him again.¡± Myrilla walked a few steps forward. Now standing over the helpless redhead, she leaned over and pressed her left hand onto her forehead. Felicia tried to cast a spell to free herself, only to find that her concentration was soon disturbed by the blinding headache assaulting her head. "Aargggghh!" She was trapped. There was no escape. Her memories¡­ her wonderful memories with her beloved Lord Hugo¡­ It was all going to disappear. ¡°No! Nonononononono! I won''t let you take Lord Hugo away from me! He''s all I have in this world!" Myrilla read her mind again. And what she found gave her pause. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She saw her childhood, how her loving family was taken away by a plague. She saw her being molested by her adoptive father, until she couldn''t take it anymore and killed him. She saw how she became obsessed with necromancy, believing that human lives were too frail and short. She even had a small hope for learning how to resurrect her family, even though she would hate him for what she had become. She saw her manipulations, her giving her body to many men to further goals. Until one day, that darkness was broken. By none other than Hugo Greenwood. And then, her happy days came. He treated her gentlemanly and kindly. He even cried to her, telling her of his problems. They were like family. Lovers, just like Alan and Renee. And Myrilla¡­ she was about to erase that all. ¡­ She took her hands away. She was mistaken. This woman¡­ she was no mere seductress. She really was his pillar of support. "Apologies. I¡­ was wrong." She summoned a new set of robes from her Dimensional Storage. As she spoke, she wore them one by one, after placing her staff on the nearby table. ¡°I see now that Hugo loves you just as much as you love him. You¡¯re not just a predatory woman who¡¯s fond of young boys.¡± Felicia, still out of breath from the experience, could only respond with a glare. ¡°Now, stand up and tell me everything about him. You can start by telling me how he ended up on this continent, if he was willing to share that with you, of course.¡± --------- Hugo "Gah!" The spell exploded, sending me flying a few feet backwards. Yet another failure. I looked and saw Xaela looming over me. "Your control still isn''t good enough. You''re leaking mana all over." "Y-yeah, I figured that much." I gave her a chuckle. She offered her hand. I quickly took it to go to a sitting position. "Let''s take a break. I have another question I want to ask." "A question?" She tilted her head. "About magic. It was your masters who invented magic, wasn''t it?" "Yes." "And that magic was lost after they went extinct." "I believe so." "And only after Mira standardized and propagandized magic that us humans could use magic in a widespread manner like we do now." "... Perhaps. I do not know your kind''s history." "And Mira learned her magic from Ilymhyrra, which is a high elf. And you said they are created to be servants of your masters." "Yes. Ilymhyrra has become much stronger, beyond the capability of a normal Administrator. She was created as an elf, a race blessed in magic, and she had honed that skill for a terribly long time." "How about you? You''re an elf too, right?" I smiled at her. "...No. I am not." "Really? What are you then? I don''t see any wings, horns or tails on you." "I will show you. Please, stay there." She took off her cloak and put it on the ground, revealing the purple dress that she wore underneath. It was a slim, long dress with open shoulders, showing her pure white, flawless skin. Somehow, even though it was only her shoulders that were exposed, I couldn''t help but feel ever so slightly turned on by it. Still, no signs of her being a dragonkin. She walked away, putting a good distance between me and her. And then¡­ She transformed. A strong breeze flew from where she stood as purple light enveloped her entire body. "Whoaaa!" If I hadn''t braced myself, I would''ve been swept away for sure. And before I knew it, a massive purple dragon was now standing right in front of me. And by massive, I meant, massive. It was easily larger than the dragon I once fought on that icy mountain. Its eyes were larger than me and its nostrils could easily be mistaken as a pair of caverns one could travel into. It had three pairs of wings, totaling six, and purple crystals grew all over its scales. ¡°This is my true form.¡± Her voice echoed, almost deafening me in the process. ¡°I am what you call an Elder Dragon." I was speechless. To think all this time, this cute girl I had been talking to was a dragon the size of a small mountain. The dragon soon vanished, receding back to her human form. Completely nude from top to bottom. "And this is my hybrid form." She now had a pair of purple wings and a purple tail, attached to her back and hip. Still, it did nothing to hide her nakedness, a fact that my perverted mind quickly caught on. Losing all restrains, I ogled the dragoness'' body as much as I could. Thinking about it, I must have made the most disgusting pig-like face then. Probably salivating in the process as well. Why? Because Xaela quickly covered herself with her hands, blushing and looking fearfully at my direction before excusing and teleporting herself away. Only once she was gone did I return to my senses. --------- Isolde "Finally, took you long enough. Now now, no need to hide. I can sense your presence under that fancy illusion of yours." "Oh? You''re a sharp one, aren''t you?" The illusion faltered, revealing the fox demoness standing a few steps away from where the swordswoman was sitting. "Of course. I am only the strongest swordswoman in the land after all." She grinned. She stood up as well, drawing her sword from its sheath. "Interesting." The demoness smiled. "Perhaps you could put up more of a fight than that boy from before." ¡°Oh, that kid? Yeah, he¡¯s a weakling compared to me. Although¡ªthis is just my gut feeling speaking here¡ªI believe he¡¯ll be a worthy opponent once he grows a little older. Maybe even stronger than me. So I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t kill him back then.¡± ¡°...What.¡± The demoness¡¯ smile vanished. ¡°I killed the boy. Pierced through his heart with my own hand. You must be mistaken. Are you even talking about Hugo Greenwood? He¡¯s a young human male at the age of thirteen. Blonde hair, wielding a wand and a sword.¡± ¡°Oh yes, that¡¯s him, alright. But, you didn¡¯t finish the job. Miss Xaela here, the Administrator of this place¡ªshe healed him and his lover. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know that!¡± ¡°...I see. This¡­ Xaela¡­ if she can undo such a wound¡­ she¡¯s no ordinary woman. And I assume you¡¯re acting as her bodyguard? The teleporter to the next floor is behind you, correct?¡± ¡°Yep! If you want to get to her, you¡¯ll have to beat me first!¡± ¡°Very well. Then, I shall take care of you first.¡± With a smile, she melted once again into a fog. Their game had begun. -------------- Felicia When Felicia finished her tale (Myrilla actually gave her the courtesy of not reading her mind right away), the demoness was rendered speechless. Her eyes were wide open and her body was shaking on her seat. Felicia, realizing how pale the demoness had gotten, gently grabbed her hands that were resting on the table. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard for you to believe, but it really did happen. ¡°Milord said that¡­ they died protecting him. Which was why he ran away. He didn¡¯t want to face his two sisters for his failure. ¡°But now¡­ now it''s different. He has become stronger. No longer he plans to run away. He instead will go to meet Sherry, and with her help, we will take revenge on that accursed nation." Felicia''s eyes were now blazing with the passion of vengeance, a look that did not escape Myrilla''s notice. "They''ve hurt you too..." The demoness spoke. "I should''ve known¡­ I should''ve known better¡­ I wasn''t there when they needed me the most¡­ just because of my foolish, jealous heart¡­" Felicia paused. "You''re fond of Lord Hugo''s father?" "Yes¡­ I am¡­ but he chose the priestess over me¡­ I¡­ was too cold for him¡­ she was warm¡­ always smiling¡­ always cheerful¡­ And there''s the matter of him preferring large-chested women as well¡­" Myrilla chuckled. "And Renee''s chest was easily the biggest chest I''ve ever seen. I never stood a chance." "...How big is hers compared to mine?" Felicia asked. "Bigger. Yours are not even close." Felicia cursed internally. She had heard somewhere that a man''s breast preference is influenced by the size his mother had when she fed him with her milk. To think that her Lord''s mother was even bustier than her¡­ "... Unbelievable. You''re thinking about that now?" "H-hey! What did I tell you about peeking into my thoughts? And it''s completely normal! Of course I want to look my very best for him!" Myrilla sighed as she rolled her eyes. The two then waited until Tira and the others returned. In the meantime, they had been chatting with each other, with Felicia serving coffee to both of them. Each exchanged stories on their travels. As you would¡¯ve guessed, Felicia would brag often on how close she was with Hugo, which naturally displeased the demoness. She still believed it was far too early for him to be doing such things with a woman. To both women''s surprise, however, they had more in common with each other than they had anticipated. Though not so much that they didn''t retain their animosity for each other. "So, Hugo''s planning to marry both you and Sherry. Will never happen. She''s an Izurd. Izurd cannot tolerate sharing their mates with another woman." Myrilla declared. "Hmph, I believe in Milord," Felicia huffed. "He''ll be able to make it work." "If not?" "Then it''s her loss. I''m not going to give him up for sure." Myrilla''s eyes narrowed before relaxing with a defeated sigh. "He''s growing to be an even worse humanizer than his father. At least Alan is faithful to his choice." "No, it''s the opposite. He''s a better man than him." Felicia smirked. "Oh? And why is that?" Myrilla asked. "Because he can make two women happy, instead of just one. Imagine if your Alan made you his wife as well. You wouldn''t be this grump of a woman that you are now. Not to mention that you''d be there when he needed you the most." Myrilla fell silent. She looked away, down at her cup of coffee. "I am the jealous type." Felicia continued. "I don''t want any woman to get close to my Lord Hugo. But, if said woman loves him just as much as I do, and if she can learn to share, then I welcome her. Milord''s mother, Renee¡­ do you think she''ll be happy to share Alan with you?" "...Perhaps. She¡­ has always been a good friend. But that doesn''t matter now, does it?" "...Yes. I suppose it doesn''t." Felicia smiled wryly. She stood up and walked over to the other side of the table, placing her hand on the demoness'' shoulder. "You''re now the closest Milord has to a mother. I hope you can give him the love he needs." "Or¡­" She giggled. "You can leave it all to me. I''ll pamper him both as a mother and a lover." Myrilla opted not to respond. "Alright. Where''s the kid? I wish to have a word with him." "Hold on. Before that, how about him?" Felicia pointed to the crazy priest who had been sitting unattended and unnoticed. Luckily, Myrilla had ordered him to do nothing so he didn''t go around breaking Felicia''s alchemy equipment. "Oh, right. I suppose you don''t have any potions that can cure his mind?" Myrilla stood up and walked towards him. Felicia shook her head. "That is beyond alchemy, I''m afraid. If you''re going to hand him over to the guards, do so now before we go to the dungeon. Though you should know that he won''t be treated kindly there." Felicia''s tone was merciless. She still hadn''t forgiven him for what he did to Leila. Or rather, what his wife did. They were peas of the same pod anyway, she told herself. Myrilla''s antennas lit up. "If you would give me some minutes, I''ll try to probe deeper into his mind." "What for?" Felicia replied. "If I can jolt some of his old memories back to the forefront, perhaps his mind would¡ª" Myrilla''s face turned as pale as snow. "What? His mind would what?" "Nicolas Norn¡­ that family name¡­ it''s¡­ it''s her family." "Yeah, his name''s Nicolas Norn. I know that. I''ve done my homework, you know. He belongs to one of the Ten Divine Houses of the Church. The Head Inquisitor of the Church. He brought an army with him to this continent all the way from the Holy Land. Heehee, to think he¡¯ll end up like this¡­ how pitiful¡­¡± A scary smile now decorated Felicia¡¯s lips. ¡°No¡­ you don¡¯t understand¡­ this man¡­ he¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s Renee¡¯s older brother! Hugo¡¯s uncle!¡± Felicia¡¯s smile disappeared in an instant. Vol 4 Chapter 47: Renee’s Past "Super Boom Cannon!" A massive wind cannonball the size of a small house flew in Mach 10, destroying every single plant and tree in its path. A few unfortunate monsters became victims to it as well, shattering into fine chunks of gore at impact. I fell down on my behind, laughing. I was drained from top to bottom but I did it. An instantaneous full power Super Boom Cannon. "Well done, Hugo Greenwood. A second time spell in less than two weeks. You amaze me more and more." "Hehe, thank you." I gave a grin to her direction. ¡°Now, on to the third spell.¡± Without waiting for my approval, she brought up the same holographic screen once more. "Wait, hold on, don''t I get a little rest?" "No time for that. This one is even more complicated and we''re short on time." "Alright, alright, sheesh, you''re starting to remind me of my big sister, you know." "... I''ll take that as a compliment." The next Time Spell she taught me was Delay. It was a spell that allows me to "store" a spell I casted to be used later. At first, I didn''t know how it could be useful, but I could use it with another spell, overwhelming my opponent with successive spells one after the other. Xaela explained it to me as a localized time stop. Thankfully, it was a far easier spell than an actual time stop spell. Though that didn''t say much, since this spell was more complicated than the other two I had learned. With renewed vigor, I began studying the spell. ----------- A few days later... "...She has returned." "Huh? What did you just say?" "Lady Felicia. She has returned." "With Myrilla?" "Yes. Scanning her bio signature, she seemed to be a demon. And she fits your description of her 100%." I gulped. ¡°And so, it¡¯s finally time for me to leave.¡± I gave a wry smile to the dragoness. ¡°Man, two weeks sure flew like nothing. And you haven''t even taught me time stop. Or that spell you used to heal me and Felicia. That was time reversal, wasn''t it?" "...You are correct. It was." "Do I really have to go now? Another two weeks of training couldn''t hurt." "No." She shook her head. "Time stop and time reversal ¡ª it is impossible for you. I could only use them with the power given to me by the facility." "Really?" "If you can barely handle the three time spells I taught you, you can''t touch those two. You''ll die in an instant, stripped out of your Mana. And I do not wish that to happen to you, Hugo Greenwood." "I see." I sighed. "That''s unfortunate¡­ Maybe you can teach them later once I have more mana reserves in my body." "No. You''re just a human. Your kind has its limit. You''ll never be like the elves or the demons with their abundant mana." I fell silent. She might have a point but I still wanted to try anyway. "At least give me a book about them so I can study them later? Please?" I gave my best puppy eyes as I grabbed her hands. She blushed, retreating her hands in an instant. "No. It''s too dangerous." I sighed. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. About the Dream Orb¡­" An orb of light manifested above me, followed by an object falling into my hands. Instead of an orb, however, it was a palm-sized crystal ¡ª thin at the ends, thick at the middle. It was blue and translucent, with what looked like stars and lines floating inside of it. "That''s a Dream Crystal. It''s the permanent version of the Dream Orb. However, you have to charge it with your unaspected mana first before it is usable." "Permanent? You mean I can use it over and over?" A smile grew on my face. "Yes. Though be warned that the mana needed is quite significant." "Oh, thank you so much, Xaela! This is exactly what I want!" I grinned. I would give her a hug but that would upset Felicia for sure. "And one more thing." "How about you come with us?" I flashed her my biggest grin. "You want to help me, right? Then you should come along with me. Act as my bodyguard." She froze, averting her gaze from mine. "...No. I apologize. You already have people who can protect you. I¡­ my task here is not yet complete." "Huh? What do you mean?" "The seal of this facility. I have to protect it." ¡°But you said there¡¯s nothing we can do to¡ª¡± Before I could say anything else, a bright light swallowed me whole. I was teleported away. ----------- Felicia Felicia listened like a hawk as Myrilla gave her the short summary of Renee¡¯s life. Her real name was Lunafreya Norn, the little sister of Nicolas Norn. Both were born into the Norn family, one of the Ten Divine Families that resided in the Holy Land. Once, she used to look up to her big brother, believing him to be able to do no wrong, treating him like a beacon that she needed to strive towards. But then, after a certain incident, it made her see him in a different light. It made her see his family in a different light. It made her run away, change her name into Renee, and take the mantle of an adventurer. Until one day, she bumped into Alan. What was that incident, you might ask? It was when she was still learning in one of the Church¡¯s boarding schools. There, an incident happened involving a golden dragon statue that was owned by the school. Normally, it was proudly displayed at the dining hall, watching over the students as they ate. But then, one morning, it disappeared. Naturally, it turned into an uproar. Not only was it a priceless holy artifact, commissioning a new one would bankrupt the school. It really was made out of pure gold after all. There were no hints nor clues left behind. No one mysteriously disappeared overnight. So who was the culprit? Who took the statue from them? The witchhunting began. Both the students and the staff needed someone to blame. Someone to call a thief and a burglar. Someone to hang. Eventually, that role fell to one unfortunate student. And she just so happened to be Renee¡¯s best friend. As she had a grandmother who used to be a witch in her younger days. Indeed, the Holy Land hated wizards, witches, and anyone of their kind. They believed that everyone who practiced magic had sold their souls to the demons. It was just like how Mira, the first human witch, had sold hers. If the Magocracy portrayed Milicis as a naive tyrant, the Church portrayed Mira as a greedy and powerhungry woman. After saving the world, she began coveting stronger and more powerful magic, until eventually, Milicis had to put her down in her old age. And so, the poor girl became a scapegoat. She didn¡¯t know anything, of course. She was just a poor commoner whose mother and father worked day and night to keep her in this school. Renee came to her defense, saying proudly to her teachers, friends, and the principal that she couldn¡¯t have done it. That they were all mistaken. If it were not for Renee¡¯s noble status, she would¡¯ve been hanged as well. Eventually, Nicolas had to come to sort things out. Renee thought he would side with her. After all, he was a priest of justice! He would see that her friend did nothing wrong. Only for him to slap her in the face before giving her the scolding of her life. He told her that she should be ashamed. Not only for associating with an ¡°unclean¡± commoner but also for defending a descendant of a witch. That day, her entire world was shattered into pieces. In the end, she could do nothing as her brother suggested the biggest punishment for her friend. She was no longer to be hanged. Instead, she was to be burned alive. Her scream that day¡­ it never left Renee¡¯s mind. ¡­ When Myrilla finished her story, all Felicia could do was stare coldly at the broken man in the corner of the room. Whatever sympathies she had for him had disappeared. Instead, she was now willing to kill him herself. But, it was not her place to judge. It was her lord¡¯s place. Renee¡¯s suffering is his concern, first and foremost, as her dutiful son. ¡°I see now. Where Milord got his sense of justice from.¡± Smiling, Felicia turned to face the demoness. ¡°Both his father and mother ¡ª they¡¯re all like him too. Fools who cling to their beliefs even if it means throwing everything away¡­ ¡°If only they¡¯re still alive, I would like to meet them¡­ I want them to judge whether I¡¯m worthy to be with their son or not.¡± S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°...I do not know whether you¡¯re worthy or not.¡± Myrilla answered. ¡°But, you¡¯ll have a chance to convince me you are throughout this journey. Sherry¡¯s village¡­ It''s about a year from here. It¡¯s far to the southeast of the continent.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Felicia replied, before pouting. ¡°Hmph, as if you¡¯re his aunt or something. I don¡¯t think you share that sense of justice that they have.¡± ¡°...No. I do not.¡± ----------- The duo continued to wait until Tira and the others finally returned. Once they did, Myrilla introduced herself immediately. They didn¡¯t tell them everything, of course. No time for that. They simply gave the abridged version, that Myrilla was an old acquaintance of Hugo¡¯s parents and that she would be their guide to Sherry¡¯s village. And that the crazed priest over there was Hugo¡¯s uncle. After they were finished, they departed for the dungeon immediately, not caring that it was already nighttime outside. When they made their appearance, the guards and the adventurers there promptly kept their distance. Even after two months of their disappearance, and the town changing alliance to the demons¡¯ side, they still remembered what Felicia and her party did. Not to mention the rumors that they had struck a deal with Marlene. Or even the demons themselves. Some even said they were agents of the demons, here to assess the strength of the adventurers here before the war. Luckily for them, Marlene and her father hadn¡¯t announced their supposed ¡°death¡±. They were too busy with other things like politics to bother with them. They entered the teleporter room. Now out of sight from the masses, Felicia could call upon Xaela to let the newcomers teleport straight to the 600th floor. Only for Hugo to suddenly manifested out of thin air, right above where Myrilla stood. The two crashed, with Hugo landing on top of her. Hugo sat up and looked at the face of the woman he was sitting on. "Myrilla!" --------- Hugo Without hesitation, I gave her a hug. I didn''t know why. I just felt a strong urge to do it. I knew I wasn¡¯t supposed to do it as Felicia was right there beside her but I still did it nonetheless. And when my face was buried in her chest, I whispered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I felt a hand resting on my hand. I looked up and released my arms. I was now sitting on top of her. The hand was hers, of course. She sat up as well, her face completely unreadable to me. Was she angry? Sad? Or was that pity I saw behind her eyes? And then, she slapped me. And again. And again. She didn''t say anything. She only sent the message telepathically. She then stood up. With a tiny smile, she offered me her hand. And just like that, she had forgiven me. I was ready for her to chew me out but I was let off scot free. I grabbed her hand, standing up with a nervous smile on my face. "Now, where''s that elf? Felicia also told me about her. And about this Goddess.¡± Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, right. She needs to give you permission to remember as well." And then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed him¡ªa man that definitely did not belong in our group whatsoever. He seemed to be a priest of some sort, judging by his attire. His eyes were going all over the place. Clearly he wasn¡¯t right in the head. "Umm, who is that?" I pointed at him. Before I could get an answer, we were all teleported away. When the light receded, we were back on the 501th floor. To be more precise, back to where I had my training with Xaela. And she was there, of course, watching as we teleported in. ¡°Alright, who¡¯s that man? And why are you teleporting him as well?¡± I asked Xaela as I gestured to the mad priest. ¡°That man is your uncle,¡± she answered. ¡°It seemed Fate had conspired to deliver him to you. Perhaps the Heavenly Dragon wished for you two to meet.¡± ¡°M-my uncle?¡± My heart skipped a beat. ¡°I¡¯ll explain,¡± Myrilla interrupted. ¡­ When her explanation was over, I could only look at the man with a mixture of disgust and pity. Myrilla told me everything, how he drove Mother away. And how he had acted callously over the years, burning people in the stakes as an Inquisitor. Just like how he burned Mother''s friend. Myrilla had dug up his every memory. I walked up to him. "Uncle. I''m sorry. I couldn''t protect your sister." "S-sister? Whaaatt? What do you meannnn? My sister???? My cute little sister???!! Did a demon get to her too?!!!" He was dancing on the spot, laughing. "Yes. A terrible ice demoness killed her." I looked away. "...Ah¡­ hahahaha¡­. Ahahahahaha!" He grabbed his head with both hands, crying and laughing at the same time. "My sister¡­. Don''t worry! I''ll come to your side right now!" And then, he ran away. "Myrilla. Don''t stop him. Let him go." I glanced sharply at her. "You told me that there''s no restoring his mind, right? Then, this should be his end." Myrilla flinched, perhaps surprised by my order. But she said nothing, only nodding in return. "Milord, are you sure you''re just going to¡ª" "Yes. We can''t take him with us. Or rather, I don''t want to." I gave Felicia a dry smile. I then used Wind Step to look at the man from above. Sure enough, he was running straight to a monster. A man-eating rafflesia. It would masquerade as a normal plant before leaping at you in a split second. "DEMONS! DEVILS! I''LL CLEANSE YOU FROM THIS EARTH!" Those were the last words he said before the monster swallowed him whole. ¡­ Afterwards, Xaela explained the truth about the Heavenly Dragon and the Goddess to Myrilla. It was all we had heard before but it was nice to get a recap. Though I noticed she hid a little fact from her. About me retaining my memory from my old life. She simply said that my soul came from another world. And judging by how she had treated me, Felicia hadn¡¯t told her about it either. Myrilla then asked a few questions that Xaela readily answered. And at the end, of course, she accepted her offer to keep her memory of the truth. "To be honest, I can scarcely believe everything you say. Hugo being an Unchained One, his parents'' death being a result of Her manipulations, and the truth about the Church¡­ but I do not sense falsehood within you. And if your tale is the truth, then it''s more important for me to stick with him. So yes. Let me keep this memory. And tell your artificial God that he had made a grave mistake, hiding the Goddess from the world like this." Such were the words she uttered. And so, Xaela lifted the restriction on her as well. There was one more thing I was curious about however. ¡°Oh yeah, about the Demon Lord¡­ where is she now? Has she fought Isolde yet?¡± ------------- Isolde ¡°Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ you really are¡­ a worthy opponent¡­¡± The swordmaster was now standing in a pant, her blade covered entirely in jet black blood. And in front of her was a corpse ¡ª of a gigantic black and red nine-tailed fox. She had won. But not without injuries of her own. Her clothes were torn to pieces, with gashes and scars all over her body. One hand was covering her abdomen, pressing the wound to keep her blood from escaping. ¡°Still¡­ what an annoying¡­ little fox¡­ you only rely on your illusions¡­ in direct combat¡­ you never stood a chance¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fortunate I have learned to cut through such trickery, no matter how thick they were... Thank you¡­ Father¡­ for the sword technique¡­¡± ¡°Now¡­ I just need to¡­ recover these¡ª¡± She paused. She noticed it. A small movement coming from the fox¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ still alive? Heh¡­ demon vitality really is something else¡­¡± ¡°...Human¡­ that technique¡­ I¡¯ve heard of that technique before¡­ My father¡­ on his dying bed¡­ told me the Hero used it¡­ killing him in the process¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Is that so? Your grandfather¡­ he¡¯s one of the Demon God¡¯s generals one thousand years ago¡­ Interesting¡­ Yes, it¡¯s the same technique¡­ Our Order learned it from him after all¡­¡± ¡°I can feel it¡­ the gears of this world turning once more¡­ the Demon God¡­ he¡¯s returning back to us¡­ to wage war on humankind once more¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.. I¡¯ve heard that one before..¡± Isolde grinned. ¡°And I¡¯ll be one of the new heroes that will fight him.¡± The fox laughed weakly. ¡°You¡­ will never win¡­ The new Demon God¡­ is not someone¡­ you can put to the sword¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­ really¡­ Then¡­ I''m looking forward to it even more¡­" With another slash, she ended the Demon Lord''s life. ************* A/N: By the way, next Patreon chapter is about Hugo and Sherry doing it. Finally. Vol 4 Chapter 48: Hugo Does Not Forget Hugo "She won. She is now recuperating, nursing the wounds she has received in the fight." Xaela answered. "Oh, really? That''s good to hear." I smiled. "You know, I kinda wish I could learn a thing or two about swordplay with her." "No, she told me she wasn''t in the business of taking apprentices. In fact, she told me that I should tell you to grow strong on your own. ''Like a real man'' she said." "Oh. Well, that''s a shame." S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You should hurry, Hugo Greenwood. Reunite with the girl named Sherry and then return to your sisters. The Goddess'' calamities¡­ it might reach them too." "... You''re right. I should hurry. Still, with how large the world is, even if I want to hurry¡­" "The incoming conflict of humans against demons should take her attention. She wants the Cycle to fail. That''s her biggest goal right now. Tormenting you should hopefully come secondary." "Speaking of that," Myrilla suddenly spoke. "The Demon God. Is it Balthazar?" Xaela shook her head. "I do not know. I cannot access that information. I don''t know the Chosen Heroes either. I only know Isolde is one by examining her personally." "Do you think this is the Goddess'' doing? Or is it the Heavenly Dragon''s will?" I asked. "... It''s the former. In the previous Cycles, I can always access that information." "Damn. So the Goddess is really planning something." "It can be Balthazar," Myrilla argued. "If he refuses to invade the human continents, then the Dragon won''t get his heroic conflict that fuels his power." I fell silent. Balthazar, the Demon Lord of Wisdom. He had taken over the human city-states and he would be in the perfect position to launch a full scale invasion of the Holy Continent. I remembered what that fox demon said. He wanted to see how humans would react to suffering. Someone like that ¡ª he should invade, right? Another way you can break the Hero vs Demon Lord trope is by corrupting the Hero early on. If the humans were to see their savior going to the other side, they might just abandon the Church¡¯s faith entirely. Especially if the Demon Lord is the reasonable type. Another option is to make the Heroes be even more evil than the Demon Lord. Then the people would lose faith in the god that had manifested them. Oh well, like Xaela said, it isn¡¯t my job to worry about this. I just need to survive and thrive. Me and my family. Now that everything was taken care of¡­ It was finally time for us to depart. ¡°Are you sure you really, really don¡¯t want to come with us, Xaela? Being here all alone must be boring.¡± ¡°I will be fine. I have lived here for thousands of years. I can live here a thousand more. It is my purpose. It is what my Master wanted.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t your Master want you to help me though?¡± She paused. ¡°That only applies if you don¡¯t already have your own companions. But if you do, I was told to not involve myself.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s an odd order.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped then,¡± Felicia interrupted with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to be the one to protect him.¡± ¡°Well, good luck then. Stay safe. And thank you for everything. If it weren¡¯t for you, well¡­ you know what would¡¯ve happened.¡± With a grin, I offered her my hand. She responded, shaking it firmly, with a hint of a smile under her expressionless face. And thus ended our stay at the Starswept Observatorium. I can only hope that one day, I can meet her again. -------------- Before I could depart for Sherry¡¯s village, however, there was one last person I needed to check on. Victoria. I asked Felicia about it and there was no news about her. So we just made our way to her mansion to check on her personally. Myrilla begrudgingly approved, though she demanded we did it quickly. She was already informed of her by Felicia. On the way, Felicia noted the new staff I now held in my right hand. ¡°It suits you, Milord,¡± she said to me. Theo looked like he wanted to touch it but he didn¡¯t ask for it. I still found it sad that Marina¡¯s wand was destroyed but I was never a guy that cared much about such sentimentalities. Ultimately, it was just a store-bought wand. And I wouldn¡¯t hold a grudge to Isolde for cutting it into two. Still, I kept both halves in my dimensional storage. As a good luck charm. Soon, we arrived at the mansion. And ooh boy, the guards didn¡¯t look happy in the slightest. ¡°You! But you¡¯re supposed to be dead! How are you still alive?¡± They naturally scrambled into a panic at our sight. They drew their swords, their spears, their staves ¡ª all useless against us, of course. And they knew that, for they didn¡¯t try to stop us. They made way as I blasted the front gate open with a spell. They knew they were outmatched. An alarm sounded, the sound of a bell ringing frantically back and forth. And then, the mansion¡¯s magic defense activated itself, manifesting in the form of three golems blocking our path. One was made out of the fountain¡¯s water. The other was made from the soil in the gardens. And the last one was made from the trees. Elemental golems. How cute. I froze the water one, I burned the wooden one, and I sent the earthen one flying all the way to the outside of the city. And then, I broke the front door. Only to be greeted by Victoria¡¯s bitch sister. ¡°Y-you survived¡­ H-how¡­ I thought she had disposed of you.¡± She was, naturally, taken by surprise by my appearance. But she was already ready for a fight. A Wind Barrier separated us. And an army of butlers and maids, including the old coot that greeted us before. ¡°Yeah, your Demon Lord messed up. And now she¡¯s dead.¡± I smirked. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m only here to speak with Victoria.¡± ¡°S-she¡¯s gone. She has left for Ixon. She¡¯s to be wed with one of the Demon Lord¡¯s princes.¡± I frowned. ¡°You forced her, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°N-no, not at all! She did it out of her own will! She wants to be useful! And so she now has the duty of being the bridge between humankind and demonkind!¡± The woman smiled. A forced, nervous one, of course. Still, it was a smile I would very much like to wipe off her face. If only Victoria allowed me to harm her¡­ I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Felicia¡¯s. "This is her choice. We''ve offered our help yet she refused. If she wished to be the wife of a demon prince, then so be it." She then turned to face the bitch sister. "And if she has any sense, she''ll influence the Demon Lord to favor her over you." The woman laughed. "Ha! As if she can do that!" "Really?" Felicia smirked. "Maybe with her husband''s influence, she''ll stop being your puppet. And then, one day, before you know it, she''ll tie a noose around your neck." This actually gave her pause. "Well, that''s it for our visit. We''ll be leaving your nice little town now." I smiled. "Y-you think I''ll just let you all walk away?" She yelled, her face now looking haggard. "Really? You''re going to fight? You might be a Grandmaster-level mage but you''re a joke compared to those guys in the Magocracy. Here. Let me demonstrate." I reached out with my left hand and dispelled her wind barrier in a blink of an eye. ¡°W-what?! How did you¡ª¡± I wasn¡¯t finished. I cast a Wind spell¡ª And shredded her dress, along with the dresses of all the maids there. ¡°Kyaahh!¡± ¡°Hyaahh!¡± The bitch sister didn¡¯t scream like her maids. Instead, she just hurriedly covered her large breasts with her right arm while hiding her womanhood with her left hand. ¡°See? You¡¯re a frog in a tiny pond, little lady. You are never a threat to me. If I so choose, I can destroy this city and there would be nothing you can do to stop it. If I can defeat a Demon Lord, what chance do you have against me?¡± "Y-you!" I spared a glance towards the head butler and his male subordinates. Not a single of them looked like they were willing to start a fight. A wise choice. And the old man¡­ was that a smile I saw on his face? Victorious, we left the mansion. With not a single soul stopping us. Only after we passed through the ruined gates that Myrilla spoke her mind. "That woman¡­ She treated her sister horribly." "I know." I smiled wryly. "Yet said sister still wants to be with them. My hands are tied.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand.¡± I froze. ¡°A-are you certain?¡± I whispered. She spoke with me through telepathy. Perhaps she didn¡¯t want Theo to hear the grisly details, deeming him too young for such a knowledge (even though he wasn¡¯t that much younger than me). I chuckled grimly. Virtue. How funny that in this world, that simply meant virginity. I used the same excuse. That it wasn¡¯t that bad for me to do all that lewd things with Felicia since we never actually had penetrative sex. But, if a girl is forced to give a handjob or a blowjob to a man she does not like, in modern Japanese society, that girl is sullied forever. I smiled nervously towards the demoness. ----------- We departed from the city immediately under the cover of the night. The guards opened the gate for us. Just like their counterparts in the mansion, they knew better than to stop us. Normally, traveling under the stars was a bad idea in the Demon Continent. But with how many of us there were, I figured we would be safe enough. Theo, Tira, and Tama ¡ª they had become a lot stronger these past months, thanks to the dungeon. We made our way south for a few hours before we decided to rest. To make things go quicker, I conjured earth huts with my magic instead of setting up tents. And, as promised, I made my way to Myrilla''s hut to confess. "So, what do you want to talk about?" Myrilla spoke. She was sitting on the stone floor with her hands hugging her knees. "You''re not going to read my mind?" I smiled, sitting down as well. "Do you want me to?" "No. Let me do this myself." I then told her everything, emphasizing how it was a grown man who ran away three years ago. And on top of that, how when I was a baby, I would play with Renee''s breasts every day with glee and watch her get changed or be naked while having her fun time with Alan. I wanted to be scolded. I deserved to. "And that''s the gist of it." I smiled weakly. "Now, you know just how depraved I really am." Silence. The Nerthusian did not say anything. She instead only stared at me, seemingly drilling into my brain. "You wish for forgiveness? Then it shall not come from me. Ask your dead parents and sisters instead." "Does Felicia know?" I nodded. "Good. Tell Sherry when you meet her." Suddenly, she stood up. "Wait, aren''t you going to say something to me?" I rose up to me. "You must be disgusted by me now, right?" "... You''re a lecher. Just like your father. Just like the man you are in your previous life. I don''t like lechers." "But, I fell in love with your old man. And that was because of his kindness and bravery. So, as long as you become a man as kind and brave as him, I will not despise you." "Now, if you''ll excuse me, it''s my turn to take watch." She walked forward, brushing her shoulder with mine as she exited the hut. Once she was gone, a smile slowly formed on my face. That night, I meditated in my tent, ignoring Felicia completely as I trained the range of my raw mana. I already committed the method on how to more efficiently increase it, thanks to Xaela. She, of course, understood my drive to learn and did not complain in the slightest. And even when it was my turn to take watch, I continued my meditation outside. Only afterwards did I take my rest of the night. As for whether I used the Dream Crystal Xaela gave me, I did not. I was too tired to fill the necessary mana for it to function. And besides, I had yet to think up what I wanted to say to Sherry or Marina. Sherry now knew about Alan and Renee¡¯s death and I figured when I sent a dream to her, I should comfort her in some way. Though I still hadn¡¯t decided whether I wanted to tell her I had met Myrilla and how I was now heading right to her village. I kinda wanted it to be a surprise. As for Marina, I need to ask for her forgiveness as well. ...No, I think¡­ I should contact Erika instead. She deserved to be the first to hear from me. I was the one who broke my promise. I was the one who ran away. And unlike Marina, she wasn¡¯t so kind that she would not hate me for it, which I deserved. I would apologize. And I would ask if she¡¯s doing alright. I would tell her that I was doing alright as well and how I couldn¡¯t wait to meet her again and to see how much she had grown ever since I left her. ...Yes, that would be the first thing I did tomorrow night. ---------- ¡°Greetings, little one. We meet again.¡± There, I saw her, sitting on her golden throne, face veiled with blinding light. The Goddess. The True Enemy. She didn¡¯t even wait a day to make herself known to me. ¡°I see now that the curse of that dragon has been lifted from you. Congratulations. Though of course, if you had accepted my offer, you would¡¯ve awakened the truth much, much earlier.¡± There was no doubt in my mind that she was smirking behind that light. Lowering my view, I looked at the eight stakes surrounding her. Sure enough, two of the chains from said stakes had been broken. Two seals, just like Xaela said. But, I also took notice of a third chain, for there was rust and cracks in its surface. The third seal. It was going to break soon. I returned my attention to her face, putting on my most defiant expression. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m here just for a chat. Seeing how you have learned the truth of this world, I figure I¡¯ll give you my side of the argument.¡± That taunting voice. She always had been this infuriating. ¡°Not interested. You think I¡¯ll trust a sadistic goddess like you?¡± ¡°Hmm? Still mad for what I did to your family?¡± She chuckled. ¡°Ah, what a pity. It¡¯s your own fault, you know. I¡¯ve told you over and over that disaster will strike you if you don¡¯t pledge your allegiance to me. You know, I don¡¯t believe you deserve a second life. No one does. Life should be a one-shot thing, where you only have one chance to do it right. And clearly, looking at your memories, you didn¡¯t do it right at all the first time around.¡± She let out a giggle. Never before have I heard a more annoying noise. ¡°You know, the Ancients, or, as I like to call them, my naughty Firstborns¡­¡± She placed her index finger on her cheek. ¡°They¡¯re not good people at all. I think they deserved what came to them.¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Extinction. Genocide. You think they deserved those two just because they refused to obey you. You really are a tyrant, aren¡¯t you? ¡°Oh no, not at all.¡± She lowered her hand. ¡°You see, back then, it was their own weapons who wiped them off this star. To simplify it for you, taking your world¡¯s history here, imagine your world engulfed in Global Thermonuclear War, all because of the egos of the few, privileged few in charge.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Ah, peering through your memories, I see it almost happened a couple times as well in your world. How amusing.¡± ¡°Now, here, it happened. Two warring sides nuking themselves to oblivion. And who rejuvenated the land afterwards? It was me. And yet, they blamed me for it. They blamed their own failures, their foolishness, their obsession with freedom and what-not, only to end up at the pointy end of their own swords. And they had the galls to seal me with that Dragon too, right after I rejuvenated the land. They would be worshipping and thanking me instead. ¡®Oh Gaia! Thank you so much for your blessing!¡¯¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying you weren¡¯t responsible.¡± ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re catching on. Don¡¯t trust everything that girl has to say.¡± I paused. Should I trust the argument coming from a tyrannical, sadistic goddess or should I trust the argument coming from the cute, sisterly elf? ¡°Alright then. You can wake me up now. Still not interested in your offer. Especially not after what you did. Should¡¯ve played nicer. You¡¯re making your own enemies, goddess.¡± It was her turn now to pause. A flash of anger colored her face. ¡°...Ah, such arrogance. Very well. I shall let you return to your slumber. However, steel your heart, o foolish soul. For more calamities are coming your way. Whether you like them or not.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stop them. I¡¯ll protect myself and anyone I care about from you.¡± That was my oath. My promise. And I wasn¡¯t afraid to let her know that. I was done with fear. ¡°Ahahahahaha! I¡¯m sure you would! Just like you protected your mother and father!¡± With those laugh echoing in my ears, the dream disappeared. I woke up inside my tent. Morning had already come, judging by the light coming from the outside. And, just like Xaela promised, I did not forget. A/N: Hugo x Sherry chapter is finished over at Patreon! Next one will be Felicia''s! Vol 4 Chapter 49: Calamity Marina Marina¡¯s journey to the capital was a far shorter trip than she had expected. The griffins flew swiftly, with barely any rest. If only their kind was easier to tame, they would¡¯ve replaced horses a long time ago for sure. On the way, she barely had any words with her escorts. She was told to stay with the female knight but she was to have her own tent. She simply scoffed and scowled at her whenever their eyes even met for a little. And of course, she was guarded 24/7, with each member of the knight taking turns. And she was pretty sure the griffons were watching her as well, ready to gore her with their sharp claws and beaks if she were to do something she wasn¡¯t allowed to. Leaving the camp, even to have relief, was forbidden. She would need to be accompanied with a knight as she did her business. And of course, stealing back her staff was forbidden as well. No matter. They didn¡¯t know that she wouldn¡¯t really need her staff to slaughter them all. -------- They arrived at the capital early in the morning, with the griffons landing on top of the large tower the castle possessed. She was then told to wait in the guest room for the king was not ready to receive her yet. And of course, the knights would guard her there as well. When she asked them to fetch the court mage as she had a very urgent message for her, they refused. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Which was well within her expectation. That¡¯s why she sent her dryad familiar in her stead. As she sat there inside the de facto holding cell, Nysa would be there telling her everything, about what she learned about the leyline. The Magocracy¡¯s shadow loomed over this continent. It was a far more important matter than appeasing a greedy noble who couldn¡¯t stand having his business partners being killed. Oh yes, she fully expected that Duke Treble was behind this summon. Using his influence, he made the king send his griffon knights to arrest her. For now, she would play his game. -------- Nysa For a dryad, traversing through a manmade structure was almost as easy as traversing a thick forest. Her mistress had summoned her secretly, behind one of the many doors she passed by as she descended from the tower she landed on. She commanded her to deliver a message to a certain person. And stealth was the order of the day. She was not to expose her presence to anyone except to the recipient of her message. And so she transformed herself into a small tree, using her tiny yet extremely lengthy roots to find her way to the arcane laboratory where the court mage should exist. However, she didn''t need to in the end. The woman sensed her presence and stopped her in the castle grounds. She then forced her to manifest in front of her. "What is this? What might Marina Archimond''s pet be doing, scurrying around like a little rat?" Her smile was frightening. She could never like this woman. "A-ah, Miss Cecilia! I have an urgent message for you from Lady Marina!" Cecilia raised her eyebrows. "An urgent message?" "It involves the leylines, Miss! It''s¡ª" The court mage covered her mouth with her hand. "Not here. We''ll speak at my place." Such a sensitive information¡­ they couldn''t possibly talk about it out in the open. ---------- Inside her laboratory, in front of her and her subordinates, Nysa told them everything. She told them how her mistress had successfully tapped into the leyline of the continent and how she had discovered how there was a gigantic magic circle that could draw into all that power. She also told them about her mistress''s concern that the Magocracy would use all that power for something nefarious. Not to mention the fact that without the leyline''s power, disasters would strike due to a massive imbalance of mana, followed by the land dying, leading to mass starvation, which would surely lead to war. A calamitous event. An act that rivaled the evil of the Demon God himself. When she finished, the laboratory was silent. No one really knew what to say. They had considered it as a possibility, of course, but to be confronted by it so bluntly was, to put it simply, another matter entirely. "I see." Cecilia was the first to speak. Her expression was grave, as if she just saw a ghost a minute ago. "Stay here. Speak to my assistants on the details. I''ll fetch your mistress. Dealing with her arrogance will have to wait. Really, I''ve told her not to do anything rash. And she slaughtered a merchant caravan and stole the merchandise. What did she think would happen? Now I have to be the one sorting out her mess." She threw her hands up in the air before making her way to the exit. Her hand reached for the door handle¡ª She gasped. Her eyes widened. Her head rolled. --------- Marina "Announcing the arrival of Lady Marina Archimond!" Guards opened the oaken door, revealing Marina standing behind it. She was not alone. The griffon knights were there as well, standing behind her. After all, they couldn¡¯t let a dangerous person like her be alone with the king. Not with the most elite knights guarding him. Marina looked up, unflinching at the fact that her fate hinged on this meeting. Or rather, she believed that no matter what happened, she would still be able to get out of it. These people¡­ they were no match for her. Not when she was already a Grandmaster-level mage. The king was there, sitting on his throne. A grave look was drawn on his youthful face, adding a few wrinkles that weren''t usually there. Was he disappointed? Angry? Whatever it was, she couldn¡¯t care less. A king that would side with slavers was a king she wanted nothing to do with. Standing beside him was the leech himself, Duke Treble. Unlike his Lord, the Duke had a smile on his face. A disgusting, fetid smile, but a smile nonetheless. Still the same unloveable, toad-like face. Still the same gaudy fashion. She walked to the middle of the room, knelt, and lowered her head. "Explain yourself." The king''s voice was firm, with a slight hint of anger. She raised her head, staring him right in the eyes. "I did what I believed was right." His eyes narrowed. "So you believe that your personal morality trumps my laws, is that it?" "Yes. Your laws are born out of interests and politics. My morality is born out of experience." "Experience?" His fingers tapped the armrest of his throne. "Ah, your little sister nearly became a slave herself. Is that it? You now despise all slavers, even if they leave you well alone." "...As the future Countess of Grandford, it is my prerogative to outlaw slavery in my land." "Ha! Look at her! The sheer nerve and arrogance! This kingdom thrives from the slave trade! It gives us the necessary labor for our public projects. Not to mention all the slave tax that fills our kingdom''s coffers. To abolish all that would be foolhardy! Nay, treacherous! You speak like those revolutionaries on the Holy Continent!¡± The Duke ended his speech with a grin, making him look even more toad-like than before. Marina¡¯s glare shifted towards him. Just like his face, his voice was unpleasant as well. The king cocked his head to the side. ¡°The revolutionaries, Lord Treble?¡± ¡°Yes, Milord." The duke bowed. "As you know, as a merchant, I have a well-oiled network of information at my disposal. And said network will bring me news from all over the world, even from faraway lands like the war-torn region of the northern Holy Continent." "And these revolutionaries¡­" The king scratched his chin. "Are they overthrowing the small kingdoms there?" "Precisely. Those bands of treacherous ruffians share many of the beliefs held by Lady Archimond here. They never respected law and order, killing whoever they deem evil. Kings, queens, princesses, even priests and priestesses ¡ª no one escaped their sickening justice. And of course, slavers were on their list as well." His words were clear. Marina was a threat. And it was best for the king to execute her on the spot. The king moved his gaze back to the criminal. "Would you overthrow me if I refuse to abolish slavery in Ferus?" Marina paused. His question was a loaded one. He was testing her. "I will not. I am not fit for your position. Erasing slavery requires much more than a decree from you." The king''s lips pursed. "All I ask is for no slave merchants to step foot in my territory. Nothing more. Nothing less." Marina knew she was no revolutionary. Nor was she a messiah of the slaves. She was not naive enough to think that slavery would just disappear if there were laws preventing it. All it would end up doing was to make it go underground, hidden away from the surface world. And that would lead to even worse things being done to the slaves. But, if she knew a slave merchant was crossing her territory, she would put a stop to it. Just because she wanted to. The king grinned. ¡°You¡¯re asking a lot, Lady Archimond. Have you not realized that your territory divides the rest of the kingdom with the north? If I were to grant your wish, the trade Lord Treble had with the north would become awfully unprofitable, due to the detour the merchants would have to take.¡± ¡°I do not care. It is his problem, not mine. In this kingdom, every noble rules their land with their own discretions. Isn¡¯t that right, Your Majesty?¡± Marina went for the offense. Now it was her turn to test him. The king glanced at the duke. ¡°Lord Treble, what do you think?¡± "Why, that''s simply a preposterous proposal! I will be ruined! Ruined, I tell you! And besides," He pointed at Marina. "Your Majesty shouldn''t entertain the idea of giving this woman anything! She had taken the lives of many for her perverted justice! All she deserves is the gallows and nothing more!" A smile formed on the king''s lips, as if he was holding a chuckle. "Lady Archimond, your response?" Marina paused. Slowly, she stood up. "The gallows shall not have me for none of your men can ever hope to put me in chains." A bright green light suddenly enveloped the room, blinding everyone present. When it receded, Marina was no longer human. She had transformed into her half-dryad form. Duke Treble fell backwards in shock. "M-monster! She''s transformed into a monster! She''s going to kill us all! "You witch!" The leader of the knights drew his sword. "Hold!" It was the voice of the king, booming across the spacious room. Silence. The panicking crowd had been pacified. "Transformation without a staff." The king chuckled. "Cecilia told me once, how that was a skill only a few mages could master. You truly are the Verdant Witch." "And this witch shall be the guardian of this kingdom. If you would let her." Another silence. And then, the king burst into a laugh. "Marina Greenwood¡­ you really are a fascinating person¡­ I see now why Cecilia told me to keep a close on you¡­" He stood up, walking down the steps towards where Marina was, his cloak swishing in the process. "Very well." He smiled. "I shall give you my pardon." "Your Majesty!" The duke protested. "You can''t possibly¡ª" "On one condition." The king raised his index finger, his smile turning into a smirk. Marina frowned. She didn''t like where this was going. "And that is?" "You''re going to use your power to launch an offensive to the northern duchies. Bring them to our negotiating table. As you should already know, they declared their independence from us some time ago. Now, I wish them to return back to our fold.¡± Murmurs broke out in the throne room. The ministers, who had yet to participate whatsoever in the conversation, began to argue with each other. The knights looked befuddled. Even the duke now had a gaping mouth on his toad-like face. ¡°Your Majesty, you want her to wage war on our stead?!¡± The knight leader spoke. ¡°Yes.¡± The king answered with a nonchalant tone. ¡°If she is as powerful as she portrays herself to be, and if she truly wishes to be of service to this country, this task is ideal for her. WIth the rogue duchies under our control once more, we would not have to fear their military aggression anymore. We could allocate our military fundings into other things ¡ª things that would benefit our citizenry more. Everyone would be better off by it. And since it is only her who wages the war, we don¡¯t have to worry about the expenses as well.¡± There it was. The thing Marina was afraid of. A command to use her magic for war. Before she could utter her refusal, however¡ª ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty!¡± A soldier broke into the room in a pant, throwing the oaken door with great force in the process. His face was as pale as snow, as if he just saw a ghost that nearly took his life. ¡°What is the meaning of this intrusion?!¡± The knight leader yelled. He would not tolerate this display of impudence! ¡°There¡ª there was a massacre! At the arcane laboratory! Everyone, including Lady Xander, is dead! That witch¡­ she had sent her demon there to slaughter them all!¡± Marina¡¯s blood froze. No response. She didn¡¯t wait. She aimed her right palm at the ceiling. Using magic, she launched a large pointed rock towards it at high velocity, piercing it, creating a hole that she could go through. As the room was covered in dust, before any of the knights could react, she leaped upwards, stretching her wooden legs like a growing tree. ¡°The witch! She escapes! Find her! Find her now!¡± There was no time to dawdle. Let them thought whatever they wanted If anything were to happen to Nysa, after she had devoted her life to her as her familiar, losing her immortality in the process... She would never be able to forgive herself. She made her way as swiftly as she could towards the arcane laboratory. It was located under one of the castle towers, near the courtyard. She slithered like a vine towards it, watching as a whole mass of soldiers were running with the weapons drawn towards the entrance. And then, she saw them ¡ª two green figures, standing side by side, surrounded by a whole contingent of guards. They were engaged in full on combat. The soldiers were hurling fire arrows and magic from the distance, combating the roots and vines they used to kill the sword-wielding soldiers that tried to cut them down. And one of said figures was none other than Nysa herself. Still no response. It was as if the psychic bond connecting them had been blocked. Or, she simply refused to listen. The other figure, however, was unfamiliar to her. Unlike the dryad, this one actually looked like a bonafide monster. It was a hulking, crooked figure, around double the size of the average human male, with long, wooden claws as its fingers. Its body was made out of twisted, curling vines. Its eyes were hollow and a giant bulb jutted out from its back. She had no idea what kind of creature it was. Nevertheless, she had to stop this. Before it was too late. She descended from the walls, landing softly on the grass. She then stabbed her fingers into the soil, transforming them into roots that would bind the two in place. The roots burst forth, right under where the two stood. They quickly wrapped themselves around their bodies in an attempt to immobilize and neutralize their threat. Only for their own manipulated vines to counter, grabbing the roots and snapping them into pieces. ¡°Ooh, Mistress Marina! So nice of you to join us!¡± Nysa waved and giggled, noticing her master standing across the field behind all the soldiers. ¡°I¡¯ve done as you told! The court mage and her ilk are no more! Now we can freely slaughter all the humans in this dump!¡± She laughed. ¡°Stop this! What are you talking about?! I¡¯ve never given you that order!¡± Anger filled Marina¡¯s voice. What in the world was her familiar saying? She looked at the creature standing beside her. Could it be that whatever that thing was, it was controlling her? But she had never heard of a familiar being mind-controlled like this. It should be impossible. A familiar¡¯s soul was connected with her master¡¯s. If some sort of hypnosis were to be used on one of them, the other would be able to snap it out of them in an instant. ¡°Look, the witch! The witch is here! Attack! Attack the master!¡± The soldiers, now noticing her presence, quickly decided she was the bigger threat. Of course. It was only logical, If she were the monsters¡¯ mistress, then killing her would neutralize the monsters as well. Before they could attack, Marina countered by forming a protective wall around herself with a curtain of bamboo. It was impenetrable. Not even dozens of swords, spears, arrows, and spells hitting it could pierce through. Inside the curtain, Marina dug down into the earth. Her plan was to drag both Nysa and the unknown monster down with her by creating a sinkhole. That way, they could all retreat and run away from the castle. If they stayed here for much longer, the griffon knights would come and she would have to fight them. She would rather not, as doing so basically meant she was declaring war against the kingdom itself. Now of course, she was confident she could take them on in a fight, but that would mean she would do something her grandfather would surely disapprove of. The kingdom would fall into chaos, perhaps even a civil war. Everything would become a lot worse thanks to her. She didn''t want that. She wasn''t a selfish mage like the Magocracy''s Council after all. Once she was in position, she channeled her mana into an earth and water hybrid spell, turning the soil into soft mud in an instant. The two didn¡¯t expect it in the slightest, losing their balance as their legs sunk into the earth, all the way up to their waist. With her enlarged, elongated branch-like hands, she reached out from the muddy ground and grabbed them both. She then opened a tunnel with her earth magic and slithered as quickly as she could, utilizing her root legs to propel her forward while keeping her grasp on the two creatures as tightly as she could. Here, she could just bury the unknown monster alive, but there was a good chance it could very well survive, since it was another plant monster like her dryad. Thus she had to bring it along, even though she could feel it gnawing at her claws. She resurfaced at the outskirts of the city. After making sure that there were no farmhouses around, she dragged the two creatures out from the ground. She separated Nysa and the creature. She didn¡¯t release her grip on the former, as there was a possibility she would come to the rescue of her ¡°friend¡±. She summoned a large flower, larger than the average human. The stem attached itself to the ground, with no actual plants following it. From the base of its petals, it fired a cold wave at the plant creature. The monster screamed, a hallowing noise escaping from its mouth. Every inch of its body was soon swallowed by the ice. And then, Marina crushed him to a million pieces. She turned her gaze to Nysa, moving her closer to where she was. "Aaw, why did you kill him? He''s just a harmless fairy-hunter!" "Fairy-hunter?" Marina paused. That name¡­ she had heard of it before. She remembered. It was one of the many species of feys she learned in her summoning class back at the Academy. It was a creature that would hunt fairies and eat them. Where did it come from? There shouldn''t be any fairies nearby. And Marina certainly didn''t bring out her fairy. No, it didn¡¯t matter. What mattered first and foremost was making sure her familiar regained her senses. She reached forward and shook the dryad¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Nysa, snap out of it! Who is that creature? And why did you attack the soldiers? Who gave you the command?!¡± ¡°It was me. I gave her the command.¡± Marina turned in a flash. There, a familiar girl in a dress stood with folded arms and a smirk on her face. ¡°You¡­ Duke Treble¡¯s daughter?!¡± All of a sudden, a powerful headache assaulted her head. Her hands instinctively went to her head, trying to abate the pain however she could. ¡°Do not resist. This is the blessing of the Goddess. She has gifted me with the ability to bind any magical creature into my will. And yes, that includes you, in your half-dryad form.¡± Marina screamed. She exerted every will of her body, of her own soul, to resist her influence. She reached her hands towards her, fully intending to skewer her with either her branches or magic, whichever were faster. It did not work. She could no longer control her body. Even changing her form back to pure human was impossible. She fell to her knees, still screaming in agony. She remembered this. She remembered how this felt. The hopelessness¡­ the fear¡­ the rage¡­ all that were still fresh in her mind. Vera Marjoram¡­ the gnome witch¡­ she had defeated her and kidnapped her against will¡­ And now, this¡­ this girl¡­ she¡­ by some manner of magic she had no inkling about¡­ was doing the same to her¡­ Slowly, methodically, Lilian walked closer to her. Her smirk had transformed into a victorious smile. It was the same hateful smile that Vera once wore. ¡°She was right. She told me that as long as I followed her instructions, everything would go as I wanted. I sent that horrible creature to kill Miss Cecilia and her underlings at the precise time she told me to and there was your familiar. I controlled her too, baiting you to transform. And then she told me to wait here, for you to come out as a half-dryad. She really is the Goddess of Fate.¡± ¡°Now, everyone in this kingdom would be safe from you. And I shall finally be free of my horrible father.¡± ¡°What¡­ you¡­ what are you talking about?¡± To her surprise, she could still move her mouth and tongue to speak. Still smiling, Lilian placed her right hand on Marina¡¯s head. ¡°Stay still. Soon, the Calamity will begin. And this kingdom shall be reborn with it!¡± ¡°C-Calamity?¡± Lilian did not need to answer. An earthquake. It struck the world around her in an instant, deafening and blinding her by its overwhelming roar. Her gaze traveled towards the capital walls. She saw with horror how they began to unravel one by one, stone by one. Screams of the citizens could be heard from a distance as their houses collapsed on top of one another. Lilian sat down, now giving Marina an unwanted hug. She held her close, resting her head on her bosom, patting her shoulder in a comforting manner. ¡°The Goddess says that this Calamity covers the entire continent.¡± Her voice dropped to a whisper. ¡°Something to do with whatever the mage country in the south has planned. My role is to guide my beloved prince in the upcoming dark times. Wars will break out. Starvation and famine as well. This kingdom will be challenged like never before.¡± ¡°And so, I need you, Marina Greenwood, as my right hand woman. You will protect this kingdom from her enemies with that powerful magic of yours. You will help me, right? You love this kingdom too, don¡¯t you? Or was it all a lie?¡± Marina could not answer. Even speech was too much for her now. Tears. All she could do now was to silently weep. Weep at her own defeat. All that training¡­ all that research¡­ was for nothing. ¡°Oh, do not cry. I promise you. Everything would be fine. Well, maybe not. The Goddess didn¡¯t tell. But I wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone without any good reason. All I wanted was for a worm like you to not ruin my life. You flirting with the Prince like that when he¡¯s supposed to be my fiance ¡ª my ticket to freedom ¡ª it¡¯s simply unforgivable.¡± The earthquake didn¡¯t last long. When it died down, the capital was in ruins. And some of the surviving buildings were burning, no doubt from dropped oil lanterns. ¡°Now, stand up. We have a kingdom to save.¡± She was trapped. Her half-flesh half-wood body moved on its own without her controlling it. She wasn¡¯t even granted the mercy of unconsciousness. She had to watch every single second of her body being puppeteered by her. The Goddess. She said that word multiple times. It was the person who gave her this unknown magic. She was no agent of the Magocracy. She was sent by another. Who? Who would do this to her? She could only imagine the Magocracy being the one in possession of such terrifying magic. If there was another¡­ then she would be as powerful as them. Or even more. Her legs moved. They were now walking towards the city with Lilian walking on the front and Nysa walking behind her. ¡°Oh, by the way, thanks to you still being half-human, I can¡¯t make you autonomously obey my command like your familiar.¡± Lilian glanced at her and wagged her finger. ¡°See how she¡¯s smiling? I transformed her thoughts to fit what I want. You, on the other hand, have to suffer, being a prisoner inside your own flesh. Sorry about that.¡± Marina did not reply. She simply gazed to the distance with an empty, lifeless gaze. As for her soul¡­ It screamed. ------------- A/N: Yeah, apologies, Marina fans, for doing this to her twice. But in better news, I''ve finished writing the xxx chapter between Hugo and Felicia in Patreon! Vol 4 Chapter 50: Erika’s Misery Mira "Ah¡­ so this is how it feels to be whole again¡­ Oh, how I missed this¡­" Mira smiled, twirling Freyja''s body around as she basked in the return of her other half. The ritual had succeeded. She had opened the gate and retrieved her wandering soul from the soulstream. Half a soul could not reincarnate so there was no worry of it not being there. She was standing in the middle of a massive magic circle, still softly gleaming from the power it just channeled. It was similar in structure to the one Felicia once constructed, only this one was a lot more refined. It tapped into the continent''s leyline for its power source and that added to the complexity of its construction. In fact, it took the Magocracy years to draw the extension of the circle, so it would cover the entire leyline network. And it required much research and experimentation beforehand, utilizing enormous amounts of magic crystals. "Your idea worked flawlessly, Monas Vehta. Congratulations." Mira smiled. "Thank you for your kind words, Master Mira." The old man bowed. He and his Council compatriots were also there, naturally. They had watched as she performed the ritual, opening the gate to the soulstream, and dragged the other half of her soul from it. The old man grinned. How could he not? Years of his research had borne fruit, bringing back their savior ¡ª the Mother of all magic. All those sacrifices¡­ the crystal plague he unleashed in his territory¡­ all those horrific things he did was for the sake of today. The plague spreading was a display that his "infection" of the leyline was working. He had drawn a magic circle the size of his entire territory, using a complex magic tool that injected mana into the leylines, manipulating them to his will. And then, with all those crystals, he could perfect the machine, creating a continent-spanning magic circle without anyone knowing. "Master Mira." Selendia was the next to speak, a frown displayed clearly on her face. "Might I be excused? I would like to return to my province. That earthquake¡­ even with the wards I had put, it could have caused significant damage." They all had been warned. How the ritual could cause a continent-spanning disaster due to the sudden drop in the leyline''s mana flow. That''s why they had set up wards to limit the damages, at least in their major, important cities. Still, it was all worth it. Even if it meant making the citizens of the Magocracy suffer. And besides, thanks to their magic, rebuilding would be easy. "Of course, Selendia." Mira nodded, still retaining her smile. "You and the others should tend to your territories. Leave me here for a while as I flex these magical muscles again." "Thank you, Master Mira." The mage bowed. One by one, the Council members left, leaving the room and the World Dungeon it was located in. Only one figure remained. Mira turned to face her, clasping her hands before her chest. ¡°Master, what do you think? Since you didn¡¯t make any move to stop me, that means you agree with this, don¡¯t you?¡± Ilmyhrra was glaring, a clear look of distaste was drawn on her face. ¡°Now that you are whole again, what do you want to do? You wish to free the Goddess?¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Hmm, what do you think?¡± Mira tilted her head with a smirk, pressing one finger to her chin. Ilmyhrra¡¯s frown grew even deeper. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you want? For the lies of the Heavenly Dragon to be shattered forever?¡± ¡°Hmm, true. That creature really needs to learn its place.¡± ¡°Well, I suppose I¡¯ll just have to invade the Holy Land then.¡± Ilymhyrra''s expression turned grim, to the point of hostility. "...You will be destroyed. Their Saint can use the same magic that Milicis used. You know what that means, right?" Mira laughed. "Oh yes. How many times have we been saved by it?" She rested her hands on her hips. ¡°I still remember those times. As much as you might think otherwise, Master.¡± A small sigh escaped Mira¡¯s lips. "For now, I shall bide my time. Until the day I can conquer that spell." She turned to face the high elf. "And you, Master, shall be there to see it." ------- Erika ¡°Umm, let¡¯s see here¡­ this goes here¡­ that goes there¡­¡± It had been a week or so since Marina left for the capital, due to some ¡°business¡± she had to do as a grown up. Hmph, and here she thought that she cared about her the most. At first, the young girl hated her for it ¡ª she didn¡¯t even say goodbye to her! ¡ª but eventually, after much persuasion from Henrietta and Lorry, that¡¯s her own personal maid, she came around. They were right. Her sister was an amazing person after all. And amazing people like her had no time to waste being around people like her. And so, she buried herself in her runemancy. If she became really good at it, then her sister would pay attention to her a lot more for sure! ¡°Wow, you really are a bookworm, aren¡¯t ya? Studying already this early in the morning? Man, no wonder Father kept saying that I should be more like you.¡± Erika¡¯s heart skipped a beat. There he was, standing right in front of her window, his hands casually resting behind his head, and with that stupid grin on his face. Roland Archimond. Her archenemy. ¡°You!¡± She bolted out of her chair and ran towards him. ¡°What are you doing in my room? In fact, how did you even get in in the first place?¡± ¡°Easy. I climbed through the window, of course.¡± He gestured behind him. "But enough about that." He grabbed her hands. "Let''s go on a date!" Blushing, Erika yanked her hands free. "A-a date? I don''t want any dates with a boy like you!" "Aw, don''t be like that!" He kept his grin, even after her quick rejection. "I want to show you something cool! I''ve learned this new spell and I''d like you to see it!" "Get out!" She glared at him, pressing her index finger to his chest. "I don''t want to see your stupid face!" He chuckled, putting his hands in his pocket. "You know, you really are cute, Erika. Even when you''re angry. I''m glad you''ll be my future wife." "Are you still going on about that?! I''m never going to be the wife of a perverted, bully of a boy like you!" Her blue eyes were now inches away from his. She had been yelling right in front of his face. She was sick of him; sick of his antics, sick of his shenanigans, and she wanted nothing more to do with him. He, however, disagreed. In one swift move, before she could respond, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in for a kiss. "Mmmmhh!" Erika''s eyes widened. And then, she pushed him away and slapped him on the cheek. "How dare you?! That''s it! I''ll kill you right here, right now!" She grabbed her book from the nearby table and began to scroll through its pages. Of course, she wasn''t actually going to kill him, but she was going to hit him so hard he wet his pants and cried for his mommy! Only, it never happened. As in that moment, the Calamity struck. A powerful earthquake hit the room like a hammer, sending both her and Roland to the floor. "Aaahhhh!" The entire room shook and rattled, with the sound of paintings, vases, and lamps crashing over one another. A large thundering thump soon followed as the bookshelf in the room fell over as well. Erika screamed, burying her face to her lap. Tears were flowing out her eyes as terror filled every bone of her young body. She had never experienced something like this before. And for a mere six, soon-to-be-turning-seven girl, it was just too much. She couldn¡¯t think. She could barely breathe. She felt as if the world around her was crumbling. Warmth filled the insides of her skirt as she lost control over her bladder. Even though she had graduated from such a thing a long time ago. She began shouting the name of her sister over and over, begging her to save her. Roland wasn¡¯t faring any better. His white pants were soaked as well. However, he remembered what his father said. That as a man, it was his duty to protect the woman he cared about. And that if he cared about Erika, then he should stop teasing her and start treating her well like a gentleman would. And so, when he saw the ceiling begin to crack, he knew what he had to do. He stood up, chanted his Wind magic, and created a miniature cyclone, in the hope that it could protect them both from the falling debris. But, it was in vain. He was no Hugo Greenwood. His wind was weak and ineffectual. When a piece of a ceiling fell, it was heavy enough that it crushed his wind in an instant. It hit his head, splitting it open before landing on top of Erika''s legs. The boy fell, his bloodied head landing right on top of Erika''s lap. "R-run¡­ you must¡­ run¡­ from here¡­" His last words didn''t reach her ears. The debris had landed on her legs and she had fainted from the pain. He reached his hands forward, praying that he could shake her back to consciousness. Only for him to stop moving. Ten seconds. It was all it took for his brain to die from its wound. Roland Archimond had died. And he died protecting his beloved -------- When Erika regained her consciousness, she was no longer inside the mansion. Her eyes were staring at the gloomy sky. It was early in the morning and yet, the sun was nowhere to be seen. Only layers upon layers of black clouds. She could hear the sounds of yelling, far away at a distance. Other than that, there was only an eerie silence. No birds, no winds, nothing. Only the smell of smoke and ashes remained. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake! Thank goodness!¡± She moved her head to the side. There, she saw a familiar face. It was the hobbit girl who was a friend of Marina¡¯s. Her name was¡­ Sophie Bramblewood, if she remembered correctly. Her eyes were¡­ wet. Why were they wet? ¡°Don¡¯t move! Your legs¡­ they¡¯re seriously wounded!¡± Her legs? ¡­ Well, that was odd. She couldn''t feel anything down there. Groggily, she sat up, her eyes looking down at her lower abdomen. Bandages covered both of them. Her shoes and socks had been removed, allowing her to see her bare feet. ... And then, she remembered. She remembered the earthquake. She remembered the ceiling falling on top of her. She remembered how Roland tried to protect her, only to fail. She remembered how she passed out from the pain. ¡­. Her eyes widened, her pupils dilated, and her heartbeat rose. She tried to move the toes on her feet. No response. She tried to move her ankles. No response either. And of course, when she tried to stand up, she fell in an instant. "N-now, Erika, don''t you mind that. I-I''m sure that in time, you''ll recover fully. For now, you should just calm down and¡ª" "Aaaaahhh. Uwaaaahhhhh!" Erika cried. She cried and cried and cried. She cried like she had never cried, yelling on top of her lungs as she tried desperately to move her legs, using her hands in the process. And then, she passed out, the shock knocking her back to unconsciousness. And all Sophie could do was to catch her body before it hit the ground. -------- Sophie Before the earthquake happened, the hobbit merchant was on route to the mansion. She had just returned from the south, bringing with her a caravan worth of goods to sell. Her plan was to stay in the region for a few months, emptying her inventory in the process. She would then fill said caravans with the local herbs and plants that Marina grew before returning south to sell them all there. She just finished her negotiation with the Farmer''s Guild, soon to be the Agricultural and Farming Guild with its widening scope of business. She also had a meeting with the Merchant''s Guild, making them agree to sell the goods she had brought in their stores. Of course, all that went out of the window immediately once the earthquake hit. She ran as fast as she could to the mansion, luckily sustaining no injuries from it as she was outside when it started. Behind her were her two lizardkin assistants, and they were rushing to catch up with their hobbit employer. She could run surprisingly fast on those little feet if she wanted to. She ignored the collapsing, burning buildings around her, and the many screams for help coming from them. As selfish as it sounded, her debt was to Marina and her family, not them. She had to help them over anyone else. When she arrived at the Archimond mansion, she nearly fainted on the spot. The building was in complete and utter ruins as the second floor had collapsed into the first. Only a few walls and pillars remained standing, but barely. Gone were the old, antique-looking architecture, replaced by what was pretty much rubble. "Rudferd!" "On it, Milady!" The lizardman leapt into action, immediately clearing out the rubble one by one with his strength. He didn''t need to be asked by her mistress. He would have done the same even if she weren''t there. Sophie and Rina followed him, yelling if anyone was still alive under the rubble. Silence. No matter how much they yelled, no matter how loud, they couldn''t hear anything. Sophie''s heart sank. Surely, they couldn''t be all dead. She wasn''t normally a religious person but at this moment, she prayed to any deity out there for Marina and her family to be safe. She had suffered so much. Her heart would break if she lost her family all over again. "Oi! Over here! I found someone!" The hobbit stopped. A smile broke out on her face as relief flooded her system. She rushed to where Rudferd was. And there, in his arms, was Erika. ----------- Erika "And that''s how we found you¡­ you really are lucky that Rudferd decided to search that part of the mansion first¡­" Sophie smiled weakly, placing her hand on Erika''s shoulder. The young girl''s body was tense. And cold. Her blue eyes were bulging out of their sockets. "And the others?" Sophie shook her head. "You''re the only survivor. Everyone else¡­ didn¡¯t make it¡­ B-but don¡¯t worry! We didn¡¯t find your sister¡¯s body! She must still be alive! She¡¯s too tough to be taken out by a mere earthquake!¡± Erika didn¡¯t reply. She continued to stare at the distance, towards the ruined and burning buildings that now populated the entire city. ¡°...She wasn¡¯t here in the first place. She left for the capital one week ago. And then Grandfather and Mr. Reinhard left as well.¡± ¡°T-then, that¡¯s good news! Oh the gods must have been merciful! You two have been through so much! They won¡¯t make you suffer further!¡± Once again, the young girl did not reply. She remembered Roland, how he tried to protect her at his last moments. There, for a split second, she actually thought he was cool. And that wind magic of his¡­ It reminded her of her brother. But, he was now gone. Both of them. As for the two mothers, she only liked one of them. The blonde one always looked like she was going to scold her. Only the brunette one would pamper her, giving her candies and the like. But still, she didn¡¯t scold her son when he lifted her dress. That¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t really love her. Her gaze traveled back towards the ruined mansion. Where would they live now? ¡°Miss Sophie. I believe we should seek a doctor for Lady Erika¡¯s legs. I¡¯m worried about her wounds.¡± The lizardman spoke, breaking her reverie of thought. She looked towards him. He looked as red and scary as ever. Whenever she came to visit, she would hide behind something and watch him from afar. He was just too frightening for her. With that large jaw of his, he could eat her in one gulp! She just knew it! But now, after hearing how he saved her, she felt silly and foolish for ever believing such a thing. He might be a lizard but he was a good man. He would never eat her for sure. And then there was his little sister. She was a lizard too, but smaller and cuter. She wasn''t as afraid of her as she did with her brother. They never really played together though. She always seemed busy with one thing or another. "My wounds?" She looked at the lizardman with a questioning gaze. "Is it bad? You say it''s going to heal, right?" "O-of course, Lady Erika!" He scratched his bald head. "R-right, Miss Sophie?" "Y-yes! You''re right, Rudferd!" The hobbit smiled, nervous sweat traveling down her forehead. "All we need is either a priest or a really good alchemist!" Erika shook her head. "But with the town being destroyed like this¡­ I think I can wait. There are others who need them more than me. That''s¡­ that''s what Big Sis would do¡­" Sophie paused, her mouth slightly ajar. For such a young girl, she would never expect such mature words coming from her. She really was Marina''s sister. "Also, I¡­ need a change. If that''s possible." Erika''s cheeks were flushed. She just noticed the clammy feeling under her skirt. She must have had an accident when she fell unconscious. Rina giggled. "Don''t you worry, Miss Erika! Miss Sophie brought with her a lot of clothes to sell! She can spare one or two for you!" Erika smiled weakly at the lizardgirl before sighing. She thought she was old enough to not have accidents anymore. All those times when she troubled her sister and maid for wetting the bed¡­ she thought that was all in the past. Apparently not. And now, she had to have Rudferd carry her around, as her legs were still too weak to move her. She had yet to regain any sensation down there even. It worried her, but since he and Miss Sophie said it would heal in time, she shouldn¡¯t make a fuss about it. Not when so many people died from this disaster. She was lucky she got through with only a pair of wounded legs and a damp skirt. She was now nestled between the lizardman¡¯s muscled arms. He had carried her princess-style. Thanks to her small size compared to him, it was the most efficient way to bring her around. She looked up at Rudferd¡¯s face. He really wasn¡¯t that scary after all¡­ Suddenly, a certain warm sensation filled her chest. This sensation¡­ it was just when her big brother would carry her around¡­ ...That coward! He should just die from this earthquake! The world would be a better place without him around! He should be the one carrying her around! Not Rudferd! Hmph, at this rate, she might just make Rudferd her new older brother! He¡¯s strong, he saved her life ¡ª he might be a lizard but that didn¡¯t mean he was a bad guy! -------- Thirty seconds. Thirty seconds were all it took for the Calamity to claim an untold number of lives. Thirty seconds were all it needed to change the history of the Southwestern Continent forever. History books would mark this day as the day of the Great Earthquake. Some called it the Black Day. Others believed it was punishment from the Heavenly Dragon as the continent was never that religious compared to the Holy Continent. The truth was, of course, that the disaster was caused by the actions of the Magocracy. But the people would not know that until later. For the citizens of Ferus, the day became the turning point of their kingdom. For the king and all his griffon knights were all lost in the disaster, leaving a vacuum of power for someone else to fill. And that someone was none other than a certain Lady, who declared that she had gained divine providence. The Great Saint Milicis had come to her dreams, instructing her to save the kingdom from the upcoming disaster. Two disasters, in fact. The earthquake and the witch. Her name was Lady Lilian Treble, the new head of the Treble Noble House, as her father had perished in the earthquake as well. She had gained everything she wanted. Her freedom, her mother¡¯s freedom, and the love of the crown prince. He had no choice but to marry her after all, for the sake of the kingdom. He would be king and she would be queen. They would rule side by side into the new age. As for Marina, she was branded as a demon, an agent of chaos and destruction that would have wreaked untold destruction if not for the Holy Lady taming her. She had murdered the kingdom¡¯s court mage in cold blood. And she would have assassinated the king if she hadn¡¯t been stopped by the Holy Lady. Some said that she was responsible for the earthquake. Knowing that she had failed, she opted to take down the entire continent with her. She was a powerful witch after all. Surely, a continent-spanning magic wouldn¡¯t be out of reach for her. Of course, that conjecture only came from those who knew nothing about magic. For those who knew the subject, they only saw a lucky coincidence. She failed to kill the king but the earthquake did it for her. And now, robbed out of her will, she was now the kingdom¡¯s most powerful weapon. She would always be seen traveling with Lilian, acting as her cold, monstrous bodyguard. Her body, half flesh, half wood, was a stark sight to behold. As for how Earl Archimond, her grandfather, reacted, it would be a tale for another time. Vol 4 Chapter 51: Hugo’s Messages Hugo ¡°Hello, Erika. It¡¯s me, your big brother Hugo.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for contacting you all of a sudden like this. I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t forgiven me for what I did that day. I broke my promise. And not only that, I ran away as well, leaving you and Marina to fend on your own.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask for your apology. Not until I meet you in person. So this is just me letting you know that I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m currently in the Demon Continent, heading to where Sherry is. After I fetch her, we¡¯ll make our way to your place without delay.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m not sure that you want me intruding into your dream like this so I''ll keep it short. If you would, please tell Marina that I''m safe and healthy." "As for you, Erika, I can''t wait to see you again. You must have grown a lot." "Goodbye for now. Eat your vegetables. And be nice to your sister, alright?" ¡­ It was the second night after we left Arborea. We were now resting inside our stone huts, courtesy of yours truly. As usual, Felicia shared a room with me. In fact, she was right here beside me now, to my left. She had left me to my own devices as I concentrated on the Dream Crystal, telling it what to send. "You''re finished, Milord?" I cocked my head to the side, finding her lovely smiling face. "Yeah. Just need to sleep now." "Go on then. Send the sweet dream to your dear little sister. Don''t worry. I''ll stay on this side so you won''t get... ." I saw the twinkle in her eyes. Combined with her small smirk, it was all too obvious what she meant by that. Still, my eyes glanced down to her chest anyway. As usual, her dress straps were draped loose around her skin, giving me a peek of her breasts and nipples. I averted my gaze. I closed my eyes and relaxed my body, repeating the message over and over in my mind. And then, before I knew it, I lost my consciousness. -------- Felicia I sat up, my gaze still lingering on his crotch. I then looked down into my bosom, seeing that my nipples were hard and swollen. I stood up, fixed the straps on my dress so my nipples wouldn''t show (they were for his eyes only after all) and walked out of the hut. Only to find the sourpuss Nerthusian sitting on the campfire, looking at me as if I had done something wrong. "You do know that the kid already promised his chastity to Sherry, right? You might not actually perform intercourse with him but I''m sure she won''t be happy of you playing with his manhood." A smirk formed on my face. I sat down over the fire across her, making sure that I opened my legs slightly, showing a glimpse of my red thong to the woman. Only to annoy her a little bit more. "Oh, I know. But as his future wife, I have my rights too. And it helps him relax, you know. Behind that smile of his, he''s hiding a lot of pain ¡ª pain that a woman''s body can help, ah, what''s the term, Such a fancy word, isn''t it?" I giggled. The sourpuss, of course, disagreed. "Look at you." Her eyes narrowed in the most judgmental manner. "You think I can''t read your mind? I see your joy of stealing him away from Sherry. And your lustful thoughts for him as well. This is not about him. This is about you." "Oh, I won''t deny that. Not in the slightest." My smirk widened. "I am a jealous woman. If I could, I want him all for myself. And I enjoy sexual activities as well. But only if it involves him. He made me feel like a good and worthy woman, not a whore who gave her body to men to charm them." "You charmed him. You and your seductive wiles. Even now I can see your undergarments. And your top leaves little to the imagination as well. You might be reformed but you''re still a seductress. And you seducted him to betray Sherry." "Betray? Oh, don''t be silly. Do you know how many times we could''ve have sex? But he always refused even when his little sword was still throbbing. That man¡­ he''s as faithful as they go." I huffed, annoyance filling my chest. Sherry this, Sherry that. Milord loved her, that much was undeniable. If he was the unfaithful man this sourpuss imagined him to be, I would already feel his sword pulsating inside my womb many times. Urgh, even thinking about that made my flower wet. A sight escaped the sourpuss'' lips. "...I sometimes wonder if humans aren''t just nicer-looking orcs. You, Hugo, and that Theo kid¡­ you all have such dirty thoughts." Hearing that, I could only burst into a laugh. "What are you, a nun? Are all Nerthusian this naive like you? The desire to procreate with the opposite sex is normal in all living creatures. What matters is how you guide and satisfy such desires. Lord Hugo and I have each other while Theo has his cat. Having that desire satisfied is an important part of keeping yourself healthy, both physically and mentally. Sheesh, no wonder you have that dull look on you at all times." She could only respond with a glare. "But don''t worry! I have a temporary solution as you seek out that ideal man! I have some toys you can use to, ah, relieve yourself. I''ll even teach you how to use them!" "No." She stood up. "No? What do you mean no? Hey, don''t just walk away!" I walked over to her and blocked her path. "Look." I placed my hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "I''ve seen the way you look at Milord. I''m fine with you taking over the motherly role for him but an actual romance is out of the question. You may like his father but that doesn''t mean you should like him as well." S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A scowl formed on her face. "Idiot. I''m not you. I don''t like young boys in the slightest. Whatever ''look'' you imagined I gave to him, it was not a romantic one in the slightest. I only like Alan and no one else." She then slapped my hands away before returning back to her hut. Still standing outside, I let out a chuckle. I folded my arms. That I sat back down in front of the fire, summoning a book for me to read at my watch. It was an encyclopedia of herbs that I had bought in Arborea. Demon Continent herbs to be exact. My knowledge on them was, sadly, still quite lacking. When the cold night wind blew, I shuddered, wrapping my coat closer to my body. I sighed. Still, I continued my reading, eventually losing myself in it that I didn''t even notice the cold anymore. That night, my watch went by like a flash. ------- Erika "You¡­ you idiot! How dare you! How dare you say that to me now?! You¡­ you cowardly, no good, panty-stealing brother! Get out! Get out from my dream! I don''t want to see you ever again!" Little did Hugo know that his message came at the worst possible time. It was just a day after the disaster. Erika was now sleeping inside one of the relief tents the survivors had erected, built on the outskirts of the town. Thankfully, it wasn''t winter yet so they wouldn''t have to worry about the cold. Her legs had yet to retain their functions. A healer had checked them but he said he could do nothing to fix them. Naturally, it stressed the poor little girl who started to fear that she really would never walk again, despite Sophie''s assurance. And, there were still no words on her sister or her grandfather. For Hugo to appear out of nowhere in her dreams, with that stupid grin of his¡­ she would have slapped him if she could. When she woke up, tears wetted her cheeks. She quickly wiped them off before Sophie entered. Those tears were tears of anger. It wasn''t like she missed him or anything. Nor did she wish he was here comforting him. Not in the slightest. She didn''t say anything to the hobbit. Nor to the two lizardfolk. She kept the dream close to her chest. She wouldn''t want them to think that her brother actually cared for her! No, that scum should just disappear! After Sophie helped her dress up, she carried her piggy-back style to the outside. Despite her small stature, her strength seemed to be similar to that of an adult human woman. "Okay, Erika! Let''s go get breakfast!" The hobbit yelled, a big smile decorating her face. Hmph! How could she be so cheerful, after everything that had happened?! Outside, she was greeted by the sight of a busy, bustling camp. However, an unmistakable gloom hung over the air. Everywhere she looked, she could only find pained, distressed expressions, as the citizens of Lochestat tried desperately to cope with what had just befell them. ¡°Please, m-my children! They¡¯re still in there somewhere!¡± Looking to her left, she saw a haggard-looking woman, grabbing the arms on one of the city guards as tears streamed down her face. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am.¡± The guard shook his head. ¡°But we¡¯ve looked and there really is no one there.¡± ¡°No! You lie! They must have survived! They¡¯re smart and courageous! They would¡¯ve hidden themselves under a table o-or a bed!¡± ¡°Even so, they wouldn¡¯t have survived that. Your house¡­ there¡¯s nothing left there. It''s just rubble now. Unless they''re outside, I don''t believe they could have¡ª" ¡°Then let me go! I¡¯ll search for them myself!¡± The woman pushed the man away and bolted, quicker that he could react. However, it only took her a few steps before she tripped and stumbled down to the dirt. The guard, with furrowed eyebrows and a sorrow-filled look, chased after her and helped her get up. ¡°Ma¡¯am, please! You¡¯re too weak for that! You should just rest and¡ª¡± ¡°Rest?! You¡¯re telling me I should rest when my children are out there, waiting for me?!¡± Erika couldn''t bear it anymore. She looked away, burying her face onto Sophie''s shoulder. But, she quickly lifted her face back up as she heard two men quarreling with each other on her right. "You idiot! Put that knife down! Right now!" "I don''t care! My wife, my kids, my house ¡ª they''re all gone! I have nothing to live for anymore!" "You think this is what they want? To see you cutting your own throat? Two young men faced off against one another, one sobbing and crying as he held a knife to his throat. Erika had never seen a grown man cry like that. Once, her grandfather cried when she first met him but he said it was tears of happiness. But that man''s tears¡­ that could only be tears of sorrow. And what was he trying to do with that knife? Wouldn''t he die if he brought that knife to his throat? ¡­ Now she understood. He wanted to end his pain, his sorrow, his grief. It was like the main character of the Tragedy of Ilsa, one of the books she had read in her grandfather¡¯s library. He took his own life at the end of the story after realizing that his lover had died because of him. She asked her maid, Lorry, about it, but she just told her that good girls like her shouldn¡¯t read such a book. And now she was dead, buried under the rubble just like everybody else. ----- That day, she saw many others who were struck by the same grief. Despair hung in the air, its stench overwhelming. Some came to her, asking for her sister¡¯s whereabouts. She could only tell them that she had departed to the capital, dashing whatever tiny hope they once had. She realized just how loved her sister was by the populace. Perhaps even more than they loved her grandfather. The slaves she had set freed¡­ They offered their help in constructing a better temporary shelter, one made out of wood or stone instead of just tents. To rebuild the city, it would take many, many long years. Unless, of course, her sister was there with her earth magic. There were a handful of earth mages amongst the survivors but they were not good enough at it that they could construct houses out of it. And so, they had to make do with a temporary shelter instead. As for her own despair¡­ She shouldn¡¯t be selfish. These people¡­ they had suffered more than her. Even if¡­ even if she couldn¡¯t walk anymore for the rest of her life¡­ ¡­ ¡­ No, she couldn¡¯t do it. She wasn¡¯t brave and selfless like her sister. She burst into tears that night, wailing at the creeping truth that had gnawed inside her mind. Her legs¡­ they weren¡¯t going to get better anytime soon, if ever. She had become a useless, worthless cripple. ------- Hugo "Dearest Marina¡­" "It''s me, Hugo. Your little brother." "Sorry for not contacting you sooner. A Dream Orb is quite hard to find after all." "I have to apologize. For everything. You might have heard my apology from Erika but I''ll apologize again." "I¡­ ran away. I left you behind. I was scared¡­ scared that you would hate me, after my failure to keep our parents'' safe." "I know you said you''ve forgiven me but I don''t deserve such leniency. You''re spoiling me, Sis. You should be angrier at me." "..." "I''ll go to your place once I fetch Sherry. That would be still a few years from now, I''m afraid." "But, I now have a crystal that can send you these messages frequently. So I''ll keep in touch, tell you what''s going on." "Oh, one more thing. I''ve¡­ picked up a young woman at my travels. And we¡­ kinda fell in love with each other. I''m going to marry her and Sherry in the future. I know. I know. I''m a cheating bastard. But that woman¡­ Felicia''s her name¡­ She needs me. She had a terrible life and I wanted to support her, just like I did with Sherry." "I hope you understand. I''ll tell you more about her later, alright?" ¡­ A couple of days later, after a lot of thinking on what to say, it was Marina''s turn to receive my dream message. Unlike Erika, I thought of giving her a lot more details of my adventures. And of course, introducing Felicia as well. Knowing her, she''d be all jealous and upset if I didn''t mention her beforehand before we reunited. Oh, who was I kidding? She would be upset either way. She had always been a brocon after all. Still, I wanted to tell her all of Felicia''s good qualities. After she calmed down, surely she would realize that she was a good fit for me. After that, I could tell her about all my adventures. In short bits though since there was a limit on how long for the message that I could send. Oh, and I should tell her about the Goddess too, just so she would be more careful. "Ah, it seems you are finished, Milord. The next one is for your older sister, right?" Just like before, Felicia was beside me, laying down in my tent as I imbued the Dream Crystal. "Yeah, it''s for Marina." I turned my head and smiled. "I''m introducing you to her by the way." "O-oh, really? That''s¡­ that''s good¡­" She glanced away. I chuckled. "Nervous? Don''t worry. She might be a bit of a brocon but she''s level-headed enough to recognize you as a good person. And a ''worthy'' woman to be my wife." She let out a shaky laugh. "I don''t know about that, Milord¡­ You should tell her that I had seduced and slept with men before. And mention the necromancy thing as well. You shouldn''t just tell her my good aspects as well. That''s lying by omission." I sat up and grabbed her right breast and gave it a firm squeeze. "A-ahn! Milord, what are you¡ª" "This is for bringing that up again." I put up my most pouty face. "I told you before, didn''t I? I didn''t care about any of it." I continued squeezing the supple lump of fat. "Y-you might not care but your sister ¡ª a-ahn! ¡ª certainly would!" "Then leave it to me. You don''t have to worry a thing." I ended the massage by pinching her nipple, earning a shudder and a lewd scream from her. "Heh, what''s up with that reaction?" I chuckled. "I''m pretty sure you''re already used to me playing with your breasts. You''re not faking it, are you?" "No!" She pouted, covering her chest with her arms. "It''s just that¡­ you haven''t touched me in a while¡­ so I''ve been holding it in¡­" Her legs squirmed. "Huh? You have those toys you can use." She huffed. "Really, Milord? Telling your future wife to pleasure herself instead of doing it yourself? That''s not like the Milord I know." She threw her head to the size. "You''re right. My apologies." I gave her my biggest smile as I patted her head. Her pout disappeared, replaced by a giddy smily. "Tomorrow night, alright?" "Next morning. We can do a quick one before we depart." "Fine. Don''t blame me if you ended up walking around with a soaked dress though." --------- Marina Some days had passed since I fell into Lilian Treble''s trap. After taking control over my body, she used me to repair the ravaged capital. But not before announcing herself to be some sort of a savior, who had saved the kingdom from my evil and would now help it rebuild. Of course, everything went according to her plan. The king, the knights, and her father all perished in the earthquake, leaving a power vacuum for her to fill. And the masses ¡ª they all readily believed her. Perhaps it helped that she compared my taming to the taming of the griffons. Griffons were almost considered as sacred beasts in the capital, with only a chosen few being able to tame them from the wilds. Nobles, mostly. And since she was the daughter of one of the most influential nobles in the kingdom¡­ They were naive. She could easily imagine an argument that Lilian was the one behind the earthquake, that she made her do it with her demonic power of mind control. But, they would rather believe her, of course. I had always been a stranger in the capital. A foreign, rogue chess piece that they would rather do away with. And now, I could only watch in silence as my body helped her gain the power she desperately craved. Currently, I was in her room, with her sitting on the bed right in front of me. Said room was one of the many temporary houses I had constructed with my wood magic. "Good job for today! You really are as powerful as they say!" She patted my head, smiling as she did. She was treating me as if I were her pet. "At this rate, the city would be back as it once was in no time at all! Isn''t it wonderful?" She clapped her hands together. "...No? Not even a smile? Alright, suit yourself." Suddenly, her smile vanished. "I''m sorry, by the way, for making you be my slave like this. But, thanks to you, I can have a happy life now." "I can marry the prince and I can take care of Mother properly, free of Father''s tyranny. For that, I am infinitely grateful." Her hands rested on my shoulders, a smile slowly blooming back in her arrogant face. She leaned forward, her voice halted to a whisper. "But for now, I need you to stay around. The Goddess told me to keep you so that''s what I''m going to do." ¡­ My surroundings, the bedroom of my captor, blurred into a white, endless space. And then, I saw him. Instinctively, I took a step forward. I looked down and saw that I had reverted back to my human self. I ran towards him. I wanted to see him up close. What I saw made my heart skip a beat. I reached forward to him. Only to find that my hand phased right through his body. He began to speak, delivering his pre-recorded message with that delightful smile on his face. Oh, he grew up to be a fine young man alright. He was now both cute and handsome. Sherry was lucky to have him. ¡­ The dream vanished, returning me back to reality. To my puppeted half-dryad body. To my prison. However, I could care less about that fact, as an unpleasant flame slowly grew inside my chest. That night, the only thought that blazed inside my mind was that of Felicia. And once that died down, it was followed by the excitement of knowing that my dear Hugo could now contact me frequently through my dream. I didn''t even know it was possible. If I were to be stuck as her puppet, then at the very least, I could hear his voice. See his face. Witness his growth to adulthood. I was happy. He still cared about me after all. Even with a woman in both of his arms. Vol 4 Chapter 52: A Visit to the Ogre Tribe Hugo We continued southbound, visiting Fontaine before crossing over to the region controlled by the Wisdom Demon Lord. Though technically, now this whole northwest peninsula was under his control. There, we only stayed for a single night. We didn''t really have any business here so there was no reason to dally. Though that single night was enough for me to meet up with a certain overly enthusiastic elven bard that I once met in Fiania. What were the chances? She, of course, immediately made a move to interrogate me for her tales. Thankfully, Felicia was there to put a stop to it. In the end, she had to settle with interviewing Theo instead. And of course, he had my blessing. As my biggest fanboy (not to toot my own horn here), he was more than happy to tell her about my exploits. Of course, he didn''t tell her where we were going. Or else she would stalk us for sure. Afterwards, we continued southward. Myrilla decided to skip Ixon, the demon capital, as it was located more to the west than our optimal route to where Sherry''s village was. Eventually, we left the northwestern peninsula entirely, entering the mainland Demon Continent. I expected the difficulty of our journey to increase, but it seemed Myrilla was knowledgeable enough in her geography to always take us through the least monster-infested routes. I asked her about it, and she explained that there was a set route that one must follow in order not to be swarmed by S-rank monsters. The monsters knew that if they settled on said route, they would be slaughtered by the demons, so they would stay away from it for their own survival, with the exception of a wandering few. I then asked her how she knew where the route was, since all around us was just a blank wasteland with barely any landmarks. She answered by pointing upwards, to the stars that decorated the night sky. She told me that as long as a certain constellation remained at a certain angle, they were on the right path. She really was an expert adventurer. I was starting to think that she was a lot more experienced at it than Mother and Father. Now, I didn¡¯t know her age (she just gave me a scowl when I thought to ask it of her) but I had a feeling she was at least a hundred years old. And if that long age was spent mostly on adventuring¡­ yeah¡­ Father and Mother could never compete. Oh yeah, around this point, a few months had passed, and I should already be fourteen years old. Looking at a mirror, I certainly could notice the growth spurt I experienced from when I started to be thirteen a year ago. Now, I actually looked more like an adult than a kid. I was now taller than Felicia even. And thankfully, I still kept my dashing good looks in the process. Soon, we shifted our direction, slowly heading east instead of south. Myrilla noted that Kawa, the ogre city where she was staying before, was to our west. We wouldn¡¯t be visiting that place either. What a shame. I really wanted to see how an ogre city looked. Sherry¡¯s village was located at the far east, beyond the Great Fairy Forest that covered a significant chunk of the continent. However, we wouldn¡¯t be traveling through said forest. Not even the Demon Lords dared to. It was pretty much its own dimension, where it was impossible to keep a bearing to where you were going. You would be lost forever in no time at all, swallowed by the forest and stuck being the plaything of the feys. And yes, you couldn¡¯t ask your fairy summons so help you navigate through it either. The Fairy Queen, Titania, ruled over the region with an absolute fist, and she didn¡¯t tolerate outsiders trodding on her land. She only allowed mages making pacts with her subjects, only visiting the place in a dream. In short, our only option was to take the northern route, taking a detour around the Forest until we could go back south without entering it. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ------------ On the way there, I kept up with my training, both physical and magical, though mainly the latter. As I walked, I would continue my training, learning to be able to focus my raw mana even without standing still. Every time we took a stop, I would polish my spellcasting, careful not to waste all my mana in the process as we would still need to defend ourselves if a monster were to appear. And when one did appear, I would try to use Asphyxia and Heartbreaker to kill it. Only after it did not work that I resorted to my sword or my Boom Cannon. It didn¡¯t take long until Myrilla came to me, asking me about it. It was after I put down a small pack of jackals by taking away their breaths. They were A-rank monsters and there were five of them. My Asphyxia could now cover a small range around me so I could kill them all with one fell swoop. ¡°That spell of yours¡­ the one you used to choke those jackals¡­ was what that? I have never witnessed such a spell.¡± With a smile, I explained everything. How I had developed my own style of wind magic, separate from the common form used by the mages of this world. ¡°I see. That¡¯s¡­ peculiar. Almost unbelievable, if I haven¡¯t seen it for myself.¡± She stared at me, probably reading my mind. ¡°You know, I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t ask me about Boom Cannon.¡± I had defeated a couple of monsters before this by that spell. She retained her gaze. ¡°It¡¯s just a compressed sphere of wind being shot out at high speed. It¡¯s certainly unique, I have to admit, but I can understand it. This Asphyxia thing however¡­ taking away the air inside your opponents¡¯ lungs¡­ I don¡¯t think it is possible. Normally, you can¡¯t manipulate natural objects that are far from your mana core. Not to mention how your own mana would resist the manipulation.¡± ¡°Want me to teach you? You¡¯re a wind mage too, right?¡± I grinned. ¡°In exchange, you teach me your Wind golem spell. Or whatever that spell was when you made those men out of tiny whirlwinds. When I first saw that spell, I was surprised that you could even do that as a Wind mage.¡± She nodded. ¡°I doubt I would be able to do what you did but you becoming stronger is necessary. You¡¯re the strongest fighter we have now and I know just how badly you want to protect everyone here.¡± She glanced at the others, who were sitting under a tree several feet away from us. ¡°Thank you!¡± I grabbed her hands and shook them. ¡°And you¡¯re right! I do want to be stronger!¡± Her next reaction was not what I expected however. She abruptly pulled her hands away and looked to the side, as if I had offended her. And was that a light blush I just saw on her face? --------------- And so, from then on, Myrilla became my next teacher. As promised, she taught me about her wind golem spell, or rather, Whirlwind Automata. As I expected, it was a spell that required great mana control. It was similar to how some earth mages could construct golems from the earth to fight their battles. It was not a direct damage spell, which meant I was not used at all in its casting. Less skilled mages had to continuously channel the spell but Myrilla could already make them run automatically, which made her a master of the art of magic constructs. She soon discouraged me from learning the spell though, believing that I should focus on my own spells instead, as they were more powerful than it. Well, perhaps. But I still would like to know how she did it anyway. -------------- After fifteen weeks of travel, we arrived at one of the stops in our journey ¡ª one of the nomadic ogre clans¡¯ encampments in the region. To be more specific, it was the camp of the Menet clan, the clan that Orluk belonged to. Myrilla knew where they were just by the time of the year. The Menet tribe¡¯s wandering route was mostly set in stone, unlike some of the other tribes. And they were right on the route we were taking so we didn¡¯t even need to take a detour. She believed it would be prudent to ask them for information about the northern route, since recently, the ogres had been fighting the orcs coming from the east, right to where that route was. And since I was an acquaintance of Karla, that unpleasant ogress who was too fond of young boys, we should be able to ask for her help. The place was big, bigger than I expected. It was pretty much an entire small town constructed out of tents. Or rather, yurts, similar to those used to the tribes of Central Asia, back at Earth. They were made out of animal skin and feathers, not fabric as our tents were. It was quite fitting for them to be that way, actually, considering that we were now in a region filled with endless grassland. The grass was blue, however, and quite poisonous to any humans (not demons). Thankfully, we had our wise and clever alchemist, Felicia, who brewed preventative antidotes for it. When we arrived, we were greeted by a pair of ogre guards, tall and red and as menacing as ever. And by "greeted", I meant they eyed us suspiciously, asking what our business was in the place. Their rough right hands were gripping their spiked iron clubs, ready to strike us if we were to do something out of line. I walked forward and explained the situation. "We''re here to meet with Karla!" "What?! Karla?! What do you want with the chief¡¯s daughter?!" "I¡¯m her friend.¡± I put up a polite smile. ¡°Tell her my name and she¡¯ll call for me straight away.¡± ¡°Her friend? A scrawny human like you is friend with one of the strongest fighters in our tribe? Bwahahahaha!¡± Each of them held their hands on their muscled abdomen as they were assaulted by their laughter. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed the sourness of Felicia and Theo''s faces. I even had to stop the latter from walking forward and defending me, knowing that it would only make things worse. "Do you want me to prove my strength?" I smirked. "I''ll take you two on at the same time. And I wouldn''t even need to use my staff or sword." "Huh?! You serious, kiddo? I''m warning you. We''re not afraid to roughen up snotty little brats like¡ª u-urgghhh!" The two knelt down, clutching their chests. "W-what? I-I can''t¡­ I can''t¡­ breathe¡­" My smirk widened. "Alright, everyone! Let''s go in!" I gestured at the rest of the party. "W-wait, you¡­ guaahhh¡­" One of them fell to the ground, his left hand outstretched, begging for us to stop. I didn''t worry though. Once we walked away, they should be able breathe again, once they were out of range of my Asphyxia. "Well well well, look who has decided to visit. My favorite human!" A woman suddenly landed on our path. Judging by her trajectory, it seemed she had jumped from one of the yurts'' ceiling. It was Karla, of course. Who else could it be? That well-toned mountain-like body, that tooth-filled sneering grin, it could only be her. And her massive steel club was with her, resting on her right shoulder. I had noticed her out of the corner of my eye at the entrance. She wanted to watch how we would handle her guards. For her own amusement, no doubt. "Let me guess. You come here to be my husband?" "No, I come here to ask you a favor. We''re seeking a passage to the east and we wanted to know about the orc situation there." You should never humor a woman like her. "Oh, that''s a shame." She licked her lips, her naked feet stepping closer to us. "You might be a little bit older¡ªand taller¡ªbut you''re still as cute as ever." I looked up, staring right at her eyes without blinking for the slightest. There was no need for fear. If she tried anything, I would put her down in an instant. And besides, you had to assert your dominance to these musclehead types. "Hmph." She turned away. "Fine. I''ll tell you everything. Come to my tent." -------- Our trip through the camp took about ten minutes or so. And as we did, even with Karla at her side (or perhaps even more because of her), we earned wary looks from the ogres. I could see frowns everywhere, with some even reaching for their clubs immediately at the sight of us. Other than that, I got to see the usual activities you could expect from a nomadic tribe like them. I saw them having pents where they kept their animals, both for milking and for meat. They were not sheep or goats however. Instead, they were massive bisons, easily towering over even the tallest ogre. Respect to them being able to domesticate such a beast! There were also a number of ogres who were tanning their hides out in the open. I imagined the caveman-like clothes they wore were made out of the bison¡¯s hide. "By the way, do you want to meet with my little brother? He''s here, you know." Karla¡¯s speech broke me out of my reverie. "Wait, Orluk''s here?" I turned my head towards the ogress. "Yes. He and that dark elf of his." A smirk appeared on her face. "I thought he was kicked out." "Oh, Father has forgiven him. And he''s better here than in Kawa. Those Altra Clan snobs thought he was some barbarian. They even tried to arrest him, the nerve." She huffed. "So now he''s here. With that little runt taking all his attention these days. He even went to that upstart orc''s place once just to meet with the runt''s mother. And surprise, a dark elf betraying her tribe for a man." "Wait, run me through that again. Fia''s mother was kidnapped by the orcs, right? By a man, you mean¡ª" "Yes, the very orc that slaughtered her kin. According to Orluk, she refused to leave him, even with her own daughter begging her to. The whore had become addicted to that upstart''s prick." "This ''upstart''... he''s the leader of¡ª" "The orcs, yes. Garosh Battlesong. The self-proclaimed Demon Lord of War. I''m honestly surprised he allowed Orluk to leave without a fight." "Here we are! Orluk''s tent!" "Orluk! Tia! Come out! I have guests for you!" It didn''t take long for the two to appear¡ªOrluk first and Tia later, with the latter hugging his leg with a wary expression. At least, until she saw me. "Big Brother Hugo!" She ran towards me with lightning-fast speed before jumping and hugging me with all her might. And since dark elves had superhuman strength, it was enough to send a wave of pain through my entire body. "You came!" She burst into a laugh. "Y-yeah, I came. Nice to see that you''re doing well, Tia!" I chuckled nervously, trying to ignore the pain. Thankfully, she soon released me, landing on her bare feet perfectly on the blue grass. "Master Hugo, what brings you all the way here?!" Orluk looked as if he just saw a ghost. He promptly walked up to me and knelt. ¡°What else? We¡¯re going to that place now. You know... the place.¡± I winked at him. Karla was there so I didn¡¯t want to speak about the Izurd openly. Orluk paused, his expression showing that he didn¡¯t comprehend what I was hinting at. But, when his gaze traveled towards Myrilla, a lightbulb lit up in his head and he quickly nodded. ¡°Of course. I understand.¡± ¡°Hey hey, what are you two talking about? Keeping secrets from your sister, aren¡¯t you?¡± Karla bonked Orluk¡¯s head with her spiked club. Gently, of course, or else his head would¡¯ve been a splatter to the dirt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°Heeh?! Why not?!¡± She bonked him again and again. Multiple times in fact. Ignoring her, Orluk returned his gaze back to me. ¡°I assume you would need to pass through orc territory to get there? Then, you would need a guide. Please, allow me to be of service.¡± He rested his head on the grass, prostrating himself towards me. ¡°Sure! You can come!¡± I answered with a grin. At this point, I knew it was futile to try to make him treat me like his equal. --------- We decided to take the night¡¯s rest in the camp, before departing the earliest we could in the morning. However, Orluk needed permission from his father first, who was the Tribe Chief, before he could go, or so Karla said. Orluk disagreed, saying that it would be fine if he just sneaked out without him knowing. He then said that he would be too busy with his wives to care about him. The bitterness in his voice and expression didn¡¯t escape my notice. Recalling back to our first meeting, if I remembered correctly, he had a falling out of sorts with his father, leading to him leaving the tribe. And so, I whispered to the demoness my request. She responded by giving me a questioning glare but didn¡¯t seem to refuse, thankfully enough. Once Karla left, after losing to Orluk¡¯s stubbornness, I excused myself, saying that I had to take care of a certain ¡°personal business¡±, an euphemism for taking a leak. It was the easiest excuse I had to have a private chat with Myrilla. The ogre, however, laughed, saying that there was no need for such soft words. If an ogre wanted to take a leak, then he would say it loud and clear. He then chuckled at humans and their sheepishness. He then directed me to the nearest ¡°watering hole¡±, the ogre¡¯s name for their lavatory. Yes, it was just a hole they dug on the ground that they used for their business. And yes, it sounded as uncomfortable as it sounded. Thanking silently that the humans in this world still had civilization, despite not having modern plumbing, I departed with Myrilla, gesturing at the demoness to follow me. Now that we were away from his sight and ear, I asked her the million dollar question. Only for her to sigh and give me a chastising gaze. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him yourself? Looking at how he kowtowed to you, he should be willing to tell you this. Asking me instead¡­ it¡¯s quite the cowardly act, you know.¡± ¡°Oh come on. Since when do you care about the privacy of¡ª owww!¡± She hit me. She hit me on the head with her metal staff. It hurt. ¡°I am not the one trying to be the best person he can possibly be. If your father was in your position, he would¡¯ve asked him straight up instead of going around him like this.¡± ¡°...Fine. I guess you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll ask him directly now." I forced a smile and gave her a small nod before walking back to where Orluk was. ------ "And that''s how we three became his followers. Quite the tale, is it not?" When I arrived, Orluk was engaged in a conversation with Tira. The two were sitting inside the yurt¡ªa small space with barely anything other than the fur carpet they were sitting on. "Hey! I''m not his follower! I''m just here for Theo!" Tama was hugging Theo, her tail flicking back and forth in the process. Theo himself on the other hand was staring at Orluk with a dazed look. "Oh, you''re back, Master Hugo. That was fast." Orluk smiled. "Yeah, I needed to go pretty badly so I rushed there." I lied, giving him a sheepish grin. He laughed. "You humans really are a curious thing. You killed all those people without batting an eye yet you''re this shy in answering nature''s calls." I sat cross-legged beside Tira. "Look, when you''re traveling in a group like this, you don''t want to stop every time you feel you have to go." He chuckled. "True. Us ogres can hold pretty long, especially when we''re out there, hunting and scouting." "Orluk," I put up my serious expression. "I want to ask you a question. Feel free to not answer if you don''t want to." "Well¡­" I took a deep breath. "I want to ask you about your father. Why do you not get along with him?" I went straight to the point. No meaning in dodging around the bushes. His smile disappeared. He fell silent, suddenly finding his legs very interesting. "Uhh, it''s okay! Forget about¡ª" "It''s fine. I''ll tell you everything. I owe you my life. So it''s only right you know everything there is to know about it." And then, he began his story. Vol 4 Chapter 53: To Be A Good Harem Lead As Orluk began his story, in the corner of the room, Fia was sleeping with a smile on her face. "My mother¡­" Orluk began. "She was one of the many wives Father has. Father met her during one of his raids on the other ogre tribes. He said they had a duel, where he won triumphantly. As per our tribe''s custom, a man who dueled a woman and won could keep her as his. And so he did." "He made him one of his wives. And eventually, I was born to her." "Karla and I¡­ we were raised well by her. Not too harshly that we couldn''t love her but not too softly that we wouldn''t know how to stand on our own two feet. I still remember when she held us on her knees and spanked us one by one for hunting on another tribe''s territory, which¡ªI didn''t know back then¡ªcould provoke a war. And then, she hugged us afterwards, thanking Boros that we were safe. We had a rule that we could kill hunters who trespassed on another tribe''s territory so we could very well die that day." "She sounds like a good woman." I smiled. "She was." His smile grew. "She was strong and kind and everything you would want in a woman." Abruptly, his smile disappeared. "She only had one weakness. She loved her husband too much. And that love destroyed her." "She grew jealous, didn''t she? Of his other wives?" Tira spoke, her face all serious and firm. Orluk nodded grimly. "She thought Father was losing interest in her. So much so that she fell into despair from it. At that time, Father had procured another wife and she accused her of manipulating him to dislike her." "A-and then?" Theo''s voice shook. "She took her own life. Sliced herself on the throat with a knife." Silence. A veil of gloom fell upon everyone present, including myself. Orluk''s expression hardened. His face was now etched with rage that could bubble and spill over at any second. "That''s why I''ll never forgive him. And that''s why, Master Hugo, I hope you won''t make the same mistake with your harem." Silently, a small, soft hand touched my thigh. "Don''t worry. I''ll teach you how to be a good husband." Tira smiled. "I might be young for an elf but I''ve read enough romance novels to know how a woman''s heart works." "Ummmhhh, big brother Orluk¡­" The soft, barely perceptible voice came from the still sleeping Fia. Without us realizing it, she had rolled towards Orluk in her slumber. And now, she was hugging his thigh, smiling oh so adorably in the process. I couldn''t help but smile, seeing such an angelic sight. Though, it reminded me of a certain thing Karla brought up earlier. "Orluk, about her mother¡­" The ogre''s expression turned grim. "We found her. She was still alive. But¡­" He looked away. "She fell in love." I continued his words. "With the orcs." He nodded. "Fia¡­ couldn''t forgive her for that. To her, she had betrayed her father, who was murdered while defending their tribe from the orcs." My gaze traveled back to the dark elf. She was now drooling on Orluk''s pants, leaving a tiny dark spot on the brown fur. I reached forward, still half-sitting, and patted Orluk on his shoulder. "It''s up to you to make her happy now. And so far, you''re doing a great job." He smiled, grabbing my hand firmly. "No need to fret. She''s my little sister now. She might not be an ogre but she''s part of the clan." Suddenly, the yurt flaps opened, revealing Felicia, who had been absent during our conversation. I didn''t even realize that fact until now. "Oh, you''re back, Milord." She smiled. "I was just visiting the tribe''s healer. Sharing notes and the like." "Right¡­" My eyes wandered down her cleavage. Since she was bending over, I could see her breasts and nipples from where I sat. Shaking the perverted thought, I then said, "Oh, that''s right. You''re researching this continent''s plants." "Exactly." She sat down beside me, rearranging her thighs in such a way that I could peek at her red thong. "You see," She raised her index finger with a sagely expression. "You''re growing stronger and stronger. So I should too so I won''t be a burden." "Though to be honest," She grabbed my hands. "I know I''ll never be as strong as you in a direct fight. My role would be support instead. Healing, mana, stamina potions ¡ª I want to create the best for you, Milord." "Alright, you two! Enough of the lovey dovey stare! You, Hugo! Go to the chief and tell that loser that his loser son is going with us!" Tama yelled, pointing her finger at me. "Y-you can''t say that, Tama!" Theo spoke, glancing at the ogre nervously. "It''s fine." I smiled at him, then at Orluk. "I''ll go." I stood up. "Wait." Orluk shifted from his seat. "There''s no need for you to¡ª" "It''s fine. You don''t like seeing him, right? Then you can just stay here and let me handle the negotiation." Orluk paused, seemingly on the verge of opening his mouth. But he quickly relented, sitting back down with a smile on his face. "Alright. I''ll leave it to you, Master Hugo." ------- I departed from the yurt immediately. I told the others that I was fine going there on my own. No need to bring a crowd. Just in time to meet with Myrilla, who had been standing on the outside. And she looked as grim as ever. "I''m going with you. If you''re really going to marry both Sherry and that woman, I''ll have to make sure you learn from that ogre''s mistake." "So what? You''re going to read his thoughts?" I chuckled. "He and his wives too, I suppose. Heh, so much for privacy." She sent me a glare. "This is for Sherry''s sake. I will not let her suffer in the hands of you and that woman. You know how she is. She''s awkward and prone to bad temper. If you don''t take the initiative, I''m sure that flirtatious woman will keep all of your attention to herself. You''ll let Sherry languish in solitude and jealousy as you won''t be strong enough to tell that woman off." All of a sudden, she went into lecturing mode. It almost gave me flashbacks to Marina or Renee doing the same. "Now, shut up and take the lead. You speak with the ogre chief and I''ll stand there reading his memories." I could only nod. ------- As expected, the yurt of the ogre chief was far larger than any other yurts in the encampment. It stood tall and proud, as tall as a five story building if I had to estimate. The hard fabric was a mixture of leather and fur, red being its dominant color, mixed with white. The round base was about the width and length of a middle-sized house. Only one guard stood in front of it ¡ª a scary-looking bald ogre woman with a giant scimitar as her weapon. "Human¡­ Nerthusian..." She opened her mouth, her tone stern and cold. "Guests of Karla. Speak your business." "We wish to meet with the ogre chief. We have a petition regarding his son Orluk." "Orluk¡­ that traitor¡­" She eyed me up and down. "Very well. Wait here." She then walked into the tent, leaving us two on our own. Just for a few short seconds though. "You may enter." She announced once she returned. And so we did. ¡­ The inside of the yurt was just as lavish as I had envisioned. The ground was covered in the most exquisite fur carpet, much softer than the one Orluk had. There were white pillows scattered everywhere, consisting of all shapes and sizes. And the chief was resting on a group of them, alongside four ogre women to his left and right. His harem, no doubt. The smell of sex lingered in the air. Combined with the fact that the women were completely naked while the chief only wore a pair of fur shorts, it didn''t take much to imagine what they had been doing before we came here. I kept my gaze firmly locked at the chief. I couldn''t ogle his wives. That would no doubt incur his offense. A smile adorned the chief''s face. Slowly, he sat up, giving us a good look of his well-muscled torso. "The savior of my son Orluk." His voice boomed. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" As he spoke, he patted the head of one of his wives. You''d think he would tell them to get dressed but nope, he didn''t care that the only thing covering their breasts were the pillows they were hugging. As for the women themselves, they were all glaring at me as if I was a cockroach that had crawled into their yurt. "I wish to ask for his assistance. To head to the east past the orcs safely." "Assistance?" He laughed. "Aren''t you the great mage who can take out an entire human camp by himself?" "I would rather avert conflict if I could. That''s why I need your son. Your tribe has a treaty with the orcs, right?" "A treaty?!" He burst into a laugh once more, this time even louder. "We''re not like you, human. We demons don''t make treaties with each other." "Then how did your son escape his visit to the orc chief?" "Because he''s my son. That pig knows better than to mess with him." "Take him." He spoke again, still with a smile. "That boy has a lot of idle time here. His sister does all the work." "And you¡­ mind-crawler." His gaze swiftly moved to Myrilla. "You have quite the guts, reading the mind of an ogre chief without his permission." "I did what I had to do," she replied, her tone firm and resolute. "And I see now that my prediction was right. You will be a good example for him to learn from." The man burst into a roaring laugh once more. He gently pushed his wives away before standing up, showing his full three meter height, towering over me like a giant. I had to crane my neck just to see his face. "An example?" "On how not to be a man with multiple wives." "Haah, I see that Orluk has told you that story. Or maybe just read it off his mind." He took a few steps towards Myrilla, his feet producing small tremors on the ground. She was positively tiny compared to him, her head only reaching up to his stomach. If this were a hentai, this would be the part where he grabbed her and undressed her on the spot, before inserting his massive **** into her orifices. Sheesh, no wonder all his wives were ogres as well. He was just too big for the smaller races. Can you imagine him doing it with a hobbit? Myrilla, though, was a brave woman. She wasn''t intimidated in the slightest. And I had the utmost respect for that. Even I was intimidated by his size when he stood in front of me, despite me being stronger than him. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Father, you really should''ve married her too. You''re missing out on one great woman here! "His mother¡­ she overstepped her bounds. She wanted me all for herself. She grew hostile to my other wives and so I gave her the appropriate punishment." "Not touching her for five years. She took her own life from that." Five years? That''s too much! Even one year is already cruel enough! Hell, at that point, I won''t blame her for cheating on him! But I guess ogres aren''t like us humans. Though even then, in this pre-modern society, a wife cheating due to lack of affection is far less acceptable than in modern times. And Myrilla seemed to agree, judging by that chillingly cold tone she just gave him. "It was her own fault. She was a proud and foolish woman." ...Nope. Not a hint of remorse on his face. No wonder Orluk hated his guts. "Let''s go." Myrilla called me. "We''re done here." We''re done here indeed. As we left the great yurt, I gave one last glance at the ogre. He was already back inside the embrace of his wives, smiling and grinning like nothing had happened. At that moment, I couldn''t help but feel a tinge of disgust inside my heart. -------- We returned to Orluk''s yurt at once, telling him the good news. It was then decided that we would depart the next morning. Fia already woke up when we returned and she quickly begged Orluk to bring her along. He refused, citing the danger, before promising that he would return as quickly as he could. He told her to stay with Karla as she''d take good care of her. "Hmph! I don''t like that woman!" She huffed, throwing her head away. I chuckled. Orluk, you got two cute sisters vying for your attention. Well, one. You can''t say that muscle-bound monster cute by any sense of the word. "It''s fine." I smiled, patting her head. "I won''t borrow him for long. Orluk, after you take us through the orc territory, you go back, alright?" "But Master Hugo, the land beyond there is still fraught with danger. You''ll need all the he¡ª" "No." I gave him a scowl. "Your duty is with her, first and foremost. I''ve heard what happened with Fia''s mother. You''re the only one she has now." A pained expression flashed on Fia''s face. She quickly recovered though. She hugged Orluk''s hand and gave him a heartrending pout. "Big Brother Hugo is right! I need you, Big Brother Orluk!" Orluk paused, paying me a glance. I gave him a curt nod. "Alright. After I''ve escorted him through the orc lands, I''ll go back as fast as I could." I grinned. Seeing those puppy eyes, how could anyone refuse? ------- Afterwards, we left the tent as Karla had come over and she had some words for Orluk. We figured it was a message from his father so there was no need for us to be there. Myrilla then spoke to me, pretty much confirming what I thought about Orluk''s father. His mistake was punishing his wife too harshly. Instead of changing her attitude, he instead kicked her out and spat on her love. To him, she was not special in the slightest, just another flower in his harem. I wouldn''t make the same mistake. Sherry and Felicia ¡ª they were both special to me. I would sit them down in a room and have them settle it out with each other. "How naive. You really think it will be that easy?" "Huh?" "Just make them ''talk it out''? Do you have any idea how jealous a woman can be? Double that and you''ll have an Izurd." Crap, she read my mind again. "Fine." I relented. "It might not be easy but I''ll certainly do a better job than that ogre!" "Your confidence worries me." Her eyes narrowed. "I think you''re still too childish to marry, let alone to have two wives." "But, I''ll reserve judgment until you reunite with Sherry. If you then step out of line, I''ll make sure you know it." With those words and a glare, she left. She really was taking the role of a surrogate mother/aunt/big sister. -------- We were given our own yurts to sleep in. Felicia and I shared a yurt, Theo and Tama shared another, while Myrilla and Tira took the last available one. That night, even though I didn''t want to, Felicia and I ended up doing our usual perverted stuff. Told her that we were no doubt being watched by the ogres but she insisted, citing the fact that we hadn''t done it for a week now. No wonder she gave me the show back at Orluk''s place. She was in her usual horny phase. "Alright, fine, but no moaning. Orluk''s tent is right there and I don''t want Fia hearing our noises." In the end, I fingered her while playing with her boobs, while her hands went straight to my manhood. A quickie, we called it ¡ª a quick way to get ourselves off when there was no time or opportunity for a proper lewd play. "Haaaahh¡­ haaahh¡­." "Ahhhhh¡­ aaahhhh¡­" Heavy breathing filled the air as sweat slowly soaked our skin. She was sitting on my lap, smiling and panting simultaneously. With our faces being so close, it was only a matter of time until she burrowed her lips into mine, stopping herself from moaning as my two fingers touched her g-spot. We ended with her being on top of me, her hands dirtied by my liquid. Smiling, she gave me one last kiss on the cheek before standing up, washing her naked body with water magic, making sure all the water turned to steam before it could wet the carpet. I followed suit, concentrating the water on my right hand, thighs, and crotch ¡ª places she had spurted her juices on. "I''m surprised." I grinned. "That was really silent." "I can''t moan while kissing you, Milord." She grinned as well. All in all, it was a good night. -------- We departed early in the morning. Karla was there to send us off. And only her. The father wasn''t there. Not that Orluk cared. She told us that she would''ve lent her titan worm to carry us but the orcs wouldn''t like that. It could trigger a fight that they weren''t yet ready for. We walked the entire day, traversing the endless grassland while keeping track that we were heading east. To be honest, the blue plains were not that much different from the grassless wasteland we had traveled through for long. The only difference was the poison thing and the type of monsters that were around. And for the latter, it was less impressive than the monsters we found back in the Exogenous Garden. Honestly, it was a disappointment. Here and there, we would stumble upon small ogre camps, made by hunters of the other ogre tribes that were also on the region. Their job was to get food and forage plants (some of the blue grass were actually different plants entirely) as well as to keep track of the movement of the orcs. Orluk would exchange words with them, we would stay for the night, and then move on the next day. Eventually, we couldn''t find them anymore. Instead, we found something else¡­ villages abandoned, burned, and destroyed. The terrain changed as well, becoming more bumpy and hilly, with a lot more trees around. "This used to be the dark elves'' territory. After the orc invasion, nothing much of them was left," Orluk explained. Orluk''s face was grim. He looked like he could kill a man at any second. After several days of more travelling, the scene changed again. The boundless plains returned, smoothening the landscape like a fine-toothed comb. The first plains was what the ogres called the Western Great Plains. This one was the Eastern Great Plains. Not that creative of a name, I know, especially since there were similar plains in the Holy Continent that were also called The Great Plains. "Wait, hold on, do you hear that?" Tama stopped us in the middle of nowhere, her ears twitching as if they were trying to pick up a noise. "Hear what?" Theo asked, looking around. "Sounds of¡­ footsteps¡­ hundreds¡ªno, thousands of them! And they''re moving really fast this direction!" Orluk''s face turned pale. Myrilla didn''t wait. She floated upwards with her wind magic and stared far off into the distance. I quickly averted my sight from the demoness'' panties, following her upwards as well. And there, on the far east, I saw them. Orcs riding giant wolves. Thousands of them. All moving in one, massive wave. This was no scouting party. This was an army. And judging by where they were going¡­ "Run!" Orluk yelled. "We have to get back and warn the tribes!" "Wait! Hold on!" I landed down in front of him and looked him right in the eyes. "Leave this to me." I smiled. "What? What are you talking about? You can''t possibly¡ª" "Relax. I''ve gotten a lot stronger since we separated. And besides, we can''t outrun them. Not with those wolves they rode. The only way out is to fight." "Don''t be stupid." Myrilla descended beside me, giving me a glare. "Just dig a hole and hide until they pass." "No." I shook my head. "This is excellent for my training. Not to mention I want to keep Orluk and his tribe safe. To keep Fia safe. She now has a home and I won''t let it be destroyed." "Master Hugo, you¡­ you''re too good of a person¡­" A slight tremor colored Orluk''s voice. The ogre was smiling and his dark eyes were watering. Whoa "You are confident." Myrilla''s eyes narrowed. "I hope it isn''t mistaken." "Don''t worry." I flashed her a grin. "You can take the others with you. I''ll go on my own." "No! I''m going with you, Milord!" Felicia stepped forward. "If you''re going, I''m going!" "W-wait, I''m going too¡ªoow!" "Don''t be stupid! You''re nowhere near as strong as these two monsters! Tama had just hit her boyfriend on the head. "She''s right." Tira rubbed his head. "We''re not strong enough. We better let them handle this one." "Then it''s decided." Myrilla declared. "I''ll take you away from here using my wind magic. Orluk, you''re staying, right?" "Of course." He brandished his spear. "I''ll be a coward if I don''t stay and fight." "Then, good luck." Myrilla chanted her spell, forming her miniature humanoid tornadoes that carried both her and the others who went with her. As a result, their skirts and dresses flew upwards, showing me the fact that Tama and Tira both wore striped panties today, the former being white and blue while the latter being white and green. And of course, it included Myrilla as well. I could see a glimpse of her buttocks, barely covered by her black string panties. The show was only for a few seconds though as she quickly ordered the automatas to move. And they could do so surprisingly quickly, with a speed rivaling that of a car. Still, before they left, I noticed Theo blushing. Now that was a lucky guy! He got to see it all far longer than I did! With them gone, I turned my attention back to Orluk and Felicia. "Alright. Here''s the plan." Vol 4 Chapter 54 : Hugo vs An Entire Orc Army The thundering wardrums of the orcs echoed through the azure plains, seemingly shaking the firmament of the sky itself. The steps of the wargs, those monstrous wolves who could breathe fire, brought forth inevitable doom to anything they came across. Behind them, a trail of devastation colored the horizon, leaving an ugly, wretched brown on their wake. The wargs¡¯ claws breathed poison and even the normally poisonous blue grass was quickly overwhelmed. This parade of destruction was led by none other than Garosh Battlesong, the self-proclaimed Demon Lord of War. Unlike the rest of his entourage, his ride was Cerberus himself, a massive three-headed wolf that towered over the rest of the pack. It was a creature he had brought from Einzelschwarz, the Land of Eternal Darkness. He had tamed it a long time ago, from his adventuring days. There, on top of the pitch-black wolf, sat the orc lord on his throne. His skin was putrid green and his face was that of a boar. Two large yellow tusks protruded from his mouth. Unlike human teeth, there was no need to brush them, for orc bones were far stronger than human ones. His armor was a gaudy gold, with spiked shoulder pads that made him look more ridiculous than terrifying. It was a monument to his vanity, as he had forged this armor using the gold he ransacked from the dark elves. Pensively, he looked at the plains in front of him, resting his head on his hand. The dark elves had fallen. And now, the ogres would fall as well. His goal was simple. He would raze every single ogre camp, kill the males, and make the females his slaves. He would sell some while giving others to both himself and his commandants. And, if he was feeling generous, he would let his grunts have their way with them as well. After all, they would need new orcs to bolster their ranks before taking on the Wisdom Demon Lord. He was Garosh Battlesong. He was the strongest orc in history. He was the Demon Lord of War. Weep in despair, all those that oppose¡ª ¡°Gyaaahhhh!¡± A powerful explosion deafened his ears, quickly bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked in front of him and saw that the field was burning. His pack stopped. They swiftly readied for combat. That was no natural occurrence. That was an enemy attack. And then, he saw him ¡ª a figure descending from the skies, right in the middle of his army. A human figure. Not a birdkin or a batkin. A mage. ¡°I come here to parlay, o great Demon Lord of War!¡± He shouted. Somehow, his voice was far louder than it should be. He lifted his right arm, signalling the archers and shamans of his army to fire. He knew how mages worked. You kill them by taking them by surprise. Humans are weak. He might be some strong fire and wind mage but under a rain of arrows and spells, especially the latter, he had no chance whatsoever. The archers fired first, some augmenting their shots, making them fly as fast as sound. The man dodged them all. Somehow, his speed eclipsed even his best archers. The shamans fired next, using lightning spells. He was standing in the middle of the sky so he was foolishly close to the supercharged clouds their lightning spells would create. Only to find that the gathering dark clouds never gathered. It was as if there was an invisible force pushing them away. They scattered away, only to end up raining down their electricity at the very shamans that created them. Chaos fell over the army. They had just been blindsided by an opponent that they could not comprehend. The Demon Lord growled. Not at the human, but at his own pathetic, weak orcs. He thought he already culled all the weak ones when he united all the orc tribes under his banner. Apparently not. He stood up, brandished his two-handed pole axe, and used his special skill. Ghastly Swing. It was an ability that conjured a shadow axe multiple times the size of his actual axe before swinging it at an enemy. He could destroy entire armies with it. The shadow axe appeared, tall enough to reach the floating man. He swung it at him with all his might. Only for him to dodge it as well. He jetted down, so fast that he couldn¡¯t react in any sufficient manner. He quickly activated his personal shield, granted by a magic ring he wore on his left hand. Only to find that it didn¡¯t matter, as the man fired a spell right in front of him. Strong enough that it shattered his pathetic shield in an instant. The last thing he saw was his eyes. And they were¡­ terrifying. ------------ Hugo Haaah, that went well. My tactic worked perfectly. Well, the reserve one anyway. I thought I was going to bargain with them first but then they fired on me. I couldn¡¯t even get a single word in. And so, I went with my next plan ¡ª killing the big boss immediately. It was easy to see who it was. He was the largest orc sitting on the throne of a giant three-headed wolf. I would eat my shoe if the orc demon lord was anyone else. Oh, and speaking of that, this guy was no demon lord at all. He was nothing compared to that woman who nearly killed me back at Arborea. Sure that ax thing was scary but he was just too slow with it. My movement now could reach up to seven to eight mach speed, soon to be ten. His swing was at one at the very most. And with a single accelerated Super Boom Cannon, I erased him from existence, turning him into a fine chunk of gore raining down on his followers. With him gone, the rest of his army went absolutely bonkers. The Cerberus he rode on went haywire and it began eating all the orcs it could find. It didn¡¯t even care that it engaged in cannibalism, since he also ate the wolves as well. Though then again, they were from two different species, I think. Cerberus was an S-rank monster from Einzelschwarz (God, that name is such a mouthful) while the wargs are a native of this region. They might be somewhat similar to wolves but that didn¡¯t mean they were brothers or anything. Some of the orcs tried to attack me again but an Explosion here and there quickly shut them up. I even combined Explosion and Grand Tornado to conjure a massive flaming tornado that swallowed and burned anything it touched. They quickly learned that I was far beyond their level. And so they left, running back to the east with their tails between their legs. As for the Cerberus, I ended the poor guy¡¯s life. Whatever that orc did to tame him, it had run out so he was just a feral monster. Landing on the ground, I was swiftly greeted by a warm, boob-filled hug by Felicia. "That was amazing, Milord!" Our backup backup plan was for me to dive into her shadow if I was overwhelmed. Thankfully, we didn''t need to do it. "Lord Hugo, thank you very much! I swear I will never forget your kindness for the rest of my life!" Our cuddling session was interrupted by Orluk, who had taken the knee and lowered his head. My original plan was to negotiate with the orcs with him as the key figure. That first Explosion was for that ¡ª to stop the army from its tracks and make them listen to him. I was going to lift him up and bring him face to face with the orc leader. Of course, all that went out of the window once they started firing. In retrospect, I shouldn''t have opened with a hostile spell. But then again, how else was I going to stop them? I released Felicia and walked up to him, before kneeling down as well. "Oh come on, it wasn''t that big of a deal." "It was a big deal to me ¡ª to my tribe! You''ve saved us! You''ve saved so many lives today by eradicating their army! How can I possibly repay you after that?!" "...Well, all I ask is for you to raise Fia properly. I might ask for your help in the future but for now, that is all I need." "I''m not satisfied with that!" "Look, you should go back and report this to your tribe. You can''t follow me. The remaining orcs might still try to attack once they have regrouped. So, my suggestion is for you and the other ogres to launch a counter offense as fast as possible, while they''re weak, to break them once and for all." "You¡­ you have a point, Lord Hugo." I stood up. He quickly followed suit. "I will return immediately. We need to make sure to not squander this opportunity. And I swear, one day, I shall repay this debt in full." He gave a deep, long bow of gratitude. Only then he was satisfied enough to leave. Afterwards, we reunited back with Myrilla and the others. And I immediately noticed the proud look the demoness had once she learned that I had just defeated an entire orc army on my own. Oh, she didn¡¯t tell me I was amazing like Theo did. That would be out of character for her. Instead, she just said that I had surpassed her expectations. Which, to me, was far better than Theo¡¯s praise. I knew he was a fanboy of mine but Myrilla, she actually judged me fairly without any biases. Heh, you could say that it was a leftover from my old life, where I desperately wanted to gain the approval of others, especially an adult figure like her. But, that was how I felt. And I couldn¡¯t lie to myself. I just hoped that, when I met Sherry again, I could prove myself to her again. ----------- Sherry "Hyah! Hyaaahhhh!" Valley of Eternal Summer, at a certain spot outside of the Izurd Valley. There, a certain girl was training¡ªswinging her sword day and night. Her white robe was drenched with sweat, clinging firmly to her small and slim figure. She wasn''t alone however. A man was there too, training beside him. He too wore a pure white robe, though the neckline exposed a lot more of his bare chest. No abs could be seen, unfortunately for him. Just a smooth, thin body that was taller than the girl''s. Such was the nature of the Izurds, forbidden to possess visible muscles no matter how hard they trained. As they trained, two other Izurds were watching them from a distance. One was a woman with a noticeably large bosom that she proudly showed off with her low necked falca (this world''s word for kimono). The other was a woman who lacked said bosom, wearing a white shirt with a corset. All of them had long, pitch-black hair, another common thing amongst the Izurds. "That sour face¡­ I thought you''d be happier." The flat-chested woman said, glancing at the buxom woman standing beside her. "Your niece has recovered and your son finally has his dream girl." "I know." She sighed, still keeping her gaze to her niece and son. "But I can''t help but feel this nagging feeling that something is wrong." "You don''t trust the Fey. You think she lied about him." "It wouldn''t be the first. I still don''t believe my sister took her own life. She''s stronger than that." "That''s your own bias speaking." "How can you say that to your own daughter?! You really have lost your heart." The two conversing women were none other than Quania and Fran, the current chief of the Izurd and her daughter. They might be related but you couldn''t tell that by how they looked, with them looking the same age. Not to mention their figures, with the former being the metaphorical washboard and the latter being bouncingly bountiful. "What will you do then, if you think that fairy is lying?" Quania asked, giving a short glance to her daughter before looking back at the two training Izurds. "I''ve confronted her about it but as you would expect, she refused to answer," Fran replied with an annoyed look, folding her arms under her chest. "I guess I''ll just have to question him about it when he comes here." "...A trial." "What?" Quania turned to face her. "I''ll give him a trial. Questions won''t be enough. I have to know if he really loves her with all his might." "And that trial is?" Quania did not answer. -------- Returning back to the two training Izurds, they now had moved to their regular spar. However, there was a catch. The girl was to throw her sword away and cover her eyes with her hair. She would then dodge every single attack the boy made without fail. They both knew she was so much stronger than him. So they agreed on this method. It was the only reason the girl agreed to train together actually. "Alright, you can start now." "Y-yes. I''ll count to ten and then I''ll attack. That''s okay with you, Sherry?" "Yes! But attack whenever you want! And don''t you dare hold back!" sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She opened her legs and bent down a little, readying her defensive stance. If one were to stand behind her, they might take notice of the shape of her firm behind, imprinting itself on her tightly clinging robe. For the sixteen year old girl, it was the only sign that she had reached adulthood, for her breasts remained as flat as ever, just like her grandmother''s. The boy lunged forward at count 2, swinging his sword with all his might. It created a powerful vertical wave that flew at high speed, faster than the blink of an eye. Only for her to dodge it with a simple sidestep. He didn''t stop there. He continued to attack and attack and attack, swinging his sword the best he could. There was no need to hold back. He knew just how outclassed he was by her. As for the girl, she was completely in her element. She could sense his every movement, from both the flares of his presence and the shift in the air caused by his movements. She didn''t know yet but her grandmother had taught her how to control her aura. Unlike the two human sword schools, the Izurd had no conception of such a thing. They simply told their younglings to use their rage and bloodlust in their swordsmanship. Eventually, the boy gave up. He sat down, panting, completely spent from his attacks. He had spent an hour attacking her without landing a single blow. The girl, however, was barely showing any sign of weakness. She sighed, seeing the tired boy. "I''ll train on my own now. Take your rest." With renewed vigor/anger, she moved to doing push-ups. 1000 per day. That was her goal. All while the weak boy shamelessly fixed his gaze at her bottom. His name was Emel and he was Fran''s only son ¡ª a slender man with long black hair reaching down his waist. And he had a crush on the girl. In this world, cousin marriages were quite common and popular, both with humans and demons. So even though the girl was his cousin, he didn''t hold back in chasing after her. He had proposed to her many times. Especially after the reveal that the girl''s human lover had cheated on her. Alas, due to his weakness, she still refused to see him as her new lover. He knew his place. He was no match for her strength. She was a monster, even amongst the Izurd. Truly, a candidate worthy of the Demon Lord title, if she ever chose to pursue it. But, as long as he continued trying¡­ both to be stronger and to win her heart, he knew that one day, he could marry and bed her. That flat chest¡­ that supple behind¡­ that tomboyish, stubborn personality¡­ she was the perfect girl¡­ He would do anything to be with her. That, he knew without a doubt. But for now, he''d take a quick break. Catch his breath. That nice view of her butt¡­ he took it as his reward for helping her. ------ The Grand Cathedral. The heart and seat of government for the Church of Milicis and the fortress where its current head, the Holy Saint Catherine, resided. It was located at Damatiel, the Holy Capital, above the tall hill that overlooked the entire city. It was said in their religion that this hill was where Milicis received her very first revelation from the Heavenly Dragon, to fight against the Demon God and save humanity. And such, the hill was named the Hill of Salvation by the Church and it was quickly deemed a holy ground where only a chosen few may enter. There, the Saint and her Cardinals were having an emergency meeting. "Your Holiness! We have to announce a crusade! Right now!" "Oh? And where are we supposed to attack first? The foolish Demon Lord who had conquered humanity¡¯s land there? Or the vile mages who decided it was a great idea to plunge their continent into destruction and chaos for the sake of their arrogance? We can''t possibly fight both. Especially not with how the Empire is now." ¡°So just make the second princess the new Empress! Then those upstart nobles would have no choice but to¡ª¡± ¡°Are you that naive, Cardinal Empyreon? You''ll be dragging us into a civil war! No! Let them sort it out! We shall not be involved!" "Ooo Heavenly Dragon! Why must you grant us a terrible fate such as this?" The Church was technically ruled by the Saint. However, the day-to-day ruling was done by her Cardinals instead. There were eight of them, each handling a different aspect of the theocracy. You can think of them as ministers working under a king. However, there was one cardinal amongst them that was also granted the title "Pope". He was the Grand Cardinal, the administrator of all the other Cardinals and the right hand man of the Saint. That day, he and his peers were sitting in the Holy Circle, the fancy name they had given for their meeting room. Like its namesake, the room was round, with eight seats encircling a throne in the middle. They were not on equal ground, however, with the throne being raised on a cylindrical pillar The seat closest to the throne was for the Pope, while the other seats would be for the other cardinals. And of course, the throne was where the Saint herself would sit. The entire room was painted white, with only the throne having streaks of gold decorating it. Everything was equal, except the Saint, who stood above everyone else. Interestingly enough, however, the pillar blocked the view of the cardinals, preventing them from seeing the cardinal right across them. And the Saint herself could not see the cardinals sitting behind her. Now, you may think that it''s odd, having a conference room where you can not see some of your peers directly. However, such was the custom of the Holy Circle. The cardinals were supposed to be faceless whisperers to the Saint, advising her on all matters while she would be the one taking the decision. ''Clang!'' All of a sudden, the sound of metal hitting a hard floor echoed across the room. The cardinals fell silent, their gaze moving towards the throne above them. The one who made the sound was none other than Saint Catherine herself. She was a beautiful woman whose youth defied her age, with long pinkish hair that flowed down to her ankles. By all rights and purposes, she should be in her fifties, yet she still looked as if she was in her twenties. Said youthful look was soon attributed to her holiness ¡ª she was so pure and flawless that not even Death dared to touch her. Others said it came from her miraculous power. As the only person in the world who was capable of casting Saint-level Holy spells, it wouldn''t be odd for one such spell to possess the capability to slow aging. And knowing that her predecessors had the same ability, where they managed to live for 150 years or so, it wasn''t that much of a farfetched theory. She wore a white robe with golden trimmings and embroideries, covering the also white dress she wore underneath. In her hand rested a staff, the tip shaped like a dragon with its wings open. The staff was made out of blessed mithril, layered with gold that gave it its divine hue. And in case you don''t know, blessed mithril is simply a mithril that has been aligned to conduct holy energy really well. In fact, that staff was considered to be the strongest holy staff in existence, as the mithril''s purity and conductivity were unrivaled. That was all to be expected, knowing that said staff was Laevatainn, The Staff of The Divine Heavens. It was the legendary weapon held by Milicis herself, one thousand years ago. It had been handed down to the various Saints over the centuries. "Grand Cardinal Nirvana. A little bird brought me knowledge that you intentionally kept a message from Ferus ¡ª a message that could''ve forewarned us of the disaster. Explain yourself." Her voice was cold and detached, as if whatever his answer was wouldn''t matter in the slightest. And yet, there was also the underlying threat creeping nearby, showing that if he lied, there would be a price to pay. An odd contradiction. And a far cry from the public image the Church had propagated about her. "I¡­" He stuttered. "I simply believed the information was unsubstantiated. And it came from a mage. We can''t trust their kind." Silence. The Saint didn''t even bother glancing at the old man. She continued staring towards the distance, at the glass ceiling overlooking the large room. "A-apologies! I shall pay penance for my mistake!" She didn''t need to say anything. Her presence ¡ª it was enough to keep these men in line. "Cardinal Ares. Send our troops to Vermouth. Reinforce our defences there. Do the same for Frastelleren. For now, we shall take a defensive posture." "Yes, Your Holiness!" "In the meantime, I shall pray to the Heavenly Dragon. Until I receive my revelation, you shall not do anything. You will simply spy on our two opponents." "Of course, Your Holiness!" "Then, this meeting is adjourned. Leave me to my solitude." One by one, the cardinals left the room. Even though barely any of them had the chance to speak, they knew better than to defy her. The Saint''s will was absolute. To go against it was to go against the Heavenly Dragon Himself. When the robes of the last man disappeared, the Saint let out a big sigh before relaxing her posture, slumping her back as she looked upwards. She gritted her teeth, her grip on her staff tightening. Before she realized it, tears trailed down her eyes. Vol 4 Chapter 55: The Demon Lord’s Trial Part 1 Hugo Our travels through the Demon Continent continued eastward for several months, leaving the ogres and the orcs behind us (I could only hope I hadn''t screwed up things by doing what I did). Myrilla suggested that we followed the borders of the Great Fairy Forest, so we also headed south a little. The Forest? Oh, it was something alright. Just from the outside, I could tell that it was nothing like any forests I had ever been in. Thick purplish trees stood tall on a long line, covered by mist that nearly obscured the entire forest. There were also giant mushrooms interlaced amongst them, emitting suspicious purple smoke that quickly blended into the mist. If I had to guess, those mushrooms were emitting poison and the trees were soaked in it, turning them purple. Just to confirm, I summoned my two fairies and asked them whether that really was the forest where they stayed. "Umm, I dunno¡­ I never really left it before so I don''t know how it looks from the outside¡­" Water Fairy answered, with her head tilted and her hands wrapped under her chest. "But this feeling¡­ yes, that''s definitely fairy territory, Master Hugo!" She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I agree with her, Master." Stone Sprite nodded. "To us, the Fairy Forest is another world entirely. The region where we live is called the Free Wilderness, where there is no fairy that rules over it. That''s why we can answer your call." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "This¡­ Wilderness." I stared at the forest before turning my body to face Earth Sprite, trying not to ogle her bikini body. "Can you take me through it?" She shook her head. "No. Humans¡­ shouldn''t be in the forest for long. The other fairies¡ª" "They''re all jerks who get jealous of us!" Water Fairy huffed, throwing a frown towards the forest. "We can''t protect you or your friends, Master." Earth Sprite spoke. "There are fairies far stronger and cleverer than us there. And if one of the Eldest noticed¡­" She shuddered, hugging her near naked body. I walked up to her and patted her on the head. Her height only reached up to my chest now, thanks to my growth spurt. Back at Fiania, my face was in line for her chest. "The Eldest? You mean¡­ Titania?" She nodded. "She and her four ministers. They''re so old and powerful all of us are terrified of them. Reality bends under their wisdom. The Free Wilderness only exists because they''re content with their own dominions." "...I see. Then, we''ll take the longer route. Don''t you worry, alright?" I smiled at her. She replied by giving me a tight, boob-filled hug. I was lucky Felicia was back in the camp. ------- Afterwards, I told the party what I knew from the fairies as we had our dinner around the bonfire. To my surprise, Myrilla decided to speak up. "The Minister of Summer. She''s the one whom the Izurds made a deal with," she said with a serious look. "But do not worry. As long as you follow my instructions, everything will be fine. She is bound to her contract." "So, the village is inside her domain?" I asked. She nodded. "Yes. In a place called Valley of Eternal Summer. And, before you ask, we cannot get there through the Great Fairy Forest. The two might be connected but she would not accept any visitors that came in from that route." I sighed internally. Once again, we had no choice but to take the long route. "Sheesh, you sure know a lot about the Izurds, Myrilla.'''' I smiled. "I''m curious. How do you know them so well?" A scowl appeared on her face. "... Haven''t I told you? Us Nerthusians were the ones who introduced them to the Archfey." "Were you there?" I asked further. She shook her head. "I was. But I was just a child. I didn''t know anything. I could only remember the day when the Demon Lord of Blades appeared in our city." Suddenly, she paused, lowering her voice and averting her gaze before continuing. "She was¡­ terrifying. Her thoughts were filled with anger¡­ sadness¡­ hate¡­ I had never read a mind so dark." "...Wait. What does a Demon Lord have to do with the Izurds?" She locked her gaze back to me. "The Demon Lord of Blades¡­ is the chief of the Izurds. And Sherry''s grandmother." My heart skipped a beat. Why in the world didn''t she tell this sooner?! -------- Quania, the Demon Lord of Blades. Former Demon Lord to be exact. After her defeat at the hands of the Succubus and Incubus Demon Lord, she disappeared entirely from the continent, thus losing her right to the title. She was said to be a really powerful swordswoman, who can use every strand of her hair as a sword. Thanks to her, the Izurd had defeated numerous other demon races and their Demon Lords back in their glory days. And to think that she is Sherry''s grandmother¡­ Now I know where she got her freakish strength from. And I will have to face her when I come over to fetch her granddaughter since apparently, she was the one who forbade her from leaving. This won''t be pretty. Not in the slightest. --------- Several months had passed and we were now heading south. The village was now to that direction while the Great Fairy Forest was to our west. In short, we had made an upside down L turn at the northeastern corner of said forest. The weather and landscape had changed considerably. The terrain now was filled with muddy soil, with all sorts of creatures that would suck you in if given the chance. The rain came day after day, unrelenting, unforgiving. Felicia said it was acidic as well, which would be bad for humans like me whose physiology could not adapt like the demons could. Thankfully, I could just erect a wind dome that protected us from it while at the same time, hardening the muddy soil we walked on. It was certainly good training for my mana endurance. We saw a number of villages and towns on our trip, which I wouldn''t describe since there were too many of them. Suffice to say that there were a lot more varied than human towns. One town was built inside a massive cave. Another was built on top of a massive bamboo platform lifted above a boiling swamp. And let''s not forget that town resting on top of a giant buffalo! We ended up buying what the locals called Scarabs to ride on ¡ª basically giant tamed bugs. Unlike horses, it could carry its passengers on almost any terrain. No need for a smooth ground like horses do. Myrilla rode one on her way to Arborea but she ended up leaving it in the city since there was only one of it and we couldn''t all ride on top of it. And the scarab wouldn''t like it if it had to move at slow speed. It would sooner or later go on a rampage before running away. So Myrilla just decided to leave it behind. Oh, and of course, I regaled the tale of our journey to Marina. I figured she would want to hear it, knowing how she was. As for Erika¡­ she probably wouldn''t. So I didn''t send nearly as many to her as I wanted. I also sent some messages to Sherry, though, to be honest, I was conflicted in whether or not I should tell her about Felicia beforehand. If I told her earlier, she would definitely get angry. And without me being there to explain it in person, she might just turn that anger into something else ¡ª something that I wouldn¡¯t want to happen to her. Suicide, for example. Yes, Myrilla had told me about her mother ¡ª how she was apparently betrayed by her husband, resulting in her taking her own life. That was how Sherry got abandoned at the orphanage back at Aarom. That was why she suggested that I hid it from her, despite her distaste for such an act. There was one more thing that could happen though ¡ª something that my selfish heart would consider just as worse. She in bed with another man. She was already sixteen back then ¡ª already the age to start her own family. If I told her the truth, she might seek comfort in another, which would no doubt lead to sex sooner or later. It would break my heart for that to happen. I know. It¡¯s selfish, and it¡¯s stupid, especially since I have no problem with Felicia. But Sherry¡¯s different. If there¡¯s anyone who should take her virginity, it should be me and no one else. That is my selfishness. And I¡¯m willing to admit that. I am no saint. I am just a pervert who got lucky with women. -------------- After several more months of trekking through the Demon Continent, we finally arrived at our destination. The Valley of Eternal Summer. Inside this tiny path between two small mountains¡­ was the village where Sherry had been waiting for me all this time. I had told her about our arrival and how she should just stay in the village so that we wouldn¡¯t miss each other. Felicia had brought the idea of her just staying outside, to not draw the ire of the Demon Lord for two-timing her granddaughter. I quickly shot it down, saying bravely that I wouldn¡¯t be a coward that hid the truth from Sherry and her family. And I imagined Myrilla wouldn¡¯t be keen on that either. I had trained a lot these past months, for more than half a year. I wouldn¡¯t know if it would be enough to fight against a Demon Lord though. Yeah, remember the last time I tried going up against one? And yet, even with such thoughts, the moment I imagined me going up against Sherry¡¯s grandmother... I couldn¡¯t stop my tremors. ------ ¡°Follow me. And ignore all the visions and noises you will hear.¡± That was Myrilla¡¯s only warning before we ventured in, leaving our scarabs behind. The valley was filled with a thick, tall forest, and a really foggy one at that. For safety, we tied ropes to ourselves, forming a chain that should prevent any of us from getting lost. I offered to just blow the fog away but Myrilla said no, citing that it would anger the feys that lived inside the forest. And so we went, with Myrilla leading the pack and me the furthest down the line. It didn''t take long until the fog completely obstructed my sight, to the point that I could barely see Felicia who was walking in front of me. Thankfully, the ground was pretty easy to traverse so there was no fear of tripping. "Ooh, what''s this? A band of humans from the outside? Hey, let''s play!" "Play! Play!" "Play!" And there it was ¡ª the voices of the fairies. Didn''t take long at all until they began to appear. Ignore them. Don''t answer them. And do not look at the floating orbs that are now surrounding us. Only, one of them decided to hover near my left ear. "Oh! I''ve heard! Are you the human our Lady spoke of? The one that cheated on the Izurd girl?" My heart skipped a beat. "That''s not good!" The fairy giggled. "I heard she''s really angry with you!" SNAP The rope that bound me with Felicia ¡ª it was cut right in the middle. As for Felicia, she, and the others in front of her, had disappeared. Laughter rang from all directions ¡ª a youthful, playful laugh of a young woman. The fog intensified even more, to the point that I was now completely surrounded by white, with no forest to speak of. I reacted immediately, casting a wind spell to dispel the fog. Only to find that once the whiteness disappeared, I was somewhere else entirely. I was in the middle of a sunny flower field. -------- Sherry "Hello, my dear sapling! Just wanna tell you that Hugo kid is making his way here now! Won''t you do something about it, hmm? That trial thing you told me?" That day, as Quania was sitting cross-legged inside her house, meditating, the Archfey manifested herself in front of her. Not in her full form, of course, as she wouldn''t fit in the cramped place, but as her small fairy form. "So, it''s time." Quania replied, opening her eyes. "Fetch Sherry. She shall witness the entire thing." "Of course!" The fairy giggled. "Ooh, this is going to be so much fun!" The fairy disappeared and Quania stood up from her seat. Her eyes traveled to the wall. There, a sword sat in its sheath, tied to the wall it was attached to. With one sweep of her hair, she grabbed the sword and put it on her hands. Sliding the sword into her belt, she departed. It was time to give her judgment. --------- Hugo "So. You are Hugo Greenwood. The boy my granddaughter adored." A figure stood on the fields, close enough that I could make out her face and features from where I stood. She was¡­ unsettling, to say the least. Her pitch black hair, reaching down to her ankles, was a mess of tangled strings, as if she had never known a comb in her life. A sword rested near her left hip. Even sheathed, I could feel an ominous presence coming from it. And those scarlet eyes¡­ they were bulging out of their sockets, staring at me like a wild beast would stare at its prey. In short, she was exceedingly similar to Sadako*. Waay to close for my comfort. And she was Sherry¡¯s grandmother. The ex-Demon Lord. ¡°You are quite brave, coming here with that woman in tow.¡± ¡°Woman?¡± ¡°Sherry saw you. We all did. If you believe you can hide your treachery from us, think again.¡± ¡°Look, it wasn¡¯t my intention to hide Felicia¡¯s existence from her. I just¡­ wanted to tell the news to her face-to-face.¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯m sure you would. But, unfortunately, I have no plans in letting you see her.¡± I gulped. This was exactly as I had feared. ¡°Begone human. Forget about her. She¡¯ll live happily here, with her people. You already have the human woman. You don¡¯t need her anymore.¡± ¡°...I do. I still need her.¡± I looked at her straight in the eyes, despite how disturbing they were. ¡°I¡­ owed her a lot. Forgiveness, most of it.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m fine if, after listening to me, she decides to dump me and stays here with you. But, I refuse to leave without her lending her ears to me first.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t need your empty forgiveness.¡± Her voice suddenly turned stern. ¡°For there¡¯s no forgiveness for what you had done. You have insulted her, not just in your words, but your actions as well. Oh Minister of Summer! Show this insolent human your vision!¡± All of a sudden, a tornado of flowers appeared in mid-air. I quickly erected a barrier with my wind magic, though it didn¡¯t seem to be necessary, since the tornado immediately died down the moment it appeared. Revealing a massive, dark-skinned woman with fairy wings on her back. Her size easily eclipsed mine. If I had to guess, she was as tall as the ogre chief I met back then. She had a reddish bronze hair and scarlet dress that left little to the imagination. In a physic-defying way, even though she was floating mid-air with her legs bending upwards (she was hovering in a position similar to when you use the couch to sleep, with her hips at the lowest point and her legs raised slightly), I could not see up her short dress in the slightest. Only the tantalizing sun-kissed thighs teasing my sight to look further in. She flipped her body 180 degrees, now gazing at me with her amber eyes as her bare feet raised themselves behind her. Smirking, she began to speak. "Welcome, Breaker of Hearts! At last, the day of our meeting has come." My eyes narrowed. The "Now, I will show you something I imagine you don''t want your dear Sherry to know about." She snapped her fingers. And a vision instantly entered my mind. It was a vision of¡­ of me and Felicia¡­ pleasuring each other in bed¡­ She was pleasuring my manhood while I was playing with her breasts. And we groaned. And moaned. And spoke with labored breath as well. And what we spoke ¡ª I spoke ¡ª was about Sherry. And how she was just an ugly gorilla compared to Felicia. This fairy ¡ª she was mixing truth with slander! All those lewd things I did with her are true. But the gorilla part ¡ª that was all a big fat lie! Anger boiled in my gut. Before I could say anything to her, however, she had disappeared in another tornado of flowers. Laughing in the process. I had no choice. I had to convince the angry grandma instead. "That ¡ª that isn''t true! I would never speak about her like that!" I shouted at the ex-Demon Lord. "She''s really precious to me! You think I will ever badmouth her that way?!" "Then, you copulating with that woman is a lie too?" Her eyes narrowed. "N-no, that was true. But it wasn''t copulation! I still never did it and I wanted Sherry to be my first!" "How dare you?! You think that just because you don''t penetrate her flower, you can do those things with another woman?!" Suddenly, chills enveloped my entire body. My feet began to buckle. My hands began to shake. Fear. That was what I felt there. Her aura¡ªmurderous and bloodthirsty¡ªhad flared intensely, to the point that I could barely breathe. This was different even compared to that swordswoman''s aura. This was made out of hostility and hate. She despised me. She despised me with every bone in her body. And somehow, I didn''t faint from it. I still stood in place, gripping my staff tightly. I knew what I wanted. I wanted Sherry. And I was going to meet her, no matter who stood in my way. ------- Sherry Unbeknownst to Hugo, his conversation with Quania was being watched by Sherry. In fact, the whole thing was being displayed to the village''s sky, allowing every Izurd to watch. Why? Because the fairy wanted to. Simple as that. Quania didn''t like it but she had no choice in the matter. Sherry, however, was watching it not in the village, but on the flower fields as well. She wasn''t inside the flower fields that Hugo was at though. She was in a separate space entirely, courtesy of the Fey''s reality bending magic. And there, she watched. She watched as her childhood friend, now turned into a dashing young man, faced off against her grandmother. Tears flew down her cheeks. Tears of anger and fury. It was true. It was all true. He had cheated with that red-haired woman. He didn''t even try to deny it. Her fists clenched, so hard she was bleeding from it. She didn''t care anymore. The young man she saw before her ¡ª it was not her dear Hugo anymore! ----------- The Archfey "You! Let me out of here at once!" Meanwhile, the rest of Hugo''s party was also watching the proceedings. And just like Sherry, they were doing it on a different "layer" of the flower fields. However, unlike Sherry, the fairy was also there with them, floating in mid-air as her eyes were locked on the image she had projected of Hugo''s battle. Oh, her guests had tried to attack her. Especially that angry redheaded woman who had sent shadows, bombs, and chemicals after her. Of course, none of their attacks could land. She could simply shift away to a different plane of existence to dodge them all. Only the demoness stayed still. The Nerthusian knew better. She was clever enough to recognize that she stood no chance against her. "What do you want?! You want to hurt him?! You want us to watch him die?!" She snapped her finger. And just like that, her voice disappeared. "Mmmmmhhh!" She had stuffed her mouth with a ball of flowers. That should do the trick. Ignoring the choking and gasping for air noises she then made, she returned her attention back towards Hugo. A childish, excitement-filled giggle escaped her lips. If he surrendered, he would prove himself to be a coward. It would break that little girl''s heart. If he didn''t, he would die. And her heart would still be broken as well, just for a different reason. Oh, she couldn''t¡ªshe simply wouldn''t wait to see Sherry''s face once all of this were over! That look of despair¡ªooohhh, even the prettiest gem could not compare! And then, she would harvest her heart. Create another tree right beside her grandmother''s. She could finally eat two fruits instead of one! ------------ A/N: *Sadako, of course, refers to the spooky ghost woman from The Ring. Vol 4 Chapter 56: The Demon Lord’s Trial Part 2 Hugo The fight began in a flash. Her long black hair extended itself towards me, their tips forming innumerable spears. There was no hesitation. She fully intended to kill me. I, on the other hand, felt differently. She might be a terrifying former Demon Lord but she was also Sherry''s grandmother. If I ended up killing her, Sherry would feel sad for sure. But, I had no choice. I had to fight. She clearly had no plans to listen to me anymore. I jumped backwards, putting a good distance between me and her hair. I decided to start small. I fired a Boom Cannon towards her "tendrils". The hair didn''t dodge. It instead received the attack full force, tensing itself to act as a shield. It was enough to dissipate the attack completely, even though some of the length of the hair was shortened because of it. "That was a weak attack, Hugo Greenwood. Is that the full extent of your power? Or are you insulting me by holding back?" "Grand Tornado!" I raised my staff up to the air, conjuring a massive whirlwind around me, blowing over all the flowers in the fields. The way this spell worked was that you could control where the safe zone inside the whirlwind was located. The eye of the storm, so to speak. Normally, its radius would be a mile or so with an eye around ten feet in radius. However, I commanded the winds to compress themselves. Now, the whirlwind was only a hundred feet wide with an eye as wide as my body. This should make the winds much more powerful. "What is this? You think a mere wind like this is going to stop me?" As I had calculated, her hair managed to make its way through the raging winds anyway. However, she was unable to see me, as I was inside the whirlwind while she was outside. She wouldn''t know exactly where I was. And that bought me time. Enough to begin charging my Super Boom Cannon. Not to its full strength, mind you, but enough so it would be double the power of a normal Boom Cannon. The moment I fired was the moment her tendrils-like hair flew after me. Once again, they crashed into my spell, tightening themselves to form a barrier to block it. This time, however, they didn''t stand a chance. My spell went through, right to where their master should be. I turned off my whirlwind spell, just so I could see the hit. Only to find that with a single punch, she shattered the spell completely. "Pathetic! Is this all you have, human?!" "Fine! You don''t want to take me seriously?! Then I''ll just have to do this! Fairy! Bring Sherry here!" Before I could even react, a bright light appeared to the left of the ex-Demon Lord. When it receded, a dark-haired girl stood there, looking just as confused as I was. It was Sherry. For a short moment, I was speechless. She was beautiful. Far more than I expected. That long, flawless black hair, finely combed unlike the hair of her grandmother; those piercing green eyes, as determined and fierce as ever; and those breasts¡­ Well, at least she had two small bumps there. I''m fine with that. There''s a certain charm in small chests after all. I was quickly broken out of my reverie, however, by the grandmother grabbing her throat with her hair. "G-grandma¡­" Sherry croaked, her hands desperately trying to release her grip. "W-wait, what are you doing?! That''s your own granddaughter, you know!" I yelled. "Fight me seriously. Or I''ll break her neck. You love her, don''t you? Then fight for her." I rushed forward, charging both a Super Boom Cannon and an Accelerate. Full power. She threw Sherry away to the side. Good. Just like I expected. This meant I wouldn''t have to worry about accidentally hitting Sherry in the process. When the Time Magic was ready, I combined it with the Wind Spell. The forming of the spell accelerated considerably, in exchange for a huge chunk of my mana. And then, before her hair could reach me, I fired. The massive ten-meter radius sphere flew forward, 20 times the speed of sound. It obliterated her hair instantly, turning every strand into nothing. I was wrong. The orb of doom had stopped mid-air. Something was blocking it. It was her sword. My spell dissipated, leaving the visage of the swordswoman and her pitch-black steel. No, it wasn''t just pitch black. A vile aura emanated out of it, sending chills all throughout my body. There was no doubt it was a cursed sword of some manner. "Well done, human. That is what I wish to see. A spell fit to fight against a Demon Lord." "However, you have yet to defeat me. And it is the only way I will ever let you see my granddaughter again." My gaze shifted towards the girl she just threw. Only to find that it wasn''t Sherry. It was instead just a piece of wooden log, at the size of a human. I''d been had. The fairy had used her illusion to trick me. "Now, let''s resume the fight." She swung her sword, leaving an afterimage of darkness behind it. "This time, I will use my full strength as well." I gulped. This wouldn''t be easy in the slightest. --------- Victoria When the half-fairy first arrived at her new home, she thought it would be a better place to live than her old house. The Floating Fortress of Naturia. The dwelling and the seat of government for the Demon Lord of Wisdom. It froze her in awe the very first time she saw it. A pitch black castle, shining with a dim purple light, floating on mid-air above the city ¡ª it was truly a place worthy to be the lair of a Demon Lord. But now, she realized that it was just another hell. A different kind from what she experienced back home, but a hell nonetheless. She had met him ¡ª the orc prince that was supposed to be her husband. And he was everything she had expected him to be ¡ª brutish, perverted, and ungentlemanly to the fullest. He was also short and fat ¡ª a far cry from the tall, muscled orc she had to pleasure before. There was no Prince Charming. There was only him ¡ª a spouse fit for a worthless girl like her. And now, after their short introduction ¡ª he didn''t even bother asking anything about her ¡ª she was to wait in her room for him to arrive. The room was lavish, decorated far more ornately than her old room. From the door, a large king-sized bed sat to the left while miniature bookshelves sat to the right. A glimmering chandelier hung on the ceiling while a royal red carpet covered the cold stone floor. There was also a fireplace, burning with green flame that didn''t need any firewood to keep itself going. There was also a wardrobe at the corner, along with a dresser and a mirror. The girl was now dressed in a skimpy, sheer nightgown. The white garment failed to cover the teal bra and panties she was wearing underneath. The perfect dress for someone who would bed the orc prince. She was now sitting on the bed, staring blankly at the window leading outside. She had cried into her pillow. So much so that she ran out of tears. All that was left was the lingering sense of doom of her inevitable demise. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Oh, she knew she was being hyperbolic. She knew all she had to do was to let him have her way with her. And smile while he did it, like the good wife she should be. But, she hated it. She didn''t want her first time to be with him. But, she had no choice. Her sister needed her to be a good wife to him. And so she would. The door bolted open, causing the girl to jump from her seat. "Here I am, darling! Hehehe, let''s play!" He came. The orc prince made his entrance. A green creature, barely as tall as her, entered her sight with a lustful grin. He wore an open vest embroidered with gold and mithril, exposing his belly to the world. As for down there, he opted to wear a pair of loose puffy trousers, embroidered with ruby and sapphire instead. The crotch area was quite snug, however, exposing his raging erection right into her eyes. His name was Zilge Naturia. He was the only son of the sixth wife of the Demon Lord of Wisdom, Ulum Naturia. Without waiting, he threw himself at her, pushing her down on the bed. She closed her eyes. She let him undress her, all the while feeling his erection pressing down on her stomach. She repeated that mantra over and over in her head. He tore her dress open, the flimsy material offering no resistance in the slightest. He then pulled at her bra, sending a surge of pain to her back as the thin garment bit into her skin. He couldn¡¯t even figure out how to unclasp a bra properly. With his orcish strength, her bra gave out as well, freeing the suppressed mountain of flesh that were her breasts. To her horror, she could hear his labored breath. She even felt drops of his saliva touching her cheeks. No good. She could feel her eyes watering. She couldn¡¯t cry. That would offend him. That would tell him that she didn¡¯t want this. It would be an insult to his manhood. The mantra did not work. Tears began to escape from the corner of her lids. ¡°Eh, what are you crying for? You should be happy! Being a bride of a prince like me!¡± ¡°Although, I do love the sight of a crying girl in my bed!¡± As his hands began to squeeze and grope her breasts, as his mouth began to suck on her earlobe, she too began to actively sob. There was no crowd that she had to please. It was only her and him now. Yes, when she first arrived, the Demon Lord quickly formed a parade for her, showing to his subjects that she would be a future princess of the country. There, she sat along with the orc prince, smiling and waving her hand to the happy populace all while wearing the most extravagant dress. However, at the same time, he groped her breasts and ass shamelessly. And none of the citizens minded. In fact, they cheered for him. She was being sexually harassed in public by their prince. And they loved him more for it. She couldn¡¯t blame them. She was soon-to-be his wife after all. To the demons, this might just be a showing of how affectionate they were. Demons were supposed to be more open with their sexuality after all. And so, she kept up her smile all the way through. But here, when there was only him, she was no longer a beloved princess. She was a pleasure slave, only here to fulfill his carnal desires. He never cared about her as a person. He only cared about her as an object ¡ª as an attractive woman to copulate with. He was not like him in the slightest. He might be a pervert but he always saw her as her own person. In fact, he was the one who wanted her to be free. From her family. From this. To become her own person. Not to chase after her delusions. But he¡¯s gone now. He¡¯s no longer in this world. This was now her fate. Her unchangeable, immutable fate. She froze. Who, who just spoke? That wasn¡¯t the prince¡¯s voice at all. She opened her eyes. And saw a little fairy staring back at her. https://pin.it/6ALn3vX ---------------- Hugo I activated Haste, increasing my speed considerably with the downside being the constant drain it put into my mana. I knew I would need it for sure. The speed of a Demon Lord was still too fast for me to deal with normally. Super Boom Cannon didn''t work. At least not if I just fired it directly like that. I still had other options though. First, I could just snatch Sherry away. If I had to guess, she should be nearby now, watching me. I would dispel this fairy illusion and then we ran away from this crazy woman. No need to fight. Of course, that wouldn''t work. Not when Sherry hated my guts. She must be, after learning about Felicia. And besides, I wanted to prove myself to her family, that I was worthy to take the hand of their daughter. I bolted backwards, putting as much distance as I could from her. That hair of hers was trouble. She could easily surround me with them. If Sherry had been able to use them in our spars, I would never have won for sure. She chased after me, her pitch-black hair flowing behind her like a storm. She lifted her sword and slashed it towards me, sending an energy wave of pure black in my direction. The wave destroyed the flowers it passed through, leaving only a deadened earth behind. I dodged it¡ªby a hair''s breadth mind you¡ªbut she sent more and more, forcing me to change the direction of my Wind Step constantly. My mind flashed back to the pink-haired swordswoman. Her aura was just as intimidating as hers. The aura of that level used to be able to knock me out. But now, thanks to my training as we journeyed through the continent, I could remain standing and keep my wits with me. "Running away won''t grant you victory! Hold your ground and face me like a man!" I changed my direction in an instant, flying upwards instead of backwards. She followed, firing her hair like a shower of needles in my direction. I conjured Wind Wall, blocking all of them without moving an inch. She jumped, forming her hair into multiple giant hands. I managed to dodge out of their grasp just in time. It was time for my counterattack. The wind crystal on my staff shone as innumerable pellets of Boom Rifle formed themselves in front of me. And then, I fired. Her eyes widened. She dissolved her hair into hundreds of strands, each attempting to block the pellets from reaching the ground. However, she couldn''t do it. She couldn''t deal with the pellets perfectly. Even when her sword joined in on the action. One, two, three¡ªmore and more pellets pierced her body. My new spell was a big success. However¡­ I fell from the sky, crash landing on the flowers leg first. Thanks to my Fortissimo, I didn''t break my bones in the process. That was my limit. Two Grandmaster-level spells hastened by Time Magic. After that, I needed to recharge my mana. I opened my Dimensional Storage and took out a vial of liquid from it. Opening the cap, I drank the bitter draught in one go. Felicia''s potion. Refilled my mana in an instant. A fist hit my stomach dead on. I flew backwards, nearly losing my consciousness in the process. I looked up and saw that it was Quania. The wounds I just gave her¡ªthat should''ve turned her to swiss cheese¡ªhad disappeared completely. I hit the ground multiple times before I finally stopped. And when I did, before I could stand up, she grabbed me on the neck with her hair and lifted me up. "That was a good show, human. Alas, you are still lacking. Or perhaps you are still holding back?" I could barely breathe, let alone speak. But I tried anyway. "Those two spells¡­ they were my best¡­ if they can''t defeat you¡­ then I can''t either.." "Really?" Her eyes narrowed. "Then, I suppose it''s goodbye." Her hair tightened. I could feel it¡ªmy windpipe slowly being crushed. My vision began to blacken. First at the edges then slowly creeping down into the middle. "Once you''re gone, Sherry is going to marry her cousin. Rest assured that he will make her happy. More than you can." In my mind, I chuckled. "...Pathetic. You really don''t love her. Not as much as she loves you." I chuckled again. "Don''t you dare give up!" "You might be a no good two-timer but I know you''re stronger than this! You want to apologize to me, right?! Then do it after you defeat her!" "Fight her, Hugo! You¡ªyou can kill her if you want!" "And you, stupid fairy! Bring me to him at once! This is just your illusion, isn''t it? You think I can''t destroy it?!" A powerful wave crash landed right behind the ex-Demon Lord. She looked behind her and saw a furious Izurd, staring at her with fiery emerald eyes and an unsheathed sword. "Release him at once, Grandmother!" Sherry. She had come to my rescue. Vol 4 Chapter 57: The Demon Lord’s Trial Part 3 Victoria The fairy did not lie. She really helped her get out of this. With a single touch, she made the orc prince fall asleep. Right before he could violate her chastity. As the creature snored loudly on the carpet, the fairy gave a mischievous grin to the distressed girl. "There we go! The piggy is now taking his nap!" "Y-you can''t do that!" Victoria protested. "I''m his wife! It''s my duty to¡ª" "Oh, be gone with your duties! You''re a half-fey! Act like it! Be irresponsible! Have fun!" "I¡­ I don''t think I''m a half fey." She averted her gaze. "I don''t have my wings. I don''t have any powers either. He was mistaken." "He?" The fairy raised her eyebrows. "Oh no, you''re definitely a fey! A fairy, just like me! Okay, maybe not exactly like me, but you definitely are part fairy! In fact, you''re the daughter of Lady Titania herself!" She grinned as she put her hands on her hips. "Titania?" "What? You don''t know? She''s the queen of all feys! And you are her daughter!" Victoria froze. She blinked profusely, not really knowing how to react. Her mother¡­ her real mother¡­ was a fey? "Look, it''s a long story. Let''s get you out of¡ª ahhhh!" The fairy''s body became translucent, as if she was fading away. "No good!" She covered her mouth. "This castle¡ªit has an anti-fey ward covering it! I can''t materialize here for long! Hey, I''ll come back later, alright?" "Wait! I still have¡ª" Too late. The fairy had disappeared. Gingerly, she looked back towards her bed. Sure enough, her fiance was still there, snoring. It wasn''t a dream. That fairy really was here. And she¡ªshe just told her something she desperately wanted to believe. Victoria, the fairy princess, and not the useless daughter she was now. --------- Felicia "You let her go! Let me go too, you imbecile fairy!" "I didn''t let her go." The fairy smirked. "She really broke out from her pocket dimension on her own. I am impressed, really. With that sword of hers, she actually cut through my dimension." "Cut through your dimension?! Don''t give me that lie! There''s no way a simple swordswoman like her can just dispel your spell!" Felicia was aware of how talented Sherry was on the sword. All thanks to Hugo, of course. "T-that''s right! I want to help Sir Hugo too!" Theo butted in with a determined look. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "No, we shouldn''t." Tira shook her head as she placed her hand on her son''s shoulder. "Why not?" He turned to face her. "Because this is Sir Hugo''s fight. He''s proving himself to the scary woman that he''s worthy of marrying that girl." She smiled. "And besides," Her smile disappeared as she averted her gaze. "We''re not strong enough to be useful to him." "She''s right." Tama joined, a stern look on her face as she folded her hands under her chest. "Back home, we beastfolk have such a custom as well. Though only a few still keep it up these days." "T-then how about Miss Felicia?" Theo asked, glancing at the red-headed woman who was still arguing with the Archfey. "She can go." Tira answered, a serious look on her face. "This too involves her." The trio returned their attention back to the alchemist. "Why don''t you try breaking my magic if you want to go that badly?" The fairy said with a smug smile. "Grr! I can''t! I''m not good at dispel magic unlike him!" She yelled back, stabbing the blunt end of her staff to the ground in exasperation. "Haha, pathetic! That girl is stronger than you then!" "Why you¡ª!" Felicia summoned her shadow tendrils, commanding them all to attack the fairy. Only for them to be blocked by an invisible bubble surrounding her. It was only natural for the alchemist to be so angry. After all, she just saw her love being punched and nearly choked to death. However, jealousy was also a factor. If his oh-so-dear Sherry can help him and fight by his side against that villainess, she has to be there as well. She loved him more than her! She would die for his sake! She shouldn¡¯t be here, just watching from a safe distance! What would he think?! He would no doubt grow more fond of that annoying Sherry girl over her! Felicia gnashed her teeth, glaring murderously towards the fey. ------------ Hugo To be honest, I didn¡¯t really have a plan to surrender. I was just waiting until she dropped her guard completely before executing my plan. She didn''t bother knocking my staff away. Big mistake. "Thanatos." I mumbled under my breath. This spell¡­ It basically pumped the entire body with air. Every organ would rupture and fail and air would fill up the bloodstream, causing hemorrhaging at every orifice. Even your skin would start sweating blood. I tried it before. On our travels here, we met with an arrogant lizardman who wanted to fight me after hearing that I fought off the orc army on my own. I would''ve let him live, if not for the fact that he tried to kidnap Felicia in the process. He knelt on the ground, puking blood, clutching his heart as he begged me to save him. He didn''t even get to swing his halberd a single time. But, I doubted it would be as effective if I used it against this woman. Her durability was just insane. She must have the capability to regenerate her organs. Her reaction was instant. She coughed up blood as her grip on my throat weakened. I quickly freed myself, running to where Sherry was standing. Our gaze met ¡ª the first time for so many years. I gulped, my heart skipping a beat. "Stop staring, you idiot!" She yelled, blush creeping on her cheeks. "Just be glad that this baboon has come to your rescue!" "I never said that!" I fired back, though still keeping my attention on the ex-Demon Lord, who was now on her knees. "That fairy is lying to you!" "So all those perverted things you did with her¡ªthat was all a lie too?!" "N-no. That one did happen." "You traitor! I should''ve just let Grandma murder you!" And yet, she was still in her fighting stance. Her sword was drawn and her hair was floating in mid-air¡ªher gaze firmly locked to the older woman, who was now slowly standing back up. "Sorry, Sherry, but I might end up killing your grandmother now!" I cast my Super Boom Cannon and then accelerated it into its maximum power instantly. And then, I fired. The massive house-sized ball of death flew with a near instantaneous speed, catching her before she could fully be on her feet. Only for her to block it once again with her sword. Still, unlike before, it managed to do some damage. Her clothes were now tattered in some places, revealing some of her skin. She was now standing fully upright, her eyes staring right at me, still with that wide-eyed crazed look. ¡°That¡¯s it. That¡¯s what I want to see from someone who desires to marry my granddaughter. An intent to kill and the power that backs it. I didn¡¯t know how you did it but you had damaged my organs considerably.¡± ¡°Unfortunately for you, I possess considerable endurance and regenerative ability. You are wise to attempt to finish me off like that. Alas, this sword of mine ¡ª my Blade of Regret ¡ª can cut any magic it touches. Your magic is certainly impressive, and would have dealt significant damage to me if it managed to hit, but such a frontal attack would never work against me.¡± "You''re underestimating her." Sherry spoke, giving a small glance at me. "She''s a monster, through and through. I''ve never defeated her in a fight. Even after all my training. That''s why I could never leave the village. If I could, I would''ve come after you and punched you in the face for cheating on me." "And you, my granddaughter. Why are you willing to forgive this man?" "Don''t get me wrong." Sherry frowned, putting one hand on her hip. "This cheater has a lot of apologizing and explaining before he''ll even be allowed to give me one of his lurid gazes. But I disagree with you wanting to kill him. I thought this was just a test for his worthiness, not his execution." "You''re a fool, my granddaughter. How long did you cry and weep when that dream came to you? He is a complete and utter traitor. Killing traitors is the way of us Izurdians." "...Maybe you''re right. But I want to hear his excuses first." Noticing my proud smile, she sent me a glare. "Wipe that stupid grin off your face. You have a lot to answer for, Hugo Greenwood." "Yeah, you''re right." I gave her a wry smile. "We have a lot to catch up to." "...Very well. Then, I shall test your resolve as well. Fairy! Bring her here!" Quania''s voice snapped me out of my reverie. I realized whom she was talking about in an instant. Felicia. My heart sank. Before I could do anything, the alchemist dropped out of the sky, landing right into the embrace of Quania''s living hair. "Felicia!" I yelled. She threw her staff away and wrapped her hair around her waist, neck, feet, and hands. She lifted her arms upwards, showing off her armpits to the world as if her hands were tied to an invisible ceiling. "L-Lord¡­ H-Hugo¡­" "Fight me, human, if you wish to see her live. And you, granddaughter, aid him, if you really are as much of a fool as I thought you are." I glanced at Sherry. "Wait here." I told her. "You don''t want to help your enemy, right? Then I won''t ask you to do it." She did not respond. I dashed forward, charging a Boom Cannon and an Explosion at the same time. Merging the two spells together, I created the hybrid spell¡ª ¡°Azure Lance!¡± I fired a massive jet of fire to where the ex-demon lord was standing. Unlike normal fire, however, this fire was blue. I used the highly compressed oxygen inside the Boom Cannon and used it to fuel the fire, resulting in a temperature vastly higher than normal flames could ever reach. Not to mention that thanks to the directional nature of Boom Cannon, I could cleanly turn an opponent into ash without hurting anyone standing right beside them. Now, I know what you¡¯re thinking. ¡°That name isn¡¯t really that creative, is it?¡± But that¡¯s really the best I got. And besides, too fancy of a name will make you enter territory. And I certainly don¡¯t want that! The woman quickly formed a thick wall formed out of her air to block the attack. And, if I had to guess, she would use her sword to stop the attack as well. Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t finished. The moment I finished firing, I jumped using Wind Step, charging up another spell in mid-air. And this one¡ªI gave all the credit to Myrilla. ¡°Wind Tendrils!¡± I formed innumerable tendrils made out of hardened air around me before sending them towards Felicia. Mine would most likely lose judging by how tough those hair were but it should be enough to buy me some time to free her. I then dashed forward, drew my sword, augmented it using my wind spell, and¡ª ¡ªhave it cut in half by a swipe of her sword. I could only watch with an agape mouth as half of the length of the blade went flying, swirling in the air with a soft whirring sound. Before I realized it, the woman had jumped as well. She was now blocking the path I was about to take to rescue Felicia. I hadn¡¯t activated Haste since I needed my Dual Casting to be available to do this maneuver, making my movement significantly slower than hers. In a microsecond, no, maybe even a nanosecond, a bundle of hair shaped like a fist slammed into my abdomen. ¡°Argh!¡± As pain exploded inside my stomach, blood came out from my throat. I could feel my body zooming backwards, so fast that I had no time to cast Wind Step to counteract it. I could only brace for the inevitable impact. "You idiot!" Instead of crashing into the hard ground, I landed on something soft and warm. It was Sherry. She had caught me just in time. "Didn''t you hear what I said?! That woman is a monster! You can''t win against her!" Her arms were now wrapped around my stomach. She was hugging me from behind. I could feel two small bumps pressing into my back. Her breasts, I presumed. She quickly released me, however, forcing me to stand on my two feet. I turned around, facing her with a wry smile. "I can''t just let her kill Felicia. I like her after all." "You¡­ like her?" Her voice shook. "Then what about me?! You don''t like me anymore?!" "I like you too. I want to marry you both." I grinned. "Marry us both?! Are you stupid?! You think I''ll ever get along with another woman to share you! I''m an Izurd! Demons that kill their husbands whenever they cheated on them! Didn''t Myrilla tell you that?!" ¡°I know. Still, I want to try. I really think if I try hard enough, I can make you two get along. Felicia, she¡¯s a good person once you know her.¡± "Hmph! Of course you''d say that!" She huffed and folded her arms. "You made her lick your¡­ your thing! And you play around with her breasts like the pervert that you are!" I chuckled. Of course there was no way I could change her mind with just a few words. "Urgh!" A searing pain on my abdomen reminded me of the punch I just took from the grandmother. I summoned my Water Fairy, ordering her to heal the wound I just took. "Right away, Master!" She fired off her healing water from her palms, aiming at my stomach. "That''s¡­ that''s your fairy? She¡­ she has grown, isn''t she?" Sherry spoke. Her expression seemed to be a mixture between awe and annoyance. "Grown? Yeah, she has evolved alright." I flashed a smile at her. "Master," the fairy spoke with a concerned expression. "This place¡­ there''s an Archfey nearby¡­ I¡­ I think you should leave right away¡­" "I know." I gave her a relaxed smile. "This is her domain alright." "This presence¡­ she''s the ruler of Summer, isn''t she?!" "Yep!" I nodded. "How long are you going to keep me waiting? And her?" I returned my attention back to the ex-Demon Lord, who now had a slightly annoyed look on her face. She still had Felicia hanging in mid-air though she wasn''t choking her anymore. My smile disappeared. I expanded the range of my raw mana, all the way towards her. Xaela had taught me how to detect illusions before. And how to dispel them. It was all in the subtle difference between the mana field inside an actual human and a construct made out of mana. "I shall offer you a deal, human. Abandon this woman. Then I will let you have my granddaughter.¡± "Then what?" I fired back. "You''re going to kill her?" "I''ll let her go free." I turned to Sherry. "I suppose you want me to say yes?" She threw her head away. "What do you think?!" I sighed, moving my gaze back to the ex-Demon Lord. "No." "No?" "Like I''ve said, I love her as well. I''m a greedy man. I won''t give up her or Sherry." My gaze then traveled to Felicia. Tears had formed in her eyes. A flash of anger resurfaced on the demon lord¡¯s face. ¡°Your greed will be your downfall. The next time you try to save her, I will cut off your arm.¡± I smiled wryly. As I stepped forward to take on her challenge, however... ¡°Wait!¡± I felt Sherry¡¯s arm around me once more. ¡°Don¡¯t go! She¡¯ll seriously cut off your arm! That look in her eyes ¡ª she isn¡¯t lying in the slightest!¡± ¡°Help me then. Help me save her.¡± ¡°What?! You want me to help her?! I¡­ I can¡¯t! I would rather let her die than have her filthy hands on you ever again!¡± I could feel her head buried on my back, as her height only reached up to my chest. She was now sobbing, her tears dampening the clothes I wore. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. She¡­ she has no one else. No one but me in this world. I can¡¯t just abandon her.¡± ¡°How about me?! I don¡¯t have anyone either! Renee and Alan ¡ª they¡¯re dead now!¡± ¡°At least you have a place you can call home. She has nothing like that.¡± Gently, I placed my hands on hers. Slowly, I pulled her hands one by one. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Like I¡¯ve said, you can stay here if you want. I don¡¯t want you to risk your life for a woman you despise.¡± Before she could say anything, I dashed upwards. ¡°Water Fairy! Earth Sprite! Come to my aid! Help me defeat this woman!¡± Water Fairy, being already there, simply flew upwards to chase after me. Earth Sprite, on the other hand, appeared mid-air, right above me. ¡°Earth Sprite! Armor Mode!¡± She nodded, before transforming into multiple pieces of rock, all shaped like a certain piece of armor. Each piece then threw itself at me, attaching to the suitable part of my body according to their shapes. Pretty much like Ironman. To be honest, I hadn¡¯t been using this much, if at all. But I thought it was a neat idea. It added to my durability quite significantly without harming my mobility. So I asked her if she could do it and she answered with a yes. "Water Fairy! Robe Mode!" "Yes, Master!" She, on the other hand, was to transform herself into a robe made out of water. She would aid both me and Earth Sprite at receiving attacks, healing any wounds that they both received. And now, it was time for me to attack. "Boom Orbit!" I surrounded myself with a revolving Boom Cannon. My plan was not to attack Quania herself. I only aimed to free Felicia. Then, I would free the others and we would just run out from this place. I said I wanted to prove myself to the grandmother. That still hadn''t changed. But Felicia''s safety came first. And as I was now, I didn''t think I could beat her. No, this isn''t running away. I''m saving everyone here. I''m not abandoning anyone, like I did with Marina and Leila. Call it a tactical retreat instead. I charged forward, maximum speed with Wind Step. Once close enough, I dived down and quickly activated Haste. My mid-air dodge was nowhere near as fast as my ground dodge, so I intended to keep the battle on the ground. I would cut through all the hair holding her up and then catch her once she fell down. ¡°Foolish child!¡± As expected, a swarm of her hair flew towards me at incredible speed. My Boom Orbit, orbiting around me at Mach 5 speed, managed to deflect most of them, shredding them into nothing the moment it came close to me. Other hair tendrils who could sneak it were repelled by my armor before being shredded themselves. I also contributed by dodging on the spot and parrying some of them with the half of a sword I still had. And then, the big one came out. She sent a horizontal slice with her cursed sword, aiming to bisect me into two. Hey, what happened with only taking one of my arms¡¯ off? I responded by taking off Haste. Evading meant backing up, something I couldn''t do when Felicia was now right in front of me. I then used both Wind Wall and Boom Orbit to block her swing. As I feared, even those two weren¡¯t enough, as they were made out of magic, something the sword could handle very well. The last line of defense was the stone armor protecting my right arm. That, and my own Fortissimo. And to my surprise, it actually halted her blade. I used the opportunity to cast Thanatos, destroying her insides once more, hopefully slowing her down considerably. And, at the same time, with Dual Casting, I cast Boom Cannon. Risky at this close of a range, but it had to be done. And, for a flash microsecond, I saw a hint of surprise on her face. She moved her left hand to where the spell was forming, intending to squish it before it could get big¡ª Too bad that I could cast Boom Cannon pretty much instantly now. The spell fired, crashing right onto her left hand and arm at point blank range. Pain. A sharp, unimaginable pain had exploded from my right arm. The arm her blade had landed on. The ex-Demon Lord was flown backwards from the force of my spell. I ignored it, gritted my teeth, and did what I came here to do. I looked up and saw Felicia falling from the sky. As I predicted, that blow had loosened her grip on her. I threw my staff to the side and readied my hands to catch her. Hands? I only have my left hand. Where did my right hand go? ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!¡± She had cut my arm. Just like she said she would. Felicia fell on top of me. I collapsed to the ground together with her. And then, darkness. Vol 4 Chapter 58: Aftermath Quania coughed, followed by a puke of blood onto her own dress. She could do nothing as she sat there under the tree, leaning her back on the sturdy wood. She had lost. Or rather, he had won. It wasn''t because he managed to take her left arm, albeit at the cost of his right. Which was a miraculous thing in itself, seeing how he was just a young human, barely in his adulthood. No. It was because he had proven himself, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he wasn''t lying at all, wanting to have both her granddaughter and that human female as his wives. He didn''t hesitate. He sacrificed his arm just so he could take hers. He knew it was the only way he could do significant damage on her. And to save that Felicia woman. He knew he was weaker than her. And yet he fought anyway, with sharp eyes full of calm resolve, showing wisdom far beyond his age. He rejected her offer. Even though he knew he could just lie to take the easy way out. No. He wanted to prove himself to her. Still, she wished she could test him a little further. If only she could bring herself to take hostage of her real granddaughter¡­ ...Not feasible. She had become strong ¡ª too strong for her to easily subdue. She coughed again, puking some more blood on her chest. Her right hand gripped her chest, feeling a significant amount of pain coming from it. She was suffering from a cardiac arrest. Thanks to his spell, her heart, and all her organs and blood vessels, were all messed up. If she hadn''t mastered the technique of regeneration, and if her innards weren''t as tough as they were, she would be dead for sure. Blood also poured out from her stump. He had completely shredded her left arm into nothingness. If he merely cut her arm, she could''ve attached them back. But this¡­ this was unrecoverable. She wasn''t a slime that could regrow body parts. She would have to live without a left arm from now on. It was all worth it. She now knew that her granddaughter was in good hands. And that that fairy was lying. Her hair flew to her stump, covering it up to stem her blood loss. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She glanced to the two women now crowding over him. Two wives. An Izurd sharing her husband. It was completely unheard of. But, perhaps, if it were them... ... ¡°Aaaaaaa¡­. No¡­ nononononononononono¡­¡± Felicia, once she realized what had just befallen Hugo, immediately went into panic mode. She ran to grab her staff and promptly took out healing potions and blood-coagulating potions from her Dimensional Storage as well as some bandages. Why¡­ Why didn¡¯t she stop him?! Why didn¡¯t she just tell him to take the deal given by that foul woman? She knew by their fight that she was too much for him! And yet, she kept her silence, allowing him to rush in to try and save her, losing his arm in the process. And now, he was bleeding profusely from the fresh stump that demoness had made. If he wasn¡¯t quickly treated, he would lose his life for sure! As she poured potions after potions into his mouth, there was only one answer that came to her. Her selfishness. Yes, the only reason why she couldn¡¯t do that was that she didn¡¯t want him to be with that skank instead of her. Sure, she might reason that the former demon lord could be lying, and that she would snap her neck the moment Hugo agreed, but that wasn¡¯t the real reason. No, she simply didn¡¯t want to lose to her. She couldn¡¯t take him choosing the Izurd over her. Even though if the Demon Lord didn¡¯t lie, they could just reunite outside this place and pretend the whole deal never happened. She was acting illogically, irrationally. And her beloved paid for it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I''m so sorry¡­¡± Tears burst forth from her eyes. But it didn¡¯t keep her from doing her job. She couldn¡¯t reattach his arm. But she sure could keep him alive. ¡­ On the other side of the field, Sherry stood like a statue. She saw it, clear as day, of his arm flying to the distance in the middle of his fight with her grandmother. And it was all because of her. He asked her for her help and yet she refused. Just because of her foolish pride. He, who had been so kind to her when she was little. He, who had been through so much misery in her absence. She had made him lose an arm. She had deprived him of something he would never get back again. She ran, as fast as her feet could take her to him. "Move! I''ll stop the bleeding with my hair!" She yelled at Felicia before shoving her away. As her strength far exceeded the much older woman, she could do it with ease. "You! DON''T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!" "The hair of an Izurd has healing properties. They''re much better than those bandages you humans use," she replied, not even bothering to glance at her. She knelt down, ordering her hair to wrap around the stump, covering it completely before she detached it from her head. All the while having tears falling from her eyes. The moment she finished, Felicia lunged after her. "YOU! IT''S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT HE¡­ HE¡­" The two were now on the ground, with Felicia pinning Sherry on top. Sherry didn''t do anything as Felicia grabbed her on the collar. She merely continued to cry with her eyes open. "Why¡­" Felicia whimpered. "Why didn''t you help him? Just because you''re jealous of me? Do you know how much he talked about you? Even when we''re in bed together, baring our bodies to each other, he''ll say that he''ll keep his virginity to you! You! The scum that abandoned him in his hour of need!" A small trail of snot had escaped from Felicia''s nose. Every time she cried, it would be an ugly cry like this. But she didn''t care. The man she loved had lost an arm. It was no time to care about her looks. "His eyes lit up whenever he talked about you! He always praised you, saying how much he likes your stubbornness and honesty. His memory of you stopped him from taking his own life! Do you know how that makes me feel?!" She threw Sherry back down before standing up, looking at her with a wrathful look. "You¡­ you don''t deserve him¡­" She averted her gaze. "And neither do I¡­" Her anger was now replaced by sorrow. She looked back at Hugo and the arm he was missing. She didn''t even notice how the armor he had summoned had melted away completely, a natural consequence to him losing his consciousness. ... At another dimension, separate yet so very close from where they were, a woman was laughing out of her lungs. It was the Archfey, and she laughed at the comedy she just saw on her screen. She looked at the other mortals she had in her custody. They were now yelling at them to let them go. Some might even be attacking her. It didn''t matter. Their transient existence could not even touch her true presence. The Archfey decided. She had to intervene. She would not let them help him any further. After all, their despair must be absolute. And as an Archfey, she knew what those two would be capable of with their true potential. They would have to be put down. ------- Victoria The fairy had come to her many, many times. And every time, she would do so right when the Pig Prince was about to violate her. As the Fairy of Dreams, it was an easy task to put him to sleep and give him a dream of violating the big-boobed blonde girl. They would then use the opportunity to have a conversation. The fairy only had one goal in mind¡ªteaching her how to project herself, like all Feys could do. Why? So that she could meet her true mother, of course. Titania, the Queen of all feys. And one day, she managed exactly that. ¡­ All around her, she could only see trees. Not normal trees, mind you, but weird trees, possessing all kinds of colors and shapes, almost as if they weren''t trees at all. The last thing she remembered was meditating on her bed, just like the fairy instructed. Which meant... Slowly, she began to walk. Even though her feet were bare, she felt no discomfort whatsoever walking on the rough soil. She quickly attributed that to her being a projection, and not because she was a half-fairy. She still had yet to believe fully on what the dreamer fairy said. She didn''t know how long she walked for. Perhaps a minute, an hour, an entire day, or even a hundred years. All she knew was that the more she walked, the more she felt strangely at ease, as if this was her garden back home and not a strange, unfamiliar forest. And then, she saw them. Fairies¡ªsmall girls with bug-like wings coming out from behind every leaf. They quickly surrounded her. Or, to be more exact, they all flew around her as she walked. "Ooh? Who is this?" "A half-fairy?" "How rare! Let''s play together! "Nononono! She''s Lady Titania''s guest! We can''t play with her, remember?" "You''re right¡­ But we can take her to her place!" "Follow us!" "Follow us!" "Follow us!" Victoria had no choice. Hearing them all beckoning to the same direction, she just had to follow them. ¡­ "This is it?" Victoria asked with a puzzled look. "Yes! This is it! Her palace is right inside that hut!" They brought her to a clearing, where there was a simple straw-roofed hut standing in the middle. The house also had a chimney and a small well and garden to its side. This? Surely, this couldn¡¯t be the dwelling of a fairy queen? She expected something more¡ªgrander. Fantastical. Like the forest she just walked through. "Come in!" "Come in!" The fairies pushed her forward, producing enough force to nearly make her stumble. Glancing backwards nervously, she slowly walked towards the hut, gulping in the process. And once she was right in front of the wooden door, she knocked. "E-excuse me. My name is Victoria. I think you may be expecting me." At first, no response. She had to stand there for a few seconds with bated breath, waiting for whoever was behind that door to answer. And then, an answer. "Come in~" The voice of an old hag responded to her. How could this be? She thought fairies couldn''t age. And besides, surely the queen of all fairies wouldn''t be an old hag, would she? With a tense, frightened look, she pushed the door open. Only to find complete darkness behind it. Before she could say anything, she was sucked in by said darkness in a flash. ¡­ When she came to, she was in yet another unfamiliar place. The floor was pale white, made by white square stones with small gaps between them. And between said gaps, tiny grasses grew, barely taller than the floor tiles themselves. They tickled her feet. And yet, she didn''t feel uncomfortable in the slightest. "Welcome. To my palace." The voice was now a completely different one. Instead of belonging to an old hag, it now belonged to a youthful woman. Victoria, who had been squatting down all this time, stood up, averting her gaze from the floor she had been staring at. Moving it towards the throne in front of her. "My wayward daughter." In an infinitely small instant, she realized the truth. That the figure that sat on said throne¡ªwithout any seed of doubt¡ªwas her true, birth¡ª "M-Mother! You''re my mother, aren''t you?" The fairy queen smiled. --------- When Hugo''s summons regained their consciousness, they were back inside the Great Fairy Forest, in their true bodies. What had happened didn''t escape their mind. They saw it themselves. No, it. They felt the blade cutting through their defense, into the skin and flesh of their master. Resulting in the loss of his right arm. Water Fairy broke into tears. She had failed him. Just when he was depending on her too. Earth Sprite, on the other hand, reacted much differently. Recognizing that it was her armor that had failed, she rammed her fists to the ground over and over, until a massive crater formed around her. Then, she cried as well. Was that it? Was there nothing else they could do to help him? ...No. They could still help him. They would just have to go to that place on their own, without his summons. Even though the two were in different places, they had the same conclusion. They had to go to the archfey''s domain at once. Normally, they wouldn''t be able to do so easily. Even though time and space were warped inside the feylands, that didn''t mean any ordinary fey could manipulate them freely to their liking. However, thanks to the bond they had with Hugo, they could pinpoint his location and they could travel there in an instant. For the two had a new, unwavering resolve in their hearts. They would offer him their true names, whether he wanted to or not. They would bind themselves to him forever and once they did, they would finally be able to grow to their maximum potential. They would be able to help him at last. ¡­ "Oh? What''s this? Human pets entering my land without an invitation?" The moment the two entered the flower fields once again, they were greeted by the Minister. And, judging by her frown, she wasn''t happy. Not in the slightest. "Leave. You two are not welcome here." "N-no!" Water Fairy replied. "We''re going to save him, no matter what!" "She''s right." Earth Sprite followed, a determined look drawn on her normally expressionless face. "You may be an Archfey but we won''t bow down to you anymore." The two were afraid. Of course they did. To a fey, an Archfey was akin to a goddess to them. Standing up to them like this would invite certain, inevitable disaster. "Ohohohohoho!" The Archfey laughed, putting her hand near her mouth. "Really? Then I''ll ask again. Kiri Dewdrop. Aria Earthroot. Leave my domain. And never come back." The two feys froze. She had just called them by their true name. And give them a command at the same time. It was only natural for an Archfey to know a lesser fey''s true name. That was another reason why no lesser fey dared to oppose them. Kiri, the Water Fairy, formed a blade of water in her right hand. ¡°Oh? Are you going to disobey? Surely not. Not with that shaky hand you have,¡± the Archfey smirked. ¡°Fine then. Come. Slice my throat.¡± With great effort, almost as if there was some invisible force holding her back, Kiri took a step forward. And another. And another. Aria did the same, forming a fist of earth on her own right hand. The Archfey, not frightened in the slightest, landed on the ground and opened her arms wide, still with the same grin on her face. "This is so fun! Your bond to that human allows you to ever so slightly resist my command. But I wonder, just how strong that bond of yours is?" Their steps grew slower and slower, until eventually, they could not move in the slightest. They fell down on their knees, panting. Each of them looked at the archfey with both fear and anger. "Ohohoho! I guess that''s the limit of your bonds. Foolish human! He never took your true names, did he? You are willing to give it to him and yet, he never asked you for it!" The Archfey walked closer to the two, cocking her hips left and right in an almost seductive manner. She then put her hands on each of their heads, resulting in them both flinching from her touch. "You see¡­" She leaned down and whispered, "As punishment, I think I''m going to make you two my fairies. I''m sure he wouldn''t mind." Kiri''s right hand shook. She only needed to move it a few inches to the left for her blade to connect with her abdomen. And yet, she couldn''t. It was as if her body, no, her very essence had decided to go against her wishes. Then, she could feel it ¡ª the flow of magic coming from the archfey''s palms. It entered their heads, then their bodies, all the way to their legs. It began to ¡ª to change them. Conceptually. If she were to finish the process, there was no doubt about it. They would have to serve her for all eternity. Tears streamed down from both of them. They begged, prayed that they could hurt the archfey so the process could be stopped. And yet, they couldn''t. They could only sit there, unmoving, as she gave her her "blessings". Kiri thought. Aria thought. ¡­ "DON''T GIVE UP!" A comet, as bright as the blue sky itself, appeared from the sky above before descending like lightning and landed right in front of them. No, it wasn''t a comet at all. It was a fairy knight. Vol 4 Chapter 59: Victoria Starlight Victoria It had been a month or so since Victoria first entered Titania''s domain. At least in the real world. In her domain, time flew oddly. Sometimes she could stay there for days, other times she could only stay for minutes. In the real world, she continued being the fiancee of the orc prince. The trick that prevented him from violating her continued to work excellently. With her help, she could make the dream fairy stay for much longer and she pretty much acted as her friend/guard/companion day and night. Oh, yes, she was learning to tap into her fairy power. And the very first thing she learned was to weaken the anti-fey wards that surrounded the demon lord''s castle. It was still impossible for her to run away. But at the very least, she could spend her days inside feyland instead. As for how she interacted with Titania, well¡­ She had completely forgotten. She was sure they had a long conversation. But she couldn''t remember any of it. The reason? Apparently it was the innate magic the fairy queen possessed. The moment you left her presence, you would forget everything you ever discussed with her. And to overcome it, she had to awaken more of her fey power first. And she had done exactly that the past month. She now had fairy wings on her back that she could use to fly around freely. And she could change her outfit into more that of a knight and actually fight in it decently. How, you might ask? Simple. She just had to play with the other fairies. Being in their presence as well as being inside the heart of the Forest ¡ª it naturally triggered her latent "feyness" to resurface back after being repressed for so long. They taught them that it was okay to dream, that there was nothing wrong in fantasizing about being a knight. After all, a fairy''s power came from her imagination. "Don''t be like those full humans!" They told her. And so she didn''t. Her chuuniness slowly returned, now imagining herself as a fairy knight of justice, something the fairies found very amusing indeed. She didn''t speak of her family''s treatment of her to them however. She reserved that only for her mother. Or, at least she had a feeling she told her everything. One day, however, she was called by one of her mother''s fairy underlings. The Soothsayer, she was called ¡ª an old lady who looked more like the stereotypical wicked witch than a fey. With crooked nose, a hunchback, and black robes and hat, Victoria couldn''t help but be unnerved a little every time she looked at her. By the way, she was the one who called out to her inside that hut. It was her house and she merely used it to send her to where her mother was. After all, only she could conjure portals to her hidden palace. "Hugo Greenwood. Are you familiar with a mortal with that name?" Her heart skipped a beat. "S-Sir Hugo?" "I see you are." She chuckled. "Then, I have a message I would like you to bring to him." -------- Marlie Marlie Cheddarwood, Marina''s Guardian Fairy, was in a panic. She didn''t know what to do. Hugo Greenwood? Her mistress''s little brother? How was she supposed to find him? But she had to. Her mistress had begged her to find him and tell him everything she just told her. And, judging by what she heard, her mistress was in big trouble right now. ...No. She mustn''t give up. She just had to ask the other fairies! There must be a way! ¡­ And so Marlie traversed the fairy forest, asking every fey she could find about Hugo. Unfortunately for her, she quickly found out that a lot of her kind were not that sympathetic to her. "Aahh, human pet! Human pet! Go away! You stink of humans!" Truth be told, only a minority of fey were willing to form summoning contracts with mages, let alone giving their true names. For a fey to do the latter, it meant denigrating oneself under the thumb of a mortal, which was a "very silly thing to do" according to the free feys. After all, doing so would mean that the fey would essentially be a slave to the mage, forever bound to perform their wishes, no matter what it might be. Thus, it took her a long, long time until she found out about the Soothsayer, a fey with the ability to scry any mortal in the world. Unfortunately, she wasn''t lucky enough to encounter either of Hugo''s summons in the process. She was entirely on her own, inside the infinite land of the feys. ¡­ One day, however, defying all odds, she made it. After wandering for what felt like years, she finally found the hut where the Soothsayer lived. She could barely contain her excitement. Her heart was beating loudly and her skin was slick with nervous sweat. And then, she knocked on the door. To her surprise, it immediately opened, revealing an old witch-like woman behind it. "E-excuse me? A-are you¡­ the Soothsayer?" The woman grinned, displaying her absurdly sharp teeth. "Some call me that, yes." "C-can you help me please? I need to find a human named Hugo Greenwood." The old woman slipped out, gently closing the door behind her. The fairy took a few steps back, noticing the claws the old woman possessed on her hands. "Ah. How curious." Her grin grew. "Another fairy had come to me to ask the same thing a while ago." "R-really?" Marlie brightened. "Then, you can tell me where he is?" "Of course." Her grin grew even bigger, reaching up to her ears. "However, you must give me something in return." "G-give you something? I¡­ I don''t think I have anything you''d want." "Oh, you do." The old hag slurped, causing the fairy to stumble further backwards. "Your flesh. I want it. It''s been a long time since I ate a fairy in servitude to a human." The fairy now knew what fey species the old woman belonged to. She was a terrible creature they fairies called Daun. Terrible, awful fairy-eaters. They said that fairies who were eaten by them would never be reborn in the forest as they ate both their flesh and soul. To think that one would be serving Her Lady Titania. "I¡­ I can''t! I have a message I have to tell him! And my mistress¡ªshe¡ª" She halted her voice. The old woman had closed her hideous mouth, putting one finger in front of her mouth. "Tell me your message. And I shall make sure it is delivered. In exchange, allow me to devour you." "N-no! I don''t¡ª I''m too young to die! A-and your teeth! They''re going to hurt for sure!" "Then leave." The hag''s eyes narrowed. "But if you do, you''ll never meet me again. I have nothing to offer to a human-bound fey who doesn''t even want to sacrifice herself for her master." Marlie froze. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She knew she wasn''t lying. The moment she turned her back from her, she would never see her again. She had heard it from the feys who showed her the way here. She was one of Titania''s closest servants. She might not be an archfey but she might as well hold the same rank. In short, she was far too powerful for her to go against. "I¡­" She looked at her feet, her body shaking. "I understand. I''ll¡­ allow you to devour me. But!" She looked up, giving the hag a glare. "I want you to make a promise! Under Lady Titania''s name!" The hag chuckled. "Very well. Under Lady Titania''s name, I would deliver your message to him." They said that Titania would be able to hear anyone who spoke her name. And so swearing in her name like this was commonplace amongst the fey, just because of how fearful they were of her. "Now." The hag continued with a hungry glint in her eyes. "Come in. Tell me your message there to the letter." She turned around and entered the hut. Marlie, however, still remained in her spot. If she entered, that would be it. She would cease to exist, and perhaps in a really excruciating manner too. But, she had to do it. Her lady Marina, she had been so good to her. That was why she gave her her true name in the first place. She hugged herself tightly. She began to shake. Chills covered her entire body. Thanks to her bond with Marina, she had learned a lot about humans. And how they differed a lot from feys. For starters, they could actually die, and out of old age at that! They could grow and change and transform into a completely different person over time. Just like her master did, after all the suffering she had to endure. With a gulp in her throat, she took a few steps forward and entered as well. No one saw her leave. ------- Victoria Victoria couldn''t believe it. All this time, she thought Hugo was dead, killed by that demon lord who had visited her house. And now she learned that he was alive and well. And not only that, but her sister was in dire strait and that she required his help. "T-then, the fairy¡ªwhere is she?" She asked. "In my stomach, of course." The Soothsayer grinned. "That is her payment for my services." "That''s¡ªthat''s horrible!" "I''m a Daun. I eat fairies." The hag shrugged. "Just like you eat your cows and chickens as a human." Her eyes narrowed and her lips formed a scowl. "But that''s¡­ that''s different!" Unfortunately, Victoria wasn''t smart enough to debate the hag in the matter. She did eat meat. She just did yesterday. A very delicious roasted beef. "So, how about it? You''ll be the new messenger. Come to him. He¡¯s inside the Minister of Summer¡¯s territory right now. And I believe he¡¯s in quite the trouble right now.¡± ¡°T-trouble?¡± Her eyes opened wide with terror. ¡°Oh, yes, and a grave one at that, I fear. A mortal one. He might¡­ ah, what¡¯s the term¡­ if you don¡¯t come to his rescue.¡± The old woman giggled. ¡°Better to go there yourself. I assume you already learned how to warp yourself around?¡± She bolted out of the hut in an instant, not even bothering to answer her. The moment she heard that word, she lost every self-doubt she normally had. She had to go! As fast as she could! And this time, with her newly unlocked fairy power, she can finally help him! Just like he had helped her all those months ago! --------- "My name is Victoria Starlight! And I shall be your judge, o wicked fairy!" She pointed her rapier towards the Archfey, her blonde hair blowing in the wind. Of course, said wind was created by her own power, unconsciously, just for her to look like the dashing heroine she read in her books. She was now in what could only be described as an unconventional knight outfit. She wore a silver armor as her top, glistening grandly under the sunlight. It didn¡¯t cover her skin fully, however. Her arms were mostly exposed with only her shoulders covered though she also wore steel gloves to compensate. And unlike her old armor, part of her breasts were not covered as well. She no longer wore a long skirt either, opting for a short green skirt with white trimming instead. And thanks to the wind she herself conjured, the fabric failed to cover her taut green panties, somewhat ruining the cool entrance she just did. Seeing this, the archfey could only be in disbelief. ¡°I¡¯m sorry? Who are you again?¡± "My name is Victoria Starlight! And I shall be your judge, o wicked fairy!" Victoria repeated herself. The Archfey groaned. She was yet another not-so-bright fairy that she had to handle. Still, it was strange. The Soothsayer didn''t say that he had another fairy like her when she visited her. ...Wait. She had seen this girl before. She was that elf knight the human was travelling with! She was actually a fairy the whole time? Damn that Soothsayer! She didn''t say anything about that! "Another fairy of Hugo Greenwood." A smirk formed on her lips. "Another fool who thought she could stand against one of the Eldest." Her eyes glowed. She was now peering into her soul to determine her true name. A half fey. It was the very first time she had seen one in the flesh. "As the daughter of Titania, I free you two from her order! Kiri Dewdrop! Aria Earthroot! Go forth and save Sir Hugo!¡± Normally, one could not eavesdrop on a True Name just like she did (without realizing it no less). But, thanks to her authority granted to her as a daughter of Titania, she could hear the names clearly instead of just listening to a garbled, incomprehensible noise. She didn¡¯t know about True Names either, of course. She simply called them because she thought those were their normal names (which feys would not possess). Hearing this, the two feys exchanged a quick look, before leaping forward, attacking the Archfey as she was distracted. "Haaa!" "This is for Master Hugo!" Kiri formed a blade made out of boiling hot water and stabbed it at the woman''s back. Aria, on the other hand, formed a giant fist of earth on her right hand before slamming it at the woman''s head. The two attacks connected, earning a gasp of surprise from the untouchable archfey, before sending her flying to the side, swatting her as if she were a mere fly. "We-we did it!" Kiri exclaimed, her eyes shining brightly with excitement. "W-we won against an Archfey!" Aria nodded, glancing at her friend with her characteristic stoic look. "Let''s go. To Master''s side." With the archfey incapacitated (they knew she couldn''t be dead just from that), the two quickly slipped out of the pocket dimension, transferring themselves into the other pocket dimension where Hugo was. They simply closed their eyes before dissolving into mist and mud respectively. "Go, little ones!" Victoria yelled with a magnanimous smile. "I shall take care of this villain in your stead!" The two were so worried about Hugo they didn''t realize she was the girl Hugo introduced to them some months back. Right after they departed, the wounded archfey disappeared from her original spot. Only to reappear right in front of Victoria, looking absolutely livid for what she just did. "You¡­ I don''t know who you are but you''ll pay for what you did." "It''s you who''s going to pay for your villainy!" Victoria replied gallantly, pointing her rapier once more at her. "How dare you torment Sir Hugo like that?!" She had just arrived and all she knew was that the archfey was laughing at the state her Sir Hugo was in and that she was preventing his fairies from helping him. And yet it was enough for her simple mind to brand the woman as an unredeemable villain. "Oh no, you''re mistaken." A smirk appeared on the archfey''s face. "It wasn''t me who cut off his arm after all." Victoria''s eyes widened. "You¡­ cut off his arm?" Her body shook. Her heart raced, cold sweat and goosebumps covering her whole body. "You¡­ YOU''LL PAY!" She lunged forward, intending to stab the archfey in her abdomen. Even though she saw how Kiri''s blade wound had disappeared completely, she was too furious to realize her attack wouldn''t do anything. Not that the archfey would let her do so. She snapped her fingers, instantly turning her rapier into a stick of leek. Only for the leek to pierce through her skin anyways. She disappeared once more, dissolving into a hurricane of flowers before manifesting back a distance away from her. She was now panting, holding her stomach with her right hand. Instead of anger, or the usual smugness, her expression was that of fear. "You¡­ you are really¡­ her daughter?" "Hey! What did you do to my sword?!" Victoria yelled, swinging her newfound leek around. "Titania¡­ curse you¡­ so you really did¡ª" "Aah, forget it! I''ll just summon another one!" She threw the leek away before lifting her right hand upwards, aiming her palm to the skies. "O Holy Sword, come to me once again!" A gust of wind circled the half fairy (exposing her panties yet again). A bolt of lightning fired from the sky (purely for dramatic effect), forming a brand new rapier in her right hand. "Now, I shall perform my ultimate attack!" She dashed forward, flying sharply upwards, opening her wings as wide as she could. A bright rainbow light came out from said wings, giving Victoria a majestic look that would befit a warrior fairy queen (if not for the pantyshot she was giving anyway). The archfey was still frozen by the sight. There was no mistake. That light was Titania''s light. "Phantasm¡­ Break!" With an agile twirl, Victoria dived down towards the archfey, the pointy end of her rapier guiding her trajectory. Only to find herself crashing into a barrier, sending her flying away to the nearest flower hills. Her landing was rough to say the least. Still inexperienced with her wings, she couldn''t stop her flight mid-air. And so, she landed on top of a bed of sunflowers, rolling for a bit before finally stopping for good. "Aaw, that hurts!" Quickly, the girl stood up. She only suffered minor scratches from what just occurred ¡ª a feat that once again she did unconsciously. She believed herself to be a legendary fairy knight that would not be hurt by such a meager thing, and so she did. The archfey, on the other hand, looked more aghast than ever, even though she just blocked her attack. Vol 4 Chapter 60: Kiri and Aria Sherry and Felicia "Let me carry him!" "What?! How dare you?! You were the one who refused to help him! And I''m the healer here! I''m the one who should carry him! Not that I''ll ever allow those dirty hands of yours to touch him!" "Grr, you can barely even lift him up! Look! You''re all shaking! You can''t bring him to the village like that!" "Shut up! I might not be a monster like you but I still have my pride as his future wife!" Once Hugo''s condition stabilized, Sherry and Felicia promptly agreed to bring him to the village. It was the only thing they could agree on, however, as they promptly argued on who got to carry him. "Future wife?!" Sherry barked. "I''m his future wife! Not you!" "You don''t deserve to be his wife!" Felicia yelled back. "You and your grandmother ¡ª you two are the same rotten people, putting him through¡­ through this! This farce of a fight! Do you know how hard it is to regrow an arm for a human? We''ll need to find a Grandmaster-level priest! And with him being an enemy of the Church, we can''t just walk up to one and ask them to heal him!" S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As they yelled at each other, tears were still falling from their cheeks. The truth was, they both felt guilty. That was why they wanted to help Hugo so badly. They wanted to ease that guilt they felt in their hearts for their own mistakes. Every time they saw that stump where Hugo''s right hand was supposed to be, all they could think about was how it could''ve been avoided if they had acted differently. Before they could leave, however¡ª "Wait! Don''t go! We can still help!" Kiri and Aria appeared. They descended from the skies, with Aria landing first since she couldn''t fly like her companion. "You¡­ you''re Lord Hugo''s summons?" Felicia''s mouth opened. "But how? You shouldn''t be able to¡ª" "We came here out of our own will!" Kiri declared, fists raised to her chest, eyes burning from determination. "We¡­ we''re going to be Master Hugo''s familiar! I think¡­ I think I can heal him once I become stronger from it!" Aria nodded, her eyes showing the same resolve. "His arm¡­ We shall reattach it." Felicia froze. Never before had she heard of a summon willingly coming to their master like this. And they said they could reattach his arm? That''s impossible! She knew very well that human physiology doesn''t work that way. You would need to connect every nerve, every muscle, every blood vessel perfectly before you rejoined the skin. It was a feat only a high level holy magic could achieve. But, she had to let them try. She knew very well how much they were loyal to Hugo. They wouldn''t wish him harm. Slowly, she put down Hugo''s body that she had been carrying in her arms. "Sherry. Get the arm." She ordered. The Izurd nodded before quickly running to where the arm had fallen off. She didn''t need to be asked twice. She knew as well that those two fey could be trusted. They had fought with Hugo and through that, they had grown and matured. Unlike her. She was still the same immature brat she was years ago. "!!!" Seeing the arm up close, the Izurd froze. Tears swelled inside her eyes once again. Averting her gaze, she carefully lifted the bundle of meat and bone that used to be Hugo''s. Hugging it gently, she swiftly returned to Felicia, who was now kneeling down, with Hugo''s head on her lap. "Now, put it down over there," Felicia directed, a firm look on her face. "I''ll reopen the bandage. You should keep your distance. And you, fairy, would just pressing it to the stump be enough?" "Y-yeah, it should be," Kiri replied. "Probably. But please, hold on. We need to give him our true names first." "And how do you plan to do that?" Felicia stared daggers. "You know he''s unconscious right now." "Not to worry!" Kiri smiled. "I think we can enter his subconscious. Our bond¡­ it''s that strong after all!" Felicia''s eyes narrowed for a moment before relenting with a sigh. "Fine. Do it. But do it fast. He will need to rest a lot, after losing that much blood. And I can''t make him drink my blood-generating potion in his weakened state." Kiri nodded before hovering horizontally above Hugo, placing one hand on his forehead. Aria followed suit, crouching down and placing her hand on his left cheek. The two of them closed their eyes. And then¡­ ---------- Hugo All around me was darkness. The pitch-black kind, where seemingly nothing existed except for myself. And then, light. Not the blinding kind, but a soft, warm one, emanating from somewhere in front of me, at a distance. Then, I saw them ¡ª my two summons. "Master Hugo! Say our name, Master Hugo!" Water Fairy yelled. "I¡­ I can''t." I shook my head. "You guys will be stuck with me for the rest of my life. And I¡­ haven''t exactly been treating you guys that well¡­" "Say it, Master Hugo! If you will just say it, we can bring back your arm!" She yelled again. "With my healing water¡ª" "¡ªand my regenerative clay¡ª" Earth Sprite interjected. "¡ªwe can reattach it in an instant!" I looked down and right. "Master Hugo¡­" Earth Sprite continued, averting her gaze to the side. Unlike Water Sprite, she was not yelling so her quiet voice was barely perceptible from this distance. I walked up to them (or maybe floated), only to quickly find that I wasn''t getting any closer. "It''s my fault¡­ my armor¡­ it wasn''t strong enough¡­" "That''s not true. Your armor¡­ it was actually really effective against her sword." I wasn''t lying just to comfort her. That sword can cut through normal magic but it can''t cut through fey magic. Considering the archfey, I had a feeling this was part of her design. Or rather, it was the reason why Quania was under her thumb. They weren''t partners. Quania was being manipulated by her. Sherry''s grandmother¡­ She was just like her. I had heard the story from Myrilla, how she was betrayed by her human lover. And she believed it was his treacherous nature that was to blame, and not the succubus Demon Lord that had seduced him. Even though she should know how "persuasive" a normal succubus could be, let alone their strongest. Her emotions ran amok, leading to her defeat. And she decided to hide from it all, by making a contract with a sadistic fairy that clearly enjoyed her suffering. And now, that same sadistic fairy wanted Sherry to feel the same despair. Unforgivable. "Please, you have to hurry, Master! The archfey can come at any second!" Water Fairy yelled again. "The girl you traveled with, that half-fairy, is fighting her right at this moment." Earth Sprite looked at me with a grave expression. "If you want to help her then you''ll need our power. Our true, full power." My gaze rested on my two summons once more. I folded my arms under my chest. "If I form this contract," I put up my gravest look. "I can order you two to do anything. Even things you may find unpleasant. Or even things you hate. And you won''t get a pat on the head, a praise, or a hug for it. You''ll have to be my slaves, working for me without pay for the rest of my life." I wouldn''t treat them that way, of course. But I had to tell them the worst possible scenario. They would practically bind their souls to mine. There would be no escape unless I freed them. Earth Sprite nodded. "I won''t mind. I want to help you, Master, no matter the consequences." Water Fairy followed, a smile on her face. "Me too! You may become a bad master in the future but I know you won''t! I can just feel it! We''re kindred spirits after all!" ...I couldn''t find it ¡ª the single, slightest hint of hesitation in their expression that I could use to deny their request. A dry smile broke out on my face. "Kiri Dewdrop. Aria Earthroot. I accept you two to be my familiar." ---------- Sherry and Felicia Felicia could only watch with her mouth ajar as the two summons flew up to the skies, light enveloped their entire bodies. Sherry reacted the same way, standing up to get a closer look at the sight. The light shattered, creating a shower of brightness scattering all around the two girls. Revealing Kiri and Aria in their new form. Aria was now clad in a knight-like armor from top to bottom, and nothing else. As for Kiri, the water fairy looked quite different than her old self. She looked older, more mature, less of the teenager she once was. An intelligent look was drawn on her face, a stark opposite to the naivety her old self used to exude. The two descended like angels, landing softly like a feather beside Felicia, Hugo, and Sherry. "Miss Felicia! Can you please put Master Hugo on the ground?" Kiri spoke, an uncharacteristically serious look drawn on her face. Felicia nodded, gently moving his body from her lap to the ground. Sherry quickly made a makeshift blanket under him with her hair. The two then stood up, letting the fairy and the sprite have their space. "Now, Miss Sherry." She glanced at the Izurd. "Please hold his arm in place. And Aria, transfer your mana to me." Sherry was speechless. She could only nod at the fairy. Was she really that same fairy Hugo had all those years ago? Aria put her hands on Kiri''s waist, closing her eyes in the process. Kiri herself on the other hand remained standing, only reaching out her hands in the general direction of Hugo without actually touching him. Felicia could feel it. The mana enveloping this place ¡ª the earth sprite was sucking it in. A circle of water, formed out of the moisture in the air, now surrounded the three. Kiri''s eyes glowed, the water now feeding into her wings, growing it bigger and bigger until it eclipsed her own size. The blue water sparkled with strength and brimmed with life, an undeniable proof that she had reached the apex of her species. ¡°By my authority as the Fairy of The Lake, I baptize him as my Chosen One. And let my water of life return his arm to him!¡± To be frank, she knew that part of the legend was questionable at best. If you were to go by the Church¡¯s official statement, the sword was given by the Heavenly Dragon instead. However, the narrative she heard from the Magocracy was that fairy tale. One day, the Hero and his group traveled into fairy land, and he ended up being blessed by the Fairy of The Lake. She might actually be the one giving him the sword. Or maybe she merely blessed the sword. Or maybe it never happened at all. Who could say? She was never really that concerned with histories or myths of the past. Water enveloped Hugo''s arm like a gentle blanket, shining the brightest at where it was connecting to his stump. Felicia could only watch in awe as one by one, every nerve, muscle, and bone reattached itself with the main body. The meat soon followed, and then, at last, the skin. Her healing potions and salves couldn''t do that. Not in a million years. Sherry reacted the same. Izurds could regenerate from all sorts of wounds. But there was no way they could reattach a decapitated arm. When she finished, Kiri smiled, before bringing Hugo''s face to her bosom, hugging him as if she was his older sister. "It''s alright now, Master¡­ Everything is fine. I am here to protect you¡­" And then, she and Aria slowly reverted to their previous forms, before collapsing to the ground, out of breath. They had done it. They had saved their Master at last. Or so they believed. The sky above them shattered, sending Victoria crashing down with the speed of a bullet to the ground. Immediately Sherry and Victoria readied for battle, with the latter yelling "You two! Bring Hugo to the village!" to Kiri and Aria. "R-right!" The two promptly agreed. They knew that both them and Hugo were in no condition to fight. The sky cracked further, before shattering into pieces completely, exposing the archfey who descended in a furious rage. "Foolish child! You think you can take my authority away as an Eldest?! You might be Titania¡¯s spawn but I¡¯m the Minister of Summer! I¡¯ve lived eternally in this star ever since the days of the Ancients! You are but a mere sapling facing against a great tree!¡± The archfey was now holding a greatbow in her two hands. Just by sight, one could tell that it was no ordinary bow. By size, it was gargantuan, fitting for how large the fairy was herself. By property, it was pulsating with earth and fire mana, similar to how Quania¡¯s sword pulsated with demonic mana. By design, it was ornate, filled with subtle accents in every inch of its wood, perhaps even runes. ¡°And you two!¡± She shifted her gaze towards Kiri and Aria, who were now flying as fast as they could away from her. ¡°Hand him over!" She aimed her bow, producing an arrow out of magic in her hand¡ª Only to be interrupted by an energy slash hitting her right at the abdomen, courtesy of Sherry. She disappeared, reappearing back behind the demoness. But Sherry had already anticipated it, so she simply spun around and sent her another slash, produced by a sword she created out of her own hair. "YOU LIED TO ME!" The Izurd yelled as she charged forward. "Lie? It''s called embellishment. All good stories have that!" The archfey replied, a smirk forming on her lips as she dissipated the energy slash before it could reach her. "SHUT UP! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT HE WOULD NEVER CALL ME A GORILLA!" Sherry fired her hair towards the fairy like a machine gun. "He did all those things with that girl, you know." The fairy''s smirk grew as she conjured a wall of flowers to block her hair. "You should hate him. Unless you''re one of those girls who are fine with being cheated on." The fairy continued to fly backwards, baiting Sherry to chase after her. All the while ordering her fairy subordinates to attack Hugo and the others. The world shook, the dimensional separation the archfey had made slowly undoing itself at the seams. She had no need for it anymore. If she couldn''t get the despair she wanted, she would just do it herself. Meanwhile, on the other side, Felicia rushed to grab her staff before casting her shadow magic, creating a pool of blackness under her before sinking into it. She then moved with said shadow in a flash, going towards Victoria. She had no idea how she could be here but she couldn''t just leave her on her own. Only to find that her body wasn''t there anymore. Not finding her goal, she quickly switched her goal. She would let Sherry attack the archfey while she helped Hugo''s familiars guarding him. The world shook once more. It was the final warning, before a deafening crash filled the air, followed by a surge of magic dissipating into the air. Reuniting Felicia with Theo and the others. She swiftly manifested herself in front of them. "Go to Hugo''s side right now!" She pointed at the direction where the familiars took him. "I''ll hold that archfey back!" "I''m coming with you." Myrilla spoke. She remained as composed as her, with a firm and determined look on her face. "I have quite a few words to speak with that archfey." "Me too! How could she do that to Master Hugo?!" Theo chimed in, raising his fists. "Don''t be stupid!" Tama bonked him in the head. "You can''t do anything against her!" "Tama''s right, unfortunately." Tira looked firmly at her adopted son. "All we can do is to make sure Sir Hugo can recover in a safe place." Just as they were about to split, however¡­ "Look out!" Felicia yelled. A swarm of fairies manifested around them out of thin air, every one of them holding a stem of flower in her hand. If not for Felicia''s shadow barrier, they would''ve been right on top of them. "Stupid mortals! How could you see us? That''s unfair!" "Yeah, that''s unfair!" "That''s right!" Felicia didn''t really see them. She simply sensed the sudden shift in the ambient mana around her. "Come out! Come out and play!" "Yeah, play!" "Play!" "We''re going to turn you into pretty little flowers! You should be happy!" One by one, the fairies bombarded the shadow dome with tiny beams coming out from their flowers. There was no doubt about it. They were the Archfey''s minions. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Myrilla spoke. ¡°Dissipate the barrier the moment I¡¯m finished with my chant. And hold everyone to the ground with your shadows.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Felicia replied. On their journey these past months, both had learned each other¡¯s magic. And she got a pretty good idea on the spell she was going to use. ¡°O spirits of the Wind!¡± Myrilla raised her left hand to the skies while gripping her staff with her right. ¡°Hear my plea! Let your songs be my sword and guide my enemies to the abyss!¡± ¡°Vacuum Sphere!¡± Felicia retracted her dome. Just in time to allow the small orb that had manifested on Myrilla¡¯s left hand to fire upwards. It exploded, forming an airless sphere, sucking all the air around it. A reverse application of wind magic. Instead of conjuring air, it instead created a vacuum instead. ¡°W-what?!¡± ¡°Aah, I¡¯m flying! I¡¯m flying away!¡± Felicia grabbed both herself and the others with her shadow tendrils, ensuring they wouldn¡¯t be swallowed upwards like the swarm of fairies. ¡°Now!¡± Myrilla yelled. ¡°You three! Attack!¡± The three she spoke of was, of course, Theo and his family. ¡°Thousand Slashes!¡± ¡°Thousand Cuts!¡± ¡°Thousand Thrusts!¡± After traveling for Hugo for so long, and being willing to improve their own combat skills, it was no surprise that they would pick up martial art techniques of their own. Using their auras, they sent a barrage of attacks towards the fairies gathered above them. ¡°Aahh!¡± ¡°Kyaahh!¡± ¡°That hurts!¡± When the spell died, not a single fairy remained. The trio let out a sigh of relief. Finally! Their training bore fruit! Only for the next wave of attack to commence. Another earthquake filled the flower field as cracks began to appear all around their surroundings. The cracks soon burst, revealing not fairies this time, but monsters coming out from them. ¡°W-what? Monsters?¡± Theo¡¯s voice shook. ¡°D-did they come from the outside?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Myrilla answered, narrowing their eyes. ¡°They wandered into her territory and they had been trapped here since. And now, she unloaded all of them to us.¡± From demonic deers to orcs, to even one dragon, they were now completely surrounded by them. They had to be at least a hundred of them, if not more. ¡°Tch, that¡¯s unfair!¡± Felicia bit her thumb with her teeth, a tic she always did whenever she got nervous. ¡°H-hey, Felicia, can you use that shadow magic of yours to sneak us out of here?!¡± Tama asked. ¡°No. My shadows can¡¯t swallow that many people safely,¡± the alchemist answered. ¡°The only way out of here is for us to fight. Pierce a hole through their weakest spot. Remember. These monsters aren¡¯t working with each other. They should be confused and disoriented.¡± ¡°Meaning,¡± Myrilla interrupted. ¡°We should make our move immediately. Before they can regain their bearings.¡± Felicia had no disagreement with the demoness. Her assessment was correct. And yet, taking on a crowd like this, without Hugo, it would be tough. If only she was a better mage in combat¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll throw a blinding bomb. Use the opportunity to go through the two o¡¯clock direction. I believe that¡¯s their weakest link.¡± Felicia continued. She might not be a god mage like her Lord Hugo, but she¡¯s a good strategist. She could see that the crowd there is thin and filled with weaker monsters. ¡°R-right!¡± Theo replied, readying his stance for a dash. Felicia reached down her cleavage, taking out a small palm-sized white sphere. Thrown with sufficient strength and speed, it would explode on its own, triggering its effect. ¡°In three¡­ two¡­ one¡­¡± ¡°Guwaahhhh!¡± Felicia froze, stopping herself just before she threw the bomb. A wave of black swept through the battlefield, stabbing and slicing through every monster it touched. It was hair. Belonging to none other than Quania. She and the others could only watch as the ex-demon lord slaughtered each and every monster, both with her hair and the sword she wielded. Even though she lost one arm, it didn¡¯t hinder her in the slightest. Even the dragon fell in an instant. A simple slice of her sword bisected its neck into two, killing it instantly. When she finished, she turned to the group and said, ¡°Go to his side. I¡¯ll take care of that deceiver.¡± With a powerful jump that left a crater behind, she disappeared, her movement too fast for Felicia¡¯s eyes to follow. They didn¡¯t need to be told a second time. Quania had decided to join their side. And now, the wrath of a former demon lord (and her granddaughter) would come, barreling down against the archfey. They would only get in the way. ---------- A/N: Aria''s Rank Up version is based on MGE''s Living Armor. Only the color is brown instead of blue. Naturally, this gives Hugo the defense he desperately needs. Combined with Kiri''s massive healing, he''s practically unbeatable. At least before he ran out of mana anyway. Pretty lewd, wearing a girl like that. Vol 4 Chapter 61: The End of A Fairy’s Arrogance Sherry "What''s the matter? You''re slowing down, my dear~" Sherry gritted her teeth. She was now standing on the ground, crossing her legs. Her hands were pressed to her crotch, scissored by her thighs. Her hardened nipples were visible through her white top, as she wasn''t wearing a bra. Her face was flushed and red and her breath was short. In short, she was horny. The archfey had showered her with aphrodisiac spores. For a fairy that ruled over flowers, it was an easy trap to lay upon the Izurd. She knew her kind''s weakness. Embarrassment, especially embarrassment in matters of sexual nature. The girl was a virgin. And a completely pure one at that. She was too busy with her training to even notice her bourgening sexual needs. A simple arousal would no doubt incapacitate her, as she had no experience whatsoever in the matter. And she was right. Sherry could feel her power fading, turning her into a weak (and aroused) human girl. "You¡­ you evil woman!" She yelled. "Fight me fair and square!" The archfey broke into a melodious laugh. "Playing fair? With fairies? You really are a fool, mortal. Just like your grandmother." "Just like me, is it, fairy?" The fey turned her head. To her surprise, Quania was there, standing with her sword drawn. For a second, fear crept into her heart. She wasn''t scowling like her granddaughter. She simply gave her a hollow, terrifying stare. Enough to send chills all over her body. "When Fran told me not to trust you, I didn''t take her warning seriously." Quania slowly walked closer, a trail of darkness behind her, left behind by her sword. "You saved my broken heart. I would''ve taken my life otherwise. And you gave my people a safe place to be." "But now¡­ now I see you are just playing with me. Like you did with my granddaughter. You wanted to keep me in despair and to plunge her into it." "G-Grandmother!" Sherry yelled. She didn''t know how to feel. On one hand, she felt relieved for her coming to the rescue. But on the other hand, she was the one who cut Hugo''s harm after all. "What is this?" The fey flew closer to the ex-demon lord, though still keeping a good distance away. "Are you saying that¡­ you wish to fight me? You wish to break our contract?" "I no longer have need of you. That boy¡­ he has shown me the courage I have lost." "Without me, the outside world will swallow you and your people whole!" "No. You are the one that will swallow us whole." "Imbecile! Very well! If that is what you desire!" The air shifted, a sudden fog manifesting out of thin air, blinding both Izurds. Only for it to disappear in a flash, revealing an entirely new, and surprising environment. For they were now below the Izurd village. Or rather, they could see it above them, upside down, replacing the blue summer sky. The flower field also had changed. The ground was now dark red with all the flowers wilted or dead. "Behold! The destruction of your precious little village!" Sherry moved her gaze upwards. And saw a horde of treants slowly making their way towards the village. And not only them. Dryads, sprites, fairies ¡ª all sorts of fey creatures were there as well. "The forest rejects you. And now it shall swallow you whole." Quania moved first. The moment she saw the smug smile on the archfey''s face, the only thought she had was to cut the fairy into two. Sherry moved second. The sight of her home being assaulted was enough to burn her anger once more, enough to overcome the aphrodisiac''s effect on her. As for the others¡­ -------- "Stay away from Master Hugo, you stupid tree!" Kiri fired a high pressure jet of water, cutting through the treant in front of her in two. The moment they arrived at the village''s outskirts, treants of all shapes and sizes suddenly popped up from the ground. Quickly, they found themselves surrounded. The two had run out of mana from their transformation and they could barely hold off the other feys from harming Hugo. "Ooh, Master Hugo! Please wake up!" Kiri said to herself. Unfortunately, the young man laying down behind her was still fast asleep. Even though she had healed him, he refused to regain his consciousness. She didn''t know it but his slow awakening was thanks to the side effect of the mana potion he had drank. It would cause great fatigue to the drinker after some minutes ¡ª a side effect that, unfortunately, Felicia had yet to be able to remedy. "No." Aria replied, giving her friend a stern look. "It''s our turn to fight." The sprite was still angry and ashamed. At herself. Kiri was the one doing the healing. She was just supplying her with mana. She had yet to obtain her redemption. "You''re right!" Kiri nodded. "We''re his family now! He''s like our younger brother!" "No. I''m the older sister. You''re the younger one." Aria nonchalantly replied. "Whaaat?! I''m older than him too!" "No you''re not." They would''ve argued further, if not for a group of treants firing their leaves towards them. ------- Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the Izurd didn''t stay idle. Fran, in her capacity as the unofficial second chief of the tribe, had rallied her people to defend her village. They all had watched Hugo''s fight against the archfey, courtesy of Quania who wanted a showing of a weak human and his misdeeds. However, all that happened was them seeing how this human managed to match their chieftain. And they all knew how monstrously strong she was. Not to mention his courage and bravery, standing against her demonic aura like it was nothing when even a dragon would flee from it. It all became clear to them ¡ª why their Sherry was so madly in love with him. It didn''t matter that he had brought another girl with him. His love for her was true and pure. It was enough to even make some of the yet to be wed Izurd females swoon over him, thinking how lucky Sherry was to have him. As for Emel, the boy who pined for Sherry, he could only begrudgingly accept that she would never be his. He could never compete with someone as strong and gallant as him. And so, when the archfey tried to cheat him of his happy ending, they fell into an uproar. They already didn''t trust the archfey and now that distrust was proven to be right beyond a shadow of a doubt. They all agreed with their chief in opposing her. Unfortunately, none of them were really that well-trained in the art of combat. Only the males had some training in the art of the sword. The women had abandoned fighting for hundreds of years. If they had been in their prime, these fey armies would stand no chance against them. But now, they had to make do with their natural strength. "Haaa!" Fran slammed a hammer made out of her hair into a nearby treant, pulverizing its wood in an instant. "Darling! Behind you!" Graha, her husband, sidestepped a spear of vine from a dryad. He swiftly retaliated with a slash of his sword, disintegrating the fey in an instant. All with a smile on his face. He was happy. His sword had not dulled after all. The sword he had used to win his wife''s heart all those years ago. "Good job, Darling!" Fran giggled before smashing another treant into dust. The duo was in perfect sync. But even so, they were not making any headway into the fey army. More and more fairies, dryads, and treants popped into their dimension, manifesting out of thin air even behind their line. Their village was technically inside the Great Fairy Forest after all. And the number of feys living there were practically endless. And a good chunk of infinity is still infinity. The only way to stop the assault was to stop the archfey herself. And for that, they both knew only Quania stood a chance. For now, their duty was to stand their ground. And make sure that there will be an Izurd village when she returns. And of course, to make sure Hugo and his companions are safe as well. They owed that to Sherry. There would be no more heartbroken Izurd if they could help it! ¡ª----- Myrilla "Out of the way!" Myrilla aimed her staff forward and conjured a miniature tornado, sending a crowd of fairies blocking her path flying to the clouds. The demoness, unlike her usual self, had fire blazing in her eyes. She knew this could happen but she didn''t expect it to happen this fast. Feys cannot be trusted. Especially one as old and powerful as the ruler of this land. And now, his son''s life is in danger. That boy, who had blossomed into a fine adult, who had passed her test with flying colors¡­ She would not let his life end like this! Behind her she could sense Felicia and the others piercing their way through the masses as well. Reading their minds, she knew just how much they wanted to save him as well. Felicia, still rushing ahead with her legs submerged in shadow, took care of the more difficult feys. When a pair of high fairies blocked their way, she submerged into the ground before stabbing them from the back with her shadows. As for the other three, they took on the smaller opponents. Using their weapon skills, swarms of fairies and gnomes fell in seconds. Still, she was faster, more experienced than them. She had to be their spear, their tip of the sword through this crowd. She would be the one to come to his aid first. A massive treant blocked her way, with a giggling dryad sitting on the top of its head. A burst of large roots grew towards her, fully intending to wrap themselves around her before crushing her body into a corpse. The dryad then fired a surge of vines from her fingertips, intending to prevent her from jumping to avoid the roots. Dispelling her Wind Step (or her version of it, as the name came from Hugo), she tapped her staff to the ground, conjuring a counterspell in an instant. A burst of wind exploded under the demoness, lifting her ankle-length all the way upwards, revealing her black lace panties to the world. "Wind Spring!" With another tap of her staff, this time held with both hands, she flew. No. Not just flew. She took off like a cork of a champagne''s bottle, dodging both vines and roots before they could land on her. Using the wind, she created a spring effect, launching her with great speed to the skies. She cursed, feeling the pain from the cracks appearing in her leg and feet bones. This was why she didn''t use the spell from the start. Well, that, and the one time she used it, her panties snapped from the force. Landing right on top of Alan''s face while he was looking upwards right under her skirt. It took her one month until she could look him in the eyes again. And one day until she could speak with him, thanks to his irresistible charisma. Renee thought the accident hilarious. The naive girl didn''t even care that her lover (oh, she knew she had a crush on him at that point) had peeked at another woman''s privates. Or smelled her panties for that matter. The demoness, on the other hand, gravely disagreed. It was a shameful disaster that should never be repeated again. That¡¯s why she had improved on the spell. This time around, it shouldn¡¯t have any unwanted effects on her undergarments. But enough reminiscing. Time to return her attention to the present. Now up in mid-air, she saw him. The unconscious body of Hugo, being defended by his two summons. She turned her Wind Step back on before descending down on his location. All the while bombarding the feys from above with Thunder and Wind spells. She, of course, was capable of Dual Casting. There was a reason why she was the strongest member of her party back in the day. "Reinforcements! Miss Myrilla!" Kiri exclaimed, a wide smile breaking out on her face as she looked upwards towards the demoness. Aria glanced upwards as well. She didn¡¯t say anything but she had a smile on her face as well. As Myrilla descended over Hugo¡¯s unconscious body, however¡­ *SNAP* A triangular fabric fell between her legs, landing right on top of his face. It was, well, what else, her panties. Her heart froze. She nearly botched her landing. A deep blush like none ever saw before now infused her face. "U-urghhh¡­" And, to both her joy and horror, Hugo, who she thought was still unconscious, was stirring in his sleep. In panic, her mind-reader ability activated, allowing her to read the groggy mind of the now awakened young adult. It was the same thought his father had when he got his nose covered by her unmentionables. -------- Hugo "Urghh¡­ where am I?" Groaning, I opened my eyes. I moved my arms, lifting them slowly together. To my surprise, my right arm, the arm that should''ve been cut off, worked perfectly, without any itch or tingle in the slightest. Using my hands, I lifted what seemed like a fabric covering my face, pinching its hem with my thumbs and index fingers. My suspicion was correct. I had a pair of panties covering my face. They were black with laces, the sort of garment an adult woman would wear for sure. Their size looked to be a little small though. They would no doubt be stretched to their limits whenever they were worn. Though their waistband seemed to have snapped. That''s a shame. Instinctively, I brought them closer to my face once more. Without thinking, I gave them another sniff. I froze. Only now I noticed them. My two new familiars, Kiri and Aria, looking at me with relieved expressions. And Myrilla, whose face was as red as a tomato, looking as if she wanted to kill me on the spot. "Are these¡­ your panties?" I glanced at the demoness. "...No. It just fell from the sky. Now get up and stop dawdling. We still have a fight we have to do." Judging by her blush, and her aversion to my gaze, these were totally hers. I sat up and pocketed the fabric, before standing up slowly, still feeling a bit shaky on my feet. I flashed a smile towards the demoness. "Master! You''re alright!" Kiri glanced back at me. "Stay still, Master Hugo! Me and Aria will keep you safe!" "I''m glad you are healthy and whole too, Master." Aria followed, glancing back as well. "I want to hug you now but unfortunately this is not the right time to do that." She was right. Looking around us, we were pretty much surrounded by all manner of feys. Not to mention that more continued to swarm in from out of thin air. "That Archfey¡­ She really wants my life, huh?" I chuckled. I took out my staff from my back. I had it tied to my body with a rope. Probably courtesy of Kiri and Aria. My sword wasn''t there, however. Fiora''s gift¡­ it had been cut in two by Quania. "She wants your Sherry to fall to despair." Myrilla commented with a scowl. "And now, that ex-demon lord and said granddaughter is fighting her." My face brightened. "Really? Does that mean Quania approved of me?" "Approve? ...Yes. I suppose you can call it that." "I can''t believe it! Even though I lost to her¡­" "Oh, stop talking down to yourself. You destroyed her left arm. That is a victory worthy enough to be in the history books." "...I have to help them. Myrilla, do you know where they are?" "...You''re not going to ask where Felicia and the others are?" "They''re safe. I''m sure of it. Or else you wouldn''t be here with me right now." I gave her a smile. "Though before I go, I should take care of all these feys first." Gripping my staff tightly, I flew all the way up to the sky with Wind Step. Before blasting the battlefield with my spells. --------- Sherry "Gahh!" S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An arrow pierced through Sherry''s lower back, poking all the way on the other side of her stomach. Without hesitation, the Izurd pulled the object from the front before throwing it away. There was no time to catch her breath. Another volley of her arrows was coming. She was now in quite the predicament. The Archfey had proved to be a far tougher opponent than she had anticipated. She was now conjuring thousands of fire arrows out of thin air, raining them down from all directions towards her. All the while she was going toe to toe with her grandmother. Unlike the latter, she couldn''t get close to the archfey in the slightest. The speed and numbers of the arrows were too much for her. Her hair wasn''t fast enough to cope with all of them. Not to mention the pollen continuously swimming around her. Its aphrodisiac effect was beginning to affect her again, weakening her physical ability. She couldn''t take care of them at the source either as the archfey had created an endless field of flowers generating the thing under her. Even now, with her high up in the air, the pollen still swam around her. Another wave of arrows fired. She swiftly extended her hair to all directions, focusing her mind to catch every single arrow. "Arghh!" Another arrow landed on her thighs. She pulled it off without a flinch as well. Her regenerative ability assured her that such wounds would not be a problem, and yet, it still hurt nonetheless. She gritted her teeth. How could she be this weak, even after training day after day with barely any rest? Hugo¡­ he needed her. And yet, she could do nothing. She could only watch as her grandmother did all the work. The aphrodisiac, naturally, turned her thoughts perverse as well. She began to imagine him laying down on his bed without a shirt. With his charming smile, he would invite her to sleep with him. And then, she would undress his pants, releasing the bulge that strained his¡ª She gripped her pants'' crotch with her left hand, feeling its wetness. She quickly took it off, however, as if she started to rub it, there would be no going back. Fran had taught her about this. And all the other lewd things a woman could do alone or with a man. She insisted that it was important for her to know them, precisely for a situation like this. Her solution? "I''m not sure. But I guess you just have to get used at being horny?" That was her answer. A frustratingly idiotic, worthless answer. How was she supposed to do that?! No one could just get used to feeling like this! Her privates ached and throbbed, begging for his thing! Yes! She knew perfectly well now what Renee and Alan did in their bedroom! And she couldn''t imagine how that could''ve been so pleasurable! Until now! She swore that, after this, she''d do that thing with him. He owed her that much! With a renewed determination and anger, she handled the next set of arrows quite differently. Instead of trying to deflect them, she instead wrapped her hair all around her body, forming a cocoon. And then, she spun. Flying right to where the archfey was battling her grandmother. The arrows tried to pierce through but to no avail. The combination of her hair''s toughness and the centrifugal force she was applying deflected all of them away. Her grandmother might be able to catch all the arrows normally but she wasn''t her. This should''ve been what she did from the very start. -------- The Archfey was surprised. This sapling¡­ even though a veil of misery had enveloped her for so many years¡­ she still had this much fighting spirit in her. She was now busy dodging back her sword slashes, switching around the dimensions she existed in back and forth. Every pocket dimension she created the former Demon Lord would just destroy with a single sword slash. She fought back using her arrows, as well as other magic at her disposal. She would fire beams that would grow flowers on her body, only to find that every single one was blocked and devoured by her sword. She would use illusions to try and deceive her, creating multiple copies of herself or even Sherry, only to find out that the demoness could pinpoint her real self every single time. Fear began to creep inside her heart. This wasn¡¯t the loser Demon Lord she made a pact with all those years ago! She tried using the aphrodisiac flowers as well. But, unlike in Sherry¡¯s case, it was far less effective than she desired. She didn''t know but the aphrodisiac did work. Even now, the demoness'' womanly fluids were spurting out of her privates, absorbed immediately by her skirt. Being a traditionalist, she didn''t wear any panties under her long skirt. She simply did not care. If she still possessed her heart that loved her late husband, it would be a different story. But now, all she felt was emptiness. After all these years, or over more than two hundred summers, the only man she was ever attracted to was him. The ex-Demon Lord saw an opening, and, with a glint in her eyes, she pushed forward, performing a horizontal slice towards the archfey''s abdomen. Unlike humans and their fancy sword techniques, she didn''t have any special moves. She only attacked as swiftly and strongly as she could. And it landed. The sword drank greedily on the fairy''s barrier. Even with its reduced effectiveness against fairy magic, its aura and Quania''s combined were enough to pierce and dispel it. It cut through her abdomen, cleanly separating her into two. "You¡ªinsolent¡ªmortal!" With a puff, both halves completed themselves, forming a perfect replica of the original. Only, this time, they were half as tall, making them as tall as the Demon Lord. The two flew in opposite directions. In this separate form, each was only half as strong. They couldn''t afford to continue the fight without being overwhelmed. Quania glanced at the one going to the left before chasing after the right. After all, in that direction¡­ "Got you, you stupid fairy!" Sherry laid in wait. Before Archfey A could react, Sherry flew in and landed a full force punch to her face, just as she promised to. If she had been less than an archfey, her fist would''ve formed a hole clean through. As such, she merely cracked her skull, dislocated her jaw, and broke her nose. She wasn''t satisfied however. She grabbed her in the hair to prevent her from flying away. And then, with a ferocity of a beast, she punched her again, and again, and again, over and over, without hesitation nor mercy. Even as the archfey begged for her to stop. Archfey B didn¡¯t fare any better. Without the unrelenting attack against Quania, it quickly found that it lacked the speed to run from the ex-Demon Lord. She could only scream as her hair grabbed her from behind, bringing her right in front of the still all-too-furious woman. ¡°P-please! I-it was just¡­ it was merely a jest! I¡­ I didn¡¯t want to actually destroy your village or kill that boy! O-or to make that girl fall to despair!¡± "...I thank you for hiding us from the world all this time. But, you are now no longer needed. We Izurds are ready ¡ª I am ready ¡ª to face the world once more." "T-That succubus who beat you before ¡ª she''s still out there, you know! What would she and her kind do the moment they know the Izurds aren''t really extinct?" "I don''t care. I am done wallowing in despair. And I am done with being your plaything as well." "You¡ª" Before the archfey could respond, she sliced her throat clean off. Followed by cutting her body over and over, making sure she would not be able to split her body like that again. When she finished, the chunks of flesh that used to be the archfey disappeared, returning back to the forest as mana. Sherry, who continued beating up the other fey until she became little more than a broken mass of flesh, found her half disappear as well. It was over. The archfey had been defeated. Vol 4 Chapter 62: Victory Fran, and the other Izurds, could only watch in awe as rains of thunder, fire, and wind obliterated the fey army. Courtesy of a single human mage. The feys tried to counter with their own magic but they never stood a chance. Their plant shields were swallowed by his flames and their puny fireballs and icicles could never go through his whirlwinds. Felicia and her group stopped in their tracks, not wanting to accidentally enter the range of Hugo''s spells. A big, relieved grin adorned the ex-necromancer''s face. She knew he would recover sooner or later. Myrilla, on the other hand, admired the immense amount of control he possessed over his spells. Sure, she could create those tornados herself. But she wasn''t confident enough that she would be able to keep her allies from getting swept into it as well. A surge of energy suddenly covered the battlefield. Or rather, an instability of the mana permeating in the air. Their surroundings began to shake. Slowly, bit by bit, the scenery around them peeled and cracked, revealing a forest behind it. "Aahhhh! The Lady is defeated!" "Defeated! Defeated!" "We have to run! Ruunnnn!" The fey, realizing the fall of their mistress, scattered into the four winds. The fairies and sprites vanished with a poof while the dryads and treants escaped through the spatial cracks back into the fairy forest. And then, the entire thing shattered in a deafening roar. When the shaking stopped, the plains around them had disappeared, replaced by a forest. The final proof that the Archfey had been defeated. "Aahh, Master Hugo! He''s falling down!" Myrilla looked up. And sure enough, Hugo was falling rapidly, with his back facing the ground. He had returned to unconsciousness, having exhausted his still recovering mana reserves. Myrilla erected a wind spell to slow his fall before catching him with her arms. The two fell to the ground, with him landing on top of her. His hands landed on her chest. But she didn''t care. After all he had done, a little grope like that couldn''t bother her in the slightest. Smiling, Myrilla sat up, placing his head on her lap. Without thinking, she began to rub his head with her hand. "Milord!" Her reverie was interrupted by the arrival of Felicia and the others. Swiftly, she removed her hand from his head, blushing in the process. She couldn''t do that in front of them. It would cause¡­ misunderstandings. "Lord Hugo! Is he alright?" Felicia panted from her sprint, her hands on her knees "H-he''s fine. He''s just¡­ tired. Ran out of mana from all those spells he cast." Gently, she lifted him up using telekinesis before standing up herself. All of a sudden, two other figures fell from the sky, landing right beside them. They were, of course, Sherry and Quania. "Hugo!" In a move that definitely angered Felicia, Sherry got to Hugo first. She promptly pulled him down from Myrilla''s telekinesis before giving him a big hug, burying her face in his chest. "Oh Hugo¡­ I''m sorry! I''m so sorry!" "H-hey, get off him! You''re crushing him!" Felicia rushed forward and tried to pull the demoness away from him, to no avail. Seeing this display of imbecility, and sensing the selfishness inside their minds, Myrilla had had enough. "Enough you two!" They froze, each looking towards the demoness. "You both love him, right?! Then you should know better than to act like this! He needs rest right now more than anything! And you''re fighting over him?! How selfish can you be!" The two were speechless. She was right. What were they doing, bickering like children like this? Just earlier, they were blaming themselves for Hugo''s arm getting decapitated. Yet now, once they had gained victory, they were back to their old ways. "She''s right. As his future wives, you should learn to share him, starting from now." A soft voice interjected into their conversation, belonging to Tira, who had arrived with Felicia. A serious look was drawn on her face, almost like an expression of a mother lecturing their daughters. Strangely enough, despite her diminutive figure, it was still effective on her. "I cannot say I know how two women can share a man." She continued. "But I know that if you two continued the way you acted today, he would suffer. You were lucky that his summons could restore his arm." Both of them looked down, away from the small elf''s piercing glare. "Now, carry him. Together." The two could only nod in agreement. Myrilla, remaining silent through the whole exchange, was impressed. She didn''t expect her to be capable of silencing them like this. Perhaps with her around, Hugo could have the help he needed in managing his household in the future. As for herself... ...No. She had no place with him. After he was safe, she would leave him and return to her wanderings. Or else¡­ her foolish, sentimental heart might end up seeing him as his father. And she would fall for him all over again. -------- Myrilla Shaking off that foolish thought from my mind, I led the group to the village. As I predicted, when we arrived there, we were greeted as heroes. Or rather, he was greeted as a hero. I wouldn''t blame them. What he did was certainly far beyond extraordinary. What I didn''t like, however, was the thoughts some of these Izurds had for him. They actually desired him as a mate now. Hmph. Typical women. The males, on the other hand, all admired him. Even that kid who had a crush on Sherry. Fran''s son. Emel was his name, if I wasn''t mistaken. Fran then told us that we could bring Hugo to her house. She wouldn''t go with us though. She had to make sure the village was safe. It had been transported inside the Great Fairy Forest after all. And so we walked to the center of the village. Seeing all the trees that had materialized in the place, even though I hadn''t been here in a while, I could say that the Izurd definitely had a lot of cleaning to do. Arriving at Fran''s house, I instructed that only Sherry and Felicia are allowed to be in the same room with Hugo. Any more than that and he wouldn''t be able to rest properly. "Awww, but I want to be with Master Hugo!" Kiri protested. "Yes. As his familiar, it is our duty to be with him at all times." Aria followed. Of course, these two simple-minded feys would want to come with him. But adding two other girls who liked him in the mix¡­ those two would never have the heart to heart chat they desperately needed. "You two should come with me instead!" Tira clapped her hands with a smile. "I''ll tell you everything you need to know in being a good familiar! You can stay with him indefinitely now, right? Then you should learn how us mortals live!" The elf gave a cheeky grin in my direction. As I went ahead with Felicia and Sherry, the last thing I saw was Theo shaking Aria''s hands. And his girlfriend fuming at him staring at her cleavage. I sighed. -------- Felicia and Sherry With Myrilla''s guidance, Felicia and Sherry quickly brought Hugo to a warm, soft bed. The former then left, though unbeknownst to them, she was still nearby, close enough that she could still read their thoughts. Felicia then performed a thorough medical check-up on him. Sherry could only grumpily stand behind her, feeling annoyed that she got to touch him all over. But, she didn''t voice any complaints. She still remembered Myrilla and Tira''s words. The woman had only the best intentions for him. And she shouldn''t let her jealousy get in the way. Thankfully, it didn''t last too long. With a smile, Felicia turned to her and said, "He''s perfectly fine. He really just needs a good, long rest." Sherry breathed a sigh of relief before walking closer to the bed. BA-DUMP Her heart skipped. She was now seeing his bare chest as Felicia had yet to button his top. Her feet turned to jelly. Her cheeks turned bright red. Her hands immediately went between her legs. He was nothing like the kid she left him as. He was now a full grown adult, with a wide, firm chest that she just wanted to be embraced with. She had forgotten but the effect of the archfey''s aphrodisiac was still there, increasing her arousal significantly. Felicia, noticing the change, raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? You''re this turned on just by seeing his chest?" And then, she noticed¡ªthe wetness that had spread between her white trousers. A smirk appeared on her face. "Oh my¡­ you really are aroused." "S-shut up! T-this is¡­ this is because of that aphrodisiac that archfey gave!" "Oh really¡­" Felicia walked up closer to her. ¡°Tell me then.¡± She put her hand on her head and whispered. ¡°How bad do you want to do it with him?¡± ¡°W-what! Why are you asking¡ª¡± ¡°Because I wanted to do it with him!¡± Felicia¡¯s teasing smile disappeared, replaced by a face of anger. "Every single night we slept together! Do you know how hard it was for me?! I only never forced the issue because of you! You and you alone! You have no idea how faithful he is to you!¡± She was still leaning down in front of her, looking her right in the eyes. She was shouting, yet still whispering at the same time. Felicia straightened herself before folding her arms under her chest. "You know nothing about sexual intercourse, do you? I can see it from your reaction. A virgin, through and through. Hmph. You won''t be able to please him in bed." Sherry was speechless. This was definitely not where she expected the conversation to go. "I¡­ you¡­ y-you''re saying you''re not a virgin?" She pointed at her, flabbergasted. "I''m not," Felicia''s look turned melancholic. She averted her gaze. "I had experience. Too much of it. If not for my fateful meeting with Milord, I would still be in those dark days¡­" Once again, Sherry didn''t know what to say. The pained look on her face looked terribly real but just before that she bragged of her experience. "Milord? You mean Hugo?" "Yes." Felicia looked back at her with a wry smile. "I¡­ used to call one of the men I seduced the same thing. And Milord deserves that and so much more." Seduced?! Sherry couldn''t believe what she was hearing! "Now, before you judge me with those eyes of yours," Felicia continued, still with the same wry smile. "I shall regale you a tale. A tale of a foolish girl and her even more foolish quest for immortality." Sherry fell silent. Somehow, she felt she had to hear her story. And so, after Felicia took a seat on the bed (the bed was wide enough for her to do it without disturbing Hugo), she followed suit. ¡­ ¡­ ... "And thus, she was saved from the darkness. From the hell she had inflicted to herself. The end." Felicia ended her story into a small smile. "Now, you should understand why a woman ten years his senior is this infatuated with him." And Sherry understood indeed. To think she had gone through such a terrible childhood¡­ she couldn''t even blame her for turning to the dark. She thought her childhood was terrible. It was nothing compared to hers. And both of them had Hugo to thank for saving them. "So, how about it? Are you willing to share your dearest with a filthy seductress like me? Other men had put their manhood inside my womb. Your Hugo won''t be the first." With a pensive look, Sherry replied, "Hugo¡­ does he know all this?" "Of course." Felicia''s smile widened. "And he, like the noble creature he is, accepted me anyway." Sherry glanced to her side, towards the man that was still sleeping on the bed. She remembered¡ªhow he refused to give up either of them at the fight against her grandmother. Now she knew. He was too kind to abandon her. She knew she would be heartbroken if he did. ¡°...I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°I said I''ll think about it!" She gave Felicia an annoyed glare. "But don''t count on it! And I still want to do it the first time with him!" "That applies to me as well," the ex-necromancer replied with a confident smile. "It''s all up to him." She looked at Hugo as well. "I''m sure he will choose me as his first." "But for now, we will wait until he recovers. Agreed?" She looked back at her. Sherry nodded. She can live with a truce for now. ¡ª------ Hugo "U-urghhhh¡­" My eyes fluttered open. I was now no longer outside. It seemed I was inside a wooden room, lit dimly only by the candles placed on the walls and the moonlight seeping through from the window. I then felt the soft bed under me. Slowly, I sat up. Or I would, if not for two heavy objects pinning down my arms. They were not objects at all. They were Sherry and Felicia, both hugging my arms as they slept. *Boing* *Boing* I focused my mana to my sight, scanning my newfound surroundings. As much as I could with my limited sight anyway. Slowly, I slid my left arm from Felicia''s embrace. Once my left side was free, I flipped around my body to be on top of Sherry''s. She was still wearing that white she wore in the fight. As expected, her scent was quite noticeable. She must have fallen asleep without changing. I quickly sat up, ignoring the perverted tent I had made on my crotch. I glanced at Felicia. And so, I lifted Sherry with my arms, carrying her like a princess. Then, we left the house. Not that far. Only to the hill overlooking the village. Once there, I put her down before sitting her up. Crossing my legs, I sat beside her, gently shaking her body as I supported her. "Mmmm¡­ stupid Hugo¡­ my boobs aren''t that small¡­" She mumbled right into my ear as she leaned to my side. I chuckled. I had to quickly look away though. Those tiny lips of hers¡­ I nearly succumbed to kissing her. After a few more shaking, her eyes fluttered open. "H-huh? Hugo?" "Finally." I gave her my brightest smile. "I thought you''d never wake up. "...W-whaa!" Blushing, she pulled her body away from me. "Y-you''ve waken up? W-where is this?" She looked around frantically, nearly falling backwards in the process. "It''s just behind the house." I replied. "I brought you here." "You¡­ you carried me here?! Why?!" "Because I want to talk to you. Just the two of us. Without Felicia." Her expression quickly soured. "...That woman¡­" She looked away. "You really love her, don''t you?" "I do. I''m sorry, for not loving you exclusively." "...Hmph! You broke your promise! Said you wouldn''t kiss another girl!" "I did. And for that, I can only ask for your apology." "Apologies won''t be enough!" She threw her head away, pouting and huffing in the process. Without hesitation, I bowed down and put my forehead on the dirt. "I''m sorry! I cheated on you because I''m a weak, useless man who can''t resist a hot woman throwing herself at him!" I buried my head to the ground, not even stealing a look to see her reaction. I cheated on her. There was no questioning it. Even if we made our promise in childhood, I still broke and spit on it. I waited for her response, staying in that pose for what seemed like an eternity. "...Idiot." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Huh?" I looked up and saw her standing over me with her arms folded. "I said you''re an idiot! You should have said how much that woman needs you! She told me everything you know! How you saved her and how you failed to save Leila!" I froze. "Then you sought her comfort! You both had nightmares and to make them stop, you both slept together! And then you, being the pervert that you were, used the opportunity to grope her!" "Grrr, it should''ve been me!" She stepped forward and yanked me up by her hair. Tears were now brimming in her eyes. "I should''ve been the one comforting you! Just like you comforted me all the way back then! But no, she got to do it instead! That''s why you fell in love with her!" Before I could say anything, she dragged me down, all the way to her level, stopping right in front of her face. Before pressing her lips into mine. We both fell down to the ground, my back cushioned with a bed of hair she had created in an instant. She was now on top of me, and still kissing me as best as she could. It was nothing like Felicia¡¯s sensual kiss. It was terribly sloppy and amateurish¡ªchildish, even. It was the kiss of a girl who never knew how to kiss properly. And yet, she displayed her passion through it all too clearly. There was no need for her to say a word. She still liked me. I knew that for a fact. When she finished, her face was beet red. She bashfully looked away before saying, ¡°T-there. That¡¯s the kiss of our reunion. I left you with one. So I figured I should give you another one once we met.¡± I didn¡¯t need to gush on how cute she was at this moment. No words would suffice anyway. She then climbed off me before snuggling into my chest, resting her head as she tilted it upwards to look at my face. Giving me a serious look, she then asked the one thing I was dreading to tell her. ¡°Tell me. How Alan and Renee died.¡± I could only oblige. ------ A/N: Next chapter is finally the stuff you''ve all been waiting for. Vol 4 Chapter 63: Hugo and Sherry’s Painfully Awkward First Time When I finished my tale, tears once again decorated her green eyes. However, her expression was one of anger, not sorrow. "Unforgivable! How could they?! Marina! And you, Hugo! How dare you leave her and Erika?!" She gave me a sharp glare. "I was a coward. It''s as simple as that. " I chuckled weakly, averting her gaze. "You have all the right in the world to hate me for it." "No." Her glare sharpened. "You''re not getting off that easily. I''m dragging you to apologize to her if that''s the last thing I do." "That''s the plan." "Oh, and I''m going to slap you. Renee would do that if she were here, wouldn''t she?" "Eh? A sla¡ª" Too late. Her hand flew in what must have been nanoseconds. "Gah!" Leaving a stinging red mark on my cheeks. "That''s for being a coward!" Another slap, this time on the other cheek. "That''s for leaving Marina behind!" And another slap, back on the first spot. "And that''s for even thinking of taking your own life!" I braced myself for another slap. It never came. Instead, she had wrapped her arms around my head, pressing down my face to rest on her chest. "I''m glad that you are not as strong as I thought you are. I can finally repay everything you did for me all those years ago." She released me and looked at me right in the eyes, a determined look canvassed on her expression. "From now on, you can count on me to give you support. Those Magocracy wretches¡­ we''ll take them down. Together." "And, yes, that includes sharing you with that woman. Hmph, not out of the goodness of my heart or anything, but just because I know how badly she wants to be with you. And besides, we can use an alchemist." "I''ve heard about her childhood. I''d feel bad if I take you away from her. B-but make no mistake! I am the No.1 wife! And everything lewd you do with her, you do with me as well!" "A-are you sure? Think about how much of a screw up I have been. I''m no knight in shining armor. I might end up paying her more attention than you." Wait, "Then I''ll just take you back by force. As you know. I am a lot stronger than her physically. In a fight, I''ll win for sure." "And, speaking of that¡­" Before I could react, her hair had wrapped itself around my arms and legs. She then pushed me back down to the grass, with her sitting on my lap. "We''re going to do it. Now. I''m not going to be beaten by that witch." "D-do it? You mean¡ª" "Yes! Don''t make me say it, you dummy!" She looked away with a blush. In a flash, her hair unbuttoned and dragged down my pants, revealing my boxers to the world. And that too soon came off, and now my manhood was out in the open. "Now, stay put. I''ll do all the work." Tried as I might, I couldn''t move my hands or legs to stop her. Her hair''s grip on them was rock solid. "W-wait! If we''re going to do it, do it inside! Not out in the open like this!" No answer. "Look! This is all too sudden! My heart''s not ready yet!" She stood up, pulled down her pants and panties in one move (giving me a perfect view of her ass and privates), and sat on my now naked lap. I groaned. My member immediately came to live from the touch of her soft, firm butt. "S-Sherry, stop! I still have one more thing I need to tell you! And it''s really important!" "It can wait. Now, I just need to make sure it''s perfectly stiff before entering it." She began to rub her butt on my crotch, sending heavenly sensations to my member. A moan escaped my lips as I was slowly getting overwhelmed by pleasure. "I am actually an old, obese man in a kid''s body! I had lived in a different world before I was born in this one! And I still have all my memories from there!" "Shut up! You''re not making any sense!" A bundle of hair shoved itself into my mouth, paralyzing my ability to speak. "Mmmmhhhhh!" It didn''t take long until my member was fully ready. The sight of her thighs and girlhood certainly helped matters. Sensing the beast poking her butt, she stood up and looked down. Only to freeze at its sight. No, really, she froze there with her mouth open, looking at my manhood as if it was a monster. Still, her body wanted it inside her, it seemed, as I could see a thin line of white fluid evacuating her crotch. And then, with an audible nervous gulp, she sat back down, this time aiming her opening at my tip. And she missed. She slid off my shaft, brushing her labia in the process. She moaned, a spurt leaking out from her flower. "Grrr, it''s too slippery!" She glared at me, her face looking even redder than before. "It''s your fault! You''re already leaking that much when I haven''t even done anything!" I would giggle here if I could. Somehow, she managed to look even more adorable than usual. She was right now. My precum was already covering most of my member. I desired her as much as she desired me, that''s for sure. She tried again, only to end up pressing her thighs on top of my sword. I groaned. "Grrr, why is so hard to do¡ªto do this sex thing?!" Tears were now trickling down her face. "You just have to insert the thing into my thing, right!" Sensing her grip on me weakening, probably due to her embarrassment, I freed my hands and legs from her hair''s grip before doing the same to my mouth. "Look, if you want to do it that badly, I''ll teach you." Before she could protest, I sat up, pushing her away from my lap in the process. "H-Hugo, what are you!" I stood up, lifted her up by her hands, and then turned her around so her butt faced my direction. Aiming my member right at her dripping flower, I pushed it in. "Kyahh!" It went in. Perfectly. With barely any resistance. The cave was already well-lubricated after all. And now, me, the former obese virgin, knew just how good actual sex felt. I spent my entire willpower trying not to finish right then and there. Masturbation, using an onahole (oh yeah I was perverted enough to buy one in my old life)¡ªthey couldn''t compare to this! Oh, and if you ask me how I know how to do sexual intercourse while standing like this, blame all the hentai I used to read. I rammed my rod further, causing another cute yelp from Sherry. "H-Hugo, a-are you¡ª" "Yes, my thing is inside you right now." "Aahhh, ngggg, just¡­ just do it then! Shoot your sticky white stuff! I-I''m ready!" "No. Not until you''re satisfied." I released my grip on her arms, moving my hands to her buttcheeks. The soft and supple flesh was perfectly accommodating to the shape of my fingers, which allowed me to firmly grab them before pulling them closer. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Sherry¡¯s moan was the loudest yet as she reacted to my sword breaking the barrier of her sacred cavern. Or, to not use flowery language, my tip just pierced her hymen. ¡°S-sorry, did that hurt?¡± ¡°N-no, go on. Y-you gotta go that deep when you¡¯re doing it, right?¡± I began moving my hips back and forth, thrusting my member repeatedly into her womb. "Aaahhnnn! Ahhhnnmm! Mmmaaahhhhh!" Her moans only made my desire grow stronger. I grabbed her waist and butt even harder, pushing her even closer. The wet sound of our intercourse filled the night, interspersed by the pleasurable gasps we made with our mouth. Until, suddenly, I realized something. Something really, really crucial that I should¡¯ve realized earlier. ¡­ Tried as I might, I couldn¡¯t stop myself. The pleasure I felt was too overwhelming and the beast down there refused to be cowed before it was satisfied. ¡°H-Hugo¡­ ahnnnnn! S-stop! I need to¡ªahhh! It''s coming out!" "Well¡­ haaaa¡­ let it out¡­ let it all out¡­ no need to¡­ gaahh¡­ hold back¡­" And then, as if we were in some cliched vanilla hentai, we both climaxed at the same time. As my member flooded her womb with my seed, her walls tightly squeezed my shaft and tip. There was no pulling out. Her firm muscles made sure of it. We both fell to the ground, with her butt falling on top of my lap. I could feel her juices leaking out to my balls and thighs. After what felt like an eternity of ecstasy, we finally finished. "So that''s¡­ that''s the thing a husband and wife do every night?" She spoke between her labored breaths. "Yeah¡­" I replied, panting as well. "What Renee and Alan did every night." "Now I get it¡­ that''s why¡­ they kept making those noises¡­" We then stayed silent for a while, enjoying the pleasure hormones that had drowned our brain. My member was still inside her. It seemed she had no plan to stand up anytime soon. Until she swiveled around and planted her lips into mine. "Mmmmhh!" I fell down and she swiftly entered her tongue into my mouth. I could then feel her hips gyrating again, going up and down as she pleasured herself using my member. "That''s it! Get off him you greedy girl! It''s my turn now!" A woman''s voice, followed by rushed footsteps. I looked up and saw the red thong I was all-too-familiar with. Felicia was here. Sherry, realizing we no longer had our privacy, flew into a panic. She sat up, freeing my member from her womb. She quickly grabbed her panties and trousers, wearing them as fast as she could. "W-what are you doing here?!" She stuttered, face as red as a tomato. " "I''m here because of you, you cheat! How dare you steal Milord''s virginity behind my back?!" "S-shut up! Hugo was the one who wanted to do it! He chose me over you, you old hag!" "Old hag?! You insolent flat chested girl! I saw just how pathetic you were in pleasuring him! You had to beg for him to do all the work while you just stood there moaning!" "What?! You were watching us?! You¡ªyou can''t do that!" "Of course I can! We''re going to both be his wives, right? I can watch you having sex with him whenever I want!" Felicia replied with a frown. "Now, shoo! I''m going to do it with him too!" After waving her hand dismissively at Sherry, she squatted down in front of me, showing her delicious thong in a close up view. "Milord~ Do you want to do it here or back inside~ Both is fine with me~?" My gaze switched between her smiling face and her crotch. I quickly noticed how soaked the latter was. "Wow, she''s already that wet¡­" I mumbled under my breath. "Oh my, you''re looking up my skirt again, Milord? How typical." She covered her mouth and giggled. "And yes, I am that wet. Just from watching you taking her from behind so vigorously, I imagined myself in her place. Yes, I can see it¡ªmy womb throbbing with your hot, engorged sword in it, and me enjoying every second of it." "You''re not jealous?" She huffed. "What kind of a question is that?! Of course I''m jealous. But that doesn''t mean I got to be selfish. As your No. 1 wife, it is my duty to share you with Miss No. 2 here." She glanced at Sherry. "No.1 wife?! I''m his No. 1 wife!" Sherry retaliated. "Alright. As the older wife then." Felicia gave her an annoyed glare. "Now, carry him back inside. As you know, I''m not strong enough to lift him up." "D-don''t order me around!" Still, Sherry obeyed anyway. She lifted me up with her hair, all the while stealing glances at my still exposed crotch. "I prefer we do it inside. It''s a bit cold out here, isn''t it? And I do want to take my time¡­" Felicia whispered, licking her lips. --------- Quania Meanwhile, outside the village, under a tree inside the Great Fairy Forest, there was another Izurd who just finished her pleasurable climax. It was Quania. With her hair as the tool that helped her masturbate. She sat on the base of the tree, her skirt missing from her lower body. She was staring up the tree, with a dazed smile on her face. Let us turn the clock. Back to the afternoon, after her victory against the Archfey. -------- Quania said nothing when Hugo''s companions glared at her as they made their way to the village. It was only natural for them to hate her, after all she did. She was standing a distance away from them, staring listlessly towards them and then to the distance. ¡­ ¡­ She stopped after a brisk five minutes walk. In front of her now was a large, towering tree. Unlike the other trees around her, it had no leaves to speak of¡ªonly innumerable thin branches reaching and spreading upwards into the skies. Touching the violet-colored trunk, she could feel a rhythmic pulse emanating from the tree. She looked up and saw another thing that was very peculiar about the tree. A heart-shaped fruit, about the size of a child, hanging down from one of the thin branches. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Somehow, she immediately knew. It was where the fairy had stored her memories. But, did she really want to take it back? All that pain¡­ all that anguish¡­ With a single slash, she cut down the tree, grabbing the fruit with her hair before the entire thing crashed to the ground. She brought it close to her and with the tip of her finger¡­ She touched it. The fruit burst, its juices falling all over her face and clothing. And just like that, she remembered everything. ¡­ ¡­ "Aaahhhh¡­" She fell down on her knees, her eyes wide open, her body shaking. "My dear¡­ Ernie¡­ you¡­ why¡­" Tears erupted from her eyelids as her mind returned to that fateful day. -------- It was in the middle of their conflict against the succubi and incubi. She and her people were staying in tents, resting themselves for a great push to the succubi territory tomorrow. Quania had just returned from her bath at the nearest lake. And when she opened the flaps of her tent¡­ "Aahhh¡­ ahhhhnnn¡­ you''re amazing, Uncle Ernie!" She found her husband copulating with the Demon Lord of Love herself, Eros Philia. The rotten creature was in her young girl form, perhaps around eight or nine. She didn''t know how but she was capable of manipulating her age however she wished. Or so the rumors said. This was the first time they met face to face after all. She was being pinned on the ground, with her darling furiously thrusting his spear into her. The spear that she thought belonged only to her and her alone. What happened next was a blur. She only knew that she swung her sword towards the girl, only for his darling to protect her with his body. He begged her to spare her. And then, she asked the question. The Demon Lord''s life or hers? His answer¡­ was the Demon Lord. And, from that moment onward, the succubus won. She could only watch in despair as the succubi and incubi launched their surprise attack, slaughtering and raping her people. The women lost their strength as the incubi used their magic to drown them in aphrodisiac. The men could do nothing as the succubi guided them to endless bliss. Even as they watched their wives being violated, they could not fight back, thanks to the succubi hugging and caressing them, making them ejaculate over and over. When dawn came, only a handful of the Izurd remained. Most of them were killed, having their vitality sucked dry by the sexual vampires. Others were kidnapped, with no chance of rescue. Not with Quania''s shattered mind. It was then decided. The Izurd would hide. ---------- "Aaahhhhhh!" All her sorrow¡­ It had entered her heart once again. She weeped and weeped and weeped, seemingly for an eternity. If not for the trees surrounding her, her weeping would reach the village for sure. And yet¡­ that sorrow¡­ It slowly transformed into happiness. She remembered his face, his smile, his caress, even his unfunny jokes¡­ everything that made her fall for him¡­ There was no despair, for the sweetness of the fruit triumphed over its bitterness. Her weeping¡­ it was soon silenced. Replaced by moaning instead. Now that her memories returned, she could no longer resist the effect of the aphrodisiac. In a flash, she tore her skirt into shreds before assaulting her flesh with her hair. Hundreds of years of desire, all paid in full on that night. And, as she came over and over, all she could remember was the hot, throbbing member Ernie had, violating her womb again and again. ...Until¡­ She paused. Her lustfulness disappeared. The aphrodisiac''s effect had died down. Her right hand balled into a fist. She stood up and slowly walked her way back towards the village, still skirtless. She had torn it to shreds in her horniness. She would just have to cover it up with her hair. ------- A/N: Next chapter, Felicia''s turn. Vol 4 Chapter 64: Hugo and Felicia’s Less Awkward First Time Hugo With a soft thud, I was back on my bed at last. The room was almost entirely dark, with the exception of the candles shining dimly from the walls. The perfect lighting for sex. Felicia didn''t wait. She climbed up the bed as well, hovering above me with her hands on my sides, giving me a perfect view of her breasts and nipples as her loose dress draped down. "Now," She glanced at Sherry with a smug smile. "Let me show you how you pleasure a man." Sherry responded with folded arms and a glare but didn''t say anything. She just took a chair and sat there, watching us. "Milord, if you''re tired, you can just relax and close your eyes. I''ll take care of everything~?" Still smiling, she pulled the straps of her top down, allowing the fabric covering her chest to fall, revealing her braless boobs to my eyes. Well, more than they were already revealed. She then leaned down and forward, burying my face between them. "This is called a breast massage." She began moving her chest back and forth. "Men love them. They say it reminds them of being with their mother as an infant." My mind returned back to those days of me sucking Renee''s tits. I couldn''t see Sherry''s face with her breasts in the way. But I could guess how she was reacting, knowing how flat her chest was. I savored the mature scent of Felicia''s body. All the while feeling her hands working my little guy down there. "And this is how you service a man with your hands. You have to be gentle yet firm at the same time. You have to know which spots are most pleasurable to the touch." Before long, the little one was back to full attention mode once again. "Now, if he''s already erect like this, this is how you do the act." She sat up, withdrawing her breasts from my face. Now that my sight was no longer obstructed, I glanced back at Sherry. She now had a serious look on her face, though she was still blushing as well. Add a bit of a scowl in there too. Her hands were clenched into fists as they rested on her thighs. Looking back at Felicia, she was now pulling her soaked thong to the side. Drips of her fluids landed on my member, exciting it even more. "Ahhh, I''ve been waiting for this for so long¡­" Her voice quivered as she stared hungrily towards my member. "Milord, I swear to you, you''re going to have the best sex of your life tonight!" She lifted herself upward, hovering right above my lance. And then, she fell. "Ahhhnnnnn!" It slid right in, her walls lacking the tightness Sherry had. "Finally! You''re inside me, Milord! Your girth¡­ your thickness¡­" "Oh, stop being overdramatic and get on with it!" Sherry, naturally, wasn''t happy hearing Felicia''s lewd proclamations. Or her blissful, victorious face for that matter. "Hmph! This is part of the experience! Men like it if you praise their manhood in bed, you know!" "You''re faking it then. Hugo won''t be happy if you''re faking it, you know." Sherry replied with a huff. Felicia gazed at me with a pained, sorry look. "I¡­ I wasn''t faking it! Your manhood inside of me like this, it really feels amazing. But¡­ that''s how I would praise those men who slept with me. I¡­ I don''t know any other words..." She then averted her gaze, her eyes watering. ¡°Look. I agree with her. I don¡¯t want you to fake your reaction for my sake. But you don¡¯t have to overthink it either. Just do whatever you want to do, alright?¡± I flashed my brightest smile at her. ¡°Whatever I want to do¡­¡± She bit her lip. ¡°I-I suppose I just want to do this¡­¡± She began moving her hips up and down, grinding the inside of her womb into my member. She grunted, blushing and panting as a blissful yet bashful look covered her face. "So this¡­ is how it feels¡­ doing it with someone you love¡­" She whispered between her breaths. "Yes¡­ this is it¡­ this is exactly what I want¡­" My eyes then moved down to her chest. By now her nipples were perfectly erect, adding brilliantly to the most hypnotic movement of her breasts. "Your face¡­" She giggled. "You really are cute, Milord. Cute and handsome and cool¡­ how lucky I am to have you¡­" Suddenly, she stopped her movement. "Huh, you''re not going to finish?" ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, Milord. But¡­ for my first time with you¡­ I think¡­ I want to be in a missionary position¡­¡± She trailed off, averting her gaze from mine. Shy Felicia had returned. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s do that then!¡± Before she could protest, I sat up and pushed her off my crotch. ¡°Kyah!¡± She landed backwards, further down on the large bed. I then pinned both of her arms down with my hands. I was now on top of her. It was the only word I could use to describe her¡­ condition right now. Her dress was wide open at the top and bottom, exposing both her bare breasts and womanhood. She was looking away, a pair of blush reddening her cheeks. It was exactly like a two-page spread of a heroine in an adult work, right before she got nailed by the protagonist. I could not hold back. My manhood, now all wet and sticky with her fluids, reentered her gushing flower. It slid right in just as easily as before. She reacted with a delighted moan. But I didn¡¯t let up. I leaned forward and bit her right earlobe before grabbing her left breast. "Aahnnn!" Her body arched as her womanhood tensed and tightened. "Apologies for my uncouthness, dear. I simply could not resist," I whispered to her ear. ¡°D-Dear? T-then, can I call you, D-Darling?¡± ¡°Sure. Call me whatever you want.¡± I continued to nail her, still pinning her down to the bed in the process. Thankfully, the house we were in was located on a hill so there were no other houses nearby that could hear our noises. ¡°Ah! Ah! Ahhhhhhh!¡± And just like that, she orgasmed. For the second time, my member was bathed in womanly fluids, making it respond in kind by filling her womb with my seed. Try as I might, I couldn¡¯t stop it. Not when a woman this hot and cute was panting with ecstacy under me. Finished, I ended with a chaste kiss to her ripe lips before burying my head in her bosom, taking in the womanly hormones her sweaty skin was exuding. ¡°Alright! That¡¯s it! Now it¡¯s my turn again!¡± Only for Sherry to leap onto the bed, forcing me to rest my head on her bosom instead. Like a jealous viper, she wrapped herself around me, locking her eyes into mine, giving me the cutest pouty expression I had ever seen in the whole world. ---------- Victoria ¡°So, you¡¯ve awakened.¡± Those were the first three words Victoria heard as she waited for her judgment. She had been caught in the act. Of deceiving the orc prince with her fairy magic. And as she was projecting herself to Hugo¡¯s aid, fighting against the Archfey, she was harshly pulled back to reality. By none other than Balthazar, the Demon Lord of Wisdom himself. It was the first time she had a close-up look of him like this. He was tall, taller than your average human male. His skin had a dark purple tint and he was wearing a black armor with a black cape. The armor had a pair of spiked shoulder pads with it, adding to the intimidation factor even more. Now, he was looming over her, his cold crimson eyes seemingly staring right at her very soul. He was easily twice her height and his tall, black horns didn¡¯t help matters either. He glanced to the side towards his son, still snoring with his mouth half-open on the bed. ¡°Is his touch truly that despicable?¡± ¡°N-no, Sir! I was just¡ª¡± ¡°No matter. Come. There''s someone I wish for you to meet.¡± Victoria could only obey. ¡ª-------- Still wearing her nightgown, Victoria followed the Demon Lord through the dark, twisting corridors of his floating castle. Her gait was that of a scared child, unwilling to leave his side due to not wishing to get lost, yet hesitant in fearing where he was taking her. Here, she was just the dull human Victoria, not the fairy knight Victoria she was in her projection. He took her to a room, far different than the one she was forced to stay in. No, it would be more accurate to say that it was no room at all. It was a garden, somehow materializing behind the small door he had taken her to. The floor was covered with dead leaves, causing every step she took to make a crunchy sound. Bald trees were everywhere her eyes could look, with only a handful of green still remaining And there, right in the middle of a clearing, was another demon waiting for them. Or rather, a fairy. https://i.pinimg.com/564x/85/5e/86/855e861286caabe45129f3e2111659b1.jpg A woman, dressed in white and golden brown, stood with a smile on her face. Her butterfly wings were painted in the color akin to dead leaves surrounding her. ¡°Greetings, little one! How I¡¯m glad to see another fairy joining our little family!¡± She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. ¡°Her name is Selene Naturia. My third wife. And an archfey holding the seat of the Minister of Autumn." "A-an archfey?!" Victoria took a step back. "Yes, little one." She rested her arms in front of her skirt. "I am amongst the oldest and most ancient of my kind. But I''m still 17 in spirit though~" She giggled once more. Turning to the Demon Lord, she then said, "Darling. Has she awakened from her slumber?" He nodded. "Then," She looked back at Victoria. "If you would, please, show me your wings." "H-huh?" "Your wings. I want to see how beautiful they are." "I¡­ I can''t! I can only do it when I''m projecting myself!" "No! You just have to believe! Believe in who you are! Do not let your human half stop you!" Victoria was speechless. This was definitely not what she expected when she got here. "Dear." The fey looked at her husband. "Leave us, if you would." He nodded, giving Victoria one last look before making his way back to the entrance. Victoria looked at him from a distance, wondering if it would be better for her to follow him there instead of staying with this woman. After all, her last meeting with an archfey didn¡¯t go well at all! Wait, did she call her here for revenge?! She¡¯s the Minister of Autumn so she might be her relative or something! The moment the door closed, a bunch of thorns grew from the soil under it, blocking it entirely. ¡°Now, if you¡¯re not going to show me your wings, I¡¯ll just have to make you show it to me~¡± A chill crept into Victoria¡¯s spine as all of a sudden, the smile on the archfey¡¯s face looked terribly intimidating. Before she could protest, the same vine-filled thorns burst forth around where she stood, wriggling and squirming like snakes, preventing her from running. ¡°Come! Show me your power, spawn of Titania! Or else I shall humiliate you where you stand!¡± The meaning of those words soon became realized as the thorns grabbed her body from all directions. ¡°Aaahhhh!¡± Victoria screamed, both from the surprise and from the pain as the thorns dug into her skin. The thorns weren¡¯t especially sharp but it was still enough to cause minor lacerations and bleeding all over her body. ¡°This should be easy enough for you to handle!¡± The archfey yelled, a stern expression replacing her smiling face from before. ¡°Stop doubting yourself and just will it to happen! Will yourself to be free!¡± The thorns began to rub themselves back and forth against her clothing, shredding her nightgown bit by bit. As the fabric was thin and fragile, it didn¡¯t take long until her breasts were free, with only her panties remaining to keep her modesty. ¡°Oh my, what a beautiful body you have!" She clapped her hands, her smile returning to her face. "Zilge is lucky to have you as his wife.¡± "Aahhhh, s-stop! It hurts!" "There''s no stopping it. Not unless you do it with your own strength." The thorns were now squeezing her breasts, causing the half-fey to moan. "Hmm¡­ your nipples¡­ I wonder how well they can stand to pain¡­" "W-wait, stop! I''m really sensitive there! You can''t¡ª aaahhhhhh!" Victoria jerked her head upwards, tears flooding her ducts. The pain! It was too much! She had no choice. She had to do as she asked. "Haaahhh!" Light burst forth from her body, disintegrating the thorns in an instant. When it receded, she was back in her fairy knight form. ¡°That is enough, you villain!¡± She pointed her rapier towards Selene. ¡°I shall not be mocked by your tricks!¡± The wounds on her skin had disappeared completely. She was back at full strength. Just like Selene wished it to be. ¡°Wonderful!¡± She clasped her hands, her wings fluttering with joy. ¡°I can see it now, yes. You are clearly her spawn. Ah, to think that they would end up breaking the taboo¡­ what was she thinking back then, I wonder¡­¡± Annoyed that she wasn¡¯t being taken seriously, Victoria burst into a fit of rage. ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯m going to leave this place and go to Hugo¡¯s side! He needs me more than ever!¡± ¡°How interesting.¡± The archfey continued, unfazed completely by her threat. ¡°In this persona, you are almost like a completely different person. You are a lot braver and more direct with violence. Is this the result of your hybrid existence? Curious.¡± S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m leaving! Right now!¡± She looked around the forest-like room for a window she could fly through. To her far left, she could see a human-sized window, almost obscured entirely by the trees in front of it. She charged forward, using her rapier to slash through every branch that blocked her way. "Knightly Thrust! Heavenly Rancor!" Concentrating her power to her right hand, she performed a devastating straight thrust, shattering the glass in a single blow. And then, without a pause, she flew through. Only to find she was back inside the same garden. "H-huh? What is going on? I''m sure i¡ª'' "You cannot escape, my dear Victoria. After all, you are integral to the future my darling desires." With a smile, Selene manifested in front of her from a flock of butterflies. "For you¡ªmy dear¡ªare part of our family now. Rejoice! For you are kin to the future Demon God himself!" "W-what? The Demon God?!" "Indeed! Soon, the war for that throne will come! And he shall triumph over the other candidates¡ªand create a paradise where humans, demons, and even us of the feys, can live together in peace and harmony!" She raised her arms upwards, her face shining even brighter than before. "So, I''ve enchanted this floating castle. None shall leave without my approval. Including you. Of course, if you are to overcome my enchantment with your own magic, there will be nothing I can do to stop you from leaving. But I fear it won''t be that easy. Especially after I improved it, ever since that little messenger managed to sneak in." "Haah, what a sneak." She let out an exaggerated sigh as she shook her head. "Titania, you see, disagrees with my choice for the Demon God. She has her own candidate. How irritating! Can''t she see that my husband is perfect for the job?!" She huffed. "No matter. We will win this war. I''ll make sure of it. We just have to unlock your true potential." She smirked at Victoria. "What makes you think I''ll take the side of villains such as you?!" The fairy knight pointed her sword at her once again. "Because you have nowhere else to go. Your human family¡ªthey''ve dumped you here after all." "I¡­ I still have Sir Hugo!" "Ah, yes, that human. I''ve heard of him. Too bad he doesn''t care about you. He left you behind after all." "That''s¡ª that''s not true! He was just¡ª busy with his mission, that''s all!" "Oh please. Stop lying to yourself, my dear. Take the world for what it is. It is a cruel place, filled with selfish people and their selfish aims. Here, my husband always, without fail, takes care of his family. Including you, my dear." She smiled. "Then¡ª then why did he force me to marry that¡ª that pig?!" Hearing that, the archfey burst into a laugh. "See?! You hear that, Ulum?! Your son isn''t ready yet for marriage! He doesn''t even know how to charm a girl! You''re spoiling him too much!" Glancing around, Victoria couldn''t find any signs of the ogress. So the fey was just talking loudly to herself. "But, to answer your question, we wish to learn how a baby from an orc and a half-fey will be. Will it be another half-fey like you or would it be an orc instead? Or perhaps a new hybrid species. That would be a treat." "Oh, and he''s the only bachelor we got. So too bad if you''re expecting Prince Charming!" The archfey giggled. "Then I¡­ I don''t want him! A fairy knight like me doesn''t need a man! And you still haven''t explained why I would want to help you!" "You''ll turn in time. I''m sure of it." Selene smiled. "So for now, I suggest we train. Together. To unlock your potential even further. Titania might have taught you some things but I can do better. After all, I have fought in actual combat before, unlike her. Why, just the other day, I decimated the human army invading here." "Now, let us continue." The archfey disappeared into a whirlwind of leaves. Before more thorns grew out of the trees, going right towards Victoria. Giving her no other choice but to defend herself. ------- Hugo "Haahhh¡­" The first thing I did when I woke up the next morning was to take a long, deep sigh. For I had just graduated. I was no longer a virgin. Tonight, I became a man. In my arms were two naked, pretty girls I just banged. We had what they would call a threesome. My plan worked. Somehow, I made them agree to share me in bed. "Haaaaahhh¡­ This isn''t a dream, is it? If it is, then let me stay in it for just a little longer¡­" I was soon kicked out from my thoughts as Sherry shifted in her sleep. She moved her body closer to me, giving me a hug as she pressed her bare chest onto my own. "Hugo¡­ uhhhhmm¡­ you¡­ you''re awake?" To my surprise, her eyes fluttered open. Her green orbs were now staring right at me. "Good morning, Sherry." I smiled, patting her head. "Morning¡­" she replied, before averting her gaze with a blush. "I guess we are now officially husband and wife¡­" "...Eh? What do you mean?" "Here, a boy and a girl who did it are immediately acknowledged as a man and a woman. And a husband and wife as well. We don''t really have ceremonies like in human lands. Except for a feast in celebration," she explained, still looking at my chest instead of me. "Ah, I see." "...Hugo. Don''t worry. I''ll speak to Marina and Erika. They''ll understand." "And those Magocracy bastards¡­ they will pay. I will become the sword that cuts them down. Your sword, Hugo. So please, let me fight with you." Her gaze had returned. She was now looking at me with a determined look. I could only respond with a smile. "With you on my side, there''s no foe we can''t overcome. I''m sure of it." "And that''s why¡­ I have to tell you about her. The Goddess." ¡­ When I finished, her determined gaze had transformed into a disbelieving one. "W-what? Are you¡­ are you serious? About all of that?!" "Yes. Yes, I am. Unfortunately, we can now count a goddess as our foe. Just because of who I am." "You¡­ you used to live in a different world?! I¡­ I can''t believe it¡­" "It''s true. Like I said, I was a dull, overweight man back then. A disappointment in every aspect. And I was a big pervert too, just like I am now." I chuckled, a tinge of nervousness coloring my voice. "I''m sorry. For never telling you this. I just don''t want you to¡­ to hate me¡­ to look at me with disgust¡­" It was my turn to avert my gaze. I could no longer stand her inquisitive glare. "I¡­ I gave my panties to you¡­" Her voice shook. "And you were a perverted middle aged man the whole time?" "You¡­ YOU IDIOT!" "Uorgh!" She elbowed me right at my stomach. "HOW COULD YOU?! I¡­ I HAD BARED MY EVERYTHING TO YOU! AND YOU WERE HIDING THAT BIG OF A SECRET FROM ME?" She was yelling right into my ears, tears of anger glistening on the surface of her pupils. "Ahhhhhh!" And then, she touched her lips with mine. Her tongue hungrily forced itself into my mouth as she pinned me down with her strength. ¡°You¡­ idiot¡­ you¡­ should¡¯ve¡­ told me¡­ sooner¡­¡± Between her slurps, she mumbled those words under her breath. Only when she was satisfied, she released her lips from mine. With a pouty look, she then said, "That explains why you''re so clever and smart and cool even as a kid. You''re a grown-up all along." "You''re not disgusted? That I''ve been pretending to be a boy all that time?" "Hmph." She huffed. "Judging by what you did to Marina and Erika, you''re also still a boy. You''re only a grown up when I''m around." "...Eh?" "You wanted to impress me, didn''t you? To be your girlfriend? That''s why you only showed your strong side to me. You don''t want me to be let down by you." "I told you before, didn''t I? I wanted to be your pillar of support. I wouldn''t like you pretending to be cool all the time just to impress me." She wrapped her hands around my waist. "From now on, I want you to act casually around me all the time, alright?" Her eyes met mine once more. And all I could think was how I could just get lost in them. Gently, I leaned forward for another kiss¡ª "MAASSSSTEEERRR!" Only to be interrupted by a pair of boobs landing on my face. ----------- A/N: And with that, Hugo''s graduation to a man is complete! :D Vol 4 Chapter 65: Hugo’s New Harem The girl who jumped on top of me was none other than Miss Hot Spring Water Fairy. Now that she had become my familiar, she could stay at my side indefinitely. And, judging by the lack of wings, she had transformed into her human form. I didn''t know why she was wearing a maid uniform though. The softness of her breasts didn''t last long as Sherry quickly pushed her away, making her roll down off the bed. "W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING? G-GET OUT! GET OUT!" She quickly sat up, covering her naked body with her hair. "Uhhmmmm¡­" Felicia stirred and she slowly sat up as well, groggily rubbing her eyes before lifting her arms to stretch. Yawning, she looked around with blinking eyes before smiling in my direction. "Good morning, Milord. Or, rather, I''ll call you Darling from now on. That''s okay with you, right?" "S-sure. Call me whatever you want." I scratched my cheek. "Uuu~ that hurts!" I looked down to see Kiri face first on the floor¡ªher skirt draped upwards, revealing the blue striped panties she wore. "Master, I am glad that you seem to be well." The next person to enter was, of course, my other familiar¡ªAria, the Earth Fairy. She too was dressed in a maid uniform. The only explanation I had for this was that they must have been given the outfits by someone. And that someone was probably that big-boobed woman standing behind them with an all too satisfactory look on her face. ¡°Had a fun night you three?¡± She entered the room with a smirk, her breasts bouncing with every step she took. She wore what looked like a kimono, except the top was extremely low-cut, exposing a generous amount of cleavage that showed she wasn¡¯t wearing a bra in the slightest. And judging by her long black hair, she was probably another Izurd. ¡°Greetings. My name is Fran. I am Sherry¡¯s aunt. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you two.¡± She gave a bow, giving me an even further tantalizing view as her top draped down, teasing me with her nipples. She then took my hands, shaking it vigorously as she spoke.¡°Oh, I am so happy to see that Sherry¡¯s beloved man is as excellent as he describes him to be! And oh, sorry for what Quania did. It¡¯s quite a long story, I¡¯m afraid, why she¡¯s so cold and hostile like that.¡± Releasing my hands, she straightened herself before looking down, right at my crotch. ¡°Oh my¡­ you might want to take care of that first before you get dressed¡­ Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep breakfast warm for you three~¡± She giggled. Without me noticing, I had gotten a boner from staring at her boobs. Thankfully, the blanket still covered it but the tent was all but too noticeable. Chills ran down my spine as I could just feel the glare coming from both Felicia and Sherry. ¡°Huuugoooo!¡± Sherry whispered from the left. ¡°Darling, are my boobs not satisfactory enough for you?!¡± Felicia whispered from the right. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let you three settle it out.¡± The izurd smiled, strolling her way back towards the door, her hips swaying left and right, once again locking my attention for a second or two. ¡°Oh, and Sherry, I have a gift for you. You can pick it up after breakfast.¡± With one last giggle, she left. Leaving me to the mercy of my two quite angry lovers on both hands. ¡°Darling~¡± Felicia¡¯s smile was as cold as steel. ¡°Please tell those two to leave as well.¡± She glanced at Kiri and Aria. ¡°R-right.¡± I coughed. ¡°Kiri, Aria, please leave us.¡± ¡°Huh? Why? But we just met!¡± Kiri protested. ¡°Because we¡¯re about to¡­ ah¡­ do something private. Something that you two can¡¯t be around to watch.¡± ¡°Huh? Something private?¡± Kiri tilted her head. ¡°You mean¡­ like a secret?!¡± Her eyes brightened. ¡°Ooh, I love secrets! I want to know, Master! I¡¯m your familiar, right?! You have to tell me everything! Now that I¡¯m here to serve you day and night!¡± ¡°Eh? Serve me day and night?¡± My mind immediately went to the gutters from that sentence. ¡°That¡¯s right! Miss Fran and Miss Tira said so! That¡¯s why Miss Fran gave us these maid clothes thingy! Maids are who you call female servants in your world, right? So we both want to be your maids!" "Yes, that is so." Aria chimed in, her hands folded in front of her apron like a proper maid. "We wish to aid you as much as we could, now that we''re your familiar, Master." "I-I see¡­" "Thank you, Kiri. Aria. To be honest, I never wanted to bind you guys to me permanently like this. It just doesn''t sit right with me. But, thanks to you two, I still have my right arm. And for that, I owe you big." "Yay!" Kiri punched the air with a big smile on her face. "Don''t worry, Master! I''m already bored living in the Forest! I want to be with you instead!" "Agreed." Aria nodded, a serious look on her face. "Those other feys¡ªthey don''t understand how interesting your world is. I''d rather be with you and with them." "So please! Tell us your secret! I swear I won''t tell anyone!" "Yes, I swear that as well." The two maids now looked at me with expectant eyes. I glanced at Felicia, not wanting to give them the wrong answer, and she replied with a sigh. "You two need to learn how us humans reproduce." She gave them the glare. "Tira can explain. And I''m sure she''ll tell you two not to intervene whenever we''re doing it." "Reproduce?" Kirin''s ears perked up. "Ooh, you mean making babies? I wanna watch! It''s how mortals make more of themselves, right?" "No! You''re not watching!" Sherry, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up. "It''s a really private thing that I do with Hugo! I-I don''t want any other women watching me doing it! Just her is enough!" She threw a quick glare at Felicia. "Mistress Sherry, Mistress Felicia, I don''t get it. Why can''t I watch?" "Because¡ªurgh," Felicia groaned. "Just ask Tira, alright?" "A-alright, if you say so¡­" Kiri looked down, her smile disappearing. "Aria, let''s go then. We will not disturb Master Hugo and his mistresses any longer!¡± The Earth Sprite nodded in agreement, giving me a departure curtsy before walking together towards the door. The slight bounce it gave to her breasts didn¡¯t escape my attention. The moment it closed, Felicia immediately grabbed my member with both of her hands. Sherry immediately soon followed. ¡°Darling~¡± She cooed, giving me an unexpectedly intimidating smile as she tightened her grip. ¡°Even though we¡¯re done it multiple times last night, you¡¯re still this worked up, to the point of ogling other women¡­ you really are something else~¡± ¡°Hmph! You really are a pervert, Hugo! You know that she already has a husband!" Sherry tightened her grip as well, to the point that I started to feel more pain than pleasure. "I-I know! But you''re asking the impossible if you don''t want me to get turned on by that!" "And not only that, you now have two cute, big breasted maids that will obey your every command~" Felicia continued, her breath tickling my ear. "As your wife, this is an extremely troubling development~" She gave my member a good squeeze as her thumb gyrated on the tip. "D-don''t you worry! I''m not some predator who''ll lay his hands on every girl he sees! You know me, right? You think I''ll ever cheat on you?!" "Hugo, you already cheated on me," Sherry pouted. "Honestly. Even when we were kids, you''re already popular! Remember all those girls in the village? They only left you alone because they were afraid of me." All of a sudden, a surge of pain exploded from my crotch. "Gah! Sherry! You''re¡ªyou''re squeezing too hard!" "Hmph, you deserve it. For being so perverted." Felicia giggled. "Oh, Sherry. Why don''t we use this opportunity to teach you how to do a proper handjob?" What ensued next was me being milked dry, until my poor little guy was all sore. -------- After we finished, we got dressed with our old clothes (Fran had neglected to bring us fresh ones unfortunately). I, being the connoisseur that I was, watched with glee as they put on their dirty panties, soaked with their juices from yesterday, wiggling their butts in the process. In fact, I was pretty sure Felicia intentionally moved her hips all over just to tease me further. Sherry, on the other hand, being Sherry, shyly covered herself with her hair¡ªwhich definitely had its own charms! As I pulled up my trousers, however, something black fell out from my right pocket. They were a pair of string panties. "Hugoooooo¡­." I was too late. Sherry snatched the panties from the ground with her hair before hanging them up in mid-air. "Whose panties are these?" Her gaze narrowed. Immediately I felt a burst of killing intent coming from her. "They''re not mine." Felicia glared as well. "I only wear red." "W-well, they''re¡ª they''re Myrilla''s." "And mind explaining to us why you have Myrilla''s panties in your pocket?" "It''s¡­" I quickly explained what happened the best I could¡ªhow thanks to her spell, her panties landed right on my face, waking me up. And she refused to take them back out of embarrassment. Sherry looked at the panties and saw that yes, I wasn''t lying, and there was indeed a tear in the waistband of the garment. "And you say the scent woke you up?" Felicia folded her arms under her chest as she looked at me with disbelief. "That doesn''t make any sense, scientifically speaking. Unless they seriously reeked, it shouldn''t make you regain consciousness. Though speaking of that, now that I think about it, I could¡¯ve used my smelling salt on you back then. I completely forgot.¡± She walked over to the panties and took them from Sherry¡¯s hair, before giving them a quick sniff. ¡°No, this is normal. Sure, it got a bit of a musk to it but every worn underwear will have that." "Hmph!" Sherry put her hands on her waist. "You haven''t changed at all! You know, Felicia, he used to keep his sister''s panties and mine in his room!" "What? Is this true, Darling?" Felicia looked at me incredulously. ¡°Y-yes, but it¡¯s not what you think. I didn¡¯t go around asking for panties. Marina gave them on her own volition and when Sherry found out, she gave her own just so she wouldn¡¯t lose to her!" Sherry cocked her head to the side, blushing. Felicia, on the other hand, burst into a giggling fit. She had to cover her mouth with her hand to stop. ¡°Ooh, I see. You really had quite the fun childhood, didn¡¯t you, Darling?¡± ¡°I-I guess you can say that¡­¡± ¡°Well, if you want, I can lend you my panties as well. In fact, I insist. I refuse to lose to Sherry here or your awfully lewd sister." Before I could say anything, she began pulling down her red thong from her crotch. ¡°N-no need! I can¡¯t walk around with panties in my pocket!¡± ¡°You can just store them in your Dimensional Storage.¡± "Look, I''m trying to be a good man who doesn''t go around sniffing girl''s panties!" "A bit too late for that. We all know just how much of a perverted horndog you are." I could only stand in silence as she handed over the fabric to my right hand. "As for Miss Sourpuss'' panties, I think I''ll keep it. I''ll hand them over in private. Don''t you worry about it." She then pocketed the string panties in her coat. I couldn''t help but think this was a bad trade for me though. ¡°Now that¡¯s out of the way, let¡¯s take a bath, shall we?¡± Felicia smiled with satisfaction. ¡°Sherry, do you know of any nearby river we can do that in?¡± ¡°Yeah, follow me. There¡¯s a small stream nearby that we could use.¡± Sherry nodded, still giving me a suspicious glare, glancing at the panties in my right hand. ¡°And you¡¯re not going to wear a new pair?¡± She asked Felicia. ¡°No need.¡± The alchemist smirked. ¡°If a naughty wind were to show my unmentionables to Darling, well, I won¡¯t bother to hide it in the slightest.¡± ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re as much of a pervert as he is!¡± With that agreement, we finally departed the house. ¡ª---------- Outside, Kiri and Aria were nowhere to be found. They must have returned to where the others were. Sherry then explained that the house we were in was actually supposed to be Quania¡¯s house, until she decided to live her life in the temple further up the hill. The air was heavy with fog. And there were trees everywhere¡ªodd shaped trees that could only exist in The Great Fairy Forest. "Hey, uh, should I blow all this fog away?" "No need." Sherry answered. "We''re almost there." She wasn''t lying. After the next bend in the path, we found the stream she was talking about. "We can just leave our clothes here. And don''t worry. The stream''s weak and shallow." We each immediately undressed, with my sight locking in to Sherry and Felicia in the process. Looking at hot chicks undressing would never get old, or so my perverted mind believed. "Really? We just took care of that, you know." Sherry, now fully naked, was staring at my erection, her cheeks reddening. She quickly recovered, however, by rolling her eyes and glancing away. "No wonder you got seduced by Felicia. You''re horny all the time!" "Now now, it''s healthy for a young man to easily be excited like that." Felicia giggled. "That''s another reason why I agreed to share him with you. He got enough libido for both of us!" I said nothing as I jumped into the stream, feeling somewhat embarrassed by their stares. Really, there was no reason why I would feel that way, yet I did anyway. Shivering a little from the cold water, I went further into the middle. The fog continued to obscure the view, making the perfect curtain for me to hide from them for a bit. I dunno. I felt I wanted some quiet time on my own, even if a little. If I stayed close with them, no doubt they would start teasing me all over again, especially Felicia. As I walked further in, however¡­ I saw what seemed to be a silhouette of a person, standing on the other side of the tiny river. They weren¡¯t on the land. Instead, they seemed to be bathing as well. Their features were completely unrecognizable, thanks to all this fog. My only choice, other than to rudely yell at their general direction, was to walk closer to them. I waded through the shallow water, slowly feeling the cold liquid climbing up my body. In the middle, my head could barely stay afloat. Still, there was no problem in the slightest as the current was extremely weak, not enough to push me astray in the slightest. When I finally got close enough to see them, however, I froze. There, standing right in front of me, was Myrilla. Fully naked from top to bottom. Well, not exactly, as the water hid her body below her chest but you got the point. ¡°U-uh, h-hey. Didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± I flashed my best, most casual smile. To my surprise, she didn¡¯t scream like your typical girl in an ecchi anime would. What she did was quite a bit worse. "Aahhhh!" A searing, burning pain entered my head, knocking me out in an instant. As my sight darkened, the last thing I saw was the light coming out from the antennas on her head. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ When my sight returned, I was back on land. With Myrilla staring at me from above. Fully dressed, of course. "You idiot. You''re lucky I didn''t fry your brain there." Her tone was as cold as ever. Yet a small blush reddened her dark cheeks. "I can read your thoughts, you know." Her blush intensified. "You really are a piece of work." She then stood up, sliding down my head off her lap. "Go back into the river. Your wives are calling for you." Sure enough, I could hear them calling from a distance. I sat up. My body was still mostly naked, except the towel on my lap. "Hey, uh, sorry for peeking at you like that. I swear it wasn''t intentional. I didn''t even know you were taking a bath here." "I know." She replied, still averting her gaze from me. "But you clearly enjoyed the sight. How could you? You already have two lovers yet you still lust over me." "Well, I''m a big pervert." I smiled. "You already know that." "...Yes. Of course. No matter how much you grow, you''ll remain a pervert." Her green eyes then locked into mine. "You''re Alan''s son through and through." With those words, she left me on my own, disappearing into the fog ahead. Somehow, I had the feeling I might have upset her. Guess she didn''t like being the object of my perversion. -------- Reuniting with Felicia and Sherry, I didn''t say a word of what just transpired between me and Myrilla. No need to complicate things. They''d definitely get upset if I told them I saw her bare chest. As expected, it didn''t take long until one of them grabbed my junk under the water. Sherry was the culprit, to my surprise. It seemed she still wanted to practice giving me a handjob. Felicia giggled seeing her serious, blushing face as Sherry failed to pretend she wasn''t being a perv under there. I didn''t finish. The water was too cold and she was not really that good at it. And I just got milked dry less than half an hour ago. Back on land, I decided to talk to her. "You know, you don''t have to do that if you don''t want to. Don''t try too hard. Just act as you always do." I spoke to her as I summoned fresh clothes from my Dimensional Storage. "Hmph, I just want to be a good wife. You''re a big perv, Hugo, so I have to pleasure you day and night." She huffed, looking away. "Or else you''ll get horny at other girls." She glanced at Felicia. "Oh dear, you don''t understand at all ¡ª the art of seducing him." Felicia giggled before pulling up her red thong. "You see, Darling''s preference for lewd things is more¡­ subtle. He loves catching naughty glimpses of the female body in public ¡ª a voyeur, if you understand that term. "She smirked. "See how he was staring at your big-breasted aunt? That''s how he likes it. He doesn''t want you to rub his member all day long." "Hugo, is that really what you want?" Sherry glared at me. "Y-you know I don''t have a chest like hers¡­ I¡­ I can''t make you happy that way¡­" "Yeah, but you do have something else." Finished putting on my shirt, I walked over to her and gave her butt a squeeze. "See? This baby down here is your main appeal," I whispered to her left ear as I gave it a good pinch. "Don''t tell Felicia but your butt looks¡ª" "Kyaaah! HUGO YOU PERVERT!" With a speed faster than sound, she landed a straight uppercut, right on my chin. Knocking me out in a single hit. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Vol 4 Chapter 66: Victoria’s Lineage Victoria ----- As she trained her fairy powers with Selene, she began to remember her encounter with Titania. The stronger she became, the weaker the effect of her Veil grew. She had been fighting against the archfey for days, without sleeping or eating or even going to the bathroom. Her fairy half had overwritten her human half, erasing her human needs entirely. The way she fought had slowly evolved as well. At the start, she only used her rapier as a weapon, trying over and over to land a stab on Selene. Of course, it was not effective at all, as Selene fought like a fairy would, using all the strange magic she had at her disposal. But now¡­ "Flower Blitz! One Million Blades!" She dispersed into a tornado of flowers, each having the same cyan color as her wings. And then, said tornado flew straight towards the archfey, cutting through all the thorns and brambles in the way. Yes, it was a technique she invented after seeing Selene dissipating into leaves over and over. Originality was never her strong suit. The archfey smiled, before snapping her finger, igniting all the flowers in an instant. "Aahhhh!" Victoria screamed as she popped back between the flames. Her wounds weren''t that severe, however, only some singed hair here and there. "E-eh? It¡­ it doesn''t hurt?" She looked all over her body. "Of course not." The archfey replied. "A mere flame like that will never injure a daughter of Titania." ¡­ ---------- ¡ª---- Some more days passed for Victoria. Or perhaps it was weeks. She couldn¡¯t tell. She knew this was reality yet more and more she felt it was all a dream. Just like when she projected herself to save Hugo. A dream of endless fighting, of dancing in the air, of flashes of blades crossing against decayed plants. And speaking of that, she remembered that she had yet to tell his fairies about the bad news, about how his sister was in dire need for his help. She was knocked out from her trance thanks to Balthazar barging into her room. She gritted her teeth. Why was she such an idiot?! She should¡¯ve told them right away! And now, she couldn¡¯t have the peace and quiet she needed to go back there! ¡­Wait. Didn¡¯t her mother say that, for a powerful fairy like her, distance no longer mattered? That one could pop in and out of existence wherever one wished? And that she should be able to do the same once she grew strong enough? ¡°Where are you looking?!¡± Before she could react, giant thorns had pierced her body from every side. She vanished, reforming herself on the ground, kneeling on one foot, panting. Selene hovered down with a sigh and a concerned look, landing right in front of her. "Tired? Then draw more power from this room. This is my dominion, you know, part of the Great Fairy Forest. Don''t ask how I did it. You wouldn''t understand." "Oh no, don''t you think of running away." She wagged her finger with a smile. "You won''t be able to. Ever since Titania''s underling sneaked in, I had enhanced my trapping field. I daresay that even Titania herself wouldn''t be able to trespass into this castle now." Victoria didn''t listen. She focused her mind and tried to perform what the other fairies called a "jump". She would let the chaotic mana of the Forest carry her to her destination in a blink of an eye. Only to find that she only jumped a few meters away from where she had knelt before. "See?" Selene covered her mouth and giggled. "This magic¡ªit wasn''t just me who created it. I had a lot of help from a certain friend~" "I am not your friend." The air shimmered and shifted, before a loud pop put a stop to Victoria and Selene''s conversation. The two looked up and saw a woman dressed in a grey dress, leering at them with a haughty, bored look. The first thing Victoria noticed was her long, sharp ears. The second thing was that she was riding barefooted on a large book. "Ah! Adele! To what do I owe this visit?" Selene clapped her hands together, facing the elf. The woman flew down to their level but she didn''t dismount from her ride. She remained sitting inside her open book, with her back slouched backwards and her hands supporting her posture. "I am here to see your specimen." S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Her sight locked on at Victoria, causing the half-fairy to take a step backwards. She flicked her index finger. A giant hand popped out from her shadow, grabbing Victoria in an instant. "Kyaahh!" Pulling the half-fairy right in front her. "Hmm¡­" Her eyes wandered, up and down to her thighs and breasts. "Such a provocative body. I wonder where you inherit it from. Titania never has such a body." "You¡­ villain! Release me¡­ at once!" "Oh please. All you need to do is ask." She flicked her finger again. The giant hand reacted by releasing its grip on her, making her fall butt-first to the grass below. The woman¡¯s eyes traveled down between her legs, seemingly staring at her exposed panties. "...This imbecile¡ª" She looked at Selene. "¡ªwill not be useful at all in our upcoming fight." "Oh come now~" Selene smiled. "Don''t be such a bummer like that, Adele! You know she''s the daughter of Titania, right? And not only that, but her father is the Great Hero Arthur himself! Surely she inherits some of their strength!" Victoria froze. What? What did she just hear? Adele''s eyes narrowed as she folded her arms near her chest. "You do know that Arthur''s strength came from the fate given to him by the Heavenly Dragon, right? Bloodline has nothing to do with it." "That''s quite presumptuous, don''t you think?" Selene replied, still smiling. "Some of his human descendants have become great swordsmen like him. Surely, that talent didn''t come out of thin air?" "But none ever reached the peak of his strength. And this sorry excuse of a specimen¡ª" She glanced back at Victoria. "¡ªis exactly in that category." She¡­ she was the daughter of the Legendary Hero Arthur himself? But¡­ that can''t be! He lived a thousand years ago! How could she¡ª A flash of memory lit up in her mind. She remembered once more¡ªa portion of her conversation with her mother, Titania. That story¡­ she¡­ ...still could not recall. "I suppose she doesn''t possess the unique presence her mother has?" Adele asked. "No." Selene answered, shaking her head. "I don''t believe it''s something inheritable." "True. It comes with the seat of Titania after all." Adele glanced back at Victoria who now had stood back up. "I''ll be back. And I expect you to be a lot stronger when I return." "Balthazar¡­ he deserves only your very best effort." She took out her wand from her pocket and began chanting. The space around her shimmered and distorted, until she was seemingly sucked into it, disappearing in a flash. Leaving Victoria to her training once again. -------- "Not fair not fair not fair!" Meanwhile, somewhere else inside the floating castle, a certain prince was fuming at the seams. "I am her husband! She''s supposed to sleep with me!" Zilge Naturia. One of the many sons of the Wisdom Demon Lord. And Victoria''s betrothed. "You imbecile!" A resounding slap echoed across the room. He was sent crashing into the nearest wardrobe, his head making a hole on the wooden door. His pudgy buttocks then shook back and forth as he tried to free his head from the hole he had made. "This is why she doesn''t like you! You''re a spoiled, rotten little brat! Nothing like your father or how an orc should be!¡± The one who just slapped him was naturally his mother, Ulum Naturia. She was a tall and towering green-skinned woman with a pair of giant fangs jutting out from her mouth. She wore a dark half-armor that exposed a generous amount of cleavage and her navel. And below her waist, a form-fitting black leather accentuated her curves. Seeing her son stuck in such a humiliating fashion, she could only shake her head. Where did she go wrong? She used to be such a cute kid too... The son, finally freeing himself from his entrapment, quickly ran back to his mother and resumed his teary-eyed complaints. "Shut your mouth!" She yelled, silencing him in an instant. "A weak orc like you has no right to bed a girl as fertile as her!" Such was the philosophy of the orcs. The strongest amongst them have the right to bed the most "fertile" woman, that is, young, slim girls with big breasts and hips. Though as orcs, monogamy was only a thing for their chieftains, where if he didn''t want to share, his woman would be off-limits to the other, lesser orcs. The rest, however, would be shared for the good of the tribe. The prince broke down into tears. Like a child, he fell down to the floor and flailed his arms and legs. "Uwaahhh! No fair no fair no fair! You promised me a wife, Mother! I don''t wanna sleep with those ugly maids again!" As a prince, he of course had his own maids. It didn''t take long until he slept with all of them. The moment he hit puberty, the very first thing he commanded was for them to perform fellatio on him. Thanks to that, he was now utterly bored with them. Unlike she, of course. Her thick hips, her humongous chest, and her sharp elven ears ¡ª it fit his taste "Enough of this!" The orc woman lifted him up at his collar. "If you wish to bed her that much then go to that fairy''s place. Conquer her with your own strength. Don''t you make me or your father fight your own battles." She threw him to the floor before leaving the room, slamming the door behind her. He could only sob even harder. ---------- Hugo When I came to, I was already back in the house. Inside the bedroom, to be exact. "Idiot! Imbecile! You think apologizing will be enough?! You could''ve killed him with that uppercut!" Sherry was now standing with her eyes looking downwards, fidgeting nervously with her hands clasped together. She was being scolded by Felicia, after what she just did to me. Yes, it was her tsundere punch. Her explanation? She didn''t expect me to grab her butt out of the blue like that. So she was taken by surprise and she reacted the only way she knew to. Which was to punch me to the stratosphere. I climbed off the bed. "I think that''s enough, Felicia." I placed a hand on the redhead''s shoulder, giving her my smile. "She knew what she did was wrong. No need to¡ª" "You''re too soft on her, Milord!" She glared at me. "She broke your jaw with that punch! You''re lucky I still had my healing potion with me!" "Yeah but I really shouldn''t have grabbed her butt out of nowhere like that. Sorry Sherry. Should''ve known you don''t like that kind of stuff out in the open." "Hmph!" Felicia crossed her arms under her breasts. "You¡¯re well within your right to do that as his husband, Milord! But if she doesn¡¯t want to¡ª¡± She swiftly pulled my hand and placed it on their behind. ¡°¡ªyou can do it all to me, Darling~¡± She gave me her trademarked seductive smile. Sherry could only reply with a silent glare to that. ¡ª----- After that whole mess, finally, we made our way back to where the others were, which was inside the house just down the hill. We were greeted first by the fairies, who had been waiting impatiently for me to come all this time. They led us inside, where the others were already sitting around a low table with their legs folded. We took our spots there and began eating as well, with the fairies eagerly fulfilling their newfound roles by putting every single thing on that table onto my plate. "H-hey, that''s too much!" "Eh? Really, Master?" Kiri paused with a shocked expression. "Oh, I''m sorry! I''ll fix it immediately!" I could only watch nervously as the clumsy fairy did her work. There was one more maid there however. Shining brilliantly in her green-white short outfit (the skirt only going halfway up her thighs) was Tira, bending over to give Myrilla her apples, said skirt scandalously riding up in the process. Theo could though. The little rascal was stretching his head to take a peek. Thankfully, the girlfriend was busy stuffing herself with fish to notice. Myrilla stayed silent for the entire breakfast, eating her vegan menu without a single word. Fran was the chatty one, asking me, Sherry, and Felicia all sorts of things about our first night together. Stuff that we certainly couldn''t answer in a place like this. "So, how long did he hold up?" She smirked at Sherry. "W-what?" Sherry reddened. "How large was his blade? Describe it in detail!" "I-I can''t do that!" All the while pressing those giant knockers of hers to the table. It took an elbow from Felicia for me to stop leering at her. Oh, and there was also one other person. He was so unremarkable I almost forgot he was even there, sitting beside her. Fran''s husband, Graha. Black hair, eyes seemingly closed, has an extremely thin presence. He remained silent like Myrilla. After we finished, we decided to go out to take a fresh breath. The fairies stayed behind to wash the dishes or else they probably would¡¯ve wanted to come along as well. Sherry stayed behind as well. She had that gift from Fran waiting for her in her room. And the next time we saw her¡­ "H-how do I look?" She was dressed in an outfit that left me speechless. No, it was not a maid outfit. In fact, it was a perfectly respectable adventuring outfit. Only, it was quite¡­ revealing. She wore a V-neck long-sleeved light blue shirt with large collars. Over that was some leather protecting the region from her breasts to her navel. And below that was a pair of dark blue short shorts, kept from sagging down by the leather belt she wore. The short shorts, naturally, were the problem. It exposed a amount of her firm thighs, to the point that they almost looked like they were only slightly bigger than the usual size of panties. Hell, I could even see cameltoe on the crotch. She had one hand on her waist while the other loosely hung to the side. She tried to hide it but I knew she was embarrassed by it, thanks to that cute blush she had on her face. ¡°You look great, Sherry!¡± I gave her my biggest grin and a thumbs up. ¡°I assume that¡¯s your aunt¡¯s gift?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She began fiddling with her hair, averting her gaze. ¡°This is an adventurer¡¯s outfit, she said.¡± ¡°Yep. It¡¯s an adventuring outfit, alright.¡± Felicia, seeing that her place as Ms. Fanservice was being threatened, quickly grabbed my arm and pressed her boobs into it. ¡°A bit revealing. But it suits you, I guess.¡± She huffed. Sherry, not wanting to be beaten, went after my other arm. Pouting, she then said to me in a low whisper, ¡°Stop staring so much. Pervert.¡± You have no idea how adorable she was when she said that. That dreamlike atmosphere was quickly broken, however, when a wave of familiar aura suddenly filled the air, shaking all the trees around us. "Huh? What was that?" "This feeling¡­" Sherry promptly released her grip on me and took on a combat stance, forming a sword out of her hair. ¡°It¡¯s grandmother¡¯s!¡± She was right. This aura was definitely Quania¡¯s. Which meant she was now fighting someone or something! Exchanging a swift glance with her, we departed with haste. Leaving Felicia behind. ¡°H-hey! Where are you two going?!¡± She yelled. Using Wind Step, I raced Sherry to where the wave of aura had originated. I flew over the trees while Sherry jumped from treetops to treetops with incredible speed. It didn''t take long until we found the culprit, for Quania herself was standing on top of the trees. Or to be exact, she was standing on top of the tallest tree on the other side of the village. Her long, dark hair was blowing in the wind. She was staring to the distance, with her cursed sword lifted above her head. And then, she slashed. What happened next took my breath away. A dark wave sliced through the forest below her, disintegrating all the trees with a single move. When the darkness dissipated, there was only a barren wasteland. She raised her sword once more. And performed another slash, destroying the section of the forest even further away from her. Before she could do the third slice, she noticed our arrival. "Oh. You''ve come." She lowered her sword and turned around, focusing her intense gaze on me. She then gestured at me to take a seat beside her on the nearby branch. "And you too, my granddaughter." She looked down at Sherry who just jumped up from below, landing right beside her. ¡°I assume you had a pleasant night with your beloved.¡± Sherry blushed as she nodded. ¡°Very good. Such things are important in a husband and wife relationship. I¡¯m glad you are not lacking in that department, human.¡± Her gaze switched back to me. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say I did a pretty good job,¡± I replied with a confident smile. My gaze quickly rested on her stump, however. I knew I took her arm legitimately for self-defense back then but I still couldn¡¯t help feeling a pang of guilt the moment I saw it. She then seemingly stared at me for a few moments, quite uncomfortably so if I might add, before she resumed to speak. ¡°Hugo Greenwood. You remind me of my late husband.¡± ¡°Your smile. It reminds me of him. Your smile is quite the same.¡± What happened next nearly made me fall off the branch. The scary woman with disheveled hair¡­ began to smile. And, before I could say anything, she rested her hand on top of my head. ¡°Please. Take care of Sherry.¡± ¡°O-of course! You don¡¯t have to ask that!¡± ¡°If you ever hurt her¡­ or ignore her in favor of that other woman¡­¡± She didn¡¯t need to finish her sentence. The void looking back from her eye sockets was enough to tell me the hell that would wait for me if I ever betrayed my promise. Releasing her grip from my head, she returned her gaze back to Sherry. Sherry was sitting to her left while I sat to her right. ¡°Don¡¯t let up your training. You can still improve. Until one day, you will be stronger than me.¡± Sherry nodded, her expression fully serious. ¡°As for your sword, you¡¯ll need to forge it. Do not rush. Seek out a master blacksmith that can truly handle our kind¡¯s hair.¡± Hearing that, I couldn¡¯t help but chime in. ¡°Oh yeah. Sherry, what happened to the sword Father gave you?¡± ¡°It broke. Thanks to her.¡± She grumpily glanced at Quania. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°As for you, Hugo Greenwood,¡± Quania glanced back at me. ¡°You need to get stronger as well. Particularly in your defense. It is still lacking, especially if you¡¯re going to fight opponents around my level.¡± ¡°You got a point.¡± I wryly smiled, remembering how I almost lost an arm. ¡°Thankfully, I now have a familiar that can transform into an armor.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be enough.¡± She shook her head, giving me a concerned glare. ¡°You¡¯re too squishy. A weakness that all humans share. Especially mages like you.¡± She then looked back at Sherry. ¡°It will be your duty to be his shield. Take all blows meant for him into your body. All that training I had given to you, it is for that purpose.¡± Sherry replied with a silent nod, looking at me with determination. Suddenly, Quania stood up, perfectly balancing herself on the branch we were sitting on. ¡°As for us¡­¡± She raised her sword once again. A burst of energy gathered around her before focusing itself on the blade of her sword. The air shook as it shimmered with darkness. ¡°We will create our own nation.¡± She brought her blade downwards in a diagonal motion. A massive sword wave appeared for a split second before it crashed into the faraway forest down below, creating another gash where no greenery remained. ¡°Free from the machinery of the feys. Once again standing on our own two feet.¡± She raised her sword once more, charged another slice, and performed another grand erasure that brought chills all over my body. ¡°We begin by taking over their territory. As repayment for the humiliation they had brought on us.¡± Seeing this scene, all I could think about was the legends of the Izurds, and how true they all were. ¡°Do not worry.¡± She looked down at Sherry. ¡°We can survive on our own. Your aid will be unnecessary.¡± Vol 4 Chapter 67: A New Despair I did have an encounter with that guy though ¡ª the guy that would¡¯ve become Sherry¡¯s husband hadn¡¯t come. It turned out to be Fran¡¯s own son. I was just helping the villagers fix their houses by my magic when he popped out of nowhere, asking to speak with me one by one. As Felicia and Sherry weren¡¯t there, busy with their own tasks, I decided to agree. He didn¡¯t look like a bad guy. He just looked a bit¡­ effeminate. ¡°So, what do you want to talk about?¡± I asked him once we were on the hills overlooking the village. Suddenly, he grabbed my hands and shook it vigorously. ¡°Thank you! Thank you very much!¡± ¡°E-eh?¡± ¡°Your fight with the Elder¡­ that was really amazing! I never knew someone could be that strong, let alone a human at that! No wonder Sherry fell for you!¡± I was taken aback. Had I really just created another fanboy? ¡°Sherry? You¡¯re her friend?¡± ¡°Friend? I wish I was! I was her admirer! Ever since she came, I was already attracted to her, you know! But she always gave me the cold shoulder!¡± ¡°Now I see how foolish I was! How can I ever compete with a guy like you?!¡± He shook my hands again, grabbing them even harder. ¡°Uhh, okay¡­.¡± All of a sudden, his smile disappeared. He released my hands and jumped back, landing with his head touching the ground. He was now kowtowing to me. ¡°Apologies for trying to steal your spouse!¡± As you could imagine, it was as awkward as it got. ¡ª---- Victoria ¡°Victoria¡­ come out come out wherever you are¡­¡± The orc prince couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He finally decided to take things into his own hand. And that¡¯s why he was now inside Selene¡¯s garden. Despite the warning given to him by his mother, he still decided to go into the fairy¡¯s domain. All while armed with his waraxe. The weapon was made out of mithril and it was enchanted with runemancy. A weapon fit for a royal like him, but at the same time, it showed just how much he lacked the skill to wield one. It was designed so that any buffoon wielding the thing would be able to fight just as well as a skilled axeman. Coming here, he had only one idea in mind. He would force her to bed with his strength. That was what her mother told him to do. And he would prove to her that he was as capable as the other princes in the household. ¡°Victoria~ Your dear prince is coming for ya~¡± A perverted grin was plastered on his face, not that dissimilar to the one Hugo loved to sport. He was already imagining all the things he would do to her once he caught her. He couldn¡¯t help it. He was a full-blooded (okay, maybe half-blooded) orc after all. Only, he couldn¡¯t find her. The autumnal forest was empty, devoid of any presence, fairy or otherwise. It was as eerie as it could be. The only thing he could hear was his own steps, and the crackling of dead leaves and branches he stepped on as he traversed through the seemingly endless forest. ¡°There you are~¡± At last, he found her. She was standing at a clearing, with her back turned to him. She was in her full fairy form, with her revealing knight armor and large butterfly wings sprouting off her back. ¡°So pretty~¡± He had never seen her in this form. And this reveal only made him even hornier for her. Slowly, he walked forward, not wanting to alert her to his presence. His plan was simple. He would hit her with the blunt end of his waraxe to knock her out. And then, he would have his way with her. Only, it never happened. She suddenly turned to face him, stopping him in his tracks. Literally. ¡°H-huh? What¡­ what is going on?¡± He looked down and saw that his legs had turned into tree roots. He looked back at Victoria. He saw how emotionless her face was and how her eyes were glowing. ¡°You¡ªyou¡¯re doing this?¡± The fairy didn¡¯t answer. She just continued to stare at him, unblinkingly. ¡°Stop! Stop! I command you! I command¡ªahhhhhhh!¡± His scream was the last thing he said before he became a tree from top to bottom. All thanks to the fairy curse Victoria had placed upon him. ¡°Well done.¡± A golden butterfly whispered to her ears. ¡°That is what a true fairy does.¡± She could only nod. ¡ª------- Hugo That night, the whole village celebrated my union with Sherry. A banquet was held. Not the fancy kind. The fun kind where Quania just brought a massive fey boar for a giant barbeque. I quickly learned that the Izurds had their own cultural dances and songs. Of course, they performed it with the help of their living hairs. Both the dances and songs would have scenes of combat in the middle and they would create the beasts by said hair. And to my surprise, it worked quite well. ¡°Here is the tale of T¡¯wana and Fan. It¡¯s a classic amongst us Izurds.¡± Fran described it to me as I sat beside her. ¡°You might think we¡¯re just a bunch of muscleheads with no culture but we do have our own folklores.¡± ¡°Those dresses the girls wore. They¡¯re your ceremonial dresses?¡± I asked, pointing to the odd-looking outfits the performers were wearing. If I had to describe them, they looked somewhat like the dresses Native Americans wore back in my world. ¡°Yes, though it¡¯s tailored pretty recently. Had to order it from the outside world due to the materials,¡± she answered. ¡°Huh? You guys still have contact with the outside world?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She smiled. ¡°Myrilla is my messenger. I paid her handsomely to deliver all sorts of stuff from the outside world, including those maid outfits I gave to your servants.¡± Speaking of the demoness, I couldn¡¯t find her at all in the crowd. For a vegan like her, she probably wasn¡¯t interested in sitting around for a barbeque she couldn¡¯t eat. ¡°Look. It¡¯s your subordinates¡¯ turn to perform now.¡± Fran spoke, grinning. I returned my gaze to the middle of the village and saw Kiri and Aria, dressed in the same ceremonial garb as the Izurds before. Theo, Tira, and Tama were also there as well, wearing similar outfits. ¡°We offer this for our Master Hugo!¡± Kiri announced with pride, beaming at my direction. ¡°This is the story about how we fight at his side!¡± What followed was both the most pride-inducing and embarrassing play I had the fortune to witness. The former was caused by the fact that I was the main character (played by Theo, who seemed to have been roped in into it, the poor kid). The latter was because I was the main character. And I was portrayed as this heroic guy who came to the rescue of damsels in distresses. Nothing like my real self at all. I could only blush every time Theo did a heroic speech, which he did around five times through the entire play. When it was over, I must have been as red as a tomato. Still, I knew that they all worked hard on it. And they did it on such short notice too, which made me give them a standing applause. After that, the night seemingly grew into a blur. Alcohol was given freely and I quickly succumbed to its influence. The last thing I remembered was being carried back to the house by Sherry and Felicia. ¡ª----------- When I woke up, it was because I felt the need to relieve myself. I was naked, with Sherry and Felicia naked as well to my sides. Outside, I noticed that the day was still dark. It was probably around five in the morning if I had to guess. I released my arms from their grip before climbing off the bed. Noticing the bundle of clothes on the floor, I wore mine before I went outside, looking for the nearest tree to take a leak at. "Well met, mortal." I jumped. Probably dribbling a little in my briefs in the process. Out of nowhere, a crooked, short figure blocked my path. It looked like an old woman. Only, her presence was closer to a fey over that of a human. I pointed my staff at her. "A fey, are you? What do you want?" "A message." The woman grinned. "I came here to deliver a message." Her grin sent chills all across my body. Her teeth were all sharp and yellowed, more like a canine¡¯s over that of a man¡¯s. ¡°That girl is supposed to be the one to deliver it but alas, it seems she has failed.¡± She stepped a bit closer to me, allowing me to see more of her looks under the dying moonlight. I now could see her many wrinkles and grey hair, eerily reflecting said light into my eyes. ¡°Your sister has sent a fairy of hers to me. Or rather, the fairy found me, the Soothsayer, the fey with the ability to find any living being that exists. In exchange for her life, she told me to deliver this message to you.¡± ¡°She is¡­ imprisoned, at the current moment. Controlled by a vile magic that she can not resist. Her body is now merely a puppet while her soul can only watch from the inside and weep.¡± My heart dropped. ¡°And so, she sought your help. For there was no one else she could rely upon. Unfortunately,¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°We both knew it would take you years until you could come to her side. Years that mortals like you two could not afford, I imagine.¡± My throat became dry all of a sudden. ¡°You¡­¡± I croaked. ¡°You¡¯re not lying, are you?¡± ¡°I cannot lie!¡± She burst into a laugh, sending a fresh wave of shivers all over my body. ¡°I have made a pact with the little fairy! Betraying that is beyond my power!¡± When she finished, she stared at me with her crimson eyes. ¡°Now I have delivered the message. My pact is complete. I shall take my leave, mortal.¡± ¡°Oh, one more thing.¡± She walked a few steps closer to me. ¡°That girl¡­ Victoria¡­ she might need your help as well¡­ You see, in your absence, her family had sold her to a marriage with Balthazar. Or, to be exact, one of his many sons. And he just so happened to be stuck with a pig.¡± She broke off into another laugh. ¡°Though, of course, you are well within your rights to abandon her. She foolishly chose her family over you, after all! Ahahahahahyahyahyahyahya! ¡°H-hey, wait, don¡¯t just¡ª¡± Before I could say anything, the woman flickered out of existence. Leaving me with a newfound feeling of despair. ¡ª--------- The first thing I did afterwards was naturally to take out my Dream Crystal and send a message to her right away. I cursed myself. I had forgotten to tell her about my reunion with Sherry. I sat down on the bed and gripped the crystal as tightly as I could. Only after I felt a hand on my shoulder that I stopped. "What happened?" Sherry asked me with a concerned look, her hair wiping the tears from under my eyelids. "Marina¡ªshe¡ªshe needs my help. She''s been captured. The enemy¡ªthey now control her." "Calm down." Sherry shook my shoulders. "Where did you learn about this?" "A¡ªa fey. In the form of an old hag. She said she was simply delivering a message Marina''s fairy had given her." "A fey?" She frowned. "Are you sure she''s not lying?" "I...I don''t know¡­ She said she wasn''t lying¡­ that she had made a pact with Marina''s fairy so she couldn''t¡­" Sherry paused for a few moments before she climbed off the bed and put on her clothes. At the same time, Felicia sat up and yawned, stretching her hands upwards. "Good morning, Darling~" She smiled at me. "Now I know to give you some beer before we made love at night~" Her smile quickly vanished however. Probably once she noticed my expression. "Is something the matter?" "Hugo''s sister might be in trouble." Sherry answered, sparing a glance towards the redheaded woman. "The enemy has captured her." She pulled up her teal panties from her legs. I explained the same thing to Felicia, who quickly reacted by climbing off the bed and wearing her clothes as well. "The enemy? You mean the Magocracy?" She narrowed her eyes as she pulled up her red thong. "I...I don''t know. The fey didn''t say anything about that." "It''s a lie." Sherry chimed in, now buttoning her short shorts. "They''re just trying to spite you after they lost their leader here." I sighed. If only it really was a lie¡­ "I¡­ I don''t know¡­ the Goddess¡­ she did say she would go after my family¡­" Sherry raised her eyebrows. "The Goddess?" "It''s a long story." Felicia replied as she put on her coat. "I''ll tell you while we take a walk." "Where?" I asked. "To Quania and Fran. I want to hear their opinion. And your familiar too." I nodded. No sense thinking about it all on my own. -------- Now fully dressed, we made our way down the hill back to Fran''s place. Luckily for us, everyone was already there so we could begin the urgent meeting immediately. As there were so many of us, we decided to hold the meeting outside. "It''s not real," Fran shook her head once I finished my story. "Don¡¯t listen to her. It¡¯s as real as the tale that Mystel died killing her.¡± Mystel, Sherry¡¯s mother and Fran¡¯s little sister. She supposedly took her own life after being betrayed by her human husband, leaving Sherry behind. We only knew this from the Archfey¡¯s mouth and we all knew very well just how untrustworthy she was. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure.¡± Myrilla spoke, staring right at my direction. ¡°You leaving her on her own make her vulnerable. She might have the protection of your grandfather but it was a feeble one, only granted by his title as an Earl. If someone who doesn¡¯t care about such distinctions would come, like those monsters from the Magocracy, he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop them.¡± I averted her sharp, piercing gaze, looking down at my lap. ¡°My suggestion: We depart at once to her place. Continue to contact her every day. Beg her to contact you back with a Dream Orb. We assume she¡¯s really in distress until you get a reply from her.¡± ¡°And Victoria?¡± To my surprise, it was Felicia who decided to speak up about her. I had also told them about her current state. And to be honest, I was really thinking of just leaving her behind. Marina needed me more and rescuing her meant facing off against a Demon Lord. And seeing how my encounter with Quania went¡­ ¡°It''s up to him." Myrilla glanced back at me. "Does he wish to save her before going after his sister?" I didn''t have an answer that I could give. "An old lady, Master? I think I know what kind of fey it is." Kiri chimed in. "She has big teeth and a large, hooked nose, right?" I nodded. "It''s a fairy-eater." Aria continued, a grave look on her face. "A terrible fey that sustains itself from the flesh of us fairies." "Is it the type to lie?" Sherry asked. Kiri shook her head. "I dunno. But they say it will try to deceive fairies to come inside her hut before eating it. Scary~" She shuddered. I covered my ears with my hands, burying my face in my lap. "Knock it off, human." Sensing a person standing right in front of me, I looked up. And saw Quania glaring down at me. "You''re overthinking it. Just go and come to your sister''s rescue as fast as you can. And bring your sword to the necks of those responsible." "As for your fairy friend, if you want to save her, then go on ahead. Fight off that Balthazar. You have the strength. You and Sherry." She placed her hand on my head. "That is the way of the Izurd. We do not abandon our friends or family." A smile broke out on my face. "Thank you, Quania." And, to my surprise, she gave me a small, proud smile in return. ¡ª---------- In the end, we departed in that grim, foreboding atmosphere, unsure of what the future held. Before that though, we had a conversation afterwards regarding the future of the Izurds. Now that they were no longer hidden away from the world, they could very well end up in a conflict with other demon races, sooner or later. Not to mention the feys possibly taking their revenge. If that¡¯s a thing with them anyways. I asked Aria and Kiri about it but they couldn¡¯t answer. They both said it all depended on Titania and they practically knew nothing about her. Quania¡¯s answer? ¡°Let them come. My blade will be ready for their heads. As well as the blades of the other Izurds¡± The rest of the Izurds showed us off as we left their village, wishing us strength to face our ordeals in the future. Apparently, it was a custom of the Izurds to wish for strength and fortitude instead of wellness like humans do. However, instead of absorbing their prayers, all I could think about was Marina, and how much she must be suffering right now if that fey spoke true. The last time she sent a message was a year ago. And after that, nothing. Both Sherry and Felicia told me not to blame myself for it. But Myrilla¡¯s judgmental look said otherwise. She would¡¯ve had the correct view, seeing how she wasn¡¯t in love with me. They would say anything so I would feel better. And what about Erika? Was she spared? I had to send messages to her too, begging her to stay strong. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡ª------------ A/N: And that¡¯s the end of Volume 4, The Demon Continent! Whew, that went on far longer than I originally planned! Vol 4.5 — Fiora’s Tale Chapter 1: Lightning Dancer Around me were now about fifty or so giant bats, all hungry for my flesh. And I had just begun trekking inside this dump of a place. ------- It had been a few years since I became a disciple in the School of Galahad. Ever since that day, when I first stole this sword off those guards, my sword skills had grown considerably. To the point that they finally agreed to give me one of their famed swords. But of course, giving me the weapon straight up would be too easy. I had to do this whole trial before I was allowed to get it. And after that, it would be the exam for me to achieve Virtuoso Rank. "Staccato! Full Moon!" The moment the bats charged forward, I took them all down with a single circle slice. Ignoring the remaining bats, who clearly knew better than to join their fallen brethren on the floor, I marched on ever further into the place. Its name was The Devil¡¯s Hole, a dungeon that still remained from a millenia ago when demons used to rule this part of the world. It was left here purposefully to train Galahad swordsmen and women over the ages. Located far south from the village down the mountain, even getting here was somewhat of a challenge, thanks to the swamp you had to cross first. Naturally, no one went here unless they were tasked with a trial like me. After all, like Frida said, anyone who died here became a sacrifice to the dungeon. That was the pact our school had with it. -------- ¡°Haaahhh¡­¡± To cut things short, this place is more bothersome than hard. For a supposedly S-rank difficulty dungeon, the monsters here are really no match for me in the slightest. Sure, I kept finding annoying black slimes who loved dropping down from ceilings to ambush me but even with them trying to mask their presence, I could still clearly sense them without even looking. And there were those fire and ice spirits who patrolled that maze. They would go through walls to attack me from all directions, retreating the moment they realized I was going to attack. The maze was made out of some special stone I couldn¡¯t cut through so all I could do was just to outspeed the little creatures. And then there were the living wheels thing that would ram at me at the speed of sound. They kept popping out at every corner. And of course, there were the bosses on every floor. S-rank monsters apparently but they were just slightly harder than their subordinates. It had been a week since I was stuck in this place. I''m tired, I want to take a bath, and I''m hungry. Only this last boss behind this door waited for me. The strongest amongst them all. Let''s hope it''ll be an actual challenge, shall we? I pushed the double stone doors open. They opened the rest of the way automatically. I entered the pitch-dark room, with one hand on the handle of my sword and the other holding the torch. No good. I couldn''t see anything. I do know though that the room''s pretty large. "Grrrrrr¡­." A groan came from the middle of the room. I threw the burning stick to where the groan came from. And saw that it belonged to a person. Or rather, what used to be one. ¡°Graahhhhhhh!¡± A woman, with tattered robes and rotting flesh, was standing there glaring at my direction. She held a sword in one hand¡ªthe same type of thin sword that I used. Her eyes glowed red and dark liquid was dripping out of her mouth. A zombie. If an adventurer were to fall inside a dungeon, sometimes the dungeon¡¯s demonic mana would revive said adventurer as a zombie to attack the next adventurer that dared to brave its halls. Now, normally, the zombie would be a lot weaker than the actual adventurer but sometimes a so-called ¡°perfect¡± zombification happened, where the zombie retained all the strength it possessed when it was alive. And, if I had to guess, this woman was one of such ¡°perfect¡± specimens. She began to take a pose, the same fighting pose that I was familiar with. This would be a mirror match, it seemed. ¡°Staccato: Storm!¡± Our blades met in the dark, thousands of them clashing in a single second as we parried each other. Her speed was swift, proving that she was indeed a skilled swordswoman when she was still alive. I remember this tale. There was a story about a prodigy who ventured here into this place to prove herself, on her own without permission. She never returned. I guess this is how she ended up being ¡ª a puppet reanimated by the dungeon core. What a waste of talent. After exhausting our moves, we both retreated. I had a hunch that she could see me through the darkness, even though I couldn¡¯t do the same to her. ¡­No. I could sense her just fine. I don¡¯t need my eyes to win this fight. How many times have I had my blindfolded training regimens? Too many times to count. ¡°You¡¯re good. So let me show you something a bit more advanced.¡± I lowered my body, folding my legs slightly as I changed the grip on my sword to a backhand one. ¡°First Waltz. Dance of Delight.¡± I stepped forward. In a flash, I was already behind her. Cutting through her left arm. ¡°Graaahhhh!¡± The zombie growled as she realized its arm had detached itself from her torso. No blood came out, only a disgusting black ooze. Whatever blood it once had probably had transformed into that unholy mixture. Feeling a really good opportunity to brag, of course I had to take it. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± I smirked. ¡°Can¡¯t keep up?¡± The technique I just used was indeed quite advanced. In fact, it was a secret technique that was only taught to students that belonged to Frida¡¯s house. To make things short, it was a technique that allowed one¡¯s blade to ¡°dance¡±. In fact, both the swordswoman and the blade became ¡°the dancer¡±, moving in unison on the stage that was the battlefield. The zombie, seemingly insulted by my taunt, retaliated by preparing a stance. The very same stance I just used. ¡°Ooh, so you can use that technique as well~ Fascinating~¡± Our blades clashed again, this time causing a shockwave that shook the entire room. "Second Waltz. Dance of Terror." Kicking the air, I lifted my sword and swiftly performed a slicing motion, all the while leaping forward, performing a somersault mid-air, and landing on my two feet. All in another infinitesimal second. Her head, unprotected as it was, flew off from her torso, rolling down to the ground in an almost comical manner. I sheathed my sword and turned back to face her. "Is that it? Is that all you got?" A zombie like her shouldn''t succumb to mere decapitation after all. The head screeched before flying back to the body, attaching itself like nothing had happened. "Very well then. I''ll finish you off now." I bent my knees once more, holding the handle of my sword in a different grip. "Final Waltz. Dance of Resignation." Now this technique¡ªthis is the cream of the crop. Even performing it took quite a big chunk of my stamina. I stepped to the left and up, forming a circle around the zombie in a clockwise manner. Every step I took was done in a millionth of a second, and in a certain "rhythm" that allowed my aura to flow in the most ideal manner. This resulted in a series of doppelgangers, all surrounding the zombie. "Grrrrhhhh!" The zombie looked around in vain, trying to determine where my real body was. Useless, of course. I was everywhere at the same time. And then, I attacked. From every angle¡ªfrom behind, front, left, right, there was no escape from my slashes. The zombie tried to escape by jumping upwards. Not fast enough. I readily chased after her, cutting my sword through her body like butter, landing hits after hits after hits. All in that single infinitesimal moment. She had yet to master this technique it seemed, or else she should¡¯ve been able to defend herself from it. When I finished, I took a deep, long breath as the walking corpse was turned into small slices of bone and meat, unable to put herself back together even if she wanted to. And just like that, I had won. I flicked my sword, cleaning off the gore, before sheathing it back in its place. I gave one last look at the remains of the zombie, grabbed my torch, and went on my way. A sword should wait for me in the next room. ¡ª------- Instead of finding a sword in the next room, all I found was a floating purple orb. The room itself was lit dimly by the light coming from that orb. And it was quite the odd room to say the least, with roots going all over the ceiling, floor and walls ¡ª all heading towards the middle where the orb rested. Dungeon Cores. It is the thing that makes a dungeon, well, a dungeon. It attracts or creates monsters to fill its halls, designs the traps and labyrinths, and pretty much is the most intelligent creature in the entire place. All the monsters obey it, or rather, all the monsters cannot resist its influence. ¡°Weeeellllll dooooneeeee¡­ huuuuumaaaaannn¡­. Youuuuuuuu passssssed the teeeeeeesttt¡­¡± I approached the orb, one hand still resting on the handle of my sword. I would be foolish to trust this thing. ¡°Hey, stop speaking weirdly and just give me the sword.¡± Really, why was it speaking all drawn-out like that? "Neeexxttt rooooommm¡­" "Oh, next room, is it?" I glanced at the door on the other side of the room, behind the orb. "Very well." I took a step forward. Only for a click to be heard as the floor tile lowered. In a flash, I stepped backwards, just in time to dodge an explosion. The trap didn''t end there though. Toxic gasses immediately filled the room, followed by spikes jutting out from every surface, even the floor. The biggest thing here was obviously the gas. I had no way to nullify the poison indefinitely. The spikes on the other hand were a joke. If it seriously thought that giant spikes like these were any threat to a swordswoman of my caliber¡­ And now it electrocutes the spikes. Still, it was nothing a little Fortissimo couldn''t handle. Standing on top of the electrified spikes, I quickly scanned the room for an escape. Of course, the two doors, behind me and in front of me, were already shut tight by the core. Taking one last deep breath, I dashed towards the door in front of me. Without losing momentum, I maneuvered my sword for a thrusting motion. ¡°Staccato: Needle!¡± This is a technique specifically designed to be used against opponents with high armor. It injects your aura into the enemy¡¯s flesh before exploding them from the inside. The opponent this time was a stone door so it might not work. But I¡¯d say it¡¯s worth a try. My sword clashed with the hard rock. It was clearly enchanted and reinforced by magic. And yet, it wasn¡¯t as strong as the enchantments in that labyrinth. It exploded into million pieces a moment later, unable to resist the force of my aura. Without waiting, I slipped through, leaving the toxic gas behind before I had to take another breath. ¡ª----- My eyes scanned the new room I ended up in. Across the small room, there was a shrine. And there, on the offering table, the sword rested. I walked forward, taking care to be careful of any other traps. I didn¡¯t expect there would be any though. My instinct told me that this was it. This was the gift I had been fighting for. No strings attached. I stopped in front of the blade. Just by looking at it, I could tell that the craftsmanship was exquisite. The sheathe was ornate yet simple, never crossing into the realm of gaudiness with its decorations. I especially like the amethyst gem it had in the middle. Gently, I lifted it off the table. It was light, lighter than my old sword or my current one. This should be made out of mithril, right? Then how could it be this light? It¡¯s like holding air. Grabbing the sheath and handle, slowly, I unsheathed it. I swung the blade to the side. Lightning shot out from the tip, striking the earth underneath. The whole blade was crackling with thunder, illuminating the dark room with its light. A smile broke out on my face. ¡ª------------- I returned to the surface a few days later, with the blade safely tucked to the belt at my waist. Oh, I had tested it on the monsters in the dungeon, and it worked like a dream. It was a lot sharper than both of my previous swords. Simply holding it, I felt like I could attack more swiftly and more accurately than before. When I arrived back at the Shrine of The Harpsichord, I was greeted by whispers of awe from other Champion-rank swordsmen. ¡°The brat actually did it¡­¡± ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°No¡­ maybe she just ran away¡­ Look, she doesn¡¯t have any scars or wounds on her body. There¡¯s no way she can make it through the dungeon without any¡­¡± Hearing their inane, disbelieving voices, I couldn¡¯t help but smirk. Frida was standing across the courtyard with her hands crossed under her chest. Judging by her own smirk, she was just as satisfied by my victory. No longer will these old, untalented men question her decision to teach me. ¡°You¡¯ve returned. The sword?¡± I unsheathed it right in front of her. Once again, it crackled with power, enough to slightly make her hair tense. ¡°Well done. Fiora Guinevere Pendragon. You have passed the first test.¡± She rested one hand on my shoulder. ¡°Or you would, after you name this sword.¡± I looked down at the electrified blade. There was only one name that came into mind. ¡°Lightning Dancer.¡± I looked up to see her. ¡°I shall name it Lightning Dancer.¡± ¡°Hmm, quite the simple name. Are you sure you don¡¯t prefer something fancier?¡± ¡°No.¡± I smiled. ¡°This sword¡­ she¡¯s as swift and elegant as me. And she shares the same temperament. After using it for a few days, I can already tell that she¡¯s the perfect blade for me.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± She cocked her head to the side, a slight smirk decorating her lips. ¡°So you fancy yourself a dancer now?¡± ¡°A sword dancer.¡± I corrected her. ¡°Much more beautiful. And deadly.¡± She clucked her tongue, putting one hand on her waist as she rubbed my head. ¡°Hmph. I see I really didn¡¯t make a mistake making you my pupil.¡± ¡°Now, you should prepare for your second test.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that.¡± ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re back!¡± I turned around and saw Sara running into the courtyard, her twintails trailing behind her. ¡°Damn you! You didn¡¯t even tell me you¡¯re going to take the test!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not my mother.¡± I smirked, sheathing my sword back to its place. ¡°Why should I say anything to you?¡± ¡°Grr, just you wait!¡± She pointed at me. ¡°I¡¯m going to take the test too one of these days! And then, I shall beat you to the title of Virtuoso!¡± ¡°Yes yes, I would be looking forward to that day.¡± With another ¡°hmph¡±, she fled the scene. She really was just here to say that, huh? Oh well, it¡¯s good for her to have a rival. I just hope she doesn¡¯t have any ideas of going to the dungeon before she¡¯s ready. ¡ª--------- The so-called ¡°second test¡± Frida mentioned was dueling the three Virtuoso-rank swordmaster. That would be Frida herself, of course, of the Peacock School, followed by Brutus, of the Cassowary School, and last but not least, Garha, of the Gazelle School. Sara¡¯s teacher to be exact. And I only had to win against one of them to be accepted as a Virtuoso-rank like them. Before I took it though, I needed to master my skill with Lightning Dancer first. And for that, I plan to take several months training on my own. At this point, I had to develop my own fighting techniques, not just aping what Frida could teach me. Start my own school, so to speak. Oh, by the way, if you want to know where they got this blade from, well, I wouldn¡¯t know either. Frida wouldn¡¯t tell. They must have some really good blacksmith though, judging by the craftwork. Maybe the one in the village? I spent the next month training on my own. My goal was simple. Using the lightning the blade was enchanted with, I would increase both my speed and precision to its maximum. I had sparred with Frida a few times and I knew my current speed was still not quite enough to compare with hers. I took a break afterwards, however. Why? Because it was that time of the year where my eyes and ears brought me news from the outside. And somehow, I had a hunch that something big had happened. Something I should be ready for. ¡ª----------- ¡°Is that it? Is that all you know?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Unfortunately, the Magocracy has been really secretive on their plans. We were unable to gain anything substantial. Although, like we said before, judging by the increase in military exercises, we can assume in good faith that they might be thinking of an invasion.¡± I bit my lip, crossing my legs as I sat on the giant rock, watching as Catboy knelt in front of me. I jumped off the large rock, landing right in front of the beastkin. "I want you to both keep an eye on the Magocracy as well as Hugo." "Of course, Your Majesty." "And naturally, do the same with my sister and brother. I have a hunch they wouldn''t stay put while all this chaos is happening." "Yes, Your Majesty." "...Hey, what''s that smirk for?" I lightly kicked his head with my boot. "You found something funny?" A chuckle escaped his lips. He raised his head, still keeping the smirk. ¡°This chaos¡­ it¡¯s exciting, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Exciting?¡± I raised an eyebrow. "Yes." He stood up. "The gears of the world are turning. The age is changing. And I am here to witness it all on the front row seat." "Heh, I never took you as a poet." I grinned, folding my arms under my chest. "But you''re right. The world is moving, whether we want to or not." "Indeed. And I have you to thank for this privilege." He gave a deep bow, still grinning. "Though I wish to thank you for one other thing." "And that is?" "A glimpse of a future empress'' undergarments." ¡­ S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. My sword now rested at his neck. "You''re getting quite bold, aren''t you?" "I meant no offense, Your Majesty." He still grinned. "But it is impossible not to catch a glimpse of your unmentionables if you wear such a short skirt while I lower myself in front of you." ¡°...Hmph.¡± I sheathed my sword back. ¡°Even so, blatantly announcing that in front of my person¡­ Do you wish for me to cut your tongue?¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t be able to give you my reports.¡± ¡°...Cheeky little brat.¡± ¡ª---- As I saw him disappearing over the hill, I squeezed my thighs together. The outfit I wore was actually custom-tailored, courtesy of Helen. There was no requirement for a student to all wear the same clothes. As long as your teacher approved, you could wear whatever you wanted. And, thanks to a certain someone, I decided to make the skirt go down only halfway up my thighs. The outfit wasn''t a tasteless sexy costume or anything. It was a respectable set of clothing that just happened to show the charms of the wearer. In the first place, short skirts like this were common amongst swordswoman. Even Sara wore one. I bit my lip, pressing my left hand between my legs. I began to imagine Hugo, kowtowing to me in my throne room as I sat on the throne, giving him orders as his empress. Only for him to grin lewdly as he pointed out I had been showing my panties all along... ¡­ I looked around, making sure that I was really on my own. It won¡¯t do to be caught pleasuring yourself, especially when you do it in such an unconventional way. I unhooked the sword from my belt buckle. And then, still in a sheathed state, I put it between my legs. And then, I commanded it to start vibrating. It refused. Sighing in defeat, I hooked the sword back to its original place. Vol 4.5 Fiora’s Tale Chapter 2 — A Missing Friend Orthard. The small, humble village located at the foot of the mountain where the Order of Galahad resided. Most of its citizens were as humble as their village, living off the land by their farms and fishing boats. Only some sought greatness, taking up the sword and joining the Order. And only a handful ever succeeded in joining, thanks to their harsh entrance test. Inside one of the houses in said village now slept a certain young man. His name was Ars. And he was a humble woodcutter. Or so he believed. "Ars. Ars. Ars." He stirred in his sleep. Someone was calling his name. "Thy have been chosen. Chosen to wield the sword by His Name." His eyes fluttered. Is that¡­ is that a woman standing beside his bed? "My name is Catherine. And I am here for you. My Hero." ¡ª------- Fiora "Haaa!" A slash of thunder flew through the air, bouncing through a number of Diamond Trees. If you were to see it in slow-motion, however, you would see that there was a girl beside the thunder, somehow moving twenty to fifty feet every time she took a step. When she stopped, Fiora sheathed her sword. And all the trees were sliced into hundreds of little pieces. She sighed, wiping the sweat off her forehead with her sleeves. Her training was going well, though not as fast as she wanted it to be. Steadily, her techniques grew stronger¡ªsharper. And her sword grew more obedient to her as well. She still remembered when she had trouble with these Diamond Trees. How time flew. Looking at the sun, she noticed that it was already time for breakfast. So, time to clean herself up and have something to eat. Maybe one of those dire bunnies again. While she had her training, she didn¡¯t bother returning back to the temple. Thanks to Frida teaching her how to survive on her own in the wilds, there was no need to. Oh yes, Frida taught her that. They used to have their trips here, deep into the wild, untouched part of the mountain where she would command her to lift boulders and meditate under icy cold waterfalls. And at night, she would force her to cook and start a bonfire without her lifting a finger. At first, she didn¡¯t like how a princess like her was forced to do such labor. She had Helen to take care of it for her after all. But, she quickly changed her mind. It was important for a future empress to learn as much as she could how the life of the average citizen was. Even those that lived up in the mountains like this. She made her way back to the camp she had set up. She stripped off her dirty clothes, keeping them to be washed later. She then rummaged through her bag for clean ones, as well as her towel, before making her way to the nearby stream where she would take her morning bath. Stripping off her already sweaty clothing, she entered the chilly water without flinching. All thanks to Frida¡¯s mountain training as well. As she was beginning to enjoy herself, however, she heard the sound of leaves rustling and branches being stepped upon, followed by the sound of footsteps. A human was fast approaching her location. Should she hurry up and dress herself? Nah. It was their own fault for barging in like this after all. Though of course, she grabbed her sword still. Better be safe than sorry after all. Even though she could kinda guess who it was just by the way they walked. ¡°There you are! I finally found you!¡± It was Sara. The redheaded, twin tailed girl she was all too familiar with. "Get dressed! We''re leaving!" "Leaving? What do you mean we''re leaving?" "Ars is missing! You gotta help me find him!" "...Go away. You''re disturbing my bath." Fiora''s reply was¡­ dispassionate, to say the least. It wasn''t the first time Ars had "disappeared", only for him to appear the next day. Sara had just missed him all day. "I''m not lying! Some of the drunks in the village saw him heading to the west right after midnight, riding his horse! When they called out to him, he ignored them entirely!¡± "So?" "And there was a weird light coming from his house! On top of that, his mother swore she heard a female voice coming from his room!¡± Now, the case started to pique her interest. She climbed out of the small river, baring her full naked body in front of her rival. Still dripping with wetness, she continued her conversation with her. ¡°Oho? A weird light, you say? What kind of light is it exactly?¡± ¡°Apparently it¡¯s a warm, yellow-ish light. It came down from the sky, falling right into his house. And could you please wear some clothes?! I don¡¯t want to stare at those disgusting things of yours!¡± Those disgusting things were her breasts, who were now in full view of the flat-chested girl. Unfortunately for her, throughout these years, her own chest never really grew. Unlike Fiora¡¯s, which grew quite significantly, making her quite the buxom young woman. ¡°Sheesh, what¡¯s the fuss about?¡± She smirked. ¡°We¡¯re both girls, remember? And don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t like these bouncy and firm hills?¡± She squeezed her left breast. ¡°Just wear your damn clothes already!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, don¡¯t wet your knickers, little lady. I¡¯m just going to.¡± Fiora walked over to the nearby rock she had put her clothes on. A pair of teal skimpy panties, an ankle-length skirt with a left slit that reached all the way to her mid-thighs, a top with sleeves that went down only to her elbows, and her elbow length socks and mid-calf boots. ¡°You¡ªyou don¡¯t wear a bra?¡± ¡°What for? This shirt is comfortable enough.¡± ¡°...You really are one perverted girl.¡± ¡ª------- After Fiora packed her things, the two made their way back down the mountain. She would need permission from Frida first before she would be allowed to descend to the village, seeing how she was supposed to be training and all. And since she actually had respect for her teacher, she wouldn¡¯t just ghost her and go to the village straight away. Back at the temple, they made their way to her room. Since she wasn¡¯t on the field teaching, they figured she ought to be there instead. Fiora knocked on the door. ¡°Master Frida. Can I come in? I have something I want to ask.¡± ¡°Oh? Is that Fiora? I thought you¡¯re still training. Are you finished already?¡± She heard her voice speaking from the inside. ¡°No! But Sara here told me that Ars disappeared. And she wanted me to help her. I guess I¡¯m her only friend¡­¡± She added a snide comment, which Sara reacted by paying her a glare. It was kinda true though. Sara didn¡¯t really have anyone she was close with other than Fiora and Ars. Even she wasn¡¯t that close with her own teacher. ¡°...Oh, I see. Come in then!¡± Fiora pushed the door open. The room was just as she remembered it the last time she was here¡ªa small, cramped wooden room with only a futon to sleep and a table/chair combo to work on. And her teacher was sitting on the latter, looking over a parchment with a couple more on said table. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± Sara spoke meekly. She, on the other hand, had never entered her master¡¯s room. Fiora and Sara stood in front of Frida, who was still sitting down. There were no other chairs in the room so they had no other choice. Frida put down her parchment before resting her chin above her hands. ¡°It¡¯s time, I think, for you to return back to the outside world.¡± She glanced at Fiora. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°Lady Esther came to me this morning. She told me that the light who stole Ars away¡ªwas the work of Saint Catherine.¡± ¡°Saint¡­ Catherine?¡± Fiora was rendered speechless for a moment. ¡°You mean the current head of the Milicis Church?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Frida nodded. ¡°I assume you¡¯ve known about how the human states on the Demon Continent were recently conquered by the Wisdom Demon King?¡± ¡°Of course. I have my own eyes out there, you know.¡± ¡°Then, you should know that Lady Esther believes it¡¯s a prelude¡ªfor the birth of a new Demon God.¡± ¡°And Ars.¡± She looked down, a wry smile adorning her face. ¡°I believe he has been chosen as the next Legendary Hero.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°W-what?!¡± Sara¡¯s high-pitched voice filled the room. ¡°What do you mean by Ars being chosen as the next Legendary Hero?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you think it is.¡± She gave a grave look towards the redhead. ¡°He will be the one to slay the new Demon God. And to do that, the Saint has called him to begin his journey.¡± ¡°B-but¡­ they can¡¯t just do that! Why would they choose him? He¡¯s just a woodcutter! It doesn¡¯t make sense! And what do you mean there¡¯s going to be a new Demon God? Arthur already killed him a millenia ago!¡± Fiora no longer listened to Sara and Frida¡¯s conversation. This revelation¡­ she couldn¡¯t make sense of it either. She was the one with the blood of the Legendary Hero. But why was Ars chosen? If someone really was going to be a new Hero, that someone should be her. No one else qualified better than her. Unless¡­ there¡¯s no such thing as the Hero¡¯s Bloodline. It was all a lie perpetrated by her forefathers to justify their rule. She left the room without a word. Once she was outside, she made her way back up to the mountain. But this time, not to the north where she had her training. She would go east instead, through the Caelesti Bridge, up to where Esther Solis lived. She would meet her face to face and ask for her truth. ¡ª------- The sound of water flowing through the small spring filled the air, only interrupted by the sound of a bamboo shoot hitting the rock. The shrine remained the very image of tranquility, just like the last time she saw it, which was a few years ago, when she first came here. Fiora made her way to the front porch where Esther was sitting on the floor, enjoying her tea. After taking off her boots, she sat down cross-legged in front of her, not even waiting to be invited. ¡°You came here for your friend, correct?¡± ¡°Of course. What else would I come here for? I haven¡¯t become a Virtuoso yet, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking me.¡± The blind woman smiled, taking a sip of her cup. ¡°Want some? It¡¯s jasmine tea. It¡¯s quite delicious, I assure you.¡± ¡°No thanks. I prefer coffee. And if I want tea, I¡¯d take it with milk.¡± Fiora smiled back. Esther giggled. ¡°Ah, a royal taste. Quite different from a hermit like me, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Her smile vanished, replaced by her serious look. ¡°The world is turning. No longer it remained in its quagmire. It finally gained the push it needed to move on to its inevitable end.¡± Fiora¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°You¡¯re saying the world is going to end? Because of the new Demon God? How do you even know a new one is coming? Just because some Demon King defeated a bunch of weak human countries it doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s powerful enough to conquer the entire world like the Demon God did.¡± ¡°I will not fret if you do not believe me. But, the fate of your friend is intertwined with that truth.¡± She stood up and walked off the porch, not even bothering to put on footwear, letting her bare feet touch the moist dirt. ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to Gregory. He agrees with my assessment. That the light descending from the heavens was indeed the work of the Saint. And the only reason she will do something like this is if a Demon God is involved." Fiora paused for a second, trying to remember who Gregory was. "I''ll visit him then. That''s fine with you, right?" "Of course. You are free to leave the Order, Fiora Guinivere Pendragon. Chase after Ars if you so choose." "And Sara?" S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "She''s free to go as well. Take care of her." Fiora sighed. "I''m not her babysitter, you know." ¡ª---- Afterwards, Fiora descended back down over the bridge, where she met Sara, who seemed to have known she would be here. The twintail was standing with her arms folded, leaning on a tree. "You''re finished talking to her?" She looked up towards the swordswoman. "Yes. Pack up your things. We''ve been given permission to chase after Ars. Though, judging by that bag near your feet, you already did." Fiora smiled. "Hmph, I''m not an idiot. I know how your brain works." "Good. Then, you should know where we''re going next." ¡ª----- The pair descended the mountain, arriving at the village as the sun was sinking from the sky. They first made their way to Ars'' house, where they spoke to his mother, who was understandably grieving for the disappearance of his son. "Don''t worry, ma''am." Sara patted her chest. "I promise you. I will bring back your son." "Oh, thank you very much, Lady Sara! He really is lucky to have you as his friend!" Fiora smirked. Afterwards, they made their way to Gregory''s dwelling, which was the small, rundown church at the edge of the town. On the way, Sara told Fiora all about him¡ªhow he was this grumpy priest with a hunched back who loved to scare away kids with his appearance. And how most of the villagers tend to avoid him, due to his eccentricities. ¡°Right¡­¡± Arriving at the church, Fiora took the lead. She walked into the small building¡ªthe door was wide open¡ªand was greeted by the sight of a man kneeling in front of a large statue¡ªthat being the statue of Milicis. ¡°Sorry to interrupt your prayers.¡± She spoke. ¡°But we have some questions we would like for you to answer.¡± ¡°...Go away. The world is ending. And I will not suffer in your presence as I wait for the end, arrogant princess of the Empire.¡± His voice was rough and gravely, fitting for a man of his age. ¡°So you know about me.¡± Fiora smirked, taking a seat on the nearby aisle chair beside him. ¡°Did Nicole tell you?¡± ¡°Hmph. That naive girl actually believed your lies. King and queens and emperors¡ªthey are all the same. They only care about themselves. And their thrones.¡± The man stood up, Thanks to his hunchback, his height was less than both Sara and Fiora. His face was awfully wrinkled and he had a large hooked nose that only added to his ugliness. ¡°Is it true?¡± Fiora continued, her arms folded under her chest. ¡°That the light was the work of Saint Catherine?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± He answered, still looking towards the statue. ¡°I can feel it. It is a divine spell only she is capable of casting.¡± ¡°A Saint-level spell?¡± ¡°Yes. That is what the world calls it.¡± He turned to face her at last. ¡°Do you wish to chase after him?¡± ¡°Well, she does.¡± Fiora pointed at Sara with her thumb. ¡°But I suppose I can take a trip to the outside world, if what¡¯s happening is true.¡± ¡°A futile effort.¡± He glared towards the redhead. ¡°He¡¯s now fulfilling his duty as the Hero. He won''t return to you. You should just wait and pray for his safe return.¡± ¡°What?! I¡¯m a swordsman too, you know! I can be of help to him!¡± Sara fired back, stamping one foot forward. ¡°No. You¡¯re too weak. You can¡¯t even win against a Demon Lord, at your current state. And a Demon God will be much, much more powerful than that.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll train! I¡¯ll grow even stronger than I am now!¡± ¡°Useless. Arthur and his companions didn¡¯t become strong because they trained. They were strong because they were chosen. And you are not. So you are weak. And even if you were stronger, have you not read your history books? How the Demon God has a miasma surrounding him that would poison and kill everyone not chosen by the Heavenly Dragon?¡± ¡°Enough of this talk.¡± Fiora stood up, giving the priest an annoyed look. ¡°Currently, all we wish is to have a chat with Ars. If he wishes to go anyway, then so be it. So tell me. Where is Saint Catherine calling him to? The Holy Land so he could be trained first by her? Or the Demon Continent, so he can defeat that Wisdom Demon Lord. Or perhaps, even the Magocracy? They just summoned an earthquake that shook their entire continent. There¡¯s no way they¡¯re not preparing for something big, whether it¡¯s a war or something else.¡± ¡°...How should I know?¡± The old man looked away. ¡°You¡¯re her Grand Priest. You should know her thoughts better than we do. I know that ritual you did in order for you to become a Grand Priest.¡± The priest froze. ¡°What did you just say?¡± He turned to face her, his crooked robe fluttering. ¡°You¡­ you know?¡± ¡°A whisper from the wind.¡± She smirked. ¡°You drank her blood, didn¡¯t you?¡± Sara gasped. She looked at her friend as if she was mad. ¡°You¡ª¡± The old man looked like he was about to say something in retort but withdrew his tongue at the last time. ¡°...How did you know?¡± ¡°Well, I have my ways. I am a princess of the Holy Milicis Empire after all.¡± She smiled victoriously. The truth was, she only accepted this rumor as truth after she asked Lunarya Silvermoon about it. All those years ago, when they had their spar, she managed to coax it out of her. Just from her surprised¡ªand frightened¡ªexpression, she already knew she hit the mark. As for how she learned of the rumor in the first place, it was thanks to Miriam Blanchimont, Nicole¡¯s adoptive mother. She too was a Grand Priestess and she happened to make a visit to her house before she had to run away. And there, Helen did her work excellently, stealthing through her books and documents unnoticed. And what she found was a secret book only to be read by Grand Priests and Priestesses. She learned pretty much everything there was to learn about them, from their role in the Church, their duties, their names, and how they were supposed to act to their communities. And there, she learned about the ritual they called Communion. After a High Priest or Priestess fulfilled the requirements needed to be a Grand Priest or Priestess, they would have to present themselves to the current Saint of the Church. And there, a ritual would take place, where the Saint would shed her blood from her wrist and mix it with a glass of holy wine. And then, she would tell them to drink that wine, sealing their divine bond forever. Drinking blood was, of course, a heretical thing to do. Not to mention it also counted as cannibalism, being human blood at all. So it was no surprise this practice was hidden from the world. If it ever leaked out, the masses would lose trust in the Church. Well, even more than they already were these days. She planned to use this knowledge as a bargaining chip, in case a Grand Priest or Priestess she visited refused to take her side in the throne war. But only as a last, final resort. It could easily backfire on her, with her being branded as a heretic and hunted down by their inquisitors. The old man sighed, taking a seat on the aisle like her. ¡°I cannot tell you exactly where he is right now. That spell she used¡ªit can project her being into every corner of the world. Meaning, she must have known of his existence beforehand. I believe the Heavenly Dragon Himself told her where to find him.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°So, if you wish to chase after him, I suggest you seek out another Grand Priest that is capable of communicating with Him. Ever since we partook in her blood, we should be able to do that. However, if you don¡¯t devote your every waking existence to Him, your link weakens. And eventually, it snaps entirely.¡± ¡°Like you?¡± The priest fell silent, averting his gaze from her. ¡°...I hate Him. Or, to be more precise, I never can really love Him. To control Fate yet to allow so much suffering in the world¡­ I could never really reconcile it.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Unlike her, that naive fool.¡± Fiora knew exactly who he was referring to. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be on our way. Thank you for the information.¡± ¡°Wait wait wait, where are we going then?¡± ¡°Lunarya Silvermoon. That all-too-confident woman shouldn¡¯t have a crisis of faith like this old coot.¡± As Fiora made her way to the church¡¯s entrance, however, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, glancing backwards to the old priest, who was still sitting on his chair. ¡°The world will end. Did the Saint tell you that?¡± ¡°She told me everything through a dream,¡± he answered, looking back at the statue. ¡°The Demon God is waking up soon and the world will be swallowed by darkness. And there¡¯s nothing we can do other than praying for the Hero to succeed in his journey.¡± ¡°But the Demon God is nowhere to be seen. Yet she already named someone to be the next Hero. It doesn¡¯t fit. I¡¯m pretty sure a millenia ago, the world was already swallowed by darkness before the Hero came. So cheer up. The Hero might be able to defeat the Demon God this time around before letting him conquer half of the world.¡± The priest did not respond. ¡ª-------- ¡°Sara, go buy us three horses. You got some money, right? If you don¡¯t, just tell them that the Order will pay for it.¡± Fiora ordered once they left the church. The moon was now high up in the sky. But it was no reason for them to delay their chase. She was certainly fit enough to ride a horse all night. And she imagined Sara was the same. She would be plagued with worry regarding her precious Ars after all. ¡°Three? But there¡¯s only two of us.¡± ¡°My maid is coming along too. I¡¯m going to fetch her right now.¡± ¡°What? Your maid? You brought a maid with you?! H-hey, don¡¯t leave yet!¡± While Fiora trained with the Order, Helen did her own training¡ªon the unofficial ¡°offshoot¡± of the Order. While the Order trained their students mostly with swords, her school, on the other hand, taught its students the way of the dagger, bow, and other non-sword weapons. The teacher even wielded a harp into combat. The name of the place was The Martial Arts School of The Cassowary. And it was located at the southern edge of the village. There was nary a soul in the tiny courtyard she was now in. Unlike the other houses in the village, which mostly went with white, the school was painted in pretty much every color of the rainbow. She knocked on the door, expecting no reply. Only to be met face-to-face by her maid. ¡°Y-Your Highness?¡± ¡°Hello, Helen.¡± She smirked. ¡°It¡¯s time for us to depart.¡± ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain later. Now, pack up your things and get ready. It¡¯s urgent and I¡¯d rather have us depart as fast as we could.¡± ¡°My dear Helen, who is that on the door?¡± A melodic male voice could be heard coming from behind the maid. To Fiora¡¯s raised eyebrows, a pair of arms wrapped around Helen¡¯s waist as a man hugged her from behind. ¡°T-this is¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re that Fiora she¡¯s always talking about, aren¡¯t you? Happy to meet you! My name is Clem. And I am the proprietor of this establishment.¡± He released her and walked forward, kneeling in front of Fiora before taking her hand, giving it a kiss. The man was wearing a white button-up shirt and black trousers. And the shirt was unbuttoned in a way that exposed a generous amount of his abs. He certainly had nice muscles, Fiora thought. She expected that crybaby pervert to have similar muscles once they met again. And his blonde hair did remind her of him a little. Fiora¡¯s eyes looked back at her maid. Helen could only avert her gaze, blushing with embarrassment. ¡°Well well well.¡± The swordsman¡¯s eyes glinted mischiveously. ¡°It seems my maid has been having a romance during my absence. And without telling me, her mistress.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not what you think, Mi¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly what you think, Mademoiselle!¡± He stood up, his face practically sparkling under the moonlight. ¡°She¡¯s my best student! And a great lover as well! Why, we were about to perform a little lovemaking before you knocked!¡± Helen¡¯s face was burning with shame while Fiora¡¯s firm mask nearly broke as she tried holding back her laughter. ¡°So, how about it? Want to join us? It must be destiny that you¡ª¡± The sound of steel flew through the air. A knife now rested right at his throat. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say anything more with that filthy tongue of yours.¡± It was Helen. The moment she heard him making his lewd comment to Fiora, her maid instinct sprung up. ¡°I-it was a joke! It was a joke, my dear Helen!¡± ¡°Save your jokes for yourself! I¡¯m leaving!¡± She punched him in the stomach without mercy. Then, with a huff, she left him kneeling on the ground in pain. ¡°Heh.¡± Fiora chuckled at him. ¡°You might be able to seduce your way to her bed but that doesn¡¯t mean you can break our bond.¡± ¡°Still, for her to be seduced by someone like you¡­ I have to speak to her on how to choose her men.¡± She knelt down and whispered, ¡°I just hope you haven¡¯t made her pregnant. Or else I might just have to kill you.¡± ¡°I-I haven¡¯t! I haven¡¯t!¡± He looked up and waved his hands. ¡°She always takes her herbs!¡± ¡°Good.¡± Fiora smiled, standing back up. ¡°I know she¡¯s the prudent sort.¡± ¡°Still, I wonder.¡± Her eyes narrowed as she folded her arms under her chest. ¡°Have you really been teaching her properly? You kinda look weak. No wonder the Order kicked you out.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t kick me out! I left on my own! They don¡¯t think a harp is a proper weapon!¡± ¡°How do you use a harp as a weapon anyway?¡± ¡°Through aura, duh! I can transfer my aura to the sound of the harp, attacking my enemies from a distance! You can¡¯t do that with a sword!¡± ¡°Actually, we can. With aura too.¡± ¡°Oh shut up! You know that¡¯s not what I meant!¡± He huffed. Their conversation was cut short as Helen returned with two suitcases on each of her arms. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Miss. And goodbye, Master Richard.¡± She gave a pity glance towards him. ¡ª------ As they made their way to the stables where Sara should be waiting, Fiora couldn¡¯t help herself. She just had to ask what her maid saw in him. ¡°Well¡­¡± Her cheeks turned red once more. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ He sang to me. Made a song about me too.¡± ¡°Ahhh.¡± Fiora clacked her tongue. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re taken by him. So many noblewomen get weak on the knees by those bards singing songs about their beauty. And you are no exception.¡± ¡°...Was it good though?¡± ¡°Excuse me, Miss?¡± ¡°The lovemaking. Was it good?¡± ¡°Y-you can¡¯t ask me that, Miss!¡± ¡°Oh please. We are both adults here. I think it¡¯s time for me to learn about that kind of stuff, no?¡± She smirked. ¡°And since you¡¯re now experienced in the matter¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Over here! What took you so long?¡± Their conversation was interrupted by Sara, who was waving her hands from a distance. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you later.¡± Fiora whispered. ¡°I expect a full, detailed report, alright?¡± The maid could not protest. ¡ª--- And thus, Fiora and co. began their travels. Even though she had yet to be as strong as she wanted, Fiora decided it was more worthwhile to go back to the world and see what had changed during her absence. And besides, she already got her magic sword. And she only needed to train a bit more until she could equal a Virtuoso-rank swordsman. That¡ªshe could do on the road. Under the cover of the night, three women, all cloaked in brown, departed from Orthard on their horses. The return of the princess, nay, Empress, was nigh at hand. Vol 4.5 Marina and Erika’s Tale — Broken Marina "You¡­ you monster! Give her back! Give her back, goddamn you!" The first blow to Marina''s mind was when the Earl and Reinhart made their appearance at the court. The moment they arrived at the Capital, they learned immediately what had happened ¡ª how Marina tried to destroy the kingdom, and almost did, using the earthquake, and how she was stopped by Lilian Treble, who apparently was now a saintess gifted divine power by the Grand Saint herself. They didn''t believe it, of course. And so they demanded an audience with the prince, now the king, after his father''s death. And what they found there boiled their blood to the brim. Marina, half naked, in her half-dryad form, standing beside Lilian with a blank look on her face, unresponsive to everything they said to her. "This is her punishment!" Lilian declared proudly from her throne. Unlike the previous queen, she wanted a seat on the court, right beside the king. It was a way for her to establish her dominance. "She tried to destroy this dear kingdom and now, she paid the price with her free will. She will help us rebuild this kingdom for the rest of her life." A smug smile adorned Lilian''s face. How could she not? She was never this happy in her entire life. She was now free from her father and the entire kingdom listened to her words. She told her husband to let the two come to her. Not out of cruelty, but out of kindness. She didn''t really have anything against them after all. "Marina! Marina! It''s me, your grandfather!" He shook her body over and over. No respond. "Marina! Oh Heavenly Dragon, why must you curse her like this?!" Reinhard on the other hand said nothing. But the flame in his eyes said everything he needed to say. As the Earl cried for Marina, he walked over to the new king and queen. He then knelt down and spoke. "Your Highness. Please. Let our House pay for her bail. There''s no need for her to suffer." "Your house?" The prince-turned-king snickered. "You mean, the house of Archimond? That does not exist anymore. With my authority, I have taken off the title of Earl from your adoptive father. A light punishment, considering what a member of your house had done. To be honest, I considered execution of you and the rest of your family, but my beautiful wife here told me to be merciful." Reinhard fell silent. He knew from that point on, begging wouldn''t get him what he wanted. If only he didn''t have to give his sword to the guard¡­ "Your replacement will be decided soon." The king continued with his amused expression. "For the time being, you shall manage your territory as usual." "...We understand." Reinhard replied. He stood up and walked back to the Earl, who was now kneeling in front of Marina, tears soaking his face. "Father, please, do not humiliate yourself." He whispered as he pulled him up. "We have to retreat. Now. Whatever magic had befallen her, it cannot be broken by begging like this. "Marina¡­ Marina¡­ ooh, my poor Marina¡­" And so ended the two''s meeting with the new court. And unfortunately, it would be their last. ? Inside her body, Marina was weeping. She couldn''t bear to see her grandfather like that, weeping on her feet, begging for her to respond to him. And hearing how that foolish prince threatened to execute them, anger quickly overtook her sorrow. But once again, she could not move. Not even a single inch. She could do nothing when the two departed, slowly walking out of her sight. She had to do something. Anything. It wasn''t just her that was now in danger. Her family could be wiped out by the kingdom as well. It was then she had her idea ¡ª to send her remaining familiar to notify Hugo of her situation. It would be really hard but perhaps she could use their familiar bond to send a message to her, without actually summoning her to her side. She couldn¡¯t control her mana but she certainly could control her mind. She could only pray that she somehow was able to find him in this whole wide world. ? Days passed, turning into weeks, and then months. Still no sign of his knight in white armor. The only thing that kept her going through her days was his messages, sent to her through her dreams. He would tell her all about his adventures ¡ª all the amazing landscapes he saw, all the dangerous foes he faced, and all the interesting people he met. Even if it meant hearing him gush about that Felicia woman. On the outside, that girl was using her body like a mule, ordering her to grow crops with the power of her magic. How foolish. That way, you wouldn¡¯t make your farmers independent. They would be forever dependent on her. In fact, you might as well remove the farmers altogether. She also used her to build houses, replacing those that had been destroyed in the Calamity. For this project, she could approve. She would do the same back home. ¡­Home¡­ No day went by without thinking about Erika and her grandfather. She could only hope they wouldn¡¯t do anything rash. ? He didn''t come fast enough. ¡­ Blood, seeping through her roots, proof of her monstrous act. The rebellion, organized by the Earl and Reinhard, even involving the Dukedoms of the north, had failed. All because of her own two hands. She crushed them. She crushed and stomped and stabbed on them like bugs. Their one hundred thousand strong army never stood a chance. No matter how many ants bit on a giant, they could never defeat one. And, in the process, she¡­ She killed¡­ KiLLed¡­ KILLER "Finish them off. Your mistress commands you." ¡­ KILLER YOUAREAKILLERYOUAREAKILLERYOUAREAKILLER KILLEDTHEMKILLEDTHEMKILLEDTHEM ... KILLKILLKILLKILLKILL KILLHER KILLHERKILLHERKILLHER ¡­ ¡­ She couldn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t touch her, no matter how much she wanted to. ¡­ She doesn''t want to think anymore. ? Erika Months had passed since the Calamity occured. With the Earl¡¯s mansion being completely destroyed, Erika was forced to live in a temporary shelter, under the care of Sophie and Rudferd. Every day she would try to keep her spirits up, despite her inability to walk. Rudferd would push her wheelchair all around the shelter so she could speak and meet with other people living there. Rina, on the other hand, would act as her friend, making sure she remained as entertained as she could be. This was what her big sister would do. That¡¯s why she would do the same. She wanted to be like her after all. And the refugees, well, they all accepted her with warmth, of course. It was hard to resist her cuteness after all. And seeing as she was the little sister of the great mage Marina (some were beginning to call her that, after she enriched the agriculture of the area with her spells), it was all the more reason why they would treat her well. Especially knowing that she had lost the use of her legs from the disaster. ¡°Please, Miss Erika! Take this! It¡¯s in the house!¡± A dollmaker said to her as he gave her a small teddy bear. ¡°Miss Erika! Would you care for some apples? Your sister was the one who gave me the seeds! And, wouldn¡¯t you know it, the trees survived!¡± A farmer said to her with a roaring laughter. Still, she couldn¡¯t actually help with the reconstruction efforts. Even if she still could walk, she was still too small to lift any wood or rocks or to do any manual labor. And secretly, she hated that. If it were her sister, she would¡¯ve been able to help with her magic for sure! In the end, she could only wait for her sister to return. ? One morning, as Erika was having breakfast with Sophie and the others... "Miss Sophie! The Earl is back!'' One of the refugees burst into their tent. "The Earl is back?!" The hobbit jumped from her seat, almost knocking over her coffee in the process. "Erika!" "Yes!" Erika nodded, a smile breaking out on her face. She knew what this meant. Her sister was back! The Earl left to go after her to the capital after all! She pushed her wheelchair out of the tent (she had grown adept at it, not wanting to be dependent to Rudferd all the time) and looked around. And there, at the distance, was the Earl, being surrounded by the refugees. ¡°Grandfather!¡± She flew like the wind, pushing her wheelchair as fast as she could towards him. Noticing her arrival, the refugees made way. She was his granddaughter and their reunion was more important than theirs. ¡°Grandfather! You''re back!" She would have jumped and given him a hug if she could. But seeing her current state, unfortunately, that became an impossibility. Instead, she could only give him the biggest, brightest smile that she could afford. ¡°Welcome back!¡± She said to him. ¡°And you too, Sir Reinhard!¡± She smiled at the man beside him. ¡°Where¡¯s Big Sister Marina? She¡¯s with you two, right?¡± ¡­ Silence. Reinhard looked away, his hands clenched into fists. The Earl, on the other hand, picked up Erika and gave her a big hug. ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­¡± He whispered. ¡°I promise¡­ I will bring back your sister. No matter the cost¡­¡± ¡°H-huh, what do you mean, Grandfather? Isn¡¯t she¡­ with you? She-she was in the Capital, wasn¡¯t she?¡± Erika¡¯s voice shook. The Earl fell silent. He simply put her back on her wheelchair, before suddenly breaking down in tears. Reinhard ended up being the one to explain. ? Despair. It was all Erika could feel inside her little chest. The revelation that her big sister was now being controlled by some noble lady against her will¡­ Why? Why does this keep happening to her? To her family? It''s unfair! Just when they were building back their life together¡­ She shut herself in her tent, refusing to go out or see anyone. She cried. She cried and cried and cried until she couldn''t cry anymore. Nightmares plagued her sleep. Shadows would snatch her dear sister away before she could reach. And in some dreams, she would actually see her with strings jutting from her body, with a giant shadowy hand controlling her every movement. She would see her in a circus, paraded around like a pet, while the crowds threw rocks at her. To make things worse, when she woke up, it would always be to a wet bedsheet. It got so frequent she began wearing that¡­ that thing again, the thing she thought she had outgrown. She was so proud when she told Marina she didn''t need it anymore too. She could do nothing. She could do nothing as she watched her family crumble and shatter, disappearing into the four winds. She was just a giant, useless baby. ? Erika wasn¡¯t the only one swallowed by despair, however. When Reinhard saw the ruins of his home, he fell to his knees, tears covering his face. His wifes¡­ his son¡­ his baby daughter¡­ they were all gone¡­ And he¡­ he wasn¡¯t there to save them. Or even, to share in their fate. He failed. He failed Marina. He failed Emma. He failed Rina. He failed Roland. He failed Veronica. He failed everyone. Annelise, Henrietta, John, Lorry, Elise¡­ he failed all of them as well. Beside him was his Lord, Philip Archimond. He too was weeping. Even more than he already did. In the end, it had to be him to comfort the old man, for no one else could. And slowly, he abandoned his tears, replacing it with rage and fury. They had to pay. They had to pay for taking everything from them. This¡­ this whole Calamity thing¡­ it had to be their fault! It was all a conspiracy! To bring the house of Archimond down, to enslave Marina, and for her to ascend the throne! That girl! It was all her fault! Hers and hers alone! There was only one thing left that he could do. Vengeance. ? Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months. She still refused to come out. She would spend her days mindlessly reading the picture books Sophie gave her. All stories about valiant heroes overcoming their foes ¡ª something she couldn''t emphasize with. The townsfolk apparently donated them to cheer her up. Well, they failed miserably. Sometimes, she would overhear talks about rebellion, how the Earl was gathering soldiers to attack the Capital and free Marina. It didn''t matter. Knowing her family''s rotten luck, his efforts would all fail in the end. ...And indeed it did. Six months after the Earl returned, his little rebellion was foiled. He and his adoptive son were killed in combat. By her sister''s own hands. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Using her magic, she put down the rebellion with ease. Without mercy. She slaughtered an entire army by herself. Tales of creatures made out of trees spread like the wind. Followed by stories of mutated flowers firing flame and ice. Followed by ballads of thorns stabbing each and every rebel who tried to escape. Her sister was a monster. There was no questioning it. Her power surpassed even the legendary griffon knights, who died on the day of the Calamity. When she heard the news, no tears escaped her eyes. Her heart simply sank, deeper into the darkness that had claimed it. Even as she stood beside the grave of her grandfather, she didn''t weep for a single moment. Useless. Everything was useless. She, and her family, was simply cursed to be unhappy forever. ¡­ And then, it began. Messages coming from her perverted, cowardly, failure of a brother, arriving in her dreams nearly every night. He seemed to have learned of her sister''s fate. He promised to her that he would save her and that she should cheer up and stay strong. And of course, he also asked for forgiveness. But she knew better. That liar¡­ he could not be trusted in the slightest. Oh, how much she wanted to punch and slap and kick that cocky face of his every time he appeared. How dare he ruin her sleep like this? She wanted him to suffer, just as much as she and her big sister did. No, double of that! He deserved far more for betraying them all those years ago! She knew one thing for certain. She was now all alone in the world. If her sister was going to be saved, it had to be by her own two hands. Her despair vanished, replaced by anger. Anger at her brother and anger at the world that tormented her like this. If only¡­ if only she had power¡­ just like her sister did¡­ ...Her gaze landed on her runemancy book. Immediately, she knew what to do. ? ¡°I want to go to Amereria. There¡¯s a school there that teaches Runemancy, right? I want to go there, Miss Sophie.¡± One morning, out of the blue, she blurted this question just as the hobbit was going to have breakfast. She no longer was living inside a refugee tent. Instead, she was inside an apartment, built for the people who lost their homes due to the Calamity. It wasn¡¯t constructed that well, especially since they built it as quickly and cheaply as possible, but it was good enough as a semi-permanent dwelling. Though of course, most people wouldn¡¯t be able to regain their wealth and commission their normal dwellings back. And with the rebellion failing, their fates grew even more unsure. ¡°Eh?¡± The hobbit blinked, nearly dropping her pancake on the spot. ¡°What did you say?¡± She quickly put said plate on the nearby table. ¡°I want to go to Trine. That¡¯s where the Academy is, right? The one where humans, dwarves, and gnomes all learn together?¡± Sophie nodded. She was still taken by surprise by her just coming out of her room like that! Usually, she would just stay in there while she had to be the one bringing her breakfast over. ¡°I want to be the very best runecrafter there is!¡± Erika declared, fire burning in her bright blue eyes. ¡°So please, take me there!¡± She gave her deepest bow. It was how her mother taught her to act whenever she asked for a favor from someone. A smile broke out on Sophie''s face, followed by a tight, big hug. "Ooh, I''m so happy! I thought you''ll never get out from that room!" Erika froze. Why was she acting this way? "Don''t worry!" She released her, placing her hands on her shoulders. "I''ll get you there!" She sniffled, her eyes getting watery. "I promise! No matter how much gold I have to spend!" Before Erika could say anything, the hobbit hugged her again. And so, it was decided. Erika Greenwood was to travel south to Amereria and receive an education there. ¡­ One week later, they departed, carrying everything they could inside Sophie¡¯s little wagon. In truth, Sophie had already planned to bring Erika to Amereria. With all her family gone there was no point in staying here anymore. With the rebellion failing, it would be dangerous to stay further in the kingdom. Now, she knew this would mean abandoning all the merchants and farmers she had been working with for these past few years here but there really was nothing else she could do to help them. Business is business and she had to cut her losses. She still remembered how they yelled with pride and excitement when Reinhard made his big speech about how they had to help Marina after she had done so much to help them. They ended up donating a significant amount of their produce and funds for the war effort. The Earl would then use it as a negotiation chip with the Dukedoms of the north. Yes, they ended up seeking the help of the mortal enemy of the Ferus ¡ª the Dukes that had separated from the kingdom some hundred years ago. Who else could they turn to? In the end, they managed to form a shaky coalition. Their army numbered 100,000 strong in total. However, they severely lacked mages or specialized, high-level swordsmen. They only had numbers on their side. And that became their undoing. It didn¡¯t matter how many common archers or spearmen tried to fight off Marina. She could simply crush them all with her spells in multiple different manners. Without mages to counter her spells, or swordsmen that could close the gap and strike at the core, the army could do nothing against her. Marina had become too strong. She was now in the level of a Magocracy elite mage. Some even said she was equal to the Council mages. That absolute strength¡­ it became the strength of the kingdom itself. As long as Lilian sat on the throne as the queen, and as long as Marina remained chained to her, it would take a power that rivaled that of the Magocracy or the Holy Empire to bring the kingdom of Ferus down. Vol 4.5 Nicole’s Tale Chapter 1: The Battle Priestess Dorheas, one of the many, many small cities that existed in the northern part of the Holy Continent. Thanks to the ravages of the endless war amongst the so-called Feuding States, no cities could last for very long before a rival kingdom decided to burn it to the ground in a display of strength and cruelty. And that included Dorheas, where, if you looked around carefully enough, you could still see remnants of the old city that used to stand on its place. And it was where the pilgrim, Nicole Blanchimont, was staying for the night. Her trip had taken her numerous months¡ªclose to two years even¡ªand it hadn¡¯t been easy. Not in the slightest. After she separated with her benefactor, the Second Princess of the Holy Milicis Empire, she resumed her journey all on her own. Many times she was beset by danger¡ªdanger that she had to face by herself. Thankfully, she was more than ready. The last Grand Priest she visited, the one overseeing the Order of Galahad, used to be quite the fighter in his youth, and he wouldn¡¯t give his blessing until she was sufficient enough as a battle priestess. It took her several months of hard training until she reached that level. However, never a complaint escaped her lips. She knew how hard her friend, the princess, must be training as well, even though they had no chance to meet before she had to leave. She met with the Grand Priests of Udomia, Korobevia, and Grannesia, before arriving in the Feuding States region, making her way to the far west where the Holy Land was. Fiania¡¯s Grand Priest had died a few years back, and his seat had yet to be filled by another. After all, it wasn¡¯t easy to find a priest or priestess that could reach Grandmaster-level at their Holy Magic. So she opted not to visit the kingdom altogether, which, in retrospect, was a good idea. She had heard the news, how the kingdom¡¯s army and the Inquisitors who came to visit were wiped out by a necromancer. And in secret, they killed the king, making him to be an undead puppet they could control the kingdom with. The necromancer survived, after being aided by some adventurer who turned out to be their underling all along. And now, they had disappeared into the four winds. She didn¡¯t get the details. Or any names even. But it was enough for her to make the decision to hire adventurers as her escorts. Thankfully, after heeding the advice of the Galahad Grand Priest, she learned that it was foolhardy to spend all her money to help every poor person she found in her travels, thus she was able to afford their service with all the savings she had. After having such debates with him nearly every day for several months, Nicole couldn¡¯t help but look back at it with fond memories. Still, even with the money, it wasn¡¯t that easy. Thanks to the distance of the task, an escort mission all the way to the far west, to where Damatiel, the Holy Capital, stood, the receptionists she met all recommended her not to make such a request. They told her that even if there were a party of willing adventurers, they might just abandon or even kill her in the middle of her trip. Each branch of the Guild there was being run independently from each other, since there was no cooperation between the warring kingdoms and states, thus making it hard to keep adventurers accountable if they ever turned into banditry. And then, she met them. They called themselves the Flaming Arrows. They were an A-rank party that hailed from the Holy Empire. Their meeting was a complete accident. One day, Nicole took a quest for goblin extermination. And not just for one goblin, but an entire tribe of them. A dangerous quest for her to do alone, but she took it anyway, knowing the evils the creature had mustered. They had raided multiple villages, killing all the men and kidnapping all the women. The local king was too busy with his war to send any soldiers, thus the quest was given to adventurers. Unfortunately, the reward being offered was awfully low, thus higher ranking adventurers were not interested in the quest in the slightest. Especially since it wasn''t just extermination, but a rescue mission as well, meaning, they would have to enter the goblin caves instead of just burying them alive with earth magic. And so, it fell to Nicole to take it on her own. She was still a mere D-rank back then, yet the quest was B-rank. But, knowing that no one else would help those poor villagers, the receptionist decided to give it to her anyway. Bending the rules in such a manner wasn''t unheard of, if a request remained untaken for too long. She would have gone out to face the goblins on her own afterwards, if not for Anton, who overheard her conversation, stopping her. "Stop." He grabbed her left hand. "You''ll die if you take that quest. Or worse." "Unhand me." Nicole scowled. "As a priestess of the Milicis Church, it is my duty to alleviate the masses of their suffering." The two fell silent, as each stared at the other¡¯s eyes unflinchingly. But eventually, Anton was the first to yield, releasing her hand in the process. "A priestess?¡± He folded his arms. ¡°Hmm, that explains the attire. Still, never met one who would willingly charge to her own death just to save a bunch of people she doesn¡¯t even know about. I only know one person who would do such a thing, and he¡¯s certainly no man of faith like you.¡± He chuckled. Nicole raised her eyebrows. ¡°Well, I thank you for your advice.¡± She gave a short bow. ¡°I shall take it to heart when I fight those goblins. Now, if you would excuse me¡ª¡± ¡°Take us with you.¡± The priestess paused in her steps. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the leader of the Flaming Arrows, an A-rank party. We can help you with your quest.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows. "It''s what my old friend would do." He smiled. The sadness behind that smile didn''t escape her notice. ------------- The goblins never stood a chance. No matter how many they are, and no matter what ambushes and traps they sprung, they never managed to land a blow on Nicole or the three adventurers. Nicole''s barriers protected the party completely, even blocking the poison gas the goblins employed. Meanwhile, Anne and Amelie rained their arrows and spells without a care in the world. The only thing they had to be careful of was to not bring the cave down. Anton? Well, he was just there as the leader, mostly, giving out orders while blocking the occasional goblin attacks with his shield. It would have been an easy and exciting job, if not for one single, unfortunate fact. The kidnapped women¡ªnone of them survived. They were too late. There was no one to rescue but corpses. And with a swarm of goblin younglings they found in the cave, it was all too easy to put two and two together. They had all been used as breeding stock for the goblins. Goblins females were extremely rare, so there was always a need for them to use other races to breed with. With just the thirty human females they kidnapped, they had made more than a hundred of goblin litter. Impregnation to birth for goblin babies was far quicker than their human counterpart. And with every birth, a female could produce three to five new goblins. And they would die from it, their womb rupturing from the inside, and that was after a really painful few days of pregnancy. A horrific truth, from a monster so weak. And so, when they found the goblin younglings, hidden away from their fathers in the furthest room in the cave, they didn''t hesitate. ...No, not quite. Anne, Amelie, even the pragmatic Anton ¡ª all of them hesitated. The goblin children were cowering in fear at their arrival. None of them tried to attack even though there were more than a hundred of them in that room, even though they could have easily overwhelmed four adult humans by sheer numbers. They couldn''t just massacre a defenseless opponent like them in cold blood, could they? But Nicole ¡ª she did not hesitate in the slightest. "O Lord of Light! Purge us from these foul evils that plagued our lands! Grant us your miracle and turn the impure ones into dust! By the name of the Holy Saint, I beseech you! Holy Barrage!" She killed them all with a single holy spell, leaving nothing but dust behind. "Abhorrent filth¡­ thy kind should not exist in this world." It wouldn''t be the last time they saw her do such a thing. ------------- Two months later, inside the small town of Seda, west of Dorheas... "This seems to be a good place. How about it, everyone?" The establishment she chose was a decently well-kept inn. Not too small and filthy, but not too luxurious either to be expensive. "Looks good to me." Anton smiled. "How about you two? You like it?" He turned to look at his companions. "Aaw, can''t we stay in a bigger one?" Amelie pouted, crossing her arms under her chest. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Don''t be such a spoiled princess." Anne glared at her blonde friend, her hands at her waist. "I thought you''ve decided to leave your noble heritage for good.¡± ¡°Oh, stop being such a spoilsport for once. With the money we have, we should be able to afford a better place than this!¡± ¡°Yes, that might be true, but that would just be a waste of money. And you know how our priestess here hates wasting money.¡± She gave a smile towards Nicole. ¡°She is correct.¡± The priestess chimed in with her own smile. ¡°As a priestess of the Milicis Church, I am not allowed to spend my money frivolously.¡± ¡°And by that, you mean you want to spend more on your charities.¡± Amelie sighed, before she smiled as well. ¡°Well, you are our employer. We don¡¯t really have a say on your money, do we?¡± ¡°Oh, please don''t say that.¡± Nicole protested. ¡°You are my companions as well. My friends. You even willingly help me with my quests. I would be wrong to ignore your advice, after all that we had gone through." The priestess had decided it was a good idea for her to join the Adventurers¡¯ Guild herself so she could fund her trip. Now that she was no longer with her princess, she had no other option. Thus, technically, she was an adventurer hiring the help of other, more experienced adventurers. It wasn¡¯t unheard of, though most high-ranking adventurers had no interest in babying their lower-level counterparts. She had only reached C-rank, while the Flaming Arrows was an A-rank party, with all A-rank adventurers. They told her not to mind the gap, however, since they apparently had only reached the rank recently. Still, after the goblin extermination, they had been together for months, so she didn''t know how recent it really was, since they were already A-ranks when she first met them. As for why she decided to hire them to be her escort, well, she heard news of a revolution going on in a small kingdom west of here. Apparently, the peasants there revolted, wiping out all the nobles, including the king and the princess. And now, it had become a lawless land where mob rule ran rampant. Unfortunately, if she were to avoid the ex-kingdom entirely, she would have to take a long detour. And that would take months to do. And so, she decided she might as well hire these vaillant souls to protect her. "Shall we get inside?" Nicole smiled. "I am really quite sleepy. I think I shall skip dinner for tonight." The three all nodded in agreement. ------ The three girls shared a room, while Anton had his own. Nicole said she didn''t mind sleeping together with them, even though the small bed barely supported two persons. They didn''t do this at first, but after Nicole began to trust them more, she decided saving her extra room money was more important than her privacy. After putting her bag down, the priestess stretched her arms upwards and yawned. "You two are going without dinner too?¡± Anne shook her head. "I''m not hungry. Dunno about her though." She glanced at Amelie. "Not hungry either!" The mage answered. "In fact, I feel I can just¡ªhuaaahhhh..." She yawned. ¡°¡ªcollapse to that bed in an instant!¡± ¡°It seems we three are in agreement.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Then, let us change to our sleepwear. Keep the bed clean from our dirty garments, alright?¡± ¡°Aaalright¡­¡± Amelie rubbed her sleep-deprived eye. The trio undressed themselves. Nicole¡¯s attire had changed compared to the robes she wore when she was still traveling with the princess. She had gotten bigger in these last two years, so naturally, she needed a new outfit, one that would fit her new figure. She had gotten taller, with puffier lips, fuller hips, and bigger breasts. Her hair, once tied into a twin braid, now rested freely over her shoulders, reaching down to her waist. Anne and Amelie on the other hand hadn¡¯t changed that much, to the former¡¯s chagrin. Even now, as Nicole¡¯s breasts popped out of her cassock, she couldn¡¯t help sending a glare of envy at the two bouncing mountains. When the three finished, they were standing in their underwear. Curiously, each wore different colors for their panties and bras, almost as if they had coordinated it beforehand. Anne wore pink, Amelie wore white, and Nicole wore black. ¡°U-urghh, can I just sleep like this?¡± Amelie moaned. ¡°Oh no, you won¡¯t!¡± Anne fired back. ¡°You think I want to sleep near those smelly underwear you¡¯re wearing? Change them! And go wear your nightgown too!¡± Nicole smiled. It seemed there was no need for her to play the big sister this time. Compared to them, she was the oldest, and the most responsible as well. If Anton was their big brother, then she would be their big sister. Her nightdress of choice was just a plain white one, with no frills or ribbons like the one Amelie was wearing. It was pretty much similar to the one Anne was wearing. Once they were all dressed up in new clothes, unsullied by the dust, sweat, and grime that they had gathered in their trip here (they had been walking pretty much from dawn to dusk today), they climbed up to the small bed. Or rather, Amelie threw herself into it first, making a worrying creak that showed the bed¡¯s days were not for long. As for how they slept, Nicole slept in the middle, acting as a mediator between the two. Just like she had declared, Amelie fell asleep first, not even a minute when her head touched the hard cotton. Anne, however, remained wide awake. "Hey, Nicole.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Nicole replied, still with closed eyes. ¡°What do you think about Anton?" "...What do you mean?" "Just answer my question." Nicole paused for a few moments before replying. "I think he''s a good man. And a skilled fighter. The way he took the lead in battle is really inspiring to behold. He defended you two perfectly with that shield of his." "No, not like that. I mean¡­" "...?" Anne swallowed. "Look, he has a crush on you, alright?" Nicole''s eyes sprung wide open. She turned her head to face the redhead, her cheeks reddened. "W-what? You can''t be¡ª" "I''m dead serious." Anne narrowed her eyes. "He can''t take his eyes off you. Never I see him react like that to a girl, no matter how many big-breasted blondes we met on our travels." "B-big breasted?" Nicole''s face reddened further as her hands instinctively covered her chest. "Oh please." Anne''s hands reached forward, peeling off her hands before giving her breasts a squeeze. "Kyah!" "Your chest here *squeeze* is even bigger *squeeze* than Amelie *squeeze*. You have no idea how jealous I am with you two. *squeeze*" "S-stop it! This is indecent!" "Really?" Anne cocked an eyebrow as she removed her hand. "We''re both girls, no? Hmph, I don''t understand how the Church''s teachings work." Nicole was now panting, sweat making her white nightgown cling to her body, revealing her teal bra and panties. She had never been touched like that. The closest she got was that one time when Hugo tripped and grabbed a handful of her right breast. "Look." Anne locked her eyes with hers. "I know the pain of unrequited love. I liked a boy once. I confessed but he already had another. Heh, even though the perv loved stealing glances under my skirt to look at my butt." She chuckled. ¡°So I ask you, do you already have someone you like? And how do you feel about making him your lover?¡± Nicole, who just catched her breath, didn¡¯t know how to respond. ¡°I¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°I know he¡¯s quite a bit older than you. But I heard marrying old men is popular amongst noble girls. And since you¡¯re a priestess of the Church, you¡¯re up there with their status.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not true. We¡¯re not like the nobles. We don¡¯t live in large mansions.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Anne narrowed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of gaudy churches and cathedrals in my journey. All while hungry folks live just one block away from them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not right! A good priest or priestess of the Church would never live like that!¡± ¡°Meaning, you want them to donate all their wealth to the poor. Just like you.¡± Anne broke out to a giggle. She had to cover her mouth with her hand to not wake Amelie up. ¡°Oh, Nicole. You really are something else.¡± She smiled. ¡°A good young woman like you ¡ª I won¡¯t regret leaving Anton to you.¡± She turned away from her, cutting the conversation short. She knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to give an answer right away. Her only goal was to tell her. She knew that shy man would never tell his feelings himself. Her smile quickly disappeared, however, as she was reminded what it would mean if Nicole agreed to take Anton as her lover. The Flaming Arrows would lose its most valuable member. Vol 4.5 Nicole’s Tale Chapter 2: The Fallen Kingdom West of Nicole¡¯s group was the territory of the Kingdom of Kristbofo. Or what used to be it anyway. It was a tiny mountain nation, with scarcely any resources to its name. The only reason it managed to keep its sovereignty all this time was due to its difficult terrain. That, and the fact that it neighboured the Holy Land. The Church preferred to have a buffer zone between its territory and the territories of the Feuding States. And so, the kingdom had courted the favors of the Church for a long time, without actually assimilating to it. All that changed recently however. Now, the mountains of Kristbofo became hostile to anyone deemed to be of the upper class by the revolutionaries. Like actual nobles. Or merchants. Or priests. Or anyone that happened to dress a little fancily. Naturally, Nicole would be in that category. They departed early in the morning on foot. Traveling by carriage would just be painting yourself a target on the back. "Ahhh, it''s been a while since we got to go hiking, don''t we?" Amelie declared as she stretched her arms upwards. "Let''s just hope you don''t get tired halfway through and demand us to camp early like before." With crossed arms, Anne snarkily replied to the mage. "Hmph! Don''t you worry!" She patted her chest. "I now have a lot more stamina! I can walk all day without getting tired in the slightest!" Nicole smiled seeing their interaction. Having spent two months with them, she was already more than used to their banter. ¡°Nicole, would you be alright climbing the mountain until the sun fell down?¡± Anton then asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re used to this kind of stuff¡­¡± He scratched his cheek, looking sheepishly towards the priestess. ¡°I-I should be fine,¡± she stuttered, averting her gaze. ¡°I¡¯ve traveled through several mountains before this. I should have the stamina.¡± She felt a blush creeping on her cheeks as she remembered Anne¡¯s words. Her heart began to race. She remembered all the romance books she liked to read (before having to leave them all behind when she split up from Fiora). She shook her head. She had examined him closely as they traveled together. And she knew he was as pure as a driven snow. He was even more pure than Hugo, who was just an eleven-year old boy when she traveled with him. In short, he was nothing like the male leads of her novels. ¡ª----- The group¡¯s travels continued without a hitch. That day, they only met a handful of B-rank monsters that they easily took care of. When the sun sank, they set up camp inside a small cave they found on a cliffside. They gathered their firewood, set up their tents, and had their dinner, which was a simple roasted rabbit. Afterwards, it was time to sleep. The girls slept together first with Anton taking the first watch. And quickly, with Amelie sleeping, Anne and Nicole had their lover conversation yet again. "So, umm, Anne, the boy you fancied¡­ what was he like?" To Anne''s surprise, Nicole was the first to speak. "W-where did that come from?" She stuttered, turning away from the priestess. "I just want to know, that''s all. If you don''t want to, then it''s fine." "..." Anne remained silent. She started playing with her hair as her cheeks reddened. "He''s¡­ he''s an idiot and a pervert. He tries to hide it but I know he likes staring at Amelia''s breasts and panties. And even though I wear shorts under my skirt, he would do the same to me too." Anne paused. She wished she had a pillow to bury her head in. "And yet, I somehow fell for him anyway. Even though I know he was a noble and I was a peasant." Nicole''s mouth opened. Could it be? Her love was the classic commoner x noble star-crossed romance? "I suppose¡­ I fell for his heroism. He saved me and Anton and Amelie many times. Yet he never made a big deal about it. He would just brush it off with that stupid smile of his¡­" Nicole was now actively smiling. "You know." She chuckled. "Amelie fell for him too. She believed he was her knight in shining armor. I disagree. I think he''s a knight in pitch black armor instead." "What do you mean?" Nicole tilted her head towards her direction. "He''s a powerful mage. And he''s good with a sword as well. He would do whatever he wants with them, no matter what others think. He''s a selfish man, yet selfless at the same time. Imagine, fighting a dragon by himself just to save some little girl he met on the streets. Who would do such a thing? An idiot, that''s who." She huffed. Nicole paused. "And then, he ended up working with a necromancer, fought against Inquisitors from the Church, and made himself a wanted man in the Continent. All because he thought she was a good woman." ¡°Hold on. Is the boy you like the man who slaughtered the Inquisitors back at Fiania?¡± Anne froze. Her tongue had slipped. She wasn¡¯t supposed to say that. After all, she was a devout member of the Church. ¡°I¡­ y-yes¡­ yes he was¡­¡± Anne stuttered. She gulped. She figured there was no point in hiding it anymore. ¡°That¡¯s terrible! Oh you poor soul! For your lover to be seduced by a woman of the Dark!¡± Nicole reached forward and gave the redheaded girl a hug. Anne was now even more surprised. She didn¡¯t expect this reaction from her in the slightest. She was now blushing furiously. Nicole had buried her head inside her cleavage. She smelled¡­ nice. And it was warm as well¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t you worry! The Saint would no doubt replace him with an even better man! I¡¯m sure of it!¡± Anne said nothing to that. After all¡­ She wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d ever get over of her stupid crush at Hugo. ---------- Four days after that night, they finally arrived. At the capital city of Kristbofo. ¡°Look at that! I can¡¯t believe they make a city in a place like this!¡± Amelie pointed towards the distance. There was no mistaking it. It was a city built right in the middle of a mountain. The city was shaped like a circle, built on top of a massive plateau of smooth white rock. It looked completely unnatural, as if someone had shaped part of the mountain to form a foundation suitable for one to build a city. To go forward, one must enter the city and pass through the other side. That, or fall down the sheer cliffs hugging the trail Nicole and co. were on. ------- When they arrived at the gates, they were greeted by the sight of soldiers waiting for them. Only, they weren¡¯t dressed like soldiers at all. They were more like vagabonds, wearing dirty, tattered clothes with dull-looking swords as their weapons instead of the usual spears. And, unfortunately for them, they stink pretty bad as well, a fact that Nicole quickly found out as she presented herself in front of them. ¡°Eh? Who are ye¡¯ people?¡± The one with a dirty afro spoke. ¡°One of ¡®dem adventurers?¡± He leaned uncomfortably close to Nicole. Quickly, however, Anton stepped in between them. ¡°Yes, we are,¡± he answered, giving the man a good scowl. ¡°We are the Flaming Arrows. And we seek passage through your fair city.¡± ¡°Flaming Arrows? Never ¡®eard of them.¡± He eyed Anton up and down, as if gauging whenever he could take him in a fight or not. ¡°Hey, adventurer.¡± One of the other guards spoke. This time, it was a stringy-haired woman. She held a large axe in her right hand. ¡°Yer traveling with a whore of the Church there?¡± She pointed her axe towards Nicole. Thankfully for the latter, she wasn¡¯t as close to her as the afro man was. Before Nicole could open her mouth to respond, Anne stepped between them. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a priestess of the Church,¡± she answered. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. She won¡¯t preach or proselytize in your new nation. Like Anton said, we are simply passing by.¡± The woman chuckled, her dark eyes shining dangerously behind her hair. ¡°Passing by? Of course you are only ¡®passing by¡¯. You passed by me on the streets when I begged you to help my dying daughter.¡± Nicole¡¯s frown quickly changed to a sympathetic smile. She still remembered her trip to Grannesia, and her meeting with the Grand Priest there. He was a man most terrible ¡ª readily attending the many parties the court produced while ignoring the starving and the sickly in the capital. She nearly didn¡¯t get her recommendation letter for him, due to her insisting that he should help his fellow men more. As for convincing him to support Fiora once the battle for the crown began, well, he straight up told her that he would only support the strongest candidate. And some estranged princess with no backings in the nobility certainly wouldn¡¯t satisfy that criteria. Nicole could just imagine the local priests of this ex-kingdom acting the same before the revolution. There should be some, knowing the strong ties this nation used to have with the Church. ¡°I see. Then, let me apologize for their sins.¡± Without hesitation, Nicole knelt down and rested her forehead on the dirt. She was now kowtowing towards the woman. ¡°Nicole!¡± Anne spoke. ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± ¡°Ha¡­hahahahahahahaha!¡± The woman¡¯s laugh sent chills through Nicole¡¯s body. ¡°Look at you! Lowering yourself to the dirt! He did the same too, you know¡­ before I chopped his head off!¡± The woman ran forward and swung his axe towards Nicole¡¯s neck. Only to be blocked by Anton¡¯s shield. The woman, having her blow deflected back to her, fell down to the ground, with her axe flying behind her, landing just inches to where her own head was. The situation swiftly deteriorated. The guards, numbering around twenty, swiftly surrounded the group as they drew their own weapons. They began to yell a stream of profanities, demanding to surrender Nicole to them. Nicole closed her eyes, her face filled with great. She stood up and joined the others as they readied for a fight. ¡°Tch! Do we really have to fight!¡± Anne took out an arrow from her quiver, sliding it into the drawstring of her bow. ¡°It seems that way!¡± Anton drew his sword. ¡°Ha! I¡¯ll burn these peasants with my flames then!¡± Amelie grinned, flame lighting up the tip of her wand ¡°That¡¯s enough! Stand down your weapons! Let them pass!¡± Just before the powder keg could explode, it was defused by the appearance of a man. A masked man, to be exact. He was wearing a pitch black robe, with only his mask being white. Whatever clothes he wore under said robe was completely obscured by said robe. The hood also covered his hair, preventing one to identify him by his hair color. Only his unremarkable brown eyes were visible through the half-mask he wore. And, unlike the others, he didn¡¯t seem to carry a weapon with him. ¡°S-Sir Drachyon!¡± The afro guy bowed. ¡°What brings you here, Sir?¡± Nicole glanced at the man, It was clear that he was the one in charge here. Perhaps he was part of the higher echelons of the revolution? Surely, an act of overthrowing one¡¯s king will need a central organization to manage it? ¡°I heard your yelling all the way from the guardhouse. And I see you¡¯ve brought nothing but trouble to these poor travelers here.¡± He eyed the Flaming Arrows. From Anton to Anne to Amelie. But, only when his eyes landed on Nicole, he continued his speech. ¡°You four are welcome in our new country. See for yourself how a nation free of tyrants can stand on its own two feet.¡± With those words, he left the group, walking back inside the city gate. Nicole didn¡¯t like his gaze. Not in the slightest. ¡ª---------- Once inside, the first thing they did was to find an inn to stay for the night. The sun was rapidly setting and it would be safer for them to stay here over staying outside where monsters might attack at any second. Normally, that would be true. But here, after what had just happened in the gates¡­ If Nicole were to be honest, she didn¡¯t like being here. Not in the slightest. Eyes followed them wherever they went and there was an obvious tension simmering in the air, ready to snap at any moment. And, judging by the expressions of the others, she had a feeling they would agree. However, while she stayed here, there was something she had to do. She wanted to know how the Church treated the people here. If that woman really was telling the truth, then it was all the more reason why she had to apologize for the actions of her fellow priests and priestesses. She had to show them that not all Milicis devotees were like them and restore their faith to the Great Saint and the Heavenly Dragon. Even if it meant risking the ire of the revolutionaries. ¡°Hey, Anton.¡± Anne spoke with a whisper as they walked towards the city square. ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should just leave this place right away? We should just camp outside. This whole city gives me the creeps.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re right.¡± Anton replied with a worried look. ¡°There¡¯s no telling what they would do to us while we are sleeping. And I don¡¯t see any other travelers here.¡± ¡°Aaw, I want to sleep on a soft, comfy bed¡­¡± ¡°Oh, stop your whining, Amelie.¡± Anne paid her a sharp glare. ¡°You forget that you yourself are a noble. If they know you have royal blood, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to just let you get off scot-free.¡± ¡°I¡­ I actually wish we can stay here for the night.¡± Nicole interjected, looking guiltily towards Anton. ¡°I want to know how these people suffered under the Church. And, if I could, I would like to bring them succor somehow.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous,¡± Anton replied. ¡°But we exterminated those goblins before,¡± Nicole argued. ¡°So, you wish to exterminate these people too? If they start to believe you¡¯re preaching, we¡¯re not getting out of here without a fight. We might be able to escape but do you really want their blood on your hands?¡± Nicole fell silent. He was right. What was she thinking? She was being naive. Again. Fiora often said that her naivety was one of the vices she had to fix. Once again, she was proven right. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to scold you like that,¡± Anton quickly corrected himself after seeing Nicole''s reaction. "No." She shook her head, giving him her bright smile. "You''re right. I am being naive. Even wearing my priestly clothes like this was already an indulgence I shouldn''t have partaken in." As a pilgrim, she was supposed to always identify herself as the priestess of the Church during her travels. She wasn''t allowed to wear any clothes that would tell others otherwise. "Well," Anne interrupted. "Now that we all agree, we better move on." -------- The group continued on deeper into the city. Nicole noticed that all the buildings there were built out of rock and stone, as if there was no such thing as wood. Even the windows were just holes carved into the wall before being fitted by a glass pane. It reminded her of how dwarves would build their cities, though dwarves would prefer building them inside the mountain itself instead on the outside like this. When they reached the market district, Nicole saw the traces of looting the citizens engaged in when the revolution happened. The shops¡¯ windows were broken and their doors destroyed, with all the merchandise inside nowhere in sight. There were even some shops that were soot-black, showing how it had endured fire. ¡°How horrible¡­¡± Amelie mumbled, covering her mouth. Anne said nothing, thinking that if she was born here instead of in the Holy Empire, she would¡¯ve partaken in the looting for sure. She never liked those rich and fat merchants and she would never be happier if she could steal their riches and give it away to the poor. Nicole, of course, couldn¡¯t approve of such a thing. Stealing is stealing, no matter the reason you did it. It was still a sin in the eyes of the Saint and the Heavenly Dragon. Two wrongs never make a right. Moving onwards from the market district, they were now inside the noble¡¯s district. There, they saw even more signs of the revolution. Beautiful mansions were either burned to the ground or ransacked until not even its candleholders remained. And then, Amelie let out a shriek. Rows and rows of decapitated heads lined up the street to their left and right, attached to wooden spikes that were glued to the ground. The heads of the fallen nobility that the revolution had executed. ¡°Look away.¡± Anton whispered to Nicole. ¡°You don¡¯t have to see this.¡± ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I have to. I have to see all the world¡¯s evil with my own two eyes. It is the duty of a priestess of Milicis.¡± As they passed through them, the rancid smell of rotting corpses was unmistakable. However, the heads were strangely not decomposing as they should. They still retained their shapes, keeping their horror-filled expressions fresh and undisturbed. Anne was now wrapping her arms around Amelie, comforting the poor girl. Anton, on the other hand, was looking at Nicole with a concerned expression. He almost put his hand on her shoulder before withdrawing it. She wasn¡¯t really like Anne or Amelie after all, whom he looked at as his little sisters. She reached down for her book, which had been attached to her waist via her belt. Only for her forearm to receive her a firm grab from Anton. ¡°No.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You can¡¯t. They will never let us leave if you do.¡± For a moment, the two¡¯s eyes clashed. Nicole¡¯s determined eyes were drilling into him, saying that she couldn¡¯t just let this be, that no matter if he liked it or not, she would correct this vile act. But, he refused to relent. His grip on her arm only grew tighter and his eyes stared right into her, unblinking. In the end, he won. Nicole lowered her gaze as she returned her hand back to the front of her dress. She didn¡¯t say anything afterwards, only whispers of prayers to the Saint and the Heavenly Dragon so their souls could rest in peace. The rest of the party stayed silent as well, all displaying grim looks on their faces. Anne¡¯s eyes scanned the area. Sure enough, she noticed people staring at them from a distance, from the rooftops, from the houses behind the nonexistent windows, and even one from behind a tree. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They were waiting for them to slip up. All so they could charge them with a crime to be hanged. Anton¡¯s swift action to stop Nicole had saved their guts. ¡ª----- After they passed the gruesome sight, finally, they could take their breaths once more. ¡°Thank you.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°Once again, you saved me from my own recklessness.¡± Showing a tiny, almost imperceptible blush on her cheeks. She didn¡¯t realize it when those heads were still surrounding them but now, after she could rest her mind a little, what Anton just did to her was exactly like something the heroes of her books would do to their heroines. They would stare at them deeply, making them swoon as they were swallowed by their dark orbs. To be honest, she never expected him to stare at her unflinchingly like that. She always thought he was a good yet slightly meek man, who was too shy to be forward with any female that wasn¡¯t his close companions. She didn¡¯t expect such firmness from him. It was enough to make her heartbeat rise. Especially since he was holding her hand. The sigh of those intense brown eyes¡­ she didn¡¯t think she would forget it anytime soon. Aah, what a sinful girl she was! Why was she thinking about romance in a place like this?! As Nicole scolded herself, Anne¡¯s lips formed a small smirk. Their little interaction did not escape her eagle-eyed notice. She now knew exactly what Anton had to do to make Nicole fall for him. ¡ª-------- At last, their feet finally took them to the middle of the town. After circling around the inner walls that enclosed the castle where the king used to live, they arrived at the slums of the city. And, to their surprise, unlike the other districts they had visited, this part of the town was filled with life. All around them they could see people chatting with each other, smiles drawn on their faces. There were children running around, playing on the half-brick half-dirt road. There were even peddlers shouting for their goods to be noticed. For a moment, Nicole almost believed they had left the horrible town for good. But then, she saw the sun sinking over the mountains. Soon, night would fall. And these people were still crowding the roads like this? It wouldn¡¯t make sense unless there was a festival of some sort. ¡°Careful with your purses.¡± Anne remarked as they walked through the crowds. ¡°And don¡¯t get lost. All we need to do is follow this road to the end and we should reach the northern gate.¡± Nicole tried to listen in to the crowds¡¯ conversation. She would prefer to talk to them directly but Anton would disagree for sure. Sabbath was a custom of the Holy Land, in which the theocracy rests for one day every week to honor the Saint and the Heavenly Dragon. All work and business were forbidden, with quite the heavy punishment if you were found to break the rule. As she was deep in her thoughts, the last vestiges of the sun disappeared. The street immediately turned pitch black, forcing them to stop in their tracks. Until something terribly bright lit up behind them. They turned around, covering their eyes as the azure light nearly blinded them. It came from a second sun. A second, blue sun had now risen in the night sky. Vol 4.5 Nicole’s Tale Chapter 3: Sabbath of Depravity ¡°What is that thing?!¡± Amelie¡¯s voice replaced the need for Nicole to speak. First, the obvious. It had to be magic. Second, it had to be done by a powerful magician. There was no way a weak magician could create an orb so bright it could illuminate the entire sky. Unless, the magicians worked together. A thousand average mages could fight off one powerful mage with their synchronized spells. She had learned about that from Fiora. ¡­Also, it looked like her own spell¡ªthe one where she summoned a light orb to orbit around her. Does this mean that the mage isn¡¯t really a mage at all? Rather, a priest or a priestess like her? All of a sudden, the streets were filled with the sound of a clanging bell. ¡°Here it is! The Sabbath!¡± "Everyone, gather at the main square!" "Aah, vengeance! Vengeance at last!" The deafening sound of a bell spread through every street and building. Even if you were to cover yourself under a blanket inside your room, you would not be able to escape its call. As if bewitched by the bell, a wave of people, both from the streets and from the houses, all ran towards the center of the city, abandoning whatever business they once had before. Like a current of a stormy ocean, one by one they bumped into Nicole and the others. They were still standing in the middle of the road as they were too distracted by the false sun to react beforehand. If not for Anton grabbing Nicole and bringing her closer to him, she would''ve been knocked straight off her feet ¡ª a death sentence in a stampede like this. When it was over, Nicole looked up to Anton and thanked him for his assistance. ¡°Apologies. I¡­ was not paying attention. I was looking up at that sun.¡± ¡°Something¡¯s off.¡± Anton nodded. ¡°We better hurry leaving this place. Whoever erected that sun could only be a powerful mage.¡± Only then they realized they technically had been hugging each other for the last five minutes. ¡°A-ah!¡± Nicole was the first to disengage, releasing her arms from his waist as she took several steps backwards. Anton, on the other hand, was now waving his hands in panic towards her. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s fine! It was my fault in the first place!¡± Nicole''s heart was beating like a horse. This was the first time she got this close to a man* Anton¡¯s heart was doing the same though this wasn¡¯t the first time he got this close to a girl. Instead, his nervousness came from the fact that he just felt her chest pressing into his. Those buxom, voluptuous mountains, hidden underneath her frock, tempting his gaze whenever he looked at her¡­ ¡°You two, stop dawdling around! Amelie¡¯s gone!¡± Anne¡¯s yelling promptly returned them back to reality. And looking around them at the now lonely street, the noble mage really had disappeared. ¡ª--- Nicole cursed herself¡ªthe closest she got to a curse without actually blaspheming anyway. Her clumsiness had allowed Amelie to be snatched right under their nose. ¡°She¡¯s there! At the city square!¡± Anne pointed to the distance. She had climbed up to the rooftops to gain a better look at their surroundings. ¡°Got it.¡± Anton replied. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Nicole!¡± The priestess nodded. ¡ª--- ¡°Vengeance! Vengeance!¡± ¡°Ooh, sweet vengeance!¡± When they arrived, they were greeted by the sight of a massive crowd. And they were all chanting and yelling over one another, demanding for a ¡°him¡± and ¡°her¡± to be killed. That, or repeating variants of the word ¡°Vengeance¡±. It didn¡¯t take Nicole long to deduce what was going on. They shifted through the crowd as best as they could, ignoring the smell they were catching from some of them. She knew the poor could smell unpleasant, due to a lack of bathing, but they shouldn¡¯t have trouble taking care of themselves anymore. They had their revolution, right? So they should be free to live a prosperous life without their tyrant. Instead, she almost suspected that they were being poor. So many people here only wore rags and many smelled like they hadn¡¯t taken a bath in a month. It was like they wanted to be dirty and unpleasant to look at. Once they managed to wade through the crowd, Nicole had to cover her mouth. A man and a woman wearing chains on their hands and feet were kneeling in the middle of the square. One was dressed in a tuxedo while the other wore a green ballroom dress with a feather cap on top of her head. Of course, their clothes¡¯ condition was awful¡ªtorn fabrics and holes everywhere. And they clearly didn¡¯t come from natural wear and tear. They were intentionally given, so that the one wearing it would be humiliated. ¡°Citizens of Krisbofo, heed my words!¡± They looked up. And saw the robed man from before floating in mid-air, his pitch-black clothing fluttering by the night wind. ¡°Tonight, under the light of our Moon of Justice, I shall mete punishment for the two parasites that now stood before you.¡± S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Parasites!¡± ¡°Parasites!¡± ¡°Parasites!¡± ¡°Burn the parasite!¡± Nicole was almost tempted to cover her ears with her hands, just because of the crowd¡¯s jeers and taunts. ¡°Indeed.¡± The man continued. ¡°The parasites, who lived off your sweat without a care in the world, had to be exterminated.¡± He descended from the sky, landing right in front of the man and woman. ¡°Any last words?¡± The man, who had been silent all this time, suddenly lunged forward. He intended to tackle the robed man and choke him with his steel shackle. ¡°This is for my daughter, you demon!¡± Only for him to fail miserably, as he remained unbudged, not even moving an inch from his tackle. ¡°Guilty it is.¡± He grabbed him on his head before lifting him up along himself. The man struggled to free himself, punching and kicking the robed man as much as he could. It didn¡¯t work. Nothing he did could make him flinch. And then, once they were high enough in the sky, he turned him around and let him fall. ¡°Aaahhhh!¡± Nicole ran forward, intending to catch him before his head hit the ground. Only for her to be a second too late. ¡­ She froze. Bits of his head¡­ were now on her face and clothes. ¡°Nicole!¡± ¡°That idiot!¡± Anton and Anne charged forward. Before he could grab her however¡­ ¡°Oh? What do we have here? Our visitors from before¡­¡± The robed, masked man landed on the ground once more. ¡°Are you here perhaps¡ªto look for your friend?¡± He raised his right hand. And a girl was thrown out from the crowd. ¡°Amelie!¡± Anne yelled. The mage was now chained at her legs and hands, just like the man and the woman. And looking at her vacant stare, she seemed to be in a daze. Anne ran up to her and shook her body. ¡°Amelie! Snap out of it!¡± She didn¡¯t respond. ¡°It¡¯s useless. She is under my spell.¡± ¡°You! Release her at once!¡± Anne turned to face him, drawing her bow in his direction. ¡°Release her for whatever this¡­ this magic is!¡± ¡°Oho?¡± He chuckled. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. She¡¯s a parasite too, no?¡± ¡°Parasite!¡± ¡°Parasite!¡± ¡°Kill her too!¡± The crowd began to chant once more¡ªtheir eyes were filled with hatred and madness. Even by just being near them, Nicole¡¯s heart was filled with fear. How could these people be like this? Just how bad was their suffering before this, to hold such a terrible, awful grudge? ¡°She¡¯s not a noble, if that¡¯s what you mean,¡± Anton interrupted. He too had his sword and shield readied though he was not actively pointing it towards him. ¡°How can a noble be an adventurer? We three are all commoners. We¡¯re not your enemies.¡± Anton was lying, of course. He figured it was worth a try. He would rather not end up The masked man put his hand to his mouth, stifling a laugh. ¡°Oh, you poor fool. You can¡¯t lie to me. This mask I wore¡ªit allows me to discern lies from truth! And you, my friend, is a liar!¡± ¡°Liar!¡± ¡°Liar!¡± ¡°Hang his head!¡± A sweat trailed down from Anton¡¯s forehead. He glanced at Nicole, who was still frozen on her spot. ¡°Nicole! Nicole! Get yourself together!¡± He yelled. He shouldn¡¯t have that. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± All of a sudden, the priestess yelled. Her eyes were bloodshot as they looked back and forth frantically. ¡°Sinners! All of you! How could you treat your fellow humans like this?!¡± Tears were now leaking out from her ducts. The crowd grew silent, only for them to burst into jeers and laugh a moment later. ¡°¡®How could you treat your fellow humans like this?¡¯ she says!¡± One of them mocked her words. ¡°They got off lightly! The lord here would force us to go to his mines day after day, from dawn to dusk, all for a pittance! While he grew fat from our work!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, that¡¯s right! And your priests and priestess turned a blind eye! Nay, even worse! They robbed us as well, demanding money to cure our ill. And they don¡¯t even gave us a refund when they failed to do it!¡± ¡°Scum of the world! Parasites! Burn them! Burn them all!¡± ¡°No! Strip them! Strip them bare! Let their bodies pleasure us first before they suffer!¡± The crowd threw their rocks towards Nicole. Anton quickly reacted, using his greatshield to erect an aura barrier that blocked them from hitting. ¡°Nicole! We have to go! I hate to ask you to do this but you have to carve a path through the crowd!¡± He yelled at her. ¡°Anne!¡± He switched his attention to the archer. ¡°You grab Amelie! We¡¯ll figure out a way to cure her later!¡± Nicole silently nodded¡ªher expression still one of shock. She slowly unclasped her book from her belt, gripping it in her hand before opening it. Anne grabbed Amelie¡¯s hand, dragging her back to the group. When she found that her legs wouldn¡¯t budge, she decided to just cut the chase and lifted her up off her feet, princess-style. The girl was heavy¡ªshe was sure she was heavier than her¡ªbut she could manage thanks to her muscles built from pulling her sizable bow over the years. ¡°Now, Nicole!¡± What he expected was her casting a flashbang spell that would disperse and dizzy the crowd. What he got was¡­ nothing. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t cast my spell¡­¡± Nicole mumbled, panic creeping in her voice. ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t cast your spell?!¡± Anton replied. ¡°The mana¡­ it¡¯s being sucked away¡­ by¡­ by that silver sun up in the sky¡­¡± ¡°What?!¡± Hearing their conversation, the masked man had a victorious grin on his face. ¡°Ah, how foolish. That sun¡ªnot a sun by the way, rather, a moon¡ªis an artificial pocket moon with the capability of draining any magic cast under its light. Now, don¡¯t look at me with open mouths like that. I am simply a man who has traveled the world and obtained its treasures.¡± He bowed with a grin on his face. ¡°Treasures?!¡± Anne spoke. ¡°You mean, you obtained those trinkets from dungeons? Impossible! I have never heard of a dungeon giving out magic trinkets that could create a magic-sealing miniature sun!¡± As an adventurer, she was naturally well-versed in the workings of those nasty places people would call dungeons. She knew that sometimes, if you were lucky, you could find magic items stored inside the chests you could find in such places. However, there were limits to the strength of the magic item you could find. For example, a staff that allowed one to cast Advanced-level magic was already exceedingly rare. And she had yet to hear any magic objects that could replicate the effects of Master-level spells and above. For him to possess something to this effect¡ªhe couldn¡¯t have gotten it from a normal dungeon. ¡°You got it from a World Dungeon, didn¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°Correct!¡± The man laughed. ¡°These are World Treasures, my dear adventurer! Created by the Progenitors, they are magic items that defy all sense and logic of the world! So many years I traveled the world, going through every World Dungeon and ransacking them of their treasures! And finally, finally, I now have the treasures I needed to realize my dream! The liberation of my homeland!¡± He punched his fist into the air. The crowd, who now had stopped throwing stones at Nicole, cheered after him. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re unbeatable, Sir Drachyon!¡± ¡°Show these upstart adventurers what true justice is like!¡± Anne cursed under her breath. She was starting to suspect that these people were being hypnotized like Amelie was. He must have yet another magic tool he could use to hypnotize people. ¡°Now, let me show you another one of my trinkets. Activate! Dragon Gloves!" His hands glowed with a purple light, revealing a pair of dragon-shaped gauntlets. He then put up what looked like a fighting stance, moving his feet back and forth as he jogged in place. "Now, adventurers! Let me show you the taste of freedom!" He charged forward, his right fist raised for a punch. "Damn it!" Anton cursed. "Get out of the way!" He shoved Anne and Amelie to the side, just in time to block the punch with his shield. "Gaahhh!" The shield cracked under the pressure. The masked man laughed, using his left fist to aid his right. A loud shattering noise of metal filled the air. Anton''s shield had shattered into a million pieces. The last thing he felt before blacking out was the burning pain landing on his abdomen. ¡ª--- When he came to, his back was on the ground. His hands were tied behind his back. His feet were as well. His view was blurry. He could not make out what he was seeing. He knew one thing for certain though. They were now prisoners of the revolutionaries. He paused. He could hear it. Someone was sobbing right in front of him. He blinked his eyes several times, focusing his sight. It was Nicole. She was now sitting beside him, tears streaming down her bluish, swollen cheeks, no doubt created by someone punching her on the face. Rage lit up in his heart. How dare they hurt her like this?! He looked behind her. She was tied up as well¡ªhand and foot. "H-hey, it''s okay. We''ll find a way to escape. I''m sure of it." He lied. Nicole froze. Her gaze turned to face him. Their eyes locked. "You''re¡ªyou''re alive?" "Of course I am." He forced a smile. "A punch like that couldn''t kill me even if he tried." Nicole dived forward, burying her face on his chest. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, Saint Milicis! Thank you, Heavenly Dragon! Thank you for answering my prayers!¡± With all his might, Anton wished he could give her a reassuring pat on the head. That, and to turn off the part of his brain that felt her breasts squishing and pressing into his skin. And it was indeed, not the time. "Ahh! Ahhhhhh! Aaaahhhhh!" A woman''s scream filled the air. Nicole''s hands were now grabbing Anton''s shirt as she further dampened his chest. Slowly, Anton sat up, flinching from the pain he felt from his abdomen. His ribs were broken, it seemed, and the area was swelling as well. However, he didn''t have an open wound, which was exactly what he wanted. Across him were Anne and Amelie. The latter seemed to have snapped out of her hypnosis, as she was crying into Anne''s chest. Anne exchanged glances with Anton, a relieved yet worried smile adorning her face. As for the scream, it came from behind him. They were no longer in the middle of the city square. The revolutionaries had moved them to the sides, tied their hands and feet, and then posted a woman to act as their guard. Leaving only the noblewoman from before. "Ahhhhhh!" What he saw made his heart stop. The woman was now stark naked, surrounded by pantless men¡ªtheir erections in full display. Three to five men would come down on her while the others watched¡ªeach taking their turns. It was something he thought he would only see orcs or goblins do. And yet, his very own race and species were doing the same. All because she was a noble. "Say it! Say you like it, you filthy whore!" A cackling old man said as he took her from behind. The woman did not respond. She couldn''t, as a burly man had his meat inside her mouth. "Watch closely, y''er worms! It''s y''er turns next!" A woman stood beside Anton¡ªa small axe, normally used to split firewood, was hanging from her hip. A proud smile adorned her pretty face as she folded her arms under her large chest. "And don''t ye try nut''ing! Especially ye, whore priestess. Crying, begging for my men to stop. They''ll never stop." Nicole did not reply. She was too distraught by what was happening she could not be upset by her insult. "You''re¡ªyou''re fine with this?!" Anton''s voice shook. "This¡ªthis atrocity?!" "Of course." She smiled at him. "The whore deserved it. The vixen looked down at us when she took her pretty little carriage to our slums. Giving charity? Hah! An excuse to scoff at our kind. Her nose would wrinkle every time she brought her food and clothes to us." Anton looked at her with disbelief. How could a woman be fine with another woman being treated like this?! And she said she used to give charity to the poor?! And she hated her for it?! "Her father was one of the big barons, y''know. Forced our menfolk to work in his mines day and night. Barely paid. Diamonds. Those pretty little diamonds on the necks of pretty little princesses. Bah. Scums. Every last one of them. Their blood is tainted. His sin is her as well." "N-no, that''s not true¡­ Your forefathers'' sin¡­ is never your own¡­" Hearing Nicole speak, the woman flew into a rage. "Shut yer mouth, ye whore!" To Anton''s horror, she slapped the priestess, knocking her to the ground. "Nicole!" "Can you believe ''er? She tried to preach to us, even when she''s all tied up like this. You know, while you were napping, she pleaded to our menfolk not to have their fun with the princess. Ha! Gave her a good kick with my boots for that!" "You bitch!" Anton blurted out. He never cursed a woman like this, being the gentleman that he was. But, after hearing, and seeing, what she did to his love, he, in a really rare moment, lost his temper. "Aaarghhh!" He screamed as he tried to free himself from his bindings. It did not work. They were tied perfectly. He couldn''t even stand up as his feet were kept in such a way that they couldn''t support his weight. The woman ignored him, looking at the crowd instead. "Well, would you look at that? It seems they''ve finished." The noblewoman was no longer moving. Her mouth and behind were bleeding, so much so that they formed two puddles around her corpse. She had died a slow, agonizing death. Standing in front of her now was the masked man. He was there, of course, though he did not partake. He merely oversaw the¡­ procession. "Violet! Bring the other noble girl here!" He ordered, his voice booming across the town. Anton''s eyes widened. His heart sank. He should¡¯ve known this was coming. "No! Don¡¯t take her! Please! You can''t take Amelie! Take me instead!" There was no avoiding the desperation in his voice. But, it was his fault they ended up in this situation. And he would rather have himself be tortured rather than to see any of his companions fall to harm. He had enough of that already for a lifetime. ¡°Oh, shut yer mouth, yer stupid adventurer. Yer get ye turn!¡± The woman named Violet burst into a laugh. ¡°None of ye are escaping this city!¡± With a gleeful smile on her face, Violet walked towards Anne and Amelie. The latter, who had stopped crying a while ago, was now shaking from top to bottom, praying desperately that somehow, her ability to cast magic would return to her. The former, on the other hand, had a resolute look on her face, glaring back at the woman. And the moment she stepped into range, she leaped upwards, grabbed her head, and jabbed her thumbs into her eyes. ¡°Aaaahhhhhh!¡± Little did she know that Anne was craftier than she looked. The archer had secretly been undoing her knots all this time, using Amelie¡¯s body to hide it from plain sight. They had been careless, leaving only one single woman to guard all four of them. The woman tried to grab her axe, only for Anne to snatch it first. And then, without mercy, she finished her off by stabbing the sharp edge into her stomach. ¡°Graahh, you¡ªyou little¡­ rat¡­¡± She fell to the ground, a puddle of blood forming around her corpse, dirtying the tip of Anne¡¯s boots. ¡°H-hey! Y-you¡ªyou can¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°M-Miss Violet! Miss Violet! How dare you lay your hands on her?!¡± Anne ignored the furious yelling of the crowd. She ran straight to Anton, freeing both his bind and Anne in one fell swoop. ¡°We have to get out of here!¡± Anne yelled, her eyes scanning the empty street behind her. ¡°Follow me! I¡¯ve memorized the layout of the city! If we run as fast as we can, they shouldn¡¯t be able to catch us!¡± Anton couldn¡¯t help but let out a little, relieved laugh. And here he was, being swallowed by despair. Of course Anne had a plan. She always did. She had always been the smartest of them. Mere ropes like that won¡¯t be able to hold her down. They might have lost their weapons but as long as they could get out from the range of that silver moon, Nicole and Amelie would be able to cast basic magic once more. And that should be enough to defend themselves. They just had to hide for a few days in the mountains and then¡ª ¡°Gah!¡± A fist landed on Anne¡¯s abdomen, sending her flying to the nearby house. Slightly more to the left and her head would¡¯ve hit the window. It was the masked man. ¡ª---- A/N: *Her comforting Hugo did not count. He was just a kid back then after all :D Also, sorry for putting them through this. If they¡¯re going to be Hugo¡¯s companions in the future, they should have a taste of despair like him. And this is important for Nicole¡¯s growth as well. Though now I wonder. Do I want to add Anne and Amelie to his harem? Vol 4.5 Nicole’s Tale Chapter 4: Birth of The New Saint The masked man had dashed across the square, punching her with his gauntlet before she could free Anton and Nicole. ¡°Anne!¡± Anton yelled. Amelie ran to her side, crying, only to find out that she had been knocked out cold. ¡°Coward! Stop relying on your magic items and fight us like a man!¡± To Anton¡¯s surprise, the one who yelled was Nicole. She had returned back to her fury-filled state and she was now looking at the masked man without a single hint of fear. ¡°I¡¯ll have you burned by my light twice over if you would let me have my magic!¡± ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± Amelie chimed in, glaring at him as well. ¡°I¡¯ll burn you to a crisp too with my fire magic!¡± The masked man, naturally, burst into a laugh. ¡°No way! No way! Why would I ever do that?! I¡¯m not an idiot! I¡¯m not like those hypocritical noble knights who say they fight for honor while turning the other eye when their masters oppress us. I am just a humble citizen, born to the dirty, rotting slums like half of this depraved city!¡± He dashed towards Amelie, grabbing her on the head and lifting her up. ¡°She¡¯s next. And you¡¯ll be here to watch.¡± ¡°You¡ªLet me go! Let me go, you scoundrel!¡± Amelie¡¯s weak punches and kicks failed to budge the man in the slightest. Still laughing, he dragged her by the scalp, undoing the buns she normally had her long hair in. The stone ground scratched her thighs, to the point that they started to bleed, leaving a trail of red in her wake. And Anton and Nicole¡ªthey could not do a single thing to stop it. The crowd cheered once more, their bloodlusted eyes demanding violence¡ªpayback for the woman they just killed. Blood for blood. And eye for an eye. Some of the men rushed towards the mage before the masked man even let her go. They stripped her out of her clothes in an instant. The girl screamed, begging for them to stop and let her go. Anton was begging as well, telling them that they should let their anger out on him instead. As for Nicole, she¡­ she was praying. Praying to her Saint and the God Dragon to come to her friend¡¯s rescue. She couldn¡¯t do it. She couldn¡¯t yell like Anton, offering her body in exchange for hers. She was scared. She was awfully, terribly scared. She might have read some illicit books where a man forced a woman to fornicate but the real thing was nothing like her novels. There was no romance that would bloom afterwards. There was no joyful scream from the woman as she felt bliss like she never felt before. No, all there was¡ªall that ever existed¡ªwas pain and despair. ¡°Look! The princess¡¯ pissing ¡®erself!¡± The men roared with laughter as Amelie lost control of her bladder out of fear. She was now half-naked, her tormentors already ripped the buttons of her shirt, revealing her sizable chest to them. Her legs failed her and she fell to the ground on her own puddle. Anton was now wildly moving his body up and down. Like a caterpillar, he slowly made his way towards the mage, still yelling and begging for them to stop. Amelie¡¯s skirt was the next to go, revealing her fancy black lace panties to the crowd. Such fancy undergarments were a sign of wealth, as most peasants would only have plain whites as their underwear, with some even forgoing them entirely, not having the money needed to buy them. It was a fact that the noble-hating crowd did not miss. ¡°Ha! Look what we got ¡®ere! What fancy garments! Shame she piss¡¯ on it!¡± ¡°P-please, I-I¡¯m-I¡¯m-I¡¯m-I¡¯m sorry. Please please please don¡¯t do this!¡± They jeered and laughed even harder as she too begged them to stop between her unending, ceaseless tears. She could no longer form coherent sentences, being too overcome from fear. Hugo, of course, was halfway across the world right now, in the arms of two attractive girls that weren¡¯t her. He was no longer her knight in shining armor. He had abandoned her. Abandoned her for that necromancer. Her black bra was the next to go. Her generous breasts were now fully naked, to the cheers and roars of the lustful men. Whistles filled the air as one of the men grabbed them with his calloused hands from behind, squeezing them relentlessly, pressing their nipples with his thumbs. ¡°The princess got a whore¡¯s body!¡± The burly man spoke. ¡°My own wife¡¯s titties are no match for these¡ª Ouch! You BITCH!¡± Amelie had bit his hand. And so he retaliated by a thundering slap to her face. It nearly knocked her unconscious. Disoriented from the blow, a different man on the front pulled her panties down. Her hole was now wide open. As such, the man, who already had his pants off, lifted her legs off the ground, aiming his member to where her puffy vulva was. Amelie could do nothing. Both men were just too strong for her meager strength to overcome. ¡°I¡¯LL DO IT!¡± ¡°I¡¯LL TAKE HER PLACE! SO PLEASE! DON¡¯T¡­ STOP¡­ LET HER GO!¡± The masked man raised his arm. Immediately, the crowd stopped. Both men who were holding Amelie included, letting her fall to the ground. Nicole had yelled across the field from the top of her lungs. She made her decision. She would not let her friend¡¯s virtue be defiled in front of her very eyes. Even if it meant sacrificing her own. ¡ª-------------- ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going, you stupid commoner!¡± Once again, she had tripped on something, causing the stack of papers she was carrying to fall all over the floor. It would take some time for her to reorganize them back the way they were. It would seem she would be late to her next class. Again. What she tripped on, you might ask? Why, the feet of her classmate, of course. Who had stretched it out intentionally on the hallway so that she would fall over as she carried her papers. It was back in her younger days, as a student of the Milicis Academy of Silipha. She had been adopted by Miriam Blanchimont, a Grand Priestess of the Milicis Church and the headmistress of the establishment. As such, she was to receive education for her to become a priestess as well. And, if the Saint is willing, perhaps a Grand Priestess like her in the far future. Unfortunately, the Academy was co-ed with the sons and daughters of nobility who weren''t there to become priests. They were there to receive a more general education. And they were the majority. And just like your average noble, they looked down on commoners like her. Especially one that was an orphan. Even more so if she was a foreigner. Bullying ensued. And she just had to endure it, as the teachers would never take the side of a commoner like her, lest they would lose their heads in the most literal manner. As the girl who tripped her left the scene, laughing, another girl came. ¡°You¡¯re just going to let her go? You really are a doormat, aren¡¯t you?¡± She looked up and saw that it was an auburn-haired twin tailed girl standing in front of her with her hands folded under her chest. Fiora Guinevere Pendragon. The Third Imperial Princess of the Holy Empire of Milicis. She was an eccentric, to put it mildly. She was not snooty like the other nobles, even though she pretty much was the top dog in the place, status-wise. She never looked down on the commoner students. And, just like now, she would often help her out whenever she got teased like this. Make no mistake though. She shared their arrogance. Even now, she was looking down on her with a smirk on her face. ¡°It is my fate to suffer so,¡± Nicole replied with a smile. ¡°For it won¡¯t do for me to resist, as it would only bring trouble for the school. And my grandmother.¡± ¡°Tch, pathetic. What kind of philosophy is that? I can¡¯t accept it. I won¡¯t. Not in a thousand years.¡± ¡°You¡¯re different, Your Imperial Highness. You can pave your own fate. Unlike us humble commoners.¡± Finished with rearranging her papers, she lifted them all back up. She needed to take them to the teacher¡¯s office. As the only commoner in her entire class, she became pretty much the handyman of all the teachers. If they needed something, it would be on her to answer. LIke a servant. ¡°Hmph. Clearly, you don¡¯t know anything about nobility.¡± ¡°Indeed I don¡¯t. So please, excuse my ignorance, Your Royal Highness.¡± She gave a slightly curtsy before resuming her walk. It would be some time after that where she officially became her confidant. ¡ª------ As Nicole was escorted by her captors, she suddenly remembered a scene from her past. How long ago has it been, ever since she stepped in the halls of that school? It seemed like it was from a different life entirely. If only Fiora was here, she would¡¯ve saved her for sure. But, just like she said, she had to learn to stand up for herself¡ªto not accept the fate the world had given to her. ¡­ She couldn¡¯t do that today. Not anymore. This was indeed her fate. To be violated by these awful, disgusting men so her friends could make their escape. If it weren¡¯t, then the Heavenly Dragon would have sent His aid to her a long time ago. She walked by the Masked Man. Giving him a determined glare, she spoke to him. "Promise me. Promise me you''ll let them go. Then I''ll accept whatever fate you have in store for me." "...Very well. You have my word. As long as you remain obedient." She had no reason to trust him. But she didn''t have any other choice. Once she was surrounded by the men, they didn¡¯t wait a single more second. One man squeezed her breasts from behind, his awful breath quickly proclaiming that hers were even better than Amelie¡¯s. Was it the same man who groped Amelie? She couldn¡¯t be bothered to look. His clumsy, hairy hand unbuttoned her cassock from the front, while another fumbled with the zipper on the back. The fabric was just too tough for him to just rip open like he did with Amelie¡¯s shirt. His friends jeered as he was taking ¡°too damn long¡± according to their foul language. And one man just went ahead and reached up her long skirt, lifting it all the way upwards, revealing her black panties to their sinful eyes. Unlike Amelie¡¯s black pair, however, hers were a lot more simple, with no lace or ruffles or ribbons. Just a tight-fitting, low-rise undergarment that showed off the shape of her labia perfectly. "Well, what do we ''ave here?" The bearded man crouchex down, her nose inches away from her crotch. "What lewd underwear you ''ave. A holy woman like ye should wear something more modest. These are a pair my wife would wear when she wants to get fucked by me at night." The man laughed. "You already have a wife¡­" Nicole whispered, her voice tired and defeated. "Why do you come to me to satiate your lust?" "Why? Because yer kind needs a good hot dicking in their stuck-up butts! A girl like ye used to be on the church, healing the sick and wounded with ''er miracles. But she''d only do it to folks with deep pockets. Not me, a simple miner. She rejected my darling wife. And now she''s buried six deep under. Both of ''em." Nicole, being the awfully kind girl she was, actually felt pity for her would-be rapist. What that priestess did wasn''t right in the slightest. The man then yanked her panties down, revealing her clean, hairless mound to the world. He whistled, remarking that even his wife''s labia was never that clean-shaven. The burly man behind her finally finished unzipping her cassock. The fabric fell to the ground, leaving her only with her white bra as her last defense. And that didn''t last long as he simply pulled the bra off her, breaking it in the process. Her breasts flew free, bouncing wildly in the process, their volume bigger than Amelie''s already large mountains. The men couldn''t contain their lust anymore. Her supremely erotic body was too much for them to take. The burly man yanked her hair from behind, forcing her to bend over. The bearded man unzipped his pants, aiming his erection at her mouth. She could hear him¡ªAnton shouting for them to stop. Even hearing his voice broke her heart. If he truly loved her, then seeing this would be the most painful thing imaginable. Your lover, violated by dirty men, with you unable to come to her rescue. She read a tale with such a scenario once. The man ended up killing himself out of despair. "Sir Anton!" She yelled, tears blurring her vision. "Take Anne and Amelie! Keep them safe!" "And please, survive! Live! Do it for me, the girl you love!" "I¡­ I don''t know if I love you that way. But I''m happy and honored to be by your side, Sir Anton. I would be happy to be your wife, if fate had allowed it. You''re a good man. You deserve to be happy." "So please, don''t let your heart be consumed by despair!" The men burst into a laugh. "What is that? A confession? It''s the worst confession I''ve heard in my entire life!'' An old man spoke. "Yer making it harder on him, lass!" Another yelled. "Ye should''ve held yer tongue!" "Aaarghhhhh!" What happened next took Nicole, and everyone else there, by surprise. Anton, fueled by anger, and her confession of love, ripped through his bonds by sheer force. He stood up, running like the wind to where Nicole was bending over. His eyes were bloodshot and all the men that tried to stop him were thrown aside like nothing. He just broke his limits, and perhaps, with this berserk-fueled rage, he could do something! ¡­Of course not. The masked man, augmented by his gauntlets, managed to overwhelm him anyway. After punching him on the stomach, he made him kneel. When Anton tried to bite his ankle, he gave him a kick. And when he still tried to move, he kicked him again. And again. And again. Until the adventurer coughed up blood. The hope that had swelled in her chest¡­ was crushed in a cruel instant. She wept. She wept and wept and wept, to the point that it stopped the men that was about to rape her. Never had their victim cry like this. She wasn¡¯t crying for herself any longer. She was crying for her lover and her friends. Not for herself. A pang of guilt enveloped their hearts. Were they¡­ really doing the right thing? ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The masked man spoke, still stepping on Anton¡¯s head. ¡°Continue on with the Sabbath. Cleanse that false priestess from her hypocrisy and pretense.¡± The voice of their savior brought them out of their foolishness. The burly man reinforced his grip on Nicole¡¯s hairs, yanking her head upwards, telling her to stop her tears or he would choke her to death. ¡°Yer ruining the mood with yer tears,¡± he whispered to her with his bad breath. And she did. Not because of him, but just because she ran out of tears to spend. With lifeless, blank eyes, she looked at the member of the bearded man in front of her. She just had to envelop his length with her mouth. The burly man would take care of the penetration on his own. She just had to endure. She looked around. Who was it? Who was speaking to her? The voice belonged to a woman. Could it be the Heavenly Dragon? But he had always been depicted as male in the scriptures¡­ ¡± And then, Nicole saw her. There, amongst the crowd, was a woman that shone with a warm golden glow. She wore a flowing white robe, with the symbol of the Heavenly Dragon proudly sewn into the hem in a golden thread. Somehow, none of the people around her noticed her. ¡°Hey, what are ye waiting for?¡± The bearded man spoke. ¡°Suck on it. Just like my wife would when she¡¯s around.¡± She looked back at the woman. She was still here, staring at her. Her choice was clear. What happened next¡­ she had no idea. For she promptly lost her consciousness as the lady in light vanished. ¡ª------------ A moment after Nicole collapsed to the ground, a surge of light enveloped her body, blinding the man that was gripping her, releasing his grip. The naked girl quickly stood up, eyeing her surroundings with a coldness that was not there before. ¡°Y-ye bitch! Did ye just use yer magic?¡± She didn¡¯t answer. She just glanced upwards, to the bright and cold artificial moon in the sky. She stretched her hand to it, seemingly wanting to grasp and pull it to the earth. ¡°Divine Transformation. Sainted Dragon.¡± A different, much stronger burst of light enveloped her body. It was powerful enough to send the nearby men flying. The Masked Man, realizing what was going on, tried to punch his way towards her, only for the light to knock him away. When she finished, Nicole was¡­ different. She now had two dragon wings on her back, colored white and gold. A dragon tail came out above her behind, fully gold this time. And, on top of her head, a golden halo hovered, never falling down no matter how much she moved around. ¡°T-transformation magic?¡± The masked man exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! No magic is allowed under my moon!¡± Nicole leaped upwards, far up to the sky where the false moon rested. Her halo glowed. And, aiming it towards the moon, she let the holy energy that she had gathered in it loose. In the form of a massive golden beam. The light erased the moon from existence, disintegrating them into grains finer than dust. The townspeople, and the Masked Man as well, had their jaws falling to the floor. Nicole turned her attention back to the land, her eyes still as cold as ever. Her halo began to light up for the second time¡ªholy energy gathering from every inch of her body. When they realized what was going on, it was already too late. A rain of light fell from the sky, each beam going after their target like heat-seeking missiles. There was no outrunning it. The Masked Man tried, running as fast as his special boots could take him, which was about five times the speed of sound. The beam caught after him anyway, disintegrating his body into dust the moment it made contact. Every single man and woman there was killed in an instant. Everyone. Except for her friends. A precise and swift execution. It was the judgment the divine Milicis had decreed for them. Nicole¡¯s eyes landed on Anne, who was still lying down unconscious near the house she crashed into. She descended upon her, and, with a simple wave of her hand, returned her back to the land of the living. ¡°N-Nicole?¡± She groggily spoke, her eyes fluttering open. ¡°Is that¡­ is that you?¡± Nicole smiled, not saying a single word. She then made her way to Anton, who was looking at her in awe. After all, he too needed medical assistance, which her warm light quickly granted. ¡°You¡­ Nicole¡­ you can¡­ transform into a half dragon? Since when? And how can you do it when all magic should be sealed?¡± She didn¡¯t answer. Just like with Anne, she merely smiled towards him. Anton looked at her up and down. Even though the girl he liked was standing naked in front of him, he was so frozen by what he was seeing that it didn¡¯t even register in his mind. Not to mention the glowiness of her skin made her look a lot more otherworldly than her usual self. Soon, however, said glowiness receded. Her wings, tails, and halo vanished and she fell to the ground, right into his embrace. ¡ª-------- Nicole was floating. She was floating in a dark abyss. Alone, with nothing else in sight. And then, light. A beautiful woman stood in front of her. Like herself, she too didn¡¯t wear any clothes. Yet somehow, it felt completely natural, at least in wherever they were right now. She had flowing blonde hair that went all the way down to her back. ¡°Well met, my dear Nicole. My name is MIlicis. I was the Saint that accompanied the Legendary Hero a millenia ago.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re Lady Milicis?¡± Nicole returned. ¡°But she¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Dead. Or should be.¡± A wry smile formed on her lips. ¡°Alas, I am not that privileged to have the honor of being reincarnated into a different person. My soul stays in the Lifestream, preserved to be inserted into all the Saints of the Church this past millenia. The Heavenly Dragon wished it so. And thus, I obeyed.¡± ¡°W-what? What do you¡ª¡± ¡°Listen to me. I do not have much time.¡± She approached her, putting her hands on her shoulders. ¡°Seek your old friend, Hugo Greenwood. He is the key for the salvation of this world.¡± ¡°H-Hugo?¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°The salvation of the world? What are you talking¡ª¡± ¡°The great archmage, Mira, had returned from the dead. And she has sided with the False Goddess. She would try to unseal her fully before bringing the fight to the Heavenly Dragon Himself. And when she won, this world would be lost forever to her design.¡± Naturally, Nicole had no idea whatsoever on what she was saying. ¡°Seek Hugo Greenwood. He¡¯s on the Demon Continent right now. Stay with him. Protect him with all your might. And he, too, will protect you in return. You and your entourage.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no longer any need for you to finish your pilgrimage. For you have a far more important duty instead. A duty I bestow upon you, as the Great Saint herself.¡± The woman began to fade and flicker. Realizing her time was up, she retreated, standing back a few feet away from Nicole. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. For deceiving you. You and everyone else that has ever believed in my teachings.¡± ¡°But, rest assured, you will need not suffer my presence for much longer. For my next fight will be my last.¡± S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A bitter smile adorned her face, tears swimming in her eyes. ¡°I am a sinful woman. I should not be standing in front of a real Saint such as you.¡± And then, her dream ended. ¡ª---------- Nicole gasped, almost hitting Anton¡¯s nose as she jolted out of her sleeping position. She looked around. ¡°Where¡­ where are they? The-the crowd?¡± She gazed at Anton who was sitting beside her. He, instead of answering, averted his gaze instead. ¡°You killed them all Nicole¡­ Didn¡¯t you remember?¡± Anne spoke. She was now sitting on her other side. Unlike Anton, her gaze remained true. ¡°You turned into some half dragon. You destroyed the fake moon. And then you slaughtered all the people with your rain of light. Turn them to dust.¡± Nicole blinked. What did she just say? ¡°T-that was really cool, Nicole!¡± Amelie chirped in. The mage was sitting in front of her. She was now back in her clothes, though she had to cover her body since they needed heavy repairs for her to be presentable on them again. ¡°I never knew you could do that! You should¡¯ve done it earlier!¡± ¡°Me? Turning into a¡­ half-dragon?¡± And then, it hit her. A rush of information entered her brain. Not just what he did to the revolutionaries, but other things as well, like the fact that the Heavenly Dragon was actually¡ª ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Aaahhhhhh!¡± She covered her face with her hands, sobbing into her palms. Everything she had believed ever since she was little¡­ It was all a lie. Vol 4.5 Nicole’s Tale Chapter 5: The Saint Despairs Nicole A white desert, stretching into infinity. A lifeless, featureless world with no mountains or valleys, only a flat land reaching to the horizon. Only one distinguishing feature remained. The Dragon. Its body stretched onto the horizon, blanketing the black sky with its large body. The Dragon was more akin to a serpent, with golden white scales that shone like the dim moon. However, its wings and hands were tiny compared to its body, unlike its brethren. A girl floated under him, her clothless body shimmering with light; her long golden hair flowing along with the wind¡ªeven though there wasn''t any. Her eyes stared at him with an uncharacteristically hateful look. And yet, you could see tears glistening in her eyes as well. With all her might, she yelled. "Tell me! Why, why must you hide the truth from the world? Please, o Heavenly Dragon! Shine the darkness creeping into my mind with your wisdom!" "..." "You can''t just expect me to obey you without you telling me everything! All the suffering you created, just to preserve the Cycle¡­ all the prayers you never answered¡­ all the lies you made your Saint spew¡­ I refuse to go along with it!" S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "..." "ANSWER ME!" Nicole leaped from her mattress, panting. It was a dream. No, it was a communion. She managed to tap into the link she now had with the Divine Dragon. Alas, it was a one-sided one. The Dragon had refused to answer her. How many? How many nights had it been since she tried to communicate with him? She couldn''t even remember. Milicis refused to speak with her. And he too followed suit. All they answered was for her to seek Hugo. And the knowledge she had bequeathed her. She gritted her teeth, her eyes widening. Never before had she felt this¡­ this frustration and anger and all the dark emotions she would always try to avoid. She glanced down to her left and right. Anne and Amelie. She nearly lost them at that accursed town. She knew she was supposed to feel horrified she just slaughtered an entire city. But she didn''t. She couldn''t. Not after witnessing first hand of their evil. Evil. What does that mean? The Dragon¡­ he''s no arbiter of what''s right and wrong. He''s merely a creation of the Ancients, created to keep the Goddess at bay. And Milicis was merely his puppet. She refuses. She will never be his puppet. Never. Tears slowly leaked out of her eyelids. She covered her face with her hands, weeping silently. What was she supposed to do now? No one was here to give her guidance anymore¡­ If only her grandmother was here¡­ ¡­No. She couldn¡¯t. She wouldn¡¯t understand either. This knowledge¡­ it¡¯s forbidden¡­ only she could know¡­ she tried telling Anton¡­ telling the others¡­ but they would immediately forget¡­ as if their conversation¡­ her confession¡­ never happened¡­ She was trapped. Trapped with the knowledge of the truth. It didn¡¯t matter if she wrote it down on a piece of paper. When she showed it to Anton, he said that he couldn¡¯t read a single thing on it. It was all just scribbles to his eyes. There was no escape. She was all alone with this cursed destiny of hers. The Heavenly Dragon¡­ the Great Saint Milicis¡­ they were never the benevolent beings she saw them for all this time. A lie¡­ a sweet, terrible lie told to keep the world perpetually locked in the Cycle. Four times it had occurred. Four times the Cycle had reset. This was the Fifth. Four Legendary Heroes. Four Demon Gods. Four History Erasures. All to keep Her from manifesting back into the world. ? Anton It had been a month since the Flaming Arrows left the kingdom of Kristbofo behind them. After Nicole obliterated nearly everyone in the city, the remaining soldiers of the revolutionaries chased after them. They managed to arrive back at the border, however, before they could come. And thank the Heavenly Dragon for that, since Nicole, well, she had been catatonic ever since she transformed into her draconic form, whispering over and over that it was all a lie. She was in no state to fight, let alone to use whatever that was again. After that, they made their way to the east (after purchasing the weapons they lost on one of the small towns they passed), as it was supposedly where Hugo was, according to Nicole. They had all agreed that they wanted to see him again, even if just for a short moment. Including him. Even if it meant being dragged into a fight they did not want. Day after day, Anton suffered through Nicole''s major shift of personality. Gone was the kind, smiling soul she was. That smile disappeared, replaced by wide-eyed looks and mumbles. It reminded him of a cleric girl he met a long time ago, who went insane after her entire party was killed, except for herself. He tried. For the Heavenly Dragon''s sake, he tried. He talked to her day and night, beseeched her to speak to him, but she refused. She closed herself off and suffered in silence. Anne and Amelie fared no better. Anne told him to just let her be and recover from the trauma she had suffered on her own. As for Amelie, her enthusiasm to cheer up her savior ended up with her being slapped in the face one night. Anne had to comfort her as she cried from that slap. She was too fragile¡ªtoo precious for the world. She would be happier being a normal priestess in some church, healing the ill and giving charity to the needy, instead of being out here in this¡­ pilgrimage journey or whatever it was. Speaking of that, he didn''t know why she suddenly changed her mind. She just said that she had to meet Hugo over and over, with no explanation whatsoever. Or rather, the only explanation given was that she had received a revelation to do so. If he didn''t know any better, he would think she had gone coo coo under that pretty head of hers! One certain night, however, brought a sudden and irreversible change in their relationship. ? Altea Passage, a thin, treacherous mountain road connecting the Kingdom of Melah with the Kingdom of Stamseia, two of the numerous nations that inhabited the region of the Feuding States. It was there that the Flaming Arrows made their rest of the night, camping on a clearing just like they had always done all this time. That night, they stopped their trek late, so they were forced to gather up firewood after the sun was already down. Not the wisest thing to do in a monster-infested wilderness like this, but seeing how the strongest monster around was only B-rank, they could take the risk. The task fell to Anne and Amelie, which left Anton and Nicole to guard the camp. The former stood outside, patrolling back and forth around the clearing they had established themselves in, while the latter hid herself in her tent, seemingly uninterested in participating in the task. It all went normally for them, until suddenly, a peculiar sound entered Anton¡¯s ears. At first, he thought it was the work of a monster. Some did indeed have the capability to mimic human sounds, luring in their prey who thought they could save a stranger from their dire fate. But, after closer examination, it was clear as day where the sound came from. He walked up to the tent, intending to comfort her immediately like a friend should. Only to stop himself at the last second, his hand barely touching the tarp. Doubt. Doubt had filled his mind. Doubt whether he could even do that. This past month nothing he said to her could bring that sweet smile back. What makes him think he can do it now? And Anne said he should leave her alone, until she could recover on her own. ¡­ ¡­ With renewed determination, he pulled away the tarp. Revealing Nicole sitting on the floor, covering her face with her hands, sobbing into them. He didn¡¯t wait. He swept in, wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a firm, tight hug. He didn¡¯t say anything. He simply gave her a shoulder to cry to. ¡­ ¡­ Her crying receded, until she stopped entirely. He released his grip, putting his hands on her shoulders, smiling at her. ¡°Feel better? Don¡¯t you. You¡¯ll always have my shoulder to¡ª¡± Their lips connected. Nicole¡­ she had pressed her lips into his. ? Nicole Warmth. She sought warmth. No, she didn¡¯t simply seek it. She was in need of it. A nightmare. Of the screams of the people she had vaporized. The guilt finally came. Like the final piece of a Jenga tower, piling on top of all the despair and loneliness she had suffered. Who was she? Who was she really? A priestess, serving a false religion, murdering an entire crowd of people even though she could''ve easily spared them. Chosen by an artificial god, who isn''t really a god at all. All the preaching she did¡­ it only led the masses astray of the truth. She was never the Nicole Blanchimont she knew. She burst into tears. Pitiful, pathetic tears born out of her self-pity. She remembered when she chastised her old friend Sherry for doing the same. How the tables had turned. ¡­ A warm pair of arms embraced her.. Hmm? Where did it come from? Oh, it came from¡­ from him. Anton. She didn''t even notice him coming in. He was now hugging her, it seemed. ¡­ Slowly, her tears ceded to exist. For his warmth had enveloped her cold, shuddering body. A tiny, almost imperceptible flame of joy ignited in her heart once again, slowly burning brighter and stronger the longer she basked in his warmth. When he looked her in the eye, she could not resist. She pressed her lips right into his. She pushed him to the floor, inserting her tongue as she unbuttoned his robes and shirt. She wanted him. She wanted his warmth, right inside her body. Her hands groped his chest, firm and sturdy, exactly like she wanted it to be. She pressed her own chest onto it as she wrapped her arms around his body. When the kiss ended, she looked at him, smiling bashfully, nodding her head. He didn''t wait a second more. He pushed her back, now having her body underneath his. It was now his turn to undress her. With shaking hands, out of nervousness, he unbuttoned her priestly coat from top to bottom. He gulped, his Adam''s Apple visibly moving when her breasts, normally squished underneath said coat, bounced free. Since when were they that big, he thought to himself. When he finished, he gently pulled the fabric away entirely, leaving her only with the pink bra she wore underneath. She nodded once more, pointing at the hook of said bra. She wanted him to take it off. He obliged. With still trembling hands, he unhooked her bra, revealing the full glory of her naked breasts, being just slightly bigger than the size of his hands. Perfect for him to grope. He brought his hands to them and gave them a firm squeeze. Nicole moaned. "S-sorry!" He quickly withdrew them. "Don''t be sorry¡­" Nicole smiled, her face just as red as his. "I enjoyed that¡­ Please¡­ touch me more¡­ give me your warmth¡­" Anton''s heart nearly stopped. Never before had he found a girl as attractive as she was right now. Not even his old crush. "I¡­ need you¡­" She averted her gaze. "I¡­ want you¡­ I want you¡­ inside of me¡­" Nicole herself didn''t know exactly why she was¡­ inviting him like this. She was supposed to keep her virginity. It was forbidden for a priestess to sleep with a man in her pilgrimage. Well, it was forbidden for a woman to lay with a man she wasn''t married with in the first place. It was just that¡­ It felt so good being with him like this. His warmth¡­ it gave her the safety and comfort she sought. She realized it now. She had fallen for him. The way he defended her¡­ comforted her¡­ he had stolen her heart without her noticing. ¡­This was it. This was who her real self was. A little girl who wanted someone to lead and guide her through life. Someone to act as an anchor to wipe away her doubts and fears. That used to be the Church and its teachings. Not anymore. And now, with his manly scent entering her nostrils, her body began to react with lustful desire. Her nipples hardened, her panties moistened, and her womb throbbed, desiring his long, thick sword inside of it. She didn''t care anymore. She was no longer Nicole Blanchimont the Priestess. She was merely Nicole, an orphan girl born to a prostitute, abandoned in the steps of an orphanage at one cold morning. ? Anton I cupped her amazing, gorgeous chest, earning another moan from her lips. I began to play with her nipples with my thumb, admiring her dreamy reaction as she gasped from my touch. Why? Why would she invite me to do this to her? She''s supposed to be a priestess of the Church, a holy woman, who would not allow a man who is not her husband to touch her. ¡­ Her entire body shuddered as she climaxed. It was the very first time I saw a girl having an orgasm. "Anton¡­" she whispered, smiling "Thank you¡­ for being here¡­ with me¡­" "You don''t have to thank me. I''m in love with you, remember?" I smiled, somehow getting teary-eyed as well. "If you need a shoulder to cry to, I''m always here for you." I grabbed her hands, clasped them together, and kissed them. "Anton¡­" Her voice was weak and hoary. "Why? Why do you love me? I¡­ I am no longer¡­ a priestess of Milicis¡­ I¡­ I cannot worship the Dragon anymore¡­ I am also¡­ a mass murderer¡­ and I¡­ am just¡­ the daughter of a prostitute¡­" My heart sank. She began to cry again. Quickly, I hugged and kissed her again. It was the only thing I knew that could calm her down. As our lips touched, I could feel her fingers working on my pants, unbuttoning it before pulling the zipper down. I moved my legs back and forth, helping her to get the brown fabric out of the way. When our lips separated once more, she whispered this with a shy smile. "Sleep with me, Anton. As proof of your love for me. I¡­ I want to be one with you. Please¡­" I gulped. There was no way I could refuse. Thoughts of standing guard outside for any stray monsters slipped away as I fiddled with her dress, taking it completely off her sweet, angelic body. All the while she pulled down my underwear. I reciprocated by kicking off my boots. We couldn''t very well do the deed with them still on. When I finished, there she was, only in her pink, very much soaked, panties. Blushing, in the most adorable way, she nodded. I yanked them off in one single move, exposing her glistening womanhood to the world. I then moved my hip forward, aiming the tip of my erect member at her entrance. I looked at her again. Her gaze was locked on my crotch. Clearly, this was the first time she saw a man''s girth. "Hey¡­ Are you¡­ sure you want me to do this?" I asked her one last time before I did something that I could never take back. Her only reply was another nod. In one single move, with my arms wrapped around her body, I thrusted. "Aaahhh!" I froze. "D-don''t stop¡­ Deeper¡­ Push it in¡­ deeper¡­" It wasn''t a scream of despair. It was a scream of pleasure. I thrusted again. And again. And again. Each time eliciting further moans from Nicole. I too started to make funny groans. I couldn''t help it. Her tight cavern was squeezing his member, giving it a massage that, suffice to say, was out of this world. Unlike some, I never masturbated nor did I have wet dreams. In fact, my sex life was completely dry. Unlike many adventurers who frequented brothels after completing a job, I stayed away from it all. Not because of some religious reason like Nicole, but simply because I was not interested. Not after I lost her anyway¡­ Until now. ¡°N-Nicole¡­¡± My voice shook. My voice was heavy and labored. I was rapidly approaching my limit. ¡°I¡¯m going to¡ª¡± ¡°Do it¡­¡± she replied, panting as well. ¡°Release it all¡­ your warmth¡­ inside of me¡­¡± Hearing her girlish voice said that, I lost myself. My member exploded, firing my seed all over her womb. I grunted, my hands moving back to her breasts, cupping them mercilessly. "Aaaahnnnnn! Anton!" Nicole screamed my name. I could feel it. She just orgasmed for the second time. Her back was now arching forward as her nails dug into my back. "...Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ you''re amazing, Anton¡­" She smiled. "Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ you too, Nicole¡­" I smiled back. She gestured to the spot beside her. Just from her eyes I could tell she wanted me to lay down with her. And so, I moved myself off her, resting my back on the spot. She quickly took the opportunity to rest her head on my chest as she looked up to me, still giving me that angelic smile I so yearned to see again. "Let us stay like this for a while¡­" she whispered, her hand rubbing my exposed abs. "I''m¡­ sleepy¡­ I want you to be by my side¡­ to keep¡­ the nightmares¡­ away¡­" And just like that, she slumbered, still using my chest as her pillow. I could only oblige, wrapping my arms around her as I too slowly closed my eyes. She said she wanted my warmth. I desired hers as well. ? Anne When I came back from gathering firewood with Amelie, Anton wasn¡¯t there. Normally, he would be sitting on a rock or something, sharpening his sword or cleaning up his shield. I immediately suspected something was up, so I checked on the tents immediately. And what did I find? Him sleeping with Nicole. Naked. Both of them. I nearly had a heart attack right then and there! Quickly, I ran away from the scene of the crime and told Amelie what had just transpired. ¡°W-what?!¡± She covered her hands with her mouth as her face went scarlet. ¡°Anton and Nicole?! They finally¡­¡± ¡°Yes! Yes, they did! He finally did it, that bastard!" I shook my head, a smile adorning my face. To think he, of all people, would be able to do it! And here I was, worried he''d enter his thirties still a virgin! ¡­ ¡­His smile. It entered my mind yet again. Hugo''s smile. "Aahh, it''s not fair!" Amelie proclaimed with a huff. "I want a boyfriend too!" After that, we decided to let them sleep for the night, while we took our turns watching over the camp. The questioning could come tomorrow after all. ? Anton That night, I had a dream. I saw her, standing on a field of flowers, smiling at me with her hands behind her dress. My first love, Regina. We used to be part of the same adventuring party, a long time ago. Back when I was still young and hotheaded, and inexperienced. I still remember the day we first met. I was just a country bumpkin then, making my way up the world after I ran away from the old man. Didn''t want to be a lame farmer. Would much rather be a cool adventurer, so my young self thought. We met inside an Adventurer''s Guild. She was the one to come to me, telling me to join her party. To be honest, I found her quite scary at the time. She was just so¡­ forceful. Eventually, as the years went by, we added more and more new members to our fold. We each grew, both as a person and an adventurer. And before I knew it, I had fallen for her. I never really knew her past. She refused to talk about it. And I, being the wimpy boy that I was, never pressed the issue. And then, one day, we accepted that quest. To rescue a village being besieged by a horde of monsters. It was a terrible job, in all senses of the word. The villagers couldn''t afford to pay higher ranking adventurers, resulting in a high danger job with low pay. No sane adventurer would ever take it. Except for her. She used to call herself the Adventurer of Justice. I always thought it was a terribly cheesy (and stupid) way to call oneself. But she wasn''t lying. She really would throw herself to the fray to save others, even without payment. And I admired her for it. Hell, maybe it was yet another reason why I fell for her. So we followed. And we fought. We fought and fought until we won, and the villagers were safe. But not without a price. We messed up. We took a job that was too much for us. Only I survived. Only I put the blade inside the head of the last monster. She, and the others, perished in the fight. It was then I met her. Anne. A village girl who had lost everything to the attack. I decided to take her in. Simply because it was what she would''ve done. And the rest was history. "Congratulations, little Anty! You finally find your own girl!" She giggled. Her blonde braided hair was fluttering in the wind. She wore the outfit she wore the day we fought those monsters, that being a white short-sleeved shirt under a leather vest as her top and a simple short leather skirt as her bottom. "H-huh? This is¡ª" "It''s a dream, silly Anty!" She giggled again. "It''s not like I can talk to you from the afterlife!" Anty was the nickname she gave me. I was kind of a little brother to her, seeing how she was older than me, and more experienced in the matter of adventuring. She walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. Unlike the old days, I was now taller than her. She could easily rest her head on my chest, if she wanted to. N-not that she wanted to, of course. ¡°Now, don¡¯t you mind me, alright?¡± She grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t let my shadow get in the way of your happiness.¡± ¡°W-what? I can never¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to forget, for that is impossible. Not for a kindhearted man such as you. All I ask is for you to move on.¡± She was looking straight at me. Her head was angled upwards slightly, compensating for the difference in height, as she gazed into my eyes, unblinking. Her blue eyes¡­ they had never been this beautiful before¡­ ¡°That girl¡­ she¡¯s a good fit for you.¡± She smirked. ¡°You should keep her safe, alright? And make her happy. She¡¯s your responsibility now.¡± ¡°Regina¡­ I¡­ I''m sor¡ª" ¡°Enough of your stuttering.¡± She pressed a finger to my lips. ¡°And I don''t need your apology either. It was my decision. Mine and mine alone. You were against it from the start, no?" I froze, She was right. He was against it from the start. But still, if only he had been stronger¡­ "Now, time for you to wake up and embrace the new day. She¡¯s waiting for you, you know!" Still grinning, she waved her hand, as slowly but surely, she grew distant, as if the ground itself was pulling her away "W-wait! Regina!" I ran forward and reached his arm to grab her, only for me to miss at the very last moment. And then, everything turned white. ? My eyes fluttered open. The first thing I saw was the ceiling of the tent I was in. The second was Nicole¡¯s face, as she was hugging me while I slept. My hand moved on its own to caress her cheek. It was enough to wake her up. "Anton¡­" She smiled. "I¡­ I thank you. For being here, with me¡­" "You don''t have to thank me, Nicole. It''s¡­ it''s my pleasure¡­ to be with a woman as amazing as you." I gave her my best smile back. To my surprise, however, her smile immediately disappeared. She wrapped her arms even tighter around me, pushing her breasts into my chest. "I cannot tell you what I saw back then." She averted her gaze. "I suppose you can call it forbidden knowledge. I can''t explain it to you without you just¡­ forgetting about it." She paused for a few moments before continuing. "Milicis did indeed speak with me. And she entrusted me with a mission. And to do that, I have to meet Hugo again." "But, after knowing that knowledge¡­ I can no longer in good conscience serve her and the Heavenly Dragon as their priestess. So, from now on, I''ll just be an ordinary adventurer. Just like you." "And that''s fine by me!" I patted her on the shoulder. "Welcome aboard, Nicole, to the Flaming Arrows! Well, if you want to be with us anyway." I chuckled. Her eyes started to moisten. But it was not tears of sorrow. No, it was tears of happiness. She nodded. "Thank you. I¡­ don''t have anywhere else to go to." "So, are you still going to fulfill her mission? Meeting up with Hugo and all that?" She nodded again. "Yes. He¡­ he must be told everything. His destiny¡­" I raised my eyebrow. I was about to ask her to elaborate further, but decided not to. "Good." I rubbed her shoulders back and forth. "Then, let''s get dressed up. Let me explain it to the others." From that morning onward, I decided. I will protect her until the day I die. Vol 4.5 Tales from the Magocracy (and Xaela) Chapter 1 — Declaration of War Inside the Starswept Observatory... "This¡­ this can''t be¡­ All the Chains are broken¡­ The Seals are undone¡­" "Except for mine. Mine is the final one¡­" Xaela''s body was shaking. A drop of sweat trickled down from her forehead. Her heart was beating rapidly. In just a single day, two more Chains were broken, leaving only her own. It was only a matter of time until She would try to overload the Observatorium''s Godseal. She was pretty sure that was how She freed herself of her Chains. The Chains created a direct connection to Her¡ªa connection she could reverse. With enough mana, she could destroy the device creating the Chain, which would be said Godseal. This, normally, would not be possible. But, thanks to the draining of the leyline at the Southwest Continent, it was enough to tip the balance in her favor. It broke two Chains in one fell swoop, granting her enough power to start breaking the remaining Chains. There was still a hole in her theory however. How could she escape the very first Chain? Did she have outside help? Or was it just because of the weakening of the Heavenly Dragon? His existence continued to weaken her severely after all. The weaker He was, the stronger she became. If only she could know which chain was broken first¡­ Unfortunately, her monitoring device could not give her that information. Instead, the screens in front of her were beeping her, blaring their alarm into her long ears. "No! This instability¡ªshe''s attacking this place too!" Her hands rapidly flew across the panel in front of her as she desperately tried to maximize the protective wards on her facility. Turn off all monster spawners. Limit dimension number to one. Stop item creation. Turn off all teleporters. She didn''t care it would create chaos amongst the adventurers traversing her dungeon as they were all crammed into one single floor with no monsters and no way out. This was a crisis. The facility needed all the power it could have. She would not¡ªcould not¡ªallow it to fall. The alarm vanished. All the monitors had returned to their normal state. Her countermeasures had worked. For now, the attack had stopped. "It''s useless. Give it up." Xaela gasped. She turned around and saw a figure standing behind her. "The Chains are lost. There''s nothing we can do to stop the Goddess from regaining her full strength." A figure of a young girl, standing with a staff larger than herself. Her body was made out of bluish, translucent light. A hologram. Another facility¡ªanother World Dungeon¡ªanother Administrator¡ªwas now contacting her. "Fauna? You''re¡­ you''re not¡ª" "I''m not dead if that''s what you''re asking." A childlike pitch tinged her youthful voice. "I am just not interested in your messages." "But why?! It''s our duty to¡ª" "Our duty is to our masters. Our creators. And mine doesn''t wish to keep the True Enemy in chains. She only wished to keep the knowledge of the Ancients safe." "So you released the Chain on your own?!" Xaela yelled, her face filled with fury. "Your facility is still standing, correct? That''s why you can speak to me like this!" "That''s true. I did. All to keep my facility safe, as my mistress instructed." "Even though the True Enemy will come after your knowledge anyway?!" "...No. My place is a labyrinth of endless depth. Her hands shall never reach its treasure." "You coward! You just want to hide and¡ª" "Face the facts! There''s no being in this world that can kill the Goddess! Once the Dragon falls, and He will, this world will be ruled by her!" Xaela roared, her dragon wings and tail bursting out from her robes. "I suggest you release the Chain. Before this place comes to ruin." With those words, the girl disappeared. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Xaela panted¡ªsweat covering her entire body. She fell on her knees¡ªtears brimming in her eyes. Covering her face with her hands, she began to sob. ? ? Mira, the capital city of the Magocracy. A certain air was filling the streets¡ªthe air of excitement and fanfare. For their great leaders, the Council Mages, had an announcement to make. "Hey, what do you think it''s going to be?" "How should I know?" "I hope it''s something good¡­" "Oh, I know! They must be announcing their new member!" "Damn those Greenwoods! Lady Vera is so cute and adorable! How could they kill her in cold blood?!" Chatters surrounded the Tower of The Sages. The people had been called there to receive the announcement, right when the sun was straight above their heads. "There! Look!" Some of the more eagle-eyed citizens pointed upwards to the tip of the tower. For there, four figures were sitting, hovering on their flying chairs. They named them the Thrones of The Sages. Really fancy red chairs, decorated quite gaudily with rubies and sapphires. Used exclusively for public appearances such as this, just to awe the populace. The Four Council Mages. Merlinus Salamander. Selendia Brine. Monas Vehta. Opal Lestat. Fire. Water. Earth. Thunder. There was supposed to be one more, belonging to Ice, but after a certain¡­ , she could not make it. They descended from the sky halfway down the tower, allowing their people to see them better, while still looking down at them. "Greetings, my adorable, loyal citizens!" Selendia waved her hand with a smile. "It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it, since all of us gathered together like this!¡± ¡°Woo! Miss Selendia!¡± ¡°Lady Selendia, I love you!¡± ¡°Lady Selendia, please marry me!¡± It was no secret that Selendia was the most popular amongst the populace. Unlike the others, which were old men and women, she was a beautiful and gorgeous woman. Her flowing blue hair made her look like a goddess and the citizens certainly worshiped her as such, especially those who lived in her territory. It was all music to her ears. She to be loved and adored without question after all. ¡°Today, we¡¯re here to announce something big! Something exciting! Something that would change the course of this nation forever!¡± "I knew it! They must be announcing their new member!" "Who is it? Who is it?!" "It has to be Miss Elun, right? I hear she''s been working with the Council right after she graduated from the Academy!'' "I present to you, the Founder of this great nation herself! Our Esteemed and Legendary Archmage, Mira!" The space above the four chairs distorted, seemingly eating itself in a spiral. Before a loud crack filled the air, followed by light bursting from the center of the spatial distortion. Revealing a woman floating in mid-air, without any chair to lift her up. Her long, luscious silver hair blew on the wind as she looked down at the crowd with a smile on her face. The crowd burst into confused chatter. Did they hear that right? Did their wise leaders just say that sacred name? "What? Mira? As in, our Founder and the legendary mage who accompanied the Hero a thousand years ago? But that''s a long time ago! There''s no way she''s still alive!" "Perhaps you are all confused by my presence." The silver-haired woman spoke. "Rest assured, I am the real Mira, from a thousand years ago. Older, of course, from those adventuring days, but now, here I am! I have returned!" Once again, the crowd didn''t react the way she wanted to. Instead of cheering her, they instead looked at her with suspicion-filled eyes. Some were looking at the Council Mages instead, hoping for their guidance. "Lady Mira." Merlinus chuckled. "I suggest you show them your magic." The woman sighed. She didn''t want to tire herself out but it seemed she had no other choice. "Very well! I''ll show you all a neat magic trick! Something only the real Mira is capable of!" She raised both arms up and high and began to chant. "Oi oi, she''s casting a spell? Is she really going to show us an Archmage-level one?" "N-no way! You know what they say about magic in that level! It can destroy entire continents with a single cast! We''d better run!" "You idiot! Why should we run? If she''s the real Mira, there''s no chance she''ll destroy her own country!" "Why wouldn''t the Sages say anything?! Why are they just sitting there? Please, Lady Selendia! Say something!" "There''s nothing to be said, you imbecile fools!" The crowd went silent. "This is the real Lady Mira! And I will not let you besmirch her name!" It was Opal Lestat, the Weaver of Thunder. Her voice crackled like the very thunder itself, drowning the noise of the crowd. "Now stay there and watch her work! And bore her strength into your very own eyes!" And they did just that. Not wishing to go against her will, all they could do now was watch in silence. It did not last long. "That''s¡­" "That¡­ that can''t be real, can it?!" "Ooh, Lady Mira! Please forgive my ignorance!" What they saw was the sky slowly turning dark. Not because she took away the sun, but because she had summoned something that completely obscured it from view. She had called upon an impossibly large rock from outer space. And it was now heading down right at them, burning from its friction with the atmosphere. ¡°I call this World Extinction Meteor!¡± Mira declared with a proud, happy smile. ¡°I used this against the Demon Lord¡¯s army one thousand years ago, you know. Left a massive crater on the Demon Continent. Hopefully it¡¯s still around to this day.¡± Merlinus burst into a maniacal laugh, his eyes widening in a monstrous, toad-like manner. This was it! This was the magic he yearned for! The supreme, godlike magic that could raze mountains, dry oceans, and change the shape of the world itself! Selendia, on the other hand, sat with her head resting on her hand, smiling. She was not worried in the slightest. She knew her Lady Mira would not actually let that meteor hit the ground. As for Monas Vehta, he too was looking up to the sky, admiring the falling rock. Unlike Merlinus, however, the only reaction he had was the small smile in the corner of his lips. "Y-you''re kidding! You-you can''t do this!" One of the citizens yelled. "Oh? You think I can''t?" Mira smirked, putting her hands on her waist. "I created this country. I can destroy it if I choose." "L-Lady Mira! Please, stop! I beg of you!" "Lady Mira! I''m sorry I''ve ever doubted you!" "You''re right, Lady Mira! Only the real you can cast magic like this!" "Then bow!" Merlinus yelled. "Bow and worship her, your new ruler!" For the citizens, who saw the meteor inching closer and closer, growing larger and larger at every second that passed¡ªthere was only one option. One by one, they knelt down, lowering their heads until they touched the streets they were standing on. Seeing this, Mira smiled. She looked upwards towards the meteor and began chanting once more. Space began to twist once more, only this time, the twist was much larger, and it was centered right at where the meteor was falling. And then, it opened. A Black Hole. It began eating away at the meteor, growing in size as it did. Its pitch black hole swallowed everything, even the air and light surrounding it. The giant rock never stood a chance as it was shredded into infinitesimally small molecules entering its horizon. When it finished, not a single bit managed to actually land on the city. The mountain-sized bringer of destruction was eaten by the now mountain-sized black hole. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s gone!¡± ¡°Another one of her great magic! I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before!¡± ¡°Oh, Lady Mira! Thank you! Thank you for your grace and mercy!¡± The black hole, exhausting the mana supply Mira had given to it, promptly disappeared, restoring back the ordinary blue sky the people of the capital were all used to. Slowly, Mira floated down, stopping just several feet from where the people were supplicating to her. ¡°As the new ruler of this nation, here is my first decree. Raise your heads and listen well, my dear populace!¡± One by one, they began to look up. Seeing her up close like this, it was like seeing a goddess who had descended from the skies. ¡°It is time for our wonderful nation to share its prosperity to the rest of the world! Unfortunately, the outside world is not so kind to us mages. They scorn us for our strength! For our power! As such, they must be liberated! Purged from their arrogance and blindness!¡± ¡°From this day onward, I declare war on the world itself!¡± ? The Magocracy moved swiftly. The night Mira made her declaration, the first regiment of troops entered the territories of its three closest neighbors¡ªThe Kingdom of Aresha, The Kingdom of Marchen, and the Land of Hobbiton¡ªAresha to its northwest, Marchen to its southwest, and Hobbiton to its south. The troops, however, were not made out of flesh and bone. Instead, they were crystal golems, created by Monas Vehta and his researchers. The special kind¡ªfar sturdier than ordinary golems and far more mobile as well. Their speed limit was around the speed of a horse, while their usual brethren, like those forged by Amereria, could only walk at around human speed. It was the fruit of his years-long research. The golems used to be people before he injected them with a certain type of viral mana, warping their bodies at the very most fundamental level, forcing them to grow crystals after crystals on their skins, until they eventually became fully crystal. It was indeed the very same plague that murdered a certain redhead¡¯s entire family. Originally, he created it only to grow mana crystals out of living beings. He first tried it on all sorts of animals, from rats to cats to dogs to horses, but he eventually settled on humans. The mana crystals a human could produce are far better than the crystals from an animal, quality-wise and quantity-wise. Using the knowledge of leylines, he injected the mana the region around his territory with a special ¡°viral¡± mana. It was created synthetically, using the most top secret alchemical processes no other alchemists could reproduce. And since he was a Grandmaster-level Earth mage, he could easily dig far deep into the earth, injecting said mana, which was first absorbed by his spell since it originally came in liquid form, into the network. It ran in a similar principle to mana potions, which contained raw mana that could invigorate a mage¡¯s reserve much easily once it was absorbed and converted from its liquid form by the stomach. But now, after around ten more years of research, he could use it to create a golem army instead. The mana crystals the virus produced would be designed for toughness instead of extraction. And it would render the mind of the infected to be stupid and gullible, easily manipulated with just some simple hypnotic magic. He was proud of his creation. And now, at last, he had a chance to test them out in combat. To do that, however, he still needed actual flesh and blood humans on the ground¡ªto see how they performed in battle and to take note if anything were to go wrong. And so, the three generals of the three golem armies that night were of his own blood. The one to the northwest was his first daughter, Celica Vehta. The one to the southwest was his first son, Locht Vehta. And the one to the south was Mimir Vehta, his second daughter. Each of them were golem researchers like him and so they would know what to look out for. He had great expectations of them. And he was sure they would not disappoint. ? Day 1 Of The Invasion Kingdom of Marchen ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The Magocracy¡ªthey¡¯re¡ªthey¡¯re invading!¡± A soldier ran into the throne room, ignoring all rules of decorum and propriety. He was out of breath and his helmet was displaced to the side. He knelt in front of the king and immediately told him everything, before the monarch could say a word. ¡°The border has been breached! It¡¯s only a matter of time until Aarom falls!¡± The king, realizing what this meant, turned extremely pale, making him almost look like a zombie. He demanded Glinda¡¯s presence at once. She was always gone when he needed her! His worst fear had come to pass. His only hope now was his court mage. Perhaps, with her magic and cleverness, she could somehow figure out a way out of this? If not, well, he would just have to surrender. There was no way they could win against the full might of the Magocracy! Better to live in shame than to have one¡¯s head on a pike! That¡¯s his philosophy in life! And, if he had to guess, the dukes and earls who sucked up to him every day would agree as well. ? ? Day 1 Of The Invasion Kingdom of Aresha Located northwest of the Magocracy, the Kingdom of Aresha was a kingdom located in the middle of a thick jungle. An isolationist nation, it didn''t have many contacts with the outside world. It prided itself on its self-sufficiency and its freedom, not bound by the machinations of other nations. Another noteworthy point about the kingdom was that It had its own religion. They worshiped this so-called Divine Beast as their god. Heretical in the eyes of the Church, of course, but luckily for them, they were too far away for the close-minded organization to send their inquisitors to. It always eyed its neighbors with suspicion. Especially the Magocracy. They had a strong distrust against outsider magic, trusting instead on the local magic of their shamans. Of course, unbeknownst to them, magic is magic, and there really was no significant distinction between their magic and the magic the rest of the world had. And today, it was proven right to do so. "You¡­ I knew we couldn''t trust you lot¡­" The warrior coughed blood. His lungs had been crushed by a golem''s clean punch. His ribs were practically decimated as well. Even if he had worn armor to protect his bare chest, it wouldn¡¯t have saved him from the blow. His kingdom had erected a wooden wall just a few farna from the entrance to the jungle. And said wall was now in ruins, destroyed without mercy by the golem army. A witch dressed in black stood in front of him, a smile adorning her face. Celica Vehta. The firstborn daughter of Monas Vehta. "Trust? We don''t need your trust. Why would a human need the trust of an ant?" The yellow-eyed woman was dressed in a traditional witch outfit, with a black witch hat and black dress. The dress generously exposed her sizable bosom and the fact that she wasn¡¯t wearing any bra underneath. She carried with her a wooden staff as tall as herself and she was sitting on top of the largest, strongest golem she had. https://i.pinimg.com/564x/73/09/d0/7309d0de02554713daabd68eb3f3388a.jpg "Lord Balgor will get ya''¡± He wheezed, which was supposed to be a laugh. ¡°He¡­ and the Divine Beast will¡­ Guahhhh!" Tired of his chatter, the woman pierced his heart with a spear, created by hardening and multiplying the iron in his very own blood. ? Day 1 Of The Invasion Hobbiton Unlike the other two armies, Mimir¡¯s army didn¡¯t find any significant resistance when they crossed the border. And that was only to be expected. The hobbits didn¡¯t have a standing army. They didn¡¯t bother to guard their borders either. As such, her father only gave her 100 golems to play with. The pink-haired girl huffed as she sat on the shoulder of her golem. Like her older sister, she too was dressed in a witch outfit, only, hers was somewhat less traditional. https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c8/b0/25/c8b0259ff3d13f6ff87e3d6803942cbd.jpg Her eyes scanned the wasteland around her. Nothing. Not even a sign of greenery. ? Day 1 Of The Invasion Northeast of the Magocracy, at the port town of Tulpio ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the meaning of this? What do you mean we can¡¯t cross? We¡¯ve paid for our tickets, you know!¡± Inside the city, a commotion was currently ongoing. A massive crowd had gathered in front of the gate to the docks, demanding for the guards there to let them in. Without warning, the docks were closed overnight, forbidding any civilians from entering, let alone taking their ships. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but currently, all travels to the Holy Continent are forbidden by the Council. If you wish for refunds, then our office at Maple Street would be able to¡ª¡± ¡°My poor melons will rot! Do you think you can compensate me for that?! Huh?!¡± The news of the country¡¯s declaration of war had yet to reach the town so none of them knew the reason why they couldn¡¯t embark on their ships. If they had known, well, they would¡¯ve been less angry and more panicked, most likely. Most of them were either adventurers or merchants¡ªtypes of people who really wouldn¡¯t want to be caught in the middle of a war. ¡°Alright, you all! Disband! You guys are troubling the poor guards!¡± The crowd looked upwards to where the voice was coming from. And saw a blue-haired girl sitting on top of a giant bubble. "Shoo! Go away! I don''t want to see your faces!" Yet another wearer of witch attire¡ªa popular fashion amongst the female mages of the Magocracy¡ªthe girl sat there with a smile on her face. She, of course, was none other than Elunmidis Brine, the only daughter of Selendia Brine, a Council member. Only some of the crowds recognized her face however as most were foreigners who were unfamiliar with the Council and their families. ¡°I¡¯m not going away without a proper compensation!¡± The melon merchant yelled. ¡°I¡¯m late as it is and if my ship can¡¯t depart today, I won¡¯t reach Frastelleren in time to sell my merchandise! They¡¯ll rot here and I¡¯ll be ruined! Ruined, I tell you!¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± She smirked. ¡°Well, that¡¯s unfortunate.¡± ¡°Unfortunate?! It¡¯s not just ¡®unfortunate¡¯, you panty-flashing who¡ª¡± The pudgy man never got to finish his sentence. In a speed that defied belief, she fired a single bubble to his direction. And the moment it made contact, it exploded, destroying his head into bits in an instant. ¡°Anybody else?¡± Her expression had turned grave. ¡°I¡¯m fine with you looking up my skirt from down there but calling me a whore¡ªwho do you think you¡¯re speaking to?! I can kill you all where you stand without wasting a single breath! And I will if you all don¡¯t disperse right now!¡± The crowd screamed, running as fast as their legs could carry away from the scene. Even the battle-hardened adventurers did the same, knowing that whoever she was, she was well out of their league to handle. Elun¡¯s smirk returned once they were gone. She knew about the war. And she knew what that meant for her family. As water mages, they would be in charge of the Magocracy¡¯s naval defenses. As they had no plans in attacking the Empire now, they would have to make sure their ships couldn¡¯t cross the ocean and land on their shores. No doubt the Empire would try to attack once the news of their war reached their shores. As such, it was also imperative that they delayed the information from reaching them for as long as she could. At last, she had a chance to redeem herself. For that failure with that brat Hugo. If she saw him again, she would not lose. She was far stronger now after all. After her special training with her mother. And if she would have to fight against one of the Imperial Knights, it would be even better. If she could crush at least one of them then perhaps the Council would consider giving that ice hag territory to her. Side by side with her mother on the Council, it had been her dream for a long, long time. Vol 4.5 Tales From The Magocracy Chapter 2 — The Sculptor Mage Mira sat on her throne, gazing silently to the starry sky above. She was inside the Tower of the Sages, in the Room of Wisdom where the Council mages held their high and lofty courts. She retreated here after giving her speech, and, after giving her orders to her four underlings, she decided to take a rest. Alone, with no one to disturb her thoughts. Her mind began to wander¡ªto her old life, a thousand years ago. Back then, in the world of the previous Cycle, humans possessed no mastery over magic. Magic was something volatile. And terrifying. It wasn¡¯t something humanity could control. Mages, on the other hand, had always existed. But they were nothing like the mages of this Cycle. They were outcasts, seen as monsters by the general populace. A boy would burn his entire house, killing his entire family, just because he was angry that he was being grounded. A girl would electrocute her classmates, just because they were bullying her. All done without their own volition. The problem was their mana. They had too much of it and the body couldn''t really excise the extra on its own. This was why she promoted teaching one''s children magic from an early age ¡ª if they seemed to have the talent. They had to control that power instinctively. Just as they controlled their breathing. It was the same reason why magic spells had chants. The words could be anything. They were only there to help the mage focus. She didn''t invent the human teachings of magic though like this country claimed. It was all thanks to her teacher, Ilymhrra. She taught her to control her power and to use it as she wished. Her mind remembered. Those tender days where they traveled together, after the demons destroyed her city. She was but a child back then. She took her to the city of the high elves. The Timeless City. There, for several years, she trained her in the art of magic, before they eventually left, with her as a young adult. And then, she met him. Her eyes slowly began to close. She really needed a nap after casting two Archmage-level spells back to back, having drained her mana significantly. Unlike her master, she was just a lowly human. ¡ª----- She was, once again, face to face with Gaia. The Goddess sat on her golden throne, looking as smug as ever. How she wished she could turn the insufferable woman into a frog. "Well well well, call me surprised." The Goddess smiled. "What a bold move to make. You know this just means everyone in the world will want you dead, right?" "Everyone? I doubt that. All I would fight are the people I need to fight. And that includes Milicis'' pawns." "Oh? Are you drawing her in? Laying down a trap for her?" "Oh yes." The mage smiled back. "I know how to defeat her now." "Wonderful!" The Goddess clapped her hands. "With His puppet gone, that dragon will finally come out." "And you''ll be able to finish Him off, I trust." Mira narrowed her eyes. "Of course. Just like I promised." ¡ª------ At the Kingdom of Aresha, a month after the invasion started¡­ ¡°Run! Retreat! These golems¡­ they''re monsters!" Celica Vehta yawned as she watched her golems punch through the wooden shields blocking her path. So These past days, she, along with a thousand of her father''s special golems¡ªand a handful of other mages acting as her underlings¡ªrampaged through their jungle, carving a path by trampling down every tree they saw. She too was an Earth mage like her father so she was perfectly in her element. Now, she had reached their capital. And sadly, they were foolish enough to believe they could still win. Thousands of their warriors were now raining down their primitive flame arrows. Others opted to charge in with their clubs. None of them posed any real threat to the golems. And then, there were their shamans. Now they were actually a decent nuisance for her. Using their nature magic, they would immobilize the golems with vines and roots. Some tried to rain poisonous spores on her. And they once tried to make a hole under her army, intending to bury her precious golems under the earth. Too bad their tricks were child''s play compared to hers. For the vines and roots, she simply countered with her own plant magic, clearing them from the legs and arms of her golems. For the spores, she already drank an anti-poison potion beforehand. She too had alchemical skills like her father. And their spores were a joke compared to the poison he could create. As for the hole, to be fair, it surprised her when they did it, but she quickly recovered, raising the earth back up before they could close the hole. Her golems soon knocked down the wooden gates entirely. It was time to march into the city and make their ruler bow and lick her feet. ¡°The Divine Beast! The Divine Beast is here!¡± ¡°And Chief Balgor is riding on it!¡± "We''re saved! That witch won''t know what would hit her!" A deer. The Divine Beast was a giant deer. It jumped through the city, landing right in front of her. A burly, bare chested, and slightly fat man standing on top of it, wielding an axe in both hands. As the wholly unimpressive man yelled something about honor and glory, she lifted her staff, signaling to her subordinates to order the golems to attack. The golems swarmed the beast like dogs, leaping on top of it without mercy. The man retaliated with a yell, followed by him jamming his axes into the golems. And, to Celica''s surprise, he was doing decently against her golems'' toughness. Those axes of his were cutting through the enchantments like butter. And he had the strength to kick and push away the golems¡ªsomething she wouldn¡¯t expect from an ordinary human. No, he wasn¡¯t ordinary. Not in the slightest. She had heard about them. What her father called ¡°superhuman warriors¡±. They were the biggest threat against their invasion as their martial prowess could rival or even beat their mastery over magic. This meant she couldn¡¯t take it easy anymore. ¡°All forces! Attack! Overwhelm that man!¡± She yelled. The Divine Beast had now erected a barrier around itself, pushing away the golems off itself, giving it the breathing room it desperately needed. Tendrils of light came out from its horns, piercing multiple golems in a single volley of attack. His hooves glowed with the same light, allowing its hooves to pierce through her golems¡¯ defenses. She ordered her own golem to get close. She had to be closer in order to use her spells. And that gave an opening for the man to attack. With a blood-curdling howl, he sent two massive phantom axes to her position. Created by his aura, though he wasn''t aware of the term, they spun around like boomerangs, going off to the sides before pincering her from her left and right. While on her front, the Divine Beast fired a massive beam of teal light. There was no way she could survive this. And she knew it. "Activate merger!" The chest of the golem she was sitting on opened, allowing her to jump inside. It promptly closed, just in time before the three attacks landed. The golem, even though it was bigger than her peers, stood no chance. When the dust settled, it shattered into million little crystal pieces. Leaving the mage inside perfectly unharmed. Celica cast her spell. She was now in range of the axe-wielding man. "Guwahhhh!" Turning the iron in his blood into spikes, piercing him from the inside. He never stood a chance. He fell from the deer, to the cries and tears of his subjects. He was their beloved warrior king after all. The deer, no longer in the presence of the man he made a pact with, gave one last look towards the Witch of Steel before disappearing, carried away by the winds. The capital had fallen. The kingdom was lost. And all it took was a single Master-level spell. ¡ª--------- At Marchen, just a few days after the invasion began¡­ Inside Aarom, just a few days after the invasion began¡­ ¡ª---------- In a certain familiar village up the mountains, inside Marchen¡¯s territory¡­ "Ahhh! The sweet, sweet taste of mountain air! How fortunate that my third love was born in a place like this!" The bespectacled dark-haired man took a deep, long breath, stretching his arms out and upwards. His lengthy dark hair was tied to a single braid. He wore a black button-up coat over his brown romper and white shirt, giving him the appearance of a high class gentleman. Attached to his belt was a cane, which was his magic focus. Unlike those boorish mages, he prefered his staff to not look like the gaudy, thick sticks. https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ea/74/4f/ea744f4c4e819842de0bcb28201374c3.jpg The man was none other than Locht Vehta, the firstborn son to the Vehta Family and the one leading the Magocracy¡¯s invasion into Marchen. The first city of Marchen to fall was Aarom. They didn¡¯t even put up a fight, surrendering immediately without sending a single soldier to their death. He could respect that, knowing when you were outclassed. People needed to know their place in this world. And that baron¡¯s place was under his boots. Metaphorically speaking, of course. He was no tyrant after all. In fact, he preferred to think of himself as an artist and a lover. He loved everything that was beautiful, from paintings, poems, sculptures. Especially the latter. It was his hobby to sculpt beautiful girls and women into statues with his Earth magic. What? There¡¯s nothing wrong with admiring the beauty of the opposite sex! Hell, he¡¯d even say it¡¯s a crime not to. Now that he was actually allowed to go out to the outside world, instead of just admiring them through nude drawings and erotic literatures, he could see and gorge on the real thing! The very first thing he did when he conquered Aarom was to go to the largest brothel and fornicate with every single whore there! Now, not to say that he forgot his duties! Not in the slightest! He had struck a deal with that hobbit-loving man¡ªpersonally he approved of his good taste¡ªassuring that as long as he obeyed whatever the Magocracy wanted him to do, he and his people would not be harmed in any way. Although, there was one thing he nearly killed him for. And that was his refusal to disclose the information he needed regarding the Greenwoods. He knew his third love came from this region but he didn¡¯t know exactly where she used to live. And so he needed him. Oh yes, he was deeply, badly in love with the girl they called Marina Greenwood. It was just like the love he had for his two sisters. Maybe even more. Even though he had yet to lay his eyes on her, even hearing her story was enough to make his heart tremble. Such a tragic heroine! He loved writing those in his stories and now he had a real one in the flesh! In fact, he was so inspired by her, he already wrote her to be the heroine for his next erotic book. Published under a pseudonym, of course. Whistling, twirling his cane as he walked, the bespectacled man made his way. ¡ª----------- The place was as lively as ever, as the news of the war had yet to reach the ears of the people there. Children were running around chasing each other, with cats, dogs, and even some chickens joining in on the fun. And since he came here alone¡ªhe had left his golem army in Aarom with his subordinate¡ªthat peaceful atmosphere was not unbroken in the slightest. Still, his strange attire, and his unfamiliar face, quickly drew attention of the villagers. He, however, did not care. He joyfully walked up to the nearest woman and gave a quick bow. ¡°Good afternoon, M¡¯Lady! May I ask you about the estate of the Greenwood family?¡± The baron didn¡¯t say exactly where their house was. Only that it was somewhere near this village. ¡°H-huh?¡± She stuttered, taken aback by his forwardness. ¡°The Greenwoods? Y-yes, they did use to live here several years ago, before they suddenly left. But I don¡¯t know where their house is.¡± ¡°Ah! I know! You should meet with Mary! She used to work there as their maid! You¡¯ll find her house just over there, behind that one!¡± She pointed. ¡°...Ah, that¡¯s regrettable.¡± He shook his head. ¡°But, thank you for your information nonetheless.¡± He paused, his eyes going up and down her body. ¡°I have one more question, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± He grabbed her hands shamelessly, staring deeply into her auburn eyes. ¡°Are you willing to accompany me for the night, M¡¯Lady?¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Eeek! Get away from me, you pervert!¡± She slapped his face before running away. ¡­ Standing silently, with the eyes of the other villagers on him, the bespectacled man let out a dry laugh. As if nothing had happened, he made his way to the house she pointed to, once again strolling with a hum on his steps. ¡ª-------- ¡°Ahahahahahaha! You¡¯re too slow!¡± ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Wait for me, big brother!¡± A pair of siblings were playing Inside the small courtyard. Both of them had light hazel hair, but one was a boy while the other was a girl. The boy wore a simple green tunic with brown shorts while the girl wore a white and blue apron dress. And, sitting on a wooden chair under the shade, sat a beautiful young woman, smiling as she worked on her needlework. She was Mary, mother of two and the ex-maid of the Greenwood estate. Gone were the days of her wearing a pretty maid dress. She now wore a faded button-up long-sleeved shirt with a dull brown long skirt. Oh, don¡¯t get her wrong. She still had the maid outfit stored in her cupboard. But she only wore it on special occasions. Like when she rewarded her husband with a passionate night together. He had quite the fetish for maids, you see. Oh, how he loved it when she called him Master before performing fellatio for him. Said husband was away on his work tilting the farmlands, along with the other farmers. Using the excess money her ex-employer gave her, he could purchase his own land, after spending most of his youth working as a worker on another man¡¯s farm. Their house was a humble one-story home, with two bedrooms, one living room, and one kitchen. Nothing lavish like the house she used to work in but it was comfortable enough for the four of them. ¡°Excuse me, Madam? Are you perhaps the woman they call Mary?¡± She nearly jumped from her seat. A peculiar-looking man had just appeared out of nowhere. She did not see him coming in the slightest. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± She gave him a smile. ¡°Forgive me for asking, but are you a traveler, by any chance?¡± ¡°You are correct, Madam.¡± He gave a short bow as he glanced at the playing kids. ¡°I have business with the estate of the Greenwoods. And I heard you used to work there.¡± Her heart skipped a beat. Ever since the vanishing of the family, their mansion had been abandoned. No other knight ever came from the baron. The villagers were left to fend for themselves. They had to hire random adventurers from Aarom if they had to exterminate a monster that got too close to their usual farming, foraging, or hunting spot. She stood up and gave a curtsy, her bountiful breasts bouncing in the process. Her button-up shirt did a poor job hiding her generous assets¡ªthe two middle buttons threatening to snap upon at any moment. Her lewd display didn¡¯t escape the man¡¯s notice. His eyes glinted as he stared at her stretched blouse. ¡°Yes, Sir. I used to work there as their maid.¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Excellent! Then, you should be able to give me a tour of the house. You see, I work for the good baron, and I am here to inspect the estate once belonging to them, before their disappearance. Here is my letter of introduction." He took a white parchment from his coat pocket, handing it over to the ex-maid. She opened it and found a neatly written document proving his identity with the seal of the baron at the end. She nodded, returning the letter to him. "Yep! Looks like everything''s in order!" She smiled. "I''ll take you there tomor¡ª" He grabbed her hand, gripping it tightly as he stared down at her. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Sir, but I can¡¯t go now. No one else is going to watch the kids.¡± She glanced nervously towards the courtyard. ¡°Unfortunately, Madam, I am in a bit of a rush right now so I need your assistance right away. I promise, it won¡¯t be long.¡± ¡°T-then, at the very least, let me speak to my neighbor first.¡± ¡°Of course, Madam.¡± He released her hand, giving her an impatient look. She ran over to the kids, telling them that she was going out for a bit and to be good boys and girls while she was gone. She then sprinted to the house just beside hers, telling the grandma there to take care of her children while she left for the mansion. ¡°You¡¯re going there?! Why?!¡± ¡°An officer from Aarom has come. I¡¯m to show him around the place.¡± ¡°Ooh, finally! It¡¯s about time we have our own knight once again! I¡¯m sick of those entitled adventurers myself!¡± The old woman huffed. And with that taken care of, she jogged back to the bespectacled man¡ªher breasts once again taking his notice. ¡°Well then, Miss Mary.¡± He smiled. ¡°Please, lead the way.¡± Vol 4.5 Tales from The Magocracy Chapter 3 — Another Panty-Sniffing Mage Their trip to the mansion didn¡¯t take long. It was located just over the rolling green hills to the west side of the village. Mary led the way, with the man walking behind her, his eyes locked into her ample behind. When the wind blew, his gaze went to her exposed legs and thighs, cursing the fact that her long skirt didn¡¯t go all the way up for her panties to show. Mary, of course, had no idea he was ogling her like that. ¡°Here we are! Sorry about the dust. I¡¯ve not had the time to go here and clean recently.¡± They now stood in front of the Greenwood mansion. Not that lavish compared to your ordinary noble houses but it was definitely the largest house in the entire mountain. The man did not say anything. But the big grin on his face defied his stoicism. Mary completely missed his reaction, however, as she didn¡¯t turn around to see him. They strolled in through the front door, Mary unlocking it with her key. It was made by the village¡¯s smith at her request. She couldn¡¯t bear seeing such a beautiful house going neglected. Even so, the doorknob was beginning to rust, thanks to all the rain and wind it had to endure these past four years without being cleaned regularly. She simply hadn¡¯t the time. The inside was dark as all the lamps were off and curtains covered the closed windows. And, just like she said, dust layered the furniture, walls, and even the floor. ¡°Please, watch your step. In fact, stay there until I open up the windows.¡± He watched her with amusement. He could easily make light with his magic but he didn¡¯t want to reveal to her that he was a mage. Not yet. The two then toured the house from top to bottom, with the exception of the bedrooms, as she didn¡¯t want to intrude. In fact, she never stepped into them in these past four years. She just couldn¡¯t. She was glad that the man was smiling and nodding, seemingly happy with the condition of the house. She was worried they would just decide to tear it down and build a new one over it. All that effort keeping it maintained paid off after all! She would hate to see such a warm, loving house, full of memories she was fond of, to be replaced by a new, cold one. ¡°And that¡¯s it! That¡¯s all there is to know about this little mansion!¡± She smiled, ending the tour. ¡°Any questions?¡± They were now back in the living room, standing near the staircase that would take them back to the second floor. ¡°Oh yes, I do.¡± He smiled back. ¡°I wish to know where the bedroom of the girl named Marina Greenwood is.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°And, if possible, I would like to take a tour inside it. If you please.¡± Mary froze, her smile suddenly becoming a lot more unnatural. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t really have the key for the door. And I do not wish to break it down.¡± She lied. ¡°Oh, that wouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± he cheerfully replied. ¡°I should be able to open it with my little trick.¡± ¡°W-well then.¡± She forced herself to retain her smile, her fingers now nervously fidgeting near her abdomen. ¡°Her room is just right here, on the first floor.¡± Slowly, she led him there, hoping that he would change his mind. She really did not want to disturb her room. It just felt¡­ . ¡°Ah. Here it is, I take it?¡± He pointed his cane at the door. ¡°Watch.¡± With a single tap at the doorknob, the door opened. A simple application of earth magic, manipulating the metal used for the locking mechanism. He¡¯s capable of metal magic a little though nothing compared to his older sister, the Witch of Iron herself. Mary was speechless. Was that¡­ was that magic he just used? He stepped inside, ignoring the ex-maid entirely. Without waiting for her to turn on the lamp, he aimed the tip of his cane at the device, lighting it with his fire magic. Now that he could see what¡¯s inside the room, he couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. ¡°Ha¡­ ahahahahaha! Ahahahahahahaha!¡± His laugh sent chills all over Mary¡¯s body. She had made a grave mistake. ¡°Finally! Finally I am here! The sacred kingdom of my lady Marina!¡± He jumped onto the bed and hugged the pillow there, not caring in the slightest by their dustiness. He kissed it over and over, rubbing his crotch into the fabric. He rolled back and forth on the mattress, making it creak from his weight. Mary couldn¡¯t move. She was too aghast by what she was seeing her feet refused to budge. ¡°Mpphhhh, her scent! I can almost it! Even through all this annoying dust!¡± ¡°S-Sir! Please! Please stop!¡± She walked into the room, fully intending to drag him off the bed if that¡¯s what it took. Only for him to make her trip, her face landing first onto the dusty carpet. He had cast an Earth Cuff spell silently without even looking at her direction, locking her feet together to the floor ¡°Please, my dear, wait for your turn~¡± Satisfied with the bed/pillow combo, he stood back up, dusting himself off as he looked down at Mary. He cast another Earth Cuff spell, this time locking her hands to the floor. He didn¡¯t want her to interrupt after all. His next attention landed on the wardrobe. Stepping over Mary, he opened the door. He was greeted by the sight of a half-full dresser. Indeed, back when Marina left with Erika, she didn¡¯t have the room to carry all her dresses (Renee loved dressing her up, so she had so many of them). So she left behind quite a number of them. ¡°Ooh, so these are her clothes! I have to remember this! Commit this into my memory!¡± He took out all her dresses and put them side-by-side on the bed. He wanted to know what kind of clothes she would be wearing from day to day. And, just like with the pillow, he sniffed them as well. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Tch, disappointing. Too dusty for me to smell anything. And they¡¯re cleaned too well. Not any hint of sweat remained.¡± ¡°Please, stop!¡± Mary begged, tears pooling in her eyes. ¡°What are you¡ªUmmfffhhh!¡± He sealed her mouth with his magic as well. He then went back to the wardrobe, opening the small compartment underneath. ¡°There they are! The real treasure! Her lovely and beautiful undergarments!¡± He crouched down and pinched one of them by the hem. They were her black pair, with red outline. ¡°How lewd! How skimpy! How naughty!¡± Grinning, he buried them into his nose. Only to find that, just like her clothes, they smelled only like dust and grime. ¡°Gah! You stupid maid! You cleaned them too well!¡± He gave a kick to her head, his face now filled with fury, a far contrast from his perverted or gentemantly expressions from before. ¡°But that¡¯s fine. I still can recover from this. I¡¯ll just imagine her scent in my free time.¡± He mumbled under his breath. He then grabbed the entire pile of panties from the small compartment before spreading them all out on the bed. He made note in his mind just what type of undergarments she liked to wear every day. At this point, Mary began to cry. What should she do? She couldn¡¯t move or call for help. And even if she could, her voice would never reach all the way to the village. The man was a pervert. And she knew what perverts did to women like her. Once he was satisfied with the young lady¡¯s undergarments, he would come for her. She was sure of it. ¡°¡­Hmm, yes! That would be all! I¡¯ve memorized everything!¡± He turned his attention back to her. Her heart skipped a beat. A sinking feeling was now seeping into her stomach. ¡°Now, what to do with you.¡± He smiled, crouching down near her head. ¡°I¡¯m not a cruel man. But, after all these¡­ I badly needed relief. See my little guy down there? He¡¯s hungry. And you, my good woman, looked as a snack.¡± ¡°Hmmphhhh! Hmpphhhhh!¡± She struggled through her binds, screaming as loudly as she could through her muffler. But, she could neither free herself or make herself be heard. All she did was to tempt the man even more by moving her breasts back and forth, making them bounce left and right like a pendulum. ¡°Yep. After seeing that, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting you off without raping you. Apologies to your husband beforehand.¡± With his hands, he ripped open her flimsy button-up shirt, revealing her white bra to the world. She screamed even harder, her tears now streaming down her cheeks to the floor. ¡°But really, you two should be honored. You, for having intercourse with a genius mage like me, and him, for having the honor of offering his wife to a genius mage like me.¡± He then used miniature fire magic off her fingers to take off her bra. He couldn¡¯t be bothered with going to her shoulder and unhooking it from behind. ¡°Oh, forgive me. I¡¯ve forgotten to introduce myself.¡± ¡°My name is Locht Vehta. The heir to the Vehta Dynasty of the Magocracy. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Mary.¡± What happened next, Mary would not forget for the rest of her life. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª When the mage left the house, the sun was already sinking. It seemed he would have to rush back to town if he didn¡¯t want to camp, which he hated. He tapped his cane twice on the ground. The earth rose up, molding itself into the shape of a horse. He could create his own horse sculpture to ride around. Much more efficient than ordinary horses. You don¡¯t have to feed it and it can never tire. As long as you yourself don¡¯t tire of manipulating it of course. But, for a master of manipulating earth, he could do it all day with his eyes closed. He jumped up the created beast before ordering it to rush back to Aarom as fast as it could. As a man, he was extremely proud of his sexual prowess. No woman he touched would leave the room unsatisfied. He even brought around a special kind of aphrodisiac perfume. It only worked for women and it would make their response to stimuli much more pleasurable. The endorphins that rushed their brains would be doubled and they would melt in his fingers. Sex is an animalistic act. It is not some sacred ritual like the Church loved to say it was. A man should have sex as much as he could, to spread his seed across the world. Only a prudish idiot would think otherwise. Sex is also a game of wits and intelligence. You must know what your partner¡¯s weaknesses are and abuse them as much as you can. See that they come before you, begging for more of your touch. As such, it¡¯s only logical that you will bring tools to aid you to that goal, like his aphrodisiac. And lastly, sex is a display of dominance. He had dominated that maid¡¯s husband by pleasuring her far more than he ever could. Ever since he hit puberty, he was already raping all the kidnapped people his father experimented with. Most of them were hobbits, as they were really a pathetic race that could not defend themselves. Others were humans, part of the magicless who dared to scheme against him. But sometimes, whenever his father was on a good mood, he¡¯d buy him a slave to use. Elves, dark elves, beastkin¡ªwhatever exotic race he could get his hand on. He didn¡¯t know where his father bought it from. Nor did he care. He would just rape them over and over, before handing them over to his father for his research. With a grin on his face, he ordered his horse to hasten its place. Ah, the outside world. What a delightful place to be in! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Meanwhile, at Hobbiton¡­ ¡°Aah, there it is¡­ there¡¯s the spot¡­¡± Mimir Vehta was smiling blissfully enjoying herself. She was now laying down stomach first on top of a massage bed, closing her eyes as moans escaped her lips. She was now at Foliton, inside the home of the wealthiest hobbit there (which just so happened to be the mayor). And she was enjoying the massage his hobbit servants were giving her. The hobbits, being the cowards that they were, surrendered without a fight. ¡­Okay, that was not entirely true. Some weasel-brained hobbits actually tried to ambush her, with some clever traps if she might add. However, a handful of rocks being slung at her, and a couple of golems tripping from their ropes, meant nothing to a mage of her capacity. She simply snapped her fingers and they all got swallowed by her desert wind. Oh yes, she was a Master-level mage in both Earth and Wind. And she was so good at it she earned the title Desert Witch, for the desert itself is under her command. ¡°Ohhhhh! That¡¯s it! Keep going!¡± Outside the room, the mayor and his servants were strolling nervously, praying she was happy with the massage. She had threatened to destroy his home if it wasn¡¯t and he had the complete and utmost faith she would do it without a second thought. The mayor was an old hobbit. He was as small as a human child, but with white beard and balding head. He wore a monocle on his left eye, a necessity so he could read his poems beside his fireplace¡ªhis favorite pastime. His name was Huebald Whitbottom, the thirteenth of the illustrated Whitbottom line. His ancestors were amongst the first to cultivate this land and to this day, they were still one of the most influential Hobbit families in Foliton. They were ¡°old money¡±, so to speak, and the other hobbits would always come to him if they were even in trouble of any sort. But now¡­ now he could do nothing. His authority was being trampled, right in front of his very eyes. Oh, his fathers and grandfathers and great great grandfathers must be looking down at him in shame right now! But, to resist against an army of such might, it would be suicide. In fact, it was the very wisdom of the Whitbottoms to avoid war and conflict, even if it meant leaving their land in search of another. That was how they settled here at the far southern corner of the world in the first place. Hobbits weren¡¯t strong. They weren¡¯t as multi-talented as humans nor were they as ferocious as demons. They couldn¡¯t listen to the whispers of the rocks like dwarves could nor could they devise clever magical tools like the gnomes could. All they had were their wits, and nothing else. And, by the name of his forefathers, they would survive by them. Even if it meant licking the boots of this arrogant bigfoot. ¡°I¡¯m done!¡± The door swung open, nearly hitting the old hobbit on his big, goblin-like nose. Mimir, now all refreshed, was standing in front of him with a big grin on her face. ¡°Well, you weren¡¯t lying, little gray man! Your servants really are as good as you say!¡± She called him so as that was what he looked like¡ªa little-sized man with gray hair. Her smile vanished. ¡°Now, to business.¡± He gulped. What request would she ask of them? ¡°I want you to round up every man, woman, and children you could find¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªand make them all march to the Magocracy¡ª¡± His heart sank. The worst of his fears had just been realized. She invaded them to turn them into slaves. ¡°¡ªall nice and neat. No complaining. No running away. And, this goes without saying, no attempts at assassinating me while I sleep. I figure you sneaky goblins will do that if I let you.¡± Assassins?! Perish the thought! No hobbit would be caught being one! Thieves and assassins are what those close-minded bigfoots see hobbits as! She¡¯s just one of them! ¡°Now, before you ask why, don¡¯t. I have no time nor the patience to explain my Father¡¯s grand plan for your people.¡± She crouched down, patting his head as if he was a child. Her smile was poison and the stench of her arrogance nearly made him punch her there and then. ¡°Be a good boy, would you, my dear Huebald Whitbottom?¡± She giggled. ¡°Sheesh, what a funny name you have.¡± He could only nod in silence. She stood up and walked away, ordering the servants to assist her in her bath next. Survive. It was all they could do now. No matter how bitter it was. ¡ª¡ª¡ª A/N: I almost titled this chapter ¡°Oh great yet another perverted stalker chases after Marina.¡± I guess you can see him as Hugo¡¯s mirror. Hugo could end up like that if he was born to a less virtuous family. And a more powerful one. His extreme talent in magic will be cultivated to its maximum and no one will challenge him or keep him in check. His maids will gladly have sex with him once he comes to age. And, using his magic, he¡¯ll go around sleeping with whoever he wants as well. Vol 5 Chapter 1: A Hill of Corpses "Hugo¡­ why¡­ why didn''t you come?" "Why¡­ why did you¡­ abandon me?" I saw Marina, standing in front of a large tree on top of a hill. She wore a short, skimpy green dress that went down halfway down her thighs. Her ears were long like an elf; her normally light brown hair now had a green tinge to it. Vines wrapped her arms and legs, reaching down to her bare feet. Part of her naked breasts were visible and the wind that made her dress flutter exposed the fact that she wasn''t wearing any panties underneath. I wasn''t turned on by it in the slightest though. How could I? When blood splatters were all over her? "I am now¡­ a monster¡­ all because of you¡­" The sky turned red and the leaves of the tree turned black, before disappearing into the four winds. The ground shifted and what used to be a hill had become¡ª I covered my mouth, trying to not puke on the spot. Under my feet were bodies¡ªhundreds, no, thousands of them. I was now standing on a hill of rotting, bleeding corpses. Tears trailed down Marina''s cheeks. Smiling, she then said, "Look. Your grandfather. I killed him. I snapped his neck like a twig." A tendril made out of wood shot out from her left shoulder. It went inside the pile of corpses. ¡°I also killed his adoptive son. And everyone else that believed in me. Those farmers¡ªthey took up arms to rescue me, you know.¡± She giggled. Something burst out from under me. I tried to jump away, only to find another tendril grabbing my waist, holding me in place. There, right in front of me, was the decaying corpse of an old man. The left part of his face was melting, with its eyeballs barely hanging from its socket. The scent was unbearable. Even the most putrid monsters I had encountered throughout my journey could not compare. I took a step back, trying to keep my distance. Only to bump into something behind me. I looked around and saw another rotting corpse. It was the corpse of a man in his early adulthood, with his left arm and right leg missing. A large gaping hole remained where his stomach should be, leaking out his pus-filled entrails. ¡°I will show you. Every single person I have killed.¡± Another corpse stood on my left and right. I pushed the right one away, opening a path for me to escape, only to find me tripping on my feet. For hands were now coming out from the corpse hill I was standing on and they were all grabbing me mercilessly. ¡°Goodbye, Hugo. If we ever meet again, I will no longer be the sister you once knew.¡± The hands pulled me down. There was no escape. ¡ª------ "Big Sis¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I''m so sorry¡­" Inside Hugo''s tent, two naked girls were hugging him side by side. Normally, this would be heaven for the perverted young man. However, due to recent events¡­ "Oh, Darling¡­" Felicia''s eyes were tearing up as she hugged him, making his face rest in her bosom. "This isn''t good¡­ his nightmares aren''t going away¡­ I thought you''re good at this." Sherry scowled at the redheaded woman. "This worked the last time he had his nightmares." Felicia fired back. "My chest will always calm him down." "Your chest?! Alright, that''s it. Hand him over!" Sherry pulled Hugo away from Felicia''s embrace, placing his head on her chest instead. "Shh, it''s okay. It''s okay. You did nothing wrong¡­" She rubbed the back of his head with her hand, a pained, worried look drawn on her face. She tried to remember how Renee once comforted her in those golden days and applied the same thing to him. She might not have the amazing breasts she had¡ªshe knew just how much Hugo loved breasts¡ªbut she was his wife and she was going to comfort him, no matter what. Especially after she failed to do so four years ago when Marina was taken from him. Little did they know that Hugo¡¯s nightmares were not entirely his mind¡¯s own doing this time around. ¡ª----------- ¡°Ohoho¡­ohohohohohohoho!¡± A certain goddess was sitting on her golden throne, watching him with rapturous laughter as he suffered. ¡°Ah, the joys of human suffering. It never gets old, does it?¡± As the Goddess, she has the capability to see everything that is happening in the world. Only certain places, protected by that meddlesome Heavenly Dragon, were protected from her omniscient eyes. ¡°I wonder which one is more painful ¡ª to suffer yourself or to see your beloved suffer in your stead." Using her ability, it is an easy matter to inject the sight of Marina''s suffering into his dreams. It is the same principle as her appearing in said dreams. "It''s a shame though. I didn''t manage to make those two hate him. I can''t even enter their dreams, or the dreams of his companions. That serpent must be protecting them. How annoying." "Still, using that girl, I managed to make her suffer anyways. Even though it''s draining my power, keeping her a puppet constantly. A completely worthwhile venture, of course. Her mind has broken, after being forced to slaughter those whom she loves. She is nothing but a monster who desires destruction now." "...Hmm, how about I make her the next Demon God? That would be funny, wouldn''t it?" "...Oh, but I promised my dear cute rabbit that he''s going to be the next Demon God! There can''t be two of them running around!" "...I should visit him. See how he''s doing. Ah, if only the chains binding me to this throne are all gone¡­" She looked down at her waist. The very last chain was there, tightly wrapping around her body. "Another dream visit it is~" ¡ª------ Hugo''s group made their way back to the northwest part of the Continent as fast as they could, with Myrilla instructing them so they would take the most efficient route. She made sure that the group paid a visit to a town that sold them all Scarabs for them to ride, as well as teaching them all how to ride the monstrosities. Using the Scarabs, Myrilla said, would make traversing the marshes to the north so much more easier. Still, even with their speed, due to just how large the whole continent was, their travels still would take a long time¡ªtime that Hugo really didn''t have. It plagued his thoughts day and night, hiding behind his every smile. It was enough to make Theo beg his mother for her help. "Eh? You want me to cheer him up?" "Yes, mother. I can''t bear to see Master Hugo be like this!" They were now speaking inside Tira''s tent, after they decided to rest for the night. "I¡­" The elf looked away. "I don''t think I could. The burden he carries¡ªhe has to carry it alone." "Why?! It''s not fair! It wasn''t his fault his sister ended up like that! It''s that Goddess''s fault!" "Perhaps you''re right." She smiled wryly. "But Sir Hugo is a kind man. Too kind. He''ll take that burden. Especially since he loves his sister very much." She looked away. "He seeks redemption. And only his sisters can give that. Not us." Theo left the tent soon after, still feeling unsatisfied. Did his master Hugo really have to suffer like this until he could save his sister? He had been secretly admiring the Nerthusian ever since she joined Hugo¡¯s group. She looked so cool and composed no matter the situation and even his master Hugo looked up to her. With her wisdom, she must be able to find a way to cheer Hugo up! "Miss Myrilla! I want to ask you¡ª" He froze. There, inside her tent, Myrilla was in the middle of changing her clothes. The woman was stark naked. She was bending over, her butt facing Theo, as she was in the middle of putting on a fresh pair of black panties. The fabric was still midway up her thighs and her buttocks were visible to his view. ¡°A..ahhhhh! I¡¯m sorry!¡± He retreated immediately before Myrilla could react. He was lucky. Or else the Nerthusian would have made him fall unconscious, just like she did with Hugo when he stumbled upon her taking her bath. This wasn¡¯t the first time Theo had seen a naked woman. He had seen Tama naked many times before. But Tama¡¯s body was entirely different from Myrilla¡¯s, who was a mature, adult woman. Unlike Tama who was still a teenager. At the very least, he was quite sure Myrilla¡¯s rump was larger and firmer than hers. His heart was racing as he tried to forget what he just saw, to no avail. He remained standing in front of Myrilla¡¯s tent, however. He had to apologize to her after she put on her clothes. A few minutes later, the flaps of the tent behind her opened, revealing Myrilla, fully dressed in her usual robes. ¡°No need to apologize.¡± She cut to the chase as she had been reading his mind from the inside. ¡°Get in. You wish to talk to me, correct?¡± Theo could only nod meekly in response. Inside, he sat down cross-legged, with Myrilla doing the same in front of him. ¡°...I see. So you want me to cheer him up. No. I will not.¡± Theo didn¡¯t even get to open his mouth. ¡°His failure is his own. And for one to mature as a man¡ªas a person, one must own up to their mistakes, not coddled through it like an infant." "But¡ª" "And besides, he already has his two lovers sleeping with him every night. You think they haven''t tried? There''s nothing you or me can do better than them." Theo fell silent. He couldn''t refute her argument. "I-I''m sorry¡­ for disturbing you." He sat up and left the tent. Leaving Myrilla with her own thoughts. ¡ª------ Theo walked back to his tent with slumped shoulders. He couldn''t accept his mother or Myrilla''s words. He just wanted his master to be back to his usual self! Was it too much to ask? "Hey, Theo! What are you doing here? Shouldn''t you be sleeping?!" He looked to his right and saw Kiri waving her hand in his direction. Aria was there too, sitting to her opposite around the campfire. They were wearing their maid dresses, having grown to like the clothes over her usual attires. Theo walked over to them, forcing a smile on his face. "You look bummed out. What happened?" Kiri smiled. Scratching the back of his head, Theo bashfully replied, "Is it that obvious?" "Well, yes! I know your usual smile, Theo! It''s not like that! Right, Aria?" Her introverted friend nodded, her eyes seemingly digging into his brain. "Well, you should know that Master Hugo is feeling bummed out too! And when he''s bummed out, I''m bummed out too!" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Oh¡­ So that¡¯s why¡­¡± Kiri¡¯s happy smile disappeared, replaced by one tinged with sadness. ¡°I know that he''s bummed¡­ I tried to cheer him up but it''s not working¡­¡± She averted her gaze. ¡°I want to help him more but Miss Sherry and Felicia won¡¯t let me do it!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Theo tilted his head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Suddenly, the fairy grabbed his hands and brought him closer to her. ¡°Can you believe it?! I want to hug and cuddle Master Hugo! But they won¡¯t let me! They say that¡¯s something only they are allowed to do! Aahh, it¡¯s not fair! Not fair, I say! I love Master Hugo too, you know!¡± ¡°R-right¡­¡± He backed off a little. Her face was getting too close. Uncomfortably so, to the point he could smell the pleasant scent of summer coming from her breath. She might be Master Hugo¡¯s familiar but she¡¯s still a pretty young girl. ¡°It cannot be helped.¡± Aria chimed in, still staring emotionlessly like an eagle towards him. ¡°Master Hugo now has his wives. And there¡¯s a law in the human world saying that a woman cannot hug or cuddle with another woman¡¯s husband.¡± Theo was about to open his mouth to correct her but he stopped himself. He wasn¡¯t confident enough he could explain the intricacies of marriage to a fey like her. Especially since he himself barely had experience in the matter. He only had Tama and so far there weren''t any other girls that liked him. "But we''re his familiars!" Kiri protested. "We shouldn''t count!" "It''s up to Lady Sherry and Lady Felicia to decide." Aria replied. "It''s not our place to intrude on them." The bonfire cracked¡ªthe wood inside splitting from the fire, giving a short pause to their conversation. The three had their chat for a little more afterwards until Tama came and dragged Theo away. The fairies stayed there as it was their turn to watch over the campsite. Meanwhile, however, there was another person that wasn''t getting his much-needed sleep. ¡ª------ "Haaah!" I swung the sharpened stick for a horizontal slash, followed by a series of rapid thrusts. The night wind blew, its coldness absorbed by my robes and the warming spell I got on. Thanks to Quania cutting Fiora''s sword in half, I am now stuck with a stick as my melee weapon. At least, until Sherry wrapped it with her hair. Then it''ll become as strong as a mithril sword, if not more. It was a tradition for a male Izurd to wield a sword made out of his wife''s hair. It signified their bond and trust. No matter where you go, she will always be there fighting beside you. A romantic notion to be sure. Though Sherry herself didn¡¯t have a sword. She could use her hair as one however. But, seeing how Quania fought, having a magic sword in her hand would be a great addition to her strength. And we could already make one, using Sherry¡¯s hair as the base metal. We only needed to find a blacksmith good enough to forge it. It really is unfortunate that the Izurds had turned to pacifism or else they would¡¯ve had their own blacksmith with them. The last one died when they decided to run away from the world and his children never really inherited the art. ¡°Hmm, I think that¡¯s enough sword training. Time for the usual one thousand push-ups.¡± ¡°Hugo! I¡¯ve been looking for you!¡± Before I could go down on my biceps, a familiar voice interrupted me from behind. ¡°You said you were just going to take a quick pee break! Yet here you are training without telling anyone again!¡± Sure enough, Sherry was there, standing near a small rock with her hands on her waist. Her long, flowing hair was being carried away by the wind, giving me quite the breathtaking sight. She looked more like a fairy than a normal Izurdian girl now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m just¡­ not that sleepy yet.¡± ¡°Hmph! You do realize you had promised that tonight, you¡¯ll make love to us properly, right?¡± Her cheeks grew red, only adding to her beauty and cuteness. ¡°I know.¡± I flashed her a smile. ¡°But, I just feel I have to¡ª¡± ¡°Have to what? Feel sorry for yourself? Because you failed Marina?¡± ¡­She hit the jackpot. All this extra training¡ªI was doing it just so I could feel better about myself. ¡°I¡­ I just want to get stronger.¡± ¡°I know you do. You¡¯ve always wanted to. Ever since we were little. Remember how upset you were when I beat you the first time we fought?¡± ¡°I¡­ I wasn¡¯t that upset¡­¡± ¡°And remember, how I told you there not to carry your problems by yourself? Well, you¡¯re doing it now. You¡¯re training to be so strong you won¡¯t even need me or Felicia around to help you.¡± ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not what¡ª¡± ¡°Then stop doing this! You¡¯ve trained enough with me, Kiri, and Aria every day! You need rest too, Hugo, or else you¡¯ll tire yourself out! You say you keep getting those dreams about Marina! That¡¯s a sign that you haven¡¯t been getting enough rest! I mean, look at those eyebags! That can¡¯t be healthy!¡± ¡°I¡­¡± My voice trailed off. I could no longer look her in the eye. Have I really been trying too hard? For the past month, I would use one or two hours before breakfast to train with Sherry, Kiri, and Aria. With Sherry, we would spar for most of the time. Others, we would see which one could do more push-ups or sit-ups before giving up. I had never won at the latter. With Kiri and Aria, I trained them in both their normal state and their Rank-up state. In the latter state, inside her mature form, Kiri needed to learn how to fight with her greatsword effectively while with Aria, she needed to learn how to protect me as my armor. She walked closer to me, close enough to grab my hands. ¡°Look at me. Look into my eyes.¡± I did just as I was told. Her bright, emerald eyes. They were more beautiful than any stars in the skies. We stared at each other, unblinking, unflinching. Until, I did what I desperately wanted to do, now that we were this close. I leaned down and kissed her right on the lips. Vol 5 Chapter 2: Training With Sherry "So, how was it?" "How was what?" "The sex. With Sherry. You two did it last night, didn''t you?" I coughed. I didn''t expect that question to come out from Felicia''s mouth right when I just woke up. "Well, it''s¡­ it''s good." "Just good?" She raised an eyebrow. "This is the happiest you''ve been since we left the village. Don''t tell me you prefer doing it out in the open." "N-no, not at all. It''s just that¡­ we had a heart to heart talk yesterday." I was in the middle of dressing myself when she suddenly spoke up. Normally, she would still be asleep this early in the morning, but for some reason, she woke up early. "...Oh." She looked away. "I guess she connects more to you than me. She knew you since childhood after all." "Jealous?" I smiled. "Oh yes, I am jealous." She smiled back. "So much so I''m considering asking you to make love to me too before you have your training with her." She looked to her left. "Look at her. Still sleeping like a baby. I''d say, let''s have a quick session while the little girl''s napping." She gave me those bedroom eyes she was all too proficient with. Oh screw it, I promised to do it with her yesterday but I just fell asleep right after I came back with Sherry. I should do it now. I dropped my pants and pulled down my briefs. Toing! The little guy came out, already hard and ready. Felicia smirked seeing my goods. Licking her lips, she erotically pulled her panties down her legs without undressing the rest of her robes. "Come here, Milord. Let me relieve you of that tension¡­" I returned back to the mattress, and she didn''t even wait. She sat down on top of my erection, her hole accepting my length in an instant. "Ahhh, there you go¡­ Your cock really is the best, Milord¡­" I smiled. Praising my manhood like that¡­ she really knew how to satisfy my ego. She moved her hips up and down. My eyes rested on her breasts. They were bouncing in such a way I was sure I was being hypnotized by them. Just as her breath grew heavy, however¡­ "Hey! What are you two doing?! Hugo, you''re supposed to train with me this morning!" Sherry had woken up. And she wasn''t happy with what she was seeing. "Ah¡­ just a little¡­ ahnnn! Morning exercise! It''s your own fault you¡­ ahnn¡­ didn''t wake up earlier!" I flashed her a nervous grin. She rolled her eyes, folding her hands under her chest as she sat there in her pink jammies. "Well, make it quick!" She had been a lot more able to temper her jealousy lately. ¡°J-just a little¡ªah! Ahhhnn! Ahhhhhhhh!¡± Felicia came all over my lap. And I wasn¡¯t even near my peak yet. It really was just a quick one. Almost as if she was using me as a replacement for her wooden dildo. Oh, I knew she had one. Saw it lying around one morning, after one of those nights where I wasn¡¯t in the mood for any ¡°nighttime activities¡±. I¡¯m an open minded man so I don¡¯t really care. But that just means she doesn¡¯t have enough sex from me. Which is definitely something I need to fix. So I didn¡¯t really care if she used me that way. Better on my dick than on a wooden, fake one. ¡°Oh, Milord, you haven¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I flashed her a smile. ¡°I have to train, like Sherry said. I¡¯ll sweat it off.¡± Felicia bit her lip as she slowly pulled her crotch from my lap. She probably was feeling guilty she didn¡¯t get to jerk me off until I finished too. My still fully erect penis didn¡¯t escape Sherry¡¯s eyes though. ¡°Oh, for the love of¡ª¡± With a boldness I wouldn¡¯t expect from her, Sherry landed her butt on top of it. ¡°There.¡± She spoke to me, turning her head to look back at me as she was facing the other way. ¡°You love my butt a lot, don¡¯t you, Hugo? So this should really turn you on. ¡° Her face was fully flushed with redness. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen her this cute. And she was right. I am massively turned on right now. So much so that after just a few rounds of rubbing, I came right then and there, firing my cum all over her pajama shorts. I just couldn''t take it. Her soft yet firm butt enveloped my length perfectly, compressing it with its milky touch. Once I finished, she stood up, giving me a heavenly view of her cum-soaked buttocks. It made her thin pajama shorts translucent, displaying her naked girlhood to my eyes. No panties underneath. "You really are a pervert, Hugo." She spoke, still looking away from me. "But that''s fine. As your wife, I''m here to serve all your lewd desires. It''s the least I can do for not being there when you needed me the most." She walked off the mattress before bending over, pulling down her soaked shorts with one fell swoop. "I''m changing now. You should do the same. And not just ogle me. We both want to save Marina, remember?So we both need to be stronger." I stood up and grabbed the nearby towel, dampening it with water magic before using it to clean myself. I threw another to Sherry, who needed cleaning up herself. I made sure the towels were warm as well, using a bit of fire magic. She took the towel with her hair, using it to wipe her butt from my white, sticky thing. An erotic sight I certainly wouldn''t forget for a while. That morning, I realized just how lucky I was to have her as my girlfriend. Sherry The devil in my head whispered those words. And I couldn''t help but agree, judging by this time I now had on my face. Still, I had to say¡­ After I finished cleaning my bottom (giving Hugo a good show, I¡¯m sure), I walked to the corner of the tent where I had put my clean pair of panties and shorts last night. I had to change out the previous ones since, well, I came in them (thanks to Hugo¡¯s perverted assault). Luckily, or, unluckily, depending on your perspective, I still had several, other short shorts I could wear as replacement. Putting them on, I could feel his lecherous gaze eyeing me up and down from behind. I gritted my teeth, trying to bear the embarrassment. Finished, I could finally turn around and face him. My cheeks were still burning but I couldn¡¯t really put it off any longer. Only to find him standing there shirtless, grinning at my direction. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m thinking of doing the training this morning without a shirt. I¡¯d be sweating all over and I¡¯d rather not add an extra laundry for¡ª¡± ¡°P-put on your clothes, YOU IDIOT!¡± I stepped forward, forming my right hand into a fist. My embarrassment had turned into rage. And without thinking, my desire to punch that handsome smile of his peaked. But then, I stopped myself, noticing Felicia¡¯s frown from the corner of my sight. ¡­ The sensible part of my mind won. I ended up just huffing before making my way out of the tent. I gritted my teeth. I really wanted to punch myself now. Felicia ¡°Milord, I would suggest the same. You shouldn¡¯t train with her shirtless.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± He turned to face me. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because she can¡¯t take it. You do have a handsome body after all. And I imagine it would only grow even more so when you¡¯re all sweaty. You might not know this but she would secretly sniff your clothes whenever it was her turn for washing duty.¡± ¡°W-what? She does?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± My smile widened. ¡°Quite surprising, is it not?¡± The devil in my heart hoped he would like her less for this. ¡°Well, I think she can sniff them whenever she wants.¡± He smiled. ¡°We all have our things. And I¡¯m open-minded enough to not care about it. Uh, don¡¯t tell her that I know, though. I imagine she¡¯d die out of embarrassment.¡± I stood up, revealing fully to him my lewd nightgown that wasn¡¯t hiding my panties in the slightest. ¡°As you train, I¡¯ll use the time to do some alchemy.¡± I declared with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m pretty close to a breakthrough in my research. A new potion, that would really help us in a fight.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± He replied. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± He walked over and put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Well, good luck to that. I¡¯m going off now.¡± Before he could leave, I walked forward and gave a short kiss on the lips. ¡°Stay safe, alright? And don¡¯t overdo yourself, my dear.¡± That¡¯s how my mother would see my father leaving every morning. So I would do the same with him. Once he left the tent (after putting on a shirt), I let out a long sigh. Other than a quick glance, he didn¡¯t ogle my body in the slightest. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hugo Outside, I was greeted by the chilly morning wind. The sky was still dark as the sun had yet to come up. We had to train this early so that we could resume our journey as soon as daylight came. Our tents were erected on top of a swamp, made possible by my earth magic adding a layer of rock over the water and mud. The locals didn¡¯t even have a name for this region of the Demon Continent since it was that remote. They just called it The Swamps. It didn''t take long until I found Sherry as she was conversing with Aria and Kiri. Being fey, they had no need for sleep. So even after watching our camp all night, they could still join in on our training. "Please, Miss Sherry! I want to cheer him up!" "You can do that without sleeping with him! He''s a scary beast while he sleeps, you know! He''ll devour you whole!" "Eh? What does that mean?" "I believe it means Master Hugo will do all sorts of indecent things to you," Aria chimed in. "In-de-cent?" Kiri tilted her head, one finger pressed to her lips. Aria sighed. "Do you not remember anything Miss Tira taught us?" "Master Hugo!" Kiri was the first to notice me. As usual, the girl ran towards me and gave me a big hug¡ªgiving me a nice sensation of her breasts squishing into my chest. "Master Hugo." Aria, on the other hand, simply stood in place and gave me a bow¡ªher breasts bouncing in the process. "Took you long enough." Sherry was the last to speak. She had one hand on her hip, looking slightly annoyed at me Gee, I could only guess why she was mad. "Well, enough dallying. We''ll begin training by warm-ups. One thousand push-ups, all of you!" "M-me too?" Kiri pointed at herself. "Yes, you too so get away from my Hugo!" For my old, overweight self, a thousand push-ups would be a Sisphyean task. But now, I can decently handle it, thanks to all the exercise I always do every day ever since I was little. I would never want to get fat again. My cute wives would be disappointed if I did, that''s for sure. Sherry, though, she did it like a machine. She finished around when I just reached 500. And she did it with one hand. A shame, considering I was peeking at her butt as she did her push-ups in front of me. Such amazing peaches, I tell you. Kiri and Aria, on the other hand, could scarcely handle fifty. Kiri gave up after fourth while Aria surrendered after fifty. Well, they were in their human form. And I don''t believe fairies can build up muscles in the first place. Still, another shame, considering their breasts went every time they took a rep. Another lovely sight. Afterwards, I began to spar with Sherry. The rules were simple. No magic. Just sword skills. The goal was for me to polish my technique a bit more. Now, I couldn''t exactly copy her style, since it relied heavily on her strength and her hair, but she certainly could point out the weaknesses and openings I had. Kiri and Aria, on the other hand, had their own sparring. They needed to learn how to use their fairy powers better. "Oh! Dammit!" The sword I held, made out of Sherry''s hair, was sent flying by hers, made by the same material. It surprisingly felt nothing like hair. It felt more like cold steel. She really could control the texture of her hair at will. "Your right side is open again, Hugo." She told me, one hand resting on her hip. She had slid her sword over her belt. I wondered how she could be comfortable with the blade touching her thigh like that. "Really, are you sure that Fiora girl taught you properly?" I had mentioned her in my story. And ever since then, she had this odd rivalry with her regarding my sword training. "Well, try again. This time, try to be more aware of your right side." After our sword sparring, we moved on to our magic sparring. Or rather, it''s me blasting Sherry with all my spells as she tried to counter or dodge them all. First, a simple Boom Cannon. "Haa!" She was fast enough to split it into two. Just like Fiora. Next was a Boom Rifle. Aimed at that juicy thigh of hers. "Hah!" She extended her hair in a split second, forming a shield that protected her from the spell. "Hugo, stop holding back! Give me a harder one!" "Look, the last time I sent a full power Super Boom Cannon your way, you almost died. It won''t be funny if I accidentally kill you with my spell. How do you think that''ll make me feel?" I gave her a pout. It''s true. She barely made it out alive thanks to Felicia, Kiri, and her own amazing regenerative ability. "That was a month ago! I''m a lot stronger now!" She protested. "If I may interject, Master Hugo, Mistress Sherry¡­" Our argument was interrupted by Aria in her sprite form, who seemed to have finished with her spar. Behind her, I could see Kiri in her human form, panting as she sat down on the dirt. "I can act as her shield if you wish. That way, if she fails, the damage she sustains won''t be that grave. And I do need to train my durability, so I won''t fail you again." "That''s a clever idea, Aria." I smiled at her. "Though aren''t you tired from your spar with Kiri?" She shook her head. "Swamps are my domain. Hers on the other hand are clear, pure water. She''s at a significant disadvantage." "Well, Sherry? How about it?" "Sure! She can help!" she replied. "Just give me your best, alright?" And so, we took our spots. Aria stood beside Sherry, ready to interject if anything were to go wrong. I stood facing them both, standing a good 500 meters away or so, as per Sherry''s request. I then called upon my magic, ordering Aria to rank-up to her armor form, before telling her to attach herself onto her. The naked body inside the armor nodded before melting into a pile of mud. The armor then flew one by one towards her, attaching itself to her skin once they landed. The legendary knight Sherry is now here! She readied her stance, bending her knees slightly as she brought her sword to the front. Her hair stood ready, forming tendrils that wiggled like snakes in front of her face. And then, I fired. Using Accelerate, I charged the spell to maximum strength in an instant. A loud, thunderous bang filled the air, followed a nanosecond later by Sherry''s yell. She had failed. She was sent flying immediately as my massive cannonball made contact with her sword, crushing it in an instant. However, she did manage to alter its trajectory a little, making it go slightly upwards instead of staying in its straight line course. The spell eventually flew to the skies before disappearing over the horizon, never to be seen again. Quickly, I rushed to her side, calling Kiri over to heal her. I found her laying down in mud, cracks all over Aria''s armor. "H-hey, you okay?" "Yes, yes, I''m okay," she replied, grabbing my hand. "Grr, why must your spell be so strong? How did Grandmother manage to fight it?!" To my relief, other than some bruises, she didn''t seem harmed at all. "M-Master¡­ I-I''ve failed¡­" The cracked armor shattered into million pieces before reforming itself into Aria''s base form. She wobbled as she stood, cracks all over her brick arms and legs. "I''m sorry¡­" "W-whoa, calm down!" I caught her before she could fall. "Take a rest for now, alright?" She nodded and smiled weakly, before her body turned into a featureless soft mud. She wasn''t dead or anything. She just returned to the Great Fairy Forest to recover. We stopped our training afterwards, returning to our campsite just in time to be greeted by Tira and Tama cooking breakfast (with Theo happily cheering them on to the side). After cleaning up, we ate together before we packed up, ready to resume our trip. Just in time for my thoughts to wander back to Marina. ¡­ ¡­ I nearly hit myself for forgetting about her entirely. Ilmyhrra. The high elf said she would make sure the Magocracy left Marina alone. Now, this time, it was that shitty Goddess who did it, but perhaps I could still leverage my promise over her! And since she was going to the Magocracy with that bubble girl, she should be closer to Marina than me! ¡°H-hey, guys! Wait! Let me have a nap for a quick second!¡± ¡°E-eh? What do you mean, Sir Hugo?¡± Tira asked, raising her eyebrows. ¡°I have to contact someone! Someone really important!¡± ¡°Oh, the Dream Crystal.¡± Felicia commented. ¡°So, who is it? And you can use my lap to sleep. Faster than setting up the mattress again.¡± ¡°H-hey! He can sleep on my lap too!¡± Sherry protested. ¡°And mine!¡± Kiri answered excitedly. Ignoring the competition the three girls had erected between themselves, I gave a short explanation to the group. ¡°Ilmyhrra?¡± Felicia¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Are you sure she¡¯ll help? What if she tells your sister¡¯s condition to her Magocracy buddies and they use it to their advantage?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll break her promise like that.¡± ¡°Really? Well, it¡¯s your choice, Milord. I¡¯m fine either way.¡± In the end, I decided to go through with it. I sent a clear message as best as I could. I told her about how I had bad dreams involving Marina and how I started to feel something must have happened. As such, I begged her to check on her and made sure she was safe. I didn¡¯t say anything about the Goddess. Or how I got the information from some fairy-eater I met. I said it as if I was just a little brother who was really worried about his big sister. And, if I was right about her character, she should be willing to travel there and check up on her. And when that happened, if she really was being magically enslaved by that puppet of the Goddess, she would no doubt rescue her. It was worth a shot. I could only pray it wouldn¡¯t backfire on her. Vol 5 Chapter 3: The Skeleton Duo Alincia Alincia Salamander couldn''t take it anymore. It was one thing obeying her grandfather''s every whim. It was another actually going to war under his name. Ever since that woman who called herself Mira appeared, things had gotten a lot worse in the Magocracy. They now believed they were entitled to the whole world! Just because of her! Still, that monster¡­ as much as she disliked her, she could not deny the power she possessed. Even at Tottima, she could see the meteor she called falling from the sky a month ago. At that moment, she seriously thought the world was going to end. Just who was she? Was she seriously Mira herself, somehow reincarnated to one thousand years in the future? Or had she somehow achieved immortality? If so, where were she all these years? She didn¡¯t know. Her grandfather refused to tell her anything. Not until she beat him in a fight, something she had yet to be able to do. There was one thing she knew for sure though. She had to get out of here. At once. She finally knew where Marina was, thanks to her pulling some strings with her subordinates. She had told them to keep an eye on rumors and hearsays by hanging around in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild (without telling them who they really were, of course). And, it took quite a while, but rumors from the other end of the Continent finally reached the adventurers living here Marina was in some northwestern kingdom called Ferus, and apparently, she had gained quite the reputation there as the Witch of Verdant Death. Bad reputation, that is. Something completely baseless, she was sure of it. However, the Witch was said to specialize in plant magic, able to grow giant trees and vines with a wave of her staff. And that described Marina to a tee. So it had to be her! She just knew it! And then, she learned something else, about how she was apparently being ¡°tamed¡± by some girl who called herself a saint of the Heavenly Dragon. And she did it with her so-called miracle, after the Witch killed the king with her wicked spells. The word ¡°tamed¡± was enough to send her flying to a frenzy. She was there when her friend was nearly violated by that lecherous hobbit. And she¡¯d be damned if she let something similar to happen to her again! And so, under the guise of the night, she abandoned her post at Tottima, flying straight towards the northwest, using her magic sword. She didn¡¯t tell anyone of her departure. No one was really on her side. They were all worshiping her grandfather. Their loyalty was to him, 100%. Unlike them, she wouldn¡¯t wait around until he ordered her to actually attack another country, like what happened with Monas Vehta and his kids. Like hell she would kill innocent people just to satisfy the ambition of a mad old man! Only for her to notice Ilmyhrra walking on the streets of the city. She recognized her immediately. Her silver hair, her long ears, she was the mysterious high elf that suddenly came one day to the Council. She didn¡¯t think she noticed her as she was flying up high in the sky but now, here she was, being chased by her. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She glanced behind her. Sure enough, the high elf was still there, chasing after her like a hawk. She was flying without anything supporting her, meaning, she must be using some sort of wind magic. Not that she could do anything about it. She had tried firing a few of her fire spells towards her to slow her down but, for some reason, they simply vanished before they could make contact with her. She bent her knees, putting more weight to the front over her back. Using a spell, she conjured a jet of fire to come out from the handle of the flying sword she was standing on. The fire acted like a rocket engine, granting a significant boost to her speed at the cost of her handling. The wind picked up considerably, nearly blowing her large witch hat off her head. The magic sword swiftly balanced itself to make sure its mistress wouldn¡¯t fall from its surface. She looked behind her once more. And, to her relief, she wasn¡¯t there anymore. A staff. A metal staff had just hit her in her abdomen. She didn¡¯t know where it came from. It simply just appeared out of thin air. No, in that split second, she saw her. The high elf was right in front of her. ¡°Gah!¡± She fell off her sword. The living tool quickly tried to chase after all, only to find itself suddenly losing its power. It fell down from the sky, just like its mistress, before laying down lifelessly on the dirt down below. However, for Alincia, she had a better fate awaiting for her. The high elf managed to catch her right before she hit the ground with her wind spell. She landed right beside the still coughing magician, standing over her with her usual blank expression. ¡°You¡¯re Alincia, correct?¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re here to capture me? Bring me back to my grandfather? Or to that Mira woman?¡± Alincia replied, aiming her wand towards her. ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it?! Who brought her here?! Ever since you appeared, everything has gone wrong! What are you, some sort of necromancer? Did you bring her back to life with your dark magic? You high elves are really good at magic!¡± Ilmyhrra didn¡¯t respond. She simply said these words in return¡ªwords that were enough to send Alincia to a stupor of silence. ¡°You want to meet with Marina Greenwood, do you not? I¡¯ll come with you.¡± ¡°I have a debt I still need to repay. To an acquaintance of mine.¡± ? ? Ilymhrra Some days ago, inside the Sage Tower, Ilymhrra had her parting conversation with her ex-pupil. There, Mira was sitting on her floating throne. Ilymhrra had to crank her neck upwards to see her. Definitely designed so the one on the throne had a superior position to the one on the floor. "You''re leaving? Why? Are you not going to be by my side? When I met my mortal enemy once more?" "No. Your conflict with Milicis¡ªI shall not intervene," Ilymhrra replied coolly. "You''re a clever one. You already know how to handle her since you started this war and all. Soon, she and the entirety of the Holy Continent will knock on your door. And I won''t be there to save you." "How cruel~" Mira smiled. "You did leave me on my own when the holy hag tried to assassinate me all those years ago. Are you sure you''ll do it all over again? Didn''t you get all depressed when your cute apprentice died?" One thousand years ago, Milicis tried to assassinate Mira once she learned that her old friend was attempting to open the Gate to the Lifestream. She brought her Chosen Champions and confronted the archmage in secret, unbeknownst to the Church at large. It resulted in Mira''s "death" and the start of the rivalry between the Church and the Magocracy. "If you''re that worried," the high elf replied coldly. "Then go stay in the Reverse Tower instead of here. You got your Administrator friend there." Etor, the elusive Administrator of the World Dungeon dubbed Reverse Tower. Even with her restored memories, Ilymhrra didn''t know him much, only that he was in cahoots with her pupil since a thousand years ago. Half of her soul was kept in his tower after all. And he was a powerful mage, just like her. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that!¡± Mira smiled. ¡°My agreement with him doesn¡¯t include him defending me.¡± ¡°Your agreement? Mind telling me what that is?¡± The high elf narrowed her eyes. ¡°Nope! It¡¯s our little secret!¡± She giggled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. ¡°If you want to know, you have to ask him yourself.¡± Ilymhrra could only reply with an annoyed glare. She had tried talking to him before but he refused to say anything. Just like her. ¡°...I¡¯m leaving. And I won¡¯t be coming back for a while.¡± With those final words, the high elf left her pupil. She might agree now that the Heavenly Dragon needed to go but that didn¡¯t mean she liked all the secrecy Mira was giving her. She knew she must have a plan beyond just supporting that vile Goddess and making Her slay the Heavenly Dragon for revenge. She might have grown awfully arrogant as she grew old but she also grew cleverer alongside it. She was unlike the cute little girl she once met on those streets a millenia ago. If she painted a target against her like this, that meant she was ready to face off against Milicis. And she would win. She would open the path for the Goddess to strike at the Heavenly Dragon. And when She won¡­ The world would enter a new age. ? ? Hugo Quira. The city at the most northeastern edge of the Demon Continent. We were finally here after nearly two months of traveling through that terrible swamp. The land had turned back into solid earth, perfect for someone to build a town on. And it was just what the centaurs did. The small town was constructed perfectly to accommodate their tall, half-horse bodies. The doors were much larger and the tables were a lot higher. There were barely any chairs in sight, with some only there to accommodate the other races that visited the place. I had visited this place once before, on my way to Sherry¡¯s village. And just like then, it was still as bothersome and unpleasant as ever. It felt all wrong, walking down the brick roads, seeing how the buildings were larger than I used to. And I had to keep cranking up my neck to talk to the centaurs. Both male and female centaurs were about the same height, which was around one and a half of my height. And yes, riding on them without permission was considered a grave offense. In fact, in centaur culture, it was considered almost the same thing as rape. It showed that you viewed them like a common horse, and not as an intelligent and sapient demon that they were. Thankfully, we managed to get an inn friendly to us humans. Usually they would be all booked up. That¡¯s what happened on my first visit. Had to sleep on an oversized bed. Oh yes, centaurs did use beds. But they could sleep standing as well if there weren''t any beds strong enough to take their weight around. We wouldn¡¯t stay long. We would just stay for a day to restock and rest and then depart west. ? "Oi oi, look at that! Ye see that redhead chick¡¯s tits?!¡± ¡°Forget about her tits, dude! Look at the other chick near her! That ass!¡± At night, I decided to make a visit to the inn''s tavern. Despite my distaste of beer and drinking in general, it was the best spot to gather information on the going ons of the world. Well, other than the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I didn¡¯t go there alone, as Sherry and Felicia insisted they would tag along. And, as I expected, perverted, drunken men began to ogle them the moment they walked into the room. Well, I was fine with it, as long as they didn¡¯t try to touch them. And Felicia, all too confident of her sexuality, was fine with it as well. Sherry, on the other hand, looked as if she was going to punch them at any second. Which would be bad. The centaur guards of this town were really serious in kicking out any outsiders who misbehaved. I saw it myself the last time I visited here, where they dragged a fishfolk merchant out of the city after he made a fuss in the markets. Something about being scammed by his partner there. And, if the offense was serious enough, like murder, the guards would just execute you on the spot without any trial. Yeah. Demon Continent really was a lawless place, even in a town that was more lawful than the others. Due process? What is that? As we waded through the busy room, however, I noticed something¡­ peculiar, to say the least. There, in a far corner of the room, sat what I was pretty sure was two skeletons, sitting facing each other on one table. Yeah, skeletons. Really. One of them wore a purple robe while the other wore a red one. And, on the latter¡¯s bald head, a small red ribbon rested. It wasn¡¯t just me who stood agape at the sight. Sherry and Felicia as well. Especially Felicia. ¡°M-Milord, those¡­ those are¡ª¡± ¡°Skeletons, yeah. Talking with each other. Drinking, even though the liquid just goes straight through them.¡± ¡°Necromancer. A necromancer is here! There¡¯s no doubt about it! They¡¯re being animated by necromantic magic!¡± ¡°Gahahahahahaha! What are ye¡¯ standing around there with yer jaws wide open?!¡± We all turned to see who just spoke. It was a bartender. A well-muscled bald man with three eyes. He was wiping a glass as he spoke to us, grinning as he did. ¡°Them two are our regulars. Sir Rattlebone and Young Lady Whitebone. No need to fear ''em. For the month they''ve been here, they never caused any trouble." Felicia narrowed her eyes as she walked up to him. "You do know that skeletons can''t move on their own, right? And the demonic mana here is nowhere thick enough to be able to reanimate a talking corpse on its own. That skeleton over there was too fine to be created naturally. The only explanation that makes sense is that you got a necromancer in your midst." She slammed her hands on the counter as she leaned forward. If one of the three eyes the bartender possessed had looked down, he would get an eyeful of her cleavage. Luckily for me, none of them did. "A necromancer?" He burst into a laugh. "That would be something." "You''re not worried?" "Why should I? Necromancy is just magic like any other! If there''s someone pulling their strings, they''re doing a really good job." Felicia paused. She didn''t expect that frank of an answer. "Look. Just go talk to them. They''re a pleasant sort. You''ll like them in no time." Felicia turned to face me, looking for my opinion. "Yeah, sure." I smiled. "We can go meet them." And so we resumed wading through the crowd until we stood in front of the skeleton pair. Quickly, I turned on my noble mode, giving a deep bow towards them. "Greetings. The name''s Hugo. An adventurer. And these two with me are Sherry and Felicia, also adventurers. Apologies for disturbing you but we were simply too curious to meet talking skeletons such as you." "Eh?" The purple-robed one turned his head. "Hello there, Hugo the adventurer." He waved his bony hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t see you there. Probably because I had too much to drink. Harharharharhar!¡± His jaw rattled up and down, simulating what was supposed to be a laugh. Thinking about it, I was surprised his speech was so¡­ clear and human-like. He shouldn¡¯t be able to enunciate at all, being a skeleton and all. "Hello, Mr. Hugo! You can call me White! White Bone! And over there is my uncle, Rattle Bone! We''re from the Bone Family!" The next to speak was the red-robed one. And she¡ªyes, it''s a she¡ªspoke with a high-pitched girly voice that seriously took me aback. ¡°Please, Adventurer Hugo. Sit down. And your girlfriends as well. Here. The drink¡¯s on me.¡± I caught a glance of Felicia and Sherry¡¯s face reddening at that term. How cute. ¡°Ah, that would be wonderful, Sir Rattle Bone.¡± I flashed a polite smile. The skeleton then clapped, calling over the nearby waitress to bring more chairs to the table. ¡°Lovely Chelise! Please! That gentleman and these ladies need to be seated!¡± ¡°Right away, Sir Bone!¡± She smiled, giving him a flirtatious wink. She too was a demon¡ªsome race that had three breasts instead of two. Ignoring the uncanny valley of the whole thing, they did indeed look as nice as normal human breasts¡­ She brought the three chairs in one visit, lifting them all up on top of one another as if she was some bodybuilder. Those chairs were made out of decently heavy wood and I would never expect an ordinary waitress to be able to lift them all up in one go. After the waitress placed all of them, Mr. Rattle Bone flicked a demon ruby at her direction, which she readily caught. Demon rubies are one of the several currencies commonly used by the demons in the Demon Continent. The other ones were demon sapphires and demon topazes. In order of value, rubies were the first, then sapphires, then topazes. Just like gold, silver, and copper coins. As for the ¡°demon¡± suffix, it came from the fact that the gems were specifically enchanted by the Demon Lord of Coins to differentiate themselves from ordinary rubies, sapphires, and topazes. Anyone who tried to use them other than as a currency would be cursed, or so they said. The Demon Lord himself was dead around half a millenia ago. Buried and choked under the mountain of gems he had hoarded supposedly. ¡°Well, good Sir and Madams,¡± the skeleton spoke, bringing me out of my thoughts. ¡°Please, take your seats. We¡¯ll exchange some joyful tales of our travels.¡± I exchanged glances with Sherry and Felicia. We all seemed to reluctantly agree. ? What happened next was, to put it simply, a dramatic reenactment of their trip through the Demon Continent. With great glee, the two told us everything, up to the littlest details, from when they ended up in a tomb filled with skeletons, whom they quickly persuaded that they were their long-lost relatives, to a story about how Sir Rattle Bone here wooed a slime princess, before having to leave her behind after their first night, since he couldn¡¯t ¡°bone¡± her and she got angry because of it. It was all so ridiculous I could scarcely believe them to be honest. And Felicia seemed to share the same sentiment. She was glaring at them without breaking a single smile all the way through. Sherry, on the other hand, looked somewhat amused by it, even having to stifle a giggle once. When they finished, a few hours had already passed. And my mug of light beer was already empty. And we didn¡¯t really get any of the information I wanted, for their stories were all fantastical. Even more so for a fantasy world like this. Too bad Felicia had a different idea. ¡°So, you say you two are skeletons from a dungeon? And you just escaped on your own and gained sentience? That¡¯s impossible. That¡¯s not how necromancy works.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Rattlebone tilted his skeleton head. ¡°Really? How do you know?¡± Immediately, Felicia turned pale. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s enough.¡± I put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Sorry, Sir Rattlebone but we have to get to sleep now. She¡¯s getting too drunk for her own good.¡± She looked at me with a confused stare, before quickly following up with, ¡°Y-you¡¯re right. I really should rest.¡± ¡°What? I can still get going.¡± Sherry protested. Of course, she just had to be dense enough to not realize the situation. ¡°Well, me and her are going back. Feel free to stay here if you want to.¡± ¡°Tch. Fine. We¡¯ll go back.¡± We stood up from our seats, quickly thanking them for their stories before making a beeline back upstairs, where our rooms were. Giving the skeleton pair one last look, I left the tavern floor, with my arm wrapping around Felicia¡¯s waist. A/N: By the way, I have a Discord server here. .gg/EvJhQQTyn2 And a Patreon here. /forestdweller. So far, I have 17 advance chapters there, along with some artworks I''ve commissioned that I haven''t posted here. Vol 5 Chapter 4: The Demon Lord of Death We rented three rooms in that inn. One was for me, Sherry and Felicia¡ªthe largest room the place got with the widest single bed, another was for Myrilla and Tira¡ªglad Ms. Loner Mindreader is willing to share a room with another, and lastly was Tama and Theo¡¯s room, where they had their usual lovey dovey nighttime action in private. Where did my fairies go, you might ask? I dismissed them back to the Fairy Forest. They already had their taste of staying in cheap inns throughout our journey and they much preferred to just sleep out in the open. Or not at all. Of course, I would call them back in the morning. I had promised them that after all. And now that they were permanently bound with me, they might as well be part of our family. ¡­No, not as mistresses! And not as daughters or sisters either! They¡¯re just¡­ my familiars, that¡¯s all! Arriving in our room, I promptly let myself fall on the soft, fluffy bed. ¡°Urghh, I want to just sleep¡­ My head is killing me¡­" I groaned. "You really are a lightweight, Milord." Felicia smiled, taking off her coat and throwing it on the table before jumping to the bed as well. "Here. Let me help you change out of those stuffy clothes. And then, I''ll give you a potion of mine that''ll cure that hangover in an instant." With a promiscuous smile, she began unbuttoning my shirt, going from the top all the way to the bottom. My eyes landed on her perky breasts¡ªthe same pair all those drunk perverts at the tavern ogled. And only I was allowed to play with them. Just before my hands jumped into action, however, a loud noise filled the room. The noise of water hitting a metal bucket. Sherry was doing her business right beside our bed. "You¡­ you shameless girl! Stop it! Go outside and do it there!" Felicia yelled. She didn''t say anything. She simply stared back at her with a defiant look, urinating into the steel bucket that was to be our chamber pot. When she finished, she stood up and pulled her panties and shorts in one move. Not before wiping using the handkerchief provided, of course. Putting her hands on her waist, she kicked the bucket under the bed. "Stop playing around, you two. It''s too dangerous to let down our guard now." "Huh? Dangerous?" I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" "Those two skeletons¡­ My instinct says they''re far stronger than they look." Felicia''s annoyed look immediately vanished, replaced by a worried, almost fearful expression. "And where do you get that?" Felicia asked, narrowing her eyes. "Call it a warrior''s instinct." She folded her hands under her chest. "Especially the male one. That one¡­ he never let down his guard. Even while he told us about his dramatic adventures." I exchanged a glance with Felicia. "Should we leave then?" I turned my gaze back to Sherry. She sighed, pausing for a moment before answering, "...I think we should." "Then, go gather the others. I''ll¡ª" "Oh no there would be no need for that." I bolted off the bed, grabbing my staff. Sherry formed a sword with her hair before giving another to me, as the sword couldn''t retain its shape for long. Felicia gasped, grabbing her staff as well. For in front of the door, a pool of shadow had sneaked in, followed by a familiar figure coming out of it. It was the skeleton we had been talking about. The one who called himself Rattlebone. "Greetings once again." He cackled, giving a bow. "My name is, ah, I cannot remember. But you may call me the Demon Lord of Death." "And I wish to speak with you, Buxom Felicia. As one necromancer to another." ¡­ My heart stopped. A Demon Lord? The skeleton was a Demon Lord all along? Before I could even accept what I just heard, Sherry flew forward, slicing the bone man into million pieces, using both her sword and her hair. And just like that, she killed him. There was no way he could recover from being grinded down to literal dust. ¡°There.¡± She turned around with a proud smile. ¡°That¡¯s how you do it. You catch the enemy while they¡¯re letting their guard down. Even if he¡¯s a Demon Lord, if he can¡¯t cast his spells, there is nothing he can do against my blade.¡± ¡°Oho, I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that, Flatchest Sherry.¡± To her horror, the pieces she had just created began to reassemble themselves, back to its original, skeletal form. ¡°I am immortal, you see. Endless. Undying. Cursed to wander this world for all eternity. Fitting, for the Lich of Liches." He cackled, now standing before us as a whole skeleton once more. "Now, before you swing that thing again, let me tell you that I come here in peace. I do not hold any ill will towards any of you or your companions. I merely wish to have, like I''ve said, a conversation, between one necromancer over the other." "So please, Flatchest Sherry. And you too, Womanizer Hugo. Let me speak to Buxom Felicia over here." What happened next turned me speechless. He knelt down and lowered his head to the floor, an act completely unbefitting for a Demon Lord. "Fine." Felicia walked forward, still holding her staff. "We can talk. But, just so you know, I stopped being a necromancer a long time ago." "Oh, really?!" He jumped to her feet, cackling. "That would be wonderful! Thank you very much, Red-Panty Felicia." The ex-necromancer frowned, covering the slit on her skirt with her hand as she took a step backward. ¡°Please stop. Only Milord Hugo is allowed to peek at my undergarments,¡± she said in a chilly tone. The skeleton stood up, cackling once more. ¡°Ah, of course! Apologies for my rudeness, Buxom Felicia.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re not allowed to call me buxom either.¡± ¡°A-ah, then, Beautiful Felicia¡ª¡± ¡°...Fine. I¡¯ll give you that.¡± ¡°Okay then! Beauutiful Felicia! Please, come with me to the outside! We shall speak and converse under the bright and beautiful night sky!¡± He raised his arms and one of his legs, as if he was doing some kind of interpretative dance. "What? You can''t just speak here?" Sherry interrupted, dissolving her sword back into her hair. "If you think you can lead us to an ambush¡ª" "Oh no no no no!" He waved his bone hands. "No ambushes. Just talk. Talk." I exchanged another glance with Felicia. She gave me a quiet nod. "Fine." I put a hand on my hip. "We''ll go." "Excellent! Now please, follow me!¡± "Hold on!" I stopped him. "We want to bring someone else with us." That person was, of course, Myrilla. She could read minds. We''ll be able to tell if he¡¯s lying or not in an instant. "Of course! Feel free to bring anyone you want!" I glanced at Sherry and Felicia. They immediately understood what my plan was. ?? We quickly dressed ourselves back before exiting the room. I buttoned up my shirt while Felicia put on her coat. Sherry, however, was already ready to go. Lucky for her that Mr. Skeleton didn''t barge in while she was changing. "Oh! You''re back, Rattlebone! Took you long enough!" What awaited us outside was Whitebone, standing in the middle of the dark hallway, waving her hand towards us. If I didn''t know any better, I would think it was a scene straight from a horror movie. "You did it!" She ran to where we were, her steps echoing across the hallway. "You convinced them, didn''t you?! I knew you could do it!" She giggled, her teeth chattering as she did. "Well," Rattlebone turned to face me. "We''ll wait outside. Wake up whoever you want. We''ll be waiting~?" With a laugh, he skipped his way to the end of the hallway where the staircase was. Whitebone followed him, skipping along as well. Once they were out of sight, I turned back to Sherry and Felicia. "Wait here. I''ll fetch Myrilla." I knocked on the room beside ours, since that was where theirs was. After a few more knocks, the door opened, revealing a sleepy Tira in her nightgown. "Sir Hugo?" "Can you please wake up Myrilla? We have something urgent we need her for." "Something urgent?" She raised her eyebrows. "Wait, did something happen?" "Oh, nothing you need to worry about." I flashed a comforting smile. "Just wake her up, okay?" "Alright¡­" She turned around from the door, allowing me to peek inside. The room was lit up by a candle, enough that I could see the bed decently. The dark-skinned demoness was curled like a ball, with her arms wrapping around her legs. From where I stood, I could see her delicious brown ass. I froze right then and there, too mesmerized by the sight. Despite her cold attitude (and the fact that she was sorta Alan''s ex), my male brain couldn''t deny her attractiveness. Sure, she didn''t have Felicia''s boobs or Sherry''s butt, but she was charming in other ways. And I would lie if I never imagined banging an exotic, dark-skinned girl before. "Hugoooooo!" "O-ouch! S-stop! You''re going to rip off my ear!" Sherry yanked me by the ear, pulling me away from the door. "You really can''t let your guard down with him." Felicia huffed, giving me a frown. "It''s as if the world itself is conspiring to throw women at him. As his wives, we must be ever vigilant. Sherry released her grip, finally allowing me to stand straight once more. ¡°Apologize to Myrilla later, got it?¡± She glared. I could only nod. ? Myrilla came out about ten minutes later, fully dressed in her usual brown robe with her staff in hand. And just by looking at her expression, I could tell she was terribly upset we disturbed her beauty sleep. Only for that expression to switch rapidly into one of fear, as she read our minds. ¡°Tira.¡± She glanced at the elf. ¡°Take the others away from here. Just in case.¡± ¡°E-eh? Why?¡± The elf replied, confused. ¡°No time to explain. Wake them up and run away as fast as you could.¡± ¡°Uhh, Myrilla, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be naive, Hugo Greenwood. When you deal with a Demon Lord, you have to assume the worst.¡± She scolded me. ¡°And really, what is up with you and attracting trouble? I doubt this bad luck of yours is only because of that Goddess.¡± Sherry tilted her head and furrowed her brows. ¡°Now, bring me to him.¡± Myrilla continued with a firm expression. ¡°Let¡¯s see if he really is as harmless as you thought he is.¡± ? Before we departed the inn, I summoned Kiri and Aria, ordering them to accompany guard Tira and the others. Descending down the stairs, we left the building through the front door. Luckily, the inn had a 24-hour open policy, though the moth girl attending the receptionist table was snoring loudly on her table instead of actually doing her job. I glanced at Felicia, trying to judge her expression. Arriving outside, the skeleton duo was sitting on the road across the street, with Rattlebone already dressed back on his purple robe after Sherry torn it to shreds. Seeing us, they both stood up at the same time, waving their hands excitedly like little children would. ¡°Good for you all to come! And you too, Miss¡­¡± ¡°Myrilla. You may call me Myrilla.¡± She looked at him with a narrow stare. ¡°Ah, of course, Sour Myrilla. Well then! Follow me! There¡¯s a great hill to watch the stars just outside the town!¡± Myrilla didn¡¯t say anything in return. Judging by her unblinking stare, and the antennae on her head lighting up, she was giving his mind a good read. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Ooo, so that''s how a Nerthusian does their mind reading!" Whitebone giggled, covering her mouth. "How interesting!" Rattlebone stood there scratching his skull, seemingly waiting for her until she finished. "...You''re right." Myrilla whispered under her breath, still keeping her stare at him. "He''s not our enemy." "But he''s¡­" Her voice shook. "So old¡­ Staring at his memories¡­ it''s as if staring into the abyss." The skeleton cackled. "Oh no! You found my age! That''s something a man would never want to say!" "Oh, silly Rattlebone!" Whitebone giggled again. "You''re not a girl! You''re an old man who''ve lived far too long!" Myrilla walked past me, closer to Felicia. She whispered something to her ear¡ªsomething I couldn''t quite hear. Felicia''s expression did not change, however, so it probably wasn''t something big. We followed the two skeletons to the town¡¯s gate. Thankfully for us, the centaurs had a lenient policy regarding its opening and closing hours. And by that, I meant it was always open 24 hours a day. Still, a guard waited for us there. Surely, he wouldn''t just let us through that easily. ¡­ He did. He absolutely did. After going through the gate, the skeletons took us to the hill just to the east of the town. A short five minute walk was all it took until we were up there. The night sky was decorated with a sea of stars, forming all sorts of constellations I wasn''t familiar with. The full moon shone brightly as well though without overpowering the brilliance of the stars. "Ah, beautiful, isn''t it?!" Rattlebone opened his arms wide. "Gorgeous! Brilliant! Superb!" "Let just cut to the chase." Felicia stepped forward, a resolute look on her face. "You want me, right? I am your necromancer. And I know how much you hate human ones." The skeleton burst into a laugh. "I don''t hate you, Necromancer Felicia. No. I came here to give you advice." "Advice?" She raised her eyebrows. "Yes! Advice!" He clapped his hands. Well, more like hitting bones with other bones. "I''ve been looking for you, you know. Ever since I heard a certain necromancer making her escape to the Demon Continent." "What do you want?" Felicia snapped back. "I''ve stopped researching necromancy, if that''s what you want me to do." "The opposite, actually. I want you to continue." Silence. What had come out of his mouth took Felicia off-guard. Hell, it took me off-guard too. What he just said was the complete opposite of our expectations. "W-what?" Felicia''s jaw fell wide open. "No kidding!" The skeleton laughed again. "I want you, Open Mouth Felicia," He pointed his finger at her. "To become a necromancer once more. Or, to be more precise, I want you to master the art of soul manipulation." "W-why?! Why would you want me to¡ª" "Slow down, girl. Let us all sit down." "I want to tell you guys a story. A story from an age long past. Well, from your perspective anyway." He chuckled, before dropping down to the grass, crossing his legs as he sat. I exchanged a short glance with Felicia before sitting down as well. Sherry did the same soon after, crossing her legs like him. Myrilla followed soon after. "Hey! I want to tell my story too!" Whitebone protested, jumping up and down. "Alright then! You can start! I don''t mind!" "Yaayyy!" With a skip and hop, she landed in the middle of our circle. Giving her body a good twirl, she spun around, her red cloak twirling with her. It lasted for a few, head-scratching seconds, until she abruptly stopped, giving a bow to our direction. "Now! I will tell you all the story of Narcissa, the greatest human necromancer that has ever lived! ???????????????????????????????????????????? A/N: How fitting that Hugo meets the Demon Lord of Death in the fourth chapter :D And sorry for the slow update. Work is killing me right now. Vol 5 Chapter 5: Moonlight Chat With Skeletons I raised an eyebrow hearing that name. I glanced at Felicia. Judging by the expression on her face, it was clear she shared the same confusion as I had. ¡°Once upon a time, in a faraway land of the mages, there lived a humble, ordinary girl named Narcissa.¡± Whitebone began her tale. ¡°Narcissa was a pitiful, sad girl, having no friends or family that loved her, and she wasn¡¯t even that good at magic. And she had freckles! Dirty, stupid freckles that just wouldn¡¯t go away, no matter how old she grew!¡± She punched her fist to the air, looking as angry as if she was talking about her parents¡¯ murderer. ¡°But, little Narcissa had a hidden talent." She leaned down and whispered in a conspiratorial manner. "The talent in the art of the dark. Especially, necromancy." "But, she only knew of that fact after a certain¡ª" She paused, seemingly trying to find the next word she was supposed to say. "¡ªevent. An event that she would rather¡ª" Another pause. Rattlebone, who had sat down when she started her story, stood up, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Do you want me to take over?" "N-no." She shook her head. "I''ll do it. It''s just that¡­ it''s been so long since I remember them¡­" She clapped her cheeks, shaking her head before she looked back to her audience. "Kale, Ferma, Anri ¡ª those were the three precious friends she made. They were assigned to the same team, you see, tasked by the grown-ups to infiltrate a neighboring country across the sea. Something about "destabilizing their government". She never understood it that well. She let Kale, the smart, glasses-wearing one, to do all her thinking. She was just happy that she finally had people she could call friends. "And then, it happened. The day where everything went wrong." She paused once again, looking down at her bare skeleton feet. Her bony fingers were playing with each other¡ªher nervous tic, most likely. "The job was supposed to be simple. Guising as bandits, we would attack the carriage of a certain high-ranking noble and assassinate him. ¡°But then, it all went wrong. We didn¡¯t expect that he would be riding with one of the elite warriors of said neighboring kingdom. And they¡­ were far too powerful for us to handle¡­¡± There was no need for her to continue her tale. Her friends died, she was the only survivor, and that led to her learning necromancy to revive them. "The warrior spared only her. It would be better if she had died that day." "So, you''re¡ª" "Is that it? Is that why you learned necromancy? To bring them back?" Felicia interrupted me before I could speak. Her face was all serious, frowning with furrowed brows. "Were you the Necromancer King then?" The skeleton chuckled, seemingly perking up from her words. ¡°No. That was just a super powerful undead I created myself! Here! Let me show you.¡± She walked away from the group, letting down her cloak, revealing her smooth skull head with a ribbon attached to its side. ¡°Come out! Come out! My beloved Sigfried!¡± As if calling a dog, she placed her hands near her mouth and yelled. And a moment later, it appeared. A dark, purplish tar formed on the ground around her feet, looking almost similar to the shadows Felicia employed. And then, from that tar, a tall, towering pitch-black armor appeared, wielding a greataxe. As for who was wearing the armor, all I could see was the two red eyes under the helmet. Everything else was obscured from view. ¡°There he is! My ultimate undead! Sigfried!¡± She patted him on his leg, as she was barely tall enough to reach his waist. ¡°Created by amalgamating all sorts of corpses into one, ultimate body, this bad boy could easily rival a Demon Lord in strength! And it used to be even stronger, when I used to feed it living, human flesh!¡± The little skeleton grinned while saying such a horrible statement. It was enough to send chills to my entire body. Glancing beside me, Sherry had tensed up, ready to fight at a moment¡¯s notice. Myrilla as well, as the grip on her staff had tightened considerably. As for Felicia¡­ ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The ex-necromancer pointed towards the armor, her finger shaking, her jaw wide open. ¡°That¡¯s an Abomination, isn¡¯t it? You wrote about it in your book! I¡¯ve tried making one myself but I never really managed to do it!¡± Whitebone¡¯s mouth opened as well, seemingly surprised by Felicia¡¯s statement. ¡°Eh?¡± Her body leaned forward. ¡°My book?¡± ¡°Yes! Your book! It was yours, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Felicia replied, half-shouting, as she leaned forward as well. ¡°Stored in the forbidden section of the academy in Mira? The Book of Necromancy. It was that book that taught me the art!¡± ¡°..Aahhh!¡± The little skeleton clapped her hands. ¡°That book! That wasn¡¯t me! I wasn¡¯t the one who wrote that book! That was Mira!¡± Felicia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°M-Mira?! You mean, Mira the Legendary Mage? The founder of the Magocracy?!¡± ¡°Yes! Her!¡± The skeleton smiled back, her pearly white teeth gleaming under the moonlight. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? She¡¯s the mother of human necromantic arts! She stole the knowledge from Rattlebone and then translated it to something a human can use!¡± I glanced at Myrilla. She replied with a nod. Miss Skeleton wasn¡¯t lying then. Felicia sat there speechless. It took her some time until she regained her voice, time that was filled only by silence, and the sound of the night wind blowing from the east. "Then, was it you who made the book incomplete?" Felicia narrowed her eyes. "No. Wasn''t me." The skeleton smiled. "They must have done it. Those crooked mages in their tall tower. ¡°But I wonder though.¡± She continued, walking a few steps towards Felicia with her hands behind her. ¡°Why keep it in the library? Don¡¯t you think they should¡¯ve hidden it in a better place, if they really want people to not study necromancy?¡± ¡°They¡­¡± Felicia paused, her tone unsure. ¡°They might just allow the book to be there for research purposes¡­¡± The skeleton giggled. ¡°Surely, you don¡¯t believe that, Miss Felicia?! You¡¯re a really smart woman!" Felicia bit her lip, shifting her legs around nervously. She was right. There was only one explanation that made sense. To explain all of this. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "They intentionally put it there. To¡­ to scout out for potential necromancers. They have been hoarding necromancers in secret all this time, away from the public eye¡­" "Correct!" The skeleton clapped. "But I wasn''t¡ª" She wasn''t chosen. Instead of bringing her in, they hunted her down. Sent elite assassins at her. "It''s your ambition, Miss Felicia! You''re too ambitious for them! That''s why they can''t let you be a necromancer! They don''t want another me! Tee hee!" "Ambition?" She had a point. Even if they had offered, she would never obey their will. She would just betray them later, working from the inside to destroy their precious nation. "Hold on, you know about my past?!" "Oh no!" She giggled. "I just guess that since you''re a necromancer, you must have some sort of a dark, terrible backstory to your life! We all do here!" Silence. Felicia no longer had anything to say. "Well, enough about me!" She clapped her hands. "You can go, Sigfried." The Abomination left the scene, disappearing into the black tar that he came out from. "Your turn, Rattlebone!" She sat down beside him, waving her hand towards Felicia, who was still watching her with an open jaw. "Oh please, why are you so surprised?¡± Sherry interrupted. ¡°Those mages¡­ they are all bad guys. Even their Founder. All the more reason to beat them all up.¡± Felicia didn¡¯t reply. She merely stared at Rattlebone, who now had switched places with Whitebone, standing in the middle of our circle. ¡°Hmm, where should I begin?¡± The skeleton tapped his bony chin with his finger. ¡°From my meeting with Mira or even further back?¡± ¡°You met Mira?!¡± Felicia spoke. ¡°Oh yes, I did.¡± He grinned. ¡°She and the rest of the Hero party. I fought them. Threw a bunch of undead abominations at them. I even did something quite cruel and petty to the little mage. So I was really, really surprised that she ended up being a champion of necromancy.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Hey, what do you mean by ¡®cruel and petty¡¯?¡± I asked. He paused, scratching his bald bone head this time. Looking at me with an apologetic expression, he answered, ¡°I recreated the people she loved from her destroyed town. As zombies.¡± ¡­ ¡°So why did you attack them in the first place?¡± I continued. ¡°Did you side with the Demon God back then?¡± ¡°Side?¡± He burst into a laugh. ¡°I had no choice! He was the Demon God! He had the ability to control the entire demon race! Program them to be on his side!¡± I glanced at Myrilla. ¡°And this is why I come to you all! A new Demon God is already here and who knows what he would do with that power!¡± Now this revelation took us all by surprise. Or not. Xaela already told us that a new Demon God would soon come. We just didn¡¯t expect it would be this soon. ¡°What?!¡± Myrilla, who had been silent all this time, actually spoke up. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re not lying, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Why, you should know, Mindreader Myrilla.¡± He cackled, smiling at her. ¡°Read my brain. Or my bones, rather, hehheh.¡± ¡°But.¡± He turned back to face the rest of us. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, non-mindreaders, about it.¡± ¡°You see.¡± He raised a finger. ¡°At the far south of this continent, there¡¯s a certain demon that has been gaining considerable power recently. Apparently he used to be just a weak little dire rabbit, until he rapidly evolved, far beyond what is normally considered possible. And now, he has his own little nation, with several Demon Lords already joining under his banner. ¡°Now, before you open your mouths to ask your questions, let me finish. No, it¡¯s not strange at all that this is the first time you¡¯ve heard of it. Mindreader Myrilla, please, tell them how the southern region of the Demon Continent is.¡± Our eyes switched towards the demoness in an instant. ¡°Miasma.¡± She answered. ¡°All that is there is miasma. A thousand years was still not enough to dissipate the effect of the Heroes¡¯ battle with the Demon God. As such, that place is completely uninhabitable. With the only exception being some horrors that certainly could not construct their own civilization.¡± She looked at Rattlebone. ¡°Which is why I wish to question your statement. But I can tell¡ªyou are not lying.¡± ¡°Correct!¡± He laughed. ¡°I am indeed, not lying. For you see, the miasma isn¡¯t really as terrible as you say. All this time, a number of demons had made the region their enclaves, away from the eyes of the world.¡± Myrilla¡¯s expression was one of skepticism. But she did not say anything. She merely waited until he resumed his speech. ¡°And amongst those demons he ruled. He settled their conflicts, gave them safety, and united them under a single banner. His.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Just like the Demon God of old.¡± ¡°...Hold on.¡± I interrupted him. ¡°How do you know all of this? Did you meet him in person?¡± ¡°Oh nonononono!¡± He waved his hands. ¡°Not in my dreams. I don¡¯t wish to be controlled anymore! Though, from the people I talked with, he seemed to be an affable sort, far different from the old Demon God. Now that one, hoo boy, he had a lot of hate inside his little heart.¡± "So?" Felicia spoke. "What does this have to do with me going back to necromancy?" "Because, my good female friend, there''s a storm coming. And you need all the power you can get. Especially since you are going to face Mira herself." "...Wait, Mira?" I interrupted. "What do you mean ''facing her''? She''s¡­" My heart skipped a beat. "Oh no¡­" "She''s a necromancer. Which means she can very well still be¡ª" "Alive and well. Yes." Rattlebone answered. "She had transferred her soul into a fresh body." Felicia¡¯s eyes widened. "You¡ªyou can do that? Soul Transfer? I¡­ I always failed whenever I tried to do it. The subject would just die." "Oh yes, it''s quite difficult. But certainly doable." "Is that how you''re walking around as skeletons now?" She asked. "Not quite." His jaws rattled. "I¡­ Ah¡­ did something quite a bit different. Too long to explain. But she did that, yes." He gestured towards Whitebone. "Teehee, I only did it to escape those meanies!" The little skeleton giggled. "Those meanies?" Felicia raised her eyebrows. "You mean the Magocracy and the Church? They worked together to beat you, right?" "That they did." The skeleton brought her legs closer to her chest. "And just when I was about to win too¡­" "Why did you want to conquer the Magocracy?" Felicia was now in full interrogation mode. "Was it revenge? For how your parents and peers treated you? They used to look down on you for being an untalented mage, didn''t they?" "No reason! I just thought it''d be interesting, that¡¯s all!" Felicia opened her mouth, seemingly ready to ask her further. But no voice came out. "Ehem, back to Mira, if you would, gentleman and gentleladies." Rattlebone coughed, drawing our attention back to him. ¡°You may not know this but the Magocracy had resurrected Mira, using a necromantic ritual that sucked dry the leyline of the Southwest Continent. You know about it, don¡¯t you, Ex-Necromancer Felicia? You tried to do the same back at the Holy Continent. To open the Gate and drag the souls of the dead back to the living world.¡± ¡°I-I did. But I¡­ I failed¡­¡± She looked down. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to¡­ grant their wish¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve made a grave mistake, Miss Felicia.¡± Whitebone giggled. ¡°You could never have opened the Gate on your own. The amount of mana it requires is too much for a single, wandering necromancer to provide. You said that book was incomplete. That meant they left out the most important part, just to trick curious necromancers like you.¡± Felicia could not reply to that comment. She simply gave her an upset glare. She knew it was the truth. But she didn¡¯t have to spell it out so candidly in front of her face like that. ¡°Now,¡± Rattlebone spoke again. ¡°I¡¯m not saying you should try it again. Nononono. Let the dead stay dead I say. But, what I want you to learn is the other aspects of necromancy. Something that you could really use in combat. And, most importantly, something that could counter whatever Mira had in store.¡± Felicia paused. She eyed him up and down, almost as if she was searching for a hint whether she should accept his offer or not. And then, she looked at me, clearly wanting my opinion on the matter. ¡°I¡¯d say take it. You have nothing to lose by knowing more stuff." Sherry gave her opinion first, even though Felicia wasn''t really asking for hers. "She''s right." I followed. "I don''t think it''d do you any harm learning more about the magic. Like I said, I had nothing against necromancy." "Do whatever you wish." Myrilla was the last to answer, with her classic stern look. "You''re wise enough to know what you must do." All three of us agreed she should take his offer. And so she did. "Fine. I''ll learn from you. But I don''t have time to be your apprentice. Just give me a book or two." "Of course! Yes! A book! I''ve written one just for this occasion!" "And one more thing." Felicia interrupted. "You still have not told us why you want to help us." The skeleton paused for a second, before answering, "Let¡¯s just say that I don''t like the Goddess either." My eyes widened. "Oh yes, I know about her. And about you, Unchained One." He glanced at me. "And you are the best bet we have to take her down. You and your descendants." "...You." Myrilla interrupted, standing up. "I can''t read your thoughts anymore. What are you doing? What are you trying to hide?" The skeleton grinned towards her. "Relax, Mindreader Myrilla. I just don''t want you to pry into my past. No. My past is my own. I''m not telling it to anyone." "Are you an Administrator?" I asked him. "Not answering." "Or even¡­ an Ancient. Survived for so long due to necromancy. Made himself immortal, just like you said." "Lalalala not hearing your words, Stubborn Hugo." I sighed. "Fine. Just give Felicia her book. Or you could come with us." I suggested. "We could use the help of a Demon Lord like you." I smiled. "Oh no! I''m sitting out of this one!" He waved his hands. "You guys are on your own! I''m just giving a little help, that¡¯s all! Gahahahaha!" He laughed. *** Afterwards, he took out a thick, leather-bound tome out of his Dimensional Storage and gave it to Felicia. How he could do the former without a staff, I had no idea. His bones probably worked as a magical focus. Or he was just that good of a mage. Then, we said our goodbyes, as the duo would be going to the south after this. I was about to tell them about the Izurds but I stopped myself. I couldn''t really trust them with that information. Whitebone, or Narcissa, was a psycho, and Rattlebone was way too shady of a character. Ironic, since after our talk, my view on him had changed 180 degrees. Still, Felicia said the book was just that, an ordinary book. No traces of magic so it wasn''t cursed. Let''s just hope the contents were actually truthful, unlike Mira''s book. Felicia saved the reading for later though as we had to reunite with the others, who had fled the town. With the sun rising on the horizon (we really talked for that long, huh?), we departed. The last we saw the two skeletons were them waving their hands, wishing us well before disappearing down the hill. I had a hunch we would see them again one day. Vol 5 Chapter 6: Orluk The Chief Felicia Such thoughts plagued my mind as we traveled west the next day. And judging by Milord''s expression, he had the same thought as well. Only that blockhead wasn''t bothered in the slightest. Tch, she doesn¡¯t know the stories. If she thinks her blockhead strength will be enough to triumph over her, she''s delusional. So why did that skeleton think we can triumph over her just by me learning some necromancy spells? It''s not her necromancy that''s the scary part! It''s everything else! ¡­ I shook my head. Really, I should stop my mind from wandering like that. I have to focus on this tome. See what I can learn from it. If Milord is willing to let me delve back into that dark world for the sake of power, then so be it. I shall do as he commands. ? It was already nighttime when we dismounted from our scarabs. Today, we agreed we would rest under Milord''s earthen huts instead of tents, as the wind seemed to be picking up, marking a possible start for a stormy night. While Sherry left to relieve herself (she wouldn''t admit it but I saw her crossed legs), I seized my chance. I jumped on top of him as he laid down on the mattress, pressing my breasts into his firm, hard chest. "Milord, I want to give my report. I have skimmed through the book he gave me, and yes, it does indeed contain all sorts of necromantic spells." His gaze was pretty much locked at my chest. As expected. Oh, he''s so cute when he''s pretending to not be the pervert that he is! "You want me to tell you about them? Just in case there''s any one of them you don''t like¡­" I traced my index finger all over his chest. What delightful muscles. "Sure." He smiled, one hand going to my cheek, another going to my breasts. "Well, there¡¯s the¡ª" "Starting without me, you two?" I looked back and rolled my eyes. Shamelessly, she walked up to us before plopping that butt of hers right on top of Milord''s face. "Hmmmmmph!" "Hey, what are you doing?!" I sat up and gave her a glare. "He can''t breathe!" "What? He loves this." She huffed, crossing her arms. "The pervert keeps groping my butt every chance he gets." "Haaaaa!" Milord pushed her off his face, sending her face stumbling into my cleavage. "Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa.. haa¡­" Milord was panting as his lungs demanded air. He really couldn''t breathe down there, could he? Miss Bad Temper then turned around, giving Milord a glare and a blush. "You don''t like it?" "I do." He smiled, patting her on the head. "Your butt really is the best, Sherry. But I really can''t breathe if you put the buttcheeks on my nostrils. You''re supposed to put the crotch there." "So, Hugo¡­" She finally decided to stop sitting on my lap as she scooted over to his side, hugging his left arm. "I''m thinking¡­ Can I borrow your Dream Crystal?" "Hmm, what for?" He asked. "My grandmother¡­ she needs to know about the Demon God." "...You''re right. We should tell her." Hugo''s smile turned bitter as he reached behind him towards his staff. Opening his Dimensional Storage, he took out the crystal and handed it over to her. "You should tell her. Oh, and also, say to ger that we''re getting along as a couple," he added, his smile''s luster returning. "Don''t want her to worry after all." "And so, I get first turn with him." I smirked, grabbing his right arm, pushing it into my cleavage. She huffed and sent me a glare, but she said nothing. She just released her grip on Milord''s arm before sleeping on her section of the mattress. "Well, Darling." I whispered to his ear. "Do you want to do it first or do you still want to hear about that boring necromancy tome?" Judging by the bulge in his pants, the answer was obvious. Our trip to the west continued on, with scarcely anything holding us back. Well, that wasn''t exactly true. Darling started to have nightmares about Marina again. At this point, I was pretty sure that Goddess was sending them to him as his torture for daring to defy Her will. Well, too bad. He''s getting used to it. And a healthy dose of hugs from me and Sherry certainly helped. He would never be disheartened by mere mirages and illusions, which could be lies for all we knew. I also had been studying the book that Demon Lord gave me. I ignored all the spells and rituals that related to corpses, and only focused myself on learning the others. For example, a spell for astral projection. Normally, the only astral projection you could do is when you explore the Great Fairy Forest in search of a familiar. But you only do that with the ¡°invitation¡± of the fey themselves, who wanted to become a familiar to a mage, acting as an ¡°anchor¡± to the traveling soul. But, with this spell, you don¡¯t need that anchor. You can theoretically travel anywhere in the world. Sure, you couldn¡¯t touch or do anything there, nor you could speak¡ªunless the other side also has a necromancer canny to the art of speaking with wandering souls, that is. But this allows you to spy on anyone without them realizing it. And yes, it means exactly what you think it means. I can check on Marina. And Erika too, relieving Milord of his burden. But, this damn spell¡ªit''s too hard! I can''t get it to stabilize at all! That''s why I have been hiding its existence from Milord! I don''t want to disappoint him! "Felicia, are you alright? You''ve been mumbling to yourself, you know." Milord''s voice snapped me out of my reverie. And I nearly fell backward, off my scarab. Which would be disastrous. "R-right!" I quickly gave him a smile. "I''m alright!" "She''s probably daydreaming again. For a smart alchemist, you sure can be an airhead sometimes, Felicia." Sherry giggled. "Oh shut up!" I shot her a glare. "I was just thinking, that''s all!" "Now now girls." Tira interrupted, smiling as she did. "Don''t you start fighting. Look. In the distance." I switched my gaze to the front. And sure enough, through the dry plains, I could see what looked like tents, barely visible from where we were. "We''ll check it out." Milord declared. "Since we''re saving Victoria, we need as much info on Balthazar as we can get." ? Orluk "Chief Orluk! Chief Orluk! Lord Hugo! He and his entourage just entered our village!" When the ogre heard those words, he jumped out of his bed, freeing himself from the dark-skinned arms that were hugging him. "What did you say?!" He said to his man, who was now kneeling in front of him. "Lord Hugo has returned?! Prepare a feast immediately! And tell the men and women to give them a welcome fit for kings!" "Right away, Chief!" The ogre subordinate stood up and ran outside, unbothered in the slightest by the fact that his chief was stark naked. After all, he had just been sleeping with his new wife. It was only to be expected, nay, required, for an ogre of his caliber to copulate with her day and night. "Uurghhh¡­" The woman in his bed let out a yawn as she stretched her arms up, showing off her ample breasts and hairless armpits to him. "Is something the matter, Orluk?" "Lord Hugo! He''s now here, in this village!" Her eyes widened. "L-Lord Hugo? Here?!" She jumped off the bed too, quickly snatching the black panties from under her feet, pulling them to her privates. "Yes, Fia! To think we''ll get to see him again this early! Ooh, we owe so much to him! We and the entire clan!" The couple''s smiles continued as they dressed themselves. They had thought they wouldn¡¯t see him until¡­ well¡­ ever! They imagined Hugo would stay with the Izurds, becoming a good husband to his sweetheart, never venturing to the outside world again. They didn¡¯t know about Marina or Erika after all. When they finished dressing themselves, they immediately exited their tent, making their way to the middle of the nomadic village where their people had surrounded Hugo and co. as if they were a celebrity (which, they might as well be). ? Hugo ¡°Probably because you slaughtered the orcs, their sworn enemy.¡± Myrilla commented dryly, sending a gaze in my direction. ¡°It¡¯s only natural they will be worshiping you like this. You¡¯re pretty much their hero.¡± Arriving at the encampment, we quickly found out that we were a lot more popular than we had imagined. The moment they saw us, they shouted to the others, saying stuff like ¡°Lord Hugo is here! Lord Hugo is here!¡± We had dismounted our scarabs at the edge of the tent village¡ªthey were too big to enter the village without knocking over the tents¡ªand now we were on foot, not an ideal way to travel when you were being followed by a crowd like this. I saw the ogre running from a distance. Behind him was a sexy, scantily-clad dark elf, running with him. When he arrived, he immediately knelt in front of me. Not that I noticed, as I was too busy staring at the dark elf behind her. Her breasts bounced up and down like a vertical pendulum. And her outfit¡­ hoo boy, it looked more like a bikini than proper clothing. When she arrived, she too knelt down in front of me. And the other ogres too, numbering to two hundred people or so. "Lord Hugo!" Orluk spoke, an expression of pure joy coloring his face. "Welcome back! Let me first speak to my joy that you are safe and sound!" He glanced at Sherry. "And I see you''ve accomplished your goal!" "That I did." I smiled back at him. I was, naturally, quite proud that I managed to snag her as my wife/girlfriend. "Then, let me thank you deeply! For saving our people from the orcs! No, you didn''t do just that! You conquered the orcs for us!" "You crushed their main force and killed their false Demon Lord, allowing us to invade their lands! Now the orcs have been exiled! And our territory has increased two-fold! Our tribe, no, the entire ogre tribes, have never been this prosperous!" "Well, good for you!" I scratched the side of my head. Glancing back at the dark elf, I decided to ask the question. "So, uh, who is she?" I pointed at her. "What?!" The dark elf''s eyes widened in disbelief. "I''m Fia! The little girl you saved! How can you forget, Lord Hugo?!¡± Her eyes moistened, suddenly making her a lot cuter than sexier. And then, it hit me. She really was her. Only, like ten years older. ¡°Let me explain.¡± Myrilla interrupted, shaking her head. ¡°Elves¡ªnormal elves and dark elves alike¡ªdon¡¯t grow the way humans do, bit by bit every year. Instead, they have two phases, the childhood phase and the adult phase. And they metamorphosize into the adult phase from childhood phase in just several days, accompanied by a massive growth spurt. Think the metamorphosis of a butterfly.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± I looked at her and then back to Fia. ¡°I never knew that¡­¡± Sherry elbowed me on my stomach. Orluk stood up. ¡°Let us continue your conversation inside. And please, at least stay for the night. We wish to hold a feast in your honor. You¡¯re officially an honorary ogre now, Lord Hugo, at least among all of us tribal ogres.¡± I nodded. I certainly could use a rest after sitting on that giant beetle all day. ? The bonfire burned bright, its flames reaching up to the moon on the bright night sky. The smell of roasted beef filled the air, or, something close to that. The barbecue of choice that night was not cows, since that didn¡¯t really exist in the Demon Continent. Instead, they hunted down the Steel Bisons that were in the area, using its scales for their weapons and armors, while using the soft meat underneath for food. By the way, Steel Bisons were considered A-rank monsters, so they were proficient warriors indeed. Female ogres were dancing, showing off their well-toned body to us as a sign of gratitude. They weren¡¯t doing a belly dance or something lewd like that though. They were instead performing what the ogres called ¡°Hakhtur¡±, which, in demon tongue, meant ¡°performative fight¡±. So they were now wielding all kinds of weapons, from cutlasses to chakrams, showing off a mock fight like a performer would back at Earth. Though of course, all done by skimpily dressed ladies. "Hugooooo, you''re staring again!" Sherry yelled, squeezing my cheek with her finger. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It can''t be helped, can it?" Tira giggled. "Sir Hugo is a big pervert after all." "Milord, if you like, I can dance for you in private¡­" Felicia followed, fluttering her eyelashes in my direction. I sighed, taking a spoonful of rice from my bowl and swallowing it in one gulp. We were now sitting on the "dignified guest" carpet, which hovered magically a few feet above the ground. Everyone was here, along with Orluk and Fia, the latter sitting on the former''s lap. Yeah, turns out they''ve become a couple. Fia made the first move, assaulting him in his bed one night. Wasn''t my word, but his. Apparently dark elves would suffer from high libido the moment they have someone they like. And since she liked him, she ended up raping him in his sleep. Okay, it''s not "rape" rape since he quickly turned around and fucked her back, but she did initiate without his permission. My glance moved to Tira, who was sitting to my far right, her legs hanging down from the carpet. She was cheerfully biting into a ponat fruit, a sweet red-colored fruit that looked like giant cherries. A specialty of this region of the Demon Continent. The ogres didn''t cultivate it though. They simply gathered them from the roaming treants they grew from. Meanwhile, behind her sat Tama and Theo, sitting with their legs crossed. Knowing that catgirl, she''s intentionally doing that to flash her black panties to him. And she''s now feeding him, to his embarrassment. What a lucky guy. I could ask Felicia or Sherry to do the same, but I''d think I would be just as embarrassed as he was. So let''s refrain from any intimate displays in a crowd like this. The dance ended, with an ogress knocked out cold on the ground. Fake, of course. Her cutlass had just flown away after the heroine parried it. "My clan! My family!" Orluk yelled, raising his fist to the sky. "Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our great benefactor, Lord Hugo Greenwood! As such, feel free to enjoy yourselves to the fullest!" The crowd cheered, raising their ale mugs to the air before drinking them. Oh, I suppose I forgot to tell you that Orluk has his own clan now. Thanks to me, the ogres would need new clan chiefs to rule over the territory once belonging to the orcs. And he was chosen to do so by his father. And since the requirement to be chief is to be married, he married Fia without a second thought. I took a sip on my own ale. The night went on, with more dances, drinking, and eating. Sherry quickly find herself on my lap as she had fallen asleep. After eating a whole bison by herself, I can''t blame her. As for Felicia, she was still half-awake, leaning heavily to me as she drank the last drops of her ale. At least, until she burped, followed by collapsing on top of me, hugging me from behind. "So¡­ how''s it going? You and them two?" I looked to my right. Orluk and Tia had scooted over. They were now sitting right beside me, grinning like Cheshire cats. "It''s going well," I replied with a smile, feeling a bit lightheaded from the quarter of a mug of ale I had drunk. "They¡¯re getting along." "And in bed?" Fia interrupted. "Do you pleasure them properly? Thrust your sword deep into their womb?" "Of course! Who do you think I am? I''ll never let my wives be unsatisfied in bed! Not after all the things I had to do to get them!" Fia giggled. "Good! That''s how a man should be! My father¡­ he didn''t do his manly duties properly. That''s why Mother ended up like that¡­" She averted her gaze, a pained expression intruding in her face. "Let me explain." Orluk interrupted. "After you crushed the orcs, we invaded their lands. And there, we met her mother again, grieving for her dead orc husband. And she¡­ Well, she told me everything. She cursed me for killing him before going on a rant on her past with Fia''s father." "I still hate her." Fia followed, her smile being replaced with a frown. "But now I understand why she ended up that way. My father¡­ he never gave her the attention she needed¡­ too busy with his work¡­" "Aaww, how cute!" Tia smiled, pinching Sherry''s cheek. "No wonder you fell for her, Lord Hugo!" "Heh, you can say that again." I brushed the few strands of hair covering her face. Little did I know that I had the goofiest, widest grin on my face then. "And of course, Lady Felicia isn''t half-bad either." She switched her gaze to the red-headed woman currently slouched on my back. "Those breasts¡­ you must have fun squeezing them all night, don''t you? Just like Orluk here with mine!" She groped her own chest, causing me to gulp. "Hmph, you''re the ones who want me to squeeze them. Let me give you a demonstration, Lord Hugo." With a swiftness defying the human eye, Orluk grabbed both of her breasts from behind, squeezing them firmly with his large, firm hands. "Kyaann!" "See?" He grinned. "She makes these funny noises whenever I grope hers. Quite cute actually." "Ooh, Orluk! You''re just¡­Aahnnn!" The two stopped paying attention to me, busy in their own little world. Seeing this display of public affection, I couldn''t help but feel a little annoyed. "Ha! I win!" I switched my gaze to the cheering happening down below. Kiri and Aria had joined the crowd and they were in the middle of a drinking competition. And judging by the pile of unconscious men on their feet, it was clear who the winner was. "You red people can''t beat me, the mighty Kiri!" She declared, raising her mug up to the sky. I sighed. Not that "Kiri" is actually her real real name. You can only speak the words in Fey Tongue and that will happen on its own the moment the Fey is ready to make a contract with you. How does the Fey Language sound you may ask? I dunno. I don''t even remember when I said it. The only reason I know this is because of Marina''s lessons. Aria, on the other hand, continued to drink. And drink. And drink. With no sign of getting drunk or stopping. After our little conversation, I decided to retire to my tent. I carried both Sherry and Felicia with magic, telling Tira to watch out for the others. Myrilla had disappeared (Miss Antisocial is being Miss Antisocial as usual) while drunk Theo was busy playing with Tama''s tail, to the chagrin of the catgirl. And when we got there, well, let''s just say I didn''t wait for them to wake up before I had my way with them. The ale, and those two couples being so lovey dovey¡ªthey both made me awfully horny. And if Tia is allowed to do it, so was I. It was my first time doing it that way. And I had to say, it''s far better having their moans accompanying my every thrust. There was one thing I forgot, however. Something really crucial. They hadn''t taken their contraceptive potions for the night, a fact that I only knew once they woke up, right after I came inside each of them. Oh well. I was too drunk to care. Vol 5 Chapter 7: Saving Private Victoria The next morning, the very first thing we did, well, did, was getting scolded by Felicia, for having sex with her and Sherry without them taking their potions first. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Sorry." I scratched the back of my head, giving her a sheepish smile as I sat cross-legged in front of her. "It''s just that¡­ I got too horny last night. Must be the ale I drank." "Hmph! I''m fine with having your child¡ªin fact, I want it very much¡ªbut do you want her now when we still haven''t settled down? You were the one who said you didn''t want to,¡± she replied, crossing her arms under her chest. She began this lecture right after she woke up by the way, so she never got to change her clothes. She was still not wearing any panties since I took them off and all. Look. You could even see them to her right! And, the way she sat right now, I could see her privates as well! "Y-yeah, you''re right. I should be more careful.¡± I replied, glancing down at her womanhood. You may think it was weird of me to care so much about it since I had seen it almost every day at this point. Silly reader. I was not just a pervert. I was a pervert connoisseur. There¡¯s a big, glaring difference between stealing naughty glances from a woman that doesn¡¯t realize she¡¯s giving you a show than staring at something openly offered to you in a gift basket. ¡°Oh, stop being a worrywart, Felicia. You think we can¡¯t handle a couple of babies? I¡¯ll protect your baby, if you can¡¯t.¡± Without us noticing, Sherry had woken up, and she didn¡¯t waste time at all butting in into the conversation. Just like Felicia, she was showing off her girlhood as well. I had removed her shorts and panties last night after all. And also like her, she didn¡¯t take any steps hiding it from me. She just sat there with her legs raised, giving me a clear view of her hairless mound. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± She fired back, firing a glare towards the demoness. ¡°We¡¯re up against a Demon Lord soon! And after that, we have to contend with the Goddess and Mira! Do you think it¡¯s wise for us to have children when we still have so many enemies we have yet to defeat?! What if the Goddess decides to torment them next?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re being a coward, Felicia! My grandmother always taught me not to let my enemies stop you from doing what you want to do in your life! Even if it means conquering the world! You want to make babies with Hugo, right?! Then go make babies with him! Stop whimpering and running away!¡± I glanced at Felicia. She didn¡¯t seem to realize it. That Sherry didn¡¯t question the Goddess at all, even though she should already forget about it. No response of course. ¡°Hey, Sherry.¡± I decided to ask her. ¡°You remember the Goddess?" She raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Of course I do! She''s the whole reason you are here right now! Maybe She''s working with the Magocracy, maybe not, but I still want to punch both of their faces anyway!" She swung her fist forward. I exchanged a glance with Felicia, giving her a silent nod. "But, if you don''t want to, then that¡¯s fine by me too,¡± Sherry continued, looking straight in my direction. ¡°It is up to you, m-my dear husband.¡± Her cheeks burned scarlet red. Before I could reply, however¡­ ¡°Hey, Hugo. Orluk¡¯s looking for you.¡± A certain cat-eared head looked inside our tent. It was Tama. ¡°Oh for the love of¡­ Get yourselves cleaned up first! You reek of¡­ of¡­¡± Her cheeks reddened. ¡°Of that thing you keep doing every night! You realize us beastkin are sensitive to that kind of smell, right?¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± I smirked. ¡°Apologies then, Your Highness,¡± I said in a mocking tone. ¡°But I thought you and Theo also do it every night in your tent. So your nose should already be used to the scent, no?¡± ¡°S-s-s-shut up and get dressed already! All of you!¡± She glanced at the others before retreating her head. I chuckled. ? Afterwards, we washed ourselves before we got dressed, using a bathtub full of aromatic water, provided to us by the ogres'' kindness. Once we were ready, we had our breakfast first, before we finally were ready to have our meeting with Orluk. Only Sherry, Felicia, and I came. I asked Myrilla whether she wanted to come along but she refused, saying something to the effect of, "This is your problem. So deal with it yourself." Well, I¡¯d say she just couldn¡¯t be bothered sitting in a meeting with us. We met him in his tent. Just like last night, Fia was sitting on his lap, with his one hand feeling up and cupping her breasts. "Let me just get straight to the point." I started the conversation. "I need a favor from you. I have a friend I need to rescue from the clutches of Balthazar and I would need your knowledge. Tell me everything you know about him and his ten wives. And his lair as well, that floating fortress of his. You used to work for him, right?" Orluk didn''t respond immediately. He just sat there, smiling as he patted Fia''s head. "You were right, Fia. He really came back from her." "Hehe. What did I tell you? Lord Hugo really is the best!" "Now you''re making me jealous!" The ogre laughed. "Who''s cooler then, me or him?" "Mmm, he''s a bit cooler than you. But don''t worry! I''ll stay yours! You''re so lonely after all, Orluk, that I feel bad for you!" She giggled. "Why you¡­!" He pinched her nipple, earning a moan from her. "Lonely, huh? I''ll show you who''s lonely!" Watching this flirting ensue, all I could do was to roll my eyes. For a short second, I actually considered grabbing Felicia and groping her boobs too but Sherry would probably punch me for it. "Alright, you two, stop at once or I''m really going to slap you both!" Sherry declared. "S-sorry," Orluk apologized with a grin, releasing her hand from Fia''s breast. "Where were we again?" "Victoria, silly! That cool big-boobed knight lady!" Fia giggled. "Ah, right. Victoria." Orluk looked at me, his grin being replaced by a serious expression. "And you¡¯re willing to go against a Demon Lord for her. You really are something, Milord." He chuckled. "Still, I think you''ll need more than my information to do that." "What do you mean?" I asked. "We''ll betray our pact with him¡­ me, Father,and the other chiefs. With you as our leader, we''ll kill Lord Balthazar. And you will usurp his title as the Demon Lord." I paused. "Yes, I know." Orluk continued. "You don¡¯t wish to actually fight him. You just want to rescue Lady Victoria, who has been offered by the traitorous humans as a fiancee for one of his many sons." "We were there, you know." Fia chimed in, her expression all grim and serious. "When they had their parade. You have no idea how uncomfortable Lady Victoria looked sitting beside that orc prince." "But, I believe you can do it, Lord Hugo." Orluk continued. "You defeated that orc Demon Lord after all. We all believe you are already at their level as a warrior, something we can only dream of." His eyes were practically glimmering as he looked at me. It was enough to make me feel a little embarrassed. "No." I shook my head. "That orc was just a wannabe Demon Lord. I had fought a real one and she¡­ she defeated me, even though she was holding back." "What?! You fought against another Demon Lord?!" Orluk bolted forward, knocking off Fia from his lap. ¡°H-hey, be careful!¡± The dark elf protested. ¡°Who was it? Was it¡­¡± He glanced at Sherry. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be! The legendary Demon Lord of Blades is dead!¡± "Hmph! She¡¯s alive and well, thank you very much!¡± Sherry huffed at the ogre as she sat to my left with crossed legs. ¡°And don''t you compare Grandmother with that Balthazar guy!" Sherry glared at me next.. "Grandmother is up there amongst the strongest Demon Lords. If you''re fighting some nobody like him, with me by your side, we can win easily!¡± ¡°How strong is Balthazar anyways?¡± I asked Orluk. ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure.¡± He shook his head after going back to his sitting position. ¡°But the last fighting he did was against the combined forces of the human city-states and the Church and I heard he had his wives fighting alongside him. And they crushed them completely. So I assume if you were to fight him, his wives would come to his defense.¡± ¡°Of course they would. His wives are all powerful demons in their own right, no?¡± I replied. ¡°Not all of them are demons.¡± He replied. ¡°One of them is a fairy. An Archfey to be exact. She¡¯s the one responsible for the charms protecting their floating fortress. You cannot go there without her permission. You just simply will never reach the building, no matter how long you fly towards it.¡± "So, that means we somehow must get that permission or we attack when Victoria is out." Felicia commented. "There''s a yearly martial arts tournament that''s going to happen soon at their capital." Orluk continued. "The reward is to meet the Demon Lord face to face in his fortress. Apparently he''ll grant the winner anything he or she wants. That can be your key to get it, Milord.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯ll be perfect!¡± I declared. ¡°We¡¯ll just¡ª¡± ¡°But the winner can only be one person. Which means that whoever wins, they have to take him out on their own.¡± ¡°Or you can just ask him for Victoria,¡± Felicia commented. ¡°Though the chance of him actually agreeing is minimal to none.¡± She shook her head, folding her arms under her chest. ¡°Hmm, how about this?¡± Suddenly, an idea came into my head. ¡°What if I take out the fairy creating the charm instead of engaging the Demon Lord directly? Then the others can come in.¡± ¡°Too risky.¡± Felicia replied. ¡°They¡¯ll gang up on you. You¡¯ll be fighting the Demon Lord and his other wives as well. Unless you can kill her fast enough. And you can make it to her chambers without being detected, which, I seriously doubt you can. They will be watching you like a hawk. You might be strong, Milord, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re strong enough to take them all out on your own.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll try dispelling it from the outside.¡± I suggested. ¡°Hmm, maybe that¡¯s our best option. Still, it¡¯s not guaranteed you¡¯ll be able to do so. Tell me, will there be another event where the Demon Lord or Victoria came out from their fortress? Like the parade to announce her betrothal? Maybe the official wedding?" Orluk shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. No such plans were in store. At least, they hadn''t announced it yet. But don''t worry. I can create such an event." I raised my eyebrow. "What do you mean?" "We''ll attack the city. That would force him and his wives to enter the battlefield. And when they did, the fortress would be vulnerable. You can then send someone to fetch Lady Victoria." "So, you''re offering your people to act as bait?" "No, not bait." A grin appeared on his face. "You will be fighting with us, Milord, won''t you not?" "Can you even convince them to join you though?" "Of course! You''re our hero after all! A man that can take out an entire on his own ¡ª if you were a demon, we''d start calling you a Demon Lord instead!" Orluk said, his eyes brimming with excitement. I paused, glancing at Sherry and Felicia for their opinion. "Take his offer." Sherry declared. "We can beat him. I''m sure of it." "If it''s our only swiftest option then yes, I suppose I will have to approve," Felicia answered. "It''s better to fight him out in the open than in his home turf." "However," She added. "We''ll try asking him nicely first. We''ll win that martial arts tournament and gain an audience with him. As such," She looked at Orluk. "We''ll go on ahead. It will be your job to convince the other chiefs of this mad plan." "O-of course, Lady Felicia!" Orluk replied. "Oh, and do tell them that the granddaughter of the Legendary Demon Lord of Blades is with him." She smirked. "That''s a brilliant idea, Lady Felicia! I''ll make sure to do that!" Sherry now had a small proud smile on her face. She tried to hide it but she couldn¡¯t fool me, even if she tried. I patted her on the back before ruffling her hair, whispering to her that I was glad she was on my side. And she melted on the spot from it. And I got a jealous look from Felicia. ? Afterwards, we chatted for a little bit more, mainly about the specifics of our plan. There wasn¡¯t a lot to discuss though, seeing how we would have to improvise most of it on the spot depending on the situation. For the recruitment effort, most of it would have to rely on Orluk¡¯s own charisma. Though even if he failed, I would still go ahead with the plan. His army would just be a nice help to our fighting force. Nothing more. And then, I suggested the idea that had hovered in my mind for a while ever since our reunion. ¡°Hey, Orluk.¡± I told him with a confident smile. ¡°How about allying your tribe with Sherry¡¯s?¡± ¡°An alliance Lord Hugo? With the Izurds?¡± The ogre looked at me as if I was crazy. ¡°Yeah! Now that they¡¯ve opened themselves up to the world, there¡¯s nothing that prevents you from doing that, no? Though, of course, you have to consider the distance between here and their village. But I don¡¯t think sending a letter to them is a bad idea. Tell them that you¡¯re our ally.¡± He paused, looking away for a moment to ponder my words. ¡°Will they accept us as their ally, Milord?¡± He asked, looking back at me. ¡°The Izurds¡­ they¡¯re a really proud race, no? In the past, when they ruled the continent, we ogres were less their allies and more like their subordinates¡­ We ruled our own territories as long as we paid them tribute¡­¡± ¡°T-they weren¡¯t tyrants though, Lord Hugo,¡± he quickly added, glancing panickedly towards Sherry. ¡°They pretty much let us do whatever we wanted. Some of their females actually married some of us as well. Though once that happened, they would stop being part of our clans and they would go with their wives to live with the Izurds.¡± I turned my eyes towards Sherry, curious to see what her opinion was hearing this¡­ revelation. To my surprise, she didn¡¯t seem to be bothered in the slightest. She just sat there cross-legged with her usual slightly intense look aimed towards Orluk. ¡°Do it. Grandmother will need all the ally she can get. And don¡¯t worry. She will never stab you in the back. We Izurds are just as honorable as you ogres, you know.¡± With those words, Orluk had no choice but to do as we said. ? A few hours later, after a delicious lunch, we climbed up our scarabs, our pack growing a lot heavier thanks to all the supplies and gifts the ogres had given to us. I didn¡¯t get to explain to the others about my plan in detail. I¡¯d do it later, once we stopped for the night. ¡°If we hurry, we should be able to make it in time.¡± I declared to the others. ¡°So non-stop riding for the rest of the day, alright?¡± The others all nodded. ¡°Good! Then, let¡¯s go. Orluk!¡± I yelled at the ogre. He was now standing beside my scarab. ¡°If you¡¯re late, we¡¯ll do it on our own!¡± ¡°Of course, Lord Hugo.¡± He bowed. ¡°I promise, by the honor of my name, I will not be late. Your army will be there, waiting for you.¡± ¡°Good! And Fia, take care of him for me, alright?¡± I smiled at the dark elf who was standing beside him, grabbing his arm. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that, Lord Hugo!¡± She waved her hand with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him real good!¡± I chuckled. With those words, we departed, heading to the west and north, straight towards the capital city of the Demon Lord of Wisdom. Ixon. ? Victoria "Well done! Well done! You have blossomed wonderfully, my dear Victoria!" The half-fey knightness barely registered the archfey''s words as she hovered in the air, her wings flapping back and forth rapidly. Her short skirt fluttered, showing off her green panties to the world. But she didn¡¯t care. Not when reality itself was in the palm of her hand. She could see it all¡ªthe threads that connected reality, shimmering with a single touch. She could pull them, push them, tie them up into pretty little bows¡­ whatever she wished, it could become reality. The power of Chaos. It was in her hand. She looked down. Two plants shaped like orcs stood there. The orc prince and her mother. She turned the latter because she demanded her to return her son. No. She wouldn''t. He was noisy. Just like her. "Now, you understand, right?" The archfey spoke again as she hovered near her. "How us feys see the world?" "Yes." She answered slowly. "Yes, I do. The world is fragile¡­ fleeting¡­ ever shifting¡­" "So? How about it?¡± She was now moving back and forth, from Victoria¡¯s left to her right, and vice versa. ¡°Do you still cling to your old and foolish human dreams? Or do you accept you''re a fey? Throw away that weak human half of yours?" ¡°I¡­¡± Her mind remembered. The world didn¡¯t care about her. Her weak human self. Her family hated her. Her servants disrespected her. And Sir Hugo¡­ he had no time to care about her. Not after she had rejected his help foolishly. She was all alone. Her mother¡­ She was a fae. Her father¡­ he was the Legendary Hero. She couldn¡¯t count him as a human either. No. There really was nothing left for her human self. She really should just¡­ throw it all away¡­ ¡°Good¡­ good¡­¡± Selene rubbed her long hair from behind. ¡°Do that, and you¡¯ll finally be ready to join our family.¡± ¡°We have no need for weak humans in our fold after all.¡± Vol 5 Chapter 8: The Obligatory Tournament Arc Hugo S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. So this is the place¡­ I have to say¡­ it''s an impressive city alright¡­ nothing like any other cities I have been to in this continent¡­ And that building floating up in the sky¡­ the Floating Fortress of Naturia¡­ from here, it''s just a black dot in the reddish sky¡­ After another few months of travels, we were finally here, in front of Ixon¡ªa massive metropolis, built in the middle of a barren wasteland, with black walls and buildings constructed by obsidian, enchanted by rune magic. Even now, from a distance, we could already see just how large the whole place was. No wonder some called it the Cradle of Demon Civilization. It was a city that rivaled the greatest capitals of humans¡ªproof that demons too could learn to be civilized; to create their own civilization that would not lose to us humans. The Demon Lord of Wisdom. This city is his living, growing legacy. ¡°Stop gaping around, Hugo. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± Sherry walked up to me, her hair blowing in the wind. One hand rested on the handle of her sword; still the one created off her hair. We didn¡¯t really have time to wander off, looking for a blacksmith to forge her a proper sword. And me as well for that matter. ¡°Wait here, everyone.¡± I looked at the others. ¡°I¡¯ll try to fly up there and undo the spell.¡± ¡°Be careful, Milord.¡± Felicia replied, her eyes gazing at the floating fortress. ¡°I don¡¯t like that place. I can sense a great darkness gathering inside it.¡± ¡°Well, that would be the Demon Lord, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± I chuckled, trying to crack a joke to lighten the tension. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you up there with my wind automaton.¡± Myrilla spoke next. ¡°So you can focus entirely on undoing the magic.¡± I nodded. Even though I could easily lift myself up there with Wind Step, I¡¯d rather have the ability to cast two spells at once, so I could cast more spells in case I needed to defend myself. I waited until she finished chanting the spell, and for the humanoid tornado to wrap itself all around my body. Wish the figure looked more like a woman than a man though. Kinda felt a tiiny bit uncomfortable letting a man hug me like this. We then flew upwards with a reasonable speed. I could do a much faster climb with my spell personally. Not that I was bragging or anything¡­ I activated my Sight. It didn¡¯t take long until I noticed it¡ªthe network of mana filling the region near the fortress. Wow, that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s a lot thicker than I thought it would be. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s massive actually! I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before! I could immediately tell that this wouldn¡¯t be an easy job, if it was at all possible. We flew towards it for some more time until I noticed that we weren¡¯t moving. To be more precise, we were moving, but the space around us just shifted itself back to our original space, carrying us with it. I signaled at Myrilla on the ground, telling her to stop her wind doll from moving. Alright. Time to do my magic. I reached forward with my left hand; my right hand gripping my staff. First, I channeled my raw mana into the staff, multiplying its potency tenfold, before sending it through my left palm towards the network of swirling mana in front of me. T-this is¡­ this is just like that time! I remembered it clearly as day; the day when I nearly died in the hands of that fox Demon Lord. I remembered trying to dissolve her illusions with my technique, only to find that I could not disturb the mana flow of her spell. This was just like that. This sturdiness¡ªit wasn¡¯t natural in the slightest. ¡­.No. This is not quite the same. It¡¯s not just it being sturdy. It¡¯s also¡­ elastic, for a lack of a better term, allowing it to absorb my disruptions, preventing any cracks from forming. It¡¯s like a bamboo shot. This sensation¡­ I had felt it as well; for it was the telltale sign of fey magic at work. This is amazing! They¡¯re combining traditional magic with fey magic! Even though both work in entirely different principles! Our magic worked by harshly imposing order into reality. For example: me creating a wind cannonball for my Boom Cannon spell. Fey magic, on the other hand, worked a lot more subtly, influencing the fabric of reality without actually imposing the will of the caster. So, when Kiri sent a jet of water at her enemy, she did it not by creating water with mana, but by making the air in front of her turn into water instead. The difference was subtle but it was certainly there. Or so Marina told me anyway, as well as the magic books I had read. Whoever did this, they can¡¯t have done it alone. A powerful mage and a powerful fey must be involved. Two of Balthazar¡¯s wives: Selene and Adele. We were already been told about all ten of his wives before going here, thanks to Orluk. It was supposed to be common knowledge but since we hadn¡¯t been here before, we didn¡¯t really have a chance to hear it. The first wife, Aisha Bethel Naturia. A mutated lamia with one giant eye. The second wife, Taran Naturia. A mutant white arachne. They called her the Weaver of Death, mainly because her web was as sharp as swords and spears. The third wife, Selene Naturia. The Archfey of Autumn. The fourth wife, Astra Naturia. A mutant Peacock Harpy whose voice could bewitch all men to their deaths. The fifth wife, Adele Naturia. The sorceress elf who has mastered all the elements. The sixth wife, Ulum Naturia. The strongest female orc in the world. The seventh wife, Esana Naturia. A dullahan warrior who held the title of Champion for fifty years straight in the city''s colosseum. The eighth wife, Rita Naturia. The loveliest succubus in the world (the Succubus Demon Lord would disagree on that probably). The ninth wife, Hoselu Naturia. A mermaid princess. The tenth wife, Gretchel Naturia. She¡¯s his little sister. Of the same Naturia species. Yeah. Incest is pretty okay amongst demons apparently. Speaking of Naturia, they¡¯re an extremely rare demon species that was thought to be extinct. As the world knew it, there were only two of them now, that being Balthazar and Gretchel. Apparently, there used to be a lot more of them, before the Legendary Hero and his party slaughtered them all in their campaign one thousand years ago. As for their ability, well, no one knew. They never told anyone. Any knowledge about it was lost to the flow of time. And when the Demon Lord took the field, he only used his spells and physical prowess to triumph. No sign of any special ability whatsoever. Hmm, how suspicious. It must be something really special then; something that can catch you off guard. That¡¯s why it¡¯s in their advantage to not spread the knowledge of it around. ¡­ Gah, it¡¯s not working! I pulled my hand away, panting as I did. Already poured a lot of my mana into the system yet I couldn¡¯t manage to unfold it. Anymore and I risked endangering myself, especially since I could now see the circuit beginning to grow more active. If it were to change its trajectory, it could easily inject its vast stream of mana into me, and that would be my death. I would explode from mana overload. I could tell Sherry to cut through the barrier but that would pretty much be a declaration of war. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they had some anti-invader spell nearby as well that would trigger if anyone tried to mess with it. That, and his army coming out from the fortress and the city, which had its own military facilities scattered on its edges. Too risky. Guess we have to do this the hard way. I signaled Myrilla again, telling her to bring me back down to the ground. ? ¡°Impossible, you say. Well, that is to be expected,¡± Myrilla commented with a deadpan tone once I told her and the others what had happened. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go right away.¡± Sherry declared, her gaze resting towards the city. ¡°No more chit chat. We have to get to the colosseum right away.¡± I noticed her obvious impatience. And I shared that feeling as well. The more time we spent here gawking, the more Marina would have to wait. And Victoria¡ªshe probably had been forced to sleep with that orc prince so many times now. I wouldn¡¯t lie. I felt a little guilty, knowing that this was how she ended up, but like Felicia and Sherry said, it was her own fault for refusing my help back then. Tama disagreed though. She had been telling me to save her from the start, even if it meant going against her will. Well, the only way I could¡¯ve saved her is by killing her family. And I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯d hate me for it. That, or abducting her. Which really would defeat the purpose of the whole thing. ? Before we went into the city, we had split up. We had decided that Theo, Tama, and Tira wouldn''t go with us. Instead, they would wait in a nearby town for the arrival of Orluk''s army. "Don''t do anything rash, okay? Stay safe." I said to Theo, putting my hand on his shoulder. "Don''t worry, Master Hugo!" He smiled. "I can take care of myself! I''ve gotten a lot stronger after all! Thanks to you and Miss Sherry!" Sometimes, he would join us in our training. To him, there was no greater joy to train with his two idols. And, I had to admit, he had indeed improved leaps and bounds compared to when we first met him. I''d say that his strength now rivaled an S-rank adventurer, which was certainly quite the achievement! ? Entering the outskirts of the city, we were greeted by the sight of a great black gate, guarded by a pair of giants wearing pitch black full plate armor. Yes, giants did indeed exist in the Demon Continent. We just never saw them until now. Thanks to their size, being as tall as a five-story building, they couldn¡¯t really live in the towns and cities built by the other, smaller demons. They were forced to stay with their own kind. Except for this place, where giants had their own quarter in the corner of the city. Heh, that Balthazar¡­ he might really be dreaming of becoming the next Demon God, uniting all kinds of demons under his banner like this. They didn¡¯t ask us for papers or anything as we went through the gate. The only thing they did was to warn us to obey Balthazar¡¯s laws, or else we would ¡°suffer the consequences¡±; all with a booming, deep voice. Yeah, I imagine your average traveler will be intimidated by this. Not me though. I probably can kill them both in less than a second. Just make their organs explode from the inside. I gave them a courteous bow and smile before going inside. And immediately I could tell that I was being watched. That fish¡­ it¡¯s following us¡­ The moment we stepped into the city proper, a nearly invisible fish swam through the air, circling on top of my head. I wouldn¡¯t have seen it if I hadn¡¯t been sensitive to any change in the air current, thanks to my sword training. I glanced at Sherry. Yep, she noticed it too. I shook my head. No. Don¡¯t kill it. Pretend you don¡¯t even notice it. To my relief, Sherry understood my thoughts. Even without me saying it out loud. For I saw other similar fishes; following around the people of this city. That fish¡­ everyone here has it. It must be a familiar used for surveillance by the Demon Lord. Wow, government overreach, anyone? But we cannot kill it. It''ll just draw unwanted attention to us. We''re supposed to pretend we were ordinary adventurers or else we might not get out meeting with Balthazar in his castle. The fish followed us through the city, where sadly, we didn''t have much time to gawk around and take in the sights. For this was the final day we could register for the tournament, if my calculations, and Orluk''s information, was correct. It only retreated once we entered the colosseum, which was the large round obsidian building in the middle of the entertainment district. Guess it needs to recharge or something. Or maybe it¡¯s satisfied just knowing where we¡¯re headed. But this place¡­ it looks eerily similar to the Roman colosseum back in my world¡­ The only difference is that this one is pitch-black in color. Coincidence, or something more? Though now that I got a closer look at it, there are more and more differences that I could pick out. Like the fact that there are glowing blue lines on the wall. Runic walls, designed to endure both physical and magical attacks. We entered from the main entrance but we quickly took a turn to the left, descending a flight of stairs to the dungeons, where the fighters for the martial arts tournaments would stay and socialize before they fought. Think of it as a longue for the colosseum''s fighters. The moment we stepped into the large room, we were greeted by the sight of all sorts of demon warriors, all looking quite strong and threatening, judging by their outward appearance. You got towering warriors who either wore a full heavy armor dyed glossy black or not wearing a shirt at all, exposing their ripped physique to the world. A lizardman wielded a bladed wheel on a stick as a weapon, which he gleefully spun with a grin on his face as we passed by. Hmph, compared to Quania, these chumps were just dust in the wind. We walked up to the desk at the far end of the room where the registration was located. A frog demon was standing there behind the wooden desk, whose features reminded me of that frog character from Chrono Trigger. I know. What a random thought. "I''m sorry but mages aren''t allowed in this tournament." He croaked, his voice just as toad-like as I imagined it would be. I raised my eyebrows. "What do you mean?" "This year, the big ''uns decided the tournament would be purely about martial prowess. Any sign of magic usage and you''d be kicked out of the tournament before you could even blink. So, unless you''re willing to fight only with that sword on your waist, you should just leave and stop wasting my time." His eyes then scanned Sherry and the others, before settling on the former. "She looks stronger." He pointed his webbed finger at her. "Why don''t you let her join? No staves or wands, just a good ol'' sword." I turned to face her. Judging by her confident look, she was more than willing to take my place. Still, this wasn''t part of the plan. I was supposed to be the one meeting up with Balthazar. Sherry¡­ she couldn''t really negotiate her way out of things. It would be far more likely that she ended up losing her temper and punching the Demon Lord on the face. "I''ll go." She took a step forward. "Don''t worry. I won''t do anything stupid." I shook my head. "No. I''ll go. I''m pretty decent with the sword myself. I can win this no problem." I flashed her my usual disarming smile. Only, it didn''t work in the slightest. "Don''t be stupid. You know you have to beat one of his wives to win the tournament. Do you really think you can do that without your magic?" Ah, right. Esana Naturia. She won¡¯t be climbing the ladder like the other fights. Instead, the one who wins over everyone else will be granted the privilege to fight her. Of course, for these past fifty years, no one has managed to defeat her. She must be a monster in combat. And, seeing how she allows a ban on magic like this, that means she must fight purely with her martial skills. Like Sherry. Can I win against such an opponent? Maybe not. But I¡¯m done being a coward. To be a strong warrior, one must constantly throw oneself at stronger and stronger opponents. To live at the edge of death and defeat ¡ª that is how you become strong. Those were Quania¡¯s words by the way. Sherry eagerly shared them with me when we were training. ¡°Enough of this bickering. Haven¡¯t you realized that both of you can just enter the tournament if you so choose?¡± Our argument was interrupted by Myrilla. She shut us up just like that. She was right, of course. We could just enter. And one of us could just surrender if we had to face each other. "Don''t worry, Milord." Felicia smiled. "I''ll keep her safe." I looked at her, then to Myrilla, then to Sherry. Seems like no one is against it. Well, what can possibly go wrong? "Sir Frog." I slammed my hand on the table. "Sign me up. Me and my wife here." I wrapped my hand around Sherry''s waist and pulled her over with a grin on my face. Yep! I''ll brag her being my wife anytime I want! Sherry''s cheeks burned. But she didn''t say anything. with embarrassment. But, thanks to her ¡°training¡± with Felicia, she didn¡¯t punch me in return. She just stood there signing her name to the registration form, all while averting her gaze from mine. Oh God she¡¯s just unbearably cute! ¡°Milord.¡± Felicia coughed, giving me an obviously jealous glare. ¡°Please sign your form. Don¡¯t keep the poor receptionist waiting.¡± As for Myrilla, she also had a displeased expression on her face, though she didn¡¯t say anything. Heh, just like Tama, she doesn¡¯t like public displays of affection like this. Well, too bad! I have a wife now and I¡¯m going to do whatever I want with her! ¡°Thank you, Sir, Ma¡¯am.¡± The frog demon spoke as he took back our forms. ¡°Now, please, wait here for but a moment. The preliminaries would start soon. As for those that are not participating¡­" His gaze landed on Felicia and Myrilla. "...please make your way upstairs." Vol 5 Chapter 9: The Annoying Bard Returns Yet Again! When it was time for the tournament to begin, we were brought to the colosseum field. There, we would sit in the rest area, which was just this small roofless corner with several stone benches we could use to sit our butts down. The field itself was pretty much just a large patch of land with nothing in it. Not even grass. The ground was red and cracked and I could see dried blood splatters all over. The soil was so hard and dry it couldn''t even absorb the blood properly. "Gooood morning, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the preliminaries of this year''s martial art tournaments!" The crowd''s cheer blanketed the entire stadium as every single seat was booked to capacity. Looking at them, I saw that most of them were demons, with barely any humans around. Perhaps because of the recent invasion, no humans dare to visit this place. After all, it''s the capital of the enemy. The MC that morning was a prawn demon, wearing a red suit that matched the color of his shell. He had with him a wand that he used to amplify his voice like a mike, spreading it to the entire coliseum. "Now! Before we begin! Some words from our reigning champion, Lady Esana Naturia!" As the crowd cheered once more, he pointed to the balcony at the west of the arena. Narrowing my eyes, I could see a person sitting on a luxurious-looking black chair. I couldn¡¯t quite make out their features however. And then, she decided to jump down from all the way up there to the middle of the arena. She landed with a literal bang, creating a crater where her feet hit the ground. No way she¡¯s that heavy. So she just made that crater simply to be dramatic. She wore a purplish heavy armor from top to bottom, with only her face and long black hair visible to the world¡ªher helmet failing to hide both. Her weapon of choice was a greatsword as tall as she was, currently sheathed on her back. So she''s the dullahan champion, huh? I certainly feel quite the aura coming from her, unlike the other fighters here. Still, it''s nothing compared to Quania. Or Isolde. So she can''t be that strong, can she? For a short moment, my gaze landed on the two mounds jutting out from her chest. It seems she''s quite stacked in that department¡­ her armor has to have boob pockets to accommodate her size¡­ I didn''t linger for too long, however. Sherry was sitting right beside me after all. She looked around in silence for a few moments, before she unsheathed her blade and pointed it right towards us, smirking as she did. "Hear me, those who sought to take my seat as the Champion! You have been given a great boon, to participate in this tournament and earn the chance to face me in combat! As such, I expect a clean fight! With no magic or trickery or anything that is not your muscle or steel! Any slightest hint of such treacherous acts and you''ll be disqualified in an instant!" Guess that means enchanting my sword with wind is out of the question. "As for you, my dear citizens! " She raised her sword up to the sky. ¡°Enjoy the feast of blood!¡± The crowd cheered once more, with some whistling as well, yelling her name. Her smirk grew wider. Clearly, she enjoyed the attention. Afterwards, she jumped back way up there to her throne, leaving yet another crater on the ground she just stood. The final boss¡­ no, the boss that you fight before you get to the final stage¡­ if I can¡¯t beat her, I¡¯m sure Sherry will. ? The rules of the tournament were simple. Almost anything goes, other than magic. You can kill your opponent or accept their surrender. Hell, you can torture them before killing them if you want. This is the Demon Continent after all. Even in the most civilized city in the entire continent, things like this are still the norm. The preliminaries went smoothly. Too smoothly, in fact, as my opponents were so pathetically weak I was barely able to remember them. I fought some dude who looked like a weasel first, I think. Uses a quarterstaff as his weapon. Well, I simply cut it in two and put my blade on his neck, making him surrender in an instant. Next was the lamia lady. Used a poisoned trident. Threatened me with it. I simply dodged every single one of her slow blows and put my sword on her neck. She then tried to trick me, faking a surrender before spitting out a poison dart. I killed her for that. I don''t like that kind of people to be honest. Last, and probably least, I fought against a big elephant dude. Tried to grab me with his trunk. I just cut it off, making him surrender instantly. As for Sherry''s fights, she was just as impressive as I imagined her to be. She first went up against some ogre who declared himself to be "the strongest S-rank adventurer in the continent". Wielding a giant spiked club, he proba thought he was a big shot. He even made some lecherous comments at her. The poor thing never stood a chance as Sherry beat him up so badly with her bare hands he cried for his mommy to pick him up. The second opponent was a lot craftier. He was a frog demon, just like the receptionist from before, and he combined his hypnotic eyes with his sword skill, making her see false images and illusions before running in for the kill. Apparently, if it''s your demon race''s ability, you''re allowed to use it. And he actually managed to land his sword on her once or twice, before Sherry grabbed his sword and throat, choking him into unconsciousness. The third opponent was a bee demoness. She had brought with her a cauldron full of bees to be used as her weapon. Apparently, it was some monster bee with a poison that could kill your average demon with a single second. Too bad that Sherry was no average demon. She tanked through all the bees before punching her in the face, knocking her out instantly. "Good job, Sherry!" I smiled at her as I watched her return to the rest zone. I finished far earlier than her so I just waited there with the other competitors who had yet to have their turns. "Hmph, they were barely a challenge." She huffed, crossing her arms. ¡°There¡¯s no need to praise me for beating them up so fast.¡± Oh dear she¡¯s acting coy. I know just what I need to do to break that facade. I stepped forward and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, followed by a swift squeeze of her left buttcheek. ¡°W-w-w-w¨Cw-what are you doing?!¡± She took a step back, her face turning as red as a tomato. ¡°What? It¡¯s a reward kiss.¡± I grinned. ¡°You did a great job, Sherry!¡± ¡°I-Idiot! You¡­ you can¡¯t be doing this in public, you know! And you didn''t just kiss me! You grabbed my butt as well! Ooh, I so really want to slap you right now!¡± I chuckled. I knew it! Cute Sherry is still better than cool Sherry! Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ? We finished pretty late that day so after we met up with Myrilla and Felicia, we decided we would go to the inn straight away. Participants of the tournament were all forced to sleep in the same inn, so the powers that be could make sure we didn¡¯t do anything shady under the cover of the night. Like stabbing your rival in their sleep, for example. Apparently, that used to be a common thing before they made this rule, according to the frog demon we spoke from before. Heh, you can fight as dirtily as you want in the ring, but outside, you have to be squeaky clean. Makes sense though. They wouldn¡¯t want their fighters to die outside of the arena. Only inside. Now that¡¯s what makes money and excitement for the crowd. "Sir Hugo! Sir Hugo! Sir Hugooo!" Huh? What''s that high-pitched voice? Is it calling my name? I turned around to the direction of the voice. Only to find an elf jumping right towards me. In a microsecond, I stepped to the side, making her land on the ground face first with her butt up in the air. That cameltoe¡­ those tight leather pants¡­ they look familiar¡­ ¡­ Oh, it''s that annoying elf bard I met in Fiania all those years ago! "Ooh, so cruel! Why must you dodge, Sir Hugo? This is our fated reunion after all!" The talking butt quickly stood up, turning to face me before grabbing my hands, shaking them vigorously. "Ooh! I get to shake the hands of a living legend! How exhilarating! It''s like a dream come true!" Immediately I could feel the burning stares of Sherry and the others. Yes, even Myrilla. You¡¯d think she was part of my harem or something. ¡°I see.¡± Myrilla commented, still giving me her glare. ¡°So you two met before. And you had her crotch land right on top of your face. And it was completely intentional since you knew you could¡¯ve dodged it.¡± ¡­C-crap! Why must she say that? And, for that matter, why must I remember that incident? That damn cameltoe! I just can¡¯t forget that shape in those tight leather pants! ¡°Hugooooo!¡± ¡°Milord, why have you never spoken to me about your intercourse with this girl?!¡± Naturally, Sherry and Felicia were quite upset with this revelation, to put it mildly. Especially the former, who had never met her beforehand. ¡°Look, you both know I¡¯m a horrible, awful pervert.¡± I gave them my best, brightest smile. ¡°It¡¯s only natural I won¡¯t refuse such a rare opportunity.¡± ¡°Ooh, Sir Hugo! The rumors are true after all! On top of being a genius swordsman and magician, you''re a lecherous woman conqueror after all!" "W-what?!" I turned to face her. "Where did that come from?!" "Huh?" She tilted her head. "Isn''t it obvious? You travel with so many girls in your entourage, Sir Hugo! Cute ones, sexy ones, you got it all! You even got a new one!" She looked at Sherry with shining eyes. "Uh, not all of them are with me, you know¡­ Like Myrilla here. She''s not my lover. She''s my mentor." "Oh really?" She looked at me with disbelief. "But I''d make a better story if she is!" She smiled. "The masses want their legends to be extraordinary, larger than life itself! And you having so many wives like the Demon Lord of Wisdom is the cherry on top over all the other amazing, out of the world accomplishments you did! You were the man who fought off the Church to save a necromancer! You were the man who defeated the strongest S-rank party in the continent! And you wiped out an entire orc army, led by an orc Demon Lord no less! It''s only natural that people start to think you''re gunning for the Demon Lord title yourself!" "Wait what?! I''m a human! I can''t be a Demon¡ª" "Don''t be silly!" She giggled. "They don''t care whether you''re a human, a demon, or even a hobbit. As long as you''re strong, and you''re not siding with the humans, they''re perfectly willing to call you a Demon Lord!" Aahh, it''s that "strength beats all" logic of demons again¡­ "Hugo, this girl has been singing a ballad about your exploits for months in this place." Myrilla warned. "Everyone here knows about you." Damn, really? Well, glad I used a fake name when I registered for the tournament then. "Listen here, uhh¡­" "Sari! My name''s Sari! I guess it can''t be helped that you''ve forgotten it! I am a nobody compared to you and your entourage after all!" She giggled. "Right, Sari." I placed my hand on her shoulder. "We''re on an incognito mission right now so I''d appreciate it if you don''t go around telling who I am." "Oohhhh!" Her eyes glimmering, grabbing my hand yet again. "Are you going to fight Lord Balthazar, Sir? That would be amazing! A fight between two Demon Lords! I see! I see!" She nodded. "Your cleverness demands you to attack him by surprise! That¡¯s why you attended the tournament, didn¡¯t you? You wanted to be granted an audience with him so you could assassinate him! Right at his face!¡± ¡­Oh God, why must she say that out loud? Doesn¡¯t she realize they can be spying at us at this very moment? Still, I couldn¡¯t sense any of those invisible fishes nearby. So maybe we¡¯re good in that department? ¡°Alright you stupid elf!¡± Felicia walked forward with an angry scowl. ¡°Enough of your blabbermouth! Myrilla, can¡¯t you erase her memories or something so she would stop talking?!¡± ¡°E-erase my memories?! P-please don¡¯t!¡± She waved her hands around in panic. ¡°I swear I¡¯ll keep your secret safe!¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± Felicia narrowed her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t trust you one bit. You were the one spreading around tall tales about Milord, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You are correct,¡± Myrilla commented with a cold stare. ¡°This one has been singing about him for months. She certainly has a big part in familiarizing this city¡¯s denizens with his exploits.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with that?!¡± The elf fired back. ¡°A legend should be brought forward to the spotlight to be an inspiration to all! Not hidden away!¡± Before I could say anything, she grabbed my hands. ¡°Sir Hugo! Please! Tell them I was right!¡± ¡­I paused for a short moment before shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯m no legend. I¡¯m just an ordinary young man who had no aspirations to become one. You making me famous like that¡­ it would just be a detriment to my life. So I would appreciate it if you stop.¡± I stared her down, unflinching in front of those huge eyes of hers. Once, I wanted nothing more than to be known throughout the world as a famous adventurer. As a hero even. But, those days were long gone. I realized just how childish that aspiration was. It was born merely out of fear that I would one day die without anyone remembering I had ever even existed in the first place. Just another cog in the machine that was the universe. But now¡­ now that I had them.. My own family¡­ I just want them to be safe¡­ "Sir Hugo¡­" She released my hands, looking down to the ground, touching her two index fingers together in a guilty look. "I don''t like it¡ªyou putting yourself down like that.¡± To my surprise, Sherry decided to speak up. She walked closer to the elf as well, folding her hands in front of her chest, turning at me before she resumed her speech. ¡°You¡¯re an amazing person, Hugo. There¡¯s no doubt about it. You are the furthest away from ¡®ordinary¡¯¡±. Whoa, calm down with the praise there, Sherry! You¡¯re making me blush! ¡°I can see why you want to make ballads about him.¡± She turned to face the elf. ¡°And to be honest, I don¡¯t think I mind in the slightest. As his wife, I¡¯ll be happy if everyone in the world knows about his greatness.¡± ¡°His wife?! So you really are together!¡± Sari¡¯s eyes glimmered once again. ¡°So I disagree with Miss Big Boobs over there that we should hide his accomplishments. No. If it were up to me, I¡¯d just challenge that Demon Lord to a fight. But, he cowardly hides in his fortress up there and he¡¯ll surely run away if he knows Hugo is after his head.¡± Hey, I¡¯m not after his head! I just want Victoria, that¡¯s all! "Ooh, Miss! We are kindred spirits after all!" Sari grabbed Sherry''s hands, shaking it vigorously. "Please, tell me your name, so I can add you in my tales as well!" "E-eh? My name?¡± ¡°Yes! Your name! So I can add you in my ballads as the beautiful and cool wife of the legendary Sir Hugo!¡± Hearing this, Sherry¡¯s expression changed considerably. She began to blush and look away bashfully from the elf. I chuckled. It was a reaction I expected from her. ¡°I-if you¡¯re going to do that, then add me too!¡± Felicia interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m Felicia Myne! The beautiful witch that is always by his side!¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t butt in and wait for your turn! M-my name is Sherry Izurdia. I¡¯m an Izurd, part of the legendary demon race that once ruled the Continent!¡± ¡°Ooh, an Izurd, you say?" She took out a notebook from her pocket and began to jot down furiously. "I thought they''re extinct!" "No! We''re back now! We''re no longer hiding from the world!" Oi oi oi, really? The moment she says she''s adding you guys to her stories you change your minds and support her now? Just like that? Sheesh, never took you two as the vain sorts. "Hey, make sure you add the part that I''m his no.1 wife." Sherry added, placing her hands on her shoulders. "What?! I''m his no.1 wife!" Felicia protested, putting her own hands on top of Sherry''s. "He did lewd things with me first, far before this runt tagged along. Make sure you add that to your songs!¡± "W-w-wait a second! Please, speak to me one by one!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, seeing the elf getting all flustered. Be careful what you wish for! Still, seeing both of them really wanting to be by my side at the myths¡­ I really am grateful, having them both be my wives. It was a boon I was never really worthy of. ¡°That¡¯s enough, you three! If you want to chat, then don¡¯t do it here, in the middle of the road!¡± Myrilla¡¯s stern voice brought them back to reality. Judging by her frown, she clearly wasn¡¯t pleased with where the conversation was going. ¡°Elf.¡± She looked at Sari. ¡°You¡¯ll have your interview tomorrow. Tonight, we shall rest.¡± ¡°Y-yes ma¡¯am!¡± Sari replied, no doubt intimidated by her glare. ¡°Tomorrow it is!¡± And just like that, the Nerthusia ended our little meeting. Vol 5 Chapter 10: The Succubus Inn After separating from the annoying elf, we made our way to the inn. Like I had said before, we were required to stay at a specific inn during the tournament, as to prevent any "unfortunate" things from happening in the night. The establishment was, pleasantly enough, quite luxurious. It was a grand 5-floor hotel with every amenities provided free of charge, including maids to "take care of your needs" at night. Yes, the receptionist actually recommended me prostitutes cosplaying as maids for my stay there. Right when Sherry and the others were standing right behind me. Suffice to say the suggestion was shot down in an instant. ¡°Oh my, what a shame." The receptionist covered her mouth and giggled. "I assure you, our lovely succubi are well-trained to pleasure both males and females! They can even teach you new tricks to spice up your love play in the bedroom!¡± She looked at Sherry and the others. Yeah, by the way, she¡¯s a succubus herself. In fact, a lot of the staff of this hotel were either succubi or incubi. It started to make me wonder if the whole place was run by that succubus wife of Balthazar. And, like your typical succubi, she had a body any girl would kill for. Her uniform, consisting of a long-sleeved white shirt under a black vest, and dark trousers underneath, was clearly designed in such a way that it hugged her buxom body perfectly. I tried not to ogle though. Not in front of Sherry and the others. "How about some incubi instead? We have this new pretty boy who''s just the cutest thing! Even a man like you should be able to appreciate his beauty!" She gave a smirk at my direction. H-hey, stop looking at me like that! I don''t swing that way! ¡°Alright, that''s enough!" Sherry slammed her hands on the table. I was pretty sure she nearly broke it in half with that force. "Cut the chatter and give us our rooms!" ¡°Rooms?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Apologies, but aren¡¯t you all sleeping together?¡± ¡°Not all of us,¡± Felicia added. ¡°She sleeps on her own.¡± She pointed her thumb towards Myrilla. ¡°Oh¡­ are you¡­ not getting along? That¡¯s no good! You should really¡ª¡± ¡°I am not his woman if that¡¯s what you are insinuating,¡± Myrilla interrupted, her voice as sharp as a knife. ¡°A-ah, so you are not.¡± She gave a nervous chuckle. ¡°Very well then. One room under the name of Alcyon and another under the name of Sherry.¡± Yeah, Alcyon was my fake name. I was lucky they didn¡¯t ask me for any identification. Like my Adventurer¡¯s Card which had my real name on it. A lot cooler than Charles Pendleton, don¡¯t you think? Afterwards, she stamped some papers and gave us our keys, giving us two rooms on the fifth floor for our trouble. ¡°Dinner would be at six to eight. Feel free to drink and eat as much as you want!¡± She smiled. I gave a short glance at the grandfather clock in the lobby. Still five o-clock now. We had some time we could use to clean up. ? Wow, this really is a luxury hotel¡­ A succubus maid then took us to where our rooms were, using what was pretty much an elevator. Only, it was a round room with a floating floor that one could manipulate using magic. The hallway was quiet, our steps muffled by the red carpet covering the floor. Either people just hadn¡¯t settled in their rooms or the walls were that good at muffling their sounds. To our left and right all sorts of paintings, mostly about one scenery or another, along with suits or armors wielding swords, halberds, and axes. In short, it was eerily similar to what the inside of a wealthy noble¡¯s house would be. I heard that the Demon Lord is a big fan of human culture. If this establishment is run by his supervision, it only makes sense that he would have a say in the decorations. One of the paintings took my attention though. It was a painting of someone who looked to be a noble lady of some sort, wearing a black dress with a neckline so low it pretty much showed the entire top half of her boobs. Her hair was straight and purple, going down all the way to her waist where the painting ended. Noting my locked gaze, the succubus attendant decided to speak. ¡°Ah, this is the painting of our good Lady Rita, one of the wives of Lord Balthazar. She¡¯s the one who manages this place.¡± That explains the wings and tails. Still, that gaudy necklace she has¡­ man, isn¡¯t that thing heavy? After my eyes were satisfied staring at her boobs, they moved to their neck, where they saw what I could only describe as a large chunk of gold fashioned into jewelry. Honestly, it was something I would expect a haughty ¡°ohohohoho!¡± noble lady to wear. Hell, maybe she is one. ¡°As the succubus amongst succubi, it is her teachings that we succubi are to be the leaders in comfort and relaxation. As such, we always make sure that every guest that stays in our establishment will be cured of their ails, physical or mental, once they leave,¡± the maid succubus continued with her prim and proper tone. "Hmph, comfort and relaxation? Don''t make me laugh." I looked to my side and saw that Sherry had decided to join in on the conversation. She was now folding her arms, no doubt ready to go off on a rant. Well, let''s see what she has to say about the succubi. They''re kinda her race''s mortal enemy after all. Heh, this should be good. "This whole place is just a really fancy whorehouse. You succubi love to seduce every man you come across, making them have sex with you until they grow addicted to it, then profiting off them once they can''t live without it." The maid''s face immediately hardened. Uh oh, you just made her mad, Sherry! "And besides, only the Succubus Demon Lord has the right to be called the ''succubus amongst succubi''. Your mistress is just a faker. Nothing more." The maid took a deep sigh, glaring at her before replying with her icy words. "With all due respect, Miss Izurdia, you know nothing about our race. It is true that we can become a vile creature like the one you speak of but a true succubus seeks the love and pleasure of her partner. A shared, equal love, not a selfish one. Our mistress subscribes to that belief, unlike that wicked succubus Lilith. She might be a Demon Lord but she is not a representative of our race. And so, even if Lilith and her ilk had caused the downfall of your race, we and our mistress have nothing to do with it." Welp, it''s right there in the name after all. Sherry Izurdia. Only natural she''d think she''s an Izurd. Sherry huffed. "Hmph, I seriously doubt that!" The maid said nothing in return. She simply resumed her walk, though not before giving Sherry one last cold glare. After that little conversation, we resumed our walk through the hallway, only stopping once we were at the very end of the corridor, where our two rooms were located. The maid turned to face us, her skirt swishing in the process. "Here we are. Please, consider yourselves to be at home. If you need anything, you can tap the crystal located on the small desk in the living room. It is connected to the front desk." Another example of magical technology. Reminds me of when I visited Mira all those years ago. She gave a deep bow before excusing herself, leaving us to our own devices at last. ? When we arrived at our rooms, we were greeted by the very definition of luxury. It was more like a penthouse than a room, really, with multiple spaces available, from the bedroom, the living room, the dining room, and even a mini bathhouse with warm water on the ready. Using my sight, I could tell that both the water and the warmth were produced using a magic tool attached to the pipes. It was a construct far beyond the heating stones commonly used to heat up baths. Still, we didn¡¯t enjoy the pleasantries right away, for apparently, Myrilla and Felicia had something they wanted to tell me and Sherry. As such, we sat down in the living room¡ªSherry and I on one sofa and Felicia and Myrilla on the other. Separating between us was an expensive-looking wooden table with a flower vase on top of it. I put my staff beside the sofa, letting it lean towards me on my left. Felicia and Myrilla did the same soon after. ¡°So, the result of our investigation while you two were in the tournament.¡± Myrilla opened, her gaze switching from me to Sherry. ¡°There is no doubt about it. The people here know who Hugo Greenwood is. Or, at the very least, they know all the tales regarding him.¡± ¡°And, their reaction to him is mostly positive.¡± Felicia continued with a smile. ¡°Despite him being a human, they would happily drink with him if they ever met him.¡± ¡°Most demons respect strength above all else,¡± Myrilla resumed, still keeping her deadpan expression. ¡°So it¡¯s nothing surprising they would act that way. Compared to humans who I imagine would be quite fearful of you.¡± I let out a small chuckle. Heh, I guess this means I¡¯m more demon than man at this point, if we¡¯re talking strength-wise. ¡°However,¡± Felicia¡¯s smile disappeared, replaced by one of concern as she looked at me. ¡°This means a whole army of fighters and warriors will wish to challenge you to a fight. This tournament has gathered all the hotheaded fools into one spot and when they know you are the legendary human Hugo Greenwood, I have no doubt they will crawl over each other to have a taste of your strength.¡± ¡°Hmph, let them come!¡± Sherry crossed her legs and arms. ¡°I¡¯ll be Hugo¡¯s bodyguard! They¡¯ll have to fight me first before they can fight him!¡± I glanced at her direction and gave her a sheepish smile. As much as her declaration warmed my heart, I wouldn¡¯t want her to leave a trail of broken bones on my wake. The way she fought in the tournament today¡­ whoo boy, she didn¡¯t even bother to use her sword or hair. She just beat the shit out of her opponent until they begged for her mercy. Hearing her response, Myrilla gave a teacher-like frown towards Sherry¡ªthe kind she would use whenever she would go on into one of her big lectures. ¡°Unfortunately, not all of them would be like the weaklings you fought today. For I managed to get close enough to Esana Naturia to read her mind. And I found that she has a terrible itch to fight you. You might not realize this but she¡¯s been watching you closely from her seat. You are the only human in the tournament and your description fits perfectly with how Hugo Greenwood is supposed to look.¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Wait, you think she might be on to me already?¡± ¡°Not exactly, thankfully enough. Simply because she doesn¡¯t think a person your caliber will ever bother joining her tournament. Especially since you forfeited your magic in the process.¡± I let out a small, relieved sigh, followed by a chuckle. Yeah. She got a point. I¡¯m really more of a mage than a swordsman. ¡°Still, just make sure you don¡¯t overdo it, Milord.¡± Felicia gave me a concerned look. ¡°If you feel you are outmatched, just surrender. Don¡¯t use your magic. If she thinks you¡¯re the legendary Hugo Greenwood, you¡¯d have to fight her and you won¡¯t get the audience you want with Balthazar.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll have to fight her anyway at the end of the tournament, no?¡± ¡°No,¡± Myrilla interrupted. ¡°Because there¡¯s no way you can win over Sherry without your magic.¡± I chuckled yet again, giving a smile at the black-haired girl¡¯s direction. ¡°True enough. So it¡¯ll be up to you, Sherry.¡± I rested my hand on her shoulder. She turned her head towards me. ¡°I can just surrender if you want. You¡¯re a far better speaker than I am. If it were up to me, I¡¯d punch that Demon Lord for forcing that Victoria girl to a marriage she wants nothing with.¡± I leaned back on my seat, folding my arms under my chest. ¡°The problem is¡­ I¡¯m not sure if I can win the fight if I¡¯m the one to win. Unless, of course, she wants to fight both of us. But I¡¯m pretty sure that frog told us that the champion will only fight the top fighter of the tournament.¡± Myrilla sighed, shaking her head. ¡°Then why did you enter the tournament in the first place?¡± I fell silent, unable to respond to that question. ¡­ Until, all of a sudden, an idea entered my mind, making a triumphant smirk to form on my lips. ¡°There¡¯s a way. For both of us to get a shot on the dullahan.¡± Myrilla raised her eyebrow, clearly taken aback by my declaration. I grinned. ¡°What? You can¡¯t read my mind?¡± She scowled, her antennas lighting up, and then, after a few seconds, her mouth fell open. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ quite the risky proposition. But I can see it working.¡± Sherry and Felicia stared at me, demanding I explain the plan for them no doubt. And so, with an even bigger smirk, I gracefully obliged. ¡°Basically, I¡¯ll surrender to Sherry immediately once we face each other in the grand final. Then, I¡¯ll declare to the crowd that I¡¯m no longer interested in the tournament, claiming it to be a boring venue filled with weak fighters. I would then announce I would rather leave the final fight to Sherry, as I¡¯m in no mood to fight a weakling like Esana. This, naturally, will infuriate the prideful dullahan.¡± ¡°Meaning, you¡¯ll provoke her into a fight.¡± Felicia smiled. ¡°She has to respond that way if she¡¯s going to keep her respect from the populace. That¡¯s a genius move, Milord!¡± ¡°And, if you fail, I¡¯ll be there to avenge you.¡± Sherry patted me on the back, grinning as well. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea, Hugo!¡± I rubbed the bottom of my nose, blushing slightly. It¡¯s not every day I got a genius idea like this one! ? After our little, half-an-hour meeting, it was decided that we would depart for dinner around one hour or so from now. Before that, we would take our baths, change our clothes, and maybe even rest a little if the time allowed. But before even doing that, we performed a quick scan of the two rooms for any spying devices or familiars. It was only to be expected that there would be some, remembering our greeting when we first entered the city. I already used my mana sight in the living room before by the way. Finding nothing there, we could proceed to have our chat there without anyone eavesdropping. To my surprise, however, it wasn¡¯t just the living room that was empty. There really wasn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary in our two rooms. Wow, I guess they actually care about their guests¡¯ privacy here. Only afterwards that we split up, with Myrilla staying in her room, while Felicia, Sherry, and I made our way back to our own. The moment I heard the door being closed, however¡­ *Boing* I felt a pair of arms wrapping around my abdomen, followed by another pair of warm, squishy fat pressing into my back. ¡°Let¡¯s go take a bath together, Darling~¡± Felicia whispered to my ear. She didn¡¯t even wait. I let her expert hands work at unbuttoning my trousers. In a flash, they were already on the carpeted floor, showing off my boxers to her hungry eyes. Sherry, who had been the one to close off the door, was naturally unhappy, seeing her assault me like this without her consent. ¡°Really? You can¡¯t even wait until he takes off his shoes?¡± ¡°Come now, little Sherry.¡± She smirked, her hand feeling up my behind. ¡°Don¡¯t you think Milord is just cute in his undergarments?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me little, you old hag!¡± She pointed at her. I chuckled. Judging by the blush on her face, and her averting her gaze, she indeed found me cute in my undergarments. ¡°Feel free to look if you want.¡± I smiled mischievously. ¡°If I can peek at your panties, you have all the right in the world to peek at my boxers.¡± ¡°Hmph! Then you will no doubt have no problem with me pulling them off!¡± With one swift move, and with her still not looking at my direction, she pulled my boxers off with her hair. Hmm, so you can use the martial arts technique of seeing without eyes for that kind of thing too¡­ But my boxers don¡¯t have any aura on them though¡­ ¡°Oh my, what an impatient child.¡± Felicia licked her lips as she stared at my junk. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Milord. I¡¯ll help you change out of the rest of your clothing, alright?¡± She knelt down and began to untie my boots, all the while sucking on the tip of my member, giving me a lustful glance all the way through the process. Damn. Never before I imagined I''ll get a blow job while I have my shoes untied. Sherry, who had returned her gaze back to me, quickly reacted to the scandalous scene with a deathly glare. She ordered her hair to grab both Felicia and I, forced us to stand straight, before undressing both me and her in a speed only rivaled by my pervy wind spell. "We''re going to the bath right now! You two can do your lewd stuff later!" I was now standing completely naked, with a half raised mast. Felicia was in the same state, now standing with her glorious boobs and red well-trimmed pubes in front of me. Well, Felicia still had her shoes though. But not for long, as she quickly threw them to the sides, huffing as she did. Smiling at me, she then said, ¡°So much for giving you a pre-show, Milord. Well, I suppose I do need a bath¡­ But do not fret. I¡¯ll attend to your needs first before I tend to mine.¡± More like, you¡¯ll play with my member and I¡¯ll play with your boobs. That¡¯s usually how it goes if we take a bath together. My gaze momentarily shifted to Sherry, who was now stripping down out of her shirt. I could see her small breasts as her top was now covering her head instead. No bra, of course. No need for one when they were so small. She then moved on to her short shorts, unbuttoning and unzipping them before letting them fall to the floor, revealing the fact that she wore blue striped panties today. Not that I didn''t already know, seeing how I already caught them peeking out of her shorts earlier. The waistband of her shorts were actually somewhat loose on her hip. As such, they would occasionally drop down a bit, giving anyone who really looked a peek at the waistband of her panties. Not to mention that sometimes she would just forget to zip her shorts. Though I had a sneaking suspicion that only happened whenever she wanted to seduce me. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She then pulled down those panties as well, giving me a nice view of her pristine girlhood. Unlike Felicia, she was completely hairless down there. Noticing my gaze, her cheeks immediately reddened as she puffed her cheeks in my direction. ¡°Stop staring and get into the bathroom already. Stupid Hugo¡­¡± I had to hold myself back from chuckling. Wow. What a stereotypical tsundere response¡­ Then again, she does fit the archetype¡­ With a big grin on my face, I walked to the bathroom door, gesturing to Felicia and Sherry with a short bow for them to enter first. Vol 5 Chapter 11: A Night of Relaxation Well well well¡­ not bad¡­ not bad at all¡­ I nodded, scratching my chin in the process. Entering the bathroom, we were greeted by pretty much the most luxurious bathroom we had ever been in. Well, Felicia might have been to one that¡¯s better than this, since she used to live in a royal castle, but that¡¯s beside the point. The walls were pure white, engraved by decorative flower patterns. The tub was placed at the middle of the room, or rather, the pool, as there was a chest-deep hole filled with warm, steaming water there. It seemed the maids here had prepared it beforehand, just like a five-star hotel would (or maybe not. I¡¯ve never been in one back at my old life) I was the first to enter the pool. Immediately the muscles of my feet relaxed, followed soon by the rest of my body. I let out a deep, relaxed sigh, as I took my leaning spot at the northern war. Grinning, I waved my hand at Sherry and Felicia. ¡°What are you waiting for? The water is really nice, you know!¡± I watched as the two entered the water as well, savoring the final moments I got to see them fully naked. The water was a bit too deep for the shorter Sherry, covering her small chest entirely. For Felicia, on the other hand, it covered just enough to tease her nipples, as the top part of her breasts were completely exposed. ¡°Ahhhh, this is the life¡­ This is the life¡­¡± ¡°Milord, let me scrub your back.¡± Felicia approached me with a lustful smile. ¡°Nonono, let¡¯s save the lewd play for later. I want to relax first. Enjoy the water, you know.¡± She huffed, stopping in her tracks. ¡°Well, if you say so¡­¡± She then rested her back on the nearest edge, leaning at it just like I was doing. ¡°I have to agree with you, MIlord¡­ The water is very nice indeed¡­ This aroma¡­ moondipped perune and singing taliol¡­ the maids must have an alchemist in their ranks¡­¡± Sherry, on the other hand, decided to lean on the edge right beside me. I closed my eyes. It didn¡¯t take long until my mind began to drift away to the fluffy clouds above¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Hugo¡­ Hugo¡­ Why¡­ Why didn¡¯t you¡­ save me? I jolted awake, splashing water all around me, waking up Sherry who had also been catching a quick nap. Damnit! Damnit damnit damnit! It was that dream again. I should be used to it already. Apparently not. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Milord?¡± Felicia asked with a concerned look. ¡°Nothing.¡± I shook my head, massaging the front of my head with my thumb and index. ¡°I just had a dream¡­ about Marina again¡­¡± Felicia¡¯s expression turned grave. Slowly, she made her way towards me, stopping to rest her back right beside me, just like Sherry had been doing. ¡°You must love her a lot.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I chuckled, finding my throat really dry all of a sudden. ¡°She¡¯s always been there ever since I was little. Always. Without fail. She even hid the fact that she was bullied just because she didn¡¯t want to worry me.¡± ¡°I remember that,¡± Felicia replied. She was looking at the ceiling, almost with a forlorn expression. ¡°You¡¯ve told me this story before, Milord.¡± ¡°Yeah. I suppose I have¡­¡± ¡°Marina¡¯s strong. Don¡¯t let that evil Goddess make you sad.¡± Sherry¡¯s face on the other hand was resolute. Her fists were clenched tightly and she looked like she was about to punch someone on their face. No doubt the Goddess. ¡°We will save her. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± But what if the Goddess just kills her before we can get to her? She can just do that out of spite. To send me barreling down into the darkness yet again. I held myself from saying it out loud. I refused to entertain that horrible thought further. Suddenly, I felt Sherry¡¯s hand wrapping around mine. ¡°Remember when I used your crystal to send a message to her?¡± She spoke, though still not looking at my direction. ¡°I told her that you¡¯re an amazing person and that she should be happy her little brother had grown up to be a wonderful man. I even told her that I allowed you to take another girl as his second wife, just because I trusted you that much.¡± I glanced at Felicia. To my surprise, she didn¡¯t protest at those words, particularly the ¡°second wife¡± part. ¡°And so, she should trust in you as well. No matter what horrible things that Goddess did to her, she could rely on the fact that you are coming, that you are going to save her one day. You two are going to reunite. And you two are going to be happy together again.¡± A small sniffle ended her speech, followed by something that completely caught me off-guard. A kiss. ¡°There.¡± Her face was red, and clearly not from the warm water. ¡°That¡¯s my cheer-up kiss.¡± I smiled, wrapping my arms around her back, dragging her closer for a hug. ¡°Thank you. I needed that.¡± If Sherry could¡¯ve ignited from embarrassment, she would¡¯ve done so right then and there. ¡°You know, Marina used to hug me when we took our baths together too. No, to be more precise, I was the one who initiated the hug. She said it made her happy. So I did it every time I could. Which was only in the summers, since she had to go back to the Academy once fall came.¡± ¡°...Milord, doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re hugging naked children out of your own volition?¡± I froze. Slowly, I turned my head to face Felicia. ¡°You have your adult mind even as a little boy. And yet, you¡¯re still going after her? And she¡¯s your older sister too.¡± ¡°W-wait! That¡¯s not what¡ª¡± Felicia covered her mouth and chuckled, before breaking out into a full laughing fit. ¡°Oh, Milord! It¡¯s merely a jest! I¡¯ll never call you a child predator!¡± I blinked. What? ¡°Still, you should have seen your face! You are as white as a ghost!¡± It¡¯s¡­ a joke? Since when Felicia is the type to make jokes? ¡°Don¡¯t you worry! I know how perverted you are, Milord! But you are a gentleman as well! That¡¯s why I fell for you after all!¡± Finally, her laughter died down, with her wiping a tear of her left eye. ¡°Sorry. I know it¡¯s a bit out of character for me to do that, but I just have to cheer you up, Milord. Just like Sherry did.¡± Ah. This is her way of cheering me up. How odd. Usually, she¡¯ll just grab my junk and be done with it. Glad to see she¡¯s expanding her horizons though. ¡°Still, I would like to hear more stories about Marina. I have a feeling we¡¯ll be good friends immediately when we meet one day.¡± Uh, I wouldn¡¯t count on that. She¡¯s a bit¡­ overprotective, especially if it relates to me. Doesn¡¯t like to share. I still remember her being jealous of Sherry for getting to be with me far more often than her. Still, that¡¯s her old self. How she is right now¡­ The sight of her bloodied half-dryad body flashed for a split second. I don¡¯t want to answer that question. ? We finished our bath not long after. After such a heartfelt talk, we weren¡¯t in the mood to do anything lewd. We dried our bodies with the provided towels before stepping back to the living room, still in our birthday suits. ¡°Oh yeah, I should call out Kiri and Aria.¡± I had been keeping them in reverse ever since we stepped in the city. I kinda wanted them to be out of sight of any of the Demon Lord¡¯s underlings, just so I could use them as my trump card. But, I felt sorry for them as well. Now that they had officially become my familiars, they could stay by my side as much as they wanted and if I were to follow their wishes, they would forever be with me 24/7. They would no doubt be happy if I called them out for a bit, even if I would have to dismiss them again. We had checked around and there wasn¡¯t any surveillance magic or creature around so it should be safe. ¡°Now, Milord?¡± Felicia folded her arms under her chest. ¡°We haven¡¯t even had sex yet. Unless you don¡¯t want to do it tonight¡­¡± Her voice trailed off, her face giving me a look of disappointment. ¡°We¡¯ll do that later.¡± Sherry chimed in, pulling a fresh pair of sky blue panties up her well-toned bum. ¡°Dinner, remember?¡± ¡°Aaw, but I¡¯m not hungry¡­¡± Felicia walked up to me and pressed her bare chest to mine. ¡°Can we just skip it, Milord? Please? My womb is really itching for your¡ª¡± ¡°Cut it out!¡± Sherry glared, now pulling up her short shorts. ¡°Hugo needs his meal! He¡¯s the one doing all the fighting! You can do your diet all on your own!¡± ¡°D-diet? Why would I be on a diet?¡± ¡°Because you already have some belly fat down there. That¡¯s what you get for refusing to exercise every day.¡± ¡°B-BELLY FAT? DON¡¯T LISTEN TO HER, MILORD! IT¡¯S A LIE! AN AWFUL, TERRIBLE LIE!¡± I looked down at her naked stomach. Hmm, I don¡¯t see anything different¡­ But then again, girls are always more sensitive in this matter than boys¡­ Heh, you can¡¯t say that when you used to be fat. Back when you were just too lazy and depressed to exercise. ? After we got dressed and ready, we made our way outside. We knocked on the door across our room, letting Myrilla know that we were ready to have dinner. It only took a split second until the demoness opened the door. ¡°Finally. Took you long enough.¡± We made our way to the first floor, using the same elevator we used when we first came here. We then made our way to the dining hall, which, thankfully enough, wasn¡¯t that far from where our elevator ended up. Only to find a room in chaos, with plates flying everywhere as several demons beat the crap out of each other in a brawl. Noticing our arrival, the nearby succubus maid walked over to us and gave a bow. ¡°Apologies. It seems that this scene is not to your liking. Then, might I suggest returning back to your rooms? We will send food there.¡± ¡°Uh, what¡¯s going on here?¡± I scratched the back of my head. ¡°A brawl,¡± she replied matter-of-factly, as if people fighting each other in a middle of a dining hall was a common occurence. ¡°A certain good sir had too much to drink and he began insulting the races of the other demons. It quickly devolved into the situation you see here right now, unfortunately.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re just going to let it happen?!¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s healthy for these warriors to fight like this. Do not fret. We will make sure they¡¯re in top fighting condition come tomorrow. We here have the best healer in all of the Demon Continent. They will be back in fighting shape in no time.¡± I looked back at the dining hall. Food were flying everywhere. Grilled fish, fried rice, giant turnips (a common delicacy in the Demon Continent), and numerous other food were being wasted by the second, thrown by drunkards who had completely lost their common sense. I shook my head. What a waste¡­ what a terrible, awful waste¡­ ¡°And here I thought this is supposed to be a high class establishment.¡± Felicia smirked. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± Sherry put her hands on her hips, her shiny teeth visible as she grinned. ¡°You really aren¡¯t that good at doing your job, are you, Ms. Succubus?¡± The succubus tilted her head. ¡°Apologies. But I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m quite unfamiliar with how humans hold their gatherings. If this displeases you, then please, accept my, and this establishment¡¯s, sincere apology.¡± Once again, the maid gave a bow, this time a lot deeper than before. I scratched my head again. I guess this is acceptable in demon cities? Though, thinking about it, whenever a fight broke out in the taverns we had frequented on our way here, the owner would quickly join in on the fun. Some just watched with glee from the corner, others decided to start an impromptu gambling session on who the winner would be, and one special man actually joined in on the fight himself. As I was thinking to myself, however¡­ ¡­!!! An attack! Something flew towards me at high speed, faster than any ordinary human could react to. Thankfully, I was no ordinary human, so I could turn around and catch the thing before it could hit me on the head. Or I would, if Sherry didn¡¯t do it first. Using her hand, she grabbed the object, which was an empty plate. Her eyes then immediately scanned the room from the person responsible. ¡°Oi! Nice catch, shorty!¡± Across the room, I saw a demon waving at us. His skin was blue and he had a pair of goat horns jutting out from his head. A pair of comically tiny wings could also be seen coming out from his shoulders, as he stood there only with his pants on. ¡°Stop standing over there like a wuss and join the fun! We can have a little spar before we get to¡ª¡± He never managed to end his sentence. Sherry, in her rage, sent the plate flying back to him. With her full strength. I didn¡¯t know how fast it flew. I only knew that it broke the sound barrier in the process. It crashed onto his head, shattering into million tiny pieces in the process. Knocking the lights out of him in just a single blow. I turned my gaze back to Sherry. ¡°What? What¡¯s that face for? He almost hit you, you know. It¡¯s only fair that I return the favor.¡± The succubus, realizing that there was a good possibility that Sherry had just killed the demon, quickly ran towards him, leaving us on our own once more. Well¡­ time to leave and pretend this whole thing never happened¡­ ? As promised, we did have our dinner delivered to our rooms. And yes, it was as extravagant as the food I saw at the dining hall. We were told to just leave the tray, plates, and cutleries outside after we finished eating, and the maids would just pick them up. And, to my surprise, Sherry didn¡¯t get any admonishment for what she did back there. I saw blood pouring out of that guy¡¯s forehead. He could¡¯ve gotten brain damage out of that. Or so I would say, if not for the fact that he was a demon. And so, I guess the wound was less grave than I imagined it to be. The guys fighting at the dining hall will end up doing the same amount of damage, if not more, to their opponents anyway. I saw how some of them fought, actually using their claws and fangs rather than their fists. No weapons though. You were not allowed to bring them there by the staff. We decided to all eat together in my living room, including Myrilla. And Kiri and Aria as well. They didn¡¯t need to eat but they could. And they enjoyed human food just as much as humans do. Okay, that¡¯s a lie. They despise meat. And vegetables. All they want are sweets, like puddings, candies, ice creams, etc. Basically, the entire desert tray. ¡°Oooohhh Master! This is so delicious!¡± I could only stare in both awe and alarm as Kiri gulped an entire strawberry pudding. That can¡¯t be normal. Aria, on the other hand, was taking her time with her chocolate cake. Though I couldn¡¯t help but notice the brown smudge on her lips, as she was still not that skilled in using the fork and knife, despite the training she had undergone with Tira. ¡°Hey, you get a little something on your mouth there. Let me clean it up.¡± I reached forward across the table, using the handkerchief I had to clean the fey¡¯s mouth. ¡°M-Master¡­ mphhhhh!¡± Sorry Aria, but your blunder is just too noticeable for me to ignore! When I finished, I gave her a grin, placing the now dirty handkerchief to the side. Huh? Why is she blushing? Oh, right, I guess this must be a bit embarrassing for her. Little did I know that Sherry was staring at me the whole time I was doing it. ¡°Hugo! My mouth is dirty too!¡± I looked at her. Sure enough, she now had some peanut jam on the left side of her lips. ¡­Oooh, she¡¯s jealous! I guess wiping a girl¡¯s mouth can be seen as a romantic act¡­ I¡¯ll certainly get excited if a cute girl were to clean my mouth with her handkerchief! With a grin, I grabbed a different handkerchief and wiped her mouth clean as well. ¡°There you go. All nice and new.¡± ¡°T-thanks¡­¡± she stuttered, glancing away. Her cheeks were just as red as Aria¡¯s. Somehow, at that moment, I could feel the eye-rolling Felicia was doing behind my back. ? ¡°Well, now that we¡¯ve finished, I shall return to my room.¡± The moment she finished her plate, Myrilla declared her departure. ¡°Kiri, Aria.¡± She looked at my two familiars. ¡°One of you should come to my room.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Kiri put a finger on her lips. ¡°Why? I wanna be here with Master!¡± Myrilla opted to ignore her, switching her gaze to me instead. ¡°Hugo, order them to stand guard at your room and mine.¡± Oh yeah, they don¡¯t need to sleep after all. Just in case, we should do that. ¡°Well then.¡± I smiled, looking at the two feys. ¡°Which one of you will get to stay with me, I wonder?¡± ¡°Me! Memememememe!¡± Kiri jumped up and down like a schoolchild, waving her hands in the process. Yes, her boobs jiggled the entire time she did it. Aria, on the other hand, had a completely different reaction to my question. ¡°I¡­ I would want to be with you, Master¡­¡± She fidgeted, averting her gaze with a deep blush on her face. Huh, is she still recovering from the handkerchief incident? ¡°How about this? We¡¯ll settle it with a game. A simple one. I¡¯ll toss a coin and you¡¯ll have to guess whether it¡¯s heads or tails.¡± ¡°Ooh, that sounds like fun, Master!¡± Kiri jumped again. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Aria didn¡¯t say anything. She simply nodded, with a determined look on her face. Quickly, I took out a bronze coin from my pocket. ¡°Tails? Or heads?¡± ¡°Heads!¡± Kiri answered. ¡°Tails.¡± Aria followed. I threw the coin up into the air, letting it fall on my palm before covering it with my other hand. ¡°Let¡¯s see who we got here¡­ and¡­ tails! Congratulations Aria! You are winner!¡± Heh, ¡°you are winner¡±. That¡¯s a classic phrase from my other childhood. All those games that used bad English in them¡­ ¡°Aawww!¡± Kiri¡¯s shoulder slumped, her eyes looking down on her feet. I would feel bad for her but I knew she¡¯d be over it in an instant. "Well¡­" I smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Time to leave with Big Sis Myrilla.¡± ? After Myrilla and Kiri left, the latter doing so with great reluctance, we decided to go to sleep at once, though not before changing out into our nightdresses and pajamas. Aria watched us with a curious look as we took off our clothes. Or at least, she would, if not for Sherry telling me to give the order for her to look away. ¡°Hey Hugo. Tell her to look away.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re both girls, you know.¡± ¡°Not for me. For you. You¡¯re my husband and I won¡¯t have you be ogled by girls other than me and Felicia.¡± I looked at Aria. ¡°Well, you heard her. If you would, can you look away?¡± ¡°...Of course, Master Hugo.¡± She turned around, now facing the far corner of the room. Damn it. It really is awkward having her here¡­ ? Once we were finished, we climbed up the large bed, clearly designed for three people to sleep in. Or even more. ¡°No sex tonight, it seems¡­¡± Felicia whispered under the covers with a pout. ¡°You really are a nymphomaniac, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sherry glared at her, her arms wrapping themselves around my abdomen from behind. ¡°Hmph, speak to yourself, Ms. ¡®Let¡¯s Sniff Hugo¡¯s Underpants¡¯¡± Felicia huffed, wrapping her own arms around my chest. ¡°H-hey! You agreed to never mention that again!¡± ¡°Oh dearie. I¡¯ll never let you go for that.¡± Fat, juicy boobs pressing to my chest on the front; small, barely perceptible mounds on my back. Two cute and beautiful girls hugging me. It was just like my fantasies. Only, it¡¯s my reality now. These two really love using me as their pillow. A little groping shouldn¡¯t hurt¡­ As the two closed their eyes, my right hand squeezed Felicia¡¯s left boob while my left went after Sherry¡¯s left asscheek instead. Two short gasps escaped their lips. But they didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, both just had their hands going after my crotch, grabbing my junk under the blanket, with the loser fondling my jewels instead. Yeah¡­ this is nice¡­ and Aria wouldn¡¯t know better¡­ we¡¯re doing it under our blanket after all¡­ It didn¡¯t take long until I fell asleep. Well, after I finished my business in my pajama pants anyway. Vol 5 Chapter 12: Second Day of The Tournament Stareeeee¡­ Stareeeeeeeee¡­ Stareeeeeeeeeeee¡­ It¡¯s not fair¡­ why can¡¯t I cuddle with him too¡­ Aria Earthroot was not happy in the slightest. In fact, she had a slight frown in her normally expressionless face, giving her somewhat of a pitiful look as she stood there, staring at Hugo and his lovers hugging with each other on their bed. She wanted it. She wanted to be there too¡ªher arms embracing him as she let his face be buried inside her chest. She wanted to smell his pleasant scent. She wanted to hear his delightful heartbeat. She wanted to be his wife too. She knew what it meant to be one, thanks to her teacher, Tira. In the human world, a man is supposed to only be embraced by his wives. Sleeping together like that is a privilege only given to those that her master considered as his wives. She, on the other hand, was a mere familiar. Kraa! Kraa! Kraa! She glanced to her left. The clock had just hit twelve, and with it, the crow perched on top of it cawed twelve times. Not an enemy. The crow was merely a mechanical puppet. Her gaze returned to the bed¡ªthe momentary distraction doing little to calm the ember of jealousy growing inside her heart. If one were to ask why she liked her master so much, she would simply say that she liked his warmth. That¡¯s why her payment was a hug. She liked being hugged, especially by a human as pleasant and wonderful as he was. Little did she realize that Hugo¡¯s pains and joys have influenced her as well. The bond between a mage and their summoned being only grew the more they trusted each other, resulting in their hearts opening to one another. This meant speaking telepathically without speaking a word, or even sensing each other¡¯s moods and emotions. And she, over the years, had sensed all the emotions her dear master had gone through. His laugh, his tears, his desires, his dreams¡ªshe could all feel them unconsciously. His kind yet weak heart¡­ she desired to protect that from the harsh world he had to endure. She was born as a lowly mud sprite, knowing nothing about the world other than the small pond of mud she manifested from. And yet, from her contract with him, she grew and grew and grew, until she became the way she was now¡ªa complex being, no longer as simple-minded as her sister sprites. And a complex being like her was very much capable of something that was very much similar to what you call ¡°love¡± She loved him. She loved her master. She wanted to be by his side forever. Serving him brought great joy to her fey heart. She had grown all too human. Kraa! Kraa! Kraa! The clock struck again, this time only once, as it was one in the morning. Has it really been an hour? Human time simply flies like the wind, doesn¡¯t it? ¡­ ¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Master, but I would have to disobey your order. Normally, a familiar wouldn''t be able to do so. But, Hugo was a kind master, who never had even considered using his authority to command her to do something she didn¡¯t want to. It allowed her some degree of autonomy, allowing her to disobey his command to stand watch while he and his lovers slept. In fact, she already broke that command, as she was supposed to stay in the living room instead of here, inside the dimly lit bedroom. She walked over to the bed, stopping just short of its southern side. Now, how should she do it? Could she just¡­ climb up the bed? She wouldn¡¯t want to wake up Mistress Felicia and Mistress Sherry¡­ She looked at the two girls. They had stopped hugging her master. Sherry now had her back turned to the other side while Felicia was just grabbing one of his hands. She had a chance. If she could just sneak there undetected, she could wrap her arms around her Master, finally able to have the cuddling she desperately wanted. With a flash of determination on her face, the fey began her work. ? Hugo Urghh¡­ Slowly, my eyes fluttered open. Huh¡­ it¡¯s still dark¡­ did I wake up early? I didn¡¯t get any nightmares though¡­ No¡­ This sensation on my face¡­ Boobs. My face is pressing into a pair of boobs. But this fabric¡­ it¡¯s too thick for Felicia¡¯s thin nightgown¡­ and the size¡­ they¡¯re about similar¡­ but this one is just ever so slightly bigger¡­ Nice scent¡­ it smells like¡­ fresh earth¡­ Earth? Wait, this is Aria, isn¡¯t it? I pulled my face away ever so slightly from her bosom. And sure enough, when I looked up, it was the face of the fey that I found. Somehow, she had sneaked up the bed, dislodged Sherry and Felicia from me, and took me for herself. She had betrayed my order to guard the room without sleep. Now that was unexpected. I thought, as my familiar, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do that. How curious¡­ Still, since feys don¡¯t really need sleep, this sleep of hers was just a light one. With a light pinch, she should wake up immediately. I moved my hand upwards, brushing with her boobs in the process. Damn, she¡¯s big. But I can¡¯t lose focus. I¡¯m not going to cheat on Sherry and Felicia with another woman, even if that woman is my own familiar. And so, I gave her cheek a good pinch. ¡°Ow! M-Master? You¡¯ve waken up already?¡± ¡°Yes, I have.¡± I put on my frown. ¡°And I¡¯m not happy that you decided to disobey my order, Aria.¡± Her eyes widened in shock. She clearly didn¡¯t expect me to be so blunt. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Master¡­ it¡¯s just that¡­ I want to sleep with you so badly that I just can¡¯t resist¡­¡± Her reply was accompanied by a sideway glance away from my stare. That, and her eyes glistening with tears. Shit, did I go overboard? I just wanted to be stern to her. She¡¯s not like Kiri who¡¯ll cry at the drop of a hat. She¡¯s supposed to be cool and composed. A kuudere, if you will. And yet, I nearly made her cry like this. I glanced to my left and right. Sure enough, Sherry and Felicia were still there, still asleep in their dreams. I can rectify this. I can just pretend this never happened. No, that won¡¯t fly. They¡¯ll be able to notice Aria¡¯s scent on me. Women always have a really sharp nose for the scent of other women. I just have to come clean. I patted her head. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it with Sherry and Felicia, okay?¡± She nodded. ? ¡°So, let me get this straight¡­ you want to sleep with Milord? Despite you not being his wife?¡± Ten minutes later, we had an impromptu emergency meeting regarding Aria. We were back in the living room, sitting on the couch there. Sherry and Felicia were still in their sleeping gowns while Aria¡ªprobably because she didn¡¯t have any other clothes¨Cwas still in her maid uniform. Sherry and Felicia sat across me and her. ¡°Yes. I believe I have the right to do so, as his familiar,¡± Aria coolly replied. She had mostly regained her composure, despite her nearly bursting into tears before. ¡°You know that makes us uncomfortable, right?¡± Felicia narrowed her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a beautiful young woman. And Milord is a handsome, perverted young man. If we were to let you sleep with him, I have no doubt whatsoever it would lead to something more down in the future.¡± She folded her arms under her chest. ¡°Something more?¡± Aria tilted her head. ¡°Sex.¡± Felicia answered without skipping a beat. ¡°I assume Tira has taught you that?¡± Aria nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t understand the details but it¡¯s something couples do that are really pleasurable. It¡¯s something involving the male thrusting his throbbing member into the female¡¯s hole between her legs. To be honest, I don¡¯t understand how such an act can be pleasurable.¡± ¡­Thinking about it, I¡¯m not sure whether feys could be horny in the first place. But Victoria exists¡ªthe daughter of a fey and a human¨Cso they definitely can have sex. Even if the baby will be born somewhere else in the world, from some other woman¡¯s belly. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter what you think,¡± A slight pout formed on Felicia¡¯s lips. ¡°You just have to know that we are both uncomfortable doing it if you or any other stranger is in the room.¡± ¡°That is fine,¡± Aria sternly met her gaze. ¡°I will leave the room if you wish, Mistress. But once you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll come back in.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand!¡± Felicia suddenly raised her voice. ¡°That would be terribly awkward! I don¡¯t want to feel your stare behind my back when I¡¯m flirting with Milord!¡± Sherry, who had been silent all this time, nodded with agreement. Aria looked down, dejected by Felicia¡¯s words. She began to play with her fingers, pressing her two index fingers into each other. ¡°I¡­ I understand. My knowledge of human custom is lacking. As such, I have made such a ridiculous request upon you two.¡± She glanced towards me, giving me a sorrowful smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad I can sleep with you last night, Master. You¡¯re¡­ really warm and tender¡­" ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­Goddamnit. Fine. I''ll defend her. You happy, my conscience? "Look, I owe my life to Aria. And Kiri. So many times I called for their help in combat. Hell, I would be without an arm if not for them! Don''t you think they should be rewarded for that?¡± ¡°So, you suggest we let you sleep with them?¡± Sherry asked, her tone sending a chill down my spine. ¡°How convenient. You get two more cute girls to fondle.¡± ¡°Not every night. You and Felicia will still be sleeping with me most of the time. That would be fine, right, Aria?¡± The maid nodded. ¡°Yes. That will be fine, Master. I am not greedy. I know that Mistress Sherry and Mistress Felicia deserve you more than I.¡± She gave a quick look towards the two. Sherry sighed, crossing her legs and arms. ¡°Hugo.¡± She gave me a suspicious stare. ¡°Why are you so popular with girls?¡± ¡°Well..¡± I smiled, scratching my cheek. ¡°I assure you, it¡¯s not my intention to flirt with them. I have no idea why I¡¯m popular either. Maybe because of my dashingly good looks?¡± I grinned. ¡°That¡­¡± Felicia chimed in with her own smile. ¡°...and him being an exceptional human being. Or, to use the common term, he¡¯s just really, really cool. Right, Milord?¡± She giggled. ¡°You should try being less cool sometimes.¡± ¡°Heh, and how do you propose I do that exactly? Walk around with my fly open?¡± ¡°Nonono! You should show more of that perverted side of yours. I¡¯m sure girls will run away at the sight of you if you would assault them the same way you assault me in bed¡­¡± Felicia gave a lascivious wink. "Wait, did you just tell me to grope random girls in public?" She froze. Yeah, didn''t think that through, did you? "It can''t be helped, really." Sherry gave an exaggerated shrug before giving me a smirk. "Hugo is just too cool of a person to not attract girls like flies. Still, I sometimes wish you were less cool, Hugo, so I can have you all for myself." She turned to look at Aria, a small smile adorning her face. "Fine. I''ll allow it. You and that blue haired friend of yours.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes widened. She bolted out from her seat, knelt in front of her, and grabbed her hand vigoriously. ¡°Oh thank you¡­ thank you for sharing Master with me¡­¡± Well, would you look at that? The monogamous Izurd just allowed another woman to be with her husband. She really has grown up¡­ ¡­Wait. Does this mean I just added two new chicks to my harem? ? After our little discussion, we dressed ourselves before meeting back up with Myrilla. Aria quickly informed Kiri of the news, which led to the spring fairy hugging my arm, laughing as she did. ¡°Yay! I can be with Master! I can be with Master!¡± Of course, in the process, her boobs wrapped themselves around said arm. It took quite a bit of self control not to reach up and grope them. Myrilla paid me a glare. It seemed she wasn¡¯t happy with this arrangement, for some reason. ? Our breakfast went far more smoothly than the disaster that was last night. A lot of the fighters were still nursing their hangovers and wounds in their rooms, making the hall relatively empty. Once we finished our meal, we made our way outside. As promised, Sari was waiting for us, jumping and waving her arm the moment she noticed us. ¡°Heeyyyy! Heeeyyyyy! Over here!¡± Sheesh, must she be so loud? ¡°Hehe, good morning to you all!¡± She gave a theatrical bow. ¡°Now, the interview!¡± She took out her pen and notebook. ¡°We¡¯ll do it in the colosseum, not here.¡± Felicia gave her a smile. ¡°We have all the time in the world there.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The elf nodded. ¡°Though, excuse me for asking, who are those two maids Sir Hugo has in both of his arms?¡± She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me, Sir Hugo has even more lovers that I didn¡¯t know about?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± Felicia sighed. ¡°And no, they¡¯re not his lovers. They¡¯re his familiars.¡± ¡°Familiars?¡± The elf tilted her head. ? The trip to the colosseum took us several minutes, and all the way, Kiri and Aria still remained glued to my left and right. I sighed. So much for hiding them as my trump card¡­ They kept insisting that they wanted to be out. And I don¡¯t have the strength to deny them. Kiri acted exactly like you would expect her to, gawking at every single thing she found. Aria, on the other hand, was just happy she got to push her breasts into my bicep. Okay, that¡¯s not exactly why she has a slight smile on her lips but you get the point. Meanwhile, I could feel stares of jealousy boring down at me from both Sherry and Felicia. They had permitted it, sure, but that didn¡¯t mean their womanly hearts liked it when other women were occupying what they believed to be their rightful spot. As for Myrilla, she said nothing, seemingly busy scanning our surroundings in a way that made me think she was being too paranoid. Well, no one tried to assassinate us. And we didn¡¯t get poisoned either. So I don¡¯t think anyone is after our heads. As for spying, even now, I don¡¯t sense any of those invisible fishes following us, even though I can see them following the people we pass along the way. ? The moment the Colosseum came in sight, Kiri¡¯s jaws dropped. ¡°Amaziiiing! That¡¯s the Colosseum? It¡¯s so bigggg! Humans really love that kind of stuff, huh, Master?¡± She looked up to me for my reply. ¡°Well, the ones building this are demons, not humans.¡± I corrected her with a smile. ¡°Oooh, demons! What¡¯s the difference between demons and humans again?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough, you two!¡± I heard Sherry¡¯s voice coming from behind. ¡°Hugo needs to go with me now so stop clinging to him and go with Felicia instead!¡± Without waiting for my approval, she walked up for me and dragged me with her, forcing me off the two familiars. ¡°H-hey! That hurts!¡± I protested. ¡°M-Master! Master, nooooo!¡± Kiri dramatically shouted. Aria said nothing, probably out of fear of Sherry¡¯s wrath. ¡°Oh, stop your whining! We¡¯re gonna be late! And you!¡± She glared at Sari. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to add me into your songs, alright? Don¡¯t let me lose to that big-chested woman!¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And just like that, we left Felicia and the others. ? The second day of the tournament was the competition proper. There were 32 fighters remaining from the preliminaries and the rule they used was a double elimination rule. Two defeats and you were out of the game. Still, if your first opponent beated you up so badly that you couldn''t fight for the second, that''s an automatic loss. The winner, after going through all their fights, would then fight Mrs. Dullahan. In their tired, wounded state. No wonder she remained the undefeated champion for fifty years. Heh, so much for a fair fight. The first to go was Sherry. And her opponent? That same demon she threw a plate at yesterday night. ¡°You! You whelp! Ha¡­ hahahahahahahahaha! This is perfect! The Demon Lord sees it fit for me to have my revenge!¡± Hmm, that¡¯s certainly a possibility¡ªthem intentionally matchmaking them together like this. When Sherry took the field, I was sitting on the fighter¡¯s bench, opposite of her side. We had been put in a separate bracket, thankfully enough, which meant we wouldn¡¯t have to face each other until the finals. ¡°Ladieees and gentlemaaannnn!¡± The crowd cheered at the announcer¡¯s voice, which belonged to a winged woman flying above the arena. ¡°From the southern corner is Maga Tonali, a brutal demon warrior of the Zum Race! He fights with both strength and cunning, tricking his opponents with illusions before attacking while they¡¯re distracted! Truly, the epitome of brains and brawns!¡± The crowd cheered once again, nearly deafening my ears in the process. ¡°And from the northern corner is Sherry Izurdia, a powerful martial artist of, you guessed it, the Izurd Race! You think they had been wiped out from the face of the earth! Think again! This little lady has proven herself by beating up three of her opponents yesterday with her bare fists!¡± The crowd cheered once more, and, to my delight, they seemed to prefer Sherry over the demon, judging by the volume. ¡°Sherry! Sherry! Sherry!¡± ¡°Miss Sherry! Step on me please!¡± ¡°Miss Sherry! Crush me between your thighs!¡± Uh¡­ yeah¡­ Sherry¡¯s gonna murder you if she hears that¡­ And judging by the glare she gave to the crowd, who were now whistling and catcalling her, she definitely heard that. For their sake, I hope that Sherry doesn¡¯t remember their faces¡­ With the sound of a gong, their battle began. And immediately Sherry took the offensive, running towards him across the field. As for her opponent¡­ ¡°Ha! You idiot! You fell into my trap!¡± The ground in front of her burst open¡ªthe demon jumping out of the hole with his chainsaw-like sword. The demon who stood on the other side of the field¡­ was just an illusion all along. What the¡­ I had to admit, it took me completely by surprise. The demon was too far away for my sight to notice any anomaly in his mana¡ªthe telltale sign of an illusionary construct. So he¡¯s the digger type, capable of traveling under the dirt freely like that giant earth worm monster. And from the start, the one who was in the surface was his illusion. The real one entered the arena from the underground instead. And, using the golden chance he had made for himself, the demon thrusted his sword, intending to bisect her while she let her guard down. ¡°Got you, you little¡ª¡± Only to find it stopped by a single, tiny strand of pitch black hair. ¡°What?!¡± The last thing he saw was a fist crashing into his left jaw, followed by a kick to his abdomen. The demon flew, all the way to the wall, crashing onto its hard surface. That flawless black obsidian¡ªit now had cracks all over it. That was how powerful Sherry¡¯s attack was. Silence. The crowd could not process what they had just witnessed. Before bursting into a deafening gale of cheers. ¡°Aaaaaand the winner is¡­. Sherry Izurdia!¡± The crowd went into a frenzy. For their favorite had won her match yet again in a flawless and swift manner. Her name echoed in the air as the demons rained her down with praise. And yet, all she cared about was me, for she looked at me with a proud smile on her face, adorned with the most adorable, tiny blush on her cheeks. I stood up and gave her my standing ovation. Yeah, you did good, Sherry¡­ you did good¡­ Vol 5 Chapter 13: Hugo vs The Dullahan Champion After Sherry, it was my turn to fight next. Well, not exactly, since there were a few fights between us. But they were all short enough that I barely had to wait. I stepped into the field¡ªmy left hand resting on the sword attached to my belt. My opponent? A bee lady with a rapier as her weapon. And she was now grinning at me like a lunatic. ¡°From the southern corner, a mysterious human swordsman named Alcyon! No one knows where he came from but he sure can fight!¡± ¡°Kyaa! Lord Alcyon!" "Sir Alcyon, look at me pleaseeeee!" I looked at the audience and waved my hand, giving them my brightest smile. ¡°Kyaahh! Sir Alcyon! Make babies with me please!¡± ¡°Aaand from the northern corner, an elegant fencer with a swarm of bees at her beck and call! Samiiiii Rettaaaa!¡± The crowd boomed with cheers once more, eclipsing the cheers I had at my introduction. It was clear as day that the crowd overall preferred the bee woman over me. Speaking of the bee woman, she really was a bee woman. She had bee wings and a stinger jutting out from her butt. A sinister smile decorated her face, made even creepier by the pupilless eyes she possessed. ¡°Boy! I hope you¡¯re ready for my bees to sting you to death! I, as the queen of all bees, will not show you any mercy! Ohohohohoho!¡± I replied to her taunt with a grin. ¡°Bring it on, old hag!¡± ¡°O-old hag? How dare you!¡± ¡°In three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ begin!¡± ¡°Go, my bees! Stung him to death!¡± She began her fight by vomiting a swarm of bees out of her mouth. Quite an unsightly sight for someone with an ¡®ohohohoho!¡¯ laugh. She then commanded said bees to go after me, which they readily obeyed, though not before enlarging themselves into the size of a basketball each. They then surrounded me, circling around me like a tornado would. I leaned forward, hand on the hilt of my sword. And then¡­ I dashed forward. ¡°W-what?! Impossible!¡± I cut through the bees blocking my path in a nanosecond, freeing myself from the swarm before the rain of stingers could land at my skin. And, as she went into panic from seeing her only strategy ruined, I dashed towards her, intending to finish the fight with the single blow. ¡°Hah! Think again!¡± To my surprise, she managed to block my sword with her rapier. But how about the next blow? And another? And another?¡± ¡°Y-you! Stop! Stop! Stoppp!¡± At the tenth blow, she missed her timing for a split second. Allowing me to send her rapier flying before aiming my sword at her throat. ¡°I¡ªI surrender!¡± And just like that, under the deafening cheers of the crowd, I won my first match of the day. ? Meanwhile, amongst the monsters watching from the ten thousand seats of the Colosseum, a certain cloaked figure was sitting with a smile on her face. She licked her cherry red lips. ? Our next matches went swimmingly. None of these chumps really were a match for us. Sherry''s next match was with this giant with pitch-black armor, wielding a morningstar as his weapon. She crushed his spiky ball with her bare hands before punching through his hard armor like it was nothing. As for me, I had to fight against a demon with six swords¨Cone on his six arms. But once again, he was just too slow to keep up with me. At midday, we were given an hour to have lunch, provided by the Colosseum. Here, we used the free time we had to reunite with Felicia and the others. We had agreed to meet up in the cafeteria. Even though normally it would be off-limits to non-fighters, they were willing to give an exception for relatives and friends and such. ¡°Master! That was amaaazing!¡± I was greeted by a flying hug from Kiri. I ¡°The way you swerve to the left and right, dodging all their attacks¡ªyou¡¯re like a butterfly!¡± Her eyes shone like the stars itself as she described her adoration. ¡°Really now?¡± I laughed, patting her on the head. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can call a guy like me ¡®a butterfly¡¯ though.¡± ¡°But you are! You¡¯re handsome and cool and amazing! Just like a butterfly is!¡± She giggled. Aria was the next to congratulate me, giving me a bow with a calm smile. ¡°Congratulations, Master, for your victories.¡± ¡°Thank you, Aria.¡± I smiled back, patting her on the head as well. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you cheering me up, I will never be able to win for sure.¡± ¡°I cheered as well! Did I help too?¡± Kiri looked up at me, giving me a puppy-eyed look. ¡°Of course! You helped a lot too, Kiri!¡± I gave her a grin. ¡°Alright Hugo, I think that¡¯s enough flirting for now.¡± Sherry huffed, crossing her arms. The cafeteria was eerily quiet, with us making most of the noise in the large dining hall. There were only a couple of fighters left and unlike us, they had no interest in chatting with each other. They each ate at their own table, staring at us in the process¡ªsome with jealousy, others with curiosity. Still, the food was actually good, and since none of them tried anything funny, it was overall a pretty fun lunch. Once we finished eating, we separated once again, though not before my two familiars wished me well in the upcoming matches. That, and Felicia stealing a kiss from me, saying it was a good luck kiss, to the ire of Sherry, who naturally demanded to be kissed as well. This, of course, led to even more glares from the other contestants, who didn¡¯t seem to appreciate the little romance we were having here. ¡°¡®I¡¯ll bash that smug face of his!¡¯ said the minotaur over there. And the weasel-looking demon opposite of him thinks he¡¯s going to assault Felicia once he brings you down. Shall I continue further?¡± I turned to face Myrilla. ¡°Assault me?¡± Felicia gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. ¡°How horrible! You will protect me, won¡¯t you, Milord?¡± She hugged me tightly, pressing her breasts into my chest. ¡°Grrr, enough! Hugo! We¡¯re going to be late!¡± And just like that, I got myself dragged by Sherry again. ? The opponents we faced at the second half of the day were indeed tougher. Still, they were no match for us nonetheless, though one of them did indeed give me a particular trouble. It was the weasel from before and with his long, thin body, he could dodge my blade, matching my speed with his elasticity. Yeah, it was as ridiculous as you imagined it¡ªme fencing with a walking, talking weasel. His weapon of choice was a sword and shield too, which didn¡¯t help me in piercing his defenses. Still, my stamina, polished by Sherry¡¯s cruel training, eventually outlasted his, and this allowed me to seize my chance and put my sword into his heart. Yeah, I killed him. As if I would just let a man thinking to rape one of my wives go. As for Sherry¡¯s fights though, I didn¡¯t think she had any particular difficulties with any of them. She still continued to abstain using her sword, preferring to kick and punch her opponents instead. A bat demon tried to nullify her short range assault by taking to the skies, only for her to jump up and land a powerful uppercut that knocked her out in a single blow. Another tried to use what they called Living Weapons, weapons that could move and maneuver on their own without being explicitly controlled by their wielder. The guy brought with him a full stack of the thing. How he could have so many¡ªno one really knew. ¡°Guhahahahahaha! Well, how about it?! No one can survive when faced against the full might of my living weapons!¡± Spears, swords, axes, halberds, lances¡ªevery single kind of weapon was represented. He had brought them all with the long and black vertical tube he had on his back. But, seeing how there were around a thousand of them in total, there was no doubt in mind that the tube was a magical storage device, just like my Bag of Holding. Sherry stood unflinching, looking right at the laughing demon across the battlefield. Surrounding her was a thousand Living Weapons¡ªall ready to cut and chop her into pieces the moment she made a move to escape. ¡°You can call me The Thousand Weapon Collector! If you surrender now, I¡¯ll¡ª¡± His jaw dropped. Sherry dashed forward, triggering the attack of all the weapons surrounding her. Two swords came forward, aiming to chop off her head. She blocked their swing with her bare arms before crushing them with her steel-destroying grip. Other weapons tried to do the same, though to other parts of her body. Some she blocked and crushed as well but others actually managed to connect, only to find that they failed to cut through her skin entirely. Her aura. It had granted her durability far beyond any normal armor could give. With ten¡ªno, twenty weapons sticking out from various points of her body, she ran towards the demon. ¡°W-w-waitwaitwaitwaitwait, I surrender, I surren¡ªAaahhhhh!¡± She punched him right on his face, sending him flying to the air, never to be seen again. The swords, sensing the defeat of their master, followed suit, including the ones that had stabbed themselves into Sherry. ¡°And just like that, Sherry Izurdia wins again! Will the legendary beast ever be defeated?!¡± Sherry walked to my bench¡ªher expression surprisingly not as happy as I expected. ¡°Tch, that was annoying.¡± She brushed off her shoulder. ¡°Good job.¡± I greeted her with a smile. ¡°Not good enough.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t manage to keep him from landing his weapons. Sure, I can take it just fine, but I can tell that my clothes are probably ruined right now.¡± I raised my eyebrows. I eyed her up and down, circling her around to catch a view of her at every angle. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty bad. Your shirt has several holes on them now.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± She huffed, crossing her arms, her eyes flashing with anger. ¡°I need to have a change before my next match. Hugo, I got my clothes with you, right?¡± I nodded. They were indeed inside my interdimensional storage. The problem was¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t use magic when the tournament is going on though.¡± ¡°Really? I thought you¡¯re just forbidden to use it in combat.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure the rules say that. I read the brochure that the frog receptionist gave to us, you know.¡± She huffed again, now putting her hands on her hips. ¡°So I¡¯m supposed to go to my next match with tattered clothes?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not that bad. They¡¯re not noticeable in the slightest, especially since you have your hair covering your back.¡± ¡°My hair, hmm? I suppose I can just use it to cover the holes¡­¡± ¡°Oh, one more thing.¡± She turned to face me. ¡°There isn¡¯t a hole in my pants, is there?¡± Her cheeks reddened. "Nope." I gave her a reassuring smile. "None in the slightest." Of course, I, being the connoisseur that I was, already gave a thorough look at her butt. No holes there, to my disappointment. Uh, not that I wanted her to walk out there with her panties showing of course. ? sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The day continued onward, until eventually, we reached the final fight of the day. I vs Sherry¡ªtwo last remaining fighters. ¡°And finally, we reached the grandfinals at last! From the northern corner, who needs no introduction anymore, Sherry Izurdia, the Beast of Destruction herself!¡± The crowd cheered---the loudest they had ever been. Excitement was bubbling through the roof. Sherry gave an annoyed glare towards the flying announcer. She didn¡¯t seem to appreciate her title. ¡°And in the southern corner, who also needs no introduction anymore, Alcyon, the mysterious wandering swordsman!" The crowd cheered once again, though in a less loud manner compared to before. I glanced at the dullahan sitting on top of her tall, lofty chair. "These two would-be champions are part of the same party! And now, they would have to fight each other to the death¡ªto show just who is the superior fighter! Aah, what romance!" "No! We will not fight to the death!" I yelled. The announcer gasped, followed by silence from the crowd. My voice could reach them all because there was a voice amplification magic in the air, designed to allow the crowd to hear the trash talks the fighters would give each other before they fought. "In fact, we won''t fight at all!" I continued. Taken aback, the announcer lady stuttered. "I-I''m sorry, did I hear that wrong? Did you just say that you won''t fight?" "You heard that right!" I put on my most obnoxious grin possible. "You think I''m interested in fighting my girl? Think again!" This time, it was the crowd who gasped. "You see¡­ this whole tournament¡­ it''s honestly been awfully, terribly boring. Nothing¡ªnot a single one of these fighters is worthy to dirty my blade. Honestly, it''s one big, giant disappointment." I shrugged, shaking my head. This, naturally, led to shouts of anger from the audience. "Hey, what d''ya mean you won''t fight? I paid good money for this seat!" "Get your haughty ass out there and fight, you stupid human!" I ignored them, of course, and continued on with my speech. "Hmph." I shook my head, closing my eyes with a smug smile on my face. "I''m thinking I''ll just let my girlfriend do the hard work. My strength isn''t needed here, it seems. Not even you, Esana Naturia¡ª" I looked up to the dullahan. "---could make me use my full strength." Rains of boos covered the arena. Some even started to throw rocks at where I stood, which I dodged easily, of course. "As such, please give the ''honor''¡ª" I made air quotes here. "¡ªof fighting you to her, okay?" With those words, I left the arena, waving my hand nonchalantly to the crowd, still keeping my smug smile on. Until a loud crash filled the air, covering my sight with dust. "Do you think I''ll just let you go? After you besmirch my name?" The dullahan had arrived. And she wasn¡¯t happy in the slightest. Just as planned. She pointed her sword at me. "Fight me, human. Right here, right now. I''ll beat you up so badly you''ll soil yourself in front of your lover." I shrugged. "Fine. If you insist. But, if you think I''m going to go easy on you, just because you''re the wife of the big boss here, think again." Putting on my most villainous face, I then said, "When I''m done, there will be nothing left of the proud warrior he loved." And just like that, both Sherry and I got the chance to fight her. ? Meanwhile, back at the seats amongst the crowd, the hooded figure giggled to herself. ? The match began immediately. Sherry had retreated to the benches again, watching me with eagle eyes as she crossed her right leg over the left. The dullahan, on the other hand, had her greatsword drawn in her fighting stance¡ªall the while staring at me with murderous, cold eyes. "And now, a match between our undefeated champion and the arrogant human garbage who dared to insult our beloved tournament! Show her how wrong he is, Lady Naturia!" "Beat him up, Lady Naturia!" "Crush him under your heel, Lady Naturia!" "Show that upstart human who''s boss!" The gong sounded, and, in a split second, she swung her sword at me. A wave of pitch-black aura leaped at me. I barely managed to dodge it at the very last second, letting the projectile crash into the wall behind me. I took the offensive, leaping forward with my dash to close the gap between us. Only to find that she was ready, as she countered by stabbing the greatsword to the ground, causing an aura barrier to appear around her, nearly cutting me in half. I retreated, sending several Staccato sword thrusts to where the dullahan was. As expected, I couldn¡¯t pierce through her overwhelming aura. I switched my assault, jumping up to the air. Not using Wind Step, mind you, but the Galahad technique of stepping on the air, like Fiora used way back then. Yes, I had mastered it, thanks to my training with Sherry. ¡°Foolish! Utterfly foolish! No matter what angle you take, your puny sword will never reach me!¡± The dullahan pulled out her greatsword and swung it upwards, right to where I was. I stepped on the air again, circling around her as I dodged her ranged slahes. Suddenly, a scene from the past echoed in my mind. ? ¡°Hugo, your sword swing¡­ it¡¯s too weak.¡± She sheathed her sword. ¡°Hmm? It can¡¯t be helped, can it? I¡¯m not like you, Sherry.¡± It was a conversation I had with Sherry while we were training together. She had just defeated me. For what could only be the hundredth time. After parrying away my sword, she rested her blade on my neck, signifying my defeat. She shook her head, offering a hand to help me stand back up. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± I grabbed her hand. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She pulled me up in one yank. ¡°You¡¯re not angry enough.¡± ¡°Angry? Hey, I¡¯m not an Izurd like you. I don¡¯t get stronger when I¡¯m angry.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the epitome of being cool-headed in a fight, Hugo.¡± She put one hand on her hip. ¡°So it¡¯s only natural that your every movement is detached from your emotion. That¡¯s why you¡¯re suited to that Galahad style of yours. You fight not with raw strength, but with precision and intelligence instead. The complete opposite of how I fight. I raised my eyebrow. ¡°So?¡± ¡°But, unless you can develop your Galahad style more, I suggest you learn how to make your sword swing heavier. Or else you¡¯ll soon find an opponent that you can¡¯t scratch with your sword. ¡°Well,¡± I smiled. ¡°I got my magic for that, no?¡± ? Still, I didn¡¯t completely dismiss her concern. I tried to perform sword skills from her school as well. And so, I could use this now. After dodging another slash by the dullahan, I pivoted my legs upwards, switching to a diving position. Both hands now gripped my sword tightly, channeling every single aura I had into it. And then, I dived, pushing myself forward via stepping off the air behind me. This was a completely foolhardy manuever. It could easily lead to my death, if she knew how to counter it perfectly. Unfortunately for her, she didn¡¯t. ¡°What?!¡± The attack clearly took her by surprise. She didn¡¯t expect me to fully commit into an offensive like this. No longer I cared about dodging. I would land my blow or I would die in the process. I imagined that would be the main teaching of the Lancelot school. Unlike Sherry, who could rely on her durability, the humans there would need to dispatch their enemies first before they did the same to them. ¡°Haaaaa!¡± She raised her greatsword in front of me, just in time to block the sharp edge of my sword from stabbing her heart. "Haaaaaaaaaa!" I pushed harder, deeper. putting everything I had into the blow. "You imbecile! You think you''ll ever pierce through my Toxicon? Think again!" A hissing sound entered my ears. It came from my sword. It was melting. It shattered. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ The dullahan grinned. I was completely at her mercy now. A crack filled the air. The dullahan¡ªshe just punched me on my abdomen, cracking my ribs in the process. ¡°Gah!¡± I puked out blood, right on top of her face. She did not appreciate it. She grabbed me on my throat, crushing my windpipe in an instant. I couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡°Be grateful, human. I could have killed you on the spot. But I choose not. You will have to live on to bear the shame of this day.¡± She threw her greatsword to the ground, using her now free hand to yank down my trousers and boxers, showing off my naked lower half to the entire colosseum. A swarm of laughter entered my ears¡ªmy fading mind barely able to process the noise. She then punched me again on my abdomen before announcing something about how I was soiling myself. I wouldn¡¯t know whether she was telling the truth or not. I couldn¡¯t feel anything down there anymore. However, there was still hope. ¡°Hugo!¡± For the last thing I saw before my vision grew dark, was the dullahan throwing me to the ground so she could block a kick from Sherry, who had rushed into my rescue. ¡°Master Hugoooo!¡± That, and me hearing the high-pitched voice of Kiri, who were no doubt coming as well to heal me. Vol 5 Chapter 14: Sherry vs The Dullahan Champion Sherry "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" I launched myself at the dullahan, my strongest punch aimed straight at her head. Only for her to block it with that greatsword of hers, grinning in the process. HOW DARE SHE MOCKS ME?! I punched it again and again, barraging it with my fists. But it remained intact, instead of shattering like I wanted it to be. WHY¡­ WON¡¯T¡­ YOU¡­ BREAK?! I finished it off with a kick, pushing her backwards for a mere few feet. ¡°And you are¡­ his lover¡­¡± She grinned. ¡°I wonder¡­ if you are just as pathetic as he is.¡± ¡°TAKE THAT BACK! HUGO IS NOT PATHETIC!¡± I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes. There, he lied unconscious, shamefully showing his member to the world. I gritted my teeth. If only¡­ if only I didn¡¯t hesitate¡­ I could¡¯ve saved him earlier! I wouldn¡¯t have allowed this rotten woman to humiliate himself like that! To take his pants off and make him wet himself in front of all these people¡ªUNFORGIVABLE! I¡¯LL NEVER FORGIVE HER! I glared back at the dullahan. Kiri and the others can take care of him. My role here is to beat the crap of this woman, for his sake. ¡°You really are an Izurd?¡± She spoke with a curious look. ¡°Where¡¯s your hair manipulation, hmm? You only used it for your lover¡¯s sword. And look at that¡ªmy sword shattered it to pieces all too easily.¡± I gritted my teeth even harder. The taste of warm blood entered my mouth. She was right. The whole reason why he lost¡ªwas because of me. I failed him. I told him that my sword was unbreakable, only for it to break. I had betrayed his expectations for me. ¡°...Thank you,¡± I replied, my tone as cold as snow. ¡°Now I have another reason to beat the crap out of you.¡± I would not hold back any longer. ¡°Aawww, what¡¯s this?! The Izurd is going in for a fight as well? To avenge her dear human, no doubt!¡± I ignored the mocking tone of the announcer woman. I could punch her later if I wanted to. Now, I would humiliate this dullahan woman. Just like she humiliated Hugo. ¡°Miss Izurdia, you might want to look at your fists right now.¡± My eyes glanced at my hands. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. My skin. It was peeling off. A black corrosive substance had attached itself to my fingers, eating the skin and fat from it, revealing the bones underneath. ¡°That¡¯s the power of my greatsword, Toxicon.¡± The dullahan grinned. ¡°It has the ability to destroy and decompose anything it touches. Even materials as hard as mithril.¡± So that¡¯s how she managed to destroy my sword¡­ ¡°You should be worried, Miss. Its corrosion won¡¯t stop until it eats through your entire body. I¡¯ve used it to slay a Great Dragon before, you know. Just a single wound and all I needed to do was to wait until it died.¡± She laughed. ¡°Really, it was all too easy.¡± I looked back down. It was slowly climbing up to my palm. How odd. I should feel pain. And fear. Yet I don¡¯t feel either. All I feel now is rage. Rage at this harpy who just made Hugo a laughingstock of the entire city. I remembered Grandma¡¯s words. ¡°We Izurds fight the strongest to defend those we love. That¡¯s how I was defeated. I lost the one I loved before the battle even began.¡± ¡­I understand now, Grandmother. My burning desire to protect Hugo¡­ it has made me ten times stronger. This Dullahan¡­ this¡­ undefeated Champion¡­ this little whelp is no match for an Izurd warrior like me! I flew forward, forming two drills with my hair, wrapping them around my hands. It would both augment my offense and heal the wounds they had received. The corrosion was most likely magical in nature, meaning, I could use my hair to cut it into pieces, just like how I would cut spells. I swore under my breath. I would break her sword. I would shatter it and ground it into sand. It was the only way I''d show her just how far our difference in strength was. I dashed forward, slamming both drills at her sword. She grinned yet again. "Foolish girl! My sword was made by the Weaver of Death herself!" With every passing second, I could feel the tip of my drills growing dull. But I persisted, knowing very well that even if this sword was made by the best smith in the world, the one who wielded it was as weak as those wolves I killed as a child! Her aura was nothing compared to Grandmother''s! Nothing! Crack. I smirked, right as her arrogant face disappeared in an instant. "That''s¡ªthat''s impossi¡ª" The drills pierced through, crashing into her abdomen, crushing her poor excuse of an armor in an instant. She screamed but I couldn''t hear it. Her voice was completely defeated by the sound of my drills. No. Not enough! I must shatter her sword as well! I released my arms from the drill, using both of my hands to push the sword apart in two opposite directions from its middle hole. "Haaaaaaaa!" I screamed, not caring whether my hands had healed or not. It didn¡¯t take long until it split into two. Not enough! Grind it to dust too! Using my hair, I hammered both pieces of the sword over and over while doing the same to the owner with my own bare hands. "Stop! Stop! P-please¡­ stop! I give up! Y-you win!" Huh? Did she say something? No. Must be the wind. With every fist, I shattered more and more of her armor. They were as soft as butter. I didn''t know why she bothered to wield them. And then, her head popped off, flying away in terror from me. Huh, almost forgot she''s a Dullahan. "YOU! YOU WILL NOT HUMILIATE ME LIKE THIS! NOT IN FRONT OF LORD BALTHAZAR!" What? Does he watch these matches? I suppose he¡ª A massive purple laser blasted out of her mouth, hitting me before I could put my guard up. "HA! TAKE THAT! IT''S MY IMPROVED SUPER DULLAHAN BEAM! IT CAN REDUCE A DRAGON INTO ASHES IN A SINGLE HIT!" ¡­ Nothing. That did nothing. What a pathetic excuse for an attack. Hugo can cast a spell stronger than that when he was ten! "Oh really?" I smirked, putting one hand on my hip. "Then why am I still alive then?" Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull when she realized I was still here, standing with scarcely a scratch on my skin. "And what a lame name for an attack by the way. Super Dullahan Beam? What is that?" "YOU¡­ YOUUUUUU!" I jumped upwards. She tried to fly away but my hair just grabbed her head and yanked it back to my arm. I then threw it downwards, right back into her hollow neck. Oops, forgot to spin her first. She''s looking backwards now. Landing back on the ground, I gave her neck a good grab. "P-please! Have mercy!" "Then you should''ve not humiliated my dear Hugo." I gave her a straight punch to her face, knocking her out instantly. I wasn''t finished though. I stripped her of her clothes, even her bra and panties, and lifted her naked body to the air. "See this? See your Champion? She''s the one who''s pathetic! Not Hugo!" As I watched the reaction of the crowd, I noticed that my hands looked completely normal. Ha, I knew it! There''s no magic my hair can''t cut! As for the crowd itself, they seemed to be torn between cheering me or condemning me as a villain. If I were Hugo, I would''ve made some cool speech by now. He''s the one who''s good with words. Not me. I gave the now unconscious dullahan a few more punches into her stomach. Until she lost control of her bladder, just like Hugo did. Hmph! There you go! Now I''m satisfied! I threw her to the ground like the trash she was before walking out of the arena, leaving a roaring crowd behind me, and the announcer declaring me the winner. I didn''t care about them anymore. All I wanted to know now was whether Hugo was safe or not. ? Hugo When I came to, the very first thing I received was the warm, boob-filled hug from Kiri. Followed by a warm, boob-filled hug with Aria. And then a warm, boob-filled hug from Felicia. Only Myrilla didn¡¯t give me one. Not because she was flat-chested¡ªI wouldn''t care about that. I wanted a hug from her too!¡ªbut because she just stood there a distance away from me with a worried look, looking as if she wanted to say something but chose not to. We were now inside the healing room of the arena¡ªa medium-sized room with multiple white-sheet-covered beds that looked awfully like the beds you''d find in a hospital. We were the only ones there however. There was no healer nor another patient. Only us. I was on one of said beds, with Felicia and the others surrounding me. I was now in a sitting position so I could speak with them better. My body wasn''t aching in the slightest. Kiri¡¯s healing was really that potent. "I swear, if Sherry ends up losing to that whore, I''ll¡ª" I could only smile at Felicia¡¯s rantings. I had to admit, being defended like this, it felt terribly good. Even Myrilla didn¡¯t give me her usual lecture. She knew I tried my best in that fight. Without magic anyways. "Master, let''s go back out there and beat the crap out of that woman!" Aria cursing like that with a murderous look on her face however¡­ that disturbed me a little. "Yeah!" Kiri punched the air. "I''ll fight beside you too, Master!" "No need." I smiled, patting their heads. "Sherry¡­ she''s not going to lose." The moment I finished saying that, the door swung open. My smile widened. And there''s the she-devil herself. Sherry rushed in and jumped straight on top of me. "Hugooo! I''m sorry¡ªI shouldn''t have given you that sword!" "H-hey, don''t hug me too¡ªarghh!" She quickly released her arms over my grip, realizing she might have just hugged me a little bit too hard. Tears covered her eyes as she looked at me with a tender, worried look. "Don''t worry! I''ve avenged your humiliation! I stripped her of all her clothes and made her wet herself like you did!" I blinked. "H-huh, you did?" And damn, I really did soil myself like she said. It can''t be helped, I suppose. When you get punched and choked that hard¡­ "Yes! I even destroyed her sword. I would''ve gone further but I was too worried about you to continue!" Thank God she didn''t go further. Even now, humiliating her like that is probably going a bit too far. The Demon Lord won''t like one of his wives being treated like that. I cupped her cheeks, giving her a warm smile. "Thank you, Sherry. For avenging me. I know you can do it." She smiled back, blushing, rubbing her face onto my hand. Ah, how adorable. She''s just like a cat. That turns into a tiger if you make her angry. "You should change out of those clothes before you come back outside." I looked up and saw Myrilla looking at her with a concerned look. Oh¡­ ohhh¡­ "Uh, Sherry. Your clothes¡ªthey''re in tatters." Yep. Her shirt was pretty much gone, exposing her back completely, all the way down to her white panties and butt crack. And in the front, her two small mounds were showing as well. As for her short shorts, a big hole had appeared on the crotch, showing her tight-fitting panties and the cameltoe they were covering. She released me, climbed off my bed, and gave herself a look around. Before letting out the most girlish scream. "D-don''t look, you idiot Hugo!" She threw the nearest pillow on my face, covering herself with her hands. ¡­Sherry really is cute! ? After Sherry got dressed with some proper clothes again, we decided to pay a visit to the announcer. If not her, then anyone who was up the chain of the Colosseum''s organization. We wanted our meeting with the Demon Lord. Sherry deserved that prize. Thankfully, right outside the healer room, a familiar winged girl had been waiting for us. The announcer. "Miss Sherry Izurdia, congratulations on your victory over the reigning Champion! As such, you are entitled to a visit to the Floating Fortress of Naturia!" Her grin was as wide as it could be. But her fear and apprehension were palpable as well, flinching at the slightest movement Sherry made. "Wonderful!" I smiled. "So, when can she make her visit?" "Tomorrow morning, return back to this colosseum. And, of course, she would have to come alone." "Oh, and no need to be worried for what you did to Mrs. Naturia!" She quickly added, still wearing that forced grin. "Lord Balthazar knows just how¡­ heated things can be around here!" She let out a nervous laugh. Well, this is it. The plan has come to fruition. Still, to send Sherry alone to the enemy''s den¡­ I sensed Sherry''s glare, making me glance at her direction. "Leave it to me!" she says. I can easily imagine ten ways they''ll be able to capture you, you know. And ten more ways to humiliate you in return. "Thank you." I gave a polite bow to the girl. "We''ll be sure to have her there tomorrow." ? As Hugo''s group left, the same hooded figure from before giggled at them from the shadows. To think she ends up beating Auntie Esana that hard¡­ What a scary little woman¡­ An Izurd¡­ Our kind''s ultimate prey¡­ All I have to do is to give her a nice and sweet lewd dream¡­ that should weaken her instincts¡­ As for the rest, a simple sleeping spell should suffice. And then, I''ll have my way with him. She slurped her own saliva before covering her mouth to hide her "Uhuhuhuhu" giggle once again. ? Since the tournament was over, we decided on a different inn for the night. Somewhere relatively safe, where any vengeful contestants or agents of the Demon Lord wouldn''t be able to attack easily. Our choice ended up being a small inn named the Burrows. Located at the corner of the city, it was run by a pair of centaurs. Former warrior centaurs to be exact. As we had learned in our visit to their city several months ago, the centaurs had a high sense of honor. And that included protecting the guests of any inns they ran. Once we were safely in our room, away from any stray ears or eyes, we began our strategy meeting for tomorrow. Sherry and I sat on the bed while Myrilla dragged a chair. As for Kiri and Aria, they sat on the floor¡ªthe former sitting cross-legged while the latter sitting properly like a Japanese girl would. "So, Sherry." Myrilla opened. "I trust you know what to say to the Demon Lord tomorrow?" "Hmph, of course I do!" She folded her legs, giving me a nice view of her thighs. "All I have to do is tell him that I want Victoria as my prize." "And if he refuses?" "Then I¡¯ll just say ¡®Too bad!¡± and leave.¡± ¡°You promise you won¡¯t let your temper get to you? No matter how annoying he might be?¡± ¡°I promise! Sheesh, I¡¯m not a child anymore, Myrilla!¡± ¡°Even if he were to insult Hugo?¡± Here, she paused. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that depends!¡± ¡°Depends on what exactly?¡± Myrilla narrowed. ¡°Depends on how wrong he is. If you think I can just say nothing when Hugo gets insults thrown at him, think again! I¡¯m his wife! And I¡¯m a hot-blooded Izurd as well! No Izurd wife would ever let some smugface insult their beloved!¡± ¡­Wow, can¡¯t say my heart didn¡¯t feel all giddy hearing her say that. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Sherry.¡± I put a hand on her small shoulder, smiling. ¡°I won¡¯t mind a little insult.¡± ¡°But!¡± ¡°Because all I care about is you. You, Felicia, Myrilla, Kiri, and Aria¡¯s opinions¡ªthey¡¯re all that matters to me. As long as you all think I¡¯m cool, I don¡¯t care what the world thinks.¡± Immediately, three girls blushed hearing my words¡ªSherry, Felicia, and Aria. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master! I always think you¡¯re the coolest person ever!¡± Kiri giggled, waving her hands. Where in the world did you learn to flirt like that? Alan could never be that smooth. Myrilla, on the other hand, sent me a telepathic message, while silently glaring from her seat. It wasn¡¯t meant as a flirt though. I¡¯m just saying what I think. Honest. Liar, she replied. Just how many girls are you going to add to your harem before you¡¯re satisfied, hmm? H-hey, I didn¡¯t come here to save Victoria for that! ¡­I never said anything about Victoria. Unbelievable. Now you¡¯re thinking about how big her boobs are. I couldn¡¯t deny her words. Whenever I thought about that idiot chuuni knight, my mind just naturally brought up the fact that she had those absurdly large breasts attached to her chest. Sherry threw her gaze away. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll be patient! But I¡¯m only doing it because you ask, Hugo!¡± She huffed, crossing her arms. ¡°And if he refuses to send you back here?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just punch his face and make him!¡± Myrilla clucked her tongue, giving me a ¡°This girl is helpless!¡± look. ¡°No, you will go along with his game, until he heard the news of Hugo and his army trying to invade his city. This will force him to leave the fortress, and you can use that opportunity to save Victoria and figure out a way to dispel the enchantment protecting it.¡± ¡°And, according to my expertise,¡± Felicia chimed in with a smile. ¡°There should be a magic source that feeds such an enchantment. Destroy the magic source and you¡¯ll free yourself from its prison. Possibly crashing the fortress to the ground as well in the process but you¡¯re tough enough to handle that, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Magic source?¡± She turned to face her. ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°Something big. Massive, even. If I have to guess, it¡¯s a giant mana crystal. You¡¯ll feel a funny tingle if you get close to it.¡± ¡°I just have to destroy anything big. Got it. Anything else?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Felicia¡¯s smile grew larger. ¡°I have a trump card that you can use as well.¡± ¡°A trump card?¡± Sherry raised her eyebrows. "Oh, you''ll see. She''ll most likely try her hand tonight." This time, it was my turn to raise my eyebrows. What is she talking about? "A naughty little thieving succubus¡­ she''s going to try her hand in stealing our dear Hugo for her own perverse pleasures." I gulped, seeing the bloodthirsty glint in her eyes. Why must all my harem members turn yandere whenever another girl is interested in me? Vol 5 Chapter 15: The Naughty Succubus Is Caught Night had fallen over the city¡ªa bright, starry night with a reddish full moon. It was quite late in the night, to be exact, enough time for some smaller bars to close their doors to their patrons. The city was mostly silent, especially at the edge of the town where there were less "nightly activities" going on. Still, even then, inside the inn Hugo and co. were staying, there were still a few patrons having a chat with each other inside the inn''s tavern. "No way!" One demon laughed. "You seriously think he could''ve won against her? He''s far weaker than that lover of his." The demon who spoke was an ogre, with an eyepatch covering his left eye, "Nono, hear me out," another demon responded¡ªanother ogre who happened to be his best friend. He didn¡¯t have an eyepatch however. "I heard that guy was actually a mage! Him fighting with a sword¡ªthat''s not him fighting with all his strength. He''s been toying with all his competitors in the tournament!" "And where did you hear that exactly?¡± Eyepatch guy responded. ¡°He''s a dumbass then if he entered a martial arts tournament even though he''s a mage. A smug, idiot dumbass who pissed himself after losing to the Champion. Heh, serve him right, I say.¡± The demon took a big gulp of his beer. ¡°And then his Izurd lover made her piss herself.¡± His friend chuckled. ¡°That was a sight to see. I used to be a fan of hers, you know. But, after seeing her begging for her life like that, my heart now belongs to another.¡± ¡°And who¡¯s that exactly?¡± ¡°Why, the Izurd, of course!¡± He slammed his mug onto the table. ¡°She¡¯s strong, she¡¯s cute, and she got an ass to die for! Seeing her half-naked after her fight like that¡ªdamn, that human boy sure is one lucky guy!¡± ¡°Heh, you and your ass obsession.¡± Eyepatch guy shook his head. ¡°I was more happy seeing Mrs Dullahan naked. Now that is a body to kill for.¡± The two paused their conversation, chugging down their beers before asking the bartender for another. The bartender, a centaur with a black goatee, could only sigh in response. Tired of his long shift, he couldn''t even be bothered to tell them that the guy they were talking about was staying right here in this very inn. The duo wasn''t around for dinner and they arrived really late to have their drinks. So they hadn''t had the chance to speak to other patrons who did see him there. ¡°Dude, I tell ya¡¯¡ªthat human guy is special.¡± Eyepatch guy continued. ¡°Ain¡¯t no way he got that Izurd chick without him being strong himself. Not to mention the fact that he got other chicks with him! Don¡¯t you know that Izurd women would kill their partners if they ever cheat on them?¡± ¡°Eh? Really?¡± His friend cocked his head. ¡°I only know that they¡¯re supposed to be extinct. Are you even sure she¡¯s the real deal?¡± ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you see the giant hair drill she used? That¡¯s the signature ability of the Izurds! Their hair is their weapon! Along with their superstrength of course,¡± he quickly added. ¡°Hmph, fine. Let¡¯s say that you¡¯re right.¡± His friend crossed his arms. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t make him this badass mage you¡¯re implying him to be. He ain¡¯t that Hugo Greenwood guy for sure.¡± ¡°Ah, him.¡± Eyepatch guy smiled. ¡°Heard he got a harem too. Think they could be the same person?¡± ¡°No way!¡± His friend laughed, slamming his mug to the table again. ¡°Why would he humiliate himself like that?! He could¡¯ve just snapped his finger and killed our dear Champion in an instant! Not to mention the fact that he has no reason to participate in our tournament in the first place! Ain¡¯t no way a candidate for Demon Lord like him would lower his head to another Demon Lord!¡± The two took another swig of their beer. "Still, you can call me a fan of the human." The eyepatch ogre grinned. "He might or might not be the rumored Hugo Greenwood but I couldn¡¯t care in the slightest. He¡¯s stronger than all those tough guys in the tournament. And he would¡¯ve won against the Champ if not for her legendary greatsword! Imagine that¡ªa mere human!¡± ¡°Heh, imagine being a fan of a human who got his tiny junk displayed to the entire capital.¡± His friend chuckled. ¡°That can¡¯t be helped.¡± Eyepatch ogre chuckled as well. ¡°He¡¯s human after all. All humans have tiny junks.¡± The two let out a laugh, clashing their beer mugs in the air before chugging them down. There was one thing all ogres could agree about humans. That their penis size was tiny compared to theirs. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And then, right after they put down their mugs¡­ ¡°Huh? Why am I suddenly¡ª¡± They never got to finish their sentences. For they collapsed there and then, landing their heads on the table, followed by a loud, hearty snore. A spell had shrouded the entire building, making them all fall into a deep sleep in an instant. ? ¡°Uhuhuhuhuhuhu! Phase 1 complete!¡± Outside, the cloaked figure from before laughed, covering her mouth with her hands in the process. ¡°Now, I just have to sneak in~¡± The cloaked figure walked inside¡ªthe door wide open as the owner never got to lock it before he fell asleep. She then went to the registry book behind the receptionist table, using it to find where Hugo and co. were staying. ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­ hmm¡­ hmm¡­ hmm¡­¡± Her heart-shaped tail swished back and forth as she bent over the table. If anyone were to come in, they would see here in quite the compromising position, with her lace purple panties visible, as she wore an extremely short black dress under her cloak, which by itself ended halfway down her thighs. ¡°Ah, there it is! Alycon!¡± With a giggle, she started to climb up the stairs, heading straight to the second floor where he was resting. ¡°Now, looking at the numbers¡­ 250¡­ 249¡­ 245¡­ ah, here it is. 230.¡± She stopped right in front of his door. ¡°And across should be the room of one of his harem. I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re sleeping separately but that only makes my job easier.¡± She then tapped her polished nail into the doorknob, unlocking it with a simple magic. Then, slowly, she pushed the door open. Bingo. Her eyes could see in the dark so the fact that the room was completely pitch black didn¡¯t hinder her in the slightest. And there, she saw him. Her lovely prey¡ªthe swordsman Alcyon. And, as she had expected, he was sleeping with his four harem girls, each hugging a part of his body. How lovely! I¡¯ll break their hearts first and then I¡¯ll break his!¡± But first, the Izurd. I have to make sure she won¡¯t sense me coming. She pointed her finger at Sherry, chanting silently under her breath. There. That should do the trick. She now has an extremely lewd dream that should disable her strength and instincts. Tiptoeing on her dress shoes, she made her way to the bed as silently as she could. As she did, Sherry began to mumble, saying things like, ¡°Hmmhhh¡­ Hugo¡­ not there¡­ you¡­ you pervert¡­¡± while rubbing her crotch with her right hand¡ªboth a telltale sign of the wet dream taking effect. The succubus stopped right in front of her, smiling ear-to-ear. Her gaze rested on Hugo¡¯s sleeping face. Soooo cuuuteeeee! I can¡¯t believe how cute he isssss! She let out a silent squee, her tail standing on attention in the process. Now, I just have to separate him from all these pesky hands¡­ She never really got to do that, however, for Sherry¡¯s hand flew straight to her throat, choking her right where she stood. W-wha¡ª The room brightened considerably as someone had conjured a small fireball to lit up the room. That someone was Felicia, who was never asleep in the first place. She merely pretended to, just like the others. Sherry¡¯s eyes were now fully open, glaring at the succubus in her hand. She sat up, grabbed her arms and legs with her hair, before finally giving her a chance to breathe. ¡°And here she is.¡± Felicia stood up, a smug smile on her face. ¡°Our little succubus intruder. And stalker. Oh yes, like I said, she has been following Hugo around for the last few days.¡± She grabbed her staff from beside the bed, walking to the other side before patting the succubus in the head. "So, mind telling us who you are, little girl?" ? Hugo Damn. Never before had I seen Felicia smile in such a bone-chilling way. She''d kill this girl. And she wouldn''t even blink an eye doing it. "Y-you¡ªunhand me at once, you villains!" She tried to swing her legs around to no avail, as Sherry''s hair was tightly binding them together. "I''m Anya Naturia, the daughter of the eight wife of Balthazar, Rita Naturia! You''ll get in trouble if you do anything to me!" "Yes, we know who you are." Felicia smirked, removing her hand from her head. "You think you were the only one stalking? I stalked you too. And I saw you talking to one of your attendants. And she called you by your name." "Y-you know?" Her panic just increased two-fold. "Oh yes. Fortunately, you have an important role to play for us. So don''t worry. We won''t kill you. Yet." The succubus girl then broke down into tears. "Uwaaaa, I''m sorry! I just¡­ I just want to see him up close! Sir Alcyon!" She looked at me. "I''m your biggest fan!" At this point, Myrilla, whose job was to ensure she wouldn''t run away, entered the room. But I didn''t need her to tell that her innocent act was just that¡ªan act. I still remembered what Orluk said about her after all. He too was a champion of the colosseum, only one step below the dullahan. She came after him, charmed him, only to dump him in the end, accusing him of falsely assaulting her at that. This girl was a snake through and through. I stood up, putting on an intimidating smile as I leaned down to look her in the eyes. Immediately her eyes flashed pink, her pupils turning heart-shaped for a single moment before returning back to normal. It was her trying to charm me with her succubi ability. Immediately a rush of tender feelings seeped into my heart, followed by thoughts of lust and desire. All directed towards her of course. I began to pity her as I took notice of her perky breasts and her purple panties, scarcely hidden by the sheer black minidress she wore. How delicious would it be for me to grope those mounds¡­ I looked back at her face. Tears were still leaking out of her eyelids. Her puppy eyes didn''t help matters either. She''s good. My old self would''ve been charmed for sure. But now, after having two hot chicks as my wives that I bang almost every night¡­ It doesn''t work anymore. Not in the slightest. I gave her forehead a hard flick, chuckling at her dumbfounded expression. "Trash like you can''t compete with my women." I grinned, sitting back down on the bed with my arms crossed. "I know what you did to Orluk. And probably a dozen other men. You think any sensible man would ever be attracted to such a rotten, disgusting personality? Think again.¡± Her tears stopped as her eyes widened in shock. ¡°H-how? Y-you know Orluk? He should¡¯ve¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªrotted away as a slave. Too bad I rescued him. And now he¡¯s the leader of his own ogre clan. With a hot dark elf chick as his wife.¡± Her eyes then turned wild, looking up and down and up and down as if they couldn¡¯t decide which part of my body to focus on. ¡°You¡­ who are you? You¡¯re not just some adventurer, are you?¡± ¡°Me?¡± I laughed. ¡°I am just some kid who ran away from his house after getting his parents killed. I¡¯m nobody special.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m only special because I have these wonderful women with me. Without them, I am nothing.¡± I stood back up, patting her on the head. ¡°Relax. I don¡¯t like unnecessary violence. We¡¯ll just be using you as a bargaining chip with your father.¡± ¡°B-bargaining chip? W-what? What do you want with him?! H-he¡¯ll destroy you if he knows you treat me like this! He¡¯ll make all of you be slaves!¡± ¡°Just like he did with Orluk?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Not going to happen.¡± ¡°You think you can face his wrath and get off scott free?! He¡¯s a Demon Lord! His power is incomparable to a mere human like you!¡± ¡°A mere human, eh? Can a mere human do this?¡± A simple, asphyxious spell. I stopped her lungs from being able to breathe. ¡°W-wha¡ªwhat are you¡ª-gaahhh¡ª-ahhhckk¡ªI can¡¯t¡ªI can¡¯t breathe¡ª¡± Slowly, her face turned blue as she desperately tried to suck in more air into her lungs. I have to say¡ªit''s pretty satisfying choking a b*tch like her like this. Uh, not that I advocate for violence against women, mind you. Just special ones like her. "Stop¡­ please¡­ stop¡­" "Don''t worry, Milord." Felicia smirked. "A demon can withstand asphyxiation for half an hour before losing their life. More, if she actually knows how to survive off the ambient demonic mana." "Oh really?" I raised my eyebrows. "It''s true." Sherry glanced at me while looking at the succubus in disgust. "I can survive without breathing for pretty much forever. It''s still unpleasant though." The succubus was now actively crying¡ªthis time giving us her actual tears. She couldn''t speak anymore, only gasping vaguely at my direction. "Look, Master! She''s peeing!" Kiri pointed with a laugh. Sure enough, a stream of liquid was falling down from between her crotch. Disgusting. I released my spell, allowing her to breathe once again. "Oh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! I understand now! You''re Hugo Greenwood!" "The one and only." Felicia chuckled. "And you just made him and his wives angry. You''re lucky he hasn''t decapitated you yet." The succubus looked at me¡ªterror filling her eyes to the brim. Yeah, that''s right. You should be afraid. ? Afterwards, we tied her up using Sherry¡¯s hair before keeping her in Myrilla¡¯s room. We then made her beg for her release while recording it using a recording conch that Felicia bought in the markets earlier in the day. Yes, Sherry would bring it with her. Yes, it was to guarantee her safe return. Honestly, it was her own fault she became our hostage. So I didn''t feel too bad using the b*tch like this. I could only hope her dad valued her enough. Somehow, I had a hunch that a Demon Lord with ten wives wouldn''t care if one of his many kids went missing. ? The next morning, we had our breakfast inside the inn. Just like yesterday, when we had our dinner, we were drawing eyes from the other people there. One even came up to me and Sherry, asking for our autographs. "The way you two fought yesterday¡ªit was amazing!" The young boy grinned, waiting with his tail swaying back and forth. He wasn''t a demon. Rather, he was a beastkin. A dog one, judging by his ears. I could only blush and chuckle as I signed his toy wooden shield. Sherry did the same, blushing as well from his exorbitant praises. ¡°Oh, thank you so much!¡± He gave us a deep bow. ¡°Thanks to you two, I have decided! I¡¯m going to be an adventurer!¡± ¡­Wait, I thought he¡¯s¡ª ¡°I don¡¯t care what the old man says! I¡¯m going to be a strong and cool swordsman like y¡ª¡± I put a hand on his shoulder, locking my eyes with his. ¡°Go back to your father. Don¡¯t become an adventurer like us.¡± ¡°...E-eh?¡± He took a step back. ¡°Why not?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. You¡¯ll die. Trust me, I¡¯ve seen kids like you perish right in front of my eyes, eaten alive by a giant worm¡­ or worse¡­¡± ¡°G-g-giant worms?¡± He shivered. ¡°I-I hate worms!¡± ¡°See?¡± I smiled. ¡°You¡¯d be better off helping your father. You¡¯re still, what, 10 years old? That¡¯s waaay too early to be an adventurer.¡± The boy paused, looking down, seemingly counting his options. ¡°Okay!¡± He looked back up, grinning. ¡°I¡¯ll help my old man! Just because you say so, Sir!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good boy.¡± I patted his shoulder. ¡°But I¡¯ll keep training my sword skill! So one day, once I¡¯m older, I¡¯ll be able to follow after you!¡± With those words, the boy left, his tail swinging back and forth as he ran with his shield. ¡°Thank you, good sir, for putting some sense into him.¡± The centaur waiter commented. ¡°His father ran a small shop in the east part of the city. He¡¯s here to do his usual deliveries. Then he noticed you sitting there. I didn¡¯t know how but he sneaked into the colosseum and watched your matches for free.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t do it for him. I did it for me.¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Excuse me, sir?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying when I said I watched kids his age die when they went adventuring.¡± I replied with a dry laugh. Sensing concerned looks from the rest of the table, I quickly changed the subject. Yeah. I¡¯ll be damned if I let a repeat of that incident happen again. ? After breakfast, it was time for Sherry to depart. We didn''t have any grand departure speeches. We all knew what we had to do. Still, I gave her a hug anyway, telling her to be safe. Even if she protested, since we were in a public place and all. And I gave her butt a couple squeezes and rubs as well. "Hugoooo¡­" "Heh, sorry. Your butt looks exceptionally scrumptious this morning." And that was how I sent off the new champion of the colosseum¡ªwith her adorable scarlet cheeks visible to the entire world. Vol 5 Chapter 16: Audience With A Demon Lord Myrilla And there she goes¡­ Now, time to do my part¡­ My thought returned to the succubus being tied up in my room. Hugo was right. She really was a rotten girl through and through. It was all the fault of her mother. She spoiled her too much. And her father as well, who never cared what she did outside of his eyes. The household of the Demon Lord of Wisdom¡­ it was not the ideal household this city imagined it to be. Still, it also meant her own fault, as she was old enough to make her own decisions. Which meant being tied up like this¡ªshe deserved it and more. But, the problem was, how would we transport her out of the city? It would be too risky to do so. As a daughter of the local Demon Lord, there would be people who know her. And staying here could mean making it easy for the Demon Lord''s forces to search for her. Even now, I could see several skyfishes swimming about. One glance of the rotten princess and they would know where she was. There was one thing that we could do to bypass that problem however. And I didn''t like it in the slightest. ? "Your plan is to make her a slave?" "Not just any slave. One that is tattooed with an obedience rule. Add some disguise on top of that and she''d be a different person entirely." After Sherry¡¯s departure, we resumed our meeting inside Hugo¡¯s room. I promptly made the proposal when the topic got brought up, earning a confused look from him. I couldn''t blame him. He probably thought I was the kind of person who hated slavery. Just like he did. "It ensures that she would never try to escape," I continued. "For even the slightest thought of disobedience¡ª" "¡ªwill bring great pain to her entire body." With a grim look on his face, he finished my sentence. "While thoughts of servitude will be rewarded by pleasure," I added. "It''s the most effective way to make a slave to obey you." "Isn''t that too cruel? Kidnapping her is one thing but making her a tattooed slave¡ª" "It''s not too cruel," I interrupted his thoughts. "She deserves it. I''ve read her memories all night and she''s worse than you think." He fell silent, exchanging a glance with Felicia. "I''m not opposed to it myself," She replied. "A vile woman like her deserves to be amongst the lowest, dirtiest slaves. But how do you propose we get a slaver that can burn the rune into her? You know how expensive the whole procedure is." "I''ll do it. Have you forgotten? My kind is responsible for selling and crafting most of the mind-altering slave devices out there. You can say that my kind specializes in lobotomizing the brains of others." "...Oh, right, I remember hearing something like that¡­" Hugo''s thoughts entered my mind. "But judging by her disgusted expression, she''s not proud at all of the fact, is she?" "It''s one of the many reasons I left my homeland," I answered him. "But, enough of my past. Felicia, I''ll need you to ready a special runic ink according to my specifications. Can you brew it fast?" "Runic ink?" She smiled. "I already have that ready. But, if you need something more specific, one hour should be enough to synthesize a new one." "Good," I switched my gaze to Hugo. "As for you, Hugo, I want you to buy some female slave clothes. You know where the slave market is, don''t you?" "Yeah yeah, I know." He smiled back. "I don''t like going to that place though. It upsets my stomach." I heard his added thought. "And if anyone recognizes you, just say that you¡¯re there to buy clothes for your slave." "As for the disguise," I looked back at Felicia. "We can just dye her hair, wings, and tail. And for her face, I''ll hit her a couple of times with my quarterstaff. Thar should hide her features." The two raised their eyebrows. "Uh, did I just hear her plan to beat the shit out of the succubus until she''s black and blue? Wow¡­ since when she can be that hardcore¡­ I expect that from Sherry, not her." "I misjudged you, Ms. Thought Reader. You''re not some goody-two-shoes after all." "Don''t look at me like that, you two." I narrowed my eyes. "I''m only doing what''s necessary for this plan to be a success. We''ll leave this town and go straight where Tira and her two kids are." "Two kids? Tama isn''t¡ª" "She''s her daughter-in-law." I shot down that silly thought from Hugo before he could finish it. ? Sherry Really, Hugo¡­ why must you be such a pervert? That was not the time to flirt with me, you know¡­ And why must you look so cool while doing it too¡­ As I made my way to the Colosseum, my nerves couldn¡¯t help but to still feel his groping of my butt¡­ Thanks to that, my face was flushed silly and my heart was beating like a lovestruck racehorse¡­ Tch, it''s all his fault¡­ I was happy yet embarrassed at the same time¡­ it was always like that with him¡­ I couldn''t be like Felicia where she openly enjoyed being groped in public by him¡­ And yet, I was the one he groped this morning. Not her. A triumphant smile appeared on my face. Once again, I had won over Ms. Big Boobs. *squeeze* My hands gave my bum a light squeeze. This is my weapon¡­ my sword against that hideous lump of fat she has¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Hmm? I was so focused on my thoughts that I didn''t notice the stares I was garnering. Oh, right, of course people would know me from the Colosseum. My smile grew. That¡¯s right. I was the one that defeated your unbeatable Champion. Still, not all of them had adoration in their eyes. Some looked at me with fear, which was completely fine by me. But when they looked at me with lustful gazes, however¡­ Tch, lechers. A flame of anger burned in my heart the moment I noticed that some of them were staring at my behind. Thankfully, I quickly put an end to their ogling by a simple deadly stare at their direction. Perverts¡­ why must they be everywhere? Only Hugo is allowed to ogle me¡­ All of you don¡¯t even measure up to a speck of his hair. ¡­ Oh, I¡¯m here. Before I realized it, my feet already took me to the front of the colosseum. Well, time to go in. I stepped into the front gate. Unlike yesterday, there was practically nobody there. The only face I saw was the face of the announcer lady standing in the middle of the arena. That, and a pair of guards dressed in pitch-black full plate armor. ¡°Welcome! Welcome!¡± The announcer lady flew up to me. ¡°Please, this way!¡± She led me to the center of the arena. Looking up, I noticed that the Floating Fortress was hovering right above us. ¡°Are you ready?¡± The harpy smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you up there to meet with him. Hope you¡¯re not afraid of heights.¡± ¡°Of course not. Who do you think I am?!¡± Of course she wasn¡¯t afraid of heights! Why would she be afraid of such a banal matter? She was pretty sure she could survive a fall from any height, even if it meant sacrificing both of her legs to absorb the blow. Hell, the toxic greatsword from yesterday melted the skin of her hand and yet said skin already stitched back itself now. And so, the harpy lady wrapped her arms around her before using her wings to carry them both to the skies. ? Hugo ¡°Slave clothes, huh? Slave clothes¡­¡± I made my way to the market district, particularly the southern section where most of the smaller, less well-off shops were located. It was where low-class slaves were sold to the masses¡ªthe disposable kind you would buy for the cheap. It didn¡¯t matter whether you were in the human continents or the Demon Continent. Slavery was always there. The only difference was that mind-control tattoos were forbidden, owing to the fact that the Church declared it as ¡°demonic¡±. Though I figured it wouldn¡¯t stop slavers from using it as long as they could hide it from the eyes of the public. On the way, as I expected, I noticed people staring and whispering in my direction. After my stunt at the Colosseum yesterday, it was only natural that I would become quite the celebrity. Only, not all of them were kind words. I heard giggles about me being humiliated by the Dullahan and how I had to be saved by Sherry. I ignored them all, of course. I really could care less what they thought of me. It didn¡¯t take long until I reached the ¡°slave plaza¡±, where they would auction slaves to the public. That morning, there were ten slaves being paraded there¡ªmost being demons with only one being a dark elf. They were stripped naked completely. Even the females. I couldn¡¯t ogle them. It was just so distasteful I couldn¡¯t even get turned on by the sight of naked breasts and womanhood. Heh, how ironic. The Demon Lord doesn¡¯t want demons to be slaves to humans so he sponsors those raids into the northwest human territories. But he¡¯s perfectly fine if the slavers are demons themselves. ¡°There. That looks like the place.¡± My sight landed on a rundown shop named ¡°Hork¡¯s Slave Emporium¡± by the sign hanging above its front door. There was also another sign that was plastered onto the window, saying ¡°Selling all sorts of slaves for your needs! And every tool you need to make those slaves obey!¡± in Demon Tongue. Pushing the door open, I was greeted by the sight of a dimly lit shop. The ceiling was low but the room was large and wide. Rows and rows of shelves were stocked to the brim with all sorts of objects, from shady-looking potions, shady-looking collars, and shady-looking leather belts and whips. This looks more like a BDSM shop over a slave shop¡­ Wait, those two are kinda the same thing¡­ I made my way to the shelf stocked with slave rags. Grabbing a pile, I brought them all to the shopkeeper. Thankfully, the other customers that were there were still busy browsing, so I didn¡¯t have to wait in line. "Hey, I want to buy these." I put the rags on the table. The shopkeeper, who was this fish demon, adjusted his tiny glasses before silently using his abacus to calculate the price. Not the talkative sort, is he? "Hey, you''re that human who got absolutely obliterated by Lady Esana, aren¡¯t you?" A hand reached out towards my shoulder from behind. I grabbed it mid-air before it could touch me. Looking behind me, I saw a dude standing with a grin on his face. His blue skin showed he was some kind of demon but I couldn¡¯t know exactly what type of demon he was. He did wear an armor similar to the one that dullahan lady wore though. "Heh, nice reflexes. For a human." I narrowed my eyes. This guy¡­ he''s definitely making fun of me. I threw his hand to the side. "I''m sorry. I''m really busy right now so I don''t have time to chat." "Busy? For what? Doing chores for that girlfriend of yours?" He laughed. Thankfully, I didn''t have to listen to his nonsense for long as soon after the shopkeeper finished his count. "Thank you, Sir." I smiled, sliding him a couple of ruby coins¡ªthe local currency of the place. "You think you''re some hotshot, aren''t you, just because you have an Izurd as your babysitter? They''re a breed of legendary warriors and I, as part of the Dullahan warrior race, respect them deeply. And you¡ªyou¡¯re merely using her to satisfy your own ego. Pathetic." I tapped my staff, storing the rags inside my Dimensional Storage. "Don''t you ignore me, you bastard!" His hand moved once again to grab me. And, once again, I repelled his touch, though not without knocking him off his feet with a simple wind magic. The dullahan crashed into the floor, miraculously not hitting any of the shelved near him. His heavy armor sent tremors through the entire store and the clanging sound certainly grabbed the attention of the other customers there. And, funnily enough, instead of dislocating his neck, his head just rolled down the store, making the unfortunate demon lady across him scream with terror. I gave him one last look before making it to the exit. "Fight me fair and square, you coward!" He yelled. "I''m the prot¨¦g¨¦ of Lady Esana and by her name, I shall avenge her humiliation!" I sighed, closing the door behind me. I really have no time for this¡­ Better to make my way back to the inn right away¡­ ? Sherry "Here we are! Shall I drop you down?" "Hmph. I can handle a little fall." The harpy lady released me from her grip, right as we were flying over the gardens of the flying fortress. I landed on my two feet smoothly, bending my knees to a crouch before standing back up immediately. And there, right in front of me, two maids stood with a blank expression on their faces. They were twins. Ogre twins to be exact. The only difference was one had blue hair and the other had pink¡ªeach going down all the way to their waist. "Welcome, Champion Sherry Izurdia." They spoke in perfect sync. "Please, follow us." A slight chill crept down my spine. I wasn''t fond of how unnatural they spoke. Or walked, as their steps were synced perfectly as well. Make no mistake. I''m not afraid of them. I''m simply wary of them. That''s all. ? The maids took me into the fortress proper, entering a side door that linked to the gardens. Hmph, for a lair of a Demon Lord, it isn¡¯t as intimidating as I imagined it to be. It''s just hallways with fancy carpets, fancy chandeliers, and fancy suits of armor and paintings. It''s just like the hotel we stayed at! I expected something more bombastic. Like a pool of lava. Or a pool of acid. This is just a boring old castle. Eventually, after walking around for seemingly far too long, we arrived at the throne room. "He''s waiting behind this door." They gestured towards the massive double door in front of us. "You will go there alone. That is the will of Lord Balthazar." I didn''t hesitate. I threw the heavy oaken door wide open. And there, at the end of the room, he sat. Along with his ten wives. "You''re here at last, Champion Izurdia." His voice echoed across the room. Magic, I suspected. "Come closer. And tell me, what do you desire as your reward?" I did as he told, slowly walking to the far edge of the room. On the way, I scanned the ten women that sat beside him¡ªeach possessing their own seats. It''s true¡­ every single one of them belongs to a different demon race¡­ I could feel their gaze landing upon me. Especially Miss Dullahan over there, who no doubt was still mad about her defeat. I stopped a number of steps away from the Demon Lord. Now that I looked at him up close like this, I had to admit, he looked quite intimidating. Even from here I could sense his immense power. And yet, he was undoubtedly weaker than Grandmother. "I''ll cut this short. I want you to free Victoria." Silence, followed by hushed whispers from his wives. I didn''t bother sparing them a glance. None of them were a threat to me. He, on the other hand, had a small, almost invisible smirk on his face. He''s taking me for a fool. "The half fey Victoria. You forced her to marry one of your sons, did you not?" Silence once more. And his smirk only grew bigger. "ANSWER ME!" I did what Grandmother taught me to do when someone didn''t take me seriously. I sent an aura of intimidation towards them. Only for him to counter with his own. Tch! His smirk had turned into a full blown grin. He stood up from his throne, taking one step closer to me. And I¡­ I unknowingly took a step back as my reaction. I couldn''t intimidate him. He was the one intimidating me instead. "I see it now. No wonder my dear Esana lost to you. She never stood a chance." "T-that''s not true, Milord!" The dullahan jumped from her seat and gave him a hug. "I didn''t fight with all my strength back there! I didn''t use my magic!" sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "But you are poor at the mystical arts, my dear." He rubbed her head. "Even with your magic, winning against her is still an impossibility." The dullahan then made a cooing sound, rubbing her filthy face onto him. It nearly made me puke on the spot. "Look, you promised you''d give anything to the winner of your little tournament. So let her go." Instead of answering me, he gestured at the dullahan to leave him, which she readily did. Only after he turned his attention back to me. "How curious. Why would you know about Victoria? Why would you ask for her freedom? Is it simply out of a simple whim, seeing her unhappy expression when I paraded her all those months ago?" This is it. This is the question Felicia has warned me about. "It''s none of your business." I locked my eyes with his. If I averted my gaze, he would know I was lying. "...I see. So you''re with him. The other one who desires to become a Demon God." ¡­Huh? What is he talking about? ¡°Unfortunately, now that you have revealed this fact to me, you can no longer leave. I will not risk an Izurd as powerful as you to join his ranks.¡± I knew it. I knew it would come to this. I took out the conch from my pocket before crushing it in my hand. ¡°Mama! Papa! Please help! I¡¯m being kidnapped by these terrible people!¡± I grinned, hearing the voice echoed over and over inside the room. I looked at the succubus wife, Rita Naturia. As expected, she turned pale from the revelation. ¡°YOU KIDNAPPED MY DAUGHTER?¡± Her voice roared. ¡°Why yes, I did.¡± I smugly replied to her. ¡°And if I don¡¯t return in time, you¡¯ll never see her again.¡± Switching my gaze back to Balthazar, I folded my arms under my chest, smiling as I did. Checkmate. What will you do now, Demon Lord? Vol 5 Chapter 17: A World-Slicing Blade Myrilla "It''s time." Once the ink was ready, Myrilla didn¡¯t wait for a second longer. She and Felicia made her way back to her room, where the succubus was tied up. Since last night, she had been guarded by Kiri and Aria. With Hugo¡¯s precise order not to let her free, there was no fear that they could be charmed or fooled by the lust creature. Not to mention that a succubus''s charm only worked if the opponent had an attraction to the female gender. And both of them certainly did not show any behavior to that effect. They might even be asexual, as most feys were. Standing in front of the succubus, Myrilla entered the tip of her index finger into the ink vial, dying it pitch-black. All the while Felicia watched with unabated attention. To the alchemist, there was no question that she did it right. Still, she had to make sure everything worked as intended. Myrilla then approached the tied-up succubus, who naturally, wasn''t all too pleased with this development. "A-a slave tattoo? Are you serious?! No! You-you can''t do this to me! I''m Anya Naturia, the daughter of Rina Naturia, the eight wife of¡ª" "We know who you are." Felicia narrowed her eyes. "It doesn''t matter. For Milord is stronger than your dear father." She ended with a smirk. The succubus couldn''t deny her words, knowing that they were indeed working with the legendary Hugo Greenwood. To slaughter an entire army by himself¡ªit was a feat worthy of the Demon Lord title. "Kiri. Aria. Hold her in place." Myrilla ordered. "Yes, Miss Myrilla!" "Of course, Miss Myrilla." The two feys responded with haste, grabbing the succubus from each side, forcing her to sit down on her chair. ¡°You¡ªyou¡¯ll regret this! I swear you would!¡± Myrilla did not respond. She simply pressed her hand¡ªthe other hand that wasn¡¯t dyed in ink¨Conto her head. Putting her to sleep in an instant. It would be easier to work on her while she was unconscious after all. ? Hugo When I returned to the inn with the rags, Myrilla and Felicia had already finished engraving the tattoo on the succubus. She was still tied up on her chair though. Crying. The usual stuff. Oh, and just like Myrilla suggested, her hair was now dyed pitch black¡ªsame color with her wings and tails. And yes, she had beaten up her face as well, causing quite the considerable swelling that obfuscated her cuteness. ¡°Try commanding her,¡± Myrilla spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve made it so you are the master.¡± ¡°Wait, why me?¡± ¡°Because you are the person most fitting for the role. You¡¯re already acting like a villain in the tournament. And now, you¡¯re carrying around with you a slave girl that you routinely beat up. This city doesn¡¯t have a rule against it, by the way, so the guards shouldn¡¯t arrest you for it.¡± Felicia giggled. ¡°That¡¯s good, Milord. That means you will have less flies following you around.¡± By that, she obviously meant girls. Heh, if Sherry was here, she¡¯d definitely agree. "Fine. I''ll do it. I''ll be her master." I walked up to the succubus, my eyes locked at her pathetic face. Her tears were still coming out though instead of loud crying, she was quietly sobbing instead. "From now on, you are no longer Anya Naturia, the daughter of the eight wife of the Demon Lord of Wisdom. You are Kara, a succubus slave I purchased in the markets a few days ago. And you had been very naughty, defying my orders again and again. And such, you have been punished, and you completely deserve it.¡± She didn¡¯t reply. She merely nodded her head. ¡°Good. Kiri. Aria. Release her binds.¡± When my two familiars finished, the succubus gingerly stood up. ¡°Now, kneel.¡± She quickly did as I told her to. ¡°Now, I want you to gouge out your left eye.¡± She flinched¡ªan expression of horror drawn on her face. ¡°Take it out. With your bare hands.¡± Her entire body shook. The tattoos drawn to her left arm pulsated. ¡°N-no, p-please, M-Mas¡ªahhhhh!¡± The curse activated. She wriggled and writhed on the floor¡ªevery second in agonizing pain. ¡°If you wish for the pain to stop, then do as I say.¡± She gritted her teeth, looking at me with clear, unyielding hatred as her right hand slowly moved upwards towards her left eye. ¡°No wonder¡­ they call you¡­ the Human Demon Lord¡­ You¡¯re as evil¡­ as the worst of them¡­¡± Right when her fingers hovered above her pupil¡­ ¡°That¡¯s enough. You can stop now.¡± She stopped, looking at me with disbelief before falling to the ground, panting from exhaustment. The test was complete. The tattoo worked as intended. I summoned the slave rags back from my Dimensional Storage before throwing them on top of her face. ¡°Wear those. And take off your panties. Slaves like you don¡¯t wear them.¡± How did I know that, you might ask? Easy. I saw a number of slaves wearing the same garment on the market. And they didn¡¯t wear any panties under them. I looked away when she took off her clothes. Didn''t want to get scolded after all. "She''s ready." Myrilla declared a few minutes later. "We can depart now." And so we did. I told Kiri and Aria to return, paid the innkeeper, who didn¡¯t even bat an eye at our extra "companion", and made our way to the east gate, which, luckily enough, was very close to where we were. A skyfish soon followed us. It shouldn''t matter though. From the dyed body parts to her black and blue face, they shouldn''t be able to identify her easily. And when they did, we would be long gone. Still, just in case, I called her by her fake name over and over, just to show that she responded to it, and not her real name. Soon, we arrived at the east gate. And just like when we first came, tall guards in pitch-black armor gave us a silent welcome. They didn''t say anything. Or even move for that matter. Only their eyes locked in to us, particularly towards the succubus. Only once we were through the gate, Myrilla opened her mouth. "Those guards weren¡¯t happy to see you walk around with a beat-up slave. Especially since you¡¯re a human.¡± ¡°But they didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Perhaps they didn¡¯t. But they were sure to take note of you. Most likely, they would send a bunch of brigands to attack you later, once you are out of town. It was just like the slave trader you and the ogres killed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see the point of doing that though. Especially since they now own the entire northwestern peninsula of the continent. The humans won¡¯t be able to do anything.¡± She opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. She didn¡¯t know the answer either. ¡°Milord, we¡¯ve been followed.¡± Behind us was a squad of armored knights, riding on top of their Scarabs straight towards us. And the face at the front of them¡ªI knew it all too well. I just met him a while ago after all. ¡°Let me handle them.¡± ¡°Teehee, they¡¯re no match for you, are they, Milord?¡± ¡°Nope. Not in the slightest.¡± The brigand of buffoons quickly surrounded us. Clearly, they did not want any of us to escape. "Alcyon! You are under arrest!" The dumbass Dullahan shouted. "Oh? I can''t seem to recall that I have done anything wrong." I grinned, just to piss him off. "You are abusing your slave! By the law of the great Lord Balthazar, all slaves are to be treated well! Especially when the slave owner is a filthy human!" "Hmm, really?" I shifted my gaze to the succubus. "Hey, Kara. Do I mistreat you in the slightest?" "Aaahhhh!" She opened her mouth to say otherwise but the searing pain quickly stopped her in her tracks. "N-no, Master¡­ you have been kind¡­ so very kind¡­" "Do you think I''ll going to buy that, human? When you have an accursed Nerthusian Tattoo on her?! Not only you''re a coward but you''re a vile little man as well!" "A coward, huh? Well then. Why don''t you try arresting thus coward? Be warned though. I won''t go easy on you like I did on the shop~" "You¡ª bastard!" He was the first to enter the range of my Thanatos. As such, he was the first to fall. "Gwaaahhh!" He fell off the Scarab, his head rolling away yet again as he did. The Scarab immediately died from the spell but he, owing to his demon physiology no doubt, managed to survive, though profusely coughing blue blood in the process. "You¡ª" "What did you do to our captain?!" One of his subordinates jumped off her Scarab, coming to his side to heal him. "Charge! Attack! Don''t let a single one¡ª gwahhhh!" It was easy. Too easy. One by one, I ruptured their lungs, hearts, and stomachs. If I weren''t close enough, I''d just close the gap with my dash step. Didn''t even take me a whole second to finish them off. A cacophony of screams, coughs, and groans filled the air. Leaving only one, very scared-looking Dullahan knightess behind. "S-stay away, you monster!" She was the healer of the group, it seemed. After all, she was the one who jumped off her mount to come to her captain''s aid. She began to flail around her morningstar towards me. As if that was going to do anything. From the corner of my eye, I noticed it¡ªa skyfish floating in the air. ¡°Leave.¡± I told the Dullahan knightness. ¡°Or else you¡¯ll share the fate of your comrades.¡± She did not listen. Her head popped off to the air, firing a laser beam from its mouth just like the Champion did. Of course, it was a mere pitiful imitation of hers. I blocked the beam with my Wind Barrier before firing off a Boom Cannon in response. Destroying her head as a result. The body left behind fell to the ground, unable to keep standing after its controller ceased to exist. I looked back at the skyfish. It tried to fly away, only for me to snuff it out from existence with a simple dispel. ¡°Wonderful job, Milord!¡± Felicia ran up to me and gave me a hug from behind. ¡°With your magic, you really are unmatched!¡± I smiled, feeling the softness of her breasts pressing into my back. Even without looking, I could sense Myrilla rolling her eyes at this scene. ¡°We should move.¡± The demoness said. ¡°There might be more of them coming.¡± ¡°You guys go. I¡¯ll stay here.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean, Milord?¡± Felicia asked with a distraught expression. I turned around, releasing myself from her arms. ¡°At this point, I think they should have figured out who I really am right now. So, if I¡¯m correct, they won¡¯t let Sherry leave.¡± My gaze rested on the floating fortress above the city for a short moment. ¡°I¡¯ll act as a distraction for her. In the meantime, you should get the ogre army here.¡± Myrilla closed her eyes. ¡°...I see. We can certainly do that.¡± She opened them back, looking at me with her usual sharp glare. ¡°You¡¯re strong. You can take care of yourself. Just be careful. And don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay!¡± Felicia protested, grabbing my left arm, pushing her boobs into me yet again. ¡°I can be of use! If you need to escape, I can act as your protection!¡± "No, you shouldn''t." I shook my head. "It''d be faster to make my escape if I do it alone." She opened her mouth, wanting to protest my decision. But realizing that my argument was sound, she closed it back again before any words came out. ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. I¡¯ll stay here and wait for Sherry. If she doesn¡¯t return when the clock hits our predetermined time¡­¡± I looked up towards the flying fortress. ¡°...I¡¯ll raise hell at the capital. Bait the Demon Lord himself to come out." ? Sherry "Alright, Demon Lord! Send me back!" I pointed at him, forcing a grin in the process. He did not respond. Instead, he was glancing at one of his wives. Not the angry succubus, no. But the mermaid woman, who was preoccupied with the shell-encased hand mirror she had been holding non stop. "I found her. They''re right outside the city. And they¡­ they just slaughtered your dullahan guards." She looked at Esana. I bolted, running as fast as I could away from them all. But not before my hair jetted towards the archfey wife, fully intending to kill her on the spot. Only for the spider lady wife, who sat beside her, to cut them off with her scythe, grinning at my direction as she did. "Get her!" I heard someone yell. I didn''t know who. I crashed through the door¡ªits thickness and sturdiness failing to hinder my speed entirely. My feet then took me on a straight line towards the gardens from before. Once there, I planned to just jump straight off the floating fortress. Only, I soon found out that no matter how long I ran, I wasn¡¯t getting any closer to my destination. The hallways¡ªthey were repeating themselves! I closed my eyes, sensing the magic in the air. Sure enough, my suspicion was proven correct. The magic wasn¡¯t just warping the space outside. It was warping the space inside as well! I formed a sword with my hair and swung it down with my full might at the wall in front of me. The wall burst open. I ran in and did the same with the next wall. And the next. And the next. Until eventually, I made it back to the gardens. I ran towards the nearest edge and jumped. And I fell. And fell. And fell. I was falling without end, going through the same clouds over and over again¡ªthe land below me never getting any closer. I swung my sword again, trying to cut through the dimensional barrier the spell had put in the air. Only to find that I couldn¡¯t do it. Not because it was hard but because it was¡­ slippery. Just like Hugo said, the spell here was designed to absorb any blows that might disturb its flows. It was like trying to cut an eel. And then, all of a sudden, the fortress was under me. I landed right back on the gardens, as if I hadn¡¯t just leapt of it a minute ago. ¡°Oh dearie, you are such a bonehead, aren¡¯t you?¡± A giggle echoed across the air, followed by a soft pop as the archfey wife manifested herself into existence right in front of me. She wasn¡¯t alone, however. Following her was a series of other pops. And another. And another. Until the full party was there. ¡°Escaping is impossible, Izurd.¡± A bored-looking elven woman floating in mid-air spoke.¡°The charms I had designed¡ªyou will not break it so easily with that dull sword of yours.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t worry!¡± The mermaid woman giggled. ¡°I¡¯ve alerted the army down below to chase after your human. He won¡¯t survive for long.¡± ¡°Hah! If you think Hugo is going to be defeated by the likes of you, think again!¡± I proudly declared with a big grin on my face. ¡°And neither will I! For I am the granddaughter of the great Quania, the Demon Lord of Blades herself!¡± Instead of the fear I wanted, however, only confusion spread on their faces. But nevertheless, it was enough to give me the opening I needed to enact my backup plan. Drinking the concoction that big-boobed witch had given me before I got here. I reached into the pocket of my shorts, took out a small ball from it and crushed the outer shell open with my teeth, allowing the red liquid inside to enter my throat. In an instant, I felt a burst of strength spreading through my entire body. I did the only thing that would make sense in the situation. I attacked. I dashed towards the mermaid and sliced her in half. The last thing she felt was the horror of my blade going through her skin. She didn¡¯t even get to speak her last words. I would¡¯ve attacked the elf or the archfey but they were too close to the Demon Lord for me to take the risk. He could¡¯ve blocked my surprise attack. Her, however, was only close to the spider wife, and she wasn¡¯t fast enough to block my attack with her scythe this time. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could sense the dark aura of the Demon Lord, sending goosebumps all over my body. He wanted me dead now. For sure. Too bad. I had no plans to stick around. I jumped off the gardens one more time. All the while doing another full-power slash, but this time, it was amped beyond its limits by the drug Felicia gave me. And I aimed it at the floating fortress itself. ¡°Haaaaaaa!¡± I swung. Just like Grandmother swung when she cut off all those trees with a single swing. She never really gave a name to this technique. In fact, she never did any of her techniques. She never saw the point. But, I wanted to. So I did. ¡°Take this, you stupid Demon Lord! Fury God Technique! World Slicer!¡± It was a blade that could cut the world in two. A massive aura enveloped the tip of my blade, growing it into a massive sword that rivaled the size of the fortress itself. In retrospect, I shouldn¡¯t have used said technique since I could¡¯ve killed Victoria as well. But, back then, I was too caught up in the action to care. The sword crashed into the barrier protecting the fortress, immediately producing cracks all over the dark bubble. The whole place shook from the clash. And then, just when the bubble was about to shatter completely, the air shifted. The charm imprisoning me there had been lifted, its power rerouted to reinforce the protection of the fortress. I grinned. My plan was a success. And so I fell. I fell and fell and fell. Until I landed on the ground on my feet. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Right in front of Hugo, who had been seeing all I did with that cool grin of his. ¡°Heh, that was quite a show you just made. I shouldn¡¯t have bothered staying here just in case you need help.¡± ¡°Hmph, if you think I¡¯m going to get captured by them, you¡¯re underestimating me.¡± I huffed. ¡°I know. I know. But, as your husband, I can¡¯t help but be worried, you know.¡± He walked up to me and patted my head. BA-DUMP My cheeks reddened. My heart throbbed with joy. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go then. A full-blown war awaits. It¡¯s a shame the negotiations failed but I guess it¡¯s to be expected. It¡¯s a Demon Lord after all.¡± I nodded. My sword was his and his alone. Vol 5 Chapter 18: Fallout "Everyone, move out! Move out now!" Chaos. It was the perfect word to describe what happened next after Sherry¡¯s attack. Drums of war thundered across the demon capital, declaring to all troops to mobilize in an instant. That day, most of them weren''t even ready to fight, having spent their day drinking in the many bars and taverns that the capital possessed. That, or sleeping with the prostitutes in the whorehouses, succubi or not. Mostly both. Balthazar had been generous with their salary. As such, they had all the money in the world to burn. The citizens, on the other hand, cowered with fear, wondering what was happening. They shouldn''t have any more enemies. Victory was theirs. And yet, why were the troops scrambled? Some argued it was just exercise. Others said that another Demon Lord had snuck in and tried to assassinate Balthazar. If the skies had been clear when Sherry rammed her sword into the fortress, no doubt they would choose the latter. One elf knew what it meant though. And she had a bright smile on her face as she made her way out of the city. Sari had no fear whatsoever in her bones. All she cared about were the songs she would compose of this incident. After all, her idols¡ªthe legendary mage Hugo and his harem¡ªwere going to fight. And she¡¯d have the front seat! Unfortunately, such a cheerful sentiment wasn¡¯t shared by the Demon Lord up on the sky. ? ¡°Hosalu¡­¡± He knelt down, placing his hand on the top of the mermaid princess¡¯ head. Or at least, the one half of her head. Sherry had indeed bisected her. It all happened so fast he couldn¡¯t stop the Izurd. He had failed to protect her. His mind returned to those old days, many, many years ago. He traveled the underwater kingdoms of the Seafolks. It was when they first met. What a precious creature she was. If he were a human, this would be where he cried, he imagined. But a Naturia like him¡­ he could never truly feel like the other races did. ¡°Lord Balthazar! Lord Balthazar!¡± He stood up, looking up to see a harpy flying above him. ¡°Lord Balthazar! Urgent news! The lizardmen¡ªthey¡¯ve betrayed you! They have gathered their warriors at Gagel, declaring themselves to be allied to the human named Hugo Greenwood!¡± His expression remained neutral. Only his eyes narrowed a little. "I see. The enemy was never that budding Demon God. It had been him from the start." He remembered¡ªhow Virana came to the city he was in, only to never return. Even though she believed she had killed him, that was soon proven to be false. And he, of course, had that relationship with Victoria. And now, he came to rescue her. ¡°A living human anomaly. Perhaps akin to the heroes of old?" He scratched his chin. "The Dragon? Or the Goddess?" He turned to face his wives, his cape billowing from his movement. ¡°Prepare for war. We will crush him and those foolish enough to stand by his side." The wives all knelt before him. They were his generals too after all. ? Hugo ¡°Hugo, I¡¯m not heavy, am I?¡± ¡°Hmm, what makes you say that? You¡¯re not heavy. You¡¯ve never been heavy.¡± ¡°...Good. I don¡¯t want to be fat like Felicia.¡± I chuckled. With Sherry in my arms, I sprinted full force towards Gagel. She couldn¡¯t move after using Felicia¡¯s potion after all. My top speed actually far eclipsed the speed of the Scarabs. However, traveling this way quickly drained my mana and stamina. I used both Wind Step and Graceful Step after all. And yes, she blushed all the way as we made our trip. It was a princess carry after all. Quite romantically popular amongst the fair gender, even in this world. ¡°Hugo, your hand is squeezing my butt again.¡± ¡°Sorry, I just can¡¯t resist. Your butt just feels too good, Sherry.¡± ¡°I know you like it a lot but can¡¯t you wait to do it later? We¡¯re going to go into a war here!¡± ¡°No can do!¡± Sherry huffed, feigning an upset expression as she crossed her arms. Heh, I knew she liked it though. She always did. She was just shy about the whole thing. ¡°Ahn!¡± ¡°H-Hugo, don¡¯t you dare do that again!¡± A smirk blossomed on my face. "Ahnnnn! Stop it! Stop itttt!" I wasn''t stopping, however. With my middle finger, I proceeded to rub her sweet spot back and forth through her shorts and panties. "This is your reward, Sherry." I grinned. "You deserve it after facing off against the Demon Lord alone." "You¡­ you lecher! You pervert!" Tried as she might, she couldn''t move any of her muscles, thanks to the side effect of Felicia¡¯s potion. "It''s alright." I hastened the movement of my finger. "You can let it all out in your shorts if you want." "Nnhhhgghaaahhh! Hugooo, you''re going to¡ª ahnnn! ¡ª pay for this!" I chuckled, feeling wetness spreading at the seat of her crotch. By "paying", she of course meant she would ride on top of my member, sliding her cave up and down, using me as her living dildo. That was one of her favorite positions whenever we had sex. In the end, she did as I told, orgasming in her pants with a loud moan escaping her lips. Right as we saw our destination in the distance. ? Gagel was located at the southeastern edge of the flat wastelands we were on, bordering the rocky, mountain-like terrain that would stretch on to the south. And there, whole masses of lizardmen were surrounding the city, erecting camps and such. Judging by how there were no signs of a fight, the town clearly had surrendered to them. We made our stop in front of one of the tents. Immediately the lizardmen there recognized me, calling me out by my name. They all knelt down, even before I put Sherry back on her feet. Well, almost all of them at the very least. "That''s him! That''s Lord Greenwood!" "You sure that''s not an enemy?" "Are you dumb? Didn¡¯t you know how he looked? Teal robes, black pants, blonde hair¡ª it all matches with the description the Chief gave us!" I flashed them my most magnanimous smile before putting Sherry down. Thankfully, it seemed she was already capable of standing though her legs were still a little bit shaky. ¡°You okay? Can you stand?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. The medicine¡¯s side effect has worn off. I¡¯m just¡­ embarrassed. Thanks to your perversion.¡± She pouted and glared. Her shorts were indeed damp and slightly darker than normal. And I imagined it would be all sticky inside. Standing in front of a crowd like this with such dirty shorts¡ªquite a lewd act indeed. The lizardmen then immediately beckoned us to meet with their chief. Or rather, chiefs, as the army consisted of multiple tribes working together as one. Orluk really managed to convince them, it seemed. Most likely by puffing me up as some kind of hero, or rather, a Demon Lord. ¡°Lord Hugo! The chiefs are in the town hall inside the city! They¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡± One of the lizardmen said as we walked through the crowd. ¡°I assume my companions have arrived here beforehand?¡± ¡°Yes, Milord! About half an hour ago they arrived on their Scarab! And they made their way to the town hall immediately!¡± ¡°How about Orluk? Is he there too?¡± ¡°Chief Orluk?¡± He scratched his chin. ¡°Yes yes yes! He¡¯s there as well!¡± ¡°Oi human! Yer¡¯ doing well for yer¡¯self, ain¡¯tcha?¡± The crowd in front of us split into two, revealing none other than Karla, Orluk¡¯s big sister. And she looked exactly the same as she was more than a year ago, when I last saw her. She walked closer, towering over me with her Amazonian height. Her spiked club rested on her shoulder and her shark-like teeth sneered between her lips. "Hugo Greenwood. Yer'' grown lots. So much so I''m not interested in you anymore." "That''s good news." I gave her a cocky smile. "I already have two cute wives after all. And here''s one of them." I pat Sherry on the shoulder. Sherry, being Sherry, quickly responded to her smirk with a glare, wrapping her arms around me like a lost child. "Don''t worry. She may have big boobs but I have no interest in those abs of hers." Like I had said many times before, I was never into well-muscled girls. If you were a girl, you had to be dainty in my totally-not-chauvinistic eyes. "Heh." She placed her hand on my shoulder and gave it a good shake. "You''re cheekier than the last time I saw ye." She then offered to be our escort. Or rather, she insisted, as she quickly yelled at the other ogres to leave us alone before yanking my hand, dragging me along as she made her way towards the town. "Hey, let him go!" Sherry protested as she walked beside us. "He can walk by himself!" The ogress chuckled, giving her a sly grin. ¡°What? Yer jealous? Yer an Izurd, right? Heard yer kind is fiercely protective of yer partner. Curious to hear that ye share him with another.¡± ¡°Hmph, she¡¯s an exception!¡± Sherry huffed. ¡°So get your hands off him!¡± Stifling a laugh, she released her grip. Silently, I thanked Sherry. Her monstrous grip actually hurt my arm quite a bit. More ogres stared at us as we combed our way through the camps. But eventually, we made it to the front gate. It was wide open and there were no guards in sight. I imagined after the city surrendered, the local soldiers were decommissioned from their usual duties. The ogres might even make them give out their weapons and armors, just so they wouldn¡¯t fight back. Stepping into the town, we were greeted by empty streets after empty streets after empty streets. Only eyes coming out from doors and windows to the sides showed that the place was even populated. ¡°Wow, you guys did a great job frightening the locals here.¡± I chuckled. ¡°You ogres don¡¯t get along with the people here?¡± ¡°Not just ¡®ere.¡± The ogress replied. ¡°We ogres are outsiders. People here think we¡¯re uncivilized brutes. Only those damn Altra folks get a pass. And surprise surprise, they refused to join our alliance. Cowards.¡± ¡°Those Altra ogres¡­ they didn¡¯t warn the Demon Lord of your invasion?¡± I asked. ¡°No. They decided to remain neutral. And it¡¯s all because of you.¡± She flashed a grin in my direction. ¡°Me?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Your destruction of those orcs pretty much made you a Demon Lord in all but name. As such, they believe we have a good chance of winning. So they decided to stay out.¡± I walked closer to Sherry, half-whispering to her, ¡°Hey, Sherry, About Balthazar¡­ What do you think?¡± She looked up at me and gave me her furrowed brows. ¡°You mean his strength?¡± She paused, glancing away. ¡°He¡¯s weaker than Grandmother. But still a formidable opponent. I¡­ did not manage to intimidate him, even with the full strength of my aura.¡± She looked back at me. ¡°Only you ever managed to do the same, Hugo. Well, you and Grandmother, of course.¡± Our feet soon took us to a large mansion-like building in the middle of the small city. Unlike the rest of the town, there were other people here. Although, they were all lizardmen warriors. "Yer friends are inside." Karla pointed her thumb to the building. "Well, yer wives, more like it." She grinned, her shark-like teeth showing. "Yer building quite the harem, kiddo. Yer even got a guy in it." "What?! Only Felicia is my wife! The others are not¡ª" "It''s okay. He''s cute so I see why ye might lust for him. If I had to guess, ye like to take him from behind and make him¡ª" "I don''t swing that way!" She laughed before walking towards the guards, ordering them to let us in. Sighing, I followed them both inside. ? The inside of the mansion-like building looked like, what else, a mansion. Listening to the ogress, this was the mansion of the city''s mayor, who, by the way, was one of the Demon Lord''s daughters. In fact, most of the cities, towns, and villages under his control were ruled by his offspring. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She took us to the second floor¡¯s meeting room. Normally, the day-to-day administration of the town would not be performed here in the mayor¡¯s own private estate but she was obviously in house arrest right now. On the way, we saw quite a lot of people wandering around the estate. And by ¡°people¡±, I meant the lizardmen guards and the maids/butlers of the mansion itself. Tension seemed to be high between the two sides, with the lizards always keeping an eye of the servants in case they tried anything funny, and the servants lifting their noses at the lizards for ruining the beauty and cleanliness of the estate. ¡°And here we are.¡± The ogress declared with a grin. ¡°They¡¯re in a meeting right now so you can just barge right in.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not coming in?¡± I asked. ¡°Nah. Hate that sort of stuff. I let them do all the thinking. I just want to smash stuff.¡± I walked forward, pushing the twin door open with Sherry by my side. Revealing a room filled with a bunch of ogres shouting at each other. ¡°You imbecile Halak! Open your eyes! The only course of action we should take now is a full and swift assault before they can recall their armies from the human cities up north!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a fool through and through, Arkas! I only agreed with this whole rebellion because of that human! If he¡¯s not here, then we¡¯re not fighting!¡± The ogres were arguing in the middle of the room around a large round table. To the left and right, there were long wooden chairs for spectators to sit on. ¡°Sir Hugo! You¡¯re here!¡± I could recognize that voice in an instant. Theo stood up from his long wooden chair before running towards me. Without hesitation, he then jumped to give me a big hug. The ogres fell silent in an instant, noticing my presence in the room. Immediately they stood up as well, before kneeling one by one, lowering their heads towards me. ¡°Lord Greenwood!¡± They said in unison. I scratched the back of my head. ¡°Finally, you¡¯re here.¡± Myrilla was next to speak as she made her way to my side along with the others. ¡°And I see you managed to escape.¡± She switched her gaze to Sherry. ¡°The audience¡­ did not go well at all.¡± ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s that arrogant Demon Lord¡¯s fault!¡± Sherry huffed, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°And you¡­ actually killed one of his wives. Right in front of him.¡± A series of gasps echoed across the room. It came from the ogres¡ªthe chieftains and their retainers. ¡°Wait, you did? Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?¡± I said to Sherry. Averting her gaze, she answered, ¡°...I thought you¡¯d be happy. Well, sorry if I made the wrong call.¡± ¡°No no not at all!¡± I patted her head with a grin. ¡°You did the right thing! That¡¯s one less opponent we have to worry about!¡± ¡°Still, this means there¡¯s no going back now from an all out war.¡± Felicia gave a concerned look. ¡°That¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tira let out a short giggle. ¡°Sir Hugo isn¡¯t going to lose.¡± ¡°You should be thankful to Theo!¡± Tama folded her arms. ¡°He was the one who convinced the mayor to surrender!" "He did? That''s amazing! How did you do that, Theo?" I grinned at him. "Hehe!" He rubbed his nose with his finger. "All I did was¡ª" "Cut the chatter, you two." Myrilla interrupted. "Hugo, you have to address those ogres. They''ve been waiting for you." "Oh, right." I walked up to the kneeling ogres. There were seven of them in total¡ªmost of them being middle-aged men. There was only one middle-aged woman amongst them. And of course, Orluk and his father were there. ¡°Well, as you¡¯ve heard, negotiations have broken down. So, it is time for our all out attack. As promised, you will be free to rule over the region once we win. Share the land however you wish. I shall not rule over you in the slightest.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lord Greenwood!¡± They yelled, once again completely in sync with each other. ¡°Oh, I suppose I should ask for your names. I have to thank you all for your help after all.¡± I said with a smile. Vol 5 Chapter 19: Hugo Greenwood, A New Demon Lord? The ogre chiefs gave me their names right away. It wasn''t just them though. Their retainers and attendants that were there also did the same, kneeling in the process as well. Unfortunately, since I was never really good at names, I could only remember at most four or five of them. "Now, to our next discussion¡­" I called out Aria, telling her in my mind to create an earthen throne for me to sit on. With the usual soft pop, the sprite manifested herself in her maid form and created the throne, just the way I had trained her to. Yep, I had trained myself to act like a Demon Lord would, even if just for a little. I knew some of the ogres would not fully trust me and my strength. As such, appearances were important as well. I sat on the throne, resting my staff near my left leg, letting it lean on the earthen chair. Smiling, I began my speech. ¡°So, for starters, I have to ask, what makes you all agree to gather under my banner? I was under the impression that you ogres had a pact with the Demon Lord.¡± ¡°Ha! Ain¡¯t it obvious? We like ya¡¯ better than that snob, kid!¡± The one to answer was none other than the chief of the Menet clan, that being Orluk¡¯s father. He lifted his face, speaking with a grin towards me. "Oh?" My smile widened as I scratched my chin. "And why is that?" "Because that man much prefers those Altra weaklings over us." The one who answered was the ogre kneeling beside him¡ªa rough-looking middle-aged man with a scarred left eye. "It would be too long to list all of our disputes. But suffice to say, our alliance today is merely one out of convenience, not loyalty." The other ogre chiefs nodded in agreement, all of them now looking at me with a serious look. "Myrilla?" I glanced at the demoness. She now stood beside me, acting as my advisor. I, of course, had discussed the idea beforehand and she agreed. "They¡¯re telling the truth." Her gaze rested on the ogres. "Though, I have to warn you, some of them do still harbor doubts about your strength." ¡°Really now?¡± A smirk grew on my lips. "How about this? I''ll take all seven of you without even standing up from this throne." "T-there''s no need for that, Lord Hugo!" Orluk looked up, sweat trailing down his forehead. "We might not see your prowess with our own two eyes but¡ª" "Sounds perfect! I always want to try my hands on a Demon Lord!" He was interrupted by none other than his own father, who was now standing straight up; his hand gripping the handle of the axe he carried behind him. All with a happy grin on his face. "Just so ye'' know, I''m the strongest ogre around here. Took down a thousand orcs on my own back in my youth. So don''t expect me to go easy on ye, Milord." S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The other ogres looked at him as if he had gone mad, especially Orluk. "Father! You can''t¡ª" "That''s fine." I interrupted. "He deserves a taste of my strength." "Thank you." He pulled the axe off its sheath. "Then, if you don''t mind, haaa!" Without waiting for my permission, he dashed forward, his axe swinging low to take my head off. And since the distance between us was so short, my head would''ve flown off before I could even blink. Too bad I already readied a delayed spell beforehand. When you might ask? Why, as I was talking to the ogre chiefs, of course. After you got the knack for it, it was surprisingly easy to hide a spell. Two spells, in fact, since one was the time magic. "Gah!" And so, before the axe could connect, I pushed him away with my wind spell, sending his axe flying, landing mere inches from one of the ogre chiefs who sat there and watched. The ogre was sent flying to the far wall, making an ogre-shaped hole on impact. Yes, I just sent him outside like in a gag manga. That was a modified Boom Cannon by the way, designed to push and not kill. So he should be fine. I hoped. When the dust settled, I didn''t need Myrilla to tell me what the other ogres were thinking. Whatever doubt they had¡ªI had just crushed it into pieces. ? The meeting continued after that little display, since we needed to decide on our strategy and all. Thankfully, Orluk¡¯s father was completely fine, despite his bruises. And he had only praises to say to my name. Once it finished, outside the meeting room after the orc chiefs and their retainers had left, I asked Myrilla about the succubus princess. "She''s with Fia. Not to worry. I''ve transferred her ownership to her." "Eh? You can do that? I thought¡ª" "I can. Because I was the one weaving the binding rune. I added a clause that allowed me to change the owner of a slave without the consent of the owner." "I see¡­" We then decided to pay them a visit. Though not before Myrilla offered me to meet up with the now imprisoned mayor of the town. ¡°Oh yeah, her.¡± I scratched my chin. ¡°Technically, she¡¯s another hostage we can use against the Demon Lord. Just like that succubus. She¡¯s also his daughter, right?¡± ¡°Correct. Her name is Yurla Naturia. She¡¯s the first daughter of Balthazar¡¯s first wife.¡± ¡°So¡­ a one-eyed lamia as well like her mother?¡± Myrilla shook her head. ¡°No. She¡¯s a normal lamia. The mutation did not manage to carry over.¡± ¡°Huh. That¡¯s¡­ unfortunate.¡± Heh, I could just imagine Balthazar being all disappointed when she was born. Her mother¡¯s mutation made her extremely strong after all. ¡°Lord Hugo, if you don¡¯t mind, I shall take my leave.¡± Our conversation was then interrupted by Orluk, who had stayed behind along with Karla. He unfortunately couldn''t stay with us as he had to prepare his clan for the attack tomorrow. "Send Fia my regards. And, if you would, Milord, tell her¡­ to go easy on the succubus," he added with a worried smile. He then gave one last bow before making his way outside, leaving only Karla behind. ¡°That was some good actin¡¯, kiddo!¡± Karla grinned, her hands resting on her hips. ¡°You really sold the Demon Lord act there! Unfortunately, I gotta go as well. Gotta prepare for tomorrow and all that too, as the old man¡¯s right hand woman.¡± Unlike Orluk, she was still part of her father¡¯s clan. As such, she was still his general of war as well. She waved her hand before leaving, forgoing the bow entirely. ¡°Now that¡¯s over with¡­¡± Myrilla said with an annoyed look. ¡°Follow me. ¡°I¡¯ll lead you to the prisons down below.¡± ? At the mansion¡¯s basement lay a small dungeon, made out of cold steel and stone. I wondered why a private house would have its own prison but I soon decided I didn¡¯t really care. At the very least, I didn¡¯t see any torture devices around so I could at least conclude that it wasn¡¯t that kind of dungeon. Dimly lit by the shimmering magic lanterns on the wall, we passed through a series of empty cells. Our steps ended in front of a large prison cell, at least twice the size of the others we had passed. Most likely, it was designed to hold larger than normal prisoners, like ogres for example. "Oh? What''s this? A visit from the illustrious Hugo Greenwood himself?" And inside was a lamia woman, wielding a smirk on her face as she slithered closer to the bars, allowing the light to shine on her features. She was dressed like a noblewoman¡ªa dress with puffy sleeves as her top. The only difference was that she didn¡¯t wear a skirt. Lamias never did, having a large serpent-like tail instead of legs, so there was no need in covering them up. ¡°What an honor.¡± Her voice was positively drowning in sarcasm. ¡°I would offer you the best wine in my cellar but I imagine all those filthy ogres would have drank all my bottles to the last drop.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I¡¯m not much of a drinker myself.¡± I walked forward, closer to the bars separating us both. She was certainly beautiful, possessing a refined, proud beauty that was typical of women belonging to high birth. ¡°What do you want? I already surrendered my city to your pets. If you wish to use me as a bargaining chip against Father, it won¡¯t work. He belongs to the Naturia race of demons. And one of the perks of being one is the lack of emotions. He always think rationally without any of those pesky human sentiments. As such, he will know the best course of action is to slaughter you and all those that follow you to the last man, even if it means sacrificing my life.¡± "Oh, but your mother would be sad, would she not?" I asked with a provocative smile. To my surprise, her haughty look instantly turned into a frown. "...No. No, she won''t." "Alright, another question. If you''re so loyal to your father, why did you surrender your city so easily?¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°That brat of yours actually managed to beat my guards. And they were S-rank adventurers too. What a joke. I shouldn¡¯t have paid them that much.¡± She huffed. ¡°Really, Theo?¡± I turned around and smiled at him. ¡°You managed to beat S-rank adventurers on your own?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± He rubbed his nose with his finger, bashfully smiling at my direction. ¡°I had Tama on my side as well. And we used the drug Miss Felicia gave to us.¡± ¡°Hmph, I think we could¡¯ve won even without the drug!¡± Tama crossed her arms with a haughty smile. ¡°We¡¯ve become a lot stronger, thanks to all the training we did!¡± Her tail was swaying back and forth. She really was enjoying the praise. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Master Hugo! Your training really helped us a lot!¡± Theo smiled. It was one of his angelic smiles that could melt the heart of any woman that saw it. Or men, even. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t forget me sparring with you!¡± the catgirl protested. ¡°A-ah, right! Of course! You¡¯re always there to help me train, Tama!¡± Smiling at the sight, I turned my attention back at our prisoner, who had stayed quiet for the last few minutes. ¡°A Human Demon Lord¡­¡± She scowled. ¡°What a joke¡­ There can be no such thing¡­ They should call you a Hero instead.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t.¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°I hadn¡¯t exactly been nice to my fellow humans after all.¡± ¡°Hmph, the last time someone got called that, it was from him slaughtering Father¡¯s army in the battlefield. I suppose simpletons may think you slaughtering those orcs are the same exact act, ignoring the fact that Father¡¯s soldiers were a lot more trained and well-equipped than a bunch of filthy orcs.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? And who might that be?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? How ignorant you are. Fine. Let me enlighten you of his accursed name. Ciaran Hrothgar. The Sword Demon. Ring any bells in that empty head of yours?¡± I froze. ¡°When did that happen? And why?¡± ¡°Many years ago while he was still a wandering swordsman. The reason? He fancied one of Father¡¯s wives. Desiring her for his own, he decided to wage war on us. And he succeeded. He kidnapped her and we have never heard about her since.¡± ¡°Oh well, Father moved on and got another wife, so it didn¡¯t really matter.¡± She shrugged. ¡°One last question.¡± I took a few steps closer, all the way to the bars, so she could easily choke me with her hand through them. ¡°Will you not join us?¡± ¡°No. Why would I join you, human?¡± ¡°Well, you get to sleep in a bed, for starters." I smiled. "Go away. I don''t want to talk to a corpse. Father is going to kill you. No doubt about it." ? Our next destination was the ogre tents outside of the city. We would have our dinner feast there as well as our room for the night. Though of course, both would be after we made a visit to Karla. The camp was bustling with activity, even though the sun was setting down. And every ogre we met would greet us and give us a bow. Heh, I''d lie if I said that didn''t make me feel all warm inside. Orluk was nowhere to be seen. If I had to guess, he was in the command tent, barking out orders on his subordinates. We weren''t going there, by the way, since our destination was the private tent of the chief, not the public one. When we arrived, however, we were granted quite the extraordinary sight. "YOU IDIOT SLAVE! CAN''T YOU CRAWL ANY FASTER?" Fia was, to put it bluntly, riding on top of her newfound succubus slave. Right outside her tent. With a crop on hand. "P-please, Miss¡­ have mercy¡­" "YOU THINK I''M GOING TO GIVE YOU MERCY? AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO MY DEAR ORLUK?!" Her voice was surprisingly loud. She was drawing the attention of all the other ogres near them. None of them looked like they were in any rush to stop her though. "Oh? Is that¡­ Sir Hugo! You''ve come!" She jumped off the succubus, running to where I stood. "Welcome! Welcome!" She grabbed my hand and shook it up and down. "How did it go? Did the Demon Lord¡ª" "He refused." Sherry was the one to answer. "He even tried to capture me. What a creep." "Ah, that¡¯s a relief!" "A relief?" I asked with raised eyebrows. "That means I can do whatever I want to that bitch!" She pointed her thumb to the succubus. "Oh, I have to thank you for delivering her to me, Lord Hugo! You have no idea how badly I''ve been itching to punish the whore that broke my Darling''s heart!" She walked back to her, lifting her up by the ear. "You hear that?! No one is going to save you!" "I-I''m sorry, Mistress! I''m sorry!" I paid a glance to the alchemist. Sure enough, she had a satisfied smile on her face. "Shall I escort you to your tent, Lord Hugo?" Fia said after throwing the succubus to the side, still keeping her uncanny smile. "Y-yeah, sure!" I nodded. ? Our tent was not far at all from Fia''s. Tents to be more precise, since obviously we couldn¡¯t all sleep inside the same tent. I had the biggest one. It actually had several rooms in them, separated by partitions made out of tanned leather. They even managed to put all sorts of furniture in them, including a soft, fluffy large bed for me, Sherry, and Felicia to sleep on. Unfortunately, the others didn¡¯t get the same treatment. I guessed to them, it was only natural that I would get the larger tent, and it would be sacrilege if I did not. We separated, with me telling them that I wanted to get some rest before the dinner feast began. Entering my tent, I immediately threw myself onto the bed, taking a long, deep sigh in the process. ¡°Finally¡­ some rest¡­¡± I put away my staff and my sword beside the bed. Before I could take off my boots, however, Sherry already threw herself on top of me, pushing me down with her strength. ¡°Hugo, you have to take responsibility,¡± she said with a pout and blush, her crotch now resting on top of my own. ¡°Tama could smell my release, you know. She pointed it out immediately.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I smiled, placing my hand on her cheek. ¡°Whatever she thinks, I personally think there¡¯s no shame in that.¡± ¡°...Pervert. How would you like it if you walked around with damp pants?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about damp pants?¡± Felicia stepped closer with an annoyed look, resting her butt right beside my face. ¡°Did you two do something lewd while I was away?¡± "He rubbed my crotch while he was carrying me." Sherry¡¯s blush deepened. "And made me come¡­" She averted her gaze. "Carrying you? Ah, you drank my potion. I remember you saying that before." With a smirk, after putting away her staff and taking off her heels, Felicia swung her legs up the bed before snuggling into me, pressing her breasts into my right arm. "You know, if you''re fond of making your cute wives come in public, I have a toy you can use. It vibrates a girl''s most sensitive spot and you can control it from a distance, meaning, you''ll get to enjoy her lewd and embarrassed expressions as much as you want." "And I, for one, would be very happy to be that woman," she whispered sultrily, pressing her soft, lovely mounds even further into my body. "Oh?" I smirked, turning to face her and giving her left breast a squeeze. "Are you sure? I can be quite ruthless, you know." "Anything for you, Darling." She leaned in for a kiss, which I readily accepted. As our tongues played with each other, and my hands squeezed and fondled Felicia¡¯s melons, Sherry gritted her teeth. Not wanting to lose to Felicia, she hugged the other side of my body. Unfortunately for her, her flat chest just couldn''t have the same effect as Felicia¡¯s milk jugs. It didn''t take long until our clothes were off. Sherry insisted on getting the first turn, which Felicia reluctantly gave her. As the former bounced up and down on my member, the latter was teasing my earlobe with her lips. With that much stimulation, it didn''t take long until I reached my limit. ? Myrilla Myrilla gritted her teeth as she sat on her bed, her palm gripping her staff tightly. Once again, the mindreader was overwhelmed by the lewd thoughts Hugo and his harem were broadcasting to the air. This was why she left Alan and Renee once they hooked up. They wouldn¡¯t stop giving off lovey-dovey, lewd thoughts towards each other. And it wasn¡¯t just Alan with his breast obsession. Renee practically Alan¡¯s muscles and manly body. And they didn¡¯t spare a single thought for her. And now, it was happening all over again with his kid. Jealousy. It was the one word that perfectly encapsulated her mind right now. She was jealous that yet again, she was left out of the festivities. Alan never saw her as a woman. And now, his kid, who resembled him a lot, didn¡¯t see her as a woman either. It was selfish. She knew that very well. She was merely projecting his love for Alan to him. He might resemble him but he was clearly his own different person, even ignoring his supposedly reincarnating soul from a different world. But, she just couldn¡¯t bear it. She just couldn¡¯t bear being this¡­ lonely. She had lived for more than a hundred years yet she had failed to find any man she¡¯d like to settle with. And when she found one, he was quickly swept away by another. She knew it was her own fault. She was never an attractive woman. She was thin and lanky, with no breasts whatsoever to speak of. Not to mention her being a mindreader. How many men would be comfortable having their thoughts read every single minute by their wives? Her somber and moody personality didn¡¯t help either. If only she were born a human. At least that way, she would be dead from old age by now. She stood up, shaking the thoughts off her head. She¡¯d take a walk. She couldn¡¯t rest here. Not now when they were having their fun. Avenging Alan, and making sure his son was safe. Once she accomplished that, she would leave. And maybe, just maybe, she¡¯d finally stop being such a prude, just enough to try out those pleasure houses for the female folk she saw. She¡¯d lose her virginity to a male prostitute, but it would be better than not losing it at all. She exited her tent, her legs carrying her to the edge of the camp where she could find some peace and quiet. The guards did notice her leaving but they decided not to say anything. Seeing her frown, they had a hunch that they would not want to disturb her. "What¡¯s with the glum face? And why are you out here instead of having fun with the kid?" Myrilla¡¯s heart skipped a beat, turning around in an instant to face the voice. It was Karla. "Don''t tell me he kicked ya out or something." The ogress grinned, one hand resting on her hip, the other casually holding her club behind her back. "...I''m not his lover," Myrilla hissed. "Really? You sure stared at him like one." Myrilla gave her a deathly glare before walking away. "If you want him to bed you, then just say it to him! Don¡¯t sulk around like this! It''s pathetic, you know!" Myrilla did not answer. She merely pretended she didn''t just hear her outrageous suggestion. Karla sighed, shaking her head. "Well, I guess I could talk to the kid about it¡­" "...Nah.¡± She shrugged with a lazy smile. ¡°This is their problem. Not mine. I ain''t getting involved in his marital affairs!" Vol 5 Chapter 20: A Blissful and Sensual Night Hugo ¡°To Lord Greenwood! To victory!¡± "Yeah!" The night air was brimming with yells and cheers from the ogres as they clashed their overfilled mugs together, splashing ale and beer all over the place, before chugging it all down in a single gulp, only to pour another from the nearest barrel afterwards. Ogrefolks'' love for alcohol was indeed well-known but as someone who couldn''t tolerate it at all, it was quite the surprising sight, to say the least. We were now in the feast the ogres promised. As you would expect, it was quite the rowdy occasion with so many ogres around. The report given to me stated that there were about five thousand ogres in total, give or take. Even though they weren¡¯t all here, since each ogre clan was doing their own feasts at their own encampments, the crowd was already significant. And yes, this meant that they ransacked the city for supplies to make this feast happen. Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped. I, of course, was given the seat of honor. Meaning, I was forced to sit with Orluk and Fia on the fancy chieftain rug. The others were also there, of course, even Kiri and Aria whom I brought out so they could enjoy the feast as well. To my left was Felicia and to my right was Sherry. The former sat with her legs pressed together while the latter opted for a more free cross-legged figure. Felicia had to sit all prim and proper since she would flash her panties if she sat otherwise. Well, that wasn¡¯t the real reason. It was because she had a vibrator inside her. And I had the remote. We agreed to have a little public play at the feast. She insisted. I reached into my pocket. The remote was actually just a ball the size of my palm that I had to squeeze. The stronger I did it, the more intense the vibration she was going to feel. I decided to give her a quick squeeze. "Ah!" She gasped. Her body tensed up and her thighs pressed themselves together. With redness spreading on her cheeks, she gave a smirking glance at my direction before taking a sip of her wine. was pretty much what she said with that glance. Sherry, who didn¡¯t know about this little game of ours (she left the tent earlier) gave me a suspicious look. My gaze traveled to Orluk and Fia. The latter was sitting on the former¡¯s lap and I was pretty sure she was rubbing her ass into his crotch. All the while caressing his cheeks with her hands. I switched my sight to Tira and co. next. Somehow, Theo and Tama had gotten into a drinking fight. And Tira was cheering them up. Next up was Kiri and Aria, who were eating all the vegetables on the table. Ever since they had their human forms, they had shown just how much they loved to eat. And finally, Myrilla. Who had decided to leave early after finishing her food. Just like a classic introvert. The night went on with every ogre there getting more and more drunk with every mug they drank. Some ogres began to dance and play their tribal music, consisting mostly of drums made out of monster skin and flutes made out of the dead trees you would find on the red plains they originated from. Soon, every male ogre was dancing with their female counterparts, including Orluk and Fia. The closest I could describe it was that it was similar to the flamenco back at Earth though far less refined in its steps. Naturally, they began to yell for me to join. It was not just a dance, but a way for the ogres to honor their ancestors before going into battle. "Master Hugo! Master Hugo! Over here!" My eyes traveled away from the crowd towards Kiri, who were shouting at my direction, waving her arms and jumping up and down. The hyperactive fairy had left the so-called royal carpet, joining the common ogres in their dance. Immediately I noticed the up and down movement of her chest. ¡°Master! I want to dance with you!¡± I smiled. I stood up, earning a look from both Sherry and Felicia. "You guys don''t mind if I dance with her, right?" I put up my most casual grin. "Hmph, do what you want!" Sherry was the first to reply as she sat there with crossed legs and arms. ¡°Just make sure to give me a turn too, alright?¡± ¡°Same with me,¡± Felicia smiled. ¡°Make the child happy. You owe her a lot after all, Milord.¡± I left the carpet, making my way to the fairy. Seeing me approaching her, she didn¡¯t hesitate. She ran up to me and grabbed my hands, dragging me to be nearer the giant bonfire for our dance. ¡°Master, I know how to dance now!¡± ¡°Really now? Where did you learn it from?¡± ¡°Watching the ogres! And us fairies have always been good at dancing!¡± The crowd soon noticed my presence, causing them to move away from their spots and stopping their dances just to see ours. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t like all the attention they were giving, but I guessed I had too many cups already since I didn¡¯t feel nervous in the slightest. In fact, I felt perfectly confident that we would ace this dance, despite never even performing it in the first place. We locked our hands together. I had to look down since her height only reached up to my chest. She was about as short as Sherry. And when the drums and flutes started their next melody, we began. And to my surprise, it went a lot smoother than expected. Kiri did most of the dancing. She was right that her kind was good at it when a scatterbrain like her could pick up the moves just by watching others do it. Me? I was just following her, with my gaze locked to her bouncing breasts. When the music stopped, we were greeted by a storm of applause. Kiri waved her arms and laughed, clearly enjoying the attention. "Master, I want to dance with you too." Behind me stood Aria, a small pout decorating her face. She had been watching us dance from the sidelines, quite intensely if I might add. And clearly, she was jealous of her friend. "Of course." I smiled at her. "Come here, Aria." I glanced back at Sherry and the others. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I wrapped my arm around her slim waist while my other hand held hers up. My gaze swiftly rested on her notable bosom before it locked to her eyes. The music started again, and this time, the chorus of drums and flutes played a different, slower tempo of a song. Just like with Kiri, I let her lead the movement. Until she proved to be quite the awkward dancer anyway. I lifted my right hand, pulling her arm upwards. And then, using my left hand, I pulled her closer, to the point that her breasts were touching my chest. I took a glance at the other people dancing around us. And, with my best effort, I tried to mimic how they moved. Thankfully, the rhythm this time was slower than the one I had before with Kiri, so I still managed to follow the crowd without having my feet step on hers. Eventually, the music stopped once more, and another round of cheers deafened the air, followed by the sound of people chugging down their ales. ¡°Well, how about that?¡± I smiled down at the sprite. ¡°That was a pretty good dance, wasn¡¯t¡ª¡± She stood on her toes and pressed her lips into mine. My eyes widened. My heart skipped a beat. Before I could say anything, she melted into mud. The ground absorbed her completely before I could say anything. And the last thing I saw was her crimson cheeks. "Hugoooooooo!" A painful yank on my ear brought me out of my stupor. "You really are something. Kissing another woman in front of your wives?!" "H-hey, she was the one who started it!" Sherry huffed, releasing my earlobe from her fingers. And before I could say anything, she grabbed my hands and pressed her small body into mine. "Dance with me." She pouted, blushing lightly. "Teach me. I''m¡­ not good at it." "Of course." I smiled. "Just follow my lead." The music resumed and with it, we began our dance. "Hugo. Once you free that Victoria girl, what will you do with her?" She spoke as we moved. "Huh? What will I do? Well, I guess I''ll bring her along. She no longer has a home after all." "Does that mean marrying her?" Her eyes narrowed. "Uh, no? I don¡¯t see why I would¡ª" "What if she begs you to marry her, hmm?" "W-well, I''d refuse, of course! I already have you and Felicia after all!" I gave her an awkward grin. Our conversation was halted momentarily as the music picked up. I raised my hand, lifting her hand up her head, before she did a short twirl. To my surprise, she actually made the move look¡­ It was probably thanks to her smooth jet black hair. If she were wearing a dress, she would''ve looked even better doing it, I imagined. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around me, burying her face on my chest. "Good. I don''t want to share you with any more women." I smiled, patting her on the head. We finished our dance soon after, with her giving me a surprise kiss at the end. Well, it wasn¡¯t that surprising really. Knowing her, I saw it coming a mile away. Still, it earned another round of cheers from the ogres, including Orluk, who lifted his mug up to the air to a salute before drinking it all in one gulp. "And now, it''s my turn." Last but not least, Felicia. Without even waiting for Sherry to leave, she walked up to me and snatched my hands, pushing her aside in the process. "H-hey, you¡ª" "Come now, Milord. Let¡¯s dance. I know a thing or two on how to dance with a man~" She smirked, pressing her large breasts to her chest. Sherry''s protest came to deaf ears. I could only give her an awkward smile as she reluctantly retreated, giving Felicia a glare in the process. "So¡­" She whispered behind my ears. "When are you going to make me wet down there, Dar~ling~?" "You''re challenging me?" I grinned. "You¡¯ll regret it." I reached around her waist and gave her butt a quick squeeze. And then, I heard it¡ªthe music was starting back up again. "Let¡¯s dance, shall we?" I reached down my pocket, took out the vibrator pebble, and gave it a squeeze. "A-ahn!" I smirked. "What''s the matter? I thought you wanted me to make you wet?" I took her hands, interlocking them with mine. All the while still holding the pebble. She should be able to feel it resting in my left hand. We began to move following the rhythm, Felicia doing twirls like the other females dancing to the song. She wasn¡¯t that good at it though, unlike Sherry and Kiri. She would get dizzy and would have to lean on me to keep herself from falling (with her pressing her breasts to my chest every time she did). Me giving the vibrator more squeezes didn¡¯t help matters either, as she would be forced to press her thighs together, all the while panting from the pleasurable sensation. Combined with her sweat glistening on her smooth white skin, and her white dress turning damp and translucent from it, suffice to say I got decently turned on by her. And she, in all her wisdom, decided to tease me about it. "Oh, what''s this? It seems you''re going to be the one all wet and damp down there." She smirked as she gave my tent a squeeze. Of course, such insolence had to be repaid in kind. "Kyaannn!" I gave her pebble a far stronger squeeze, forcing another, louder moan to come out from her lips. Only for her to tighten her grip on my member, all while shoving her other hand between her legs. Using my left hand, I played around with the pebble, squeezing and groping and circling around it with my thumb. All the while my right hand worked on her left breast, doing the same thing to the squishy mountain. Naturally, we had stopped dancing entirely. She gasped and bit her lip, her grip on my member growing ever stronger. She leaned forward towards me, almost putting her entire weight on me as her legs were shaking. And then, she pressed her lips into mine. Our tongues intertwined. She pushed me down to the ground, not caring in the slightest that everyone there could see us. She pulled down my trousers, lifted up my shirt, and shoved her hand down my boxers. Instead of disapproving gasps, cheers filled the air. Some of the men whistled, telling me how lucky I was to have a woman as lovely as Felicia. The females, on the other hand, cheered for her. Unlike the human world, the demon world really was more open to sexual stuff. Once she lifted her lips, she panted like a dog. I was still groping her boobs and her vibrator, and judging by how hard her nipples were, all too visible thanks to her sweat and braless chest, she was as horny as one too. "Heh, you''re about to come, aren''t you?" I grinned. "Come with me." She squeezed my member. "You want to do it too, don''t you, Milord?" "...No. I don''t think I will." With a grin, I squeezed the vibrator pebble as hard as I could. "Aaaaahnnnnnn!" A surge of electricity coursed through her entire body. Her back arched as she let out her loudest moan yet. And then, it happened. Drips of liquid gushed out of her crotch, soaking her scarlet panties completely before trailing down her thighs and legs. And some actually fell on the grass between my legs. "Well¡­" I smirked. "How about that?" Still panting, she responded with a pout. "Fine¡­ You win, Milord¡­ I¡­ lose control¡­ in public¡­" Before she went straight for my trousers and pulled it off my legs. "And now, it''s my turn to make you come in public." "H-hey, what are you¡ª" Unfortunately, the belts I wore weren''t there to keep my trousers on, so she easily pulled the black fabric down my legs. Thankfully, my shirt was still long enough to cover my undies, so for now, and not for long I imagine, my modesty was preserved. The ogres cheered once again. I could hear Fia yelling "Do it!" over and over from a distance, followed by many other ogres that surrounded us. Before Felicia could pull down my boxers, however¡­ "Stop it! What are you doing, you redheaded old hag?! You¡¯re not stripping my Hugo in public!" The voice, naturally enough, belonged to Sherry. Felicia looked up and gave Sherry a smirk. ¡°Oh, please, don¡¯t be such a spoilsport. Me and my dearest¡­¡± She gave my junk a rub. ¡°...will demonstrate to these ogres how the great Hugo Greenwood makes love to his wives.¡± ¡°Grrrr, you perverted exhibitionist!¡± To the crowd¡¯s gasps, she threw away Felicia like she weighed nothing, earning a yelp from the alchemist. Looking down at me, her gaze immediately rested on my tent. ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this, aren¡¯t you, Hugo?¡± She folded her arms under her chest, giving me a stern glare. ¡°Oh yes, I do.¡± I smirked. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to try doing it in the middle of the crowd.¡± To be honest, I didn¡¯t know why I said such words to her face so blatantly. Public sex was certainly something that should be out of my comfort zone. And yet, for some reason, I felt no discomfort whatsoever doing such a private thing in front of dozens, if not hundreds, of peering eyes. If I had to guess, it must be the alcohol I had drunk. "You¡ª!" I could see it. She was about to punch me right there. But she stopped herself. ¡°Fine! You want to do it out in the open like this?! Then I¡¯ll do it with you!¡± Before I could say anything, Sherry pushed me back down to the ground before sitting on top of me. Blushing, she began to grind her crotch into my raging erection. Immediately a jolt of pleasure traveled through my entire body, forcing a moan off my mouth. She scarcely hesitated. She grinded and grinded and grinded, moaning herself as no doubt her girlhood was just as sensitive as my member. And since her tiny pants barely protected her sweet spot from any foreign sensation, it was practically as if she was rubbing herself in her underwear. The crowd went wild once more. Laughter spread through the camp. Not the mocking kind, but the joyous kind as they admired and celebrated the display we were giving. "Haa¡­" "Haa¡­ haa¡­" "Haa¡­ ahnn!" It didn''t take long at all until she finished. Cocking her head backwards, her shorts rapidly darkened as her privates out her love juices. The sticky, clear fluid seeped into my pants, tickling my own member. She then looked at me, still panting and blushing. ¡°Satisfied?¡± ¡°No. In case you haven¡¯t noticed, I haven¡¯t finished myself.¡± I smirked. ¡°Hmph. Then, as your first wife, I¡¯ll do my duty and finish you off.¡± She then pushed herself off me, allowing her hair to work on my boxers, pulling them down just like how Felicia pulled down my trousers. And now, my member stood out in the open, glistening with pre-cum overflowing from its tips. I didn¡¯t realize it at the time, with my attention all focused on Sherry, but all the eyes of the female ogres surrounding me were resting on my member. It was the first time they saw a human penis, and, thanks to its smaller size, they actually found it cute. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t realize that fact, or else I¡¯d probably lose my boner or something, from realizing that my size just couldn¡¯t compare to those of the average ogre. Sherry, without any hesitation, knelt down and put my length in her mouth. The crowd exploded with cheers. Without realizing it, I had stopped the dance completely. The whole tribe was now watching us¡ªwatching how the Human Demon Lord got it on with his wives. "Oh my, and here I thought I was supposed to be the perverted one." Felicia had returned with a smirk on her face. She crouched down beside my head, giving me the perfect view of her soaked red panties. With a smirk on my face, I squeezed the pebble once more. Immediately I saw the vibration taking effect. She let out a groan before giving me a teasing look. "You really are something, Milord¡­" She responded by pulling the seat of her panties to the side with her finger, giving me the premium view of her trimmed private. And the pebble that was pleasuring it. "Like what you see?" "Yeah¡­" "Like how you''re making me leak all over again?" "Yep¡­" "Very well. I''m getting first turn riding on you tonight. After Miss Pervert here finishes eating you up." She smirked, glancing at Sherry. I squeezed the pebble again, resulting in her falling on her bum. Quickly, she pressed her open thighs together, squirming with her hands buried between her crotch. "You''re terrible, Milord~? You''re going to make me wet myself again~?" What happened next was a blur. First, I reached my climax, firing my seed all over Sherry''s mouth and throat. The combination of her blowjob and Felicia''s lewdity was enough to bring me to the brink. Second, I saw Felicia''s panties darkening for a second time as she reached her second orgasm. Me playing with her boobs certainly helped. Third, I witnessed Felicia shoving Sherry to the side before she slid her womanhood into my member. We had sex that night. Many times. And the other ogres too with their significant others. Kiri was there, looking all confused. It had to be the first time she saw something like this. Theo and Tama¡ªI think they had sex too? No. I think they just left. Maybe to have sex in private. Tira¡­ she just sat there with a smile on her face, looking completely unfazed. Myrilla¡­ nowhere in sight. The rest of the night went in a blur. The party had turned into a giant orgy. Even Orluk and Fia were doing it out in the open, with him furiously thrusting into the dark elf''s womb from behind. ¡­ And then, I woke up. Inside a tent. My tent to be exact. With Sherry and Felicia sleeping beside me. And we were all naked from top to bottom. Sunlight trailed from the window. I covered my eyes with my hand. "Good morning, Sir Hugo!" I heard a giggle. Sitting up, I squinted my eyes to identify the culprit. It was Fia. She was sitting across from me with her legs raised, smiling at my direction. "Had a good night? I knew it was the right call to suggest those Neter shrooms as part of the menu!" "Neter¡­ shrooms?" I raised my eyebrows. "Yep! Neter shrooms! Beside being delicious, they have light aphrodisiac properties that make you want to do it with your spouse!" ¡°You know we¡¯re going to war, right? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to¡ª¡± ¡°Oh no, Sir Hugo! It¡¯s the opposite! Because we¡¯re going to war was the reason why I suggested the mushrooms in the first place!¡± ¡°...Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Think about it. A lot of ogres are going to die today. Don¡¯t you think their last memories should be a really good one? If I were them, I¡¯d definitely make love lots of times with my beloved before going to the battlefield!¡± I fell silent, scratching my chin. ¡°Well, Sir Hugo, in about one hour, we¡¯re going to depart. Or so Orluk told me. So you and your wives better get ready, alright? I myself am going to make sure my Darling is ready.¡± After giving me a wink, she stood up and exited the tent. I looked at Sherry and Felicia, who were still sleeping soundly to my left and right, all naked. In the end, we barely made it outside before the ogres mobilized. ? A/N: Adult Fia kinda looks like this. https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/76547709 Her clothes are basically a black bikini with a cape. Also, big milestone for Hugo on the latest Patreon chapter. ? Vol 5 Chapter 21: The War Begins The inner chambers of the Naturia Floating Fortress. Hidden away from even the servants of the Demon Lord, it was a place only few were allowed to enter. And there, a certain half-fey was slumbering. No, was not the right word. would be the more apt description. She wasn''t there by choice after all. "Her power¡­ is it not ready?" "No. Her magic has proven to be far more chaotic than our calculations predicted. It''ll take a little more time until it is safe for you to consume." The half-fey was floating in mid-air, enveloped by a pillar of light surging out from a massive runic circle under her. Surprisingly enough, she was still wielding her sword and wearing her armor. Her long, golden hair floated behind her and the hem for her skirt hovered upwards, revealing her light green panties to the world. The room itself was dark, with the only light coming from the pillar and circle. The floor, the walls, even the ceiling¡ªit was all made by the best quality obsidian. Written on them were even more runes. "How unfortunate. We wouldn''t be able to test her power in real combat, it seemed." ¡°Oh, we can. My system can already harness her power, though at a much limited capacity. I¡¯ll tell you later on how we can use it to our advantage tomorrow.¡± A man and a woman stood in front of the half-fey. The Demon Lord of Wisdom and his fifth wife, Adele Naturia. Adele turned her head to the side to look at him, furrowing her brows. "You don¡¯t need her power, no? That whelp is no match for your power, surely?" The Demon Lord paused for a few moments, gazing at the half fairy suspended in the air above him. "No. But whoever that human is, he is an extraordinary one. It would be wise for us not to underestimate him." The woman crossed her arms in front of her chest, seemingly unsatisfied with his answer. "Hmph, how can you yearn to be the new Demon God if you can''t defeat a simple human? Unless you believe he''s been chosen as the next Legendary Hero? Impossible. He''s an enemy of the Human Church, remember? And we know there''s a better candidate for the title." The Demon Lord didn''t say anything in return. He merely furrowed his brows as he remembered¡ªthat day he met her. ? ? In the end, he lost. She cut his left and right arm. She could¡¯ve finished him right then and there but she decided not to. The reason? ¡°That was an entertaining fight! Tend to your wounds and grow stronger so our next fight would be even better!¡± And just like that, she left. He could regenerate his arms just fine. But his pride¡­ it was shattered into pieces. There was no way he could¡¯ve lost to a human. The only reason he did was because she was chosen. Because she was the next Legendary Hero. He knew the truth¡ªthat the world would soon be reset¡ªthat a Hero and a Demon God would resurface once more. If he were to be the Demon God, then it would only be natural that there would be a Hero as well. And that person could only be her. After all¡­ once¡­ he gave him mercy¡­ just like she did¡­ ? ¡°How about the Izurd? You want to make her be your wife, no?¡± The voice of the elf brought him back to reality. ¡°Yes. Her strength would be a boon to us.¡± ¡°She would never go along with it.¡± ¡°Then you can just give her this treatment.¡± His gaze returned to the slumbering half-fairy. This ritual she was the subject of¡­ it was the ritual to extract her fairy power out of her. As a demon of the Naturia species, he had the capability of absorbing the power of other demons. Normally, this would be done with him snatching her heart off her body and eating it before it stopped beating but it wouldn¡¯t work with a fairy like her. Unfortunately, his racial ability didn¡¯t include the absorption of fey powers. As such, he ordered his clever elven wife, the best mage he ever knew, even as he traveled the world in his younger days, to develop a special ritual that would allow him to do so. As for how Victoria ended up being the victim of such ritual¡­ ¡°Heeeyyy you two! You shouldn¡¯t be here! You should be in the war room instead! The others are waiting for you, you know!¡± From above, a woman with butterfly wings descended with a smile on her face. Selene Naturia. The third wife of the Demon Lord. The archfey didn¡¯t land, choosing to hover mid-air instead, staring at her handiwork. It was her after all who entrapped Victoria in the first place. With the aid of Adele, of course, but she did most of the work! She only slumbered like that because of her curse, aided by the magic of the elf. The archfey shook her head. It was a shame really. That she was still not willing to aid them in their goals even after she awakened her fey powers. She instead tried to escape. She even dared to warp her fey domain in order to do so, knowing that she would never escape with it still on. If not for the reinforcements Adele had set to the charm¡­ "You''re still not finished?" She yelled at the elf. "No." Adele shouted back, amplifying her normal voice using magic. "I told you it''d take some time." The archfey descended, landing beside her husband, wrapping her arms around his. "See? I told you Adele isn''t that reliable." She smirked, caressing his chest. "You should''ve listened to my advice and marched to those insolent ogres right away. Why should we stay on the defensive? You know we''re strong enough to take them all, even without the full might of our army." To her chagrin, her flirtatious action was not received the way she expected it to. "I''ve told you before, haven¡¯t I?" His voice turned harsher, his gaze colder. "There¡¯s a high possibility that Hugo Greenwood was responsible for the disappearance of Virana. The last place she was sighted was at that World Dungeon and at that time, Hugo Greenwood was there as well. In fact, she was supposed to chase after his followers after she had disposed of him.¡± "Hmph, that vixen¡­" The archfey pouted. "She''s weaker than you, is she not? So even if he did kill¡ª" "She''s still a Demon Lord. You would be a fool to underestimate a man that can kill her." The archfey, realizing that her husband was not in the mood to flirt with her, retracted her arms. Still pouting, she flew away, circling around the large open room with her wings. "I don''t believe that Hugo Greenwood was the one responsible for her disappearance. It''s more likely that she simply left, losing interest in the task you had given her, no?" Adele commented with crossed arms. "...True. But we cannot discount that possibility. You''ve read the reports. From his homeland all the way to here, he had brought a trail of destruction in his wake." He, of course, had sent out spies to gather information relating to him. His name was already in his book ever since he slaughtered those S-rank adventurers all those months ago. He had to keep tabs on the strong. Still, even knowing all his feats, that woman was far more suited to the title of Hero than he was. And, as long as he wasn''t a hero, he could beat him. He was sure of it. He, who would become the new Demon God, could only lose to the new Legendary Hero. "Well," Adele spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "We should go. We need to prepare for the war tomorrow. If they still foolishly think to attack us anyway." "...You''re right. We should go." Giving one last look at Victoria, the Demon Lord grabbed her hand. Before they disappeared in a flash of light. ? Hugo That morning, under the cacophony of the ogres'' war trumpets and drums, we departed for war. With no signs of the Demon Lord''s army moving from the capital, it was clear as day that they wished for us to come to them. No doubt they had fortified their positions, possibly even putting some runic traps on the field. That Demon Lord was a clever one. Or a coward. Whichever interpretation you preferred. Still, it fit his moniker to a T. The Wise Demon Lord. I rode on the front line along with the others¡ªeach of us having our own Scarabs. The ogres didn¡¯t really have a lot of the creature but for their big wigs, it was only natural that they would be given a mount to ride. As for the rest, well, they would have to walk. No cavalry battalion or anything here. Kiri and Aria were riding with me, with Kiri in the middle and Aria behind her. The latter had recovered from her embarrassment, from the kiss she stole from me last night. Though it was more like that we both pretended that it didn¡¯t happen. Hmm? Why don''t I dismiss them, you ask? Simple. They wanted to stay. They knew I was heading into combat and they wanted to stay by my side. Still, I could feel their soft bodies wrapped around mine, which was definitely a plus! Despite earning glares from Sherry in the process, who was riding beside me. "Wow! So many ogres! And they''re all running with us! So this is how mortals do that war thing!" Kiri proclaimed as she turned her head to look behind her. Her arms were wrapped around my stomach while her boobs were squished to my back. "I think this is more fun than that intercourse thing you did yesterday, Master! To be honest, I don¡¯t understand why you, Miss Sherry, and Miss Felicia seem to enjoy it so much¡­" If I were drinking something now, I''d spit it out for sure. "Intercourse?" The earth sprite tilted her head. "Ah, that thing Miss Tira talked about. How was it like?" "It''s¡­ It''s weird¡­ There''s a lot of groaning and moaning and everyone is taking their clothes off¡­ it''s just bizarre, I tell you!" The two talked about it more for some time, with me having to sit there in silence. Suddenly, I felt someone staring in my direction. It wasn¡¯t Sherry or Felicia. It was Myrilla. The moment I stepped out of my tent this morning, I got a passive-aggressive scolding from her, with her telling me that I was being shameless, doing what I did. Followed by her telling me that I was just like my father before storming off with a huff. I didn''t say it to her face but I was pretty sure she could read it from my mind anyway. I gave the demoness a smile and a wave. I rubbed my temple. Judging by her cold, hostile stare, it was totally her! I yelled in my mind, thinking she should be able to hear me. Another wave of headache came, interrupting my thoughts. Myrilla looked away, moving her scarab behind Felicia¡¯s until she was out of my sight. ? Half a day later, with the sun right above his head, we finally arrived. "Halt! Halt!" I yelled, using magic to enhance the volume of my voice. The ogres obeyed. They all acknowledged me as their superior, even above their own chiefs. On the horizon, the capital was visible, with the floating fortress above it. But, more importantly, we saw their army standing on the barren field. We pretty much had to go through them if we were ever going to reach the city. "Lord Hugo, we should attack right now." Orluk said after moving his Scarab right beside mine. "There¡¯s not that many of them. Our intel was right. Most of the Demon Lord''s soldiers are up north, guarding the human lands he had taken." He then gave me his binoculars, allowing me to see the army on the horizon better. And then, I noticed it. A glint of black coming out from the floating fortress. My eyes widened. My heart skipped a beat. It was a massive laser beam made out of purplish-black color. Heading right to where we were. "Everyone! Activate your barrier spells!" I jumped forward, jetting upwards to the skies. "Wind Fortress!" I erected my barrier, expanding it to cover the entire army in just a second. The ogres'' spellcasters¡ªthey called them shamans¡ªquickly did the same, their combined efforts creating a massive dome on top of my shield. They too hardened the air to create their shield. The massive dark beam crashed into their spell first, resulting in screams of anguish from the shamans as their power strained against it. It didn¡¯t take long until their barrier shattered, the beam hitting my own spell next. "Grhhhh¡­ gaahhhh!" I focused my mind, separating my mana flow into two, aiming one at the barrier and the other at the black beam crashing into it. "Deconstruct!" I disturbed the mana the spell was consisting of, weakening its power considerably. Only then I managed to stabilize my barrier. Half a minute later, the spell stopped, leaving me panting on mid-air. I looked across the horizon, to where the black beam came from. The Naturia Fortress. There was only one explanation that came into my mind. "Chaaargeeee! Don''t let them fire that spell again!" Without waiting for my command, the ogres made their move. One of the chieftains shouted the order and the others, after recovering from their stupor, quickly followed. I didn''t tell them to stop. If they stayed here, that meant I would have to face the Demon Lord and his army alone. And that would be bad. Still, it was a really risky move nonetheless. If I were the Demon Lord, I would''ve set up traps in the ground to whittle out our numbers. Which was exactly what happened next. "Guahhh!" "Arghhh!" The ground exploded ¡ª invisible minefields activating from the hordes of ogres running over it. The screams of the ogres filled the air, only beaten by the yelling of those still fit enough to run, despite their injuries. "Kiri!" I yelled, summoning the familiar in her fairy form beside me as I flew together with the army below "Can you rain down your healing water over the battlefield?¡± ¡°Yes, Master, right away!¡± The fairy then flew upwards, raising her arms to the sides and closing her eyes. Immediately a surge of warm water came out from palms, raining down onto the ogres below. Only, it wasn¡¯t enough. The range of her artificial rain was too narrow to cover the entire battlefield. She might be able to fly beside them but they wouldn¡¯t be able to heal all of them at the same time. My decision was not mine to make however. For something else far more terrifying than mere landmines had appeared right on top of our heads. My heart sank. It was a massive magic circle in the sky above, at least one kilometer wide in diameter. Its color was pitch black and it was pulsating in power as it absorbed the mana it needed for the spell it would fire. It was a sight I was all too familiar with. After all, something similar used to haunt my nightmares a few years back. There was no escaping it. Even if we ran, we couldn¡¯t make it out of its range in time. I activated my Sight, focusing on the mana trail being pumped into it. Sure enough, it came from the floating fortress. . We had to take it. We had to take a Grandmaster-level spell to the face and survive. That, or weaken it considerably with my anti-spell. I flew upwards, focusing half of my raw mana to disturb the flow of the mana trail I was seeing. And then, splitting my focus as if I was dual-casting, I sent another half of my raw mana towards the magic circle itself, hoping to dissolve it before it could fire. As for how I stayed up in the sky, I repeatedly stepped on the air using my aura, forgoing my Wind Step entirely. I could feel my mana draining from my body. The massive amount of mana I needed to disturb meant I had to expend a lot of mana as well. Whoever was casting this had an immense reservoir of it, far beyond my own capability. I didn¡¯t have time to think about it, however. ¡°Milord, more beams coming your way!¡± I heard Felicia yell. ¡°On it!¡± I couldn¡¯t see her since my eyes were locked at the magic circle but I could the wind blowing upwards, no doubt from her jumping all the way to where I was. ¡°Hugo! You take care of that thing! I¡¯ll take care of the beams!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Reassured by her presence, I refocused my attention all towards the spell. I could hear the sound of the beam crashing into Sherry¡¯s hair, followed by her grunts as she kept the shield from breaking. And then, after what seemed like an eternity, I finally cracked the code. The magic circle short-circuited, its own power destroying itself. A split second later, it shattered, all the mana dissolving into their raw, ambient form. I had no time to celebrate, however, for the situation down on the ground had only gotten worse. ¡°Shamans! Fortify the ground! Do not let them make our brethrens fall to the chasm!¡± The very earth itself was opening, sending everyone unfortunate enough to be standing on it to the dark abyss below. Some of the ogres managed to jump out of the way but others were simply caught off-guard by the vibration, losing their balance and footing, resulting in them unable to move until it was already too late. I was, of course, familiar with the magic being used. It was the same earth magic Marina demonstrated to me back when we were still kids. I activated my Sight, scouting where the caster was by the flow of mana that was manipulating the earth. And this time around, it wasn¡¯t the work of the Demon Lord. Instead, it was the work of the spellcasters in his army. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I then saw Aria conjuring her bricks, creating platforms that prevented the ogres from falling down to their deaths. "Sherry, can you carry me closer to the ground? And protect me like before in case they try to attack me again." "You''re dispelling the earthquake next? Got it." She nodded. "I''ll be your shield. You just do your magic stuff, alright?" She lowered herself and me in an instant. She had gone all the way up to the sky by using her hair as a lift and now she could shorten said hair to lower us back down to the ground. Thankfully, I could give my leg muscles a rest from jumping over and over in the air. Once I was close enough to the ground, I began disturbing the mana flow being fed into the earth. To my surprise, even though there had to be hundreds, if not thousands of mages on the opposite side, all channeling their mana for this spell, I found the whole spell to be a lot easier to dispel. If you were to ask me to explain how I could know the weak spots of a spell, I wouldn¡¯t know how to explain it. I simply could sense it, just like the way I could feel the wind blowing on my skin and the nearest skirt that would fly up from it. It was more of an instinct than something I actively thought about. After defeating the earthquakes and fissures, we were now close enough for the enemy to fire their arrows at us. And of course, it couldn¡¯t be just any ordinary arrows. Instead, the arrows had seeker runes written on them, resulting in them possessing homing capabilities, enhancing their accuracy significantly. Still, the ogres were nothing but durable. A lot of them just shrugged off the arrow wounds they suffered. Even when there were three, four, or even more arrows sticking out from their skin, they still charged forward. I imagined that since they were now more than halfway across the battlefield, they refused to die before at least decapitating an enemy¡¯s head with their axes. The enemy¡¯s spellcasters, after recovering from my disruption of their spell, casted another spell. Only this time, there were two spells being used at once¡ªa hurricane spell and a fire wall spell. I didn''t give them the opportunity. "Grand Tornado!" Now that I was sufficiently close to them, I dropped a tornado right on top of their faces, sending them into chaos and confusion. Now, I would''ve used the Grandmaster-level version instead, which could probably wipe the entire army in an instant, but I knew the real threat wasn''t them. It was the Demon Lord. And I would be screwing over myself if I wasted my mana before facing him. As hundreds of their soldiers flew up to the skies, swirled around by my spell, I cast another spell to destroy a different part of their army. I rained down thunderstorms over their heads, destroying their formation entirely by the many lightning strikes they had to dodge. I looked up to the floating fortress. Still no sign of the Demon Lord coming around. Suddenly, Kiri flew to my side, a panicked expression on her face. "Master! Master! There''s a lot of fey magic gathering up there on that floating castle!" She pointed to the fortress. Unfortunately, the decision was not for me to make. In a flash, another giant magic circle manifested in the sky, expanding from the bottom of the flying fortress to the entire battlefield. And then, my sight turned pure white. ? A/N: The more I write about Myrilla, the more I want her to join in the harem :D Vol 5 Chapter 22: Assault on The Floating Fortress Hugo When I opened my eyes, I was somewhere else entirely. I was now inside some kind of room, about ten meters in length and width. The walls were decorated with paintings while the floor was covered with a luxurious-looking red carpet. Instantly I realized where I was. My gaze landed on one of the paintings. It was the drawing of some sort of a shadow creature with a screaming human face as its face. In fact, looking at the other paintings, they were all sorts of grotesque as well. One painting portrayed a mother eating her own baby. Another portrayed a battlefield full of melting, rotting flesh zombies. I then gave myself a look over. "Boom Cannon!" I fired the spell at the nearby wall, hoping it would just destroy it into pieces. But, all I got was a crater with more walls behind it. Finding the only door in the room, I made my way outside. *** Felicia Felicia bit her thumb, shuffling back and forth inside the hallway she was now in, still in denial of her current situation. They¡¯d been had. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The trap wasn''t for the ogres. The trap was for them. Hugo and his entourage exclusively. Her legs took her to an intersection. Three paths she could choose¡ªwest, east, or north. Taking the west one, she continued her fast walk through the seemingly endless series of corridors¡ªher breasts bouncing every step she took. Her dress was never designed to accommodate fast movement like that. As such, she was giving quite the display of her luxurious bosom, if there was anyone to watch. Unfortunately, there was someone watching her. He was none other than the pig prince himself. "He¡­hehehehehe¡­" "What an amazing chest¡­ smaller than that idiot fairy perhaps but still big enough for me to play with¡­ hehe¡­¡± The truth was, he was right there all along, walking beside her. She simply didn''t notice. Why you might ask? Simple. Because he was wearing a Robe of Notice-Me-Not. Drooling at the hypnotizing sight, he decided to make his move the next time she stopped in her tracks. "Now! Come here, my beautiful pair of melons!" From behind, he reached forward with both hands and gave her breasts a squeeze. "Ooooo! This size! This firmness! Ooohhh I''m in heaven now!" He wasn''t scared at all of her retaliating against him. After all, no matter what he did, she would never acknowledge her existence. Yes, that included violating her as well. He failed to get that carnal pleasure from his supposed wife¡ªthe half-fairy bitch. Could you imagine it?! She actually turned him into a plant! How dare she! If not for Aunt Selene he would still be there unable to move, stuck watching her fly around, only able to peek at her panties from a distance! So now, this supposed friend of hers must pay for her insolence! Felicia stood there, not responding in the slightest to the pair of green arms playing with her chest. Her expression looked strained, however, almost as if she knew something was wrong. "Hmm, no reaction at all, huh¡­ That¡¯s a shame¡­ I want to hear the moans¡­¡± He gave her two nipples a pinch. ¡­Nothing. She didn¡¯t even blink. ¡°Damn it. This robe is too good. I can''t get turned on like this!" Like any good orcs, he wanted to hear the screams of their mate as he had his way on them. ¡°...Fine. Let¡¯s just get to the main course. Let¡¯s see how your pretty human womb stays against my orc d*ck.¡± He smiled lecherously. He moved to her front and knelt down, admiring the silky crimson panties the woman wore to cover her sweet spot. In his book, any girl that''s more than 20 years old in the looks department can never compete with the younger ones. But, he''d make an exception this time, just because of how hot she was. Without any hesitation, he slid his hand into the large slit on her dress, pulling down her red panties in one fell move. "Bleeerghhh!" A rain of warm and sticky fluid fell on top of his head. The hag had just puked on him. "You¡­ you bitch!" His hand flew, hitting her right on the cheek. The force was enough to send her flying to the wall. "HOW DARE YOU PUKE ON ME! I''M THE MIGHTY¡ª" He never got to finish his sentence. For Felicia had decapitated his head. *** Sherry "Grr, you coward! You''re trying to pick us off one by one, aren''t you? No wonder you weren''t with your soldiers! You just stood here and fired those magics of yours from the safety of your pretty little fortress!" Sherry was not pleased, to put it simply. She was supposed to stay at Hugo''s side, protecting him. And now they had been separated thanks to whatever trickery that cowardly Demon Lord had employed! It wasn''t because she thought he was weak or anything. After all, even after all her training back in her village, and the training she did on the road, she was still no match for him. He was just far too clever for her to overcome. But, she was supposed to be his wife. And an Izurdian wife is supposed to protect their husband. "Aahhhh!" Sherry kicked the wall near her, creating a crack on its hard surface. She was now stuck inside some kind of a tunnel, with black walls, ceiling, and floor. It was certainly not a region of the fortress she had ever been in. She was tempted to just unleash her full power and bring the entire place down. But she might just end up killing Hugo or others. She had no choice. She just had to play their game for now. And when they appeared to ambush her¡­ *** Myrilla Her eyes scanned the room she was now in. She seemed to be in a tower of some sort, judging by its verticality. There were multiple windows in the tall cylindrical wall, most likely leading outside. As for what was in the middle, there were nothing but pillars of varying length and sizes, made out of the same obsidian the wall was made out of, with the largest supporting the round platform located quite far above her. Suddenly, a woman jumped down from the round platform, stopping just slightly above Myrilla, flapping her wings so she would hover in place. A harpy. "Ah, a challenger! Welcome, welcome! My name is Astra Naturia! And it seems I will be your opponent on this fortuitous day!" Myrilla didn''t say anything to the harpy''s introduction. She simply gave her usual cold stare to the bird woman. "This is your husband''s doing, isn''t it?" She narrowed her eyes. "Bringing me here? And I assume you brought the others as well?" "Of course!" She laughed, her laughter sounding like the ringing of bells. "This is Darling''s grand plan! He wants to judge the worthiness of Hugo Greenwood and his entourage!" Myrilla focused her mind, reaching out to the harpy''s brain. And she found the memory of their strategy meeting from last night. .*** *** "Heeyyy! You''re reading my mind, aren''t you, you naughty Nerthusian? Ooh, how rude! I won''t let you!" Myrilla''s mind quickly returned to reality as she noticed the feathers coming her way. She managed to cast a quick wind spell before they could land, blowing away the feathers back at her. Unfortunately, the harpy was just too fast for such a weak wind spell as she dodged every single feather sent to her way with ease. "How dare you send my own beautiful feathers back at me?! I will show you why I''m not just your ordinary harpy!" The bird lady screeched, flying away back to the platform she fell from. "Laaaa lalalalalala!" The demoness didn''t hesitate. She used another wind spell to puncture her own eardrums. Her eyes glanced across the room. It didn''t take long until she saw a door. And so, using her Wind Spell, she flew upwards, chasing after the harpy. ¡°What?! You¡¯re not¡ªyou¡¯re not charmed at all by my song? I know it¡¯s half as effective to a woman but you should still feel its effect!¡± ¡°H-hold on, those blood coming out of your ears¡­ did you seriously just puncture your own eardrums? You¡ªyou can¡¯t do that! That¡¯s cheating!¡± Myrilla didn¡¯t bother responding (she couldn¡¯t hear her voice but she still could read her mind). She instead summoned her wind constructs to her side before ordering them to tear the harpy to shreds. ¡°You¡­ you think you can win just because you can deaf yourself? How arrogant! I was chosen as the wife of the Great and Wise Balthazar as a reason, you know!¡± With a screech, she dissolved the constructs Myrilla had created. And not only that, she sent her flying backwards as well, pushing her away from the sheer vibrations the noise produced. Thankfully, Myrilla stopped herself before she crashed into the pillar by blowing a wind behind her. If she hadn¡¯t wounded her eardrums earlier, they would¡¯ve burst here for sure. ¡°Kraaahhhhh!¡± The harpy flew forward, sending more ear-rupturing screeches towards the mind-reading demoness. Recognizing the danger, Myrilla dived down, narrowly dodging her attack. She looked up and saw the pillar collapsing. That would¡¯ve been her if she was slower for but a moment. She knew perfectly well that she was outclassed by Hugo. His power was now far beyond hers. When the ogres dubbed her a Demon Lord, she could see him being one. Especially after she saw his fight with Quania. The boy was beyond a genius. He had a talent to be one of the strongest mages that had ever existed if he kept polishing his skill every single day, like he had done so far. And it was her duty to nurture that talent until he could truly reach his full potential. And so, it was also her duty to take this mutant harpy down. Using the aid of Wind Boost, she landed safely on the floor. Immediately she ran towards the nearest pillar, hiding away from the harpy. "Hmm? Where did you go? Hey, come back here! Don''t tell me you''ve run away!" And then, she began chanting her spell, whispering the words under her breath. "O wind! Listen to my call! Blast my enemies out of the sky! Grand Tornado!¡± Normally, the Master-level spell would have the radius of a mile long. But, she had learned to concentrate the power of the tornado generated, compressing the size to a much smaller one, while increasing its power and speed by a factor of two, three, or even more¡ªshe didn¡¯t know the exact number. Whatever it was, it should be enough to take down this harpy. However, since she shared the same room as her, she might just end up being swallowed by the spell as well. But it was a risk she was willing to take. This was a technique she learned from Hugo. Just like she taught him how to create her wind automatas, so did he teach her how to tweak her spells¡ªcreate her own spell variants not written in any spellbook she had come across. The tornado slowly formed from the tip of her staff. Her black dress fluttered wildly from the gathering wind, along with her silver hair. "There you are! Now you will¡ª" Before the harpy could finish her sentence, she was already swallowed by the spell. "Gyaaahhhh!" A bloodcurdling scream filled the room. The harpy¡¯s body flew around like a ragdoll, hitting the walls over and over¡ªthe now violent air swatting her like a fly over and over. Myrilla, knowing perfectly well she would be sucked in if she stayed where she stood, quickly made her way to the nearest wall. She conjured her wind automatas once more, this time giving the order to keep her in place. Carefully, while still going as fast as she could, the demoness mage walked towards it. She could feel the tornado sucking her in, with only the wind automatas keeping her in place. They too were tornadoes, with the difference that they were far less powerful and human-shaped, so they could counter the tornado she had cast by spinning in a different direction and wrapping themselves around her body. She opened the door. Quickly, she slid in. She was now in a hallway of some sort. *** Theo The brown-haired boy stopped in his tracks. His gaze was wary and fearful and his grip on his sword tightened to the point that his palm turned white. His heart was beating rapidly and sweat had made his white shirt cling to his body. He still remembered when he gave up after just a hundred push-ups. The demoness gave him an earful, saying that he wouldn¡¯t be able to protect Tama if he was that weak. He could say nothing in return. He was weak. He knew that perfectly well. Especially compared to her and her boyfriend. Gathering his resolve, he resumed his running throughout the maze-like hallways. Overjoyed that he finally found an exit, he opened the door at the end of the corridor he was running without hesitation. Only to find a dining room. With a girl sitting on it, sipping a cup of tea. ¡°Oh. A visitor.¡± The girl said. ¡°Finally. I was wondering when I will get to do something.¡± The girl was a demon. He could see that right away, from the pair of horns resting on her head. Her hair was bright pink, reaching down to her shoulders, and her clothes were some sort of a regal-looking black dress with gold trimmings. His heart skipped a beat. Not because of her cuteness or anything, which she certainly had a lot of, but because of the fact that she was a demon. He quickly slammed the door before booking it out of there. Only to find that after running for several minutes, he was back at where the door was before. ¡°How rude. I just want to talk, you know. I won¡¯t hurt you.¡± He jumped, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest. For the girl from before was standing behind him, giggling at his facial reaction. Putting a hand over her flat chest, she began her introduction. ¡°I am Gretchel Naturia, The Tenth Wife of the Demon Lord of Wisdom.¡± ¡°And I am here to test you, follower of Hugo Greenwood.¡± Vol 5 Chapter 23: Succubi Panties Felicia "Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­" The orc prince''s body fell to the floor, blood spurting out of the stump that used to be its head. As for the head itself, it rolled away for a bit before stopping, the expression frozen in perpetual fear. "I knew it¡­ I knew something was wrong¡­ thank the Founder that I learned to sense the shift in magical flow, to the point that I could perceive his presence¡­" Felicia''s gaze landed on the robe covering the orc prince''s body. Is that it? That''s the reason I can''t sense him, isn''t it? She bent over and picked it up, not bothered in the slightest by the blood drenching the airy fabric. Certainly, I can sense a flow of mana inside it. It''s definitely a magic item. And this texture¡­. It¡¯s silk. Spider silk to be exact. If I have to guess, it¡¯s made by one of the wives¡ªthe arachne one. But this flow¡­ it¡¯s nothing like the ones you¡¯d see in the markets. Hmm, I would have to investigate it further later. I don''t think the effect can work anymore though, with all the blood that has stained it. It¡¯s quite sensitive to impurities, meaning, getting the fabric dirty for even just a little bit will nullify its cognition-altering effect. Still, I should carry it with me. Maybe with some cleaning, it can still work. Imagine the things I can do with an invisibility robe¡­ For a flash, her thoughts came to her darling Hugo, and how she could use it to give him She sent it away to her Dimensional Storage. Before she left, she gave one last look towards the orc. What an idiot, she thought with a look of disgust. You can kill me right away from the start. Yet you didn''t. Just to satisfy your foolish lust. That''s why I love Milord. He might be as big of a perv like you, but he knows his priorities. I can only pray you''ll be reborn as a better man in your next life. ¡­ ¡­No. I changed my mind. You¡¯re not getting off that easily. She tapped her staff to the ground, forming a magic circle surrounding the corpse and the decapitated head. You will be useful for Milord''s cause. With another tap, the corpse and the head disappeared, melting into the shadow under her. ¡­Necromancy. I don''t want to do it if I don''t have to but¡­ The opponent is a Demon Lord. I can''t pull back my punches. He wouldn''t mind. This corpse belonged to a filthy person after all. Who cares about what that high elf thinks? Or the world for that matter? All I need is Milord and no one else. I would drown in sin if it''s for his sake. He''ll still love me nonetheless. ? ? Hugo ¡°Kyaaahhhh!¡± ¡°You¡­ you pervert!¡± Aahh, what a wonderful and glorioussight! So many colors and styles, it¡¯s like a rainbow of the divine! So, to explain why I was now surrounded by a bunch of girls only in their underwear, we had to go back a few minutes ago. You see, I was just minding my own business, walking through this labyrinth of a place, only using my mana sensing capability as my guide. And to be honest, this place was so brimming with magic that I couldn¡¯t really detect where the others were, or Victoria for that matter. When suddenly, as I was walking through this large room, these succubi maids came out of nowhere, ambushing me! Naturally, I had to defend myself from their charms. By stripping them off their clothes before they could do it themselves. ¡°You guys are succubi, right? Why are you embarrassed showing your bra and panties? Shouldn¡¯t you guys be shameless enough to walk around naked without any problem?¡± I grinned, looking at them up and down. ¡°You¡­ you monster! Not only you kidnapped Lady Anya and made her your sex slave, you''re now going to violate us as well!" One of the succubi yelled as she covered her chest and crotch with her hand, failing to hide her green panties and bra entirely. "We might be succubi but we are not like those whores in the city! We''re proud servants of the illustrious Lady Rita Naturia! And we''re not going to let you touch her!" Another succubi spoke. She wasn''t covering herself with her hands like her friend (allowing me to see her yellow underwear clearly). Instead, she just stood there with her succubi claws on full display, ready to pounce at me at a moment''s notice. "And we''re not going to give our bodies either! As if we will ever bed a scum like you! We have standards, you know!" Another one spoke, this time wearing a pair of lacy white. "As the leader of the Royal Succubus Guard, our plan is to make you beg for our touch!" I shook my head. This is why I don''t like dom women. "Sheesh, you do know that all I want is Victoria, right?" I sighed. "Blonde girl, really big boobs, half-fairy. I don''t care about your mistress. As for her daughter, I gave her to Orluk, the guy she betrayed. I thought it a fitting punishment. After all, she did make him a slave once. After breaking his heart at that." I gave them a grim smile. "That girl is a spoiled, sadistic brat. He and his wife will teach her a good life lesson. And who knows? One day, they might just set her free." "S-silence!" Miss White Panties shouted. "I, the right hand woman of Lady Rita, will not tolerate your slanderous tongue!" And then, they attacked again. Just when I thought I''d spare their last shred of dignity. "Fell Wind! Panty and Bra-Stealing Breeze!" I didn''t even need to move. A burst of wind exploded around me, sending the succubi flying before their claws could reach me. And of course, in the process, the wind stole all their undergarments as well. I reached to the air in front of me with my left hand. And just as I expected, a pile of panties and bra soon landed on it, sent flying in one by one by the perverted wind that I had created. Heh, this is all thanks to the training Myrilla gave me. I can now fine tune my wind to the point that it can probably do this to an entire city''s worth of girls with a single spell. ¡­Not that I''m ever going to do that, mind you. Sherry will kill me if I ever do. When the spell ended, all the succubi were back on the floor with their legs wide open. This time around I increased the strength of the wind, actually making sure to knock them out after stealing their undergarments. Really, these guys are seriously weak. So much for a supposed elite guard. I gave a good look at their exposed privates. Some had them bald. Others had some hair on them, neatly shaven of course. Hmm, what a delightful view? It¡¯s interesting how varied a girl¡¯s privates can look. Tearing my sight away from the heavenly sight, I then declared, "If you guys attack me again, it''d be your life next, alright?" I chuckled. "Oh, and as punishment, I''m taking your bras and panties." With a small poof, the pile of undergarments I had on my hand disappeared into my oh-so-convenient magical storage. "Y-you¡­ human¡­ Why are you so strong?" "I dunno." I smiled at the succubus leader. "Maybe you guys are just weak." "Nonsense! We''re strong enough to contend with S-rank adventurers! Even if you¡¯re stronger than them, you shouldn¡¯t be that much stronger! And why aren¡¯t you affected with our pheromones as well? You should be kneeling in front of us, begging for us to relieve your sexual desire!¡± ¡°Well, that¡­¡± I smiled. ¡°That¡¯s because I had an orgy with my two wives yesterday.¡± ¡°W-what? An orgy?! W-wait! Don¡¯t go! We¡¯re not finished with you yet!¡± And just like that, I left the room behind, back to the many straight hallways I had been on. I was lying of course. The only reason why I wasn¡¯t affected by their pheromones, or their charms in general, was because of a drug I had taken beforehand before I entered the room. Oh yes, I saw the ambush coming. I could see their mana from behind the door. And I immediately determined that they were succubi, a mortal enemy for any perverted, high-libido male like me. As such, I promptly drank the potion Felicia had prepared beforehand before entering the room. ? ¡°Milord, this is a potion that will kill your libido immediately. It¡¯ll last for five minutes, in which that you must use to dispose of the succubus that you are facing.¡± ¡°Eh? Do I really need that?¡± I scratched my head. ¡°Yes!¡± Felicia scolded. ¡°Yes you do! Just take it! It wasn¡¯t easy making that potion, you know! I had to make sure it won¡¯t harm your libido permanently!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t trust me in being faithful to you and Sherry?¡± I smiled at her. ¡°No! I know how perverted you are! And the succubus can take advantage of that! They can amplify the natural lust that humans have tenfold, you know!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll take it. You¡¯ve worked so hard on it after all.¡± ? The way a succubus can tempt you with their body isn¡¯t just by flirting or wearing skimpy clothing. The body of a succubus emits a feminine pheromone that will increase the lust of any males that happen to be around them. And a succubus can train that pheromone, increasing their potency by a lot. And that room where I was in¡ªit was pumped full of that pheromone. If I had stepped in without Felicia¡¯s potion¡­ A few steps away from the room, the potion¡¯s effect ran out. And immediately, the lingering effect of the pheromone activated. A tent formed in my pants, my member springing into its full size in an instant. Lewd thoughts of the succubi I just humiliated rained down like a torrent, enough to make me stop and catch my breath. D-damn¡­ this really is bad¡­ Without Felicia''s potion, I''d go crazy for sure. Sighing, there was only one thing I could do to calm myself down. Just a quick rub should do the trick. I put a distance between me and the succubi I left behind. Entering the nearest room, I quickly erected a wind barrier around myself and the door. And then, I began rubbing myself. Yes, you heard that right. In the middle of an enemy fortress, I was rubbing one out. It wasn''t just because I was horny. No, this was the way you were supposed to deal with succubi. Post nut clarity. It''s a bad idea to go in contact with a succubus when you''re turned on. And so, to ensure my mental defense was at maximum, I had to satisfy my libido right then and there. And to do it quickly, I needed some help. Panties. I used the succubi panties I just stole, rubbing them back and forth with my member. Felicia would understand. Sherry probably wouldn''t though. It didn''t take long for me to climax. The panties were warm and soft, and no doubt tainted by the same pheromone that drove me crazy in the first place. Once I finished, I left the soiled panties behind. No need to bring around such dangerous items with me after all. ? ? Sherry "Guwaaahhh!" "Gaaarghhh!" "H-how? How is she this strong?!" "She''s not even using her sword!" "I said get out of my way, you worthless small fries!" One by one, Sherry took out the royal knights that were blocking her path. Without using her sword or her hair. She just punched through their mithril armor like it was made out of paper. Not only that, she would grab their halberds and maces with her bare hands before crushing it with ease. "A-an Izurd¡­ truly, a demon amongst demons!" S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. There were about fifty of them, clad in golden armor from top to bottom. They introduced themselves as the royal knights of Aisha Bethel Naturia and that they would take her down before she could reach their mistress. Each was as strong as your average S-rank adventurer. Unfortunately for them, Sherry¡¯s strength was far closer to that of a Demon Lord than a mere adventurer. She ended the final knight by punching his helmet so hard that it decapitated him as well. His body fell to the ground, his neck stump firing blood all over her body. ¡°Tch.¡± She kicked the now headless body away. ¡°You¡¯re lucky we Izurds don¡¯t care about a little blood.¡± (And Hugo didn¡¯t care as well, which made it fine in her book.) Reaching the end of the hallway they had ambushed her in, she kicked open the double door, revealing a large white room behind it. Giving the place a quick look-around, she realized that she was in a room that was eerily similar to the colosseum she fought in a few days ago. The difference being, there was a ceiling, the ground was made out of stone floor instead of dirt, and that there were no spectators whatsoever on the tribunes. That, and the one-eyed lamia sitting on her own tail in the middle of it. ¡°You! You¡¯re Aisha?¡± Sherry shouted as she entered the room. ¡°Yes,¡± the lamia replied. ¡°My name is Aisha Bethel Naturia, the first wife of the Wisdom Demon Lord.¡± Now that she got a better look at her, Sherry couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disturbed by her appearance. After all, she only had one single, giant, yellow eye that covered most of her face. She had seen here before of course, back at her meeting with the big bad Demon Lord. But not face-to-face like this. Since when a lamia can look like that? She thought to herself. Maybe a special species or something? ¡°Your husband¡ªhe was the one who teleported us here, wasn¡¯t he?¡± Sherry asked, stopping about ten feet from where the lamia was. ¡°That is correct, yes. This is his plan from the start¡ªto bring all of you here so you wouldn¡¯t disturb the fighting down outside.¡± ¡°Hmph. Then he¡¯s an idiot. He should¡¯ve teleported us all to a room that will kill us instantly.¡± Sherry could easily imagine it. A gas chamber, a room completely filled with water to the brim, a room with walls that would crush them into paste¡­ ¡°And pray, what kind of room would that be? We¡¯re under no delusion that drowning or poisoning you all would be useful. Perhaps to your weaker member, but to monsters like you and your human mate, it would be completely ineffective.¡± ¡°And besides, we''re not capable of doing such a thing. The teleportation spell we used couldn''t be that precise. That''s why you and your friends are scattered inside this flying fortress." "I see¡­" Sherry replied, a frown decorating her face. "Then, I''ll just use this opportunity to take you all out one by one." She unsheathed her blade, pointing the edge towards her. "Final chance. Tell me where Hugo and the others are. And that Victoria girl as well." "How should I know?" The lamia replied. "I have been here all this time, waiting for you. I wish to test my strength against you, Izurd." "Really now? Your royal knights are a disappointment. I don''t see how you wouldn''t be as well." The lamia smiled. "Try me. You will not be disappointed." She proceeded to summon a giant axe out of thin air. Holding the long gripping stick in both hands, she swung it sideways towards the Izurd. "!!!" Sherry blocked the aura wave with her sword. But in the process, her feet slid backwards, just from the sheer power the attack transferred into her body. The lamia wasn''t finished, however. She jumped upwards, using her tail like a spring, before bringing down the axe right on top of Sherry''s head. ¡°Haah!¡± Sherry yelled, bringing her steel into contact with the axe. Immediately she felt the massive weight the axe possessed. It was as if an entire mountain was dropped on top of her head. The floor cracked from the impact before exploding entirely, creating a huge crater. And yet, Sherry still stood, staring at the lamia''s eye with a defiant look on her face. "Is that it? Is that all you got?!" "Not exactly." Sherry''s eyes widened. For in a split second, she felt another presence right behind her. Her hair shot out towards the presence. Narrowly catching the scythe that would''ve decapitated her head right off. What?! Why did I fail to notice her?! She looked at the figure. It was an arachne, with pure silver hair, grinning at her. "Hello, little one. We meet again." Before she could reply, she felt yet another presence, now to her right. She couldn''t react in time. The warhammer slammed right into her skull, sending her flying right at the wall across the room. If she hadn''t been an Izurd, that would''ve killed her. But now, she just had to bear a heavy concussion as her brain bled inside her shattered skull, robbing her of the ability to think and react to her surroundings. Which led to the beam fired at her by another hidden person landing at her body without resistance. The Arachne. The Orc. The Dullahan. All three of them had been there from the start, hidden under the cloak the Arachne had sewn that hid their presence. They were just waiting to ambush her. After all, an Izurd is a demon amongst demons. They were not taking any chances with her. Even if their husband preferred them to take her alive. "Ha! Take that, you stupid Izurd!" The Dullahan declared with a triumphant smile. Taking off her cloak, she then walked to where Sherry was. The Izurd was now sitting inside another crater, this time at the wall of the colosseum-like room. Her eyes were closed and blood was dripping out of her nose and mouth. Her clothes were in tatters, showing off the burned, charred skin from the beam she received head-on. "Is she dead?" The orcess asked, resting the head of her warhammer on the floor. She too had taken off her cloak as she needed to do so to communicate with the dullahan. "Make sure she''s dead." She gave Sherry''s unmoving body a suspicious look. "Don''t worry!" The dullahan flashed a smile towards the orcess. "Look! The girl wets herself! She''s definitely dead!" "Aah, what a waste." The arachne, who also had taken off her cloak, shook her head. "I was expecting more from an Izurd. Oh well. I''ll just harvest her hair and then incorporate its properties into my web." "Hey, Esana. Don''t get too close to her. Just fire off that beam of yours from a distance if you''re not sure." The orcess warned with a concerned look. ¡°Or if you have to get close, then wear your cloak again.¡± "Oh, don''t be such a worrywart! Look! She''s completely¡ª" She never got to finish her sentence. Sherry had swung her sword, cutting her perfectly in two, from her legs all the way to her head. She had walked right into her trap. "W-why?" She rolled her eyes towards her. "How are you still¡ª" "Selfishly declaring people to be dead." Sherry stared back at her with a disgusted look. "You don¡¯t even realize I¡¯m still gripping my sword. What an idiot." ¡°Not¡­ fair¡­ I was supposed to be¡­ the strongest¡­ warrior¡­¡± The dullahan fell, her blood spurting all over Sherry in the process. ¡°One down. Three to go.¡± She looked across the room, towards the aghast orcess, the amused arachne, and the expressionless lamia. ¡°So, who wants to fall by my blade next?¡± Vol 5 Chapter 24: Theo’s Trial Theo "Uhh, can I go now? Please? I need to¡ª I need to use the toilet!" The horned girl giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. ¡°Come now. Do you really believe such an obvious, white-faced lie would work on me? I may look young but I am not naive.¡± The boy was now stuck, forced into being an unwilling guest of a tea party with the enemy. He tried to run but she only caught up to him. If he had to guess, it was her who made the corridors and hallways so confusing that he kept getting lost. And he wasn''t sure it was a good idea to draw his sword and fight. Even though he had gotten a lot stronger over the years, he was still nowhere near the level of his master. "Drink. It''s my special blend. You won''t regret it." He looked at the cup in front of him. Even if the color hadn''t been bright blue, he would still hesitate to drink something that the enemy was offering. "It''s Hieta Bloom tea. It''s a really rare flower, you know. But the taste is simply exquisite if you use its leaves to brew your tea." "I-I''m sorry but I can''t be here!" He pushed the cup away. "I have to rescue Miss Victoria!" "That girl? Why do you want to rescue her?" "Because she''s Master Hugo''s friend!" The horned girl took a sip of her tea, her smile full of amusement. "How shallow." "Huh?" "Your reason for fighting. Just to help your master? You know he doesn''t need your help, right? He''s much stronger than you after all~" Her smile turned into a smirk. "That''s¡ª" He couldn''t respond. She was completely right. No matter how hard he trained, he just couldn''t keep up with him and his wives. They were akin to the stars in the sky, always so far away no matter how high he climbed. The only reason he could tag along with them was because of their kindness. Nothing more. Miss Sherry had grown to be a powerful swordswoman whose strength rivaled those heroes in those bardic tales. Miss Felicia was a genius alchemist and a powerful shadow mage. Miss Myrilla could read minds and she was a powerful wind mage in her own right. Compared to them¡­ He was nothing. The horned girl giggled. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve only noticed it now?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± He looked down, averting his gaze from hers. ¡°Ahh, you¡¯re a lucky one.¡± She stood up, her wooden chair creaking on the floor when she pushed it back. ¡°Unlike the others, I have no desire to kill you. Even though you won¡¯t be of any worth at all to my dear brother.¡± She walked up to him, reaching forward with a smile, lifting up his chin with her hand. ¡°You¡¯re cute. How old are you, boy?¡± ¡°H-huh? I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m thirteen¡­¡± He stuttered with a blush. ¡°Thirteen? So young¡­¡± ¡°H-hey, you¡¯re young, too!¡± ¡°Me?¡± She giggled, patting her chest. ¡°I¡¯m a millenia old, silly!¡± ¡°A-a millenia?!¡± The demon girl walked away, turning her back towards him. ¡°I was there when the great and mighty Arthur still walked the land. We were there. Me and my dear brother.¡± She turned around, her smile turning as bitter as ash. ¡°We were there when he and his little entourage killed all of our kind.¡± ??? S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ??? Theo gulped. "W-what happened next?" He asked her, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. Without him realizing, her storytelling had engrossed her completely. ¡°What happened?¡± The horned girl chuckled. ¡°What do you think happened?¡± ¡°T-The¡­ The Heroes¡­ destroyed your whole kingdom?¡± "Yes they did!" She clapped her hands. "And not only that, they slaughtered every single member of our race as well!" Her eyes glimmered, her smile sending a bone-chilling sensation into his body. "S-so," He gulped again. "So why are you here then? You and your brother?" The horned girl''s smile remained as her eyes traversed upwards towards the ceiling. "They spared us. For some dumb, nonsensical, idiotic reason, they spared us." She let out a dry laugh. ??? ??? "He didn''t say anything afterwards." The horned girl smirked, her chin now resting on top of her hand. "He and his friends just left. Can you imagine it?" Theo didn''t know what to say. To be honest, the whole thing was going over his head. "W-why are you telling me this exactly? I''m not going to join your side ever!" The horned girl laughed. "Oh dear, you misunderstood terribly. You¡¯re here simply to entertain me, that¡¯s all. You have no idea how lonely it can get around here¡­¡± ¡°W-well, then I hope you¡¯re satisfied because I¡¯m going now!¡± Theo stood up from his chair. ¡°I have to come to Master Hugo¡¯s aid!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before that he doesn¡¯t need your aid?¡± She rolled her eyes with a sigh. ¡°You¡¯re a burden. Simple as that. It¡¯s also why I haven¡¯t killed you by the way. You just don¡¯t have the capability to kill me. Or even injure me in any significant matter.¡± Once again, she dealt a blow to Theo¡¯s pride. He could only grit his teeth as his hand quickly moved to the handle of his sword. Should he do it? Should he prove to her that she was wrong? ¡°Go on. Pull it. If you do, I¡¯ll put you down like the puppy that you are.¡± Once again, fear seized his heart. This girl¡­ she was strong. He could sense it just by looking at her. Or maybe that was just his cowardice talking. ¡°Grr¡­¡± His hand shook. He couldn¡¯t do it. He couldn¡¯t unsheathe his blade and land the first strike. ¡°Sit down. I still have more stories to tell you. You¡¯re a thousand years too young to be challenging me.¡± It wasn¡¯t working. He could not do it. ¡°...Urgh." She groaned. "You know what? You''re boring me. Forget about the story. I''ll have you entertain me in a new, better way instead." She snapped her fingers. The room immediately began to shake and shift, nearly causing Theo to fall to his bum. "W-what? An earthquake? No, this is¡­ the room''s moving!" Before he could say anything else, a hole suddenly slid open on the ceiling. Sending Tama and Tira falling down into the room. And they didn¡¯t land on their feet. Instead, they collapsed to the ground. And they remained there, unmoving. "Tama! Mother!" Before he could run to their side, a firm pair of hands stopped him from behind. He looked behind him and, to his horror, a tall, domineering ogre had grabbed him in place. "Well done, Akato." The horned girl spoke. "I assume they were no problem for you in the slightest?" "None. They are no match against my shadow technique, Milady," the ogre replied. The ogre''s skin was blue, contrasting greatly to all the red ogres he had seen these past few days. He wore a black that exposed a generous amount of his chest, followed by a veil that covered his face. In short, he was nothing like those friendly ogres for sure. ¡°What did you do to them?!¡± He yelled to the ogre. ¡°Relax, boy.¡± The horned girl smiled triumphantly. ¡°I simply told Akato to knock them all out and bring them here. I didn¡¯t tell him to kill them or anything.¡± ¡°After all, I want to be the one to do so.¡± She summoned a scythe out of thin air before slowly, methodically walking towards the two unconscious girls. Naturally, Theo didn¡¯t take this well in the slightest. ¡°No! I won¡¯t¡­ let you!¡± Unfortunately, his arms were held in place by the ogre¡¯s much beefier arms. He tried to kick him with his feet, only to find out that no matter how hard he did it, the only one he hurt was himself. This is it. This is the moment. The moment his master Sherry spoke of in their training. ??? ??? He took a deep breath. And did what Sherry had trained him to do. Hands and feet¡­ His hands were tied¡­ But his feet¡­ "LET ME GO YOU STUPID OGRE!" He stepped on the ogre''s feet as hard as he could. "Gyaaahhhh!" The force was enough to crack his bones, thanks to Theo augmenting his feet with aura. He didn''t do it intentionally. He simply followed Sherry''s teachings. He gave it all he got. Just like how he slashed that boulder into two. The ogre''s grip loosening, he quickly freed himself. He ran forward, unsheathed his sword, and swung as hard as he could at the horned girl. "You¡ª" She blocked his swing with the outer side of her scythe. Only for the edge of his blade to cut straight through her conjured steel. She quickly stepped back, away from his blade. But it was just a breath too late. "Gah!" She fell backwards, blood spurting out from the front of her body. Her black dress was torn in the middle, revealing her braless flat chest to the world. She was lucky the cut was shallow, or else she could''ve lost her life right then and there! Just as she was preparing her shadow spell for a counter, however¡­ Unfortunately for him, with that one slash, Theo had exhausted his entire strength. And that led to him falling down as well. Right on top of her in fact, with his face landing between her legs, under her dress. She was too aghast to even care that he was looking up her skirt. Never before had she felt this much confusion in her entire life. "Lady Gretchel!" The blue ogre quickly came to her side. "Are you alright?! Those wounds¡­ we have to heal you right away!" "N-no need¡­" she replied, looking at him. "The slash wasn''t deep in the slightest¡­ i managed to dodge it at the last second¡­" Her heart was beating rapidly. A smile formed on the horned girl''s face. She stood up, her gaze locked on Theo. Once again, using her shadow magic, she manifested her scythe into existence. Before bringing it down to his neck. Vol 5 Chapter 25: In Which The Loli Elf Grows Up. Literally. Sherry ??? Pain. It was all that Sherry could feel. It took everything she had to remain conscious. Her head felt like it was split open, her skin was burning all over her body, and blood was leaking out of her nose and mouth. And, to her annoyance, it seemed she had lost control over her bladder as well. She couldn''t hear. She couldn''t see. She could scarcely think. The pain was just too overpowering. It took everything just for her to stay breathing. And yet, she still wanted to keep fighting. Not even a glimpse of the desire to surrender appeared in her mind. She could feel her fingers touching her sword. Good. At least she could swing it if the enemy got close to her. The¡­ enemy? No. Enemies. There had been more than one person, right? With this amount of injuries, she had to have been attacked by multiple people. And yet, she couldn''t¡­ remember¡­ what had just happened to her¡­ Did they hit her brain too hard? For now, she needed to recover. Just like in that training her grandmother gave her. Slowly, her hearing returned. She could hear voices¡­ voices talking about her. Voices¡­ many of them. There really were more than one person. And then, using some sort of trickery, they made her fail to notice them. Even in her own memories. Slowly, and sneakily, she spread her hair across the room. Not in the usual manner, however, as she only spread them as thin, single strands, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Her goal was simple¡ªto use her hair as a sensor. If any of them were to touch it, she would know that they were there. And she would be able to attack. In the meantime, she decided to pretend that she was dead. Until that arrogant dullahan stepped close enough for a simple sword slash to finish her off. ??? ¡°She¡¯s still alive!¡± Seeing the death of her friend, the orcess quickly covered herself with the cloak once more. The arachne followed suit, hiding themselves from Sherry¡¯s mind once more. The arachne smirked. She was the perfect specimen to test her weapons at. The one-eyed lamia slithered forward, though still keeping her distance from the Izurd. She readied her axe once more. Slowly, Sherry stood up, her legs shaking and wobbling. She grinned, wiping the blood on her face with her sleeves. ¡°That monstrous endurance¡­ truly, a demon amongst demons.¡± "I''ve endured worse," Sherry answered. "I studied under the Demons Lord of Blades after all." "... Impossible. She perished when the succubi-incubi alliance defeated the Izurd." "Really now?" Sherry smirked. "Are you sure about that?" Stabilizing her legs, Sherry took her combat stance. Her vision was still blurry but she could tell where the lamia was and that was good enough for her. "...No matter. I will show you why I am superior to you. As the "Bethel" of the Demon Lord of Wisdom, I shall strike you down." The lamia charged forward, once again utilizing her tail as a spring to move across the room in an instant. "Mountain Crusher!" Sherry did not hesitate. She wrapped her legs to the ground with her hair before blocking the axe swing entirely. This time, she didn''t move an inch. Even though the floor shattered under her from the impact. "Using the same attack¡­ aren''t you a bit too naive?" The arachne and the orcess¡­ Sherry could already feel their presence. And her hair blocked their attacks. "Oh? What''s this? You have invisible friends helping you out? Fascinating." The lamia''s blood froze. She swiftly retreated, bouncing off the air with her tail. A wise decision. "Izurd Art. Life-Slicing Blade." A single swing of the sword. It was all it took to kill the orcess, who was just a nanosecond too late to back away. The ogress exploded in chunks of blood and ogre. The sword slice didn¡¯t just cut her in half. It also destroyed the flesh around it, just from the sheer force Sherry used in her swing. As for her warhammer, made out of the highest quality mithril, she cut through that as well. She didn¡¯t even get to scream. The arachne retreated, her breath heavy, almost as if she was ashmatic. Her face was as pale as it could be. The only reason she was still alive was that Sherry had chosen to attack her friend instead of her. That warhammer was of her construction. She designed it so it would last a thousand years. And yet, she cut through it that easily. Sherry, after staring for a short while at the pool of blood that was a person once, turned to face the lamia once more. ¡°Is that it? Is that every one of your allies that you have hidden away?¡± The arachne had covered herself with her cloak so naturally the Izurd would forget she had ever existed. And yet, she couldn¡¯t stop shaking under it. And so, the arachne ran away. Leaving her friend behind without a single word. ??? Tira As she laid down on the floor, unable to do anything other than seeing the life of her child taken by the demoness, Tira weeped. She had made a terrible, awful mistake. They shouldn''t have come here. To this place. They shouldn¡¯t have come here. They shouldn¡¯t have joined this¡­ this war¡­ Hugo had told her that she, her son, and Tama could sit it out if they wanted to. He knew that fighting prowess-wise, they couldn¡¯t compete with him and his wives. And yet, they agreed to go anyway. Even Tama, who used to be against these kinds of risky things, was willing to go along with it. They thought Hugo would be there to protect them if things turned to the worst. They thought wrong. Now, they were all separated from each other. There was no Hugo or Sherry to keep them safe. They only had their own strength to rely on. And that strength¡ªit had failed. It all happened in an instant. She was walking down a long corridor along with Tama, whom she just met a while back. They had yet to find anyone ever since they were transported here. Even though they knew they were inside the enemy''s lair, without noticing it, they were letting their guard down. And that led to their downfall. The ogre jumped on top of them. Literally. He knocked out Tama in a single blow before attacking her. She tried to fight him to her best capability but he was just too fast and durable for her spear to be able to cope with him. She lost. Terribly. And when she woke up, she was here. Just in time to see the death of her dear Theo. ??? She remembered like it was yesterday¡ªthat day when she found him. She was a private in her elven kingdom''s military¡ªa mere foot soldier, tasked to patrol their borders for anything that might threaten their land. Especially since lately, human bandits had set up shop in the mountains nearby. And they were well-known for kidnapping elves and selling them as slaves in their own land. That day, her squad saw smoke rising up from the sky. And her squad leader decided to investigate, not realizing that it came from outside of their territory. It led them to a human village, burned to the ground by the very same bandits they were told to be wary of. The bandits, however, weren''t there. They had already ransacked everything. And killed anything else that they couldn''t take. The only thing they found¡ªno, Tira found¡ªwas the baby a human mother had managed to hide. "Uwaaaa! Huwaaaa! Uwaaaa!" The sound of the baby''s cry led her to him, even if it was muffled by the blanket the mother had put on him. A miracle. There was no other word that best suited what happened that day. The house was burned to the ground. The mother, who was hugging the baby, was dead. And yet, the baby survived. "A-a baby?!" Tira''s heart skipped a beat. That couldn¡¯t be right, could it? Why was a baby here? S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gently, Tira pried the mother''s arms away from the blanket she was hugging. It was the source of the crying sound she heard ever since she entered the room (or what was left of it). She was sure of it. "Hnnnnngg¡­ hnngggghh¡­ why¡­ is it¡­ so stiff¡­" To her surprise, the corpse¡¯s hold was stronger than she had anticipated. ¡°Hnngg¡­ hah!¡± Only after some struggle did she manage to loosen her grip enough to snatch the blanket from her embrace. And sure enough, after opening the loosely-wrapped blanket, what was underneath really was a baby. ¡°Oh¡­ oh my¡­¡± The baby stopped crying. His tears disappeared, replaced by raw curiosity as his tiny hand reached out to touch Tira¡¯s face. She didn''t know it back then but that moment¡­ was the exact moment her heart was stolen by him. ??? "Leave it. You know very well that we can''t bring back a human child to our kingdom." "But, he''ll die if we do that!" "Then so be it. He''s a human. His kind breathes death every day." As she feared, her squad leader wouldn''t allow her to bring back the baby with her. They were now standing in the middle of the ruined village, with her cradling the baby in her arms. Her gaze looked upwards, staring unflinchingly at the questioning glare of her squadmates and leader. "No! I won''t do it! I''ll never abandon him!" "Then bring him! And see if Lady Kalfiel doesn''t throw you and him out of the knights for your foolishness!" Lady Kalfiel was the name of their division leader. Her squad leader reported directly to her. She was a stern and no-nonsense woman. She''d punish you in a split second if you disobeyed or just made a mistake running her orders. Tira never liked her. No one did. And so, she returned with the baby in tow. And it happened exactly like her squad leader predicted. "Cadet Tira Elfiel! I command you to hand over that human baby at once! What kind of nonsense do you have swimming in your head, bringing filth like him here?" "No! You''re going to kill him! Let me take care of him! I promise he won''t be a bother!" "You will come here and hand him over! Or I''ll write you up for insubordination!" "No!" "Then you leave me no choice. Cadets! Grab her and bring that baby to me!" Tira ran. She ran and ran and ran. Until she could run no longer. She was no longer in her kingdom''s territory. She was back in human land. She looked down, smiling at the baby she had in her arms. The baby laughed, his tiny arms reaching for her face yet again. It was all the reassurance she needed. She would raise this child as if she was his own mother to his dying breath. ??? ¡°Stay¡­ away¡­ from¡­ my son!¡± Gretchel Naturia was surprised. Her scythe¡ªit was being stopped in mid-air before it could land on the human¡¯s neck. The culprit? The jelly-like block of water that blocked the blade of her scythe from touching the human''s neck. She turned to look at the caster¡ªthe supposedly unconscious elf that her subordinate had brought into the room. Supposedly being the keyword. After all, that very same elf was glowing right now. Literally. She was glowing with a white light, covering her body from top to bottom. And not only that. Her body¡ªit was as well. When the light receded, Tira was no longer the short, young elf that Theo knew. She was now a full-grown adult, looking in her early twenties if going by human age. Her short, silver hair had grown to reach her waist. Unfortunately, you couldn''t say the same for her bust. It was still as tiny as ever. "What is the meaning of this?" She looked at her ogre subordinate. "You''re supposed to knock her unconscious." "I-I did, Miss, but she must have recovered somehow¡­" "No excuses. Take care of her, will you?" "Right away, Lady Gretchen!" The ogre slowly walked to where Tira was. He manifested a club made out of shadows in his right hand, fully intending to beat her to death with its spiky end. He was a shadow magic user, just like his mistress. And he could cast it without a wand, utilizing the ring on his finger instead as his magic focus, though he was limited to conjuring weapons and melting his body into the shadows. When he arrived in front of Tira, she was still struggling to get up. She didn''t have her spear with her as the ogre left it behind after he knocked her unconscious. He swung his mace downwards, aiming to bludgeon her head. Only for it to stop in mid-air. Once again, a jelly-like water had appeared out of thin air, blocking his weapon. And before he could say anything, Tira fired a jet of water to his abdomen, piercing it completely. "Gu-guwah!" He stumbled backwards, holding his wound with his hand. His mace fell to the ground, melting back into his shadow once more. Tira didn''t hesitate. She finished him off by firing another jet of water, this time aiming for his head. "Gaarghh!" He fell to the floor, blood pouring out of his head and stomach. And just like that, she won against the ogre that had dominated her beforehand. All thanks to her "growth". When a dark elf evolved into their adult form, they gained a significant boost to their physical strength. For an elf like her, on the other hand, it was her magic that was enhanced. Not only was her magic capacity increased, she also gained a stronger affinity with an element¡ªin this case, water. Her spear failed to combat the ogre. Her water magic succeeded. Gretchen was, naturally, quite taken aback by this sudden development. "Oh my, you''re a surprise." She walked towards her, leaving Theo behind. "You grow up. In the middle of a fight. I have to admit¡ªthis is the first time I see your kind''s transformation." Tira was now back on her feet, glaring at the horned girl with pure hatred in her eyes. "I wonder¡­ How are you capable of casting that spell? You don''t carry a wand or a staff with you. And I don''t see any rings or books either. What type of magic focus do you use, hmm?" Tira did not respond. In truth, she didn''t know either. Still, she was glad. The horned girl had left his son. He was safe now. And the sooner she finished her, the sooner she could go to his side! The elf conjured water out of thin air, fashioning it into a spear. She then grabbed it with both hands, giving it a twirl before aiming it at the horned girl. The horned girl made the first move, swinging her scythe downwards in one big sweeping move. Shadows burst forth from the edge, its tendrils all charging towards Tira. The elf countered by conjuring her own tendrils made out of water, sending them to meet the shadows in the middle. ¡°Fascinating! You can match my shadow magic! Then, how about this?!" The horned girl charged forward, raising her scythe for an overhead swing. Instead of retreating, however, Tira stood her ground, readying her spear to block her attack. CLASH Her spear head clashed with the scythe''s sharp end. Conjured weapon vs conjured weapon. And neither was giving in. Unfortunately, as an elf, she had a disadvantage against the demoness. Her strength simply couldn''t keep up against her superhuman strength. After all, an elf''s physical capability was just as weak as a human''s. Fortunately, she had her magic to compensate. The water spear she conjured sparked with life, as thunder wrapped itself around its tip, channeling its raw strength right into the horned girl¡¯s scythe. Electrocuting her on the spot. ¡°What?! Dual Casting?! That¡¯s impossib¡ª Gyaahhhhh!¡± Darkness shouldn¡¯t have conducted the electricity. And yet it did anyway. It wasn¡¯t conduction after all. The spear¡ªit simply fired lightning right at the horned girl¡¯s face. The horned girl lost her grip on her spell¡ªthe scythe dissolving back into her shadow. And Tira, without any hesitation, used the opportunity to stab her on her heart. ¡°Gggg¡­ gah!¡± Blood spurted out of her stomach. The wound that Theo had made before¡ª Tira had finished it with her spear. The elf pulled the spear from her body. She fell down to the floor. Her vision slowly darkened. As she looked up, she could only see the furious yet beautiful face the silver-haired elf had. That, and the panties she wore that day, not covered in the slightest by her now far too small skirt. She chuckled. What a fortunate human that kid was, having such a beautiful, doting elf as his mother. Adopted, for sure. An elf couldn''t birth a human before they matured. How that could¡¯ve happened¡ªshe couldn¡¯t even imagine. She wondered¡­ if she had adopted some child from the slums of her city, could she have the same expression? That undying love that a mother had? ¡­ Vol 5 Chapter 26: Hugo’s Ladykiller Charm Is Too Much! Rita Naturia smiled. Finally, her prey was here. The one who had kidnapped her dear, precious Anya. "Hello, dearie~?" She fluttered her long eyelashes. "I''m so happy to see you~ ?? You have no idea how long I''ve¡ª" BOOM She never got to finish her sentence. For Hugo already blew her head off with his Boom Cannon. ? Hugo Before I stepped into this lascivious-looking bedroom, I had stored a Boom Cannon with my time magic. I fully intended to use it if the succubus was too much for me to handle. And the moment I saw her wearing that absurdly sexy nightgown, I knew I had to kill her right on the spot. I looked down to my crotch. Sure enough, the little guy was standing at full attention. I sighed. As I walked across the room, I paid a quick glance at the corpse of the succubus I just killed. Stepping over her, I walked to the other side and opened the door there. ? Felicia "Atchoo!" After traversing what felt like a series of endless, looping corridors, Felicia was finally graced by a different scenery¡ªa massive room filled with rows and rows and rows of bookshelves from top to bottom. She tapped her staff once, ordering her shadow to split and scout the room. "I see. So you are a shadow mage as well." Felicia froze. She tapped her staff once more, erecting a shadow done around her. From the ceiling, a black gooey blob fell, landing right in front of her. And from that blob, an elven woman took form. She was dressed in gray, the color of her dress complimenting her gray-blue waist-length hair perfectly. Under her was a giant book that she rode on. "Greetings." She spoke, her voice completely flat. " I am Adele Naturia, the fifth wife of the Demon Lord of Wisdom. As a fellow mage, I would like to challenge you to a match." "A match?" Felicia replied, her expression one of disbelief. "A match of spells, of course. A duel, if you prefer." Felicia gripped her staff. There was no refusing this challenge¡ªshe realized that much. She had to beat her. A shadow mage could easily contend with the mobility of another shadow mage. She couldn''t run even if she wanted to. She''d just catch her from behind, which would be really bad for a pure spellcaster like her. "Of course." Felicia put on a confident smile. "I''ll be happy to accept your challenge." "Then, we shall begin at once." She snapped her finger. And in an instant, tendrils fired out from her shadow, ramming their sharp ends at Felicia''s barrier. The barrier cracked but it didn''t shatter, giving Felicia time to summon a potion out of her Dimensional Storage, drinking the red liquid in one move. Without skipping a beat, she proceeded to summon a knife and slice open her own wrist. Blood poured out of her damaged arteries, dripping down to the floor, forming a crimson puddle. It was exactly what she needed to activate her spell. "O Crimson God of The Damned! Hear my plea! Let the woes of the world be heard by this servant and lend your power to purge all light and innocence! Blood Cloak! Just as Felicia finished her spell, her barrier shattered. The elf was a second too late. The blood came to Felicia''s aid, forming their own tendrils to counter the elf''s spell. It quickly dawned on Adele that her shadow was being overpowered as the blood tendrils slowly crept closer and closer to her. Deciding that she was at a disadvantage, she retreated. She flew away further into the library, far enough to be out of range of the blood spell. "What''s the matter? Running away?" Felicia spoke in a mocking tone. "I am not just a shadow mage, you know. I am also a blood mage." The blood now formed skeletal-like wings that attached itself on her back, allowing her to chase after the elf. The two flew further into the library¡ªrows and rows of bookshelves flying to their left and right. "The necromancer." The elf spoke, her gaze resting on Felicia. "Your beloved saved you for your power. Picked a fight with the human church and got out alive. All when he scarcely reached adulthood. Impressive. I see why you become his wife." "He didn''t save me for my power, just so you know. He saved me because he thought it was the right thing to do. That is how noble and kindhearted he is," Felicia replied, her words brimming with pride. "Really now? I somehow doubt that. It would be foolish if he did." As she flew backwards, still deeper into the library, the elf fired bolts of lightning towards Felicia. The redheaded mage responded by using her manipulated blood to create a shield that absorbed her spells. All of a sudden, however, Felicia stopped in her tracks. "...I see. You''re trying to lure me into a trap, don''t you?" Felicia smiled. "Very perceptive¡­" Adele replied, a twitch of annoyance coloring her face. "...is what I would say if it weren''t so obvious from the start that I was leading you to a certain place." "Let me guess. An anti-magic field. The bane of every mage in existence, correct?" The elf didn''t reply. But it was clear from her expression that Felicia had hit the jackpot. "Hmph, the oldest trick in the book. You wouldn''t be the first to try that sort of trap for sure." "...Fine. We''ll do this the hard way then." "The hard way?" All of a sudden, with a soft poof sound, the elf popped out of existence. Felicia had no time to finish her thoughts. For the books around her began to fly off their shelves, right towards her. The blood quickly formed a bubble around her, protecting her from their onslaught. All the while she desperately looked around, trying to find where the elf had gone. She flew downwards, landing on the carpeted floor of the library. She then began to chant the strongest fire spell she had. "O great fire spirit of volcanoes, grant me the strength to burn my foes into ash. Flame Strike!" Relying on her barrier to protect her, Felicia fired the spell at point-blank range. KABOOM She closed her eyes and averted her gaze, feeling the heat burning her face. The spell worked, and the cluster of books surrounding her turned into a rain of black ash. The surrounding bookcases caught fire as well, however, as the spell''s radius was decently large. Felicia couldn''t help feeling bad about the fact that she just burned all those books. If the circumstances were different, she would love to read them all in her free time. She flew upwards, away from the fire she had started. Once she was a good distance away from the ground, she proceeded to close her eyes. She cursed the fact that she was never able to replicate Hugo¡¯s ability to see magic. Or to utilize and weaponize raw mana for that matter. It was yet another reason why she admired him so much. He was 10 years younger than her yet he was already a much better mage than she was. "Frost Nova." Her heart skipped a beat. She was far too late to react. A wave of cold swallowed her in an instant, freezing every inch of her body. Her blood barrier activated in response to the attack but it wasn¡¯t enough to keep herself from being frozen. The blood wings she used to hover in the air froze as well. Unable to flap anymore, it could no longer support her weight, making her fall back down to the depths of the library. Just before she landed, shadows burst out from the floor. Forming hands, they all reached up towards her, catching her before she could hit the floor. Unfortunately, the elf¡¯s attacks hadn¡¯t ended yet. ¡°O Lord of Flames! Rend mine enemies impotent under your flames and shatter their body into ashes! Explosion!¡± Felicia could do nothing as her already battered shield received the spell point-blank. ? Myrilla "Heeyyy, where are you going? We haven''t finished our fight yet!" Myrilla flew through the hallways, going as fast as she could without crashing onto the many walls she had to navigate through. Behind her was the harpy, chasing her with full strength, despite the injuries she had sustained. After all, how could she look her Darling in the eye if she couldn''t even kill a single one of the invaders? Unfortunately, she soon found out that she had cornered herself, for the hallway ended in front of her, with only a door to the left. She blasted the door using her Wind magic, entering it without a second thought. Only to find that she was, all of a sudden, in a middle of a golden forest. THUD The door slammed close behind her. She turned around and it was no longer there. She was just staring at the trunk of a tree. She was trapped. "Oh my oh my, what do we have here? A stray little Nerthusian." The wind picked up, gathering the autumn leaves on the trees and ground, concentrating them into a violent ball of leaf-filled storm. A second later, however, they dissipated, revealing a butterfly-winged woman with golden hair smiling towards the mind-reader. "Greetings. My name is¡ª" "I know who you are. Selene Naturia. The archfey of autumn. And his third wife." "How rude¡­" She pouted. "You should let others introduce themselves, you know, even if you can read their minds faster than they could speak." Myrilla''s grip on her staff tightened, a bead of sweat traveling down her forehead. "Why the tense face? Are you possibly afraid of me?" She giggled. "Don''t worry! If you kneel down now and promise to be a good girl, I''ll vouch for you becoming his next wife!" A flash of anger glimmered in Myrilla''s eyes. "No? Then I''m afraid I''d just have to turn you into my servant instead." With a snap of her fingers, vines burst out from all sides. From the earth, from the trees, even from the leaves hanging over Myrilla''s head. And all of them were heading towards her. "Cyclone Wall!" An Advanced-level spell that erected a miniature around a person, protecting them from attacks from the outside. Unlike Hugo, who hardened the air around him, she turned it violent instead. It was a difference of perspective. Hugo, being from the modern world, saw air as merely particles of many types of gases. She, on the other hand, saw it in the classical way¡ªas stale and unmoving wind. The wall stood, shredding the vines before they could get close to her. "Oh?" The archfey smiled. "You''re quite the mage, aren''t you? Now I wonder. Just how strong you are compared to your husband." "He''s not my husband, you imbecile!" Myrilla shouted. Still keeping up her Cyclone Wall, she retreated with her Wind Boost spell, putting as much distance as she could between her and the fey. She knew it was ultimately a futile move. This was her domain. There was no escaping her. But she needed to bide her time. There was a chance that he could come in and rescue her after all. ¡­No. What was she thinking? She was supposed to keep him safe in place of Alan and Renee. She should be the one to rescue her. But he didn¡¯t need her, did he? He was already far stronger than she was. ¡°I can sense it, you know. Your unrequited love for him.¡± To her surprise, the voice of the archfey echoed inside her mind. ¡°...Hmm, no. This is not love. This is¡­ desire. You desire his attention. You want him to give you the attention he gave to his wives.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just one sad and lonely creature. Just like the girl that came here before you.¡± ¡°Her name was Victoria. She¡¯s the one you want to save, no? Oh, let me correct that. You don¡¯t actually want to save her. You''re just going along with it because he wants to save her." Myrilla didn''t reply. She was right. She thought the whole thing was foolish from the start. Fighting against a Demon Lord¡­ saving some girl he barely knew that had refused his help¡­ She couldn''t dissuade him though. She knew his kind heart would regret it for the rest of his life if he let her be. Myrilla stopped. She glanced behind her. No one was there. "I can see you~" A breeze blew from behind her. No one was there however. "Ahahahaha!" S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ? Hugo "...eeeeyyyy¡­" "Heeyyy, where are youuuuu?" I readied myself for a fight. The voice was unfamiliar to my ears, which meant it could be an enemy. I activated my Sight, anticipating any magic that might be coming towards me. She flew around a corner, disappearing the moment I caught sight of her presence. A smile formed on my face. Using a combination of my Wind Step and Graceful Step, I dashed down the hallway, chasing after the rainbow harpy with my full speed. When she realized I was coming for her, it was far too late for her to react. I grabbed her throat, pushed her to the nearest wall, and constricted her with wind tendrils, keeping her hands and feet (well, talons) on said wall. "Alright, you! Tell me where I can find Victoria!" "V-Victoria? Y-you mean, the half fairy girl?" "Yes! Where is she?" "She''s¡­ she''s being kept somewhere in the center of the fortress! I don''t know the way! They won''t tell me!" "They? Who are these ''they''?!" ¡°D-Darling! A-and the others! They never tell me anything!¡± Hugo paused. ¡°Fine.¡± I released my choke, letting her fall to the ground, coughing profusely in the process. ¡°You¡¯re going to lead me out of these hallways. Oh, and I want you to tell where you¡¯re keeping my friends as well.¡± ? Astra Naturia (The Harpy) Little did Hugo know that the harpy was quite taken by his looks. Not to mention the fact that she was into being treated roughly as well. Combine the two and he just charmed the harpy into being his ally. Temporarily, at the very least. The harpy stood up, dusting herself in the process. Smiling, she then said to him, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a tour of the entire place if you want!¡± Hugo raised his eyebrow before responding with his own smile. BA-DUMP Her legs wobbled. She just had been hit by Hugo¡¯s patented lady-killer smile. ¡°That would be lovely.¡± His voice was as soft as silk. ¡°You¡¯re Astra, right? My name is Hugo. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Milady.¡± And then, he bent over and kissed her hand. Steam came out from her ears (metaphorically speaking) ¡ª her face turning as red as a tomato. ¡°O-of course! The pleasure¡¯s all mine!¡± ? As promised, the harpy proceeded to lead her through the labyrinthine hallways, all the while telling him about his fight with Myrilla. ¡°And then, she conjured a tornado right on my face! Can you believe it?! How rude! She didn¡¯t even have the courage to stay and fight afterwards! She just ran away! What a coward!¡± Hugo didn¡¯t say anything. He just let her blabber on her own. Eventually, her story ended, with her pointing towards a dead end. "That''s where I saw her last. I don''t know how she did it but she just disappeared into thin air!" She then stood aside as he examined the enclosed space. A grin formed on her face. She could hypnotize him with her song! And then he would be hers! She took a deep breath, preparing herself to blast him with her song. The louder she sang the faster it would take effect. Point blank like this, he should be charmed right away. ¡°And here I thought I would let you live.¡± Her eyes widened. Her heart sank. She opened her mouth, blasting her song at him. Only for it to never reach Hugo¡¯s ears. ¡°It¡¯s useless. I¡¯ve stopped the vibrations of the air molecules around me. No noise can reach me unless I let it in.¡± He turned to face her, a grin on his face as he aimed his left palm towards her. ¡°Frost Nova.¡± The harpy couldn¡¯t do a thing. She could only watch as her body was enveloped in ice. ? Hugo Hugo quickly caught up that she had fallen in love with her. He wasn¡¯t some dense harem protagonist who could never take a hint. That blushing¡­ her fluttering of the eyes¡­ And he decided to use that to his advantage. He pretty much now knew the general layout of the castle. It would be only a matter of time until he made his way to where they kept Victoria. But before that, he would need to meet up with Myrilla first. He had a strong suspicion that she was in a fight right now after all. Vol 5 Chapter 27: Perfect Mimicry Sherry Sherry was the one to make the first move. She dashed forward, performing a horizontal slice towards the lamia, her dark aura extending the range considerably. All the while her hair swarmed around her, blocking any avenue for her escape. Unfortunately for her, the lamia was all too ready for such an attack. Her eye narrowed. And a split second later, her own hair came alive and parried every single hair that Sherry sent. As for the sword swing, she created a sword with her hair and blocked the attack with it, throwing the axe she used before away. ¡°W-what?! How can you¡ª¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t told you my ability yet, have I?¡± Sherry retreated, dashing backwards to put some distance between them once again. ¡°Perfect Mimicry. I can mimic any moves my opponent uses and claim it as my own.¡± ¡°Perfect¡­ Mimicry?¡± Sherry replied, looking at her with disbelief. ¡°That is my ability. The ability given to me by my mother¡ªEchidna, the Demon Lord of Beasts.¡± The lamia¡¯s hair was now surrounding her, wiggling like snakes that were ready to pounce the moment Sherry made her move. ¡°I used the axe skill of a human before. Someone they said could cut down mountains with a single swing of his axe. I defeated him in using his own techniques. And I would do the same to you, Sherry Izurdia.¡± Sherry gritted her teeth. How dare she stole other people¡¯s techniques like that? She wasn¡¯t even an Izurd! How could she make her hair move like that?! ¡°What¡¯s the matter? If you¡¯re not going to attack, I would.¡± The lamia flew towards her, using her tail as a springboard. She bathed her sword in dark aura, the very same aura Sherry just used against her. And not only that, her hair all flew towards her as well. ¡°Really? Repeating my own move to me? Do you really think that would work?¡± Of course it wouldn¡¯t. After all, she had fought someone who used the technique even better than her. Her grandmother. She countered the long horizontal slice by absorbing the blow with her hair while using the sword to slice down her hair instead. The exact opposite of the defense the lamia just used. ¡°Haaaaa!¡± The lamia¡¯s hair scattered into the four winds, lacking the strength needed to repel Sherry¡¯s sword swing. The lamia¡¯s sword on the other hand failed to make Sherry¡¯s hair budge, even after creating a crater where the two objects clashed. ¡°You think I¡¯ll lose to some cheap imitation?! Grandmother¡¯s blows are far heavier and fiercer than you!¡± Before the lamia could react, Sherry swung her sword downwards. Cutting off her right arm. Blood spewed everywhere as the lamia retreated. She gritted her teeth, reeling from the pain of her wound. She had underestimated her. She was still holding back all this time, even after all the injuries she sustained. And she couldn¡¯t mimic the full strength of an opponent if they didn¡¯t go all out. No, she wasn¡¯t holding back. She was just¡­ stronger. The angrier an Izurd gets, the stronger they become. Only now she could appreciate the full extent of that axiom. She was the worst possible opponent for her ability. Sherry wasn¡¯t finished. She dashed forward, fully intending to deal the finishing blow. ¡°Izurd Art! Life-Slicing¡ª¡± ¡°Path of Shijima. Sword of Silence.¡± A flash of purple flew through Sherry as she brought her blade down. It cut her right arm off in a single instant. For the first time in their fight, Sherry¡¯s heart felt fear. Her eyes widened in shock. She didn¡¯t even have time to register the pain. Quickly, she retreated, far away from the lamia as she could. The lamia panted, a large wound bleeding out from her stomach. And on her right hand she held a single blade, dripping in blood. It was the blade that had cut off Sherry¡¯s arm. Sherry swiftly wrapped her stump with her hair, stopping her blood loss. It didn¡¯t matter. She could reattach her arm. Such was the regenerative prowess of the Izurd tribe. The important part was getting the arm back. That was why she immediately used her hair to snatch the decapitated body part (that still held her sword) and tied it together with the stump. Unfortunately, even with her regenerative capability, it would take days for her arm to fully connected again. Which meant that for the rest of this fight, she was forced to fight only with one arm. ¡°You should¡¯ve used that technique earlier.¡± She then told the lamia. ¡°Who did you get it from? That wasn¡¯t some ordinary technique. Fess up, thief.¡± She glared at her coldly. The lamia gritted her teeth. ¡°That human.¡± ¡°That human?¡± Sherry raised her eyebrows. ¡°What human?¡± ¡°That arrogant pink-haired human woman. The only human strong enough to defeat my Lord Balthazar.¡± ¡°¡­Wait? Who are you talking about exactly?¡± ¡°I despise it. I do not wish to use the technique of a woman who humiliated my Lord. But I have no choice. You¡¯re the strongest opponent I¡¯ve faced in a long time, Izurd.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you for the praise.¡± Sherry replied, not cracking even the slightest smile. Still, the revelation that someone had defeated the Demon Lord before piqued Sherry¡¯s curiosity. Just who could do such a thing? She said the culprit was a human¡­ ¡°Unfortunately, this is the end for you. This technique is a technique of the next Legendary Hero. You have no chance whatsoever against it.¡± ¡°The next Legendary Hero? What do you mean by¡ª¡± Sherry never got to finish her sentence. ¡°Path to Shijima. Sword of Silence.¡± The same technique. The same attack. And yet, she still could not see the blade. Why? Why couldn¡¯t she see it? It couldn¡¯t be that fast, could it? No. It wasn¡¯t so fast that she couldn¡¯t see or react to it. It was just¡­ silent, just like the name suggested. She couldn¡¯t see the tell of the lamia beginning her attack. And her voice speaking the name of the attack traversed the air too slowly for it to matter. And not only that, when the sword sent its aura flying towards her, she couldn¡¯t sense it coming either. Compared to the onslaught of blows her grandmother trained her to block or Hugo¡¯s swift jabs and thrusts, it was an entirely alien sword technique. How could one bring down their blade without emitting any desire to attack? It was as if the attack never existed until the very moment it hit her flesh. ¡°Gyaaahhhh!¡± It was a vertical slice, forming a line from between her legs all the way up to the middle of her forehead. If not for her wrapping herself up with her hair, she would¡¯ve been bisected right then and there. Sherry fell to her knees, blood pouring out of her wound. The hair that had protected her scattered all over, the sword slash cutting through them all like slicing through butter. Her clothes were torn apart on the front, showing off the bleeding wound the slice had created perfectly. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was the perfect opportunity for the lamia to strike and finish her off. Only, she didn''t. The monster woman was content with panting and gasping for air, sweat drowning her entire body. It was too much. That technique---it drained too much of her stamina. Even with her enhanced demonic biology and physique, designed to be able to perform any technique that she copied, she still couldn''t do what that human did. It was another reason why she despised using it. She was supposed to be the perfect specimen¡ªa mutated lamia capable of copying any technique it saw. She could even grow legs if the technique involved kicking. And yet, she couldn''t do it. No matter how much she trained with it, she couldn''t keep it from tiring herself like this after using it. And then there was the problem of the sword she had to use with the technique. For some reason, every blade she used would shatter from a single use of said technique, even the mithril ones. She had to rely on a specialized blade created by Taran, where she had to store it inside her stomach since it would gain durability the longer it was encased in (stomach) acid. And every time she needed to use it she had to pierce her own abdomen to bring it out. And it hurt like no tomorrow. "Heh, what''s the matter? Tired already? You really can''t handle such a powerful technique, can you?" The lamia looked up. She saw Sherry grinning at her, even when she was still crouching down on the floor with a pool of blood under her. "Go on. Send me another one. I''ll parry it properly this time around." Truthfully, even for a master of mimicry like her, there were some abilities that she simply refused to learn out of principle. And an incubus'' sexual techniques were amongst them. And that was for one reason and one reason only. As the lamia was consumed by her own thoughts, Sherry slowly stood back up She had covered her gash with her hair, along with all her naughty bits since her clothes were in tatters from the attack she just received. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll strike you down one more time!¡± The lamia declared. Her eye narrowed as she gripped her sword tightly, using both of her hands. She took a deep breath, concentrating on the image in her memory of her technique, and then swung her sword downwards after she lifted it over her head. ¡°Path to Asura! Sword of Demons!¡± The blade screeched. A murderous aura fired from the edge of the sword, reaching Sherry a split second before the sword wave did. Sherry¡¯s heart skipped a beat. The attack that was coming at her¡ªit was a completely different one. Her body froze. Fear overwhelmed her brain. She no longer saw the sword wave coming towards her. She only saw a tsunami of blades threatening to swallow her whole. Or a massive dragon with its jaw open towards her. Fear. It was a sword of fear. ¡°Ha¡­ hahahahahaha!¡± Her eyes widened. Her lips curled into a confident, slightly crazed smile. This attack... she could repel this attack! For it was just like her grandmother¡¯s, filled with murderous aura that would make you faint if you weren¡¯t brave enough to face it head-on! ¡°Haaaaa!¡± She met the wave with her sword, dashing to greet it like an old friend. Her blade shattered in her hands. Unable to cope with the might of the sword slash, it returned back to her soft hair once more. And yet, she succeeded. She destroyed the attack before it could destroy her. Sherry dashed forward. And swung her full-power fist to the lamia¡¯s head. Ending the fight in a single, gory blow. ? Myrilla ¡°Wind Automatas! Come to my aid!¡± The Nerthusian was now in quite the pickle. The forest had turned alive and it was assaulting her from all sides. All the work of the archfey, who hadn¡¯t even bothered to show herself again. Instead, she just watched from the shadows as her subordinates did all the work. Myrilla was now hovering in mid-air with two spells active at the same time: her Wind Boost spell and her Wind Automata spell. Multiple soldiers made out of miniature cyclones circled around her, guarding her from all the vines, branches, and leaves that were attacking her. Melodious laughter rang in her ears. The voice of the archfey taunted her, telling her that she was never going to win in a thousand years. ? Myrilla gritted her teeth. She had to do something soon or else she¡¯d lose. There was only one ticket she could use¡ªthe one ticket she wouldn¡¯t dare to use in normal circumstances. She had to assault the fairy¡¯s mind, even at the risk of losing her own mind in the process. She closed her eyes, focusing on the presence gnawing in her brain. Myrilla ignored her taunt. She knew the risks. And it wasn¡¯t like she was going that deep into her mind. She just wanted to induce a brain-melting headache on her. And then, it began. A rush of lights and sounds, of smells and sensations, all entering her mind like a flood. She gritted her teeth even harder. Focus! She must not let her mind wander or she would be lost forever! And then, she tripped. A string of memory had caught her feet, dragging her down the memory lane. ? ? Myrilla retreated, pulling her mind away from the thread of memories wrapping it. No response. Still silence. Without hesitation, she ¡°attacked¡± the thread with her mind, pulling and twisting it into two. Immediately Myrilla heard a surge of vines all going towards her. Trusting in her automatas, she refused to open her eyes, concentrating all her efforts into shredding the memory apart. ¡°STOP IT! STOP IT!¡± There was no stopping it. It was her only chance to win after all. ¡°Gah!¡± Myrilla felt a vine wrapping around her left leg. Followed by her right arm. Then her left arm. Then her right leg. Her automatas. They couldn¡¯t keep up! Another vine wrapped around her stomach, squeezing it to the point she felt like she wanted to puke. ¡°No¡­ you¡­ release me¡­ let me go¡­ half of your memory¡­ is already gone¡­ must I ¡­ destroy¡­ more?¡± The fey desperately tried to decouple her mind from hers. Unfortunately, Myrilla wouldn¡¯t let her. The mind of the forest was the fey''s own mind. She couldn¡¯t run from Myrilla¡¯s range even if she wanted to. A vine wrapped itself around Myrilla¡¯s neck. She choked, feeling her windpipe slowly being crushed. The connection broke. She had failed. Vol 5 Chapter 28: A Lonely Woman Hugo It didn''t take long until I realized the method in which Myrilla disappeared into the thin air. With just a quick glance with my Magic Sight, I could tell that there was warped space nearby, intersecting with the corridor I was standing in. And then, utilizing my raw mana, I "edited" the spell, making it so it would allow me to enter its enclosed space. Stepping in, the environment around me changed immediately, shifting into an autumnal forest. I walked around the forest slowly, sharpening my senses so I could react immediately if the fey decided on an ambush. The place was eerily quiet, with the only sound being the crunchy noise my boots produced every step I took. A tiny spot of dread slowly blossomed inside my chest. And then, it came into my view. A naked figure, held in mid-air, wrapped with thorny vines attached to the nearby trees. It was Myrilla. I didn¡¯t rush in immediately. Only after I confirmed that there weren''t any traps waiting there that I ran in and cut the thorns off her body, catching her before she fell. Her body was filled with wounds and gashes, no doubt the result of all those thorny vines tightly wrapping themselves around her. And since I couldn''t call Kiri, I was forced to use one of the potions I carried in my Dimensional Storage. I put the tip of the flask inside her mouth, slowly pouring out its content so she wouldn¡¯t choke. Her eyes fluttered open, her gaze resting at my face. "Alan¡­ You¡¯re-you¡¯re here.." She grabbed the hem of my robe. "Yep! I''m here now! So you don''t have to worry, alright? I''ll beat that archfey for you. Just you wait." I placed my hands on her shoulders, putting up my best grin for her. "Alan¡­ Alan¡­¡± ¡°I love you, Alan!¡± She pressed her lips into mine. She pushed me down, her tongue now exploring the insides of my mouth. I could then feel my trousers being pulled off my legs, followed by my boxers. And since her arms were wrapped around my body, the only explanation was that she used her telekinesis to do it. ¡°Alan¡­ ohh, Alan¡­¡± She withdrew her lips from mine, leaving a thin string of saliva. Her expression was now one of lust, a far cry from her usual calm and composed stature. NSFW My eyes wandered, first to her bare chest and the small yet tender hills she had there. Then I looked further down towards her womanhood. It was dripping wet with not a single hair to be found. I knew very well that this wasn¡¯t the usual Myrilla. That fey must have done something to her. And if I were to take advantage of her while she was like this, I would become like those bastards that would r*pe a woman while she was drunk. Not to mention that I would betray Sherry and Felicia¡¯s trust as well. Unfortunately, the little guy down there did not agree. My son stood up, proudly displaying its length to Myrilla, who now had her gaze locked towards it. ¡°Alan¡­¡± She pouted, turning her gaze back to me. ¡°You stupid pervert¡­ you should¡¯ve said earlier if you wanted my body¡­ I would¡¯ve given it to you far earlier than that Renee girl¡­¡± Her antennas lit up, a telling sign that she was reading my mind. ¡°I see¡­ you want me¡­ you want to thrust your throbbing thing into my wet, damp hole¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± She smiled. All of a sudden, tears began to fall from her eyes. ¡°I am not alone after all.¡± Her crotch moved downwards. Forcing my length to slide inside her. ¡°A-aahnn!¡± She let out a moan, cocking her head backwards. ¡°So this is¡­ this is how it feels to have a man¡¯s p*nis inside you!¡± Her cave squeezed my member tight, still a virgin even after living for more than a hundred years. It didn¡¯t take long until my tip touched her hymen. ¡°Alan¡­ please¡­ thrust deeper¡­ I want to lose my virginity to you¡­¡± ¡°Or am I not worthy enough for your sword?¡± Her face was now inches away from mine, her eyes getting glossy with tears yet again. She pressed her hips downwards. And with only a minor resistance, I popped her cherry. ¡°Ahnnnn! There it is! I am no longer a 135 year old virgin now!¡± Rub. Rub. She was now actively moving her hips up and down as she rode me like a horse. And then, all of a sudden, she began rubbing her face all over my chest, all the while moaning Alan¡¯s name over and over. ¡°Alan! Alan! My dear cute Alan! How I love your wide shoulders and large muscles!¡± She continued to move her butt up and down in a rhythmic fashion, sending dangerously pleasurable shivers all over my body. Looking back at her face, I immediately knew the answer. And then, ¡°Alan¡­ please¡­ make me your second wife¡­ don¡¯t leave me all alone¡­¡± Her mood swung again. She was now sobbing onto my chest. Reluctantly, I wrapped my arms around her, patting her head in the process. The sobbing stopped. And then, silence. She had fallen asleep with a smile on her face. Slowly, I grabbed the sides of her hips, lifting her body away from mine. To my surprise, she was lighter than she looked. Still heavier than Sherry but definitely lighter than Felicia. I could feel my p*nis sliding out of her cave. Once it did, I gave it a quick clean with a water spell before putting on my boxers and trousers again. I gave a quick look-around. Where was the archfey, I wondered? And then, I sensed it. I lifted Myrilla and jumped, just in time to dodge the vines bursting out of the ground. I conjured tendrils of wind to hold Myrilla in the air with me before unsheathing my sword with my left hand, as my right hand was holding my staff. With my sword skills, I cut down all the vines before they could reach my body. Only for more vines to pop out. I flew upwards, going all the way to the ceiling. The place might look like a forest but it was still inside the fortress. It was only natural that the sky up above was fake. And then, after sheathing my sword, I aimed my now free left hand to the trees above. I could afford to do another spell since I didn''t need to use Wind Step to just stand in the air. ¡°Explosion!¡± With that single Master-level spell, I took out a good chunk of the forest in an instant, leaving only a crater behind. And of course, since it was fire magic, the trees that were still around caught fire, spreading the destruction even further. Before I could do so, however¡­ One by one, the trees that I set ablaze withered. As the leaves fell from their branches, they decayed, turning into nothingness before they touched the ground. The same branches then decayed as well, becoming black and rotten before breaking off and disintegrating themselves. The trunks were next, transforming instantly into a pile of decomposing dust. The flames never got anywhere. They lacked the materials needed to make the jump to the rest of the forest. And then, I saw it¡ªa black smoke coming out from the decayed trees, rising right towards where we flew. I activated my Sight and sure enough, the smoke was filled with magic. You didn''t need to be a genius to know what would happen when it reached us. Using my left hand once more, I conjured a massive gust of wind, blowing it around me in an outward direction, preventing any of the smoke from reaching us. Only once it was gone did I stop the spell. "You really are something, aren''t you?" A storm of golden autumn leaves gathered in front of me. An adult woman¡ªwhom I had to admit was quite attractive¡ªwith a pair of large butterfly wings appeared. She put her hands on her hips, leaning forward in a manner that emphasized her breasts, all the while glaring at me as if I did something naughty. "You even repelled my Wind of Autumn. Whatever shall I do with you?" She shook her head. "What did you do to Myrilla?" I narrowed my eyes. "You did something, didn''t you?" A smirk formed on her lips as she straightened herself. "I simply gave her a good dose of my hallucination poison¡ªease her on telling the truth deeply buried inside her heart." I looked down at her unconscious body. Immediately a rush of guilt entered my heart, sinking my heart. I returned my gaze to the archfey, this time a lot harsher than before. "So, are you going to let us go? And where''s Victoria? You yourself admitted that you''re outclassed by me. Better to surrender and just admit that this whole thing was a mistake." The woman burst into a laugh. "Come to the depths of the castle, mortal. Balthazar is waiting for you there. With your precious Victoria." And before I could say anything, she disappeared in a tornado of leaves. The forest then shifted away and we returned back into a normal bedroom-looking room. Noticing the nearby bed, I lifted Myrilla and rested her there. Sitting beside her on the bed, I closed my eyes and concentrated. The moisture in the air in front of me gathered into water before receding into Kiri. "Master! Oooh, how I''m glad I can sense your presence again!" She jumped on top of me to give me a hug. Smiling, patting her on the back, I said to her, "We don''t have much time, Kiri. You have to heal Myrilla right away, okay?" "Okay! Leave it to me, Master!" She released me and giggled, before turning her attention to the demoness. I watched as Kiri formed a handful of water in her palm before feeding it to the demoness. Afterwards, she bathed her entire body with her hot spring water, taking care not to wet the bed itself. Immediately her efforts took effect, with Myrilla coughing before opening her eyes. "You''re awake." I smiled at her. "Now now, take it easy. We can speak about what happened later once you''ve recovered." She paused, looking at me with a puzzled expression on her face. ¡­ Her eyes widened. She remembered. Her face turned beet red. Immediately she turned away, averting her eyes from mine. She wanted to die. She wanted to just vanish into the air and never be seen again. "I''m finished, Master!" Kiri declared with a happy smile as she hovered in the air. "Good work!" I reached out and patted her on the head. "Now, I''m sorry for this but I''ll have to dismiss you now. You might have not noticed but there''s a thick anti-fey ward around here. If you stay, you''ll probably feel awful from it." She nodded. "Understood! I''ll wait back in the forest until you need me again, Master!" She then dissolved back into water before evaporating in an instant. I turned my attention back to Myrilla, who was now snuggled up under the bedsheet that granted her modesty, with her back turned towards me. "... It was true." "What''s true?" "All of it. Everything I said. There''s no point in denying it now, is it?" "...Then, you should already know what I thought about it." I gave her a reassuring smile. Silence. She said nothing as her antennas lit up. "..." "..." "..." "...You really are your father''s son." Her voice cracked and shook, almost as if she was going to cry all over again. "Still, for you to lust over me like that¡ªyou don''t share his faithfulness in the slightest." "Heh, you can blame my old self for that." I grinned. "And now you say you''ll apologize. Even though it was my fault. I was the one who wasn''t able to resist her influence. I was the one who pinned you down." "Yep!" I cheerfully replied. "Nonsense. I''ll do the apologizing. You just stay behind me and be quiet." "Then, we''ll beg for forgiveness from Sherry and Felicia together. After all, you should already know that I''ve promised to myself never to let you be lonely again." S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "...Fool. You can''t say that to a woman who''s not your wife." I chuckled. I could just imagine her being red-faced from that little comment. "It doesn''t have to be that, you know." "So who am I to you then? A pathetic, pitiable woman who has nobody in her entire life?" Sighing, I put my hand on her shoulders. "I can''t bring Father back. But at the very least, I can act as his substitute." "...You can''t be serious." "I am. But of course, I''d have to ask permission from them two first. But I''m sure they''d understand. After all, they too suffered the same loneliness as you suffer today." Once again, the Nerthusian fell silent. She still refused to show her face to me so all I could do was to gauge her reaction by her tone. "...No. That wouldn''t work. I would never feel right putting that burden onto you." Slowly, she sat up, still with her back facing me. I could now see her naked torso and behind as the bedsheet only covered her front. "I screamed Alan''s name when we had our intercourse. It wasn''t you that I wanted inside me. It was him. And it wouldn''t be fair for you or your wives if I used you only to become his replacement." She then stood up, letting the sheet fall down to the floor, exposing her nakedness in all its glory. To my surprise, she then turned to face me. "Thank you, Hugo Greenwood, for your concern. But for now, I am content on being by your side merely as an acquaintance." "However," She placed one hand on her chest. "If one day, I learn to love you as your own person, and not as Alan''s replacement, then on that day, I would accept your offer¡ªeven if it meant being merely a mistress, and not a wife." And then, she smiled. It was the most beautiful smile I had ever saw. Vol 5 Chapter 29: The Former Demon Lord of Wisdom Felicia "You disappoint me, Felicia Myne... I expected much, much more from the necromancer who faced the Church and survived." The elven mage hovered above Felicia, looking down from the top of her book. Her expression was one of disgust as she "And yet, perhaps he did all the work. Perhaps you simply cowered in fear, hiding away in your shadows." Felicia could not respond. It was true. Hugo was the one who saved her from those inquisitors. She didn''t do anything. Felicia gritted her teeth, clenching her staff with her right hand. It hurt. Every inch of her body hurt. There must be burns all over her body. It was only by sheer luck that she wasn''t set on fire by that spell. If it were Hugo in her place, he would''ve defeated this wannabe mage a long time ago. She chuckled. She promised to be an asset to him yet here she was, lying down on the floor with the enemy taunting her from above. She could never be a righteous mage like he was. Back at the academy, she was merely average in subjects not related to alchemy or dark magic. And even now, her non-dark magic spells were far weaker compared to those cast by him. In the end, her destiny was to delve in the realms of darkness and depravity. And she was fine with that, if it was for his sake. "No response? Very well. I''ll end your miserable existence, human. Perhaps your beloved will prove more of a challenge, after he learns that I killed you." A blade forged by the wind formed at her fingertips. And with a wave of her hand, she sent it right towards Felicia. Only for someone to jump out from her shadow, taking the blade in her stead. "...Hmm? What is¡ª Ah, I see. Finally. You''re taking our fight seriously." The elf identified the person in an instant. It was that perverted orc¡ªthe son of that brutish woman. Or rather, his corpse. For the necromancer had resurrected him as a zombie¡ªto be his loyal puppet. "You killed him. I''m surprised you could. How did you do it, if I might add? Surely, you wouldn''t be able to notice his presence. Unless the cloak he wore was flawed?" she asked, a tinge of curiosity surfacing on her dull expression. "Heh, it wasn''t difficult in the slightest." Felicia grinned as she slowly stood back up, using her staff for her to lean on. "He tried to violate me. The fool could''ve killed me immediately but no, he had to overstep his role. Unfortunately for him, I despised being touched by anyone other than Milord. I puked right on him and that puke dirtied the cloth, weakening its effect." "Allowing you to kill him. I knew it. I should''ve known that spider couldn''t do her job right." Felicia summoned a potion from her storage and drank it all in one gulp before storing the now empty phial back. Immediately her burn wounds receded until not a single one remained. "Show me, necromancer. Show me the secrets of soul magic." The elf snapped her fingers, and in an instant, a pillar of fire enveloped the reanimated corpse. When it receded, however... "Impossible..." The corpse was still there, not burnt in the slightest. No, she could definitely see and smell the smoke coming out from it. And yet, the flesh and clothes that should burn did not burn in the slightest. Felicia''s grin grew. That book didn''t lie. The spell really did work as advertised. "You like what you see, elf?" She patted herself on the chest. "I''m no ordinary necromancer. My corpses are all enhanced with a piece of my soul. Fire magic of that level could never take it down!" All this time, she had done necromancy wrong. There was no need in preparing a corpse to be used as your puppet by embalming it with alchemy. All that she could do with magic. Soul magic to be exact. The true form of necromancy. "What is a soul?" It was a question no one could answer satisfactorily. Not even that half-baked book could. The contemporary opinion was that a soul was simply a lump of something that allowed a creature to be sapient. , being the keyword, as no one could really say what it was. You couldn''t extract it out of your body. You couldn''t measure it with any tool as well. It was simply an object known to exist due to the effects it brought to the outside world, not because of its own existence. Until she read the Demon Lord of Death''s book, that is. The answer was laid bare. A soul was simply a lump of mana that contained the essence of the Creator Goddess, Gaia. Yes, the very same Goddess that tormented her dear Hugo. Think of it like a chocolate ball with a nut at the center. The nut is the essence while the chocolate is the mana. Of course, said mana is wildly different from ordinary mana you use to cast your spells. It is bound to the essence, immutable by almost any means with the exception of necromancy and soul magic. Thus, when a necromancer uses a part of his or her own soul to manipulate corpses, he or she shaves a bit of that chocolate and injects it into the corpse. But, what if you could create your own chocolate layering? What if you could thicken your own soul, turning your own mana into becoming part of said lump? Artificial Soul Creation. That was the knowledge she had learned from the book. It wasn''t easy. Not in the slightest. She had to drink a special potion and meditate day after day to achieve it. But thanks to that, she could do this to a corpse¡ªshe could imbue it with far more soul than she could ever before. And then, by using another spell, she could extend that chocolate to form a thin layer around the corpse, giving it immense durability. For that chocolate was a jawbreaker. It was terribly, awfully hard to penetrate. Other than using soul magic, of course. Unfortunately, she couldn''t do the same to herself. She would be killing her own lifespan by thinning her own soul. And she would be damned if she couldn''t spend her old, grandma days with Hugo, their children, their grandchildren, and their great grandchildren! "Now, my filthy orc!" She pointed her staff towards the elf. "Jump towards that woman with all your might!" With that order, the zombified orc jumped, far faster than the elf had anticipated. "And now, explode!" This time around, it was the elf who couldn''t dodge the blast. A burst of dark light burst forth from every orifice of the corpse, followed by a cloud of darkness. The elf reacted by conjuring a barrier out of shadows. Or she would, if not for the fact that explosion occured right before her spell could form. "Arghhh!" With a scream, the elf was sent flying off her book and towards the nearest bookshelf. The impact sent the bookshelf down, creating a tremor that echoed through the library as books upon books rained down to the floor. Luckily for the elf, she didn''t get buried under them, landing on the top instead. As for the giant book itself, it fell to the ground near her before disappearing in a poof of smoke. Felicia submerged herself into her shadow, moving as swiftly as she could to where the elf fell. All the while the orc prince''s corpse reattached themselves¡ªchunk by chunk, skin by skin, bone by bone, even fabric by fabric as well. It was yet another effect of Felicia''s magic, granting every piece of the corpse its own tiny soul. Unfortunately, when she arrived at the massive pile of books, the elf was nowhere to be found. "...I''m impressed. You almost had me there, Felicia Myne." Felicia looked up. And saw the elf back on her book, looking down on her. Only this time she looked visibly disheveled, with the ends of her hair going all over the place and her dress torn in many places Gone were the lazy, disinterested look she had before. Now, she had a grave expression on her face. And she was standing on her two feet instead of sitting. And resting on top of her head was a white, fluffy creature. Felicia could only describe it as a miniature dragon. "If not for my Holy Dragon, I would have perished for sure. That poison of yours was strong¡ªstrong enough to stop my heart and lungs." The elf''s gaze switched to the side. "Even that doesn''t destroy it, huh? What a spell. I suppose you couldn''t tell me how you cast it?" "Hmph," Felicia smirked triumphantly, placing a hand near her chest. "Sorry but it''s a trade secret." "The selfishness of human mages¡­ No. All mages worth their salt are like this. Knowledge is power. And you would be a fool to share that power with others. Look at this library for instance. It took me hundreds of years to gather all the books in it. The Library of Absolute Wisdom. That was its name before I moved it to this floating fortress." Felicia paused, biting her thumb with her lip. "Are you... are you the original Demon Lord of Wisdom? You''re the caretaker of this library, right? How long have you been here?" "How long? A foolish question. We elves do not count our lives the same way as you humans do." Felicia wracked her brain, trying to remember her studies regarding the history of the Demon Continent. ¡°I see it now.¡± Felicia smirked. ¡°You really are the old Demon Lord of Wisdom. Tell me then. Why did you decide to surrender your title to your husband?¡± ¡°¡­None of your business, human. But, if you wish to know that badly, tell me the secret of your necromantic spell.¡± Felicia clicked her tongue. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you. Once you defeat me in combat first. Come, my zombie! Strike her down once more!¡± She couldn¡¯t tell her. No matter what. For the book had made her promise not to tell the knowledge resting in it to anyone unworthy of it. And this elven woman¡ªshe was just like those selfish mages of the Magocracy. There was no worthy bone in her body in the slightest. The orc zombie flew towards the the elf. This time around, however, she was ready. Or rather, the dragon was ready. The dragon let out a screech. A barrier formed around the elf. The very same barrier used by the priests of the Heavenly Dragon. ¡°Stop!¡± Felicia yelled. The orc halted its movement just before it crashed into it. However, the dragon wasn¡¯t finished. It screeched once more, shattering the barrier that surrounded the elf. Turning it into shards that swarmed both the orc and his mistress. Felicia erected her shadow barrier, just in time to prevent any of the shards to hurt her. As for the orc, it just tanked all the shards, resulting in it being shredded into pieces. Unfortunately, it was unable to reform itself immediately, thanks to the holy energy that had poisoned it. And that gave an opening for the elf to strike. "Water Spout." She pointed her finger towards her. No. Not her. Felicia jumped backwards, using her shadows to throw herself further into the distance. Just in time to dodge the massive torrent of water bursting out of the floor she was standing on. "Shadows! Transform into swords and swarm her!" She aimed her staff towards the elf, sending a rain of swords made out of shadows towards her. The dragon screeched again, erecting a barrier just in time to block all of them. Knowing she was at a disadvantage, Felicia retreated, submerging herself inside her shadow before slithering away. "Running away? This can''t be all you can do, can it?" The elf descended, and the moment her feet touched the floor, the giant book slammed itself shut before transforming itself into its small, normal book-sized form. It then hovered around the elf, whose eyes were now sweeping across the room. "It doesn''t matter where you go. There''s no escaping this place." She snapped her fingers. With a loud rumble, the books around her came to life, forming golems made out of paper and leather. Their sizes varied, from the small ones the sizes of dogs to the towering ones the size of a house. Every book she collected over the years was charmed by her, allowing her to use them as her loyal watchdogs. Truthfully, she didn''t care whether her books remained in good condition or not. After all, she already remembered every single knowledge written on them. "Flawless Memory". It was the mutation she possessed from the day she was born. It was her who told Balthazar of the truth of the world all those years ago. For she had lived a long, long time, far longer than the average elves of the world. Indeed, she possessed the lifespan of a high elf. For she had lived through two Cycles of the world. She was there when the old Demon God was born. She was there too before when the world was a completely different place. "You can''t stay inside your shadow however, you know. Just like a human needs air as she swims, so do you as well. Unless, of course, you prefer being swallowed by your own shadows." She snapped her fingers again and in an instant, ink began to leak from the golems, slowly spreading to every inch of the library floor. "My ink will find you. It is only a matter of time." "As for your little puppet here..." She aimed her left hand towards the reforming corpse, her right hand holding onto her book. "He can take a good, nice rest under the ice." With a Frost Nova, she buried the orc under a pile of snow and ice. ? Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the elf, Felicia (in her shadow form) was jumping from bookshelves to bookshelves, trying to dodge both the golems and the ink they were now drowning the place in. Felicia slithered onto the edge of the bookshelf she was on. She then waited until both the golems and the elf looked away before jumping across to a different one. It took her a good few minutes until she was right on top of the elf. Just in time before she reached the limit of her spell. She jumped out of the shadow, holding the blade with her left hand in a stabbing motion as shadow tendrils surrounded her, aiding in her descent. Only to find that the barrier was still there. She had fallen into her trap. "Found you." The elf glanced towards her, a victorious smirk appearing on her face. And fired a point blank lightning spell, right towards her chest. "Gyaaaahhhhhhh!" Felicia screamed, her vision darkening as she fell to the floor. Her shadow tendrils dissolved, losing the strength needed to continue as their caster failed to supply the requisite mana. The elf gave her body a kick, making her face towards her and not towards the floor. "Her pupils are entirely white... and I don''t see her chest moving... I guess she really died from that spell...." "Humans... they''re so fragile and short-lived..." "Now, I just need to extract any objects she stored in her Dimensional Storage. I have to do it quickly before it collapses entirely." S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She knelt down, placing one hand on her chest while the other held onto her book. She closed her hands and began to concentrate, linking her mana flow with hers. She never realized that Felicia... was not completely dead. SLICE A simple dagger, made out of shadow, sliced her on her left wrist, the one that was near her body. It was all she needed to win. With a smile, she whispered the chant, gripping her staff as tightly as she could as she smiled at her. "Blood Magic. Blood Marionette." The elf froze. She could no longer move. Realizing that its mistress was in danger, the dragon leaped forward, fully intending to chomp Felicia''s head off. Unfortunately, it was dismissed by the very same mistress it was supposed to save. "Drop that book." Her right hand obeyed, letting the magic book fall to the ground. "Now, kill yourself, would you kindly?" Felicia smirked. The elf''s eyes went wide with fear. Tears began to brim inside her pupils as she slowly brought her hands towards her neck. She could do nothing. Even her mental commands to her golems weren''t received by them. She had ensured that she wouldn''t be able to cast any spells either by blocking the flow of her mana. It was the pinnacle of Blood Magic. She casted Blood Marionette without a chant and at such a high speed. And she managed to gain control in an instant as well. She had lived for thousands of years. And yet, she never managed to master Blood Magic to that level. Just like how she never mastered necromancy to her level. "This-this is unfair!" She yelled, as Felicia still allowed her to speak. "You can''t do this to me, you human! You''ve planned this from the start, haven''t you?!" Felicia''s smirk only grew. "That''s right. I know it was a trap from the start. Do you take me for a fool?" Her fingers were now wrapped around her throat. And against her will, they began to dig themselves into her skin. "W-wait! I give up! I surrender! I admit that you''re a superior mage than me!" The elf squealed. "I don''t care about that. All I want to know is where that Victoria girl is, as well as Lord Hugo and the others'' whereabouts." "The girl is below this library, at the very core of the fortress... As for your friends, I don''t know. The spell couldn''t bring you all to a single place so it scattered your group all around the fortress." "Ah, so it was you who made the spell." "Haa... haa... haa..." Adele took a deep, long breath, relieved that Felicia was merciful enough to stop the choking. "Tell me then." Felicia kneeled in front of her, giving her a smile that terrified the elf. "What''s your plan with her, hmm? Why do you care so much for a half-fey like her to be doing all of this? You''re the brains of this whole place, aren''t you, Miss Former Demon Lord of Wisdom?" The elf had no choice but to respond. Vol 5 Chapter 30: Hugo vs The Demon Lord of Wisdom Hugo ¡°So, uhh, your clothes¡­ they really are gone?¡± ¡°Yes. The archfey¡¯s thorns ripped them off to pieces.¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re this calm standing in front of me without any clothes. I can see your¡­ well, everything.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯ve known my deepest feelings. I don¡¯t see why my body should remain hidden from you. And besides, I know very well just how much of a pervert you are. Even now, you¡¯re ogling me up and down. You even got a stiffie down there.¡± ¡°E-eh? I do?¡± My hands reflexively went to cover my crotch. After our heart-to-heart chat, Myrilla and I gave a throughout search of the now much smaller room. It was now a bedroom instead of a forest, and a pretty lavish one at that. It looked like the bedroom of a royalty. We quickly found Myrilla¡¯s staff. Unfortunately, the same couldn¡¯t be said with her clothes. ¡°Oh, we haven¡¯t checked the wardrobe over there, have we?¡± I pointed at the corner of the room. ¡°Hey, maybe there are some clothes you can wear there.¡± Myrilla nodded before walking towards the wardrobe, opening it with her telekinesis. What she found inside, however, was not the dress she wanted. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s with the frown? Is it empty or some¡ªwoaahhh!¡± I glanced towards Myrilla. Immediately my mind imagined her wearing some of the costumes. ¡°No, I am not wearing any of them. So stop that thought at once.¡± She glared. ¡°Well, you still gotta choose one. Unless you want to run around naked.¡± I grinned. She could not respond. ? ¡°Oooo, you look good in those, Myrilla!¡± In the end, she settled on a really skimpy, really translucent black negligee. It failed to hide the black panties she wore underneath. And of course, being the flat-chested woman she was, she wore no bra with it. And I got to see every second of her wearing it. ¡°You really are a pervert.¡± She glared at me, a small blush sweetening her cheeks. ¡°You know, you¡¯ve said that over and over, you¡¯re starting to sound like a broken record.¡± I grinned. ¡°I do hope you leering over my body won¡¯t make you let your guard down in a fight.¡± ¡°Heh, don¡¯t worry. A fight is a fight. Ogling a cute girl is another.¡± ¡°¡­I am not a cute girl.¡± ¡°Do you prefer I call you a sexy older woman instead?¡± I smiled. She looked away, her face turning even redder. ¡°A womanizer. Just like your father,¡± she mumbled under her breath. ? We made our way outside the room. Closing the door behind us, we were back in the hallways we arrived from. However, it was clear as day that we had arrived in a different section of said hallway as just to our right, there was a door that led to a staircase, going down to the darkness below. ¡°Ah, there it is.¡± I pointed towards it. ¡°That should take us to the center of the fortress.¡± ¡°Hugo, I think you should go down there alone.¡± Myrilla spoke. ¡°Hmm?¡± I looked at her. ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re not going to help me?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help you. You¡¯re a lot stronger than I am. It would be better if I go search for the others.¡± I paused, tilting my head ¡°You got a point. But can you remember the way to get back here?¡± She frowned. ¡°Do you take me for a fool?¡± ¡°N-no! Not at all! I¡¯m just worried you and the others will get lost again. Call it a hunch but I feel the whole place might explode once I win against the Demon Lord.¡± ¡°Explode?¡± She raised her eyebrows. ¡°I suppose there is always the possibility of him not having the dignity to lose gracefully. All the more reason why I should fetch the others.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave it up to you, Myrilla.¡± I nodded. I turned to face the door. The staircase inside seemingly went forever, into the darkness down below. With a slight twinge of fear, and a great pinch of alertness, I entered. ? Theo ¡°Urghhhh¡­¡± My eyes fluttered open. And the very first thing I saw was a tearful face of a very beautiful elven girl. ¡°Oh! Thank goodness you¡¯re alive, Theo!¡± I cocked my head to the side. And sure enough, I could see her unconscious body laying down on the floor. And it just so happened that her butt was facing right towards my sight. ¡°H-hey, let me go! I don¡¯t know who you are but I need to help my friend!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She released her grip, tilting her head with a confused look. ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know who I¡ªoohhh!¡± She covered her mouth and giggled. She then stood up, allowing me to look up her extremely short skirt. ¡°I¡¯m your mother, Tira!¡± ¡°You know how us elves will grow to adulthood in an instant? Well, that¡¯s what happened with me! I grew up in a middle of a fight!¡± She smiled, resting her hand on her chest. I instinctively scooted backwards, averting my gaze from her panties, moving it to her body instead. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. BA-DUMP I could feel my face warming up just from looking at her. Her sparkling, unblemished skin, her long, silver hair, now going all the way down to her waist, and her sensual thighs that her now far too small skirt failed to hide at all, it took all my will to stop ogling her. "How do I look?" She giggled again, twirling in place, giving me a full view of her now five-sizes-too-small panties. ¡°Y-you¡¯re¡­ different¡­¡± was all that I could blurt out. ¡°Different¡­¡± She stopped, a sad look on her face. ¡°I suppose it will take you some time to get used to my new looks. But on the bright side¡± She clasped her hands together. ¡°I get to be your mother properly now!¡± ¡°S-sure...¡± I replied, nodding with my mouth halfopen Afterwards, Mother made her way to Tama and used her healing spell on her as well. Before I could ask her why she could use healing spells all of a sudden, she explained that thanks to her transforming into her adult self, her magic had become a lot stronger, resulting in her being able to cast water and lightning magic. And at the same time too, with dual magic. "Uuhhhh..." With a cat-like stretch, Tama woke up from her slumber. Blinking, she looked at Mother, then at me, then at Mother again. "Hello, Tama! I''m glad you''re fine as well!" Mother smiled. "Before you ask, I''m Tira! It''s a long story how I got to be like this so please be patient, alright?" She then explained everything that had happened ever since we lost to that ogre, all while Tama sat cross-legged with a confused and dumbfounded look on her face. ¡°Really?! You beat her all by yourself?! That¡¯s amazing, Mother!¡± ¡°Oh no, you helped too, remember?¡± Tira giggled. ¡°No...¡± I shook my head, lowering my gaze. ¡°I didn¡¯t help at all¡­¡± ¡°What happened to her?¡± Tama asked, a serious look on her face. ¡°Did you¡­¡± Tira pointed to the corner of the room. There, we saw the horned girl, slumped in a sitting position with her shoulder leaning on the wall. A trail of blood followed her from the middle of the room. I looked at Mother. ¡°Is she¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s dead.¡± Mother said with a grave look. ¡°I could still feel her breathing, even if just a little. She¡¯s in quite the grave state though due to the wound I inflicted on her.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you finish her off?¡± Tama asked with a curious look. Mother shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s necessary. She won¡¯t be a threat to us.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Demons can be really durable, you know.¡± I looked back at the horned girl, remembering how she was when he had our conversation. Tama then stood up, patting her skirt for any stray dust before offering her hand to me. ¡°You¡¯re alright, Theo?¡± ¡°Y-yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± I smiled at her, grabbing her hand and letting her pull me up. ¡°Mother healed me up.¡± All of a sudden, she averted her gaze, looking down at her boots instead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I wasn¡¯t strong enough to be of help of you¡­¡± Her tail and ears drooped down. ¡°H-hey, don¡¯t be sorry!¡± I grabbed her hands. ¡°You did your best, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°My best is not nearly enough.¡± She bit her lip. ¡°If not for Tira having her transformation just at the right time, you would be dead!¡± She yelled, looking at me with tears swimming in her eyes. ¡°We would all be dead!¡± ¡­ ¡­ I gave her a hug. I gave her the best hug that I could muster. ¡°Don¡¯t bear the guilt all by yourself, silly! We¡¯re all in this together! If you¡¯re weak, then I¡¯m weak as well!¡± I released my embrace, placing my hands on her shoulders as I smiled at her. Now that I had grown up a little, I could look at her eye to eye. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have come,¡± she said, looking at me in the eyes. ¡°We¡¯re just a burden to Hugo. We¡¯re not strong enough to fight his enemies.¡± My smile disappeared. She was right. We were way over our heads. We just selfishly believed Master Hugo would save us if anything happened. Mother walked up to us, giving both of us a headpat. An easy thing to do, now that she was taller than us both. ¡°Cheer up! You two would only get stronger as you grow older! Just like me!¡± She giggled. A smile formed on Tama¡¯s face. Sometimes, I wonder if Tama saw Mother as her mother too. ? Sherry After defeating the lamia, Sherry took some time to rest and heal her wounds. Using the technique taught to her by her grandmother, she could combine the healing properties of her hair and the ambient demonic mana in the air to heal herself in a terrifyingly fast manner, especially since the latter was abundant in number, due to the place being the dwelling of a Demon Lord. Once she¡¯s finished, and by that, she meant just enough healing for her to be able to fight again, she made her way outside. She had to find Hugo ASAP. She had wasted enough time as it was fighting. Unfortunately, thanks to her clothes being destroyed in the fight, her only option for modesty was to wear her own hair as her clothes. ¡°Come on out, you weaklings!¡± She yelled. ¡°I¡¯ve killed your friends! Don¡¯t you wish to avenge them?¡± No response. ¡°How about you, Demon Lord?! You¡¯re just going to let your wives die?!¡± No response either. She gritted her teeth. Why weren¡¯t they posting more soldiers here? She expected much more from a Demon King¡¯s lair! ¡°Hugo! Myrilla! Felicia! Tama! Tira! Theo! Are any of you around?!¡± As if Fate itself answered her, the moment she turned at the next corner, she crashed into one of them. It was Myrilla. ¡°Ouch!¡± Sherry fell on her butt. ¡°Hey, watch where you¡¯re¡ª Myrilla! Wait, why are you wearing that skimpy lingerie?¡± ¡°And why are you naked?¡± she replied, giving her an annoyed frown. ¡°The lamia wife destroyed my clothes, that¡¯s why.¡± She pouted. ¡°Mine was destroyed by the archfey. Had to wear these as a result.¡± The two stood up. Myrilla then proceeded to tell her everything that had happened with her and Hugo. When she was finished, Sherry only had one thing to say. ¡°I¡¯ll go with him! You go to the others, alright?¡± Myrilla nodded. Sherry was their second strongest fighter, just below Hugo. He could use her help for sure. And with that, the two separated once more. ? The Demon Lord waited. Not in his throne room, no. That place was now vacant. It was merely a place to receive visitors so there was no need to defend it. Instead, he waited inside the deepest chamber of his fortress, right beside his ultimate prize. The white-haired horned man stood in front of Victoria with his arms folded, his eyes resting on her form. Not because she was ogling her large breasts and exposed panties, for he never really felt what humans called lust, being a Naturian. But because he was wondering¡ªwondering how it felt to be half-human half-fey like her. Humans were short-lived, feeble creatures. They could not comprehend anything that didn¡¯t benefit them in the short term. In that way, they were similar to the fey, who also only cared about the present moment, never to the future. Even though the feys were immortal. No, to be more precise, humans did not care about the future that would come after their deaths. They only cared about the future that they would enjoy. Glory, wealth, love¡ªhumans obsessed over those as they would grant them a bright and beautiful future. The future for them, not for the world. He gazed at Victoria¡¯s slumbering face. ¡°Dearest! Dearest! Oh, dearest! The Demon Lord turned to face the voice, for it came from behind him. A silver-haired spider woman. She was bending her eight legs and lowering her head. ¡°Dearest! That Izurd¡ªshe¡¯s just too strong and scary! She has killed Esana and Ulum and I¡­ I don¡¯t think Aisha will be able to win on her own!¡± ¡°¡­So why did you leave?¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°W-well, that¡¯s because¡­ that¡¯s because she¡¯s just too scary!¡± The woman crawled forward and hugged him with her human arms. ¡°We got her, you know. She was wounded all over. We knocked her unconscious and we even made her wet herself! But she just stood up and killed the two like it was nothing! And then she gave this terrible, awful killing aura that made all my hair stood up!¡± ¡°So then you run?¡± ¡°Y-yes! I got no choice! I¡¯m no match for her! I¡¯m not like that lamia! I¡¯m sorry, darling!¡± She hugged him tighter, pressing her breasts more into his chest. The Demon Lord didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t return her hug not did he give her any comforting words. Emotions¡­ both a weakness and a gift. ? Hugo Several excruciating minutes had passed since I descended down the staircase and if I were to be honest, there were no signs of the exit anytime soon. It was as if I was descending down the earth itself, even though I was inside a floating fortress right now. Still, I kept my guard up, scanning any signs of magic with every step I took, ensuring I wouldn¡¯t fall for any traps the Demon Lord might have in store. The only light I had was from the claustrophobic glowing walls to my left and right. It was pretty dim so I still cast a fire orb to circle around myself¡ªthe usual ¡°mage¡¯s torch¡±. I saw it¡ªlight coming from down below. It didn¡¯t take long until the tight and narrow staircase expanded into a massive room. I didn¡¯t come out on the ground level, however. Instead, I was now at the very top, with the rest of the room under me, opening wide like a giant hole. And down there, I found her at last. I closed my eyes, focusing my mind to my surroundings, sensing the mana flow in the air. I opened my eyes and took a deep breath, gripping my staff as tightly as I could. ¡°Dispel.¡± I began to channel my raw mana to the palm of my left hand. I then spread it across the room, slowly but surely, starting from around me. It quickly weakened and dispersed the demonic mana that enveloped the room, turning it into its original, raw mana form. And then, I saw her. Or rather, I sensed her. An arachne woman, hanging from the ceiling, ready to strike from above. A second later, she jumped down. Right into the edge of my blade. ¡­ She didn¡¯t even have time to scream. Her head rolled off the platform, falling all the way down to the floor level, her face frozen in fear As for her body, it remained beside me, gushing rivers of blood. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be alarmed, human. I won¡¯t use her cheap trick anymore.¡± A deep and authoritative voice boomed across the room. The Demon Lord¡¯s voice. He now stood at the bottom of the room in front of Victoria. His gaze, however, was directed towards me instead. It was a cold and lifeless gaze, almost as if he was a robot. Or a corpse. ¡°Descend. I wish to speak to he who named himself Hugo Greenwood.¡± I did as he was told, flying slowly through the air, still eyeing my surroundings in search for traps or any other surprises. Landing in front of him, I noticed a bundle of translucent fabric to his side. It seemed to be a cloak of some kind. I then got a good look at him up close. He looked exactly like I had imagined him to be ¨C a with long, white hair, pitch black spiky armor (and a piercing gaze that I imagined was popular with his wives, and whatever maids he had to the side. ¡°Look, all I want is Victoria. If you just let me go with her, I¡¯ll leave you alone.¡± ¡°Such confidence. Do you truly believe you can win against me?¡± A terrifying aura burst forth from his personage, clearly intended to intimidate me. And, I had to admit, it was quite the terrifying aura indeed. I could feel every hair on my body rising ¨C every instinct telling me to run away. And yet, it was still less terrifying than the aura Sherry¡¯s grandmother blasted me with. ¡°Heh¡­ hehehehehe¡­¡± ¡°¡­What amuses you, human?¡± ¡°You think you¡¯re some kind of a big shot, aren¡¯t you, flaunting your strength like that?¡± I grinned. ¡°Unfortunately for you, it will never work. For I have met another Demon Lord ten times stronger and scarier than you are!¡± He was strong. There was no doubt about it. But, just like Sherry said, he was yet a weakling compared to Quania. Slowly, as subtly as I could, I began weaving mana around my right hand, the one gripping my staff. There was one thing this staff was really good at, and that was storing and dispersing mana. It could do so with far higher efficiency than the old staff I used before. And what do you know, it was especially good with time magic. Meaning, I could store my Accelerate inside it. And then, the moment I needed it, I would use it to boost my Super Boom Cannon, and that would be a Grandmaster-level spell right to his face. If he didn¡¯t notice anyway. ¡°Why do you want her so badly anyway?¡± I asked. Might as well keep him occupied with more talking as I charged my spell. ¡°Her power is needed. For me to become a Demon God.¡± ¡°Oh? Then why haven¡¯t you eaten her heart already? Your race can do that to gain someone¡¯s power, correct?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that to a fey.¡± ¡°And so you have to use this whole device-thing to do it.¡± I gave a quick glance to my surroundings though not without losing my sight on him. ¡°So,¡± A smirk formed on my face. ¡°You admit you¡¯re not strong enough to be the Demon God. You¡¯re saying there are other Demon Lords that won¡¯t bow to you.¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°¡­Tell me, human. Do you know what it takes to be a Demon God?¡± ¡°Hmm? Be the strongest demon and unite all the Demon Continent under your banner?¡± ¡°Correct. And, unfortunately, there is another more qualified than me for the title.¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°And who would that be?¡± ¡°One blessed by the true Goddess. In just a few years, he managed to carve out his own kingdom at the cursed lands down to the far south of the continent. I¡­ never received Her blessing.¡± ¡°You know about her?¡± ¡°She came to my dreams. It was her who piqued my interest to be the Demon God. But she betrayed me. She decided to give the throne to someone else.¡± ¡°Then, we should be allies!¡± I smiled. ¡°I hate her just as much as you do! I¡¯ve been tormented by her all my life, you know!¡± A small look of surprise came to his cold expression. ¡°You can remember her¡­ You¡¯re no ordinary man¡­¡± ¡°I see it now. You are one of her Hero candidates, aren¡¯t you? A Hero needs a tragic backstory. But you¡­ you were denied by her in the end. That¡¯s why your strength is middling compared to the true Hero.¡± "I have a proposition for you, Hugo Greenwood. Join me. Aid me in defeating that Demon God Candidate and I''ll release the girl." "I''d have to say no." I gave him my confident smirk. "I got my own life goals to meet, which doesn''t involve being your subordinate. So let her go, alright? So I don''t have to kill you too, just like I''ve killed your wives." A flash of slight disappointment from his face. It was all I got before he began his attack. Or rather, his summon. "Selene Treskios, heed my call!" "Super Boom Cannon!" A burst of light filled the room, right as I fired my full-power spell. When the light receded, I was somewhere else entirely. Vol 5 Chapter 31: Intermission – Ars The Hero Sigil. The city that settled itself in the middle of a swamp. Normally, the city''s visitors were mostly pilgrims or those with business with the Church, as the existence of a Grand Priest was the only thing the place had going for it. Lately, however, things had changed quite considerably. The normally active Temple Knights who patrolled the area could no longer be seen doing so as some time ago, a large continent of them departed, leaving the city to merely a handful of knights. As a result, the roads to get there had become a lot more dangerous. Monsters roamed unchecked. Bandits as well. And it just so happened that the latter was unfortunate enough to meet with a certain sword princess. ¡°Alright, ladies! You know the drill! Hand over everything and we¡¯ll let you live! And yes, that includes your pretty clothes as well!¡± The bandits, numbered around thirty or so, were all laughing and grinning lewdly at them. They had just hit a jackpot. Not only did they catch three pretty women as their prey, they looked positively loaded as well. The brown-haired girl especially, with that expensive-looking clothes and sword of her. ¡°Come on now. Strip. You value your lives more than your dignity, right? If you do, I promise, I won¡¯t harm a single¡ª¡± He never got to finish his sentence. In a blink of an eye, the brown-haired girl unsheathed her sword and took out all of them. All forty of them, in a single move. Little did they know that they were trying to rob Fiora Guinevere Pendragon, an (almost) Virtuoso-level sword princess, recently graduated from the Order of Galahad. ¡°Haah. This place really has gotten worse ever since we were last here.¡± She shook her head as she sheathed back her sword. ¡°That¡¯s how many bandits already?¡± ¡°Counting the ones we just defeated, that would be 100 bandits, Milady,¡± the maid beside her spoke. She was Helen, the personal imperial maid of yours truly. ¡°100? That¡¯s quite a lot¡­ I suppose with the whole war going on, they¡¯re gathering all the soldiers to the front lines.¡± The war, of course, was the war that the Magocracy started. Ever since they began to invade their neighbors in the Southwest Continent, the Empire had been in full alert mode. They had cut their trade with them and sealed off their borders. It didn¡¯t help that the rumors of the current Emperor being in their deathbed had already spread like wildfire. They couldn¡¯t afford a succession crisis now for sure. Still, Fiora had no plans to go home just yet. In fact, it would be better if she just proved her mettle in the battlefield against the Magocracy. That way, she could be a war hero, earning her support from the general populace. But, if she had to guess, the Church had different plans for whom the hero would be. ¡°We¡¯re wasting time.¡± The twintail redhead declared. ¡°Shouldn''t we hurry and head to Frastel¡ªwhatever that city is? Ars is there, right? You said it yourself that he would probably lead the Empire''s army against the Magocracy." "Ah, I do remember saying something to that effect some time ago..." Fiora gave her friend a cheeky grin. Her name was Sara. A friend/rival of sorts from the Galahad order. She''s pretty strong as a swordswoman herself but not as strong as she was of course. She was here because Ars was her crush. And the poor thing was left behind like a lost kitten without a word. To be frank, Fiora herself didn''t know for sure where he headed. It was only by asking around that they had an inkling of his trajectory. They asked about a really powerful swordsman and they quickly found rumors of one heading west. It seemed that on his trail, he left a pile of bandits in his wake. "But, do not fret. He did go through here after all. Remember all those stories about a demon swordsman clearing the bandits in the region? We''re doing the same thing as he did so we must be on the right trail!" Fiora grinned, nodding as she folded her hands under her chest. "Hmph, fine! But if we miss him again, it''s on you!" With a huff, the redhead climbed up her horse, followed by Fiora and Helen on their own. With a hit of her boot and a lash of her reins, Sara launched herself forward. Fiora and Helen had to do the same to keep up. ? After a few more hours of horse-riding, they finally arrived. Sigil. The holy city amidst the swamps. Fiora gazed at the foggy structure in the distance. "Hiya! Hyaa!" Sara ran forward, her twin tails trailing behind her as she crossed a puddle of muddy water, splashing the dirty water everywhere. Fiora wrinkled her nose. If it weren''t for the enchantments woven into the garments she wore, they would''ve become all dirty and grimy a long time ago. Indeed, she now no longer wore the simple outfit she wore back at Galahad. She was now dressed more spiffily, back to a dress that was more suited for someone of her stature. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt with a blue short dress, with white stockings and black dress boots. It was an outfit she had ordered at one of the high-class establishments she visited on her way here. She still had some money left with her so might as well use it to look more presentable. Unlike her friend over there, who insisted wearing the same clothes, despite her advice. Fiora smiled. She then kicked her horse, chasing after her. Behind her, Helen shook her head. She could see her mistress''s white panties from where she sat. She had disapproved of how short that dress was, barely reaching down her upper thighs. But the mistress insisted, saying that it was necessary for mobility''s sake. Still, even with the high possibility of exposure, the dress indeed suited her. She looked lovely and elegant in it and it matched perfectly with the sword princess aesthetic she was going for. She could only hope she wouldn''t flash anyone while wearing it. And she had to be aware of any perverted men that might ogle her juicy legs and thighs as her bodyguard. She sighed. It seemed her job had become a little more difficult than before. ? Entering the city, the trio didn''t waste any time. They immediately made their way to the temple where the Grand Priestess resided. Fiora declared her identity to the guards, allowing them entry without any fuss. To Fiora''s surprise, the Grand Priestess herself was there to meet them. "Welcome, Your Royal Highness. It''s been a while since we last met." They were now inside the main building, sitting on a long couch face to face with the wolf woman. Her key-shaped staff stood beside her as she was crossing her arms, glaring at Fiora. Lunarya Silvermoon. The Grand Priestess of Sigil. Fiora still remembered when they sparred all those years ago. "You really caught me at a bad time, princess. As I''m sure you already know, the whole Empire is in at uproar now. And the Church as well, thanks to our good friends down at the Southwest Continent." "I know." Fiora smiled, her hands resting on her lap. "Which is why I''ll make this visit short. Do you know a man named Ars?" The Grand Priestess froze, lines forming on her forehead. Sighing, she answered, "Ars? I do know him. He passed through here a week ago." "Wait, really?!" Sara jumped out of her seat, slamming her hands on the low table in front of her. "Where did he go?!" The priestess switched her sharp gaze towards the redhead. "What do you want with him, girl?" "What kind of a question is that? I''m his girl¡ª f-friend!" She quickly corrected herself, blushing. "I-it''s only natural I wanna know where he went!" Switching her gaze back to Fiora, she then asked, "Do you know who this Ars really is?" "Of course." Fiora smirked. "The one chosen by the Heavenly Dragon Himself to be the next Legendary Hero. I assume you''ve received your "divine revelation"?" Sighing, the priestess slumped backwards in her seat. "Yes. Yes I did. And I did not like it one bit." The conversation died down as Sara returned to her seat, sending an impatient glare towards the priestess. Fiora took a sip of her tea, gracefully served by the maids of the priestess before the latter arrived. "The Church... They''re in tatters right now. Our leader, Saint Catherine, is missing. Her subordinates ended up being the ones running the show right now. And they couldn''t reach a consensus on what to do. With the recent expulsion of human colonies on the Demon Continent, and now this war, they don''t know which enemy they should pay their attention to most." "Hmm, the Saint is missing, you say? How curious..." Fiora crossed her legs. "I expected her to be leading the frontline with Ars as her Hero." "No." The priestess shook her head. "He came here alone. He asked for directions to the Magocracy and I told him where to go. The rascal knocked out all my knights just to meet me, and just to ask for directions at that. What was he thinking?" "Do you know he''s the new Legendary Hero then?" Fiora asked. "Yes. I could tell just by looking at him. I advised him to wait but he insisted on going. He said that the Great Saint is waiting for him there." "The Great Saint?" Fiora furrowed her eyebrows. "As in, Milicis herself?" "Look, I don''t understand either. The revelation I got said nothing about supporting him. All I know is that he''s supposed to be the hero that will deliver us from the dark days ahead." "Thank you for the information, Miss Silvermoon." Fiora smirked again. "I think I have an inkling on what''s going on right now." "Really?" Sara looked at her. "Then what are we waiting for? We should go immediately!" "Hey, stop smirking and let''s get going!" Sara stood up. "You''re going to go after him?" Lunarya asked. "Hmph, you still want the throne, I presume." "Of course." Fiora stood up as well, smiling confidently. "It''s my dream after all. And I see a golden opportunity to do so." "You''re not going to visit your sickly father?" Fiora paused for a moment, seemingly taken aback by her question. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "...No. There''s no need for me to do so," Fiora replied coldly. "If he dies, he dies. Me being there won''t help with his illness." "...How cold. I see you''re still the same as ever. Or have you grown more arrogant now that you''re a lot stronger?" "Want to test me? I can spare five minutes for a spar." The two women eyed each other, enough that Sara felt hesitant in voicing her protest. "You know, I wonder... Why haven''t you gone to the front lines? You''re a powerful combat priestess, aren''t you? They can use your talent, you know." "My place is here, guarding this city. The Imperial Knights are strong enough to contend with the Magocracy." "Ah. Them. I suppose they''re all down there now?" The two glared at each other for a little while longer before Lunarya surrendered, shaking her head in the process. "...Go. You''ll have my blessing if you''re acknowledged to be useful by the Hero." "Duly noted." Fiora gave a curtsy before leaving the room, signalling Sara and Helen to follow her. When the door closed behind them, Lunarya let out a sigh. She stood up, walking towards the nearby window, looking through it to the gardens below. ? Meanwhile, somewhere near Frastelleren... "I''ve come, just like you wanted me to. So let''s get this over with." A dark-haired man stood on the pure white beach, though its whiteness couldn''t be seen due to the blanket of night covering it. In front of her was a golden-haired woman in a simple white robe. Her long, curly hair blew in the night wind as well as the long sleeves and hem of her dress. He paused for a little bit, staring in awe at her divine visage. It was as if she was glowing under the moonlight. He knew who she was. It was the woman she had seen in her dreams. Catherine. Or rather, Milicis. They were one and the same. "Welcome. You''ve arrived just in time, O Great Hero Ars. Tell me, do you enjoy the title I''ve bequeathed to you?" She smiled. "Have you gotten used to striking down injustice with your blade?" Ars knew what she meant. Ever since he started his journey, he kept meeting with monsters and bandits and all the scum of the world that he had to cut down. He took their lives as easily as he cut down his trees. He really didn''t feel anything towards them, other than disgust perhaps. "I don''t like it. I''m no warrior. I''m a lumberjack. You even force me to wield a sword instead of an axe." "A sword is a hero''s weapon. An axe is a barbarian''s." Ars had been called to be here at this exact date tonight by the woman, who was none other than Saint Catherine herself. The latter, however, wore a simple long white robe with no decorations whatsoever, unbefitting for the supposed head of the Milicis Church. As for Ars himself, well, he didn''t wear some gaudy heroic armor either. He only wore a simple adventurer outfit. Nothing that fits the visage of a hero. "Now, climb up this boat. We shall travel together to the land of the beast." The boat she referred to was none other than the tiny, two-man fishing boat behind her, swaying up and down following the waves washing into the shore. Ars frowned. "Are you serious? You want us to cross the sea with that dinky thing?" "Do not worry. My blessing will ensure that it is safe." "Even with the seafolk guarding the route?" "Even with them." Ars might have never left his hometown before this but from his studies he knew for a fact that humanity was only allowed specific routes to cross the seas. The rest belonged to the seafolk, who would sink any ships that dared to break the pact they had made with the land-dwellers. "Believe me. I will not lead us both astray." Ars shrugged. It wasn''t like he had a choice. Whatever she said, he had to obey. As he dragged the boat to the water, he decided to ask the thing that had been bugging him ever since their meeting. "How did you get here anyways? Aren''t you supposed to be in the Holy Land." "I have my ways¡ªways that do not concern you. So, if you would, keep silent and move the boat." "And how did you get this boat? Bought it off some fisherman?" She didn''t answer his second question. Instead, she just gazed silently into the gloomy, dark horizon of the ocean before them. Ars let out a groan in silence. Catherine and Milicis ¡ª two souls sharing the same body. That was the truth she herself taught him through his dreams. No, not dreams. More like, projections. Whenever she appeared, she would look more... ethereal, compared to this. Now, and only now, he finally met her in the flesh. The divinity emanating from her... It was unmistakable. And yet, at the same time, she was unmistakably human. "Now what? Am I supposed to paddle this boat all the way to the Southern Continent?" he asked once the boat was in the water. "Couldn''t you?" The Saint smiled. "The Heavenly Dragon has gifted you with immense strength, has He not?" He couldn''t reply. No matter how much he wanted to yell how much of an idiotic thing she just suggested, he knew the truth. He could do it. He could row his way to the Southwestern Continent. Grumbling under his breath, he offered his hand to the Saint, helping her to get on the boat. "Now that''s a good boy." She took his hand. "You are the Hero Ars after all." Vol 5 Chapter 32: Mage vs Mage The Starswept Observatorium. One of the so-called World Dungeons and one of the main attractions of the city of Arborea. These days, however, no one came to visit. The reason? The place had grown to be inhospitable to its main visitors, that being adventurers. Not only that it no longer gave treasure chests with valuables inside, any adventurers that entered them recently never returned, thanks to the teleporters shutting down. The city''s Adventurer''s Guild had issued an official S-rank quest to investigate this problem but after the top guilds disappeared taking it, no one else dared to do the same. In short, it was becoming a giant headache for the House of Relfatia, the de-facto ruler of the city. ? Marlene Fey Relfatia rubbed her forehead, her gaze resting on the book she was reading. The blonde-haired woman was sitting on her desk in her bedroom, still wearing her nightgown. It was early in the morning and sunlight was barely creeping into her room from the window. Heavy bags could be seen weighing her eyes. Along with her messy hair and her sickly pale skin, she definitely looked like she had seen better days. Ever since she became the ruling regent of the city, she had been a lot more busy than she had expected. Her father, unfortunately, had been suffering from poor health lately, and so it was up to her as his daughter to take up his mantle as regent. She wouldn''t want to anger their demon overlords after all. Yawning, she stretched her arms upwards and backwards. Wiggle. Wiggle. Wiggle. She saw movement on her bed, right out of the corner of her eyes. She turned around and saw that there was now a... It was a round, white, furry, and fluffy thing with no arms or legs, just a spherical abdomen that it stood(?) on. That, and the rabbit ears it had. The abdomen itself was also its face and it was looking at her with its eyes, smiling as it did. And then, it began to speak. "Hello!" Its voice was squeaky and high-pitched. "You''re Marlene, aren''t you?" Slowly, she stood up from her chair, walking towards her wand that she stored at the corner of the room beside her wardrobe while keeping her eye on it. "Miss Marlene! I''m here to deliver you a message! From the mother of your little sister. Her real mother, that is!" "She wanted you to know that she despised what you did to her. And not just you! You and your father and mother as well! And so, she asked me to give you your just and deserving punishment!" Marlene grabbed her wand, aiming it towards the creature with a triumphant smirk. "I don''t know whether you''re a hallucination or some demon creature that''s trying to deceive me but if you want to live, I suggest you leave right now. The demons might rule this city now but I still have authority as the ruling regent." Normally, she wouldn''t be afraid of a creature that tiny and weak-looking. But, for some odd reason, she felt something terribly wrong emanating from the creature. She glanced towards said door at the other end of the room. "You really are as bad as they say, huh? Very well! I think I know just what to do with you!" A surge of magic emanated from the creature. Noticing this, Marlene fired a blade of wind towards it, fully intending to cut it into two before it could cast its spell. Unfortunately, the spell did nothing to the creature whatsoever. It only cut through her bed and floor, and nothing else. The light blinded her vision, coming out from the crimson gem on its forehead. And then, darkness. ? Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Felicia "You''re saying that... Not only she''s the daughter of the Fey Queen herself but she''s also the daughter of the Legendary Hero Arthur?" "I know. I didn''t believe it at first but it''s the truth. According to my research, she definitely is of his lineage." Defeated, Adele told Felicia everything she wanted¡ªwhat their plans were and what they wanted from Victoria. And the answer Felicia received took her off guard, to put it mildly. "So, let me get this straight." Felicia tapped her staff to the floor. "Your husband, the Demon Lord of Wisdom, suddenly decided he wanted to be the next Demon God one day. And to do that, he declared that he needed to be the strongest Demon Lord, believing it would make him be ''chosen'' to be one. And by chosen, he meant Gaia." The black-haired elf nodded. "The sealed Goddess, yes. I presume you''re already familiar with the true history of the world then. Hmm, how peculiar..." She eyed her up and down. "I thought all memories regarding that information are forbidden by the Heavenly Dragon." "And how do you know about this information in the first place?" Felicia asked, a look of suspicion drawn on her face. "For us, we have been granted permission to remember. But you... how could you retain that information?" "Because I was born a long, long time ago, at the previous Cycle of the world. Before this Fifth Cycle." Felicia fell silent, standing in place in disbelief at what she just heard. "W-what?" Felicia''s eyes went wide. "The previous Cycle? You mean... before the Demon God was defeated?" "Correct." The black-haired elf stood up. "I was born in the Fourth Cycle. I assume you are already aware of what a Cycle is?" Felicia nodded. Four Cycles had passed. Four heroes putting an end to a Demon God. And now, they were in the Fifth Cycle. "Good. Then you should know that I was born around a hundred years or so before the Legendary Hero began his fight with the Demon God. And, before you accuse me of lying, I was born to a family of high elves. I possessed part of their long lives, even though I myself couldn''t be considered part of them. In fact, they kicked me out because of my short ears. Those close-minded fools..." Her face warped in a flash of hurt for a few moments before returning back to her usual neutral face. "If... If you really came from that age, then tell me everything about it." Felicia''s eyes glinted with interest. There were no history books reaching that far back. No doubt the Dragon had erased that history from the current Cycle. "Read it yourself. There are books here from the Fourth Cycle. You can''t take them though. They''re mine." "Oh, don''t be stingy." Felicia smiled. "I''m the victor here. I deserve the spoils. And you said you didn''t care about your books because you already memorized them all." "I''m a book collector. I''m not giving them to anyone, let alone my enemy." She glared at her. "Big talk coming from someone who begged me to spare her life. Unless, you want round 2?" The elf couldn''t respond. She just looked away with an annoyed expression on her face. How could she have lost to this arrogant human woman? "Now, show me where they are, would you kindly?." Felicia smiled. ? Adele then led her to a certain section of the library, enlarging her book once more so she could ride on it. Of course, she didn''t offer Felicia a ride-along, forcing her to walk under her as she flew above. The place she guided her to was the heart of the great library. Felicia didn''t notice immediately that it was the direction the elf would''ve led her to if she were to mindlessly chase after her like she wanted. Only once she sensed the growing magic concentration in the air that she realized where they were. "This is where I placed my anti-magic trap. Though knowing you, you should already know that fact." The elf glanced at the human. "I''m surprised you decided to deactivate them. Don''t you want to kill me for your dear husband?" Felicia smirked. "No. What I want is for you to tell me the secrets of your soul magic. Though, of course, dispose of you afterwards. But, after you displayed that you were more adept than me in magic, I decided that I should show you proper respect as a fellow mage." "Really now? I still remember you calling me ''a filthy human'' and all that in our fight?" "You have proven yourself. You''re a step up to all the humans and demons I had to deal with in the past." A slight curiosity grew in Felicia''s mind. "Here it is. The history bookshelf of the Fourth Cycle." They stopped in front of a tall bookshelf that stood all the way up to the far ceiling. Felicia''s eyes immediately scanned the books on the ground floor. Felicia took out the books one by one, storing them inside her Dimensional Storage. Adele looked with an expression of annoyance but decided not to say anything. "How did you get your books anyway? These are books written by humans, no?" Felicia asked as she ransacked the elf''s collection. "I have my ways. I''m not telling them to you. Unless, of course, you teach me your Soul Magic." "No. I don''t think you''re the kind of person who''s trustworthy enough to receive that knowledge. I''ve promised, you see, not to share that knowledge with just anyone." "In what way am I not trustworthy? If you think I aspire to be some Necromancer Demon Lord that wants to conquer the world, your brain is dimmer than I thought." Felicia chuckled. "You''ll do it for your dear husband though." "Won''t you do the same for yours?" The redheaded woman stopped, turning to glance at the elf with a cold expression that made her flinch. "My Lord Hugo will never be like your husband. Don''t even mention them under the same breath." "..." At that moment, Adele knew she loved the man named Hugo Greenwood a lot. Even more than she loved Balthazar. ? After about ten minutes or so, Felicia finally finished her ransacking. She pretty much took every single book that she could reach. "I''d take more but I''m afraid my Dimensional Storage is getting full." She smiled at Adele, giving an exaggerated sigh as she drooped her shoulders. The elf raised an eyebrow. She knew the spell herself and she was sure it could hold pretty much an infinite amount of stuff, or at least close to it. It made sense. By her knowledge, spatial magic was rarely practiced in the two human continents. "I propose to you an exchange, human." She spoke. "Give me your knowledge of soul magic and in exchange I''ll teach you my spatial magic. As you might have noticed, I did this in the middle of our fight before." She poofed out of existence, only to reappear behind the redheaded mage. "It''s a spell called Blink. Surely, this could be a big boon for you and your dear Hugo Greenwood." For a short moment, a curious look flashed on Felicia''s face. But, she quickly returned to her neutral expression. "...No. I''d have to refuse. I''m not breaking my promise. Not even for that." Truth be told, she wanted that spell. If she could use something like it, she would be a lot more maneuverable in combat. She wasn''t like her dear Hugo who could move faster than sound. She was just a slow and frail mage who had to rely on deception and trickery to triumph. But, she had made a promise to those two skeletons. The book asked her to not share its secrets to anyone at the very first page. And she had agreed to comply. "Suit yourself then." The elf gave her an annoyed glare. "Now, leave my library at once." "Oh, I''m not finished." Felicia smirked. "Turn off the defense systems of this place. Oh, and tell the floating fortress to descend as well. You can do that, right?" "..." Adele cursed inside her mind. She had hoped she would have forgotten about them. Letting her go to die at her husband''s hands was one thing but actively sabotaging her husband''s efforts in warding these intruders off, that would''ve crossed the line. "It''s you who maintained them all, right? Turn them off. Every single one of them." "That is a request I cannot abide with." "It''s not a request." Felicia''s smirk grew as tendrils of shadows began to surround her. "Do it. Or I''ll kill you for real this time." The elf locked her gaze at her. She knew what she had to do. The foolish woman was arrogant. She had fallen right into her trap. She might have disabled the anti-magic field but enabling it was a matter of sending a command to her familiar whom she kept safe in the hidden floor below them. There, the entire magic system of the fortress resided, including the anti-fey field she had invented. And she could send that command with a simple thought. "I know I''m asking you to betray your beloved Lord Balthazar," Felicia continued. "And, if you''re a good wife, you''ll never do that. But I''m also a good wife to Lord Hugo and he needs all the help he can get. And so, if I have to kill you to help him, I''ll do it in a heartbeat." Her familiar was, at first, a simple, common imp. But after hundreds of years together, she taught it the ability to clone itself. It was how she collected all the books in her library. She ordered them to go out and collect them all from the human world. And now, they were under her, operating the crystals necessary to achieve mana nullification. It was one of her greatest creations. Using the vibrations caused by mana crystals, one could create a field where all attempts to focus mana into spells would be impossible. And the moment the field was erected, she would use the confusion it caused to strike her down on the spot, not letting her retreat away from its range. "Now, answer. Do you want me to take your life or would you be a good girl and dismantle all your tricks so I would let you live?" The moment she saw the shadow tendrils vanish, she lunged forward. She took out a dagger from her pocket and brought it down towards Felicia''s heart. ... She was now on the floor, blood pouring out of her nose. "You think I''ll be fooled by your little acting? You really do think of me as a fool, don''t you?" She could see her feet approaching from the corner of her eyes. Turning her body so she rested on her back, she looked up to see Felicia''s smirking face. "That staff movement... you trained that, didn''t you?" "Yes, I did." Her annoying smirk grew. "A good friend of mine could use her staff in that way so I figured I should learn how to do it as well." "A mage that fights physically with her staff... how shameful..." "Shameful? Where did you get that idea from? I think it''s more shameful trying to stab someone with a dagger. Though, I give it to you, you did do it from the front... I suppose I have to applaud you for that..." She knocked her dagger away with her heels. There went her plan to stab her in the foot when she was busy bragging. "In the end, I have to kill you. And then resurrect you as a zombie. Just so you know, I do have the capability to extract the memories of a corpse." Adele glared at her. "Do it," the elf said to her. "Kill me. My Lord Balthazar will kill you all in the end." "Oh, that would never happen. After all..." She never heard the end of her sentence as Felicia stabbed the small end of her staff into her left eye, killing her instantly. "My Lord Hugo will never be defeated." ? Felicia looked at the elven corpse with a somber expression on her face. She thought she would be more reasonable. But she thought wrong. As she was an elf, she knew that she didn''t possess the durability of those demons that could still fight even after sustaining grave injuries. A simple grotesque stab to the eye was enough to damage her brain, killing her instantly. Still, she hoped she didn''t damage it too much. She needed the brain to be in fresh condition in order to dig up her memories. "O Lord of Souls, hear my plea! Call this vessel back from the world of the dead and grant it a second chance in life!" A chant, just to focus her thoughts on the spell she desired to cast. Like the book said, it didn''t mean anything. "Pristine Resurrection!" A magic circle appeared around Adele''s dead body, followed by a sliver of bluish mist coming out from Felicia''s chest and going into said corpse. Unlike the usual necromancy spell however, the bluish mist didn''t disappear from the air. Instead, it formed a link from Felicia''s body to the corpse. And then, once the magic circle disappeared... The corpse opened her eyes. "You... brought me back." Slowly, she stood up. Strangely enough, the bloody gory hole that was her right eye was nowhere to be found. A pristine corpse. Just like the spell promised. "You know what I want." Felicia smirked. "I do. And I cannot disobey your command, no matter how much I wish to." "How nice of you to understand. Now, tell me, where is the control system of this flying fortress?" Vol 5 Chapter 33: The Demon Lord and The Fairy Of Decay Felicia Felicia''s lips formed into a smile the moment she entered the room. It was massive, around the size of a city''s central square. Everywhere the eye looked one could find magic crystals of all colors and shapes, intertwined with runic globes resting on top of thin, black pedestals. A large and complex mess of runic lines was carved on the floor, walls, and even ceiling. This is it... The control room of this flying fortress... And that large runic globe on the middle pedestal must be the main control globe... "Hey, you." She glared at Adele. "Turn off every defense this place has. And land it as well. Gently." Adele gave her a glare. "You know that since I''ve died, my pact with my familiars is now null and void. I need my imps to work all these runic devices." "Then allow me to help." Felicia smirked. "I know a thing or two about runemancy. Just tell me what I should do." The elf sighed. "Very well. Begin from that globe to the northeast of the room." ? ? Hugo Standing in front of me was the Demon Lord himself. But he was no longer alone. Wrapping her arms around his neck, leaning on top of him, was the Archfey from before. And not only that, he now had a black snake wrapped around his left arm, hissing at me. The moment I fired my Super Boom Cannon, the snake popped out and ate the whole thing, sucking the mana and neutralizing it in its body. "Rank Up Magic! Manifest your true self, Selene Treskios!" The Demon Lord yelled. A whirlwind of leaves gathered from the surrounding trees, hiding both of them from view. When the leaves dispersed, the archfey looked considerably different. No longer did she wear a white-brown dress. Instead, her dress was now pitch-black, with a ballroom mask adorning her face. Grinning, she released her arms from her husband, hovering above him instead. "Kill him." "My pleasure." With a laughter that sounded more like a shriek, the transformed archfey flew right towards me, leaving a trail of black-purple smoke in her wake. And whatever that smoke touched, it decayed. I took off in a flight, putting as much distance as I could away from the fey. Flying backwards with my Wind Step, I kept my vision at the fey and her master. And, as I feared, the latter began to cast a spell. I could reckon just what spell he would cast. The decay cloud surrounding her only grew the more she flew towards me. The trees around me didn''t stay still, growing their branches and firing their leaves in my direction. Nothing I couldn''t handle but it was quite annoying for sure. I could sense a massive amount of mana rapidly approaching my direction. And sure enough, a massive beam of darkness was coming my way. The very same beam that would''ve annihilated the ogres if I didn''t stop it. Using the full strength of my Wind Step, combining it with the full strength of my Feather Step, I jumped as high as I could up to the sky. Just in time before the forest below me was utterly obliterated by a wave of darkness, reduced into nothingness. ... Sensing a shift of mana behind me, I dashed forward. Once again, just in time to dodge another attack, this time coming from the Archfey who had teleported behind me. If I had stayed there, her cloud of decay would''ve reached me. And I''d rather not imagine what would happen to me then. "You two are a crafty duo, I''ll give you that." I declared with a smirk. "You try to distract me with your powerful spell just so your fairy could catch me off-guard." No response. Balthazar just went back and began chanting all over again (how could he do that without a staff or a wand anyway?) while his fairy flew towards me once again. I flew downwards as fast as I could towards the Demon Lord. The snake was still there, wrapped around his body, hissing at me as if daring me to fire a spell at it. "Sand Grave!" The ground under the Demon Lord immediately turned into a quicksand. After all, I wasn''t targeting the snake. I was targeting its surroundings instead. I drew my sword from its sheath, enchanting its sharpness with wind. And then, I swung. Just for him to block it with his left arm. A disappointed look manifested on his face. His other hand reached forward to grab me, barely missing as I promptly dashed backwards away from him. The snake lunged forward as well, trying to chomp my head clean off. Luckily, like its master, it wasn''t fast enough that it could reach me before I distanced myself entirely. And, just for the heck of it, I fired a Boom Cannon right away. Just as I expected, the snake was still fast enough to absorb it entirely. Or rather, it didn''t even have to open its mouth to suck it. The moment my spell made contact with it, it just got absorbed into its skin. The Demon Lord then floated away from the sand, nullifying the effect of my spell entirely. STOMP STOMP STOMP I glanced behind me, towards the source of the tremor. And saw a massive skyscraper-sized treant standing. No, not just one. There were three of them, with rotting wood that looked all sickly and decayed. And in the middle between them was the archfey, smiling. I quickly flew back upwards, just in time to dodge one of them slamming its hand to the ground. "Surrender, human!" The archfey shouted. "You are completely outclassed!" "Oh really?" I smirked. "If you think those oversized trees are anything more than an eyesore to me, think again!" "Explosion!" I cast the Master-level spell right on top of the nearest treant, specifically aiming for its legs. As expected, it immediately fell, with the rest of its body being eaten away by the flames. "Heh, one down!" I didn''t have much time to celebrate, however, as immediately after, a massive magic circle appeared in the sky. I glanced down at him, seeing him still casting his spell. The archfey laughed as she charged towards me. Her other two treants walked forward, their long steps making them able to keep up with their mistress''s speed. "Explosion!" I took out another treant, all the while dodging the archfey who was now blowing her cloud of decay in my direction. Oddly enough, even though she was quite close from the epicenter of my spell, she was completely unschated by it, even though the treant near her was up in flames. "Air Sunder!" I used the Advanced-level magic to blow away the decay from where I was, all the while still flying away from the Archfey. And then, I saw it ¡ª out of the corner of my eyes, a gash on the sky above me. The gash opened, revealing exactly what I was hoping to see. A completely, from top to bottom naked, Sherry. "Sherry! You''ve come!" I laughed. "Oh, you guys are so screwed now!" She looked at me for a short while with a blush on her face, covering her body with her hair. Before she turned her attention towards the giant magic circle that was in the sky above her. She lifted her sword upwards with both hands. And then¡ª She did exactly what I thought she would do. "Wisdom God Technique! Magic-Devouring Slash!" A massive aura blade formed at the tip of her sword, easily the size of the treants I just destroyed. And with one single, powerful swing, she cut the magic circle in two, obliterating it completely. Even the sky itself was split, with the clouds parted right in the middle. It was the same technique that Quania used to cut down the fairy forest in one fell swoop. And the same one she used to the flying fortress back then as well. The barrier there was sturdier though. It only cracked instead of shattering completely. I had to stop watching her though as the archfey resumed its attacks. The remaining treant fired a rain of branches at my direction, followed by her disappearing and reappearing right behind where I flew. I dived towards the treant, erecting a Wind Wall that blocked the branches. Turning off my Wind Boost, I cast a Boom Cannon, firing it to shatter the frail arms of the treant as I flew by, preventing it from grabbing me. I then aimed my left palm to its right leg, firing another Boom Cannon to make it lose its balance. The treant¡ªit was cut in two right in front of my eyes. "Get away from him!" And of course, behind the treant was Sherry, who had decided to aid me instead of fighting off the Demon Lord. "Sherry! Be careful! That dark fog of hers will decay anything it touches!" "I know that! Do you think I''m an idiot?!" I chuckled. Her hair swarmed the archfey, assaulting her from every single conceivable direction. Yet as I feared, none of her tendrils reached her body. They simply decayed into nothing once they entered the fog surrounding her. The archfey let out a shrill, banshee-like laugh. "Nothing can get past my miasma! Nothing! For this is the power given to me by my dear Balthazar and I am now as strong as Titania herself! And as autumn brings death and decay to the world, I shall do the same to you both!" Sherry gave her an annoyed look before grabbing her sword with both hands once more. She raised her sword up over her head, the exact same stance she used before. "Ohohohoho! Go ahead! Do it! Try to strike me down!" The same giant black sword made out of aura appeared. I quickly flew away, heading towards where Sherry was while making sure I was nowhere near the sword''s path. She swung her sword, forming a massive line crater on the ground with a loud explosion that deafened my ears. And, just as I predicted, the archfey was now right behind her. "Sherry! Behind you!" The archfey wrapped her arms around her waist while a sadistic, victorious grin was drawn on her face. Only, she never did. For Sherry skewered her into pieces with her hair, killing her in the spot instantly. "W-what? B-but... but how... how could you..." "Your teleportation technique is flawed. Your miasma thing doesn''t appear the moment you pop out of thin air. That''s why my hair can cut you this time." "...N-no. But that''s..." She never got to finish her sentence. She disappeared in a flash of light as Sherry''s slashes had torn apart her magical body. ... "That was amazing, Sherry! You''re the best!" I yelled as I approached her. She glanced at me with a blush before looking away, her hair quickly covering her private bits. "Idiot." "What?" I replied with a playful tone. "You don''t like me, your handsome and cute husband, praising you?" "And how did you figure that out anyway? That weakness of hers?" "I saw her teleporting around while she was chasing you." She glanced at me as she answered. "Don''t tell me you didn''t notice it." "We haven''t won yet." She continued. "Don''t celebrate too early. Look. That guy is casting another spell." She gestured towards the Demon Lord down below. "Heh, you''re right. We''ll celebrate all we want once we take care of him." I gazed down towards the Demon Lord as well. Sure enough, I could see a massive amount of mana flowing around his body. "And speaking of that, I''d be very much grateful if you kill that snake slithering on him. That thing can eat magic. Can''t use my Boom Cannon while it''s still there." "Got it. Anything else I should be worried about?" "Nope. I''ll disable his magic then you come in for the kill." "Then, let''s do it. With a short nod, Sherry dashed down towards the Demon Lord, giving me a nice view of her naked ass as I chased after her. I only got to ogle her cheeks for a few short seconds though as I needed to concentrate on dispelling the spell the Demon Lord was casting. ?? The Demon Lord''s gaze rested on the naked long-haired brute who''s now diving right towards him. It then switched to the blond human whose left palm was aimed at him. He raised his right arm upwards, facing the palm to the sky. "Dayless Domain!" Darkness spread from where he stood, swallowing the world in a blink of an eye. ? Sherry froze, just meters away from the ground. The Demon Lord had vanished. Or rather, everything had vanished. She could no longer see anything. It was all black as if someone had put a blindfold over her eyes. ... S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ... ... "Hugo! Are you alright?!" She yelled at the direction she found him. "Y-yeah, I''m fine..." "Don''t move! I''ll pull you to my location!" With her hair, she yanked Hugo to her location. "W-whoa!" Unfortunately, she overshot the strength necessary to do so slightly, leading to Hugo crashing into her instead. "Kyah!" The two fell, though thankfully, it was only for a few meters. And she was the one on the bottom, acting as a cushion for the squishier mage, a role that she would gladly take. After all, she had sworn to be his sword and shield, and that she would protect him from any harm that might come. This, however, wasn''t exactly part of that deal. Their lips touched and Hugo''s free hand ended up squeezing her left breast. "H-hey, this isn''t the time for¡ª" A chill crept into her spine. She swiftly formed a cocoon of hair around them, just in time to block a sword heading their way. The Demon Lord¡ªhe was standing right beside them. "Sublime Darkness." "Hugo!" "Thanatos!" The Demon Lord''s left palm shone with darkness. But before he could bring it to bear against the cocoon, the spell was interrupted as the Demon Lord suddenly coughed up blood. Sherry disassembled the cocoon, using her hair to attack the Demon Lord instead. Only, she failed to do so, as he disappeared into the darkness before any of her hair slashes could connect. She gritted her teeth. Vol 5 Chapter 34: The Two Victorias I stood up, quickly scanning their surroundings for any signs of the Demon Lord with his sight. "Hey Hugo, can''t you do something about this magic of his?" Behind me, Sherry had stood up as well. She had an annoyed look on her face, scarcely visible under the blanket of darkness that surrounded us. "So much for you stopping his spell." She put one hand on her hip, giving me an inquisitive look. "I can''t use my technique from before again by the way. It drains my aura a lot. If I overdo it, I won''t be able to move just like back then after I escaped this place the first time." "Don''t worry." I gave her a reassuring smile. "I''ll do something against this darkness." "This darkness... it''s not just some normal darkness like in a moonless, cloudy night. I think he can use it to teleport around." "You mean, similar to Felicia''s Shadow Merge spell?" "Maybe. I don''t know. You''re the expert on magic, Hugo." She gave me a questioning look. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. My blood froze. The mana around me swirled, gathering towards a certain spot. "Incoming!" Sherry''s hair came alive, forming the cocoon once more in a flash. My Wind Wall snapped into existence, bracing itself for the incoming attack. A massive wave of darkness crashed on top of us, nearly breaking my wall in a single hit. I gritted my teeth, reinforcing my cracked spell with every mana I could spare. Sherry screamed as she too strained to keep her cocoon from shattering. Just when I thought everything was lost... Silence. The assault stopped. "Haah... Haah... Haah... Haah..." Sherry was panting, sweat dripping down her body from top to bottom. Her legs were shaking and she looked like she could fall at any second. Quickly, I grabbed her body to help her steady herself. "Sherry, are you alright?" I asked her. "Urgh, I''m... I''m fine... I can still fight if that''s what you''re asking. I''m just... a little dizzy, that''s all." "Don''t overexert yourself. I''ll handle this." "Handle this?! You can''t handle this!" She grabbed my collar and pulled me down to her height. "Your magic would''ve crumbled without my help!" "R-right..." She released her grip with a huff. Turning her gaze away, she gripped her sword with both hands. "Stay back." "Huh?" "I''m going to slice through this spell." "Wait, I thought you said you couldn''t ¡ª" "I can. It''s just that... I might faint after. I''ll leave the rest to you, Hugo, if that happens." She glanced at me with a firm look. "That''s a bad idea! Look, just give me some time to undo his spell." I sat down with my legs crossed, closing my eyes before I spread my raw mana around. A surge of mana started gathering once again. "Sherry! Four o''clock! That''s where he''s standing right now!" "Got it!" "Hold on! Let me clear the path for you!" I opened my eyes and aimed my left palm to the southwest. I then focused all my raw mana at said palm, from my head all the way down to my feet. "Line Deconstruct!" A surge of concentrated raw mana leaped out like a raging flame. In the form of a massive white beam that obliterated the darkness in its path. My eyes went wide. My jaw fell to the ground. Sherry, not realizing the beam wasn''t really part of my plan, chased after it. It brought her right to where the Demon Lord hid. But before she could even lay a hand on him, the beam reached him first. Swallowing him completely, his snake failing to absorb my spell. The darkness disappeared. The forest from before returned to our sights. Only for the whole pocket dimension to shake and tremble, cracks appearing in mid-air one by one. Before I could yell to warn Sherry, however, a dizzy spell assaulted me, forcing me down to my knees. I reached down to my pocket and took out a tiny, palm-sized vial. Inside was a blue liquid, which I promptly drank after popping out the cork keeping it in. In an instant, I could feel my strength coming back. "Sherry!" I yelled. Quickly, I erected a Wind Wall around me, just in time for her to come back before the dimension shattered completely. Bringing us back to the room from before where they kept Victoria hostage. I looked around. No sign of the Demon Lord anywhere. "I''ve underestimated you, human." My eyes jolted upwards. There, a mass of darkness floated in mid-air, shaped like the Demon Lord we just fought. "To think you managed to best my grand spell... And that attack... You should have not known about it..." "Tell me, Hugo Greenwood. Have the Heavenly Dragon chosen you as the Hero? Or perhaps one of Her companions?" "The Heavenly Dragon didn''t do anything!" Sherry yelled. "He became strong on his own!" "Impossible. You could not have used the same spell that she used... unless... you learned it from her..." "Tell me then. Have you met with a silver-haired high elf? She''s short in stature and an immensely powerful mage." "...I see. Judging by your expression, you''ve indeed met her." "It all makes sense now. Why you are so strong." "Well, if you think I''m her disciple, you''re wrong." I gave him a smug smile. "I just copied what she did, that''s all." "...There''s no need to lie, human. I am happy that I finally have the chance to use my full strength against one chosen by a former Hero''s companion." The mass of darkness began to convulse and grow in a grotesque way, as if it couldn''t settle in a single, humanoid form. "I am a Naturia. The one of two that is left. My power is to use the strength of others as my own by eating their hearts." "However, for my wives, whom I have made a bond and pact with, I have no need to do such a grotesque thing. All their hearts already belonged to me and I could use their strength the moment they departed from this world." Butterfly wings sprouted out of the humanoid shadow''s back. His legs then merged into a lamia''s tail but with the end splitting into fins like a mermaid''s. A single, crimson eye formed on his forehead and large fangs jutted out of his mouth. Spider legs grew out of his arms, wriggling independently from the main abdomen. In short, he was taking in all the characteristics of his wives we had killed. Turning into a horrifying abomination in the process. I dashed forward with Graceful Step, charging my Super Boom Cannon as I did. I also readied my time magic, Accelerate, so it would finish in an instant. I didn''t care it would drain my mana significantly. I had to finish him while I had the chance! "No! Not enough! I still need more power!" My heart sank. I realized my mistake. Behind him, hidden away from my sight before, was Victoria. I couldn''t attack him without risking hurting her as well. It was all he needed to attach himself to her, swallowing her into his own mass. "VICTORIA!" Images of Layla, Lily, Byron, and Felt flashed within my mind as I frantically tried to dispel the darkness, praying it would make it disperse away from her. "Oh dear! What do we have here? A naughty little Demon Lord trying to absorb my poor child?" With a blinding violet lighta pink-haired woman with butterfly wings manifested behind the mass of darkness. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/21/a2/60/21a260d9cb261b8a4159fccb5436e45a.jpg Her eyes were amber while her dress was pinkish white with some green decorating it. She held a tall scepter in her gloved right hand while a tall pink crown sat on her head. Curiously, the pattern on her butterfly wings was the exact same as the pattern on Victoria''s own¡ªa mixture of green and light blue. Before I could react, she raised her scepter, filling the room with a blinding purple light. When the light receded, the darkness was no longer there gnawing on Victoria''s unconscious body. She was free. "Victoria!" I jetted forward, quickly cutting out the magic tether that was holding her in place with my anti-magic spell. And before she fell down, I grabbed her by the waist, gently bringing her down to the ground. "Victoria! Victoria! Wake up!" I shook her body. No response. "Perhaps you should give her a kiss?? After all, a prince should wake up his princess with one??" I turned around to see the fey woman from before. The wriggling darkness was beside her, stuffed into a pink sphere made out of interlocking pink wires. "Don''t even joke about that! Hugo is my husband!" Sherry protested. "And who are you anyway?" She pointed her sword at her. "And why did you help us?" "Me?" She giggled melodiously. "I''m Titania! The queen of all feys! And, of course, Victoria''s mother." Sherry raised her eyebrows. "If you''re really her mother, then why didn''t you come to her rescue earlier?" "Because I can''t. They put a ward that weakens any fey that comes. If I had forced myself to come here, I would no doubt lose to him." She glanced at the sealed Demon Lord. "Still, thanks to your husband, or perhaps someone else in your merry band of mortals, the ward is now completely gone. And now I can fetch my dear girl in the flesh." She turned to face me. "Now, be a good boy and hand her over." I hesitated. Somehow, I had a hunch that she wasn''t as trustworthy as she displayed herself to be. "What''s the matter?" She giggled. "You''re not taking her as your wife. Then she has no business being with you. It''d be better for her to live with me, as a fairy." I glanced at Sherry. She looked back at me with a confused expression. Clearly, she didn''t know what to do either. "No." I narrowed my eyes. "I have to make sure that''s what she wants first." "Really now? The girl doesn''t know what she wants in the first place!" She laughed. "Or else she wouldn''t have been in this predicament in the first place." She flew closer to me. She was tall, easily eclipsing my own height. If I had to guess, she must be almost three meters in height. I gulped. There was no intimidating, murderous aura coming from her. And yet, every single hair on my body rose up in her presence. "She told me everything about you, you know, and how it was of her own choice to be with her rotten family over with you. The fool believed it was her duty to be useful to them over her own freedom. And now, look where she ended up. If it weren''t for me, she would have been dirtied by the hands of that filthy orc." Cold sweat trailed down my forehead. "Thankfully," She snapped back to her happy self. "There''s no need to worry about them anymore. I''ve seen a certain... friend... to take care of them. They will serve the most fitting punishment to be sure..." "Now, how about you?" She zoomed forward, her face now looming over me. "What should your punishment be, hmm? For abandoning her?" Before I could answer, Sherry leapt forward and crashed on top of the fairy''s shoulder. Pressing her blade onto her neck, she yelled, "Don''t you dare do anything to him!" "Oh dear!" She giggled once more. "I''m not going to do anything to him! He''s my daughter''s dear savior after all!" "But..." She gazed down on me once again. "I cannot forgive a man who stole her heart without giving anything in return." "Oh yes, she loves you very much! She adores and worships you even! And yet, here, I sense no love in your heart for her. Oh, lust and desire, I can see those clearly, but love? Nonono. You already have women you love. And she has no place in it. You merely pity her." I looked down at the sleeping Victoria in my arms. "Wake her up first." I looked her right in the eye. "Then let her decide with whom she would want to go." Before I could hear her answer, the ground shifted. The castle... It was falling. Or rather, descending, as it was a smooth acceleration downwards. "Like I said, you should give her a wake up kiss???" I glanced at Sherry, who was still sitting on the fairy''s shoulder. "Come forth, Kiri! Rejuvenate her strength with your warm water!" Water moisture gathered in the air, forming the shape of the fairy before she fully manifested. "At once, Mas¡ª L-L-Lady Titania?!" She froze in mid-air, her jaw agape at the sight of the fairy woman in front of me. "Hello, little one?" She smiled. "Are you having fun being this man''s familiar?" "Y-yes!" She stuttered, bowing as deeply as she could. "Very much so, Lady Titania!" "I''m glad to hear that. So many simple feys end up pledging their fealty to unworthy humans who only desired them for their power. And bodies." She gave me a slight glare. Kiri then moved on to heal Victoria. She enveloped her entire body inside her water before gently forcing her mouth to open so the water could enter. Once she finished, she gave another bow towards Titania before asking me to be excused. It seemed that the fey queen''s presence was just too much for her. "Sure." I smiled, patting her head. "You can go back. Good work, Kiri. And sorry, for not summoning you and Aria in the fight." "No problem, Master Hugo!" Her eyes lit up with happiness as her wings fluttered. "We would just be a burden with that anti fey magic thingy still on. It''s really terrible! It makes you all tired and sleepy and stuff¡­" With a soft she then disappeared from my sight. "Aren''t you going to climb down from there?" The fey queen spoke with Sherry. "Just because I''m a lot taller than you doesn''t mean you can piggyback on me as if I''m your mother." "S-shut up!" Sherry jumped off in an instant, giving the older woman a glare. Looking down at her, the fey queen giggled, covering her mouth with her gloved hand as she did. "How curious... I never knew you Izurds fight in the nude..." "D-don''t get the wrong idea!" Her cheeks promptly reddened. "I''m only nude because my clothes got destroyed in a fight!" "I see..." She let out a small grin. "For a proud warrior demon race, for you to be humiliated like this, the opponent must be very tough indeed..." "U-uhhhh..." I looked down to my arms and saw Victoria''s eyes fluttering open. Her bright green eyes wandered for a short while, glancing up and down and up and down, until they finally stayed put, focusing on my face Before widening rapidly as she realized who I was. "S-S-S-Sir Hugo! You''re Sir Hugo, aren''t you? I-I''m not dreaming, am I?" "Nope!" I grinned. "It''s me in the flesh!" "U-uwaahhhhh!" She wrapped her arms around me, burying her face on my back as tears streamed down her cheeks. Ignoring the massive soft sensation pressing into my chest like the gentleman I was, I patted her on the head. "I thought... I thought you were dead, Sir Hugo!" "Whoa, who says I''m dead? I''m very much alive, thank you very much!" "M-my sister said that the Demon Lord killed you in the dungeon back then... B-but then, but then I learned that you were still alive from Mother! But I never managed to meet you back in those flower fields because I was imprisoned here!" "Yeah... You helped us win against that awful Minister of Summer, didn''t you? Thank you, Victoria." I smiled. Sensing the glare coming from Sherry, I let her legs fall to the floor. Unfortunately, she couldn''t take the hint. She was still wrapping her arms around my body, crying profusely onto my shoulders. In the end, Sherry had to come in and give her a firm pat on her shoulder to make her stop. "Owwww!" She yelped before turning around and releasing her grip. "What was that for?" She pouted. "I''m Sherry." She glared at her, with her eyes especially focused on her breasts. "Sherry Greenwood. I''m his wife. Surely, he''s told you about me?" "Sherry? Ooh! I remember that name! It''s the childhood friend Sir Hugo loved to talk about! You''re the whole reason he started his journey in the first place! Aah, to think you two are now reunited once more! I''m happy for you, Sir Hugo!" She turned and smiled at me. Blinking out of the charming view that was her breasts bouncing, I turned my gaze towards Titania, who seemed to be amused by Sherry''s display of jealousy. "You don''t mind that I killed two of your ministers?" I asked her. "The Minister of Summer and The Minister of Autumn." "Oh, I don''t mind. You never really killed them. You simply returned them back to nature. I''m sure that both of them are somewhere inside my fairy forest, frolicking as newborn feys. And besides, I''m not really fond of either of them myself¡­" "Now, dearie." She turned to face Victoria. "It''s time to make your decision. Do you wish to go with me or him?" "E-eh?" Victoria swiveled (flashing her green panties in the process). "W-what do you mean, Mother?" "Go with this man and abandon feyhood or go with me and become a true fey. That is the choice you have to make, my dear." "But that''s¡­ that''s unfair! I want to be with you both!" "Yes indeed. That is quite the unfair question you''ve asked her, is it not? But you have a point. If she yearns for Milord''s love, then she''s out of luck, for it belongs to me and Sherry already." The coy womanly voice came from none other than Felicia, who suddenly appeared from the far, shadow-covered corner of the room. "What? Felicia? Where did you come from?" "A secret passage, Milord." She smiled. "Though I see now that even with that, I''m already too late to the party." She eyed the fey queen and the sealed Demon Lord hovering near her. Unlike Sherry, her clothes were mostly intact, with only some burn marks and torn fabric at the edges. And whatever wounds she might have sustained, she must have healed them off with her potion. "Oh, I was the one who deactivated all the defense runes in this flying fortress. And yes, it was me as well who told it to descend. In just a few moments, it will land and our good lizardmen friends will be able to come to us. Though, I imagine that won''t be necessary." She admitted with a proud smile. "Great work, Felicia!" I gave her a smile. "How about the others? Do you meet them on your way here?" She shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. I came here directly from the control room underneath the grand library through the secret passage. If they were to come here, they should arrive from where you did, Milord." "Hmm, that''s not good¡­ I haven''t seen them either¡­" "So," Felicia walked up towards Titania, her staff tapping the floor as she did. "You''re Victoria''s mother, I presume." "Indeed I am," The fey smiled. "And you must be Felicia Myne. Hugo Greenwood''s other wife." She glanced at her daughter as she spoke those words. "Oh, you seem to know a lot about Milord. How curious¡­" "Of course!" She giggled. "He''s the man my daughter loves after all!" "L-l¨Cl-love?" Victoria turned beet red. "M-Mother! It''s not like that at all!" She protested,waving her arms in a panic as she glanced repeatedly at my direction as she did. Felicia turned to face the half-fey, who proceeded to take a step back as the redhead woman rapidly approached her. Then, without hesitation, she pinched her cheek. "O-ouch!" "You really are quite the handful, aren''t you? You rejected Milord''s help back then. And now, he had to do all of this to save you. Do you know how dangerous it is to fight a Demon Lord? If he had lost his life in the process, I''d kill you before I kill myself." "Answer her question." She glanced at the fairy queen. "Do you want to travel with us or do you want to be with your mother instead? And I won''t take a half-arsed answer. It''s about time you learn how to be straightforward with yourself. What is it that you want, Victoria Fay Relfatia?" "I¡­ What I want¡­" She averted her gaze, looking towards me instead. "If you''re thinking of becoming Hugo''s wife, too, think again! I''m not sharing him with another woman, especially one as indecisive as you!" Sherry proclaimed with her arms folded under her chest. "I¡­" Victoria turned to look at her then back at me then to the fey queen. "I¡­ I don''t know! I want to be with Mother as a fairy, freely frolicking under the moonlight with the other fairies." She turned to face me, her hands clasped in front of her chest. "But I want to be with you too, Sir Hugo! I want to go on an adventure with you!" She then looked at the fey queen. "Can''t I do both, Mother? I can still visit you in my dreams!" The fairy queen chuckled. "I''m afraid you would never become a true fey if you do that. Look inside you. You''ve awakened your fey powers, right? Then, call upon it. Let it overtake your mortal half." Victoria nodded, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. A few moments later, a gentle green light enveloped her body. Wings sprouted out from her back, the very same wings that the fairy queen possessed. She opened her eyes before turning to face me. I immediately knew I wasn''t talking to the usual Victoria anymore. Her expression had become a lot more¡­ mature, for a lack of a better world. "Sir Hugo¡­" She smiled. "My human half¡­ she truly wishes to be with you. However, I, her fey half, have no desire to. I wish to leave the world of mortals forever and dream an endless dream of the fey." Slowly, she walked up to me, placing her hand on my right cheek. Sherry and Felicia¡­ they strangely remained silent, almost as if she was bewitched by her. "I can see it, Sir Hugo¡­ I can see the mana swirling in the air, dancing in the winds, streaming down from the sunlight¡­ It''s a beautiful, beautiful world that I can not see as a mortal¡­" Her other hand grabbed my other cheek. She was now holding my face with both of her hands. "I wish¡­ I wish I could show it to you¡­ But alas, you''re a mortal¡­ You can''t comprehend it, the flow of this world, even if you wish to¡­ just like my human half¡­" And then, she leaned forward, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips into mine. My eyes widened. I was frozen on the spot. It was a chaste kiss, only lasting a few moments. She retreated after, smiling at my direction. "I see¡­" She clenched her hand near her chest. "My human half¡­ You desire to be by his side more than anything else¡­ Very well¡­ I''ve decided." She turned to face the fairy queen. "Mother. Can you help me split our essence into two? Give this body to my human half. As for me, I shall create my own body with my power." "Of course, my dear." The older woman smiled back. "That''s a lovely decision." She floated forward, placing her hands on Victoria''s shoulders. "Sir Hugo." She looked at me with a smile. "Please, take care of the foolish child known as Victoria. Without me, her fey side protecting her, she would be vulnerable to her own foolishness." "...Don''t worry." I smiled back. "I''ll do exactly that." A gentle green light slowly enveloped Victoria''s body, followed by a burst of purple exuding out of the fairy queen. Her short skirt flapped in the wind, giving me a nice view of her green panties. And then, almost as if her soul was leaving her body, a purple ghostly figure popped out of her. That figure slowly transformed into Victoria''s perfect clone, only, her hair was bright pink, just like the fairy queen''s. As for the body itself, the armor that covered its modesty disappeared, replaced by a dress. I quickly stepped forward, catching the body before it fell to the floor. "Well, it''s time for me to say my goodbyes!" The fairy queen smiled. "This really is the best resolution. Her mortal half is happy and her immortal half is happy as well! Really, humans and fairies should never sleep together. Ah, what was I thinking, bedding him then? But he just looked oh so miserable I just had to do something¡­" She let out a long sigh. "Oh, by the way, you''ll forget everything after I disappear. It''s just how I am. Lesser minds can''t hold on to the elusive presence of a fey queen after all?" "Goodbye, my human half. Goodbye, Sir Hugo." The pink-haired Victoria said, interrupting my thought, tears swimming in her eyes. "And thank you¡­ for everything¡­" "W-wait, I haven''t¡ª" In a blinding flash, the two of them disappeared, along with the sealed Demon Lord. Vol 5 Chapter 35: The Birth of The Lecher Demon Lord *CRASH* The fortress landed, waking me up from my stupor. Still, what happened next felt like a blur, with my mind still dizzy from¡­ whatever just happened. Victoria woke up, right as the fortress landed. She too couldn''t quite recall what had happened, save for the feeling that her fairy mother, Titania, had made an appearance. Only once Theo, Tira, and Tama arrived, along with Myrilla, my foggy mind cleared up. They came down from the same staircase I arrived in. And thankfully, none of them were harmed. Although Tira somehow had grown considerably from the loli elf she once was. I quickly put two and two together though and realized that she had undergrown her race''s transformative growth spurt. As Sherry put on a fresh set of clothes¡ªher wardrobe was stored inside Felicia''s Dimensional Storage¡ªTira explained what had occurred to them while we were separated. And apparently, they were up against one of the Demon Lord''s wives, and they would''ve lost if not for Theo''s bravery and Tira''s transformation into her adult form. "I¡­ I wasn''t strong enough¡­ I wasn''t strong enough to protect everyone!" Theo yelled, tears swimming in his eyes. Tira pulled him into a hug. "Shh, it''s alright¡­ You tried your best after all¡­" Tama looked at him with glossy eyes as well before giving him a hug from behind. Seeing him like that, it reminded me of my own self, back at that snowy mountain. And I, in my foolishness, nearly made him suffer the same tragedy as I did. I walked up to them and gave the deepest bow I could produce. "I''m sorry! I shouldn''t have brought you guys along!" Silence. They were no doubt taken aback by my sudden apology. "It''s not your fault, you dummy! It''s us for being too weak! Even after all that training, we still can''t keep up with you or Sherry!" I looked up. It was Tama who answered. "She''s right, Sir Hugo." Tira spoke with a concerned look. "It is not your fault. If we had known we were up against such strong opponents, and we had to fight them with your help, we would''ve taken your suggestion and stayed behind in this war." "T-that''s right, Master Hugo!" Theo quickly wiped his tears. "Please don''t apologize! It was our own choice to go with you!" I straightened myself, looking each of them in the eye. "No." I shook my head. "It''s my fault. If you guys have been hurt in any way, it''d be just another to the list of people I failed to save." I gave them a bitter smile. "Oh, don''t be so overdramatic, Milord. Everyone''s fine! We won! So cheer up! Don''t we have a celebration to do?" Felicia interrupted, patting me on my shoulder from behind. "You know the war is still going on outside, right?" Myrilla narrowed her eyes as she glared at her. "This is no time to celebrate. Unless, of course, you''re suggesting we abandon Orluk and his ogre friends. After all, the prize Hugo wants is already in our hands." She glanced at Victoria. "Hmph, without their Demon Lord, those guys outside would surrender for sure," Sherry replied with crossed arms. "As for you, Hugo, how many times must I tell you not to take everyone''s burdens for yourselves? Theo, Tira, and Tama all fought out of their own wills. If they die from that, they die as warriors. It''s not a death that you should blame yourselves for. In fact, you would insult them by not allowing them to fight by your side." She glared at my direction. She then switched her gaze towards Theo and the others. "As for being weak, that''s nothing more training can''t fix." "Hmph, easy for you to say!" Tama placed her hands on her hips. "You''re part of a legendary warrior demon race while Hugo and Felicia are geniuses in magic! Myrilla has hundreds of years of experience being an adventurer! Us? We''re just nobodies compared to you all! We can never compete no matter how hard we train!" She pointed at her. Silence. Sherry was taken aback by her outburst. Just as I did. "Tama." I walked up to her, looking her in the eye with a concerned look. "There''s no need for you to be so harsh on yourself. You''ve trained every day to be stronger. Even if that doesn''t make you as strong as me or the others, that effort alone is worthy of praise." I gave her a smile. "I don''t want your praise!" She snapped back. "I want to keep Theo safe! Not being able to do that, as his wife, makes me despise myself!" Tears were now streaming down from her green eyes as she looked at me with anger. As I struggled to find the words I wanted to say next, Theo came to the rescue, giving her a tight hug. "Oh Tama, please don''t cry! You don''t have to blame yourself for me being weak!" It was all it took to calm herself down. "I-I''m sorry, everyone!" My eyes turned to look at Victoria, who was now bowing in our direction. "It''s all because of me that you have to fight! So please, don''t blame Sir Hugo! Blame me instead!" Just like Tama, tears dripped down her eyelids as well. "Enough. This is not the time nor the place to talk about such things." Myrilla spoke with a stern gaze, glancing at Tama and Victoria. "For now, we should go out and see how the ogres are doing." I nodded. ? Outside, however, instead of a grueling scene of demons fighting against one another, we were greeted by a rain of cheers and yells instead. "Lord Hugo! Lord Hugo won!" "The Demon Lord of Wisdom is no more! Balthazar is no more! We are victorious!" "Lord Hugo! Lord Hugo! Lord Hugo!" A smile formed on my face. It seemed that in our absence, the ogre tribes had managed to overpower the army of the Demon Lord. They were now sitting on the grounds in front of the city, tied and bound with their weapons thrown away in a large pile to the side. Around them were tents of the ogres, just recently erected, judging by how many of them were still in the works. Walking to the middle of the camp, we were quickly greeted by Orluk and Fia, who were beaming ear to ear. "Lord Hugo! Welcome back!" "Welcome back, Sir Hugo! Oh how I''m glad you''re safe!" Fia ran up to me and gave me a tight hug. Her breasts were pressing on my chest and her sensual scent entered my nostrils. Naturally, this led to a glare from Sherry and the others. She released me soon after though her face was still uncomfortably close to mine as she put her hands on my shoulder. She was actually around the same height as me, which meant our eyes could gaze at each other without her tipping on her toes like with Sherry and Felicia. "The thought of you being up there all alone facing Balthazar¡ªif it weren''t for Orluk, I would''ve rushed to your rescue for sure. I owe you my life after all!" She smiled, her eyes glistening with tears. "Don''t be silly, Fia!" Orluk grinned, patting my shoulder with his large hand. "You think Lord Hugo is going to lose to the likes of Balthazar? Impossible! You know how strong he is! If he wanted to become a Demon Lord, he could very well be one already!" He laughed. I gave him a wry laugh in response. His eyes then landed at Myrilla, who, may I remind you, was still wearing the skimpy dress we got from the archfey''s wardrobe. Unlike Sherry, she didn''t have the opportunity to change to a proper set of clothes. "Uh, what happened? Her robes¡­" "Oh, it got ruined in her fight," I cheerfully replied. "So she''s stuck wearing the clothes we found in the place. Those are the lingeries of one of the Demon Lord''s wives. Oh, and speaking of that, we didn''t kill all of them. Some of them still live inside the fortress." I gestured towards the building with my thumb. "It''s up to you to decide what you want to do with them." "I see." He scratched his chin, still glancing towards the Nerthusian. "Though," He looked back at me. "I prefer you to be the one to decide, Lord Hugo. You''re technically the new Demon Lord of Wisdom after all." "...Huh? What do you mean?" "You defeated Balthazar. Which means you now take his place, ruling this region of the Demon Continent. It''s now your authority to do as you see fit, not us. In fact, we''re all now under your rule, Lord Hugo." I scratched the back of my head, giving him a sheepish smile. "Then, I choose you to make all the decisions necessary in my stead." He shook his head. "No. You have to communicate that properly with all the chiefs of the tribes. And the mayor of the city who also led Balthazar''s army in his absence." "But that could come later, dearie!" Fia interrupted, huffing at her husband while hugging my left arm and dragging me with her. "For now, you have an address to make, Milord!" "Huh? An address?" "Yes! You''re the new ruler of the place, Lord Hugo!" She giggled. "You have to make an address so both our people and theirs, especially theirs, can be at peace! They''d want to hear what will happen to them and the city for sure!" I gulped. I was never good at addresses. "Well, I guess a few words couldn''t hurt¡­" Releasing my arm from her grip, I flew up to the sky, right to that sweet spot where both the people of the city and the people camping outside could see me. And then, using my wind magic, I amplified my voice so it could reach everyone''s ears. "Greetings, citizens of Ixon! My name is Hugo Greenwood and I speak to you as your conqueror! Your Demon Lord is dead, slain by my own hands! From this day forth, you shall be ruled under me instead!" "But rejoice! No harm shall befall you, as long as you obey me and my stewards, the ogre clans of Menet, Luthar, Merkeo, and Notu! Do as they say and you shall live as you''ve always lived!" Descending back to the ground, I was showered with cheers and yells from the ogres. "Lord Hugo! Lord Hugo! Lord Hugo!" "Lord Hugo! Add me to your harem please!" ? ? And thus, the Lecher Demon Lord was officially born. The young man didn''t know it at the time but whether he wished for it or not, he was already considered a Demon Lord by the inhabitants of the Demon Continent. He defeated Balthazar Bethel Naturia, the Wisdom Demon Lord. And not only that, he wiped out an entire orc army of his own, including their leader who was supposedly a Demon Lord candidate as well. And, much later, after the word that the Izurd Tribe still lived spread throughout the continent, they also knew him to win against the Demon Lord of Blades as well, snatching her granddaughter to be his wife in the process. Indeed. Thanks to a certain elven bard''s imaginative storytelling, he was quickly dubbed The Lecher Demon Lord. After all, his attendants were mostly female, with the only male that looked suspiciously feminine. Not to mention that the story of him having an orgy out in the open was quickly popularized by the ogres, who were impressed by his prowess. Add the fact that he destroyed Balthazar and the Demon Lord of Blades so he could make their relatives his wives and it didn''t take much to imagine him being a sex-crazed perverted man who would grab any women that fancied his flight. Even if it wasn''t uncommon for demons to have multiple wives, his actions already went above and beyond any normal demons. He even beat Balthazar himself with his ten wives as everyone knew the man for not expressing any signs of love or desire towards his wives. He wasn''t just a beast driven by libido however. The stories also told of his ruthlessness in settling the difference between the ogre tribes and the other demon tribes still loyal to the ex-Demon Lord of Wisdom, for at their diplomatic meeting, he disposed of the leader of the dullahan tribe, which happened to be the main enforcers of the Balthazar''s regime. And he didn''t even lift a single finger. The only thing he did was receive a whisper by one of his harem, the dark-skinned Nerthusian woman. Everyone knew her race could read minds and it seemed that whatever idea the armored man had, it displeased him enough to kill him on the spot. A necessary act, considering that he would leave the governance of the city to his right-hand man, Orluk of the Menet Clan. It wasn''t only him who received his wrath that day. Three more prominent clan leaders were executed at the spot. It was all it took for the remaining ones to pledge their fealty to him, promising never to cross him or the ogres. And, since he didn''t blow up their bodies as well, his mind-reading wife must have read their sincerity. And then, just another day later, he left the city. He didn''t even stay for the celebrations of his ascension to the throne. ? ? I threw myself on the bed, not even bothering to take off my boots beforehand. It had been a day since our victory over Balthazar. After resting for the night at the Demon Lord''s castle (which I was really thankful for, since I was getting sick of sleeping in tents), I attended the conference to settle the peace between the ogre clans and the other demon clans that were loyal to the Demon Lord of Wisdom. Yes, that meant I was supposed to play politics, something I was woefully inept with. And I couldn''t very much refuse. Orluk begged me to do it, saying that without me, the conflict wouldn''t end, as they wouldn''t accept the authority of the ogres, only my authority, as the one who defeated their Lord. Thankfully, I had an idea. Politics is ultimately a game of lies and deceit and who would be better to fight against it than the ability to perceive the truth? At first, she was reluctant to do it, saying that reading the minds of politicians and nobles made her want to puke. But, after some good application of my puppy eyes, she relented. It didn''t take long until her ability proved to be useful. "That dullahan over there¡­ he''s thinking of killing you in your sleep." "And not only that, he wants to violate Sherry as well." The first sentence was bad enough. The second was enough for me to kill him with Thanatos. As the clan leaders looked in horror at his corpse that bled from every orifice, I stood up and addressed them with a simple speech. "I know most of you here hate my guts for killing your beloved Demon Lord. But rest assured, I don''t hate you in return. All I wanted was for him to give Victoria but he refused. And so, I killed him." I paused, taking in on their reaction. "But, if any of you has designs against me and my companions, I will not hesitate to make your organs explode from the inside like I did to that man. As such, please, know your place. I''d hate it if I''m forced to dirty this beautiful table any further," I added with a smile, referring to the round table we were currently at. Myrilla then whispered again, pointing out the other clans that were in cahoots with the dullahan clan. "You guys don''t expect I''ll bring her along? A mind-reader is really good at the negotiating table, you know. And if you think you can hide anything from her, think again. Especially you, you and you¡ªClan Fisi, Clan Redyarn, and Clan Karan." I pointed at them one by one. The first was a blue fishman, part of a seafolk clan who chose to leave the ocean. The second looked like a humanoid hybrid between a beetle and an ant¡ªhe belonged to a demon race named Torlu. As for the third, she was a Nyarla, which looked like your common catgirl except her tail split into two at the end. Immediately the two men (and one woman) turned pale. Heh, perhaps in their arrogance, they thought they could escape Myrilla''s all-seeing mind. Without hesitation, the three stood up and bowed down in my direction, until their heads touched the floor. "Please! Forgive us!" They all said in unison. Myrilla leaned closer once more, whispering the reason why they thought they could hide their plot from me. "Really? Charms that could block mind-reading?" "Yes. But unfortunately, the one they wore is quite sloppily made. I still could slip through. Whoever made it couldn''t have been a Nerthusian." "I see¡­" "Also, they thought of you as a mere human whelp who could only have beaten Balthazar by the help of Sherry, an Izurd. They too had a plan to send incubus assassins on her, violating her so she lost her strength before capturing her to be their weapon." It was all I needed to hear to blow up their organs as well. Afterwards, the remaining clan leaders quickly swore their fealty to me, including the son of the Demon Lord, who was the mayor of the city. He was the one who persuaded the clan leaders to surrender the moment the sky fortress descended as he knew very well it would never descend unless the Demon Lord himself was defeated. It was the mark of his power and authority, and lowering it would be akin to lowering your flag in front of the enemy. To my surprise, according to Myrilla, he was actually relieved that his father died. It turned out that he never got along well with him, thanks to him lacking in his combat ability. Being born to Astra Naturia, the harpy woman, he didn''t inherit her ability to bewitch men to death. In fact, the only harpy-ish thing on him was a small pair of wings on his back that he couldn''t even use to fly. And of course, he was extremely grateful that I spared his mother as well. He didn''t care about the other wives, not even seeing them as his stepmothers. Oh, and speaking of the harpy, she and the other surviving wives of the Demon Lord were to be placed in house arrest for the time being, until the ogres could sort out the new government they would have to make. It would be bad if they tried to worm their way into a ruling position after all. ? Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. It was Myrilla. "Hugo, we need to talk." I raised my eyebrows. "Or rather, I have to talk. To your wives. I haven''t told them about our little¡­ thing back at the fortress." She averted her eyes, her cheeks reddening lightly. "Oh¡­ right¡­" "We should do it now. They deserve to know," she said with a serious yet guilty expression. "Right¡­ Of course¡­" I sighed. I had promised to be an honest man and husband. I had to tell them. Even if it meant not sleeping with them for a year. "Well," I smiled. "I''ll bring them in. Here is fine, right?" She nodded. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Vol 5 Chapter 36: The Wretched Woman It didn''t take long until I found both of them. Sherry was training in the courtyard while Felicia was in the library, reading her books. The servants of the mansion who used to serve the city''s mayor readily informed us of their location. Their minds had been screened by Myrilla so we could assure that none of them had any plans to assassinate us in our sleep, just like those demons wanted. Once I returned with them, Felicia was the first to talk. "So? What''s this all about? You two have such a grim look on your faces. Did I miss some bad news or something?" Felicia asked with a teasing smile, folding her arms under her chest. Sherry, on the other hand, didn''t say anything. She simply glared at me and Myrilla, going back and forth every few seconds, with one hand resting on her hip. "Well, we have something we want to talk about to you guys." I began the conversation. "Now, please don''t be surprised. We have a perfectly good explanation for¡ª" "I deeply apologize! I had sexual intercourse with your husband back at the flying fortress!" Without even waiting for me to finish, Myrilla supplicated in front of them two. "It was my fault! I was the one who forced him to do it! He didn''t want to cheat on you both so please don''t doubt his faithfulness! If you want me to leave, then I''ll do so! Just don''t blame him for this!" My mouth fell open. She normally was always such a calm and composed woman. For her to lower her head to the floor and yell out apologies like this, it really took me off guard. And then, I felt something grabbing the cuffs of my robes. It was Sherry''s hair. She yanked me down, pulling my face close to hers. "You¡ª YOU SLEEP WITH HER?!" "Y-yeah, I did. But it wasn''t¡ª" "YOU CHEATING PERVERT!" Her fist landed on my face, sending me crashing up to the ceiling before gravity claimed me, making me hit the floor right at the bridge of my nose. Luckily, I already anticipated it. I already had my aura protecting my entire body. Knowing Sherry''s temper, she''d totally punch me in the face like that. Felicia, on the other hand, reacted much more calmly. She walked up to Myrilla and told her to raise her head. "Tell me." Her voice was cold. "What happened?" ? "I see¡­ So that''s how it was¡­" We now sat side by side on the floor, with Sherry and Felicia standing ominously in front of us. "The fairy made you hallucinate¡­ and she made you lose your inhibitions as well¡­" Felicia continued, still with her cold, chilling tone. "And so, you forced yourself on Milord¡­" "Hugo!" Sherry raised her voice, glaring murderously at my direction with her arms folded under her chest. "You''re stronger than her! You should''ve been able to escape!" "Well, the reason why I didn''t was because¡­" I stopped myself. My mind flashed to the event. The reason why I didn''t just push her away was mainly because of one thing. I didn''t want to hurt her. It was the first time I saw her in such a vulnerable state. I didn''t have the heart to just push her away. And then, before I knew it, she already entered her hole into my raging member. "...I was simply too turned on to resist." I gave a sheepish smile towards Sherry. "She ambushed me, you know. Kissed me right away, pinned me to the ground, and then undressed my pants in a flash. And since she was already naked¡­" I never got to finish my sentence. For Sherry kicked me in the face so hard it knocked me out in an instant. ? Felicia "Sherry! What have you¡ª" "HUGO YOU IDIOT!" Before I could say a word, she already slammed the door behind her, so hard I thought she would bring the whole place down with her. I quickly rushed to Milord''s side, giving him the healing potion I had stored in my coat. Afterwards, I lifted him up and placed him on top of the bed. I clicked my tongue. I sat down on the bed, brushing his hair off his face. Gently, I wiped the blood off his nose using my coat''s sleeve. "Stand up. Sit here, beside me." I patted the empty space beside me. With a guilty look, she raised her head. She gingerly stood up and took her place on the bed. "Now, tell me, with full and unadulterated honesty, what are your feelings for Milord?" Looking down on her lap, she answered, "I¡­ I don''t feel anything¡­ It''s his father that I love¡­" "Lies. You think I''m that naive not to see how you interact with him?" She fell silent. Gripping the fabric of her robe, she answered, "I have to admit¡ªhe does resemble his father a lot¡­ in my ways¡­ And for him to be the one to take my¡­ my virginity¡­ I''m¡­ I''m happy¡­" And then, tears started to drop down her eyes, the droplets dampening her robes. "I''m a foolish woman. I mire in my own loneliness, thinking I don''t need any man by my side." "And yet, it''s all a lie. That fairy¡ªshe exposed the desire of my own heart¡ªthe desire I''ve buried all these years, ever since Alan chose Renee over me¡­ And then, she amplified that desire, and that made me¡­. that made me desire to have intercourse with him¡­ I wanted him to make me his woman, thinking it would finally plug the hole I had made in my own heart¡­" "And yet¡­ and yet¡­" She clenched her hands. "That''s not love¡­ I don''t love him¡­ I only see him as his father''s son, not as his own person¡­ That''s why¡­" She looked in my direction. "That''s why you and Sherry need not worry¡­ for I''ll never make a move on him¡­" I sighed. This was exactly what I feared. "Yes. That is for the best. I won''t allow Lord Hugo to fall to the hands of someone who doesn''t fully love him." She remained silent. Glancing at her expression, I noticed a slight expression of disappointment. "One more thing. Did he finish inside of you?" "I¡­ I don''t remember¡­ But I think not¡­ It didn''t feel all sticky down there when I woke up¡­" A jealous, triumphant smile formed on my face. "I forgive you then." I patted her on the shoulder. "It''s simply an honest mistake, nothing more. Neither of you wanted to do it after all." ? Afterwards, I took her along with me to search for Sherry, though not before giving a heads up to Tira to take care of Hugo while we were gone (it would be a bad idea to leave him alone, knowing how there could still be people who wanted to assassinate him). Asking the servants for her whereabouts, it didn''t take long until we knew she was hiding inside one of the many unused rooms this mansion had. I didn''t bother knocking on the door. I threw it open, revealing our sulking girl weeping into a pillow on top of the bed. Noticing our presence, however, she quickly stopped, wiped her tears with her sleeves, and then turned around to glare at us. "Get out! I don''t want to hear your excuses, you traitor!" She yelled. Mostly at Myrilla, I imagined. Glancing at the Nerthusian, I could see those words upsetting her, judging by her guilty look. Smiling, I walked up to the upset little girl. "Alright now. No need to be sulking like that. I''ve talked with her and she was indeed speaking the truth. There was nothing going on between her and your precious Hugo." "Liar! How can you say that after knowing that he entered his¨Chis thingy into her?!" "Like she said, it was because she was controlled by the archfey. And Milord didn''t even finish in her. He bore it until she fell asleep out of exhaustion. That''s how loyal he is to us." "Hmph!" She huffed. "But he still took her virginity, didn''t he?!" She sat on the bed, folding her arms. She then sent a glare towards Myrilla, who quickly lowered her head to the floor once again. "I apologize! I''m a terrible woman who saw him as a replacement for his father!" "And you enjoyed it, didn''t you? Having his¡ªhis thingy inside you?" "...I-I¡­ I do¡­" "See?!" She yelled back at me. "She totally wants Hugo for her own!" "H-how could you, Myrilla? I¡­ I trusted you¡­ We traveled together for months! I even admired you for being a great adventurer! But for you to¡ªto steal my Hugo like this¡­ You''re lucky I haven''t killed you¡ª" I slapped her as hard as I could. "Calm yourself, you naive idiot girl!" I shook her shoulders. "She didn''t do anything wrong! And our Hugo didn''t do anything wrong either! Look at her! Look at how miserable she looks! Does that look like the face of a scheming woman to you?! And Hugo¡ªyou knocked him out like that! What did I say about hitting people in fits of anger?" Silence. Her eyes now locked into mine, swimming inside her own tears. And then, I gave her a hug, burying her face in my warm bosom. Only then I could begin to explain what had happened in earnest. ? "In short, you really don''t have any designs for Hugo?" "No. Like I''ve said many times before, it''s his father that I love. Not him." "...Fine. I''ll take your word for it. I''ll forgive you for¡­ for doing it with him." I took a deep sigh of relief. "Alright, you two!" I clapped my hands. "Shake hands! Make it official!" Myrilla stood up, gingerly giving her hand to Sherry, who only shook it after eyeing her for a bit. "Hugo is mine, got it? I don''t want any other woman to get her hands on him!" Myrilla nodded in silence, acknowledging the pact. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Now, Myrilla, if you would¡­ Can you leave us for a bit? I need to talk to our grumpy girl here. In private." She didn''t say anything in return. She just left with a sad expression on her face. Once she closed the door behind her, I lifted Sherry up and put her on my lap. "H-hey, what are you¡ª" "Shhhh¡­" I wrapped my hands around her waist. Resting my head on her shoulder, I whispered with a smile, "Looks like we have another rival for Hugo''s affection." "W-w-what?!" She stuttered. "You mean Myrilla? But you said¡ª" "Oh, she simply doesn''t know it yet." My fingers combed through her hair. "But I can tell. That lonely woman desires companionship and our Hugo is the closest she can get to it. It''s only a matter of time until she gets over his desires for his father and goes after the son himself." Sherry''s eyes widened. "That''s¡ªthat''s terrible! We have to¡ª" "I disagree. I believe that once she truly loves Milord for what he is, we can allow her to be his lover." "W-what?!" She looked at me as if I just suggested something terrible. "You¡­ you want to share Hugo with her?!" "Indeed." I smiled. "That''s what I wanted." "You¡ªyou can''t be serious! Don''t you feel jealous at all? Aren''t you afraid that he''ll¡ª" "I have faith in Milord. Even with another woman, or even two, I trust that he will never forget about me or you. He will share his affections fairly with all of us. That''s just the man that he is." "And besides," I added with a wry smile. "Seeing her like that, I pity her. Once, I was similar to her, never knowing the warmth of a man''s embrace. Oh, sure, I was seducing men left and right but none of them really gave me the comfort I sought. They were just tools for me to achieve my goals. Nothing more." "To live such a cold existence¡ªI wouldn''t wish it on any woman, even if it meant sharing my darling Hugo." I released my hug, lifting her back up and putting her to the side before standing up. "Think about it. No need to rush. I believe it will take some more time for her to process her own feelings. And before then, I have no plans of handing over Hugo to her. After all, he''ll just get depressed if she screams his father''s name instead of his while they''re doing the deed." I giggled. Looking at the little sourpuss, it seemed she didn''t know how to react. "Well, I''m going back now. Going to have some fun with Milord once he wakes up. You want to join in or not?" She glared at me in an instant. Pouting, she stood up as well. "H-hmph! Hugo must apologize for what he did!" "And the way he does that is by making us happy all night." I chuckled. "Oh yes, I''m not planning to let him sleep tonight. And neither should you. We''re going to suck him dry." Her nod was all I needed to know that she was onboard with this punishment for him. ? Hugo "U-urghhhh¡­" Slowly, my eyes fluttered open. The bright light coming from the chandelier blinded me, forcing me to close them again. "Finally. You''re awake, Milord." Something soft pressed into my left arm. Glancing to my left, I found Felicia wrapped around my arm, smiling. She wasn''t wearing her usual robes. Instead, she had her sexy sheer black nightgown on. I could see her bare chest and red thong through it. Feeling a squeeze in my right arm, I turned around to see Sherry on the other side. She too wore a see-through nightgown, though hers were white. Her undergarments were also visible as well, bright frilly blue. No bra, just like Felicia. "We''ve talked with Myrilla and we''ve decided to forgive you both," Felicia continued. "Buut, that doesn''t mean you can just get off scot-free." A grin formed on my lips. Seeing the lustful glint in her eyes, and the fact that they both wore skimpy clothes like this, there was only one thing they could do for my "punishment". "We''ll make sure you don''t sleep a wink tonight." ? Myrilla "Alan? Alan? Is that¡­ is that you?" I saw him standing there, across the flower fields. His smile, shining as bright as sunlight, enraptured my heart in an instant. Only for his face to change to that of Hugo''s. My heart froze. I opened my eyes. A dream. And a foolish one at that. I sat up, my pupils adjusting momentarily from the light. My reflection stared at me from the mirror across the bed. I stood up, letting the blanket fall from my body. Walking over to the wardrobe, I took out my robes, along with some undergarments. After putting them on and my shoes, I made my way towards the gardens. I couldn''t go back to sleep. I needed to get some fresh air first. "Ooohhh¡­ ohhhh yessss¡­ that''s it¡­ right on the spot¡­" I froze. My legs moved on their own, carrying me back to the door. "Ah¡­ ah¡­ ah¡­ ahn¡­ ahnnnnn! M-Milord, your tongue¡­ it¡­ it feels so good! I think¡­ I think I''m going to¡­ Gyaahhhh!" I wasn''t naive. I knew exactly what I was listening to. And yet, I couldn''t help myself. I stood there like a fool, listening to their intimate moment. No, I didn''t just do that. I ended up peering into their minds as well. "Ooh, this is embarrassing? I didn''t even get to take off my panties before I soaked it? But you like it, don''t you, Milord? Should I walk around with this soiled pair tomorrow? Or should I¡­ lend it to you? I heard from Sherry here that you used to collect her dirty panties when you were a kid¡­" A shadow fell over my face. He chuckled. "No need. I already got to eat you whenever I wanted after all." "Uuu, Felicia! Get off him right now! It''s my turn!" My lips pursed in annoyance. "Kyaahh, H-Hugo! Y-you really¡­ like my butt, don''t you?" "Heh, whenever I see you wearing those short shorts, I just want to grope your cheeks all over like this." "Ahhnnn! Y-your thumb¡­ It''s touching my¡­ Kyaahh!" "And the way your panties peek out from those shorts¡ªyou really know how to give a good show." "S-stop! I don''t want to¡ªNot yet! Ngghhhh, gwahhhhh!" I shook my head. "Milord really likes to peek at girls'' undergarments, huh?" She giggled. "You can look at mine anytime you want??" Giving the door one last look, I departed, returning back to my room. That night, I pleasured myself to sleep. Leading to a dream where Hugo and Alan¡­ violated me back to back. Vol 5 Chapter 37: Victoria’s New Big Sister Victoria "Haa! Haa! Haa! Hah!" I thrusted my rapier over and over, ignoring the sweat soaking my clothes. How many had it been? A hundred? Two hundred? I couldn''t tell. It felt like an eternity had passed ever since I began my training. The sun had yet to rise. The courtyard was still dim with the light from the mansion. I couldn''t sleep. I had to begin my training at once. I promised Miss Sherry and Miss Felicia that I won''t be a burden for Sir Hugo. And that''s why I need to become stronger! ? The day before¡­ "Mind if we have a chat?" "S-sure, Miss Sherry! Miss Felicia! Come in!" It was a visit most unexpected. I was just waking up from my sleep. I didn''t even get to change out of my nightgown when they came. The two sat down on the bed. Glaring at me, Miss Sherry pat the open space to her right. "Hey. Sit here. We need to talk." "R-right!" I quickly obeyed, not wanting to incur her wrath. To be frank, I found her a bit¡ªno, a lot scary! The way she stared at you¡ªit''s as if you had done something terribly, horribly wrong! I don''t know how Sir Hugo can find her cute! As for Miss Felicia, she''s intimidating as well! You never knew what she was thinking! I don''t know how Sir Hugo managed to make her fall for him! "I''ll keep this short. You want to travel with us, right? Then you should make yourself useful to Hugo. You''ve been a huge headache for him and us all, you know." Miss Sherry spoke. My heart sank. Her words¡­ they were just like her words¡­ "I-I''m¡­ I''m sorry¡­" My voice shook. Tears dripped down to my lap. "Don''t be sorry. Be better." I looked up at her. "Be strong. Be confident. Be a woman that Hugo can rely on." "As such, I will be training you in the arts of the sword. Prepare yourself. I won''t hold back." "T-thank you, Miss Sherry!" I jumped at her, wrapping my arms around her body. ? Back at the present day¡­ "You''re doing it wrong. That''s not how you thrust a rapier." I gasped. She had her hands folded under her chest, glaring at me with that scary look of hers. "Here. Let me teach you." She walked closer and grabbed my hand, forcing it to move to the right position. "You put your weight to every stab without losing your balance. And you have to do it quickly. The quicker you are, the more deadly the tip of your sword will become." "R-right¡­" "Now, do it on your own. A hundred times." "O-of course, Miss Sherry!" I did as she told me, thrusting my rapier with the form she just taught. "Nonono, your arm is too high. You''ll tire yourself that way." As I tried to fix my form, something from the corner of my eye caught my attention. My heart skipped a beat. He had grown a lot taller and more dashing ever since we last met! "Already training this early in the morning?" He smiled. "And I see you have Sherry here as your tutor. That''s good. She''s a lot better than me in the art of the sword." "She still has a long way to go," Miss Sherry replied with a huff. "She''s completely worthless as a fighter now." I made my way up to him. And, without hesitation, I lowered my head. "I''m sorry for being a burden!" "...E-eh, where did this come from all of a sudden?" "I''ve put you and your friends through dangerous situations just so you will come to my rescue! I should have accepted your offer back then!" A pair of gentle hands gripped my shoulders. I looked up. Sir Hugo was smiling down. "Don''t worry about it. I saved you simply because I wanted to sleep well every night." "W-what do you mean?" He chuckled. "If I left you behind, I''d feel guilty about it. I''m done letting people I could''ve saved be hurt. Though I guess you can also make the argument that I just have a big hero complex." BA-DUMP "Sir Hugo! Thank you!" I couldn''t resist. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him the tightest hug I could give, burying my face in his warm, firm chest in the process. I knew Miss Sherry was right there beside him but I just had to do it to him! "H-hey! Get away from him! That''s my husband you''re hugging!" Miss Sherry yelled. "Get off him, you boob demon!" "Kyah!" I fell to the ground. She had pushed me away. "Don''t be deceived by his charms and good looks!" She pointed at him. "This man is a beast through and through! You think your orc fiancee was bad? This man is worse!" "That''s¡­ that''s not true!" I objected, slowly getting back up on my feet. "Sir Hugo is the perfect gentleman through and through!" "Look!" In one fell swoop, she lifted the lower hem of her shirt, the one that covered his lap. Revealing his¡­ his¡­ his b-bulge¡­ My eyes widened. Images of the orc prince smiling lewdly at me with his bulge clearly visible rushed into my head, followed by my pleasure training with the orc slave where I had to rub and lick his shaft¡­ "I-I have to go!" I ran away, ignoring Sir Hugo''s cries for me to come back. Tears fell from my eyes. ? Hugo I scratched my head, giving Sherry a scolding glare. "You did that on purpose, didn''t you? To make her hate me?" "I¡­ I didn''t expect her to react that way¡­" She looked down in regret. "You do know that she probably has trauma from that orc prince. She''s not like Felicia who''s embraced that kind of stuff willingly." "We should''ve killed that pig before we left!" She looked at me, anger burning in her eyes. "No need. I''ve killed him already." Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Felicia. She was still sleeping when Sherry and I woke up so we decided to leave her behind. "Oh, you did?" I asked her. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yes." She smiled. "I''ll tell you all about it later." Switching her gaze to Sherry, she then asked, "What did you do, hmm? You have that guilty kid look on you." "I¡­ I didn''t do anything!" She pointed at me. "It''s Hugo''s fault he got an erection in front of Victoria!" I let out a weak laugh while scratching my chin. "Okay, that one was on me. But you can''t expect me not to get one when she pressed those large knockers onto my chest! Not to mention how her sweat made her shirt translucent. I could see her green bra clearly!" Felicia folded her arms under her chest, pressing her boobs upwards. "Oh my, and here I thought we sucked you dry last night¡­ So, you scared her off with your member?" "Yeah¡­" I sighed, subtly hiding my crotch with my hand. "I think¡­ I think she was traumatized¡­ that shitty orc prince must have done all sorts of awful things to her¡­" Thinking about it, I should''ve realized this sooner¡­ I just got distracted with a bunch of other things these past few days¡­ "I''ll go talk to her." "No, Milord. Leave her alone. This kind of thing¡­ it''s better if a woman talks to her. Leave it to me, one who shares her experience." She patted her chest. "Well, if you say so." I smiled. "I''ll leave it to you then, Felicia." ? Victoria After running away, I now sat on a wooden bench inside the palace''s garden, in front of a fountain. The courtyard I was just in connected directly to the gardens, separated only by a wall of bushes and a gate. My body shook. My hands formed to be fists, gripping the fabric of my skirt. "There you are. I''ve been looking for you, little one." I looked up to the direction of the voice and found Miss Felicia walking towards where I sat. "M-Miss Felicia?" "I figure you need a chat." She smiled. "About what you just saw." She sat down beside me before continuing her speech. "You saw it, didn''t you? Hugo''s manhood?" "N-no! Not at all! Just¡­ just the bulge on his trousers¡­" I could feel my face heating up. She giggled. "Well, it can''t be helped. Your body really is quite erotic after all¡­" "E-erotic?!" Instinctively, I covered my chest with my hands. She giggled again. "Oh, there''s no need to be ashamed. As a woman, you should be proud instead! Milord loves big breasts, you know! You have no idea how much he plays with mine when we have fun in bed!" In an instant, a flash of that orc prince forcing me down on my bed resurfaced in my mind. My body shook. I pressed my hands toward my chest even harder. "...Ah, apologies. Hearing that must have triggered some unpleasant memories, mustn''t it?" She peeled my hands off my chest, intertwining them with her own. "Tell me everything. All that you have suffered. You''re now part of our family and so, as your big sister, there''s nothing that gives me more joy than to see you happy." I turned to face her. Her expression was warm and kind, far different from Big Sister Marlene¡­ I couldn''t hold back. I told her everything, starting from the day she and Sir Hugo left me behind. When I finished, she had a disgusted and furious look on her face, making her even scarier than Miss Sherry. "Unbelievable! Your own flesh and blood told you to do all that?! Before we leave the continent, I''ll definitely have a chat with them!" She yelled with a murderous glare. Normally, I would''ve defended them here. But, somehow, I no longer felt the desire to do so. "I''m so sorry!" She hugged me all of a sudden, one hand on my waist and the other on the back of my head. "It was a mistake to leave you with them! It''s my own jealousy that persuaded Hugo to leave you if you don''t ask him for his help!" She released her grip, smiling at me while resting her hands on my shoulders. Her smile, however, was one filled with sadness. "It''s not just you who''ve suffered that way. I too suffered in the hands of vile, selfish men who only cared about their own desires." And then, she began to tell her tale¡ªhow a plague killed her entire family, leading to her being adopted by a man who stole her innocence, and then all the things she had done with other men she seduced. Until her savior came. Sir Hugo. I was naive. I thought I had it bad. She had it ten times worse. "How¡­ how can you bear doing all that with them?! With those men?! Don''t you feel scared? Disgusted? And then¡­ and then you happily do it with Sir Hugo!" She gave me a wry smile before rubbing my head. "Because I love him. There''s nothing that makes me happier than fulfilling his sexual needs. I wish to give him everything, body and soul. That is what love is." "F-fulfilling his sexual needs?" My cheeks reddened. "But, when I did it with all those other men, I was just as disgusted as you were. I merely bear it and put up a fake smile." She then pressed her forehead onto mine and whispered, "If you don''t love Milord then it''s only natural for you to be creeped out by his bulging member. But please understand that he just couldn''t help it, especially when getting hugged by a cute, big-chested girl like you." I fell silent. What I just heard completely contradicted what Marlene taught me. " Miss Felicia then retreated, taking my hands once more. separated herself "Let''s take a bath together, shall we? I think you''ve done enough training for the morning. As your big sister, I think it''s time for you to have a proper education in bedroom matters. That is, if you''re willing, of course." "I¡­ I want to!" I blurted out without thinking. "Please, teach me, Miss Felicia!" I was done being ignorant, never knowing what the world was really like, cowering behind my delusions and fantasies. My sister¡­ she made me think that sexual intercourse was a bad and terrible thing. But seeing Miss Felicia, Miss Sherry, and Sir Hugo, it''s the opposite. It has to be a wonderful thing. I heard the three of them having such fun in their room last night. And asking Miss Myrilla, she told me that they were doing it. And then¡­ and then one day¡­ I''ll be able to look at Sir Hugo''s member without being reminded of those two orcs¡­ ? A beautiful yet melancholic face peered through the window, looking down at the courtyard of the mansion she was imprisoned in. There, she saw the soldiers, standing around chatting with each other, not even showing any signs of tension or awareness in the slightest. She couldn''t blame them. This place, designed by her own brother to imprison his political enemies, was equipped with a runic spell that made it impossible for a prisoner to leave. If they tried, they would feel an insanely powerful urge to go back to their room, so strong that they could never resist. As such, the guards had no reason to be alert at all times. The runic spell did all their work for them. But, such a spell should be no match for her own magic. And yet, she was still here, not even plotting an escape. Why bother, when she had nowhere else to go, now that her brother was dead. "Come in!" The door on the other side of the bedroom opened, revealing a dark-haired maid with a lowered head. "A guest is waiting for you at the study, Milady." She was one of her private maids. Instead of abandoning her to her fate, she chose to serve her in this prison. She didn''t know whether those lizards were being naive or foolish but allowing your enemy''s underling to be together like this was a bad idea. It pretty much allowed her to conspire escaping with her. And yet, she chose not to. They were both pretty much treated like royalty here. Out there, they would have to fend for themselves. And in the Demon Continent, you would be a fool to choose that kind of a life. "A visitor?" She raised her eyebrows. "Is it those lizards? Tell them that I have no interest in legitimizing their rule." "No, Milady. It''s Sir Hugo Greenwood and his harem." She narrowed her eyes. "Ah, the Lecher Demon Lord?" A wry smile formed on her face. "Very well. I''ll speak with him." ? When she arrived at the study, the young man and his entourage of women were sitting on the couch in the middle of the room. The maid introduced her first before she entered the room. "So?" She smiled as she approached them. "What do you want? Come to gloat about your victory?" He stood up. With his charming smile, he bowed and introduced himself. "Ah, the murderer of my brother. I remember your name very well. Hugo Greenwood, is it?" Her gaze landed on the dark-haired girl who was still sitting on the couch with her hands crossed. "I came here to ask you about something." He spoke, still smiling. "Your brother¡­ did he really have dreams involving the Goddess?" Her eyes widened. He chuckled. "Don''t look so surprised. I too am plagued with dreams involving her. And the Heavenly Dragon already approved of me and my companions to remember her existence." "You¡ªyou were chosen by the Heavenly Dragon?! You''re a Hero too, just like her?" "Her?" He raised his eyebrows. "Yes! That pink-haired woman who challenged Brother and won! Are you in cahoots with her?!" The man paused for a bit, scratching his chin, his eyes looking away as if he tried to recall something. "Ah! Was she named Isolde by any chance?" "Yes! That''s her! So you are friends with her!" She pointed her finger at him. "You have the blessings of a hero too! That explains it! That''s how my brother was defeated by you!" To her surprise, he shook his head. "You''re wrong. I am no hero. Isolde, though, she''s the real deal. Just a hero''s companion though. Not the hero himself." A small smile formed on his face. "Aah, to think she managed to beat him¡­ she''s strong after all. Though it''s curious that she decided to spare him. She didn''t spare that fox woman demon lord after all¡­" "Fox woman demon lord?" She fired back. " Are you talking about Lady Virana? You mean she was¡ª" "Killed by her, yes. Honestly, without her help, we wouldn''t be here right now. Back then, I wasn''t as strong as I am now." He shrugged, giving her a wry smile. All this time she believed she simply got bored and left her brother on her own volition. To think she was actually murdered by that woman¡­ "Well, you haven''t answered my question. How about it? Did Balthazar have dreams involving the Goddess? If he did, then I''m afraid his ambition to become the Demon God might be implanted by her." She froze. Her mind reeled back, to the very first day when she heard him speak of wanting to become the new Demon God. That day, or rather, that morning, it was her turn to accompany him in bed. She was the first to wake up. And, as he had requested beforehand, she woke him up so he wouldn''t oversleep. But when he sat up, he had something she very rarely saw on his face. A smile. He was right. Ever since that dream, he was obsessed with becoming the next Demon God. She didn''t say anything. She was just happy that her beloved brother could finally be happy. Their race suffered from dull and lifeless emotion, unable to feel like other races did. For him to be happy like that, it was a momentous occasion worthy of celebration. "Then, what she said was correct." One of the man''s companions spoke up¡ªthe redheaded woman¡ªspoke with a smile before standing up from her seat. "Here. Let me reunite you with your friend." She tapped her staff on the floor. Lines of shadows grew from its tip, forming a magic circle that exuded an eerie purple light. When the light receded, a familiar face stood before her. "Adele." Her eyes narrowed, glaring at the redhead. "The necromancer, I presume. Felicia Myne. Or Greenwood, since you''re now his wife and all." "I am not her friend." The animated corpse spoke, glancing at the redhead as well. "Gretchel here annoys me. It''s a shame you didn''t kill her as well." "It''s your own fault, you know," Felicia replied with a smile. "I would have spared you if you hadn''t tried to kill me back then." "But enough about that. You''re the one who said that Balthazar''s ambition came from his dream." "Indeed." The elf folded her arms, glancing at Gretchel. "He probably doesn''t tell you this but he said that she had chosen him for the role. Or rather, a candidate for the role. For the bitch wanted him to prove himself first before giving her approval." "He¡­ he never told that to me¡­" Gretchel looked down. "Brother¡­" "And this is why I don''t like you. You''re too spoiled by him. You clung and clung to him, not knowing how hard me and the others work for his sake. You even failed to kill the weaklings of their group." Gretchel gritted her teeth. She was right. She should''ve been more useful to her brother. "Alright, enough arguing, you two," Felicia interrupted before turning to face one of the two women still sitting on the couch. "Myrilla, you got everything we need?" The silver-haired woman nodded. "That will be enough, yes." "Good. Then, we can take our leave." She tapped the dull end of her staff once more, dismissing the zombie elf. "Well, we''ll be going now," the blonde haired young man said with a smile. "Oh, before we leave, do you wish for me to vouch for your release?" "...No." She scowled. "I don''t need your help, Hugo Greenwood. I''m fine staying here as the lizards'' prisoners. After all, once you leave, I''ll begin to work on retaking the city from the inside. Yes, those traitorous lizards¡ªthey will all pay for betraying my brother." Why did she say such taunting words right to his face? She didn''t know herself. She just felt an unquenchable thirst to say something that would anger him. That smirk on his face¡ªshe despised it with all her being. And yet, he only replied with a chuckle. "She''s bluffing," the silver-haired woman with an antennae spoke. "She has no plans to do so. In fact, she''s perfectly content staying here for the foreseeable future." She glared towards the woman. " But she was right. She really had no plans to usurp control from the lizardmen tribes. She didn''t like to rule, leaving all the work to her brother. And she knew that revenge was a fool''s quest, as it would not bring her brother back. And if she were to desire it, her target would be this cocky human right in front of her, not those lizards. "How curious." The redhead woman smiled. "I thought your race is supposed to have no emotion. And yet, here I see quite the animated young lady. Mayhap your kind can feel anger? But then again, your brother didn''t seem upset at all when we murdered some of his wives." "That''s because the only one he truly loved is me. All those other women¡ªhe only held a fleeting interest for them, nothing more." She huffed. "...I see. So that''s how it is." The young man then proceeded to do something unbelievable. He knelt down in front of her, lowering his head to face towards the ground in the process. "Apologies for taking his life. I have doomed you for a long life of loneliness, haven''t I?" Anger bubbled in her stomach. Who was this man to pity her?! "...I don''t need your pity, human! Just leave and never come back!" She stormed off the room, tears trailing down her cheeks. The young man stood up, gazing at the now open door with a melancholic look, shaking his head. It seemed he had chosen the wrong words. Or rather, there really were no good words he could choose. Sure, he could explain that he was technically still alive though captured by the Fey Queen but it was him who weakened him enough that she could do that to him. No matter. It was the path he had chosen to save Victoria. And he would choose it again if given the choice. He couldn''t make everyone in the world happy. He could only cherish those closest to him. Vol 5 Chapter 38: Goodbye The City of Wisdom Hugo After our visit to Gretchel, we decided to discuss our findings over lunch, which we had back at Balthazar''s mansion. We sat in the dining room, with Tira, Kiri, and Aria acting as our attendants. Theo and Tama were absent, choosing to train at the courtyard instead with Victoria. "So, it was true. The Goddess really did get to him¡­" I opened the discussion, taking a bite of the sandwich in front of me. "Which one do you prefer, Master?" Aria asked with an elegant tone while standing beside me. "Tea or coffee?" "Tea, please." I smiled at her. As she poured the liquid into my cup, my eyes lingered on her figure. Her sizable breasts jiggled right in front of me, jutting out of her cute maid uniform. "And how about the appetizer?!" Kiri chirped. "Do you want the bread sticks or the seasoned rice?" "I''ll take the latter, please." I smiled at her as well. Once again, I was treated with a close-up look of a cute maid''s boobs. "Hey, you two! Don''t just serve Hugo! Serve the rest of us too!" Sherry yelled from across the table. While the two scrambled across to Sherry''s seat, Tira covered her mouth and giggled. "She''s right, you know. As maids of the Greenwood household, you''re obligated to serve Sir Hugo''s wives as well. Not just him." Staring at the elf with a dreamy look, I let out a sigh of gratitude. My mind returned to Mary, the village girl that once served as our maid many years ago. She was really cute as well though beauty-wise, Tira still won over her. Although, her boobs were definitely a lot bigger¡­ "Well, let''s begin, shall we?" Felicia smiled, taking a sip of her coffee. "Myrilla, if you would¡­" "I''ve read her mind," she replied with a firm look. "And it''s just as you say¡ªthe Goddess was the cause of Balthazar wanting to become a Demon God. And, not only that, she also had decided to abandon him, choosing a different candidate instead." I scratched my chin. I still remembered what Felicia said this morning before we met Gretchel. And that was how I learned that he was just another pawn of the shitty Goddess. "Then, the question is, who''s the next Demon God if not him?" Felicia bit her lip. "Does it matter? The Demon God won''t be our problem. It''d be the job of the next Legendary Hero to bring them down." I smiled, taking another sip of my tea. "True¡­ Still, I don''t like this¡­ She might have been preparing a trap for you, Milord. We should be more careful from now on," Felicia said with a concerned look. "I''ll just smash through that trap. Hugo got nothing to worry about as long as I''m on his side," Sherry declared with a serious look before grabbing a bite out of her steak. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ? That night, just after we finished dinner¡­ "Maaassssteerr!" Before I could say anything, Kiri ran from behind me, crossing the hallway at the blink of an eye before leaping towards me. Hugging me as hard as she could, she looked up, her face as bright as the stars themselves. "Master Hugo! Master Hugo! Is it true? We can sleep with you tonight?!" Her soft chest charmingly pressed into my stomach and her cute smile assaulted my poor eyes. Behind her Aria stood, saying nothing as she stood with her hands in front of her skirt. Her face told it all though. She was just as excited as Kiri was, only, she tried to hide it like a good servant would. And further still was Felicia, who entered the scene with a smirk, her sight locked at the bedazzled Sherry. "Now now, don''t be alarmed," she chirped in a sing-along tone. "I simply think Milord needs more women to warm his bed. After all, tonight, I''ll be sleeping with Victoria instead." I raised my eyebrows. "No! I''m enough to warm his bed!" Sherry joined in hugging me, looking at me as if to tell me I should shoo Kiri and Aria away. "No fair! Miss Sherry can''t have Master Hugo all for herself! We''re his familiar!" Kiri huffed. "I can! I''m his wife! And I don''t want to see another girl clinging to him!" Felicia giggled. "Oh, don''t be like that. A familiar grows in strength the closer she is to her master, you know." She then patted me on the shoulder, smiling as she whispered into my ear, "Good luck, Casanova." And that was how I ended up with three skimpily dressed girls on my bed, each wearing only a short translucent nightgown with no panties or bra underneath. "Mmmm, Master Hugo¡­" "Master Hugo¡­" Kiri and Aria hugged my arms tight, their barely covered chests pressing into me as they lightly snored in their sleep. In their human forms, they could sleep and rest like humans do, if they so wished. As for Sherry, well, she sat on top of me with her body resting on my chest, face merely inches away from my own. She didn''t say anything. Nor did she need to. Her glare told me all the words she would''ve said. She wasn''t pleased in the slightest that the feys decided to wear their sexy nightgowns as well. She thought she would have the advantage in that department. It turned out that Felicia had told them to do it as well, saying that I''d be happy if they did. It seemed that when she went out to town to buy our supplies, she bought them those scandalous garments. Of course, she was completely right. I was happy I got to see their bare chests and cherry red nipples, along with their smooth, flawless girlhoods. But Sherry heavily disagreed. "Hugo, you like big boobs more than small ones, don''t you?" She pouted. "W-well, about that¡­" "I can feel it, you know. Your erection. You really are going to perv at every cute girl you see, even these two¡­" Slowly, her hair slithered into my pants, tugging at the seat of my stretched briefs, pulling it to the side. *SQUEEZE* Gently, she rubbed my erect member. Her technique, having been trained by Felicia, was now just as good as the latter. Her squeezes possessed confidence and the pressure she applied was just enough to be pleasurable without actually making it painful. "Come on. Let it out. I know you want you, you pervert." She pressed her lips into mine, our tongue dancing together as her hairjob slowly intensified. Meanwhile, two pairs of breasts were pressing my arms from the sides. The kiss didn''t last long. Raising her face, she then said, "You want to grab my butt, don''t you? Then do it. Release your hands from them two." I wriggled my arms, trying to set them free. No dice. Their grip was far too tight. Unless I wanted to wake them up, there was no getting out. Before I could think up a different plan, however¡­ "Mhmm¡­ I love you Master Hugo¡­" Kiri giggled. *CHUU~?* Her lips had just pressed into my cheeks. "Master¡­." Aria''s lips bit into my earlobe next. I moaned, my member twitching in excitement. It was a two-pronged attack¡ªa punishment for me trying to escape their grasp. Sherry''s expression turned grave. She tightened her hairy grip on my member. "I see¡­ They don''t want to give you up either¡­ But, unfortunately for them, I still can do this to their beloved ''Master'' Hugo." Without warning, she turned around and planted her ass right on top of my face. "Lick it. Just like you did last night," she said with a blush. My mind returned to yesterday, where I indeed ate both her and Felicia''s flowers until they came on my face. Normally, I was the one firing my seed into their mouths, wombs, or skins. But that night, I figured I''d be the one serving them instead. A grin grew on my face. "Sherry, can I do it while you wear those short shorts of yours?" I already pleasured her naked girlhood, which, by the way, was dripping wet with her juices, just like now. Now, I wanted to do it through her clothes, just like those ecchi harem leads when their faces "accidentally" ended up in the girls'' crotches. "...Fine. Stay right where you are." She climbed out of the bed, giving me a nice view of her bare buttocks in the process. Her hair, however, remained wrapped around my member, giving it a pleasant massage. I let out a groan. In just five minutes, she was back, fully clothed in her usual outfit. Immediately she climbed back on top of me again, her legs resting between my head, giving me a perfect view of her clothed cameltoe. "Do you really prefer me dressed like this? I thought guys want all women naked in their bed." She pouted. "Not necessarily." I smirked. "A man of culture can appreciate the teasing nature of some certain clothing. Like your skimpy shorts. I can see the shape of your girlhood and a glimpse of your panties from this angle and that''s a wonderful tease in my humble opinion." "...Hmph, I suppose Aunt Fran was right. These shorts really do attract men." She moved her bum forward, pressing her clothed slit right up to my nose. "You''re lucky they''re so comfy to wear. And they''re great for mobility too. Better than wearing a skirt." The scent of her wet sex entered my nostrils. I didn''t wait a second longer. I began to breathe heavily into it, rubbing my nose into it as well. "Hmmmmphhh!" She held her moan as her entire body shivered. Now, if this were an ecchi anime, she''d say things like "Nooo, not there!" or "Don''t move!". But since she wanted it, she instead rapidly grinded her crotch up and down, using my nose to rub her privates through her pants. "Haahhh, hmmphhh, aahhnnnn, hyaaannn¡­" It didn''t take long until she reached her climax. A wet spot visibly grew on her shorts as her juices overflowed from her panties. As for me, well, I didn''t see the point of holding back anymore. I finished in my pants as well, no doubt making a mess of my briefs in the process. Panting, she moved her hips back down, resting her crotch on top of my own crotch as her head rested on my chest. "You really are a pervert, Hugo¡­" she whispered. "My pervert¡­" And just like that, she fell asleep. Naturally, when we woke up the next day, Kiri and Aria innocently thought we simply had a little nighttime accident. ? "Are you sure you can''t stay for longer, Lord Hugo?" "No can do, Orluk. My two sisters are waiting for me on the other side of the world. I won''t make them wait unnecessarily longer." After breakfast, we decided it was time to depart. And so, we made our way to the mayoral building where Orluk resided, which was located just beside our mansion. We didn''t need to go outside to the streets as there was a gate linking the two complexes. Finding him at the study, I immediately noticed that he looked¡­ haggard, as if he hadn''t slept in a few days. It seemed he was buried with work ever since he had to help his father and the other clan chiefs with the changing of power. "Ah, right, Miss Marina and Miss Erika¡­" He looked down with a regret-filled look. "If only I could help you with them as well¡­" "You''ve done enough." I approached him and patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks to your help, Victoria is with us again." "Thank you very much, Sir Orluk!" Victoria bowed. My eyes wandered for a short moment at her breasts. Those heavy lumps of hers bounced at every move she took. Not to mention how her white shirt was stretched to its limits trying to contain her size¡­. Sensing a glare from Sherry, I quickly averted my gaze. "If you have to leave, I suggest you do it under discretion. The people of this city¡ªthey all want a good look at you, Lord Hugo." Orluk smiled. "If they noticed you out in the open, they would swarm you for sure." A sense of pride filled my heart. "I''ll send Fia to escort you all. She should return soon." I nodded. ? Just five minutes later, Fia entered the room. Orluk quickly briefed her on what was going on, and she responded by giving me a hug, thanking me for all the things I had done to her. Of course, this meant her soft, full boobs were pressed into my chest¡ªa nice reminder that I would never have a sexy dark elf like her in my harem. I smiled towards the ogre. *STAAAARE* My eyes crossed paths with Myrilla''s, whose stern gaze was drilling into me. I imagined she was reading my perverted mind. For a split second, I imagined her as my own dark elf. After all, she also had dark skin and silver hair. Though the boobs department was certainly lacking¡­ *BOING* A vision of her naked form pinning me down entered my mind. Pain flashed inside my head, knocking me out of my lewd thoughts. Myrilla''s glare intensified while her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. Want it or not, the fact that I took her virginity back then¡­ that would never leave my mind. She was just too hot for that. ? Afterwards, we put on hooded cloaks to hide our faces, before Fia took us through the city streets, taking the least populated roads. Unfortunately, even with all that, we were still discovered. By none other than our dear tight-pants elven bard. "Sir Hugo! Sir Hugo! Finally, I get to see you!" "O-oh, oh hi, Sari." I forced a smile. "Long time no see. Look, we''re kinda in a hurry now so I would appreciate it if¡ª" "Sir Hugo!" She grabbed my left hand. "You have to tell me everything that happened! I wish to write an epic, three-hour ballad about you! I''ll call it ''The Rise of The Lecher Demon Lord!''" "Uh, you do know I''m not a demon, right? I can''t be a Demon Lord. I might have beaten Balthazar but that doesn''t mean I want to take his place." "It''s too late for that!" Her eyes sparkled like the stars themselves. "The people want a new Demon Lord! They''re really excited to see you, you know! Especially after hearing that you''re a human! Do you know how many humans got to be a Demon Lord? No one! You''re the first!" "Are you sure? Don''t they hate me for killing their beloved Demon Lord?" "Oh sure, they admire him indeed but knowing you are stronger, they now want you to be their Demon Lord instead!" "And besides, you''re not like those uppity human heroes who can''t have some fun! Your fondness for women is very much a welcomed attitude amongst the demons! Everyone knows of you killing Balthazar just to steal his woman or you taming a monogamous Izurd to accept polygamy. All men want to be you while all women want to be with you, Sir Hugo!" She giggled. I took a glance at Sherry''s nonplussed face. "Oh, I know!" She clapped her hands with a smile."I''ll give you my body in exchange for your story! It''s only natural that you won''t tell it for free and since you''re the Lecher Demon Lord, you definitely will accept my offer!" "Unless, you don''t find me attractive?" She pressed her body into mine, squishing her average-sized chest. Fluttering her eyelashes, she looked up to me, her lips protruding outwards as if expecting a kiss. I sighed. "Ha¡­ hahahahaha!" I let out a fake laugh. "You think you can compete with the beauties in my harem? Naive! I have no interest in a whelp like you! Come back when you''re a woman!" She froze. Her smile disappeared, replaced by a sad, pained look while her eyes watered and her lips shook. She took a step back, grabbing her chest with her hands, before glancing at Felicia and Victoria. "I¡­ I''m sorry!" And just like that, she ran away. In retrospect, I probably shouldn''t have said that. "Good work, Milord. You totally crushed her self-confidence." Felicia patted me at the back. "...I went too far, didn''t I?" "Well, I think it''s fine. If they think you''re a Demon Lord, you might as well act like one. Only real beauties are allowed to sleep with you. Just like a Lecher Demon Lord would act." She wrapped her hands around me from behind, pressing her chest to my back. "That means we are all the prettiest women in the entire continent." I chuckled. "Now, let''s depart, shall we?" She released her hug. "Before those people around us start to notice who we are¡­" I nodded, giving one last look to the street the elven bard ran towards, before turning around and leaving the city for good. Vol 5 Chapter 39: Interlude – The Winter Fairy The jungles of Algernon, inside the Ruined Capital. Once, a great kingdom resided there. Until one night, it all disappeared in a flash, frozen to the core by a vengeful fey of winter. That was many moons ago. Now, carnivorous plants had taken over, baring the way of any adventurers foolish enough to enter. But today¡ªtoday was different. Today, a two-hundred men strong expeditionary force was traversing through the ruined capital, unfazed by the plants hungry for their flesh and blood. With their swords, spears, and magic, they simply cut through them like butter. And when they stumbled upon something bigger, they had the Holy Saintess by their side. Even so, they had lost a considerable amount of men ever since they departed from Shernon. Only fifty of them remained. And yet, their leader, said Holy Saintess, was unperturbed in the slightest. Her eyes lit up with the force of the stars¡ªher ambition burning bright inside her heart. She would do it. She would meet the Archfey of Winter and make her her pet. Just like she did with Marina. She needed her strength. For the storm that was coming¡ªa terrible news that was brought to her by the True Goddess. Truth be told, she didn''t need to be told that she would lose her status as the queen if Marina were ever taken from her. The only reason why her people could thrive after the disastrous earthquake, and why her nation could still keep its sovereignty, was because of her. Her gaze rested on the girl, who was walking right in front of her. She had to stay close with her at all times or else she would risk getting attacked by those conniving feys and their monstrous plants. Just like back home where she had to use her to protect herself from assassins, rebellions, and other, hostile nations aiming for her neck. Indeed, ever since she took the throne (or rather, her husband did), there were already five attempts on her life. Whether it came from the remnants of the rebellion that she had crushed or an outside party, the fact remained that, if it weren''t for her, she wouldn''t be here right now. Without the Griffon Knights, she was the biggest military asset the kingdom had. If only¡­ if only she were less beautiful¡­ she might be able to be friends with her. "Please let me sleep with Marina!" Those were the words uttered by her own husband, right to her face. He even groveled down like a pig as he begged her for it. It was clear as day. He no longer loved her. The filth only wanted Marina. As such, there was no way she could ever treat her better. If she were to let her regain some autonomy, she would surely use it to plot her downfall. She had an idea of ordering her guards to violate her but that would just reflect badly on her. She then tried to make them do it out of her own volition by teasing them with her body. Making her bend over in front of them, showing her womanhood, making her undress, and even making her say that she wanted to sleep with them. It didn''t work. They were all too terrified of her. "Guwaahhh!" "An attack! Coming from nine o''clock!" "W-we''re surrounded!" Lilian sighed. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The half-dryad shot out vines from her fingertips, stabbing them to the ground. In an instant, the carnivorous flowers that were ambushing them were drained out of their lives as Marina''s vines absorbed every single bit of their nutrients. The soldiers cheered, praising their great Saint yet again for saving them. Ignoring the fact that some of their comrades had just been eaten alive. And then, they pushed onwards, to the shadow of the grand castle ahead of them. Thanks to the information given by the Goddess, she knew her goal lay in wait there. An archfey, the Minister of Winter, under her command. Even if she were a fey, her ability still worked on it nonetheless. It was still a magical creature after all. Unlike those humans whom she had to kill since her ability couldn''t work on them. In this world, only the strong could thrive. She was done being weak. With the blessing of a goddess at hand, nothing could stop her now. Nothing. ? The moment they entered the castle, they were assaulted by a deafening silence. It was as if the air itself was unnaturally frozen, refusing to transmit the sounds of their boots and the clanging of their armors. They could hear their own heartbeats, slowly climbing up at every shadow that fooled the corner of their eyes. Strangely enough, the walls were glowing with an eerie blue light, giving them the light they needed to traverse the place without torches or fire magic. "Search every inch of the place! Don''t leave a single stone unturned!" Their commander yelled. Lilian knew very well that these men that accompanied her would not last in the slightest in front of their target. But she let them do their business anyway, not feeling the desire to be burdened with their lives. It''s their job to sacrifice their lives for her, the queen, and the good of the kingdom. They should rejoice that they died honorably instead of cursing her name. "Now, my dear, sweet Marina." She smirked. "Tell me. Where is our dear fairy? You should be able to sense it, right? Her magical presence?" Marina nodded. She pointed at the staircase in front of them. "Why, of course! She would be in the throne room! Where else would she be? Well, take a lead, if you would." Marina didn''t say anything. She simply walked ahead of her and the rest of the soldiers, up the once-lavish staircase. Lilian and the remaining soldiers quickly followed. ? Just as Marina predicted, they found who they were looking for at the throne room. There, sitting on the dilapidated throne, was a blue-skinned and blue-haired woman with a pair of fairy wings made out of ice and frost. And she was¡­ sleeping, strangely enough. Or at least, that was how it looked, with her head resting on the armrest of said throne and her eyes closed. Lilian smiled. The way her special ability worked was that she had to stand a certain distance from her target. Then, she would have to pray to the Goddess, asking her to make said target her slave. Focusing her sight at the sleeping archfey, she called upon the Goddess in her mind. ¡­ "Aaahhhhhh!" Lilian screamed. Her body¡­ her entire body¡­ was frozen from top to bottom. It all happened in an instant. She didn''t even realize she was frozen until she tried to move her hand. It wasn''t just her, however. Her soldiers that came with her¡ªthey were all frozen as well. Only Marina managed to break free immediately as she transformed her skin into those of a particular species of a flame-breathing tree, melting the ice in an instant as well. "Marina! Free me! Immediately!" Lilian ordered. Marina obeyed, wrapping her frozen body in her fiery vines, melting her as well. "What is this? A human trying to control me?" "Ah, I see it now. You''re her puppet. And the puppet now wishes to add another puppet to her collection." The throne room vanished. Their surroundings immediately transformed into that of a frozen cave, pure white in any direction. Only the throne remained though it had become an ice throne instead. The fairy stirred. She sat upright on the throne, opening her sleepy eyes. Her pupils were akin to a dim sapphire and she looked coldly towards Lilian. "Unfortunately for you, we fey were created to resist such an influence." She snapped her fingers. The frozen soldiers¡ªthey were all turned into snowmen in a blink of the eye. "Now, let us begin. Our dance under the freezing cold." ? Once upon a time, there was a little snow fairy. Born on top of a cold and desolate mountain, she was alone from the day she was born. Day after day she wandered, searching for companionship. Alas, none of the animals she met wanted to be her friends. Even the great bears and the fierce wolves avoided her¡ªafraid of her power. For she wasn''t really a little snow fairy. She was the embodiment of the mountain''s blizzard itself. Such thoughts plagued her day after day. Until the day he arrived. He was just a young boy then, barely the age of ten. A prince of a foreign land, a terrible fate befell him. His carriage was attacked by a band of assassins. His father, his mother, his nanny maid¡ªthey all perished in the assault. Only he survived, thanks to her freezing his assailants. The boy cried. He cried and cried into her bosom. She could do nothing but to awkwardly wrap her cold, icy hands around him. For the first time in her existence, warmth filled her heart. The two lived together for a while, with her protecting him from the beasts and monsters while giving him the sustenance he needed to survive. Those days were the warmest the mountain had ever been as without realizing it, the fairy''s warming heart stopped the everlasting blizzard. And then, the prince''s retainers came for him. They took him with them, thinking the fairy was a monster that had captured him. Using powerful magic, they bound her in place, preventing her from attacking them. The prince, knowing he had no choice but to leave, decided to utter his promise. He yelled these words as he was carried away. "I''ll come back for you, Azalea! I promise! And then¡­ and then I''ll make you my wife!" It was a promise he should''ve never made. Especially to a fey. The fairy remained in the mountains. She waited, and waited, and waited. Summer after summer, winter after winter. And yet, he never came. The blizzard grew. Her heart turned to ice once more. And then, she decided she had enough. She would go out there and find him instead. Perhaps he needed her help against those vile humans, she thought to herself. When she arrived at his kingdom, however, she found that he had already married another woman. And not only that, he had made children with her as well. And when she made her presence known, all she received from him was hate. Hate and fear and disgust. He looked at her as if she was a monster. He stood in front of his wife and children with a determined look, sword drawn. "Don''t you remember me? I''m Azalea, the fairy from the mountain!" "I don''t know who you are! Go away! I will not let you harm my family!" Her heart broke. She waited for him. She waited for him to fulfill his promise. And yet, he had forgotten about her entirely. That day¡ªwas the day his kingdom ended. She claimed his life for her own, along with everything he had cared about. Now, in this frozen, ruined city, they could finally be together at last. The scenery had shifted. No longer were they inside a throne room. They were now outside, in the middle of a large clearing on top of some snow-filled mountain. A powerful blizzard raged around them, blinding their sight with pure white. It was the very same mountain the archfey originated from. "Come to me, my beloved!" The snow beside her came to life, gathering itself to form a visage of the prince that once betrayed her. He stood in front of him like a gallant knight, holding his greatsword with both hands, his cape blowing wildly behind him. "W-w-w-warm me up! Now!" Lilian yelled. Once again, Marina had to wrap her vines around her body, though this time, she ensured the warmth her flame vines exuded was just right so it wouldn''t bother her. "P-protect me! Don''t let her lay a finger on me, you hear?! And immobilize her so I can use my ability!" Lilian gritted her teeth. All she needed was a few seconds of uninterrupted concentration for her ability to take effect. Her ability, Puppeteer of The Magical, worked on sight which meant that she had to see her target with her own two eyes. But, in this blizzard, she couldn''t even pinpoint where she was. She could only see that snow statue of hers that she had created. She thought it would be an easy job, that her ability would just allow her to control the archfey instantly. It was how it worked with Marina and her familiar. She just stared at them without them realizing and bam, they were under her control in an instant. But this? This was far beyond her ability! She could hear it! She could hear her voice! Silence. The Goddess no longer desired to speak to her. Lilian gritted her teeth. She had no choice! She just had to trust her words! "Marina! Go all out! Destroy this fairy with all your might!" ? Inside, the real Marina rejoiced. For she finally, finally had the ability to be free from her commands. Including the command to protect her. If an attack were to go to where Lilian was, she wouldn''t be obligated to protect her from it. Her pretty head could be pierced by an icicle, killing her in an instant. Giving her the freedom she desperately yearned. And then¡­ and then¡­ she can go where Hugo was! Oh Hugo! Her dear beloved Hugo! How kind of him to come to her dreams every night! Seeing him speak and smile is all she needed to go on! Don''t you worry, Hugo! She''ll be there with you soon! ? Roots grew out from Marina''s fingers, jutting straight into the snowy ground. "Yggdrasil." A giant tree burst out from the ground, standing tall in the middle of the snowstorm. Her body then shrunk, her essence going through the roots, leaving only a lifeless wooden statue of her where she stood. And then, half of her body appeared on the trunk of a giant tree, made completely out of wood. Lilian didn''t wait. She ran to the tree and stood as close to it as she could. "Human¡­ Are you truly going to fight me?" The winter fairy''s voice echoed through the raging wind. "Your little pet¡­ she cannot defeat me." "Very well, may you suffer like the other humans, tool of the True Enemy." The blizzard strengthened. The snow transformed into ice crystals. They were now as hard as a rock, possessing the ability to attach themselves to the surface they landed on. They would then grow, slowly engulfing the target in ice crystals. "Eeekkk!" Lilian hugged the trunk of the tree before quickly releasing her grip, sensing the wood rapidly heating up. Marina defended herself by making her tree receive the properties of flame plants, possessing high temperature and the ability to breathe out fire. "Don''t let any of that ice fall on me, you hear?!" Lilian yelled. Fortunately for her, she managed to survive for now as the leaves on the tree were thick and numerous enough to protect her completely. Unfortunately, another danger would soon befell her. A human figure leaped from the blinding snowstorm, drawing his blade and aiming to slice her head off. "P-protect me, Marina!" Just before the crystallized snow could connect, Marina''s vines caught the figure, evaporating it with their heat. "Futile." The fey wasn''t finished. A swarm of similar figures jumped out of the storm, some going towards Lilian while others aiming to attack Marina and her tree directly. Still, it was not a problem Marina couldn''t handle. A swarm of vines burst out from the tree, capturing every single one of the princely constructs before they could do any harm. But, it was not the real attack the archfey had in store. Faster than the blink of an eye, the fey manifested right in front of the tree. Touching its trunk, before Marina could react, she covered the entire plant in ice. "Touch of Freezing Death. With this, you shouldn''t be able to move even a single leaf, puppet of a puppet." The fey spoke with a nonchalant tone. "No. You wouldn''t even be aware that you couldn''t move. To you, time has stood still." She flew up to Marina''s wooden face, sitting on top of her giant head. Just like she said, her expression was frozen in time. But then again, her expression never changed ever since she was controlled by Lilian. Speaking of her, she was now in complete panic mode. She kicked the tree over and over, demanding Marina to move and protect her. The fey looked at her, giving her a look of pity before hovering down to where she was, making her fall on her behind. "P-please have mercy!" She waved her right hand towards the fey. "It-it wasn''t me who wanted to capture you! It was the Goddess! Yes! Just like you said, I am merely her puppet!" A warm puddle formed under her butt as she relaxed her bladder out of fear. She had survived her disgusting father all those years and now she finally obtained the power and respect she always desired. There was no way she would just let it all end here! "I will free you, puppet. Unfortunately for you, the only freedom from her is death." She formed an icicle in mid-air before sending it right towards her head. Only, she missed. It landed harmlessly on the snow beside her instead. "H-how¡­ how are you¡­ moving?!" For vines had just pierced her stomach from behind. She had been fooled. Marina¡­ she wasn''t affected by her ability in the slightest. Lilian, noticing the opportunity, used her ability right away. With a frightened yet excited grin, she focused her mind, ordering the archfey to become her slave. "No, nonononono! I will not¡ªI refuse to be a pawn like you!" More vines shot out of the frozen tree, keeping her in place. The archfey couldn''t do anything. ¡­ ¡­ Gently, the vines released her. With a triumphant smile, Lilian ordered the now blank-faced archfey. "Heal yourself." She did as she was told, the hole in her abdomen disappearing. "Now, apologize. Lick the tip of my shoe. Many times until your tongue freezes." Lilian raised her right foot. Without hesitation, the archfey lowered herself, performing the demeaning act in front of her new mistress, who now watched her with glee. "Don''t worry. I have a lot more humiliating things for you in the future¡­ Serves you right for making me wet myself¡­" Marina, who had returned back to her half-dryad form, watched with a blank expression from the side. Inside, however, she yelled a thousand curses at both of them, at LIlian for failing to die and at the archfey for failing to kill her. Her broken soul screamed. ? Gaia laughed on her throne. The foolish girl believed she could be free. No. As if she would ever allow it. Her torment would go on without an end. No one would save her. When that pesky high elf came, her champion would be ready. Her deadliest ability, the magic that stops the gear of time, will not work against an archfey. Their chaotic existence is anathema towards it. They will notice when time stops and they will not be affected by it. Especially when the fey is one capable of stopping time as well. Oh yes, that ice touch of hers¡ªit stops the time of the person afflicted with it as well. It''s a pale imitation of what the high elf is capable of doing but it''s a time stop magic nonetheless. As for why the dryad wasn''t affected by it, it was because her time stop only froze her soul. It didn''t freeze the connection she had with her champion. Meaning, she could still receive commands and perform it, even if she had no awareness of doing it. And then, it was a simple matter of breaking through the ice covering the tree. "And then, there''s her dear little brother¡­ her dear and beloved Hugo Greenwood¡­" A smirk formed on her face before she burst into a laughing fit once more. "Oh Hugo Greenwood¡­ you think you''re a big shot now after defeating that Demon Lord? Think again! Disaster will soon come your way once more! And this time¡­" "...there shall be no mercy." Vol 5 Chapter 40: Back To The North "Are you sure we''re going to make it through this?!" "Absolutely! Why don''t you try to have more faith in your God?!" "I don''t worship your Heavenly Dragon nor you!" "Too bad! It is your destiny to be our Hero after all!" That night, Ars and Milicis were having quite the argument. What about you might ask? Well, it really was nothing big. Ars was simply concerned whether their little dingy boat would make it to the storm or not. Oh yes, they were now enveloped in a massive storm in the middle of the ocean, with Ars barely hanging on as he paddled the boat through the waves. Thunder crashed over and over around them, deafening their ears thoroughly. They had to yell at each other even though they were sitting right in front of one another. The Saint, Catherine, who had her body piloted by Milicis, remained unfazed even though many times the boat she rode on nearly tipped over. Ars, on the other hand, did all the busy work, rowing left and right, trying to keep the boat balanced as it challenged the tall waves and violent winds it had to brave. And then, he saw it¡ªa wave as tall as a mountain heading in their direction. "Tch, are you kidding me?!" Realizing there was no way the boat could survive against it, he stood up and drew his sword. In a single horizontal slash, he cut the wave into two. And again, and again, and again, until the wave was no more. With a huff, he sat back down, resuming his rowing with a grumpy look. All the while Milicis had a little smile on her face. ? Hours later, the storm died down. They had returned back to calm waters. They were both drenched from head to toe. And with no privacy to change, they were stuck in their wet, soggy clothes. Unfortunately, since Milicis wore white robes, it meant that the fabric turned ever so slightly translucent, granting Ars the sight of her purple silken bra and panties. He quickly averted his look, blushing in the process. How odd¡­ Normally, he wouldn''t react in such a way. He only liked Sara after all. And yet, seeing that forbidden sight, his heart fluttered. Could it be that he¡ª Before he could answer that question, he sensed movements from the water around them. Anticipating a sea creature or two, he swiftly stood up and drew his sword once more. Only to find that their boat had been surrounded by seafolks. "Human! You broke your pact with our kind! Do you have anything to say for yourself before we sink your feeble floatation device?" The one who spoke was a fishman. He stood on the water''s surface as if it was land, aiming his trident towards them. The other seafolk looked like him too with the exception of one or two mermaids who had a more pleasing look. In total, there were about fifty of them. He remembered what his village teacher taught him all those years ago. Humanity is forbidden to cross the seas except at certain routes determined by their pact with the seafolk. It was another reason why he was against this foolhardy plan. He had no choice. He had to kill them all before they sank the boat. "Now now, no need to resort to violence." To his surprise, the Saint decided to stand up and answer the fishman''s question. With a calm and confident smile on her face, she continued. "I am Milicis, the Servant of the Heavenly Dragon. And he is Ars, the Chosen Hero. We''re here on a crusade against evil. So if you would be so kind, please let us pass." "Milicis? Ha! Don''t make me laugh! She perished a millenia¡ªaaahhhh!" A divine light emanated from Milicis'' body, sending fear to every one of the seafolk. Ars too was affected. It was enough to make him kneel and lower his head. A goddess. It was the only word that could describe the existence in front of him. Only once the light receded, Ars regained his senses. But for the seafolk, well, they already swam away, returning back to the depths they came from. "What¡­ what was that?!" Ars asked, gasping for breath. "A little display of the divine presence of the Heavenly Dragon." Milicis smiled. "Ever since I was chosen to be His Saint, I too shared His Divine Glory." Ars could only nod in silence. Sure enough, even without that light, he could feel something different about her presence. Something¡­ inhuman. His gaze landed on her purple panties. Shaking his head, he looked away and returned back to rowing the boat. A divine existence¡­ yet so very human as well¡­ Perhaps back then¡­ she and her companions¡­ they were no different than your average adventurers¡­ With those melancholic thoughts, Ars looked up to the clear night sky. ? ? Hugo "Say aaaaaa¡­" "Aaaaa¡­" I closed my mouth, munching on the grape Felicia offered. It was the first night after we left the city. After dinner, Sherry decided to give Theo and the others some training, leaving Felicia and I on her own. I was about to follow them but the buxom mage immediately pushed me inside our tent before giving me a deep kiss. In the end, we had a quick sex before we had the chat she wanted. Laying down on the carpet we brought (Dimensional Storage really is useful), with her feeding me fruits, we had our chat. "So, I told you before that I grabbed some books off the library in that flying fortress, right? Well, I''ve finished reading them all now. And I figure you would want to know what I learned from them." She smiled seductively as she took my hand and placed it on her bare chest. "Really?" I smiled, giving it a squeeze. "What do you learn then?" "Oh, nothing much. Just the way the world works in the previous Cycle." I raised my eyebrows. "Before the Hero and the Demon Lord?" "Yes. Let me tell you all about it. While you''re having fun with my chest." She winked. The world was apparently a lot different in the Fourth Cycle as her book dubbed it. For starters, humans couldn''t use magic the way we could today. There were no magic rankings, magic schools, magic books, and even magic chants. And anyone with the potential to use magic was shunned and discriminated against, thanks to how volatile their powers were. A child could accidentally cast a fireball and burn their house down for example. "So, that elf came from that era? But she wasn''t a high elf, was she? How could she live that long?" I asked. The answer was horrifyingly simple. Her own people had cast her out. And in the process, they cut some of her ears, leaving her a normal elf instead. For what reason? Merely entering the forbidden library of the high elves without permission. Felicia didn''t say anything more specific other than that. And after that, she suffered in the human world, as elves were discriminated against for being magic-using devil-spawns. The human world at the time worshiped not the Heavenly Dragon but a Human God King named Sigurd. His empire stretched through the two human continents and both his legionaries and his priests were always on the hunt for magic users. As for how the demons were back in that era, well, nothing much really changed. Apparently the Demon Continent doesn''t change much through the Cycles. Eventually, she decided to collect all the knowledge and wisdom of the world, just to satisfy her own curiosity. And that led to her becoming the first Demon Lord of Wisdom. "Hold on, does that mean she was around when the Demon God appeared?" I asked. Felicia nodded. "Her books did indeed speak of him. But instead of helping him in his war, she decided to hide herself instead. She didn''t like conflict, thinking it was foolish." "I thought the Demon God could control all demons and force them to obey his commands." I replied. "Perhaps our knowledge in that department is limited." She sighed. "It''s really a shame that I can''t read all the books in that library. I would love to spend weeks, no, months researching all the knowledge she had gathered." "Heh, you really are a bookworm, aren''t you, Felicia?" I smiled, patting her head. Giggling, she rolled over and stood up, giving me the perfect view of her womanhood from down below. She then bent down, putting her hands on her knees as she smiled towards me. "Milord, I have a request." ? After we dressed up, we exited the tent. With her staff in hand, she walked to the middle of the camp. Tapping the flat end of her stick, she called upon the two corpses she had bound with her necromantic spell¡ªthe former Demon Lord of Wisdom and the perverted orc that tried to violate her. Oh yes, Felicia told me all about him. Just like your typical orc, he was as perverted as they came. He was the guy Victoria was supposed to be married to. Thank God he didn''t actually get to take her virginity thanks to the help of her fey mother and her subordinate. You might think I would be furious learning about it. Which I was, back when Felicia first told me about it. But at this point, I was just proud that Felicia was able to handle him before he could actually do the deed. He used this cloak that could hide his presence almost perfectly and the only reason Felicia was aware of his presence was because Felicia could sense the subtle magic emanating from it. She said it was because of me teaching her how to do it. I''d say it was because of her own natural talent in it. Sadly, the cloak''s effect deteriorated the moment the fabric was sullied by any kind of stain. And since it got the orc''s blood all over it, it would take Felicia some time before it could be used again. She couldn''t just make more of it since the fabric came from the special silk the arachne weaved. You know, the one I killed. "What do you want?" The elf''s cold voice woke me up from my perverted thoughts. "To free you." Felicia smiled. "Your service is no longer required." The elf opened her mouth only for nothing to come out. "Free¡­ me?" "Yes. I''m not like those evil necromancers that would use you as a tool forever. No. I think you deserve to rest along with your beloved Balthazar." Speaking of Balthazar, I actually was a bit concerned that we couldn''t remember exactly how we defeated him. I knew I blasted him with that giant white-laser thingy but I didn''t think I defeated him with it. Afterwards, Titania made her appearance and we just couldn''t remember anything that happened while she was there. Only some vague remembrance of her helping us take him down. Did we really kill him? Or did the fairy queen do something else to him? We certainly didn''t find his body. Victoria herself couldn''t remember since she had lost her fairy half. And we were pretty sure that loss was caused by the fairy queen as well. Maybe she rejected her or something? The dark-haired elf eyed Felicia with a suspicious look. She didn''t believe she would do this out of the goodness of her heart. Not in the slightest. "You know it''d be better for you and your husband there for me to stay around, right? I can help you in your fights. And the knowledge I have is unparalleled. If you release me now you''ll never¡ª" "I don''t care. Milord and I are not selfish. We might be willing to fight and kill for the sake of our family but that doesn''t mean there isn''t a line we won''t cross." "She''s right." I smiled. "Felicia here is no longer the obsessive necromancer she was before. She''s now my kind hearted and beautiful wife. And when she asked me to release you, I could only oblige." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I ended my speech by wrapping my arms around Felicia''s waist, earning a surprised yelp and a blush from her. Seeing this, the elf''s expression turned to disgust. And sadness. As well as envy at the same time. "If only¡­" she whispered under her breath, looking away. "If only I can be like that with him¡­" "Fine!" She looked back at us. "Return me to dust! You really are naive, Felicia Myne, Hugo Greenwood. With your opponent, you''ll need all the help you can get." Felicia began to chant, tendrils of shadows spreading where she stood towards the elf. "Don''t worry." I told the elf. "I''ll protect her and the others with my life. Your help would not be necessary." The last thing I saw was her shaking her head before her body turned into ash. Before it was scattered away by the gentle hands of the night wind. After a few moments of silence, Felicia let out a relieved sigh, before looking towards the other corpse that still remained. "What do we do with him, MIlord?" She asked me with a smirk. I shrugged, smirking back. "I think you can keep him a little while longer." "Very well then." She tapped her staff. "Off to the storage to you." Dark tendrils jutted out of the ground, dragging the corpse back into the shadows. "So you''re back being a necromancer. Normally I would criticize you for it but after what I just saw I think you can be trusted with it." Out of nowhere Myrilla appeared. Walking with her staff, she gave Felicia a judgmental look. "Anything for Milord." Felicia smiled. "Without her help, we could''ve lost back then." "...I suppose you have a point. Anything for him." She glanced at me, her sharp eyes drilling into my brain. She wasn''t as intimidating as before though, ever since that¡­ incident. That lewd face of hers was her true self, hidden behind all that seriousness. It was actually really cute. "Idiot." Her cheeks reddened. "Stop fooling around and train like the others! You want to master that attack, don''t you? The one that can ignore anti-magic properties?" "I''ll go with you." Myrilla continued. "I need to do some training as well." "While you two have your fun, I''ll read some more of that skeleton''s book." Felicia chimed in. "Oh, don''t worry. I''m not the kind of wife that can''t handle any woman being up close with my beloved. I trust you two after all." She winked. "Hmph, don''t be silly," Myrilla snorted. "We''ll just train and nothing more." ? After grabbing my staff, we decided to do our training in a separate place from Sherry and the others. While they went to the hill northeast of the camp, we went south instead, towards a single barren tree. Arriving there, we stood side by side, though with enough space so our spells wouldn''t hit each other. "Oh yeah, what spell are you training, Myrilla?" I asked with a smile. "Your spell." She glanced at me. "I wish to cast your Boom Cannon. Unfortunately, even after you told me how it works, my control isn''t as good as yours so I''ve been unable to do it." "Really? But you have that wind automata spell. Shouldn''t you possess a good enough spell control to be able to use that?" "No." She looked at me again. "The two spells worked differently. Here, let me show you." She aimed her right palm forward. Closing her eyes, she formed a wind sphere on the tip of said palm. Only for it to dissipate soon after with a loud pop. "I see the problem." I smiled. "You need to reinforce the barrier between the vacuum side and the high-pressure side." "Reinforce the barrier? I suppose I can do that. But that would lessen the strength of the spell." "Nonono, you misunderstood. The barrier isn''t a rigid wall. It should be more like a membrane, elastic like rubber. No, scratch that. That''s a bad comparison." "A cell?" She raised her eyebrows. "Just another world stuff that''s too complicated for me to explain," I answered. "Then allow me to read your mind on the topic instead." She narrowed her eyes as her antennas lit up. I focused my mind on the concept of a cell, trying not to think about anything else. After an agonizing five minutes, she stopped, before shaking her head. "Your knowledge¡­ it is beyond my understanding. Unfortunately, I am not as smart as your redheaded wife." Noticing the sadness in her voice, I quickly replied, "No no no, it''s not your fault! My world''s science is just a lot more advanced than this world! It''s normal that you cannot understand!" She stared at me for a few moments before looking away, "You''re a kind young man, Hugo Greenwood. Just like your father. No wonder so many women are attracted to you." "You keep to your own training. I''ll stick to mine. I''ll be a poor excuse of a Wind Mage if I cannot replicate your spell after knowing this much about it." "Good luck then! For both of us!" I grinned. And that was how I spent the rest of the night training in magic with Myrilla. I didn''t manage to replicate the laser spell and she couldn''t replicate my spell either. We agreed to do it every night from that day on until we could. Of course, Sherry and Felicia weren''t exactly happy with this arrangement, especially the former. Knowing what happened between us, it was only natural that they would grow suspicious. But, they quickly understood that it was necessary for us both to grow stronger. All of us needed to be stronger in fact. Still, it also meant that I had no time to have sexy fun times with them both, since I''d be really tired and sleepy afterwards. To my surprise, they were just as addicted to sex as me. And here I thought women were supposed to have lower libido than men. The way we solved that was me taking a break one night every week from my training with Myrilla, to the latter''s displeasure. I wanted to get stronger. But I wouldn''t want to abandon my cute and beautiful wives in the process either. The training continued for weeks as we made our way north. The spell unfortunately proved to be quite difficult for me to master. I managed to create small lasers here and there but the size and power were nothing compared to the one I fired at the Demon Lord. I knew how it worked. You pretty much just concentrate all your raw mana into a beam of destruction. The problem was that concentrating raw mana was extremely difficult, especially at the amount you needed to create the laser. By my estimation, you would need ten, no, a hundred more times the normal amount of raw mana per square volume that flowed freely through your body. If you were not careful, you could faint from stopping the flow of raw mana to the rest of your body. As for Myrilla, she slowly got better and better at casting my spell. Until one night, she actually managed to fire the spell. But not without her robes being the casualty as her control of the whiplash from the immense force was still too poor. She stood there blushing under the moonlight, covering her bare chest with one hand and her panties with the other. "Pervert." She exclaimed, staring at the tent on my pants. "It''s not my fault you can''t control the whiplash." I shrugged with a grin. I ended up escorting her back to camp, with me getting a view of her cute butt from behind all the way. Those tight black panties of hers¡ªthey were just too lewd! And yes, Felicia and Sherry grilled me about it later but it was completely worth it! After that night, she never messed up the spell that badly though. Which was both a good thing (for her mastery of the spell) and a bad thing (for my perversion). I was just not that much of the lucky pervert type, I suppose. And then there was Victoria, who was also training every night (and morning) under Sherry''s tutelage. She quickly discovered several things about her swordsmanship. One, it sucked. Two, she was talented in neither the Lancelot Style or the Gallahad Style, possessing neither the strength nor the speed necessary for them. Three, she was actually really, really good at using a greatshield. One night, Sherry, frustrated by her lack of progress, decided to give her all sorts of weapons made out of her hair. Maces, axes, lances, spears, you name it, it was there. And that included a greatshield as well. As for how we knew Victoria was good at using it, Sherry threw rocks the same size as her towards her. And to her surprise, she didn''t topple over. She remained firm on her spot, absorbing every hit with her shield. She then asked her if it was the first time she ever wielded a greatshield. She answered with a yes. "Shields are not cool, you see! Heroes use swords! That''s why I chose to use a rapier." She proclaimed. And so, from that day on, Sherry trained her in the way of the shield, despite her lacking the knowledge in using one. As such, the training was rudimentary. It was simply lessons in blocking attacks from all sorts of angles, crashing the shield into the opponent, and general endurance training of running around holding her heavy shield, which she needed since Sherry''s shield is far lighter than normal shield, being made out of hair and all. If only we had a proper shield mentor, her talent would be able to blossom even more. ? We passed through a couple of cities on our way north and the news of Balthazar''s fall spread even faster than we could travel. When the locals realized we were the ones responsible, they would either sing our praises or cower off to the shadows, depending whether they were pro-Balthazar or not. Thankfully, most of the time, no one seemed to realize the golden-haired mage the tales spoke of was me. They probably thought I was too young or something. And speaking of that, I turned 16 the other day. Just one more year until I could be considered an adult back in my old world. And yet, I already slept with two gorgeous girls almost every day here! Heh, my old self would die from jealousy for sure! Our destination, by the way, wasn''t the port town of Ul''nemo. No, we were going back to Arborea. The reason? I wanted to meet with Xaela once again. She had to know about the Goddess'' plan on raising her own Demon God. And on top of that, I wanted to meet with Victoria''s family as well. Give them a "good talking to", so to speak. Felicia agreed, saying that for Victoria to move on, she had to slap them one by one before spitting on their faces. Figuratively speaking. The girl herself agreed. Now that she had resolved herself to become part of our family, she wanted to inform her mother and sister face to face, instead of just giving them a letter or not informing them at all. Before we reached the city, however, we had a stop at a small demon village named Veneril. There was nothing special about the place, just an enclave of a handful of demons. Though apparently it was a village founded by freed demon slaves, either runaways or slaves that were fortunate enough to be freed by their human masters. Ultimately, it was just a convenient place for us to rest since the moon was up and we were all starving. Little did I know that the very next morning, I would learn of a revelation that shook me to my core. "Milord, Sherry and I¡ªwe''re pregnant." ------------------------- A/N: It begins! I welcome any ideas regarding Hugo''s future kids. Vol 5 Chapter 41: A 16-Year Old Dad I blinked once. Twice. Maybe even thrice. Before the word finally settled into my mind. Pregnant. They were pregnant. With a baby. My baby. It happened this morning after we had our breakfast at the inn. They told me they had something important to tell so we three returned to our room to have this talk. "I believe it''s around one month old, Milord. Perhaps a few weeks more." Felicia continued with a smile while rubbing her stomach. "I only know due to the sudden morning sickness I had this morning. I had to puke into the chamberpot, remember?" I nodded. "Well, that, and no blood coming out at the usual time," she added with a smirk. "Sherry here didn''t get the effect though since she''s an Izurd." "And so I tested our pee and voila, the potion changed color." Felicia continued. "Which means we both are pregnant without a doubt." As I stood there, dumbfounded by what I just heard, Felicia ran over to me and gave me a hug. "I''m so happy¡­ Finally¡­ Finally I have your child in your womb, Milord. I''m a mother now¡­" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she buried her face on my chest. Looking up, she smiled before whispering, "Ooh, what name are we going to give them? If it''s a boy, Arthur would be wonderful. If it''s a girl, it has to be Alice. That name is really cute after all." She giggled. I looked at Sherry next. She looked just as dumbfounded as I was. Her hands were holding her stomach and she looked down as if she was looking whether there was a bulge or not. "Wha-what''s the matter, Milord?" Felicia released her hug, looking at me with a confused expression. "Don''t tell me that you¡ªyou don''t want a child? I know we''re supposed to have them later once we settle down but¡ª" "Nonono, not at all!" I quickly interrupted, putting my hands on her shoulders. "It''s just that¡­ me? A father? I can hardly believe that!" "Believe it, Milord." She smiled. "You will make the most wonderful husband!" I gave a wry smile. I walked up to Sherry, putting my hands on her shoulders next. "You should be happy too, right, Sherry?" I smiled. "I still remember how you say you want to have my baby." She looked up, her face as red as a tomato. "Hugo''s baby¡­" "Huh?" "I now have Hugo''s baby¡­" Before I could react, she already pushed me down to the bed. Sitting on top of me with her thighs pinning my body, she began to unbutton her shorts. "Make love¡­ now! The baby¡­ they must learn of our love!" "W-what are you talking about?" "Izurd tradition! When an Izurd is pregnant, they''ll have intercourse multiple times throughout the day every day until she delivers!" Her shorts were now unbuttoned. I could see her light blue panties she wore underneath. She then pressed her lips into mine, all the while sliding both garments off her legs. Felicia giggled. "Now that we''re pregnant, there''s no need for that annoying potion anymore. We can do it whenever we please, Milord. Like now for example." And then, I felt it¡ªmy trousers being pulled off my legs. "I agree with Sherry." Felicia continued. "I want our baby to know their papa and mama love each other very much??" With my briefs falling off next, there was only one thing to do. To pleasure my now two pregnant wives. ? "Haahhh¡­" Fifteen minutes later, we were laying down on the bed with our clothes off, with Sherry and Felicia wrapping their bodies around my arms. "That''d do for now." Felicia purred, rolling over and squeezing her breasts into my chest. "My daughter is now happy that her father loves her mother very much." "Daughter?" I raised my eyebrows. "Oh yes." She smirked. "I know it''s a girl. Call it a mother''s instinct." I could only reply with a chuckle. "How about you, Sherry?" Felicia asked with a smooth voice. "Is it a boy or a girl?" Sherry paused, furrowing her brows. She then looked at me with a light blush on her face. "Which one do you want Hugo? A boy or a girl?" "Now that''s a difficult question." I laughed. "Hmm, let me think¡­" I then imagined a cute young girl calling me Papa. She was about the same age as Erika and she was smiling just like h¡ª "Hugo?" Sherry gave me a concerned look. "Nothing. I was just reminded of Erika, that''s all." "Oh¡­" A guilty look flashed across her face. "Don''t worry, Milord." Felicia kissed me on my left cheek. "You''ll reunite with her soon." My thoughts were then interrupted by a knock on the door. "Are you three finished? We have to leave soon." Myrilla''s muffled voice streamed in. "Coming!" ? Opening the door, I was greeted by Myrilla''s sour face. "Congratulations. You''re now a father, correct?" "That I am." I flashed a grin towards her. "I''m surprised it hasn''t happened sooner, with how often you copulate with them." "Why the long face?" Felicia smirked, grabbing my arm and pushing her breasts onto me. "You should be happy that we''re finally a full-fledged family." "You know how dangerous it is to carry babies with us." Myrilla narrowed her eyes. "And with that evil Goddess around, it''s inevitable we will fight against more powerful foes in the future. And they would not hesitate harming them." Felicia released her grip, looking at the mind-reader with a firm gaze. "I know. But what''s done is done. We''ll just have to protect them with our lives." A small smirk returned to her lips. Myrilla sighed. "Very well. I suppose you can ask Tira to be your children''s guardian while you fight. Oh, you haven''t told them, have you? You should. They''re still eating downstairs." ? "Everyone! I have an announcement to make!" I smiled, standing in front of their table. "Eh?" Theo looked up. "An announcement, Master Hugo?" "I am now a father. Sherry and Felicia ¡ª they''re both pregnant." "P-p-pregnant?" His spoon fell. "You two are pregnant?! That''s wonderful!" Tira stood up, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Congratulations you three!" She walked around the table and shook our hands one by one. Victoria''s mouth was wide open as she froze in time seemingly unable to process what she just heard. Tama on the other hand scowled, saying, "That''s not fair! Aren''t you two supposed to drink that potion every night like I do?! I want a baby too!" She shot a glance towards Theo. "Pregnant? What''s that?" Kiri gave Aria a confused look. "It means having a baby," Aria replied with a deadpan look. "To a human it''s the happiest thing that can happen to them." She looked at me, her lips forming a smile. "So, congratulations, Master Hugo." Even the innkeeper, who was also the tavern owner, joined in. "Oh, what''s this I''m hearing?" The middle-aged ogress giggled. "You two are expecting? Then, as this humble establishment''s owner, I declare all meals and drinks this morning to be in the house!" The other customers cheered and raised their mugs. We were lucky that they didn''t realize who we were or else they probably wouldn''t let us leave without a party. ? After accepting all the congratulations headed our way, we sat down. Immediately we were bombarded by questions, mostly from Tama who demanded an explanation how I could''ve gotten them pregnant. "Well, we might have forgotten to drink the potion once or twice¡­" Felicia smirked. "Grr, Theo!" She yelled at her boyfriend. "We''re making a baby tonight, you hear me?!" "Don''t be silly." Myrilla interrupted with a stern look. "Two babies are enough of a burden as it is. Remember that having them around this means someone will have to guard them at all times. If we get into a fight, they won''t be able to go with us." "I''ll take that responsibility," Tira answered, looking Myrilla right in the eyes. "I have pledged myself as a servant of the Greenwood family. I''ll prioritize them over my own life." Turning towards me, she then said, "Have as many babies as you want, Master Hugo." She smiled. She then looked at the catgirl and added, "And of course, you too, Tama. You''re part of the Greenwood family too after all." Myrilla sighed, standing up from her seat. "Suit yourself. Make as many babies as you want. I''ve finished my meal. I''ll wait outside." I could only scratch my cheek as she walked away. "I think she''s jealous, Milord," Felicia whispered. "She wanted to have a baby too." She giggled. She didn''t need to tell me that. It was clear as day. I glanced towards Tama, who was now chatting with Theo, demanding him to impregnate her. To be honest, I''d speak against it, but I''d be a hypocrite if I did it. "A-a baby? I dunno¡­ I''m far too young to have one, don''t you think?" Theo replied with a unsure look. "Hmph! You''re just one year away from fifteen! I don''t see the problem!" She huffed, crossing her arms. Theo then gave me a look that said, "Help me!" Sighing, I stood up and walked over to Tama, placing my hand on her shoulder. "You have to listen to what Theo wants. A family is built by two people, you know, you and him. If he doesn''t want to have a child yet, then there''s no need to rush it." "And this coming from someone who said he didn''t want a baby!" She glared at me. "True. I did say that. But the circumstances are different. It wasn''t my intention to have a baby." "Hmph!" She threw her head away, crossing her legs and arms. "What about you, Tira? Do you approve of me having a baby with Theo?" "Hmm¡­" The elf put a finger on her chin. "A grandson or daughter will be nice¡­ but, in my opinion, I think Theo still has a lot to learn before he can be a husband." She smiled at Tama and Theo. "E-eh?" The boy said with a worried look. "W-what do you mean, Mother?" "Well, for starters, you won''t have the time to be a good father to your child." She smiled. " You want to get stronger, right? You''ll have to train a lot then. You won''t have time for a baby." Theo fell silent. He glanced at Tama, who now had lost her angry glare. She just looked upset now. "Fine." She huffed, closing her eyes. "I''ll still drink that damn potion every night." I smiled, patting her shoulder. "Hey, Victoria." My gaze landed on the big-breasted girl. "You''ve been silent all this time. What do you think? You want a baby too?" I grinned. "Y-you can''t say that, Sir Hugo!" Her cheeks turned crimson in an instant. I laughed, patting her on the head. "Don''t worry! I''m sure you''ll find a good guy to have a baby with one day!" She looked down, nervously playing with the hem of her shirt. "S-Sir Hugo?" she stuttered in a half-whisper before looking up at me. "Does it feel good? Making a baby?" "Miss Felicia says it feels really good when you do it with someone you like. She even gives me a taste on how it feels. I like Miss Felicia so it felt good. But since Sir Hugo really likes Miss Sherry and Felicia, it must feel really good, right?" I sent a glare at Felicia, who responded with an amused giggle. "I don''t know if I want a baby. But if you like me enough, you can make babies with me if it makes you feel good!" "No, you don''t!" Sherry slammed her hands on the table. "Hugo is mine! He''s only going to have babies with me!" "Eeek! I-I''m sorry, Miss Sherry!" She waved her hands panickedly. "It wasn''t my intention to take Sir Hugo from you! You''ll still be the second wife! I''m just the mistress¡­" "Second wife?!" She glared at Felicia. The redheaded mage shrugged with a smirk. "I''m Milord''s first after all." "You¡­!" I let out a nervous chuckle, turning my gaze back to Victoria. "Making babies feels good? Then I wanna make babies too with Master Hugo!" Kiri cheerfully interrupted. "Yes. I''d be willing to as well." Aria followed, looking at me with anticipation. "I like Master and I''d love to make you feel good." "Now that I can''t do." I patted them both on the head. "You make babies not with the person you just like. You have to love them from the bottom of your heart. You have to wish that you can be with them for the rest of your life." "I fulfill your criteria then, Master." Aria replied with a fully serious look. "I love you from the bottom of my heart and I want to be with you for the rest of my life." "Even so, a human and a fey shouldn''t copulate. Do you know what changelings are? If we make babies, the babies won''t come out here. They''ll come out somewhere else instead. And then we''ll have to search the world for the baby. The poor thing will be lonely without us, you know¡­" I ended with a smile. A look of disappointment flashed on her face. "Understood." She nodded. "I shall not ask to make babies with you anymore, Master." "Aww¡­" Kiri replied with a dejected look. "Well, if Master doesn''t want to¡­" Afterwards I decided to go outside. I felt like I needed to chat with Myrilla. The silver-haired woman was sitting not far from the entrance of the inn, at the bench overseeing the village square. I sat down beside her. Without looking at me, she then said, "Finished?" "Yeah, pretty much." I smiled at her. Silence. I didn''t know what to say. "Don''t pity me. I''m in no rush to start a family. I haven''t even found the man I wanted to start it with." She was reading my mind. "... Don''t flatter yourself. I love your father, not the idiot son who accidentally got two women pregnant and then shrugged it off like it was nothing." She stood up before giving me a glare. "Enough of this meaningless chat. I''ll prepare the scarabs. You call the others." And with those words, she left. I let out a sigh. ? Departing from the village, we made our way further north towards Arborea. That night, as we went to sleep, I gave the Dream Crystal to Sherry so she could tell the good news to her grandmother. To be honest, I wasn''t sure whether I should tell Marina that I was a father now. I had a feeling that she would think it was too early and that she would get upset by it. As for Erika, well, I had a hunch she would not like it either. She''d think I was busy making a family with someone else instead of being with her. And so, in the end, I decided not to tell them both. The next night, and the one after that, I simply told them that I would soon be off of the Demon Continent and that it wouldn''t be long until we would be reunited. Felicia "Miss Felicia? Can I talk to you for a bit?" One night, during their travels, Felicia, who was busy with her alchemical cauldron, got a visit from Victoria. "Hmm?" The redhead turned around to face her. "Aren''t you supposed to train with Sherry?" "I was excused early," the blonde-haired girl replied with a sheepish smile. "Miss Sherry said she wanted to train Theo and Tama instead. I¡­ I guess she''s tired from having a failure of a student like me¡­" She trailed off, averting her gaze. "Oh, don''t say that." Felicia placed a hand on her shoulder with a smile. "I think she just thought you needed a break. You''ve worked hard mastering that shield after all." Felicia glanced at the black lump of metal on her back. "Now, I''ll finish my work first then I''ll help you clean up, okay?" Victoria nodded. Since there weren''t any rivers nearby, she''d need water produced by magic to wash up. ? Ten minutes later, the two were inside Felicia''s tent. Victoria already took off her shirt and trousers, sitting on the mattress completely nude. Felicia, on the other hand, only had her skimpy white dress on that she normally wore under her dark blue robe. "Kyah!" Victoria let out a yelp, feeling Felicia''s hand rubbing the damp washcloth on her breasts. "Ahnnhhh¡­ mhhh¡­" "Hee hee, you''re really sensitive at this part, aren''t you?" Felicia giggled. As Felicia cleaned her sweaty body from top to bottom, Victoria could only let out more and more pleasurable moans. This wasn''t the first time she had been groped like this. When they slept together a while ago, Felicia too gave her a full exploration of her body. She did it to teach her how different it felt when someone you liked groped you compared to when it was done by someone you hated. And, she had to admit, she liked her touch a lot more than those two dirty orcs. She was always gentle and kind, never forcing herself on her. It still felt weird, being touched like that, but it was the good kind of weird. "Miss Felicia¡­ does Sir Hugo like to¡­ do this to you?" "Hmm? You mean, cleaning me up?" Felicia giggled. "Usually, it''s me doing the cleaning. He might not look like it but he has quite the lovely chest under those baggy clothes." "Lovely¡­ chest?" "Yes. I''m talking about how firm and sturdy they are. Not to mention his nipples. He''s actually quite sensitive there, you know." She giggled again. "Miss Felicia¡­ you¡­ get turned on groping Sir Hugo''s body?" "Why, of course! It''s a wife''s right to use her husband''s body for her pleasure. Just as it''s a husband''s right to use her wife''s body for his pleasure." She poured water onto Victoria''s back before pressing her breasts there and moving them up and down, using them as a replacement for the washcloth. Thanks to her magic, it didn''t matter if she soaked the mattress. She could just pull the water back out. "M-Miss Felicia?" Her cheeks reddened. "This is how I like to wash his back. You should do it too once you have a man you fancy. He''ll love it for sure. There''s no man in heaven and earth who doesn''t love a good pair of woman''s breasts." S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Victoria didn''t know how to respond. A man she fancied? The only man she fancied was Sir Hugo. But he was already taken by Miss Felicia. She gave her mountains a good squeeze, remembering all the time his eyes ogled them. Her mind then imagined him in place of Felicia, groping her body from behind. The same way that orc groped her. ¡­ No. Not the same. Those two orcs were rough and crude. But Sir Hugo¡­ he would do it gently, just like Miss Felicia¡­ Suddenly, she felt Felicia''s arms wrapping around her body, giving both of her breasts a gentle grope. Just like she had imagined. "Are you the type who likes your partner to whisper sweet nothings into your ears as he has his way with you?" Felicia whispered. "Unfortunately, Milord doesn''t do that. He''d do this instead." Her lips pinched her right earlobe, earning a moan from Victoria''s lips. "S-sweet nothings?" Victoria stuttered, blushing deeply. "Is it like¡­ what the archmage does in the Tale of The Legendary Archmage?" "Hmm?" Felicia raised her eyebrow. "It''s a story about a mage and a knightess falling in love. It''s really romantic. I used to read it over and over when I was still back home." "You like romance books?" Felicia giggled. "I suppose I can see that." "As for your question, yes, it''s like in your books. Lord Hugo might not be a suave sweet talker but when he sweet talks you your heart will skip a beat for sure. Ah, I still remember when he said I''d make a lovely wife. My heart raced like never before¡­" Felicia blushed as well, resting her head on Victoria''s back. It was all it took for Victoria to imagine Hugo hugging her from behind, whispering to her, "I love you, Victoria. You are the most beautiful woman in the entire world. I couldn''t live with you¡­" Just like the archmage said to the knightess. It made her blush even deeper. She had to bury her face in her hands to avoid further embarrassment. And so it was that the two girls (or one woman, considering Felicia''s age) spent the rest of the evening sharing their admiration (and fantasies) of one Hugo Greenwood. Completely unaware of the storm that was about to come. Vol 5 Chapter 42: Interlude – Fiora’s Plan The Holy Continent, on the other side of the world¡­ "So many soldiers¡­ they really are gearing up for war, aren''t they?" It was a clear morning in the outskirts of the Port City of Frastelleren. The season had turned to winter and the ground was covered with light snow. Still, it didn''t stop the battalion of soldiers encamped there. They conducted their drills, patrols, and training as scheduled, all the while yelling the slogans and cheers of the Holy Empire. There were ten thousand of them, residing in an endless number of tents and camps, displacing the local monsters completely. And yet, they were just a single legion amongst many others. The rest was assigned somewhere else, or so the hooded, cloaked figure on top of her horse assessed. She and her companions were situated on the nearby hills overlooking the camp. From where they were, it was a straight ride downwards towards the encampments and the port town beyond them. Beside her were two other cloaked figures, each with their own horses. She liked to think they were her attendants but one of them would certainly heavily disagree with such an assessment. "And yet, not all of them are here. Makes sense. The Empire fights better the closer it gets to the Capital. Here, they''re all too vulnerable against the Water Sage. But they couldn''t just abandon the port town either." The Water Sage she mentioned was, of course, Selendia Brine. She can drown the entire legion with her tsunami if she wanted to. "Which meant there should be an imperial knight or two here right now." S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A smirk formed on her face. Excellent. Time to meet them after all these years. Kicking the side of her horse, she rode towards the port town. "H-hey, wait!" One of the attendants yelled, chasing after her with her own horse. The other attendant could only sigh as she too chased after them two. ? "Next!" A long line of merchants waited with their goods on the outskirts of the encampment. Before they were allowed to enter, a necessary thing if they wanted to make it to the port town, their goods were thoroughly checked by the soldiers. And not just that, the soldiers demanded an entry tax as well. They needed all the money and goods they could take as they had so many mouths to feed. As such, the nearby villages were all forced to sell their crops exclusively to the soldiers. It was there that the cloaked figure and her attendants waited, until it was their turn to be checked. "Halt!" The soldier she was forced to speak to was a burly, middle-aged man. He wore the standard issue steel armor given to the basic soldiers of the Holy Empire. But, judging by the aura of authority the man exuded, the cloaked figure reckoned he was at least a captain, rank-wise. "You an adventurer?" He raised his thick eyebrows "That''s me." "Show me your guild license," The cloaked figure reached into her cloak. She took out a card with her name and guild rank and showed it to the guard. "You pa¡ªwait a minute¡­ That name¡­ Impersonating an Imperial princess is a grave crime!" He unsheathed his blade. "Oh? But I''m not impersonating. After all¡­" With a grin on her face, she pulled off her cloak, sending it flying upwards. "I really am Fiora Guinevere Pendragon." Still grinning, Fiora waited for the guard''s reaction. She had to say, she was quite proud of that stylish reveal. It was the only reason why she wore that stuffy cloak in the first place. "Now, bring me to your masters. The Imperial Knights¡ªthey''re here, right?" Only for the guard to burst into a laugh. "Do you think I''m an idiot?! There''s no way you''re the Imperial Princess!" He wiped a tear off his eyes. "Now, come with me, you rascal! I''ll teach you a lesson not to besmirch the name of¡ªGwahhh!" The moment he grabbed her hand, lightning surged through his body. He fell down, lying unconscious with the smell of burned flesh filling the air. The other soldiers, noticing his scream, quickly surrounded the trio with drawn weapons, while the merchants still on the line ran as fast as they could into the encampment with their goods. This wasn''t the first time something like this happened. A group of S-rank adventurers made a scene one day, demanding special treatment from the soldiers. They even cut down some of them, thinking they would be excused since they were the best of the best. After all, the Holy Empire was recruiting all adventurers into their ranks, a necessity considering the growing threat of the Magocracy. In the end, however, they were subdued by one of the Imperial Knights. Humiliated even, as they failed to even make him draw his sword against them. He simply defeated them by letting them exhaust themselves trying to land their attacks on him. They were then to work under his watch without pay. A lucky alternative, all things considered, compared to certain death. The other two hooded figures threw their cloaks as well, revealing a twin tailed redhead and a dark-haired woman. "Make a move and you''re all dead." Fiora declared, one hand on the handle of her still sheathed sword. "Now, where are the Imperial Knights? Tell them the princess wishes to speak to them." One of the soldiers, a confident-looking young man with a grin on his face, answered, "Ha! There''s no need for Master Falkenberg to sully his hand with the likes of you! I, Gazar, will be more than a match for you!" Drawing his sword, he crossed the gap between him and Fiora in an instant. Graceful Step. The same technique Fiora used. Unfortunately, his movement was outright sluggish compared to hers. In a flash, Fiora cut his feeble sword into two. "W-what? But, that can''t be! My sword is made out of mithril! You can''t just¡ª" "Your sword is hollow. Your aura is lacking. I know a child with a stronger sword than you have!" She slashed a second time, this time to humiliate. Aiming at his belt, she made his uniform pants fall to the ground, revealing his small clothes to the world. The man tripped, falling butt first to the dirt. His expression was that of fear. Never before had he been beaten this bad! "Pathetic." Fiora sheathed her sword. "Anyone else wants to try?" Her gaze landed on the rest of the soldiers, who were just as frightened as their leader. "She beat Lieutenant Gazar!" "I didn''t even see her slash!" "S-she''s too strong! We have to call Sir Falkenberg!" One guard ran inside the camp. Another blew a horn trumpet, summoning even more soldiers to the scene. If she had to guess, that trumpet was a sign that they were under attack, meaning, they would soon be surrounded by hundreds, no, thousands of soldiers. Or perhaps that trumpet heralded the arrival of someone else, someone who''s fighting prowess surpassed even a whole army. The old man landed on the field like a meteor, creating a massive crater where his feet hit the ground. He wore a full set of white mithril armor with a similarly white cape. His arms were folded under his chest and his eyes were shut close. A sword rested on his hip, the blade still hidden inside its mithril sheath. "Sir Falkenberg!" "Oh thank God you''re here! Heh, you''re screwed now, little lady!" The old man opened his eyes, staring down at Fiora with his piercing gray orbs. "Lady Fiora. To what do I owe your presence here today?" He spoke. The soldiers gasped. "Huh? She''s¡­. She''s really the Second Imperial Princess?" "W-we''re finished!! She''s going to execute us all!" Fiora smirked, her hands resting on her hips. "Call a council. I wish to speak with all the Knights that are here." The old knight didn''t reply at first. He simply gave her a grim look as he eyed her up and down. "...Very well. As you wish, Lady Fiora. Please, follow me." As Fiora made her way through the camp, the soldiers they passed by all stood up and gave them a salute. She knew they were giving it not to her, but to the imperial knight instead. Any disrespect against them meant death, as any citizen of the Empire would now. Still, for them to not recognize their own imperial princess, it annoyed her a little. If she were her sister, they would''ve treated her like a walking goddess for sure. "How''s the old coot?" Fiora grinned. "I heard he''s dying." "How can you say that about your own father?! If you weren''t the princess, I would have cut that tongue of yours already!" The old knight snapped, glaring at her. "So, are you supporting Alphonse for the throne? Or Rinea? And speaking of them, what have they been doing these past years?" He remained silent. He didn''t want to dignify her with a response. Their walk eventually took them to a large command tent. Its size easily rivaled the size of a three-story building, dwarfing all the other tents surrounding it. A good number of soldiers were stationed around it, and the moment they noticed their approach, they quickly gathered themselves, giving the imperial knight a salute as they stood tall and proud. "Sir Falkenberg! What brings you here, Sir?" One of the soldiers asked. "Send a message to the other imperial knights. Tell them that I request an urgent meeting right now." "An urgent meeting? Did something happen, Sir?" "Are you blind? The Second Imperial Princess is here!" "The Second Imperial Princess?" He paused, his eyes glancing towards Fiora. "You¡ªyou''re the Second Imperial Princess, Lady Fiora Guinevere Pendragon?" One by one the soldiers kneeled, apologizing for not recognizing her sooner. Fiora didn''t grace them with a response. She simply told them to move aside so she could enter the tent. Inside, she was greeted by a large room, with a roundtable in the middle, surrounded by lavish-looking chairs with armrests and tall backs. Both the table and the chair were red though for the former it was only red because of the fur tablecloth covering its surface. At the corners of the room were a few more chairs and tables, along with some oaken bookshelves. A map of the world hung on the northern wall, accompanied by smaller, regional maps of the Magocracy and Frastelleren and the terrain surrounding it. Fiora didn''t hesitate. She took a seat on one of the lavish chairs, fully knowing it was intended to be used only for the Imperial Knights when they had their meetings. "Now, go out there and call your friends." She waved her hand in a dismissive manner towards the old man." He once again opted not to reply, exiting the tent the moment he was told to do so. His face was clearly displeased, however, something Fiora was well aware of. "Sir Siegfried Falkenberg." She spoke with a smirk. "The famous dragonslayer. To be honest, slaying merely a horde of S-rank dragons isn''t that impressive of a feat. With my current strength, I can easily do the same." "Milady." Helen finally decided to speak. "Are you sure it''s a good idea to antagonize him so much? You''ll want his support if you were to become Empress." "Oh please, he already set his mind on supporting my brother. He''s the traditionalist sort, preferring a male emperor over a female one." In the Empire, many nobles followed that kind of thought. Knowing that the Legendary Hero was a male in the past, they wanted only males to be the emperor. "So," Sara put her hands on her hips. "You think you''re stronger than these imperial knights guys? You''re going to beat them into submission? That''s your plan, isn''t it? You lead them into war, win, and then become a hero of the Empire. Then you''ll take the throne. Sorry, but I''ve no interest in that. I''ll just take a ship and make my own way across the ocean tonight." Fiora rested her chin on the back of her hands, her elbows leaning on the table. Smiling, she replied, "Don''t be hasty. We have to ensure that Ars isn''t in the city first. May I remind you that the port town no longer has any ships going to the Southwestern Continent? Unless, of course, I gave the order." Her smile grew. "So there''s a high chance he''s still around, keeping a low profile most likely. That, or he had crossed over using some miracle the Heavenly Dragon had in store for him. I wouldn''t be surprised if he just ran across the ocean." Sara''s frown deepened. At this rate, she''d never catch up to him! "Now, why don''t you two make your way to the city and look around? No need to worry about me. I can handle these knights on my own." "Hmph, who''s worried about you? Come, Helen! We''ll go!" Sara was the first to leave the tent. Helen gave a concerned look at Fiora before taking a bow and leaving as well. Once they were gone, Fiora closed her eyes. Might as well have a little sleep while I still can. ? ? The news of the Second Imperial Princess'' arrival spread like newsfire, both through the imperial encampment and the port town itself. No one really knew what she was like, having little to no public appearances unlike her older sister and brother. Some believed she was kidnapped years ago. Others believed she left on her own volition to become an adventurer. And now, they questioned why she would come here of all places. A delicate princess like her shouldn''t be in a dangerous place like this! The Magocracy could attack at any moment! When Sara and Helen entered the port town, they quickly made their way to the Adventurer''s Guild. Only to find that it was mostly empty, with only a single receptionist sitting with a dejected expression behind the counter. The moment they entered, the receptionist bolted out of her seat, greeting the two with a smile. "Welcome to the Adventurers Guild! How may I help you?" Helen and Sara exchanged a short glance before they walked up to the brown-haired woman. "Greetings." Helen spoke first. "I''m looking for a certain man. I was wondering if you can put up a request for his information." Sara then explained how Ars looked and how he was a really strong swordsman. "Hmm, I can''t say I know an adventurer like him." The receptionist bit her lip. "As you can see, ever since the Empire''s army came here, adventurers have steered clear of this city. They do not want to be involved in the war against the Magocracy." Leaning forward, she whispered in a conspiratorial manner, "And they don''t want to be drafted by the Imperial Knights either." Sara sighed. She should''ve known it wouldn''t be that easy. "Thank you for the information." Helen nodded. "Can you arrange it so posters of him are spread around the city?" "Sure but that would cost you a fortune." "That''s fine. We can pay." "Then, come back here later in the evening. I''ll have our painter come so you can describe his appearance to her." The receptionist smiled. "And of course, you''ll have to pay the forward fee right now." "How much?" "That would be 10 silver coins, ma''am." The maid frowned. That was quite expensive. Still, she had no choice but to fork up the payment. Her Lady already told her to spare no expense in the search. Helen took out her wallet pouch from her skirt pocket, taking the exact amount of silver coins and putting them down on the wooden table. With a smile, the receptionist counted the coins to the precise amount before dropping them down to the drawer under the table. She then took out a form from the same drawer, putting it on the table. "Now, sign here, please." Helen brought the parchment closer to her face, giving it a good read. She knew how important it was to read your contracts before you put your name on them. Satisfied, she put the parchment down and signed it with her real name. No point in hiding her identity anymore, now that the princess had revealed herself to the knights. And besides, with how strong they were, she was quite confident she could handle any assassins sent their way. ? ? "Well well well, look at what we have here. The princess in the flesh." A spear flew through the air, faster than sound itself. CLANG Fiora''s hand swiftly pulled out her sword from her sheathe, blocking the spear going right after her neck. "Oho? The princess is awake after all?" "You''re going to have to try harder than that if you''re going to kill me in my sleep, Sir Aaron." Fiora opened her eyes, smirking. As expected, she was now surrounded by the Imperial Knights, well, some of them anyway. And one of them had taken her bait. Lord Aaron Gert was his name. He was a man in his late twenties, with spiky blue hair and an eye patch. He had an arrogant, confident look on his face. A silver spear rested in his hands, its tip pressing into the flat edge of Fiora''s blade. He saw her sleeping and decided it was a good idea to stab his pointy spear into her skull. After all, he and his noble house were part of the faction that supported Rinea Rhea Pendragon for the throne. Taking her out would earn him a seat in her inner circle. And who knows? If he were lucky, he might even have her hand in marriage. Ah, how wonderful it would be to make that beautiful woman scream of pleasure at night. Aaron chuckled, withdrawing his spear, storing it behind his back. "You''ve gotten strong, Lady Fiora. I see all those years hiding with the Galahad Order bore some fruit." Fiora''s eyes scanned her surroundings. Three other Imperial Knights were there. Two newcomers. One was a large brown-haired man with a pair of kite shields tied to his back. His eyes were closed and his arms were folded in front of his chest. The other¡­ was her old teacher. "It''s been a while, isn''t it? Master Gloria?" Fiora gave her a smirk. She looked just like the way she did all those years ago when she left her. She must have been in her thirties by now yet she still looked as if she was 25. Fiora couldn''t help being impressed by her everlasting beauty. The golden-haired woman stared at her with a frown. "Why are you here?" "Really? That''s what you''re going to say to me, your poor little pupil? No, ''welcome back'', or ''I missed you''?" Gloria fell silent. "No, nevermind. You didn''t even try to stop Aaron from attacking me. You really have decided to be my enemy." "Don''t be a fool. I know someone like you would never let herself die from such a simple attack. I taught you myself. I know your talent in the sword. Fiora let out a laugh. "Oh, such praise. I am unworthy, Master Gloria." "As for why I''m here¡­" She paused for dramatic effect as she rested her chin by the back of her hands, placing her elbows on the table. "I''m taking charge of the war effort. From today, you all work under me as my Imperial Knights." "Ha!" Aaron pointed his spear at her. "As if we''ll ever do that, you arrogant little brat! You might be an Imperial Princess but you have no standing whatsoever in the Empire! We can dispose of you now and no one will make a fuss!" "Is that why you tried to attack me while I''m asleep, Sir Aaron?" Fiora glanced at him with an amused smile. "I assure you, I wouldn''t be here if I hadn''t anticipated you acting in such a way. For starters, it''s only you who desires to curry favor with my older sister. The other knights will never agree to such a duplicitous action. Right, Sir Siegfried?" The old man gave her an annoyed look. Reluctantly, he answered, "My sword is for the Emperor. And he will be saddened if anything happens to you." "And how about you, Sir Conrad? Do you wish to take my head?" The big man absentmindedly scratched his cheek, a small smile adorning his round, almost childish face. "...I don''t participate in politics. But killing young girls like you¡­ I don''t think that''s something I''d like to do¡­" "And there''s no need to ask my own tutor, is there?" She winked towards Gloria. The knight responded by a silent glare. Fiora''s grin grew. So far, this went exactly as she had predicted. "Now, Sir Aaron." She stood up, staring right at the imperial knight''s eyes before unsheathing her sword, pointing it towards him. "I challenge you to a duel." "A-a duel?" His voice shook as he took a step backwards. "Yes. You tried to assassinate a royal princess in her sleep. The punishment would be death. However, I know very well that my siblings, the true ruler of this empire now, will never grant you that verdict. That''s why you tried to do it in the first place, and in such a blatant manner at that." Aaron gulped. He didn''t expect this development in the slightest. Since when was the Second Imperial Princess this bold? She was supposed to be a coward who ran away instead of fighting for the throne like her siblings! "Oh yes, I am no fool. I know my father is dead and that the Empire is hiding it from the public. We can''t afford to be seen as weak right now, not when the Magocracy and the demons are pushing against us." She walked a step further, resting the tip of her sword on his armor. His face went completely pale, sweat dripping down from his forehead. "If you deny my request, I''ll announce the truth to the masses. And then, I''ll enjoy seeing this rotten empire crumble from inside and out." H-how? How could she know His Imperial Majesty is dead?! Even the Capital''s nobles don''t know! I can''t let her blabber her mouth or else Lady Rinea will be mad! "F-fine." He coughed. "I''ll duel you. But if you believe I''ll go easy on you just because you''re the princess, think again!" Fiora smiled. Phase 1 of her plan is now complete. "Let''s take it outside then. I assure you''re ready to fight right now? Night hasn''t come yet so you can order all the soldiers to watch." "W-what? The soldiers? You want us to duel out in the open?!" "Indeed. They are to become witnesses of my victory. And, if I lose and you kill me, you can just say that the second imperial princess has switched sides to the Magocracy and that she came to kill the Imperial Knights to prove her loyalty to her new masters. Aaron froze. What she said¡­ it could work! No one knew how the second princess was like! And knowing she appeared out of nowhere like this after being missing for years, he could easily convince the people that she was a traitor! And then, he would be a hero for slaying her! And he''d get rewarded by Lady Rhea as well! "I''ll take you on your offer." He grinned maliciously. "As a Virtuoso-rank lancer of the Lancelot school, I''ll teach you that a whelp like you is far too early to challenge an Imperial Knight like me." ? A/N: By the way, the receptionist is the same big-chested receptionist Hugo met all those years ago. And I''m not sure if I''ve posted it already or not but this is Fiora''s new look. Vol 5 Chapter 43: Interlude – The Shadow of The Magocracy Ortessa, the capital of Marchen "Fire! Spread Formation!" Flames rained down from the sky at the woman''s command, generated by the hundreds of mages standing on the city walls, slamming into the horde of golems that were inching closer and closer to where they were. Nothing. The flames didn''t burn down a single golem. "Thunder! Concentrated Formation!" The mages raised their staves in unison, concentrating their mana into creating thunderclouds that rained down lightning at the golems. Failure. The crystalline constructs only received light charrings from the spell. "Earth! Chasm Formation!" The mages raised their staves for the third time, opening the ground wide, making the golems fall to the deep chasm below. Yes! It worked! The woman clenched her fist with a smile as her long brown hair flew in the wind. Her name was Glinda Fernwood and she and her mages were the last line of defense against the Magocracy''s invasion. ? It all happened in a flash. When the news reached the capital that the mage empire had begun their invasion, the golems had already reached Aarom and smashed the defenses there. The kingdom gathered their army, bracing themselves for the assault at the capital, sacrificing the other cities in the process. They knew they couldn''t win. But they had to try. The king and the nobles refused to bow down to the authority of the mages, even if it meant sacrificing thousands of their citizens'' lives. And so it was that Glinda became the impromptu mage general. Being the strongest witch in the country, only she stood a chance in countering their vile magic constructs, for no spears, arrows, or swords could harm the golems in any significant way. They didn''t have the Imperial Knights of the Holy Empire and no S-rank adventurer was willing to be on their side, even when bribed with a mountain of gold and land. It was all up to her and the mage unit she had trained. It was her own initiative, to create a unit dedicated as magical support in case of a war. She managed to poach many talents over the years, from the kingdom''s own citizens to retired adventurers. Glinda eyed the remaining golems who had yet to fall. They had stopped at the edge of the chasm, standing without the slightest hint of movement. And then, it happened. From the bottomless pit she had created, a swarm of crystals flew upwards. One by one, they stacked and linked with each other, forming the very same golems she just sent to their doom. Her smile disappeared. Fear crept into her heart¡ªfear from the realization that this was it. This was the end of the road for her¡ªfor this kingdom. She got nothing left up her sleeve. Her tornadoes? Her pride and joy as a Master-level Wind mage? The golems simply bore it like it was nothing. "W-what do we do, Lady Glinda? Nothing''s working! They¡ªthey''re going to get here at any moment!" One of the mages asked her. She couldn''t answer. She could only look with dread as the other general down below ordered his men to charge. There was no doubt in her mind that they would only be slaughtered to the very last men. Her only hope now was her friend, Arya Cordova, the royal spymaster. She disappeared the moment she learned of the invasion, saying that she had a plan of her own to execute. If only I have you two here¡­. Hugo Greenwood¡­ Marina Greenwood¡­ The news had indeed reached her ears¡ªof all their accomplishments and all the dangers they had braved. She had asked Arya to gather all the news she could about them, simply out of her own, personal curiosity. And so, she knew about how Marina was unjustly condemned to the horrible fate of being a puppet of the so-called Saint and how Hugo had drawn the ire of the Church after saving a necromancer. They were powerful mages. Both of them. Even more powerful than she was. The screams of the soldiers entered her ears. Her mages fired any spells they had to no avail. The crystal golems¡ªthey were simply unstoppable. She had no choice. She had to persuade the king to¡ª "Guwaahhh!" A mage fell. And another. And another. One by one her subordinates fell, as if they were struck down by an invisible force. It didn''t take long until she identified the attacker. Somehow, unbeknownst to them, an intruder had sneaked in, climbing up their walls undetected. That intruder was now standing behind them on top of the walls, with a wand on his hand and a grin on his face. And his greeting was somehow taking out a handful of their mages without any visible spells. No, that wasn''t right. Glancing at one of the bodies with his bloodied abdomen, she could only imagine him firing something into his stomach. Possibly at high speed. She couldn''t see what that thing was however. "Thinking of surrendering? You should. You guys know you can''t win, right?" With a swish of his wand, five more mages died in an instant. "You¡­ you bastard!" The mages fired their fastest spells, which were mostly Beginner-level magic. The intruder simply countered by conjuring an earthen sphere around him, shielding him completely from the hundreds of fireballs heading his way. Glinda didn''t hesitate. Whoever he was, he could only be working with the Magocracy. If he was stupid enough to go this deep into enemy territory without backup, it was his own fault if he lost his live. "Hundred Blades!" She didn''t have any Master-level spell that she could safely use this close of a range. However, she did have an Advanced-level spell of her own invention that would fit perfectly against a singular, unprotected opponent like him. The man retreated, jumping down the wall into the city side as his protective sphere collapsed. But Glinda''s spell was ready. The air around him formed into blades, chasing after him. He couldn''t dodge them. All 147 blades landed on his body. Only, they failed to pierce his skin completely. Glinda, who saw it taking place from on top of the wall, gritted her teeth. She immediately knew why it failed. Stoneskin. He had turned his skin into stone. "Nice try, Lady Glinda." The man grinned. His skin was now covered in a rough gray layer, a result of the Stoneskin spell he had cast. He was a master of Dual Casting after all so he could create the protective sphere while casting it at the same time. "Now, my turn." He aimed his wand at the stone wall in front of him. Glinda''s heart sank. I have to stop him! She swiftly reacted, casting a simple Wind Blade spell to stop him. But once again, he utilized his Dual Casting ability to his advantage, blocking the attack by a simple earth wall. "O Father of rocks, sands, and dust! Grant life to your kin so they may strike my enemies! Living Earth!" With a grin on his face, he swished his wand to the side. A loud, deafening roar filled the air followed by an earthquake that immobilized Glinda and the mages under her command. No, it wasn''t an earthquake. The wall they were on¡ªit was shaking rapidly! Cracks promptly formed on the floor they stood before giving way to holes that the mages would one by one fall into. One tried to run away to the nearest staircase, only to find that the tower leading there was collapsing as well. The poor man was crushed in an instant by the falling rocks, which might be a better fate than dying by being buried alive. Glinda gritted her teeth. She had to¡ªshe had to do something! Quickly, she conjured a strong wind, blowing her and the remaining mages off the crumbling wall. She would then cast another wind spell, softening their landing on the ground below. Only, it never happened. For the crumbling wall shot out a large rock in her direction, hitting her at the back. Knocking her out in an instant. ? When she woke up, the first thing she felt was the piercing icy grip that wrapped itself around her hands and feet. Her body¡ªit was in chains. But she wasn''t locked up in some dungeon. No, she was on her very own luxurious bed. This was her room. There was no doubt about it in the slightest. The drawers, the bookshelves, the chandeliers¡ªthey were all the same. And yet, she could see him clear as day¡ªthe demon that had taken her as his prisoner¡ªthe mage general from the Magocracy. He was grinning in delight at her awakening¡ªa view that disgusted her to the very core. She tried to attack him with magic only to find she had no mana to gather. These chains¡ªthey were sapping her magic away! Of course. He wasn''t a fool. He knew I was a capable mage. She''d do the same if she ever caught a mage prisoner. She looked down. Her body was completely naked from top to bottom. She wasn''t naive. She knew what he wanted. He might even have done it already. After all, she was completely nude from top to bottom. The war was lost. And she was taken by him as his spoil. "Do whatever you wish with me," she said with a defiant look. "Just leave my servants alone." "Oh, don''t worry." He chuckled, placing his hand on her left breast, giving it a good squeeze. "In the three days you were out of commission, I gave the pretty ones a good time. As for the ugly ones, I''ve dismissed them. Some, unfortunately, tried to save you, which meant I had to punish them. What were their names again?" He tapped his chin with a mocking grin. "Ah yes¡­ Heydel, Merkel, and Fantina¡­" "You¡­ you bastard!" She yelled, her eyes blazing in anger. Her chains stirred as she leaped forward, fully intending to beat this smug man to the inch of his life. But alas. The chains were attached firmly to the walls and floors, leaving no chance for her to escape. "Why are you here? Why is the Magocracy here? Why are you doing all of this?! First, you declared that your Mira had returned! Now, you''re trying to conquer the whole continent! I thought necromancy is forbidden in your nation!" S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The man chuckled. "Oh, dearie¡­ You should very well that the rules only apply to the common masses. Us, the ruling class, we can do whatever we desire." He lied. Of course, he couldn''t tell her that Mira technically resurrected herself. "And now, our dear leader wishes to create a paradise for us mages. And to do that, all nations in the world must bow down to her rule. Including your little kingdom." He cupped her cheeks. "So, how about it?" He whispered close to her ears. "As a mage yourself, surely you can emphasize with our cause. I''m quite sure the nobles of this kingdom disgust you with their foolish politics." He paused. Bending down, his mouth gently chewed on her right earlobe, earning a frightened, disgusted look from the mage. Taking off his lips, he straightened himself. With a smile, he then said, "If so, be my wife. I''ll ensure you''ll have a better life on my side as a part of the Vehta family." He adjusted his monocle. "Oh, apologies. I haven''t introduced myself, have I? My name is Locht Vehta, the firstborn son of the Vehta family. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Glinda." He gave a short bow. A spit to the face. It was, naturally, what Glinda''s response to his offer was. A wife?! Who would want to be a wife to a disgusting pervert like him?! "...Still quite the spirited woman, aren''t you?" His expression changed. He was still smiling but there was now a barely concealed anger underneath that smile. "I suppose I''ll just have to show you your friend then." Her heart sank. Friend? Is he talking about Arya? No, that can''t be. She can''t be captured that easily! With a wave of his wand, the room began to shake. The floor slowly lowered, carrying with it the entire bedroom, including the two mages. What? Is this¡­ an elevator? Did he turn my room into an elevator?! H-how? Did he change the structure of the mansion while I''m unconscious?! Only someone who has mastered Earth magic can do something like that! She knew very well that those of the ruling families of the Magocracy tend to be really powerful mages, far surpassing ordinary folks like her. She might be a Master-level Wind mage but she couldn''t do what he did. She could only create massive tornadoes, not create wind constructs or fill the lungs of her opponents with toxic gasses. That was what the former Grandmaster-level Wind Mage Lana Albatross was capable of, or so she learned from the historical texts she perused back when she studied at the Academy. The floor soon stopped, and with another swish of his wand, the wall slid open. Revealing the cold, dark dungeons underneath the mansion. Glinda never liked the place. The former noble who used to own the place would use it to imprison citizens he didn''t like in secret, against the knowledge of the king. Thanks to that, when his crime was known by His Majesty, he was executed in an instant. As for his family, they were banished from the kingdom instead. But, when the king gave her the mansion, he told her not to bury the place. He wanted to use it for magic-capable prisoners since they would be too dangerous to be kept at the castle''s dungeons. As a mage herself, she would know how to handle them safely. Still, the dungeons were empty these days, with no mages that upsetted the king well enough for them to be thrown here. Unfortunately, that was a fact that would soon change. "Now, walk with me." He moved his wand once again, this time detaching the chains that bound Glinda from the walls and floors. Glinda, naturally, took the golden chance he just gave to her. She ran forward, pushing him aside so she could escape the room. The door would no doubt lead to a wall of dirt since they were now underground so her only chance to escape was the stairs heading up from the dungeons itself. The chains followed her, clanging against the cold stone floor as she dragged them along. She still couldn''t use her magic thanks to them. To her left and right were a series of empty cells while ahead of her was a seemingly endless hallway, dimly lit by the torches hung on the support pillars in the middle. When she reached the end of said hallway, she froze. A-Arya?! There, chained up on the wall, was the spymaster herself, with her face bruised and battered, to the point that it became unrecognizable. It wasn''t just her face that was in a wretched state, for her naked skin was filled with fresh gashes and wounds, a clear sign of what could only be described as torture. Glinda covered her mouth, tears swelling in her eyes. "The bitch tried to assassinate me in my sleep, can you believe it?" Locht declared with a grin. "So I taught her a lesson. And a very good one at that." He chuckled. Glinda ran, but not away from the bespectacled mage. Instead, she ran towards him, fury clouding her judgment, as all she wanted was to smash his head in and wipe that smug look on his face. Only for her to trip in the most pathetic way as the earth mage created a small bump on the stone floor. She landed face first, bloodying her nose in the process. "Haah, how disappointing. You''re cute but you''re just as stupid as the rest of them." He shook his head before crouching down, lifting her head by grabbing her hair. "Our nation was gracious enough to offer you a place in the Magocracy''s chosen yet you rejected our offer, preferring to work under the thumb of these non-mage baboons instead." He then slammed it back down, grinding her wounded nose into the stone. "I''ll have my way with you. And then, I''ll kill you, just like I''ve killed your friend. But, before that, I have something I want to ask of you. And, depending on your answer, I might just spare your beloved servants." He yanked her head back up, looking at her straight in the eye. "Now, tell me, did you meet a girl named Marina Greenwood some years ago?" ? The capital city of Mira, inside the Magocracy One month later, inside the Sage''s Tower, a meeting between the Council mages was in session. All five of Council Mages were present, sitting on their lofty chairs suspended in mid-air as they discussed and spoke with each other. Mira, however, was conspicuously absent. "I trust everything is proceeding as planned?" Merlinus Salamander spoke, his low, growling voice booming inside the chamber. "But of course," Monas Vehta answered, his old, decrepit face forming a toad-like smile. "My children are nothing like yours, Merlinus. Hobbiton, Marchen, Tolany, Aresha, Utia, Aja¡ªthey''re all under our control." "And the gnomes? The dwarves? Amereria? Ferus?" "The gnomes are, as always, under our influence," Opal Lestat answered, her lips pursed. "Amereria¡ªthey have signed a pact with us. As for the dwarves, it would only be a matter of time until they relented. With the prices of crops rising thanks to the weakening of the leyline, causing crop failure everywhere, only farms blessed by magic could survive. They would no doubt starve." "And Ferus?" Silence. Opal gave a loud huff before she answered. "They have ignored the letters we''ve sent so far. It seems they will need a visit from us them to change their mind." All of them were aware of the certain change that had occurred to the kingdom. How some self-proclaimed saintess took over, utilizing Marina Greenwood as her pet. And they also knew that Marina Greenwood was practically on par with their own magic, or at least, on par with Vera. From their spies, which they had in every kingdom in the continent, they knew she had reached the level of a Grandmaster-level mage. "You should''ve killed her." Opal glared at Selendia. "You should''ve killed Marina Greenwood. You know she has the potential. And you know she''ll never join us, not after Vera killed her family." Selendia smiled at the old lady, hiding a giggle with her hand. "Oh my, I am not that heartless, you know. And besides, Lady Mira and Lady Ilyhmrra believed she wouldn''t be a threat to us. They even told us to leave her alone. Who are we to presume otherwise?" "No matter." Vehta interrupted with an annoyed expression. "Ferus will not be a threat. I''ll simply order Lochs to go there now that he has finished his task. Now, let us talk about the other side. The Church and The Holy Empire." "So far, there are no signs of them planning an assault," Selendia answered. "I believe they prefer to defend over to attack. Especially after their emperor kicked the bucket recently." She giggled again. "Good," Merlinus grinned. "That will buy us time to enact our plan to completion." "Hmph," Vehta huffed. "If only we still have the artifacts, we will not need to cower like this." He was, of course, referring to artifacts Mira left behind. Using the soul trapped inside, one could cast magic far beyond their level. It was how that gnome Vera managed to cast an Archmage-level magic all those years ago. Of course, she only possessed one of them, hidden away inside her magic laboratory in the depths of the Uvarsa Mountain, where she desperately tried to reactivate its effect. It had gone dormant after she used it against Rana as it had exhausted the mana it had accumulated from hundreds of years. As for the rest, the Magocracy had gathered painstakingly from all over the world throughout the centuries, held secretly in every major house as family heirlooms. No one knew how the artifacts were lost in the first place. The Council theorized some of their predecessors didn''t want MIra to be resurrected. As such, they hid them away. Unfortunately, since they had used them to resurrect Mira, the artifacts had lost their strength. They would have no choice but to rely on their own strength in this war. Indeed, Mira had declared to them that she wouldn''t lift a finger to help. She wanted to test their strength and see who would be worthy to become her successor. "That Mira," Vehta continued. "She doesn''t want to attack. With her strength, taking care of the Imperial Knights should be no problem whatsoever." With Vera gone, the Magocracy''s military might was definitely behind the Empire. Attacking across the ocean would be suicide. Merlinus laughed. "It is a shame! A terrible shame indeed! But Lady Mira is not some battle-hungry maniac like me! She wouldn''t fight unless it was necessary! And as her disciple, it is our job to ensure she would never need to enter the battlefield!" Opal sighed. She could never get along well with the man. Or the rest of the Council for that matter. She stood up from her flying seat. Instead of falling down to the floor below like you would expect, she remained in the air. Her feet sparkled with thunder as she addressed the rest of the Council. "I''ll speak to her. I wish to know why she refuses to partake in this war that she declares herself. Doesn''t she wish for a paradise of mages like we all?" With a loud flash, the old woman disappeared. Only the smell of burning air remained. Vol 5 Chapter 44: The Demon God Hugo "There it is! Arborea!" That morning, we finally arrived at our destination. The city looked exactly the same as when we left it, with its tall walls surrounding the numerous houses instead. The obelisks were also there in the middle of the farmlands, converting the ambient demonic mana of the continent into earth mana, making the land fertile. And yet, the more I got close to it, the more I felt that something was¡­ off. "Hold on." I gestured to the others to stay. "Something''s wrong." I activated my Sight. And immediately picked up on the massive, swirling mana surrounding the town. Fey mana. My heart sank. As fast as I could, I yelled, "Everyone, go ba¡ª" "Now where are you going? You can''t just leave after you get here! Don''t you have a dear friend you want to meet?" I never got to finish my sentence. Behind us, standing with his hands on his hips, and a grin decorating his boyish face, was a blue-haired kid with white bunny ears jutting out of his head. His hair reached down to his shoulders and he wore a blue short-sleeved shirt and black shorts under his white cape. "Greetings." He bowed, still smiling. "My name is Shiba Tatsuki. Never bothered to get a new name when I came to this world." "And I was chosen to be the new Demon God by Almighty Gaea herself." "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Hugo Greenwood." ? I stood there, speechless, with my mouth wide open. I mean, how are you supposed to react to a revelation like that? The Demon God? Here of all places? And this little androgynous-looking kid is supposed to be him? I don''t sense any terrifying presence from him either! He''s nothing like the two Demon Lord''s I''ve encountered! However, Sherry had a different view of the situation. In a split second after his introductory speech, the Izurd drew her blade and charged right at him, bringing the blade straight for his neck. Only for him to block it with his bare right arm. "You know, if I wanted to, you guys would be dead right now. I have been granted immeasurable strength by the True Goddess, only rivaled by the new Legendary Hero. So please, don''t do this. I just wanted to talk with your beloved husband," the boy replied with a smile. Sherry looked in horror. How? How could he have blocked her attack? She swung her blade with all her might and yet he didn''t budge or flinch! Even the ground around them had turned into a crater from the strength of her sword! I, too, shared her emotion. What he did¡ªthat was a masterful application of aura. He fortified his arm to absorb her attack completely. Since I couldn''t see any barrier spells on him, that was the only plausible explanation. Sherry begrudgingly lowered her sword, wrapping it back in her hair-sheathe before securing it on her hip. "Now, let''s take a walk, shall we? Into Arborea. The new Arborea, that is." He winked. I eyed Myrilla, wanting to know if he was telling the truth or not. She shook her head, her eyes filled with fear. She spoke telepathically. We shouldn''t have come here in the first place. The Goddess¡­ She had laid a trap for us here. No. For me. She would sink me into despair once again. A sinking feeling sat in my stomach, making me want to puke. She''d kill them all. Sherry, Felicia, Myrilla, Tira, Tama, Theo, Aria, Kiri¡ªall of them would die. That would be the most surefire way to destroy my heart. ? We walked with the boy in silence, having no choice in the matter. If we were to run, he would no doubt kill us all in a flash. I could cast an Accelerated Super Boom Cannon to try to kill him by surprise but it would be too risky of a move. That reaction speed of his¡ªhe was just as fast as Isolde. Maybe even faster. He would be able to react for sure. "Sheesh, why the tense silence? Am I really that scary to you guys?" He giggled. "I know I''m the servant of the Goddess and you guys aren''t in good terms with her but that doesn''t mean I''m some awful person that would harm you people! After all, you and me¡ªwe''re very much alike, Hugo Greenwood." He grinned at my direction. I wanted to yell that to him. "Like I said, I''m Shiba Tatsuki. That''s my old name back in Japan. But I never really bothered to get a new one when I was brought here a few years back." He giggled again. "I was brought here because of you actually. She wanted a champion from the other world of her own. And since you didn''t want to be hers, she brought me instead. So thanks for that! You have no idea how happy I am ever since I live in this world!" He grinned. "Starting out, I was given the body of a tiny, cute Wabbit. But with the System she gave me, I''ve now evolved all the way to Demon God level. Look!" With a poof, the boy disappeared, replaced by a cat-sized, spherical fluff monster with rabbit ears jutting out from its head. In that form, he didn''t have any arms or legs. He walked by bouncing around like a smile. A Wabbit. An E-rank monster, one of the weakest monsters in the world. And he evolved out of it. I must have read a handful of stories with the exact same premise. He turned back to his human form with another puff. "And now, to repay Her kindness, I''ve decided to do as she asked." A frown formed on my lips. "And that is?" "Oh, look at that! We''re in!" He never answered my question. For the moment we entered the city gate, our surroundings melted. Merging back into a forest we were all too familiar with. The Great Fairy Forest. "Titania has exacted her vengeance on the humans that lived here for tormenting her daughter." He glanced towards Victoria. "And so, the city of Arborea is no more. It is now Arborea, one of the many domains she possessed as the queen of the feys. As for the people that used to live here, well, they still live their ordinary lives, ignorant for a fact that their entire city had fallen under the fey''s control." The surroundings changed once more, returning back to the bustling city we knew. "From now on, Titania will be the ruler of the city. Ah, that isn''t quite correct. Her daughter will be the ruler of the city. Yes, that''s you, Miss Victoria! Your very own fey half!" He grinned towards the blonde girl. Victoria reacted with surprise. But she stayed silent, grabbing Felicia''s hand, glancing towards her for assurance. Unfortunately for her, the redhead mage couldn''t give that to her. She was visibly sweating, glancing at me, Sherry, and the Demon God at a rhythm. As we traveled further into the city, we didn''t see anything out of the ordinary. The city, and the people inside, looked just like the usual city and people you''d find anywhere else in the continent. Only, they all ignored us, and when one kid ran to where we walked, he simply phased through our bodies as if he were a spirit. "Two intersecting planes¡­" Felicia mumbled to herself. "One is the Fairy Forest, the other is the town." "Correct!" The Demon God clapped his hands. "With the utilization of fey magic that''s capable of disturbing the logic of the world itself, it''s an easy feat to do. And speaking of that, look! That''s your mother, isn''t it, Miss Victoria?" Across the road, to the left of the main street we were in, sat a haggard-looking woman. Her dress had seen better days, with more holes than there were fabric. She looked like she hadn''t bathed in days, with her long dirty blonde hair jutting out in all directions and her pale skin covered in grime and filth. And the smell¡ªyou can smell her from across the street. "M-Mother!" Victoria ran to her side, squatting down to grab her hands. Only to find that she couldn''t touch her in the slightest. The woman laughed, raising her arms to the sky, clapping furiously as if she just watched the most entertaining theater of her life. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Ha! Listen to me, everyone! This city¡ªit has been taken over by the feys! You think that''s your friend you''re speaking with?! No Siree! He''s a changeling! She''s a changeling! You''re all changelings!" The people nearby gave her a pity look as they continued on their merry way, with some kind enough to throw a few coins in her direction. "You fools! I am no beggar! I am an honorable lady of the Relfatia House! She ¡ª she took everything from me! That changeling! Aaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" She let out a wail as she grabbed the sides of her head before being reduced to a series of awful sobs. Victoria turned to look at the Demon God with a horrified expression. "Titania broke her mind." He spoke with a smile. "Well, her mind was already broken a little bit before we came. She simply gave it an extra push. Now, she''s forever haunted by the sight of you being a fey." Victoria opened her mouth, looking as if she wanted to beg him to spare her. But what came out was a different thing entirely. "A-and Big Sister?" "You''ll see her. Don''t worry!" ? We resumed our walk, now reaching the middle part of the city. There, the obelisk that was supposed to protect the city still stood, to my surprise. "They think they''re clever with that obelisk." The Demon God spoke again, looking up at the tall, thin structure. "But it''s nothing that a little runic modification by yours truly can solve." "B-but, but that can''t be!" Victoria chimed in, a look of disbelief on her face. "The runes in the obelisk¡ªthey''re supposed to be immutable! And if anyone tries to change them, the automated defense system will activate and you''ll be zapped on the spot!" The Demon God chuckled. "How naive! You think I can''t bypass such a simple protection? Just so you know, I am the pupil of the great Demon Lord of Dungeons!" He patted himself on the chest. "So bypassing runic traps like this is a cinch!" He rubbed his nose with pride. "How many Demon Lords have you brought under your banner, if you don''t mind me asking?" Felicia asked. She glanced towards me, sending a look that said, "Might as well get as much information as we can from him." "Ah, for that, I think it''d be easier to explain if you just visit my place. Which you are welcome too, of course, but it''s far to the southern end of this continent." "And there''s your sister!" He pointed towards a seedy alleyway to our right. "I''ll have to warn you though that you might want to look away from this one since her punishment ¡ª ooh, it''s not pretty at all!" Victoria didn''t listen. She already bolted out from the group, running towards the alleyway. Naturally, we quickly chased after her. "Y-you¡­ you¡­ get your hands off me!" I froze. The haughty woman ¡ª she was being cornered by five orcs. Her back was to a wall, with her only way of escape was the small road leading to where we were. And that road was blocked completely by the orcs. "W-why? Why is my magic not working?! I-I''m a Grandmaster-level mage! W-what did you do, you filthy orcs?!" She had her wand with her. But no matter how much she waved it around, not a single spell would come out. "Help! Heeelp! Someone, please help!" One of the orcs slammed her to the wall, lifting her up on her neck. Choking, she desperately tried to claw his hand off, only to find a fist landing on her stomach. And then, as she barely kept her consciousness, the orcs tore apart her fancy dress, exposing her naked form to the world. I didn''t need to describe what happened next. Suffice to say, it was a sight so horrible Felicia quickly grabbed Victoria and drew her in for a hug, averting her gaze from the ghastly sight and covering her ears from the horrid noises that followed. "This is her punishment." The Demon God spoke with a smile. "Being violated over and over and over again. Titania had manipulated her fate, making it her destiny to suffer this every day, no matter what she did." Victoria was now crying into Felicia''s bosom. Tira, Theo, and Tama stood frozen with a terrified expression on their faces, with Tira quickly dragging the other two away from the sight. Kiri and Aria looked at me with confusion, not understanding what they were seeing. Myrilla eyed the Demon God with a hostile glare. Sherry, on the other hand, had her hands folded on top of her chest, looking at the scene with a "she deserves it" look. "Well, enough of that. Let''s go. Your friend waits for you, Sir Hugo." "S-Sir Demon God," Victoria spoke after Felicia released her from her grip. "Please don''t do this to my sister. I know she''s a bad person but she doesn''t¡ª" "No, she deserves this." The boy''s cheerful expression sharply transformed into a scowl. "Don''t you remember all the terrible things she has done to you? From the day you were born? Your mother told me everything, you know. And this is the punishment she had chosen for her." Victoria didn''t reply. She simply shrank down, hiding behind Felicia once again. "I don''t like it but I have to agree with the brat." Sherry chimed in. "You''re too nice, Victoria. That''s why people walk all over you throughout your entire life. As your teacher, I want you to learn how to be more assertive and recognize when scum like her deserves punishment." For an Izurd, being violated like that was the worst fate imaginable, even more than a painful and torturous death. So for her to agree that she deserved it, she must hate her far more than Victoria did. "Miss Sherry¡­" Victoria looked at her with a pained look. It wasn''t just Sherry who shared that sentiment. Judging by her expression, Tama too agreed that the b*tch deserved it. The others though¡ªthey were far more ambivalent to it. Tira covered Theo''s eyes, telling him it''s something he shouldn''t see. The fairies asked me what the orcs were doing to her. I said I would explain it later to them. "Let''s move," Felicia spoke with a stern look towards the Demon God. "That''s enough of that, don''t you think?" ? We continued our trip through the city, with Victoria falling silent completely. Though to be honest, most of us didn''t speak much either. The Demon God did most of the talking, remaining as easygoing and cheerful as ever. I was scanning my surroundings, trying to see anyway we could escape. Failing that, at the very least, I could see if he was leading us to a trap. I didn''t find anything. There weren''t any feys preparing to ambush us. The only magic around was the glamour cast over the forest to create the city, plus the ambient magic of the fairy forest itself. That, and the strong fey presence at where we were going, where we might find Titania and Victoria''s fey half. "Father¡­ How about Father?" Victoria quietly asked. "A-and the servants?" Now that she knew about the fates of her mother and sister, she couldn''t stop herself. She had to know about them as well. What terrible punishment her fairy mother had in mind for them? "Hmm, about them¡­" The Demon God paused, touching his chin. "I don''t think I know. Titania never said what she wanted to do with them." "D-does that mean she spared them?" "I have no idea." He shrugged with a smile. "You''ll have to ask her yourself. Ah, but that won''t work. You won''t remember afterwards. I guess I can ask her for you." "You can withstand her memory-wiping magic?" Myrilla asked. "Of course!" He replied cheerfully. "I wouldn''t be the Demon God if I couldn''t! That''s why she agreed to become my ally in the first place! She was impressed by my ability to resist her existence!" Eventually, we arrived at the mansion that used to be owned by Victoria''s family. Before the scenery shifted, transforming our surroundings back to a bunch of weirdly shaped and colored trees. Now, a big tree stood where the mansion used to be. And Xaela¡ªshe was inside the tree, hanging up high on the giant trunk, with her arms buried inside the tree itself. Vol 5 Chapter 55: Interlude – Hero vs Witch South end of the Magocracy, inside the hidden World Dungeon, Reverse Tower "How curious¡­ I thought I''ve already told all of you to leave me alone here until I say otherwise." When Opal Lestat promised she would do something, she would do it without a doubt. She had been that way ever since her youth and she hadn''t changed a bit now that she was older. And so, defying the command of Mira, she made a visit to the World Dungeon. Using the teleporter, she arrived at the top floor in an instant. She would find the archmage sitting cross-legged on the floor, seemingly meditating with her eyes closed. Mira opened her eyes. She stood up, staring at the old woman with a displeased look. "Why do you hide here? Why don''t you lead us like the archmage you are? You were the one who wished for a paradise for mages like us. With your strength, defeating the Milicis Church and the Holy Empire would not be a problem." Hearing the old woman''s words, Mira covered her mouth and suppressed a giggle. "Oh, my dear Opal. Do not be hasty. We''ll wait until Project Golem is finished first before we attack. If we attack, we''ll have to deal with the two Orders as well. And their two leaders¡ªtheir strength surpasses the Imperial Knights. It will be much safer for us if we have Yaldabaoth on our side, no?" The old woman scoffed. Project Golem. The pet project of that old fool Vehta. It was one of the reasons why they invaded the rest of the continent. They needed to build the spires in their territories for the grand runic spell to work. "You really don''t care about murdering millions?" "Not when they''re people without the gift," Mira replied with a smile. "After all, I aim to make a paradise for mages. There is no place for non-mages in my world." Opal fell silent. To think a woman who once fought for the good of all humanity would say that¡­ "Yaldabaoth will be invincible," Mira continued. "There''s no need to attack before it is ready for deployment." Opal frowned. She had seen the schematics, just like the other Council members. Using the mana crystals grown out of the millions of non-mages in the continent, they would construct a massive golem the size of a mountain. It would be impervious to all attacks, be it magical or physical. Even the blades of Esther Solis and Ciaran Hrothgar would not be able to take it down. Mana crystals naturally absorb magical attacks well while physical, aura-based attacks would be dampened by the force field the construct would be protected with, as well as the fact that it could survive being shattered into a million pieces, owing to its auto-reconstructive capacity. She had to agree with Mira''s assessment. By all metrics, the construct would be invincible. And yet, she didn''t like the plan. As a mage, she never liked relying on magical constructs. For a mage to establish her superiority against non-mages, they would have to win using only their own magic, not by creating tools that could fight in their stead. Those swordsmen and women fought only with their blades. Mages should only fight with their staves as well. It wasn''t just her that had this sentiment. Merlinus agreed as well. But their dissent was eventually vetoed by Mira, who took Vehta and Selendia''s side. "Now leave. A guest will soon arrive here. And I prefer to meet her alone." Opal raised her eyebrow. A guest? What kind of guest could she be waiting for? Still, she said nothing as she made her way back to the teleporter. If she displeased her enough, she knew she would just kill her on the spot. And there would be nothing she could do against it. The disparity between their strength¡ªit was simply too great. Let these old bones of hers see what kind of world she would create, even if the foundation was a mountain of skulls. "Here we are. Our destination." "The nest of evil itself." Ars and Milicis now stood in front of Reverse Tower, an anomalous, upside-down tower hidden inside a hidden cave at the southern border of the Magocracy. The two had made their way through the enemy country without being discovered. The Saint was thankfully capable of hiding her divine aura. And, with the aid of a dull black cloak, she could hide her shining golden hair and fancy church robes from the common folks they met on the road. Still, it hadn''t been easy. The mage country had spies everywhere. Even the non-magic citizens were ready to tattle on any suspicious personage they found. Foreigners like them, mostly adventurers and merchants, were scrutinized to their very bones, to the point that anyone with ties to the Empire was to be arrested and detained even without any concrete proof. Thankfully, Milicis brought with her enough Magus coins that they didn''t have to accept any jobs as adventurers to feed themselves. She had naturally foreseen this type of surveillance and her plan was to just go through the country as fast as they could, only stopping to rest and nothing more. "So Mira is in here? Are you sure? I expect a leader of a country like herself would be in the capital, not out of nowhere in some hidden underground tower like this. There aren''t even any guards around." Ars asked with raised eyebrows towards the saintess. "Oh, I am perfectly sure about that," Milicis replied, her tone making her almost seem offended by him doubting her words. "She is here. And the Administrator of the dungeon as well." "Administrator?" Milicis didn''t reply. She simply continued onward, entering the tower with a frown on her face. ? The tower''s interior was nothing like Ars had ever seen before. The walls were glowing a gentle green hue, emitted out of millions of runic lines that covered them from top to bottom. A heavy atmosphere blanketed the stale air, and every step he took seemingly echoed across the darkness. The hallway they entered soon took them into a large, empty room. A large gaping hole rested in the middle of the room, seemingly leading into a bottomless pit. "Well, would you look at that? You come at last, my old dear friend." Ars swiftly drew his sword, his eyes scanning around his surroundings for the source of the voice. "Jump down the hole. The teleporter shall take you to my room right away." Ars gritted his teeth. "Don''t worry. I''m not so foolish to think you''ll die from a simple fall." The voice then disappeared, leaving the two on their own once more. "Come." Milicis then spoke, without sparing a glance at the confused hero. "She waits." The saint took a step forward. And another. And another. Until she was right at the edge of the hole. "H-hey, I don''t think we should¡ª" The woman vanished. "Oh come on!" He ran to the edge of the hole. Peering down, he could see nothing but darkness. "I swear, that damn woman!" And so, he took a deep breath and jumped as well. ? Milicis Darkness. I saw nothing but darkness all around me as I plummeted further and further. It doesn''t matter if it is a trap or not. There is nothing in this world that can harm me. Not in my current state. And that includes her as well. The world shifted. No longer was I inside the hole. I could see the floor under me with clarity as it glowed from the runic charm written on it. I landed on my feet, receiving an impact so soft as if I had merely jumped a foot high. Looking around, I judged that I had been teleported into a small round room, with an opening leading to a much larger one. Ars soon landed as well, his face looking as if he just saw a ghost. Compared to Arthur, he was indeed quite the expressive man. I walked towards the opening, entering the much larger room beyond it. And there, we finally met. "Mira." She stood with a small smile on her face, as if satisfied that I finally made it here. "Long time no see, Milicis. Or should I say Catherine? That''s the name of the woman whose body you''re using, correct?" She looked¡­ different. He was right. She really was using the body of another. "You''re one to talk, filthy necromancer." She burst into a laugh. "Oh, how ironic you''d say that! You, who have devoured all the souls of those women for a millenia, just so you could remain in this world." ¡­She is right. My existence¡­ it is sin itself. The Church, ever since its inception, has held the secret of my existence away from the eyes and ears of the public. The Saints, those chosen to lead the Church, were not some honored existence chosen by me and Him. No, they were cursed creatures, destined to surrender their bodies so I could continue to lead the Church. I didn''t want to. But He insisted, telling me that my presence was necessary to keep the balance of the world. "I am here not to seek justification for my actions. I am here to confront you, before you can enact whatever foolish plan you have in your mind." "Ooh, interesting!" She laughed once more. "What do you think, then, my plan is?" "You''re trying to take down the Goddess. Your Yaldabaoth Project, it is all for the sake of creating a spell powerful enough to rip Her from Her throne." "Oho! I see your Heavenly Dragon is peeking into all my secrets! Good! Good! I was hoping you''d know me well enough that you know I won''t ever kneel to that despotic tyrant out of my own volition!" She was now clapping her hands, smiling as she did. "Indeed, that is my plan! But you miss one crucial thing! I won''t just be killing her! I will replace her as well!" "...I see. You wish to prevent the death of the world. So you are privy to even that information¡­" "Of course! This is a plan millenia in the making after all!" The World Seed. It was the true form of the Goddess. She really did create the world, but she herself was created by someone or something else. This world didn''t exist before she came into being. It was her who grew to become "it" as its seed. The world''s will is her will. And her death would mean the death of the world as well. "Do you have any idea what the consequences would be if you do so? You think you''re smarter than the Ancients, who learned of the truth and decided not to kill her?" "I have surpassed them. I shall be the one to deliver this world from Her blight." "I am sorry. I cannot entrust the world''s future to your delusion." "Ars, you may begin." ? Ars I leapt forward, swinging my sword as fast as I could towards her. My slash missed the mark entirely, its force crashing into the tower walls instead. "Gyaahhh!" A piercing pain surged throughout my body, enough to bring me down to my knees. Behind me was Mira, hovering in the air with her right palm aimed towards me. "Call me surprised. You actually survive that. My Supreme Thunder possesses enough power to turn even an Elder Dragon to ash. You really are the new chosen Hero, aren''t you?" Suddenly, I felt a warm sensation across my body. "Be careful. That woman¡­ She possesses the magic to teleport herself faster than the blink of an eye. She can dodge your blows that way." I glanced towards Milicis. I jumped, slicing the air in a full 360 degrees motion. She vanished once again, but this time, I was ready. Predicting that she would reappear somewhere behind me, I dashed backwards. I switched my sword grip into a backwards one before performing a stabbing motion, aimed at her who was now right behind me. ¡­ My blade exploded, sending me flying backwards right at the nearest wall. "Wormhole Shield. I bent space itself, creating a singularity that counteracts the sheer force of your stabbing motion. Your pitiful sword simply cannot handle it." Another rejuvenation spell from the Missus. It seemed she would rather have me do all the dirty work instead of fighting herself. And damn, that woman really is strong. And arrogant as well. That smile of hers is practically saying, "I''m so much better than you lot!" What an unpleasant person. "Take out your axe. I''ll bless it with my protection so it won''t shatter like your sword." "Now that''s more like it." I grinned at the holy lady, pulling the weapon from my back, discarding the sheathe to the ground. "Arthur might love his swords but I''m more of an axe guy myself." She aimed her staff towards me without looking, and the next second, my axe had this weird golden glow on it. Her blessing, I presume. "Stay there for a bit. Attack only when you see an opening." ? Milicis "Chains of Fate." "Wormhole Shield! Spread Formation!" To my surprise, she managed to block every single one of my chains. And the way she did it was by creating innumerable singularities to absorb the mana and force of the innumerable chains I sent her way. "What''s this? I remember your spells being stronger, Milicis." She grinned. "Don''t tell me you''ve gotten weaker over the years!" The singularities swallowed the chains one by one, storing their energy inside their infinitely small masses. "Reversal!" Before firing it all out in a massive beam of golden light. "Perfect Barrier." I could survive her counter-attack. But Ars was a different story entirely. As such, I had to erect a barrier for him. And then, I saw it ¡ª a pair of spells forming in her hands. Red and blue. Supreme Heat and Supreme Cold, most likely. In the millisecond after her singularities fired, she was already readying a new cast. As expected, she would use this opportunity to further her attack. She''s fast enough of a caster to do so. And cleverly enough, she sent both spells towards Ars. She knew my barrier couldn''t withstand three Archmage-level spells back to back. A Perfect Barrier may theoretically be capable of reflecting anything that hits it, but its integrity does weaken every time it does, especially when the spells are as powerful as the ones she''s casting. In this situation, there''s only one optimal solution. "Morning Star." The last thing I saw before closing my eyes was the blindingly bright light exploding from the tip of my staff. ? ? Fall. We were falling. The floor we stood on was no more. Nor the walls. Or the ceilings. Or anything else. Everything had turned into sand and dust. The violent bright I created had eradicated them to their very core. Only those protected by the same light would be spared of the destruction, which meant myself and Ars. Casting a protection spell on my feet, I landed without harm. Ars'' barrier was still intact so there was no need to do the same to him. We were now inside a massive crater made out of fine sand. The tower was nowhere to be found, along with the cave that contained its presence. My spell erased them all and now they existed only as little, tiny grains under our feet. I scanned my surroundings. Thanks to the light streaming down from the sky above, there was no dark corner one could conceivably hide in inside the crater. "W-what in the blazes was that?! You¡­ you blew up¡­ e-everything! I nearly went blind because of your spell!" Ars was, understandably, quite taken aback by what just transpired. Ironic, considering as the new Hero, he had the strength to cut down mountains himself. "That was my ultimate spell, Morning Star. It was invented by the Ancients, to kill other Ancients en masse. In the old days, they would send flying runic devices that could cast the spell autonomously. They possessed thousands of them, and when they went to war against each other, they inevitably turned the world into a graveyard of endless sand, just like the one we are in right now." "Seriously? No wonder the Demon God lost to you." "Don''t be silly. You, as the new Legendary Hero, should be stronger than this. And besides¡ª" My legs wobbled as a wave of exhaustion hit me from top to bottom. I knelt down, not wanting to fall from the sudden dizziness. "Hey, you''re okay?" Ars gave me a concerned look. "I''m fine. That magic just took almost all my mana to cast." "Is that it? Did we win? Heh, I guess you don''t really need my help after¡ª" He was wrong. She was still alive and well. A wormhole appeared right behind me. And from it, a pair of arms crept out, hovering right around my neck. "Dimension Slice." Within a swift millisecond, my head was no longer attached to my body. ? Ars "Milicis!" I leapt forward, swinging my axe down at the two outstretched hands. Only for it to be repelled once again by her spell. A surge of heat gathered near the arms. I managed to back away, just in time to dodge the spell. It hit the sand behind me, turning it into glass in an instant. The wormhole opened further, revealing the mage in her entirety. She was still alive, but she was gravely wounded. Her clothes were in tatters with blood dripping all over her body. Stepping out of the hole, she had a victorious grin on her face. "Ha! I did it! Take that, you obnoxious priestess! You think you''re invincible just because you have that cheat spell of yours? Not in the slightest! My Dimensional Slice isn''t an attack! It simply dislocates the space around your head, teleporting it somewhere else! Your cheat spell can''t do anything against it!" She spat on Milicis'' corpse before moving her gaze towards me. "Do you know what spell she used? Barrier of Fate! It sends all attacks towards its user to someone else in the world! She doesn''t care if it kills someone else! Some holy woman she is!" "Unfortunately for her, I can store myself inside a pocket dimension to dodge that spell of hers! And now, I am the one that remains standing!" "Now you!" She pointed at me. "Will you stand against me as well? You''re free now. You''re no longer controlled by her to fight by her side!" I glanced towards Milicis'' body before looking back at her. "You got me wrong, Lady Witch. I''m not here because I''m controlled by her. I''m here out of my own will." "And I know that you and your little magic kingdom is something I would like to smash into pieces." I jumped up, gripped my axe with both hands, and swung it down as hard as I could. Once again, she blocked my blow with her spell. This was well within my expectations. But she couldn''t keep it for long. Not when she was that wounded. All I had to do was to slam my axe against her spell over and over. "Haa! Haa! Haa! Haa!" I swung and swung and swung, never relenting in the slightest, using all my strength at every swing. The woman was slowly being pushed back, each hit that landed making her grit her teeth more and more. She tried to cast her other spells to stop me but I took every single one without hesitation. It didn''t matter how hot or cold it got. It didn''t matter how my clothes evaporated. It didn''t matter how much of my skin was burned beyond recognition. I am the Legendary Hero. And I can not die before I fulfill my purpose. "You¡ªyou really are¡ªyou really are a monster. At this rate, I might just¡ªI might just lose¡­" "...Ah, I see it now. Milicis is still here, with you. Her power now resides within you, augmenting your endurance far beyond the level of even the strongest fighter." "Fine! I''ll show you my strongest magic, here and now!" sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I swung my axe even faster, even harder. Those were Milicis'' words when we first met. She was right. I could not overcome her spell in any other way. Using brute force is all I can do right now. " O despot of space and time¡ª" Faster, harder¡­ "---Sing to me the song of oblivion¡ª" Faster, harder! "---So I may collapse reality itself!" FASTER, HARDER! A loud crashing sound filled the air. Her singularity shield¡­ I managed to cut through it at last¡­ Now, just one more swing¡­ just one more swing until I can cut through her flesh¡­ "Black Hole!" Only for everything to be swallowed by pure darkness. In the end, I was too late to stop her¡­ ? Mira "Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­." ¡­ My whole body hurts. What remains of it anyways. Both of my arms were gone, crushed by my own spell. Black Hole. It was a spell that created a singularity that sucked in anything that surrounded it, even light. Once you were a certain distance away from it, nothing could escape its grasp. That was why my arms were gone. When I created the singularity, it promptly sucked in my hands. Flesh and bone were grinded and compressed down into nothingness in an instant. The only reason I am still alive right now is because I also cast a Dimensional Transfer spell right after, hiding the rest of my body in a pocket dimension. "The plan is successful. We''ve trapped the power of the holy saint. However, I''m afraid she only brought half of her benefactor''s power with her." I looked up and saw Etor standing over me. As usual, he had that mischievous smile on his face that made you want to punch him. I ordered him not to participate in the fight. His job, after all, was to imprison the soul of Milicis here, and with it, the power of the Heavenly Dragon. Without him and his magic, she would''ve just returned to her false master and I wouldn''t be able to steal the power I desperately needed for my plan. "Half? Damn it. I''ve been had¡­ Did that idiot seriously think she could defeat me with just half of her power?" "Shall I heal your wounds?" I burst into a weak laugh. "What a bad joke. The tower''s gone. You don''t have the strength to¡ª" "I do. My one last spell ¡ª I shall give it to you, my dear Mira." "...You''re a fool, you know that?" With a bright, eerie light, time rewinded. All the way back to when I still had my arms. It was the only way for him to heal me. Using his time magic. And, as it took a lot of mana to do, without his tower, there was only one thing he could use as fuel. His own body and soul. When his spell finished, he was nowhere to be found. And where he stood remained a pile of ash and dust.